This most recent episode, which I believe puts us just over the halfway point of this past-the-books season, mostly served to push forward the major plots of that I expect will come to a climax in episode nine, as is custom.
Not a ton happens, though we do meet some new characters, and one book character who they had "skipped." One of the biggest events that the last two seasons have been building to... almost happened, but then did not. There's a fair amount to unpack, so let's unpack it:
Spoilers:
Horn Hill:
On his way to Oldtown, Sam comes by his home of Horn Hill, an enormous mansion-like castle where his asshole father rules. The biggest shocker here is that Randyl Tarly is not being played by Ian McShane, which, given that this is probably his only episode, is not so surprising, but it raises the question: who the hell is Ian McShane playing this season?
Anyway, Sam's mother and sister are both lovely, and his brother seems ok if kind of screwed up by his dad's tutelage. Really, his dad is the nastiest, and when he finds out that Gilly is a Wildling, he tosses Sam out, though to his credit, he still offers Gilly a place in the household (as a servant, though.)
Rather than deal with that shit, Sam steals his family Valyrian sword, Heartsbane, and takes Gilly and Little Sam with him. What this means for his time in Oldtown remains to be seen, but damn if it doesn't make you like Sam all the more.
Somewhere Between Vaes Dothrak and Mereen:
We get an impressive if kind of unearned moment for Dany. Leading her massive Khalasar (with every single Khal dead, she's got all the Dothraki with her, I think,) Dany talks with Daario and meets up with Drogon, impressing her new subjects a bit more by riding a dragon. Impressive though it was, I think these guys were already convinced.
Not the Weirwood Tree:
The three remaining plots (unless I've forgotten some) are far more impactful.
Bran begins to see visions of the past, specifically Mad King Aerys. I've often speculated that the Mad King was driven to madness by some sort of prophetic vision of the White Walkers (hence his obsession with fire,) and given what we learned about Hodor last time, it would not shock me if Bran accidentally set in motion the events that led to his own grandfather and uncle being murdered.
The dead continue to close in on Bran and Meera, but they are rescued by... Freaking Coldhands!
And Coldhands is freaking Benjen! Yes, Benjen Stark is still... around. He gives a rather quick explanation for his transformation into an undead-yet-not-evil being. Benjen was stabbed by a White Walker and would have become a Wight had the Children of the Forest not found him and instead turned him into, presumably, the sort of protector they were trying to create in the first place.
This has been a big fan theory, though I still wonder if Coldhands will prove to be Benjen in the books, as I thought there was some contradictory evidence suggesting he was far older. Nevertheless, finally bringing him into the story (if far later - Coldhands helps Sam and Gilly escape to the south, and it's suggested that he slays the Night's Watch mutineers at Craster's Keep - there's no plot of Jon going there) is pretty exciting news.
Braavos:
Arya is sent to kill the actress, but it becomes very clear to her that the contract was one made for petty reasons - the younger actress in the troupe is jealous of her abilities and wants her dead. Arya poisons the woman's wine, but cannot bring herself to let her drink it, smashing the bottle out of her hand.
Knowing full well that the House of Black and White is not going to forgive this, Arya recover Needle from the stone hiding spot and prepares to defend herself as the Waif is sent after her. You knew it was going to have to go this way eventually, given that her entire reason for becoming an assassin was to avenge her family, and so becoming "no one" would not suit her original goals. Still, sad to see that Jaqen/Not-Really-Jaqen will be more of an antagonist to her.
King's Landing/The Twins:
The Tyrell/Lannister plan to free Queen Margaery does not go terribly well. It's not that they don't have the strength of arms - indeed, they're well-positioned to slaughter the Sparrows. But Margaery - whether as a strategy or simply realizing who is going to win this conflict - has chosen to side with the Faith, thus avoiding her own Walk of Shame by bringing Tommen under the High Sparrow's wing.
For threatening the Faith, which is now an ally of the Crown, Tommen relieves Jaime of command of the Kingsguard, sending him instead to help take Riverrun back from the Blackfish.
Yes, the Freys managed to lose Riverrun, and it seems that many of the River Lords have risen in support of the Tullys. Frey, being the horrible person that he is, however, is prepared to use Edmure (who is, in fact, Lord of Riverrun) as a hostage to put the pressure on.
There's even talk of the Brotherhood Without Banners, which is one of the many thorns in Frey's side. This certainly fuels speculation over the potential reveal of Lady Stoneheart, which most book-readers gave up on a while ago. But with this episode revealing one undead Stark, it certainly would not be unprecedented to see a vengeful undead Catelyn meting out justice on the entire Frey clan. And with Jaime and Brienne both on their way to the area (supporting opposite sides, of course,) it makes the possibility that much more... possible.
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