Ep 607 “The Broken Man”

Everyone thought last weeks episode was kind of dull. I didn’t agree, however, I might agree this week. This episode was necessary to move storylines along, though I would’ve liked to see Ian McShane put to better use. Speaking of Ian McShane…

We finally get to see him! For the last year we’ve heard that he was going to be on the show. He plays a septon, but I don’t think they ever said his name. He is the leader of a small group of commonfolk who are just looking for a nice place to live in harmony. They picked a great place in a beautiful green valley. They are building some sort of structure, possibly a sept. (Which is a type of church in Westeros if you didn’t know.) Women are cooking and men are carrying wood for a building. One man stands out in particular. He is tall and has a limp. When the camera pans up we see the Hound (aka Sandor Clegane). So, he made it after Brienne knocked the snot out of him with the help of the septon. He and the septon seem to have a close relationship and the only one the Hound has within the group of people. They talk frequently and the septon tells the Hound that the gods kept him alive because they aren’t done with him yet. At the end of the day when the work is done and they’ve all eaten the septon tells stories about his former life as a soldier. He committed all kinds of crimes, killed lots of people and he says it’s never too late to come back. One day, three riders come up and ask what the people are doing there. The septon invites them to supper, but they refuse the invitation and leave. The Hound warns him they are part of the Brotherhood without Banners and they worship the Lord of Light. He thinks they will be back to take what they have, but the septon doesn’t heed his warning. The next day when the Hound is off chopping down trees in the woods he hears screams, but by the time he makes it back to the camp it is too late. Everyone is dead, including the septon, who the men strung up using the foundation of their building. The Hound is not happy and grabs an axe.

The Ironborn who fled with Theon and Yara are enjoying themselves at a brothel. Theon is nervous, almost showing signs of Reek. I can understand why he would be on edge. Yara jokes about him not being interested in women anymore and then apologizes for it. She tells him she needs the real Theon Greyjoy. The one she knew before Ramsay got a hold of him and if he’s that far gone then he needs to kill himself. She says the plan is to sail to Mereen and make a pact with Daenerys so they can take back the Iron Islands. After she gives him his pep talk and makes him drink he finally starts to look like the Theon we know and says he is with her.

Arya has decided it’s time to head home and put Braavos behind her. I’m sure she’ll keep her mad assassin skills though. She finds a Westerosi captain so she can book passage home. She throws him a couple of bags of money to bargain and works out having her own cabin. As she stands on a bridge and takes her final look at the Titan of Braavos (that big statue when you enter Braavos) an old woman calls to her. She turns around only to see that the old woman is actually the Waif. The Waif cuts her across the stomach and then stabs her in the gut several times. Arya jumps into the water and the Waif looks to make sure she doesn’t come back up. She leaves once she’s satisfied Arya is dead. Arya makes it to a staircase and crawls out of the water. As she walks through the marketplace everyone looks at her, but no one helps. Are we losing another Stark? She seemed to be on her toes in the last episode by grabbing Needle and laying in wait for the Waif to come kill her, but she was totally off-guard in this episode. Or seemed to be. I was really hoping she had something under her clothes that makes it look like she’s bleeding. Like maybe she possibly took something from the mummer’s show in order to fake her own death so she could escape Jaqen and the Waif. Hopefully we’ll find out her fate in the next episode.

Margaery visits the High Sparrow on an almost daily basis. Her appearance is completely changed. She wears very modest dresses as opposed to the strips of fabric she used to wear. The High Sparrow counsels her on not sleeping with Tommen since she’s returned to the Red Keep. She’s a woman after all and it is her duty to bare heirs for her husband. He also expresses his concern for her grandmother and fears for her safety, body and soul. That sure sounded like a threat to me! Lady Olenna visits her granddaughter, but Margaery is not allowed to be alone with her. She is followed around by Septa Unella and tells her grandmother the Septa is her friend. Margaery explains to her grandmother that Loras must confess to his crimes and return to Highgarden, but be stripped of his lands and title. Lady Olenna thinks that is crazy because Loras is the heir to Highgarden and the future of House Tyrell. She tries to persuade Margaery to leave for Highgarden immediately, but Margaery tells her grandmother that it is she who must return home and quickly. She bends down to say goodbye to her grandmother and slips her a piece of paper. I knew she was up to something. Margaery knows how to play the game. We’ve seen that. After Lady Olenna leaves Margaery’s room she looks at the paper and it is a rose, the sigil of their house.

Cersei visits Lady Olenna because she heard that she was leaving Kings Landing. Cersei doesn’t understand why she would leave when her grandson is still a prisoner in the dungeons of the sept. Lady Olenna says they are in this situation because of Cersei’s stupidity. She wonders (and says so to Cersei’s face, which was priceless) if Cersei is the worst person she’s ever met. She remembers how Cersei smirked at her when Margaery and Loras were taken prisoner. Cersei tries to explain her actions saying she loves her son like Lady Olenna loves her granddaughter and they must work together against the Faith. Lady Olenna warns Cersei that she should leave the city too before her trial by combat. She could end up in the dungeons again. The people despise her and her brother and family are gone. Cersei has lost the game and that is the only joy Lady Olenna can find in all of the misery of the situation.

In the riverlands, Jaime and the Lannister army arrive at Riverrun. The Frey’s are doing a horrible job staging a siege. Jaime tells Bronn he needs him to be his right hand man and Bronn says Jaime needs to keep his promise of land and a highborn wife. I thought Bronn was marrying Lollys Stokeworth. What happened to that? The Frey’s are using Edmure Tully as bait. They have Edmure on a gallow with a noose around his neck. The Blackfish doesn’t seem to be concerned so one of the Frey’s puts a knife to Lord Edmure’s neck. The Blackfish calls the Frey’s bluff and they take Lord Edmure away. Jaime tells the Frey’s he is in command now and that Lord Edmure should be bathed and fed. Jaime asks Bronn to negotiate and parley with the Blackfish. When they meet the Blackfish says Jaime must be there to fulfill his promise to Catelyn Stark, but he’s doesn’t see Sansa or Arya. Jaime says he doesn’t know where the girls are, so the Blackfish asks him if he’s ready to go back in chains. Jaime says he is there under the king’s orders. The Blackfish is trespassing because the castle belongs to the Frey’s now. Men will die if he won’t surrender. The Blackfish says that as long as he is standing the war is not over. He was born in Riverrun and he will die there. He tells Jaime they have provisions to last them two years. Jaime asks why he accepted the parley if he was just going to refuse to surrender and the Blackfish says that a siege can be boring, he just wanted to meet the Kingslayer face to face and frankly he’s disappointed.

Things are getting serious in the north. The wildlings aren’t happy about fighting a war with the northerners. They think they should be focusing on fighting the White Walkers. They fear they are the last of the free folk. Jon tells them they must fight because the Bolton’s will come after them and when they are done they will come after Jon. He says they need to fight so they can all survive and prepare to fight the White Walkers. Tormund tells the free folk they owe Jon. He died for them and they are cowards if they won’t do the same for him. The giant Wun-Wun is the first to pledge his allegiance and the others follow.

Jon, Sansa and Ser Davos visit the Mormont’s of Bear Island. Since the previous Lady Mormont died while fighting for Robb, there is a new and very young Lady Mormont. She is ten years old, but has an old soul and quite a character. Her name is Lyanna Mormont and she was named after Jon and Sansa’s aunt. She rips them a new one very quickly and tells Jon that House Mormont has always fought for the Starks, but Jon is a Snow and Sansa is a Lannister. Or is she a Bolton? It’s so hard to keep up. Sansa says she did what she had to do to survive and she will always be a Stark. Jon tells the young Lady Mormont that they must stop Ramsay. He is holding their youngest brother Rickon. None of these arguments sway Lady Mormont. She is accountable for the people of Bear Island and she must look out for their best interests. She can’t continue fighting other people’s wars. Ser Davos intervenes and says he understands how the young girl feels. She is in charge of so many lives at such a young age. He tells her this is our war, not someone else’s war. Lord Mormont (her grandfather, great uncle? Can’t remember exactly) chose Jon as his steward and trusted him so she should as well. The real war is between the living and the dead and “the dead are coming.” Then Jon says they must unite the north against the Night’s King. She finally agrees to join them, but they only have 62 fighting men to contribute, but one Bear Islander fights like ten regular men.

They continue their campaign to win northern houses to their cause, but they don’t do so well. The new Lord Glover of Deepwood Motte only concedes to meet with them out of the respect he had for Ned Stark. He will not help their cause and fight with wildlings. Sansa reads him the riot act reminding him that he is sworn to act with House Stark when called upon. Her argument doesn’t help. He is still furious that his wife and children were imprisoned when the Ironborn took his castle while Robb was off marrying some “foreign whore.” He served House Stark, but House Stark is dead. (No, they are not stupid they are right in front of you!!!) So they have 2,000 wildings and a few northern men. Jon says they must march on Winterfell as soon as possible. Ser Davos tries to make them feel more assured by saying they don’t have what they hoped, but they can still win. Sansa is not so sure and she wants to reach out to some of the other houses, such as the Cerwyn’s. Jon seems to be over the insults they received trying to gather the houses to their cause and says they will march with the men they have. The men and the wildlings are already fighting amongst themselves. Sansa is making some plans of her own though and writes a letter to someone. Lord Baelish perhaps, or Brienne and the Blackfish at Riverrun?

I really hope Arya doesn’t die. I want to see her put those skills to good use somewhere. Plus you can’t let the Waif win! It looks like Jaime and Brienne meet up again in the next episode, but they will be on opposite sides. And what of the north? They have to get over this wildling issue and rally together!