Game of Thrones, S6 Ep3

In a quieter but still eventful episode, the different players in Game of Thrones start to make their moves as the plot moves forward significantly and various elements are set up for an epic season. The members of House Stark and House Lannister have their roles to play in the great destiny of Westeros, while Daenerys Targaryen struggles to figure out how she can escape her current predicament.

Jon Snow, as expected, takes up much of this episode as it deals with the immediate aftermath of his resurrection. The men of the Night’s Watch stare at him in awe and even consider him some kind of god. But he doesn’t look too thrilled at being brought back, only very, very tired. In a rare moment of justice he gets to look at his killers in the eye and then execute them, and even the death of the young Olly seems fully merited all things considered. Jon shocks everyone by passing his mantle and his responsibilities as the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch to Dolorous Edd, and walking away, proclaiming that his watch was ended.

Considering that the oath of the Night’s Watch ends at death, he has done his duty. And with his return from the grave, he is clearly being put on the path of greater things. After years of seeing Jon’s long and torturous journey to the Wall and beyond and back, it looks like he is finally on his way to leaving an even more impressive legacy. One does not simply come back from the dead on Game of Thrones, after all.

Meanwhile, we got a brief glimpse of Sam and Gilly on their way, not to Oldtown after all, but to Sam’s old home where he believes Gilly and the baby will be safe while he pursues his studies to become a maester. There were also a few short but powerful scenes of Arya advancing in her training and making more progress than she did in the first few episodes, so much so that Jaqen restores her sight. But we aren’t certain if she has completely shed her Stark identity to become a Faceless assassin.

Then we have Bran’s big flashback scene this week, as he and the Three-Eyed Raven revisit a very significant event in the past, one that book readers can surely appreciate. The scene is set at the famous Tower of Joy as a young Eddard Stark and Howland Reed face off against the Sword of the Morning, Ser Arthur Dayne, and his men. Bran watches in horror as the outcome of the battle is not the valiant and noble story he heard as a child.

And just as the young Ned is about the enter the tower where his sister Lyanna is being kept, as well as a major secret that has been speculated by fans for years, the Three-Eyed Raven takes Bran away from the vision, frustrating not only the young Stark but all the Game of Thrones viewers as well. But the significance of the Tower of Joy cannot be discounted and we will surely revisit this event sometime later in the season.

Another major and unexpected Stark development happened at the end of the episode when two “gifts” were presented to Ramsay Bolton. Someone managed to capture Osha and Rickon Stark! I wasn’t expecting to see the youngest Stark any time soon and while I’m relieved that he has survived so far, now that he is in Ramsay’s custody, things are sure to get bleak. And they killed Shaggydog! Among all the atrocities in Game of Thrones, animal murder is one of the most heinous.

Meanwhile, the Lannisters are stirring some trouble of their own back at King’s Landing, as King Tommen confronts the High Sparrow and Cersei and Jaime crash a Small Council meeting. While the tension of Small Council meetings will never be as high as when Tywin Lannister was alive, it is still very present, as the hostility between the Tyrells and the Lannisters is barely hidden. It doesn’t help that Ser Gregorstein is standing around as a silent threat to anyone who goes against Cersei. The situation in King’s Landing is becoming more and more precarious as the power struggle between the faith and the state continues.

The other Lannister sibling isn’t as active but is still pretty involved in the running of another city. Back in Mereen, Tyrion tries to make amusing conversation with Missandei and Grey Worm as they wait for Varys to finish interrogating someone about the Sons of the Harpy. Their patience is rewarded as they discover that the slave masters of Astapoor, Yunkai, and Volantis are financing the rebellion that threatens to destroy everything Daenerys has built. They too are gearing up for a bloody confrontation though it seems that, as always, Tyrion has a clever plan up his sleeve.

Daenerys is not so lucky as she is finally marched into Vaes Dothrak and is brought before the Dosh Khaleen. Among the widows of the great khals she is nothing special, even if she enumerates her various titles. No one is impressed. And apparently, her going out into the world after the death of Khal Drogo is seen as problematic.

The Mother of Dragons will have to deal with yet another hurdle before she can get back on the path of her destiny. Or perhaps this might even be a part of what she is meant to do. Whatever it is, it sure would be handy for Drogon to swoop in and help his mother.

The main players of Game of Thrones are taking charge of their destinies and making strategic moves that will impact the grander scheme of things. As winter approaches and more dangers amass, these characters will need all the strength and will they can muster to survive.

Next week on Game of Thrones, we catch up with Sansa and Brienne, Littlefinger makes a play, Margaery faces a test, and Jorah and Daario are about to find Dany: