Summary: Jon wakes up, stunning Davos and Melisandre. He has those who stabbed him executed before declaring his watch has ended. Edd is now in charge of Castle Black. Sam gets seasick on the way to Oldtown. He reveals to Gilly that he plans to take her to Horn Hill. Bran visits the past and watches Ned fight Arthur Dayne. Varys gets more information in Meereen. Qyburn tries to get allied with Varys' little birds. Cersei and Jaime force themselves onto the small council but still don't get any information. Tommen tries to get the High Sparrow to pardon Cersei but fails. Arya's training continues and she gets her eyes back. Ramsay is given Rickon as a gift.
The Good: This was a stronger episode that did a good job of setting up the story for the rest of the season without indulging in the show's worst habits. Bran's story was the most intriguing in this episode. I really liked the swordfight showcasing Ned vs Arthur Dayne. It was really well done and was probably the best choreographed swordfight in the show. I really enjoyed that aspect, but I also loved the idea that honourable Ned only won the duel when Howland Reed stabbed Arthur Dayne in the back yet got praised as a hero for it. That was a signature "Game of Thrones" moment which I really enjoyed. Furthermore, I like the development with how attached Bran has become with visiting the past. The explanation that it is the only time he can walk makes perfect sense so we can understand why Bran has such a hard time going back to the real world. I really liked the amount of information we got on Varys in this episode. I enjoyed seeing him getting information by being kind and rewarding people as opposed to torture. It's fitting for his character and a breath of fresh air after we have been subjected to Ramsay for so long. I was pleased that the show actually addressed how Varys' little birds work. The idea that they are a connected network of little children who casually listen in on conversations and report information is impressively brilliant and a logical way to explain how Varys is able to obtain so much information. The small council scene was terrific. I really like that Cersei and Jaime are still failing to achieve anything as they get completely beaten by Kevan and Olenna who refuse to do their dealings with them. It's great to see Cersei continue to fail in her assertion of power which is realistic for somebody with little leverage on their side. Furthermore, Tommen isn't particularly useful for Cersei either as he is still young, so he falls prey to the wisdom of the High Sparrow who dissolves his anger in impressive fashion. Tommen isn't as vile or stupid as Joffrey so he isn't able to get what he wants in the way that Joffrey did. As an aside, I got a good laugh out of Pycelle insulting The Mountain unknowingly and immediately regretting it. His slow and terrified walk past The Mountain was pretty great. Arya's training continues to deliver. The montage in this episode was really well done and was put together with expert editing. I really enjoyed seeing Arya's improvement in her training as she gets her vision back and may be back to doing assassination missions once more. The other odd scenes were enjoyable. Tyrion's scenes were tremendously fun as always. He didn't do much more than make funny conversation in this episode, but I enjoyed it a lot. Poor Sam is seasick on the way to Oldtown. I appreciate that the show may actually be showing us his family to deepen the world a little more. I look forward to that. The execution of Alliser and Olly was a powerful moment. I thought Alliser's final words were very good and consistent with his character. The Bad: I was disappointed by the reactions to Jon's revival. Davos and Melisandre were fittingly surprised but everyone else hardly reacted at all which was bad. Tormund's joke was funny but his reaction was nonsensical. Jon just came back to life and he doesn't even seem to care! Furthermore, Alliser's final moments were ruined by the fact that he didn't even seem to address the ridiculousness of the idea that Jon is alive again. This is a big deal and I'm annoyed that the show doesn't seem to be treating it as a significant event which it certainly is. Does Jon really have the authority to just leave now? I would have liked more time to see more people discuss this rather than Jon suddenly leaving without a care in the world. Arya's training has been a bit repetitive this season. It's not a big problem as I have enjoyed the way the scenes are constructed, but it could become an issue if we don't get anything new for her. I hope that we don't have to sit through Ramsay torturing Rickon now. Please don't do that, it's not needed. The Unknown: What happened in the Tower of Joy? Was Lyanna in there? What happened to her? Also, did Ned actually hear Bran? What does that mean? Can Bran interact with the past? Could this become a big part of the story later? What are Tyrion and Varys planning? What is the message? I recall Beric saying that he lost a little bit of his mind every time he came back to life. Will Jon be affected in a similar way? What will Ramsay do with Rickon and Osha? Best Moment: The swordfight was very good, my favourite moment of the episode. Character of the Episode: Varys. Conclusion: This was a better episode with some good set up and it could have been even better had Jon's resurrection been treated appropriately. Aside from that, this was a solid episode. Score: 65
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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