Ep 608 “No One”



These past few episodes are definitely gearing us up for some big battles. Mereen is under fire, Riverrun now belongs to the Frey’s (ugh) and Sansa and Jon still don’t have enough men to fight the Boltons. Good news though, Arya is alive and hopefully staying that way.

Speaking of Arya, it seems Lady Crane has taken her leverage over the head troupe guy and taken Arya’s advice. Her last monologue is full of emotions leaving the crowd completely engaged and some were even crying. Lady Crane goes backstage to relax after her final scene, but hears some movement in a closet. She checks it out and finds Arya wounded and bleeding. She stitches Arya up while answering the question of what happened to the younger actress that tried to have her killed. The girl won’t be getting another acting jobs anytime soon after what Lady Crane did to her face. (Ooh, a dark side. I like it.) She invites Arya to join the troupe and take over the roll of Sansa (lol) and travel to Pentos with them when they leave. Arya knows she won’t be safe until the Waif is dead and being an actress is not her destiny so she politely declines. She says she’s seen the west and the east so now she’d like to see the edge of the world. Lady Crane offers her milk of the poppy, but Arya is hesitant to drink it until Lady Crane insists she needs her rest in order to heal. Aww, she’s like Arya’s new mom. I love it! Arya rests there for a few days and Lady Crane grows very fond of her, even caressing Arya’s face while she sleeps. Who would’ve thought that a woman, who play’s the role of Cersei, would end up being a mother figure for Arya?  However, tragedy strikes because you know none of the Starks can be happy. The Waif disguises herself as a young man and kills Lady Crane while Arya is asleep. Arya wakes up when she hears the tussle and the Waif tells her it’s all her fault. The Many Faced God was given a name. Now he has taken it, but there is another. The Waif chases her through Braavos. (She really hates Arya and/or has some major anger issues.) They wreak havoc throughout the city and Arya leaves a trail of blood that leads to her little hidey-hole. When the Waif enters she asks Arya if she wants to die on her knees or on her feet. Arya grabs Needle and slices the flame off the candle leaving them in the dark. The next thing we see is Jaqen following a trail of blood through the House of Black and White that leads to the hall of faces. It’s not Arya’s face on the wall though. It is the Waif’s. She got what was coming to her. Arya tells Jaqen, “I am Arya Stark of Winterfell and I’m going home.” Jaqen smiles and lets her leave.

The Hound comes upon some of the men who killed his “peaceful peeps.” They are joking and rough housing around a campfire until he comes up and unleashes his mad axing skills on them. He asks the last guy where the man with the yellow cloak is, but he doesn’t know. The Hound tells the man, “You’re shit at dying you know that?” and continues his search, which leads him to Beric Dondarrion and Thoros of Myr. If you think back to season two you’ll remember these two men as the leaders of the rag tag Brotherhood Without Banners. They are hanging three men who were involved in slaughtering a peaceful settlement. The Hound tells them those were his people so he should have the right to kill the men. They bargain until Dondarrion tells him he can have two of the captives, but they must be hanged, no slicing them with his ax. The Hound calls them a “bunch of nancies”, but he helps them hang two of the men. He chills with the Brotherhood afterward and they ask him to join. Thoros and Dondarrion say he can help more than he’s harmed and it’s not too late for him. So, will the Hound join the Brotherhood Without Banners? That would be interesting. He should totally be their mascot! 

Qyeburn warns Cersei that seven members of the Faith Militant have been permitted into the Red Keep and are there for her. She goes out to meet them with her personal bodyguard, the Mountain. They are armed and demand that Cersei follow them to the Sept of Baelor per the High Septon (aka High Sparrow’s) orders. Cersei isn’t leaving the security of the Red Keep though. Her cousin Lancel (also her once lover and conspirator in killing King Robert) is at the head of the group. The Mountain shields her, but they command him to step aside or there will be violence. (Lol, really? Lancel of all people should know what the Mountain could do.) Cersei says she chooses violence and the Mountain picks up one of the men and chokes him to death. Then he rips his face off starting with his jaw. The rest of them back away at that point. (Probably a good idea.) Cersei tells them the High Septon is always welcome at the Red Keep, but she will not go to the sept. She finds out there is to be a royal announcement and goes to the throne room. She wants to be by Tommen’s side, but Ser Kevan won’t allow it. He tells her to go stand with all the other highborn ladies in the gallery where she belongs. Tommen arrives and announces that a date has been set for Cersei and Loras’s trials. Oh, and by the way, he also outlaws trial by combat and Cersei was counting on her champion, the Mountain to win her innocence. (Damn, I can’t believe he did that to his own mother! He kind of made me feel sorry for her.) Cersei and Loras will both be tried by seven septons, which means they are fucked! Tommen leaves the throne room without so much as a glance in his mother’s direction. As Cersei takes in the news, Qyeburn slides up to her ear and tells Cersei there may be some truth to a rumor they were talking about at some point. (We didn’t see the conversation they are referring to.) Then the show cuts to Tyrion so I hope it doesn’t have anything to do with him!

Brienne and Pod arrive at Riverrun and Brienne notices Jaime among the Lannister army. Riders come to meet them and she asks them to inform Jaime she is there and that she has his sword. While Jaime and Brienne are in the tent catching up someone sneaks up on Pod and tries to choke him. It is just Bronn joking around. Bronn asks Pod if he thinks Jaime and Brienne are fucking in the tent and he says he would fuck her. Pod tells him Brienne is teaching him how to fight. Jaime is both surprised and impressed that Brienne actually found Sansa. He says he is proud of her, but now Cersei wants Sansa dead because of Joffrey’s murder, so he’s stuck in the middle. (Get some balls Jaime! Man I’m wanting some book Jaime in the show.) Brienne informs Jaime of Sansa’s plans to march on Winterfell and that she needs the Tully army to do it. It’s clear to Brienne that Jaime has fallen back to his old ways. She says there is honor in him and he can take Riverrun without bloodshed. Her plan is to persuade the Blackfish come back with her to help Sansa. Then Jaime can go back to Kings Landing. Jaime asks if she has ever met the Blackfish because he is more stubborn than she is. She wants Jaime’s word that if the Blackfish surrenders they can go north so he gives her until nightfall to get the job done. She tries to return Oathkeeper since she has achieved the purpose it was given to her for, but he says the sword will always be hers. She also brings up a potential problem. If Jaime does end up fighting the Tully’s, Brienne will be compelled to fight for Sansa’s family. Which means she and Jaime will be on opposite sides.He says “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” When Brienne meets with the Blackfish he will not surrender. He will not abandon his family’s seat to the Lannisters. She tells him everything Jaime did to help Brienne find Sansa and also says she will protect Sansa until the day she dies. This must move the Blackfish in some way because he finally reads the letter Brienne carried from Sansa. As he reads it, he says Sansa is exactly like her mother, but he doesn’t have enough men to help her take Winterfell back and refuses her plea. It’s still not enough motive for him to surrender Riverrun to his enemies. Brienne asks Pod to find the maester so she can send a raven to Sansa letting her know she failed.

Jaime has a plan B in mind that hinges on Lord Edmure. Remember that Lord Edmure is Catelyn’s brother and technically he is the lord of Riverrun since their father, Hoster Tully died in season two or three. Jaime apologizes for the Frey’s treatment of him. Edmure says his uncle (the Blackfish) will never surrender the castle, so Jaime tries a new tactic. He asks Edmure about his newborn son. The one he conceived with his new wife on the night of the Red Wedding. Edmure hasn’t even met his own son nor has he seen his wife since that night. Jaime promises the child will be well taken care of, including education and arms training, at Casterly Rock. Edmure thinks Jaime believes himself to be a good man, but he massacred Edmure’s family, kept him prisoner and stolen his lands. Jaime reminds him that their houses are at war because Edmure’s family rebelled with Robb Stark against the crown. (Well Jaime, your little sociopathic son, Joffrey, chopped off Ned Stark’s head, what did you expect Robb Stark to do?) Edmure says Jaime is an evil man and wonders how he lives with himself because you have to believe you’re decent in order to sleep at night. “How do you tell yourself that you’re decent after everything you’ve done?” Jaime says he admired Edmure’s sister Catelyn. She reminded him of Cersei in her love for her children. Edmure tells him not to talk about Catelyn. Jaime repeats a line he said in the very first episode of Game of Thrones, “The things we do for love.” He loves Cersei no matter who sneers at it and to get back to her he has to take Riverrun. So he will launch Edmure’s son into Riverrun with a catapult if that’s what it takes. Cersei is the only thing that matters to him and he will do whatever it takes to get back to her. So, Edmure decides to enter Riverrun and have the men stand down. The Blackfish is furious that the men let him in because it’s obviously a trap. They let Lord Edmure in and lay down their arms. The Blackfish gets Brienne and Pod into a small boat so they can get out before the Lannisters get to them. Brienne urges the Blackfish to go with them, but he says he will die fighting for his home because he hasn’t had a good sword fight in years. He says Brienne will serve Sansa better than he ever could. Tommen’s banners are hung from the castle. Jaime asks where the Blackfish is and the men tell him he died fighting. Jaime sees a boat going down the river and sees Brienne and Pod. He waves to Brienne and she waves back. He’s a man torn in half. Until Cersei is gone he will not let go. It doesn’t matter how many men she sleeps with or what stupid plan blows up in her face.

Word is spreading in Mereen of how Dany and her advisors have saved the city and now there is peace. Dany and her dragons are a gift from the Lord of Light. Tyrion is walking Varys to the gates because Varys will be going on a secret mission to Westeros. Tyrion says he will miss Varys. (Aww, I think he will just miss having someone smart to talk too. More awkward conversations with Grey Worm and Missandei in his future.) Now that he is stuck with them, Tyrion tries to persuade Grey Worm and Missandei to have a drink with him. They toast to Dany. Tyrion goes on about how he wants a vinyard some day when things settle down and his wine will be called “the Imp’s Delight.” (On shelves June 30th.) He will only allow his close friends to drink it though. He asks them to tell a joke and he finally gets them to open up and speak a little. Just as they are having some fun, bells start ringing. When they go outside to see what is going on there are ships in the harbor. It’s not Theon and Asha though it’s the slave masters. They’ve come to wage war. So much for peace! There are fireballs being catapulted at the pyramid as well as the city. They run back inside and Tyrion admits he made a mistake trying to make peace with the masters. He thinks they should go out and fight them, but Grey Worm says their best chance is to defend the pyramid so that is what they must do. There is noise on the top of the pyramid and the Unsullied prepare for an attack, but when the doors open they kneel. Dany is back thanks to Drogon’s speedy flying. Let’s hope the Dothraki aren’t far behind. And scene…

It seems like we’re gearing up for a few big battles on next week’s episode. They always seem to save the big battles for the penultimate episodes. We got so much action early in the season and these past few episodes have been laying the groundwork making them seem less active in comparison. I’ll take every episode I can get though. So, Jon and Sansa against Ramsay Bolton and Dany and at least one rideable dragon, not to mention 100,000 Dothraki and 10,000 Unsullied and her freedmen. Maybe the masters should turn their ships around…


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