Game Of Thrones Review: Season 6 Episode 6 — Blood Of My Blood
Visions, long-awaited returns, and troubled families were at the root of this week’s episode of Game of Thrones. Was the wait worth it? Let’s take a look.
Bạn đang xem: Game of thrones review: season 6 episode 6 — blood of my blood
Spoiler Note: This post is for those who have read the A song of Ice và Fire series. The post và the comments section will contain spoilers from the novels! Because no, we are not all Unsullied now. If you haven’t read the books yet, please check out our non-book-reader recap. Thanks!
We’re off and running this week, with Meera dragging Bran along with wights hot (cold) on their tail. They’re the only survivors from the Three-Eyed Raven’s cave, and it’s not looking good as she desperately tries to lớn press on in the snow. (Let me say, Ellie Kendrick is really selling this- Meera is at the end of her rope here. What an incredible burden Meera has had lớn carry, figuratively and literally.)
Dealing with the real world và dragging Bran’s dead weight along, Meera finally collapses in the snow. Then Bran wakes up. The wights are almost on them, but they’re saved by a mysterious rider who handily dispatches the wights with a flaming ball of kickass. The rider tells Meera to lớn come with him, & us nerds recognize that voice and the eyes above the mask- that’s Uncle Benjen, hot damn! But the official dramatic reveal won’t come until later.
Nearing Horn Hill with Gilly & the baby, Sam is getting nervous about seeing his family for the first time in years. His abusive father forced him into the Night’s Watch, but Sam does believe that Randyll Tarly will take Gilly và the baby in. However, he hasn’t told them that Gilly is a wilding, and she sort of calls him on it- she is on fire in this episode.
The difference between Sam and Gilly’s lives is never more apparent than when we see the courtyard of the beautiful castle Sam grew up in, the bright greenery & the loving mother & sister. What a world away from Craster’s Keep beyond the Wall. The women of his family surprisingly give Gilly a warm welcome, with his mother instantly taking to lớn baby Sam. & who could blame her? See what happens when you let the baby age after three years of being four months old? You get a đáng yêu expressive toddler!
Back in King’s Landing, Tommen and the High Sparrow have another chat. The king is worried about Margaery’s Walk of Atonement, set khổng lồ happen soon. I can understand Tommen’s actions lớn a degree, even if they are strategically stupid. He did nothing lớn prevent his mother’s walk, và hated himself for it- it’s understandable he’d want to lớn not make that error when it comes lớn his wife.
Tommen visits with Margaery và it appears she’s given into the Sparrows’ brainwashing praising the High Sparrow and, denouncing her previous self- & yeah, I don’t buy it.
Margaery is smart, she knows she has lớn get herself out of this and that Cersei’s high-handed methods didn’t work- that she has to lớn be more clever. Now, she has khổng lồ maneuver Tommen into a place where he’ll help her accomplish what needs to be done.
As for the Tarly family dinner…
The hunting discussion is notable for spawning the line, via Talla Tarly lớn Gilly, “I think our father could learn a thing or two from your father!”
Sam’s mother finally calls an kết thúc to the tension and the dinner. And it seems to lớn me that Sam’s mother is where he gets his strength, not his father.
Sam has to leave Horn Hill though. He bids farewell khổng lồ Gilly & the baby, only lớn return a moment later. He’s not leaving her there after all- they’re sticking together no matter what.
He does swing by the dining room to swipe the family sword. And Gilly is keeping the new dress, and praise be because I couldn’t handle Hannah Murray being subjected to lớn that sack for another year.
Heartsbane, the Tarly family sword, is Valyrian steel. Handy against white Walkers & priceless. Will Randyll chase after Sam lớn retrieve it? I should think so. It was an incredibly ballsy move on Sam’s part nonetheless. After Gilly’s passionate defense of Sam at dinner and his moves tonight, it seems khổng lồ me that these two are perfectly matched for their courage.
In Braavos, Arya watches the players put on a Westeros performance again. This time, it’s the Purple Wedding, with Arya the only one laughing và smiling as the troupe’s Joffrey dies a painful mock-death. Her target, Lady Crane, delivers another beautiful performance as the grieving Cersei, và Arya sees the Eve Harrington knockoff waiting in the wings and coveting Lady Crane’s starring role.
We’re also treated to lớn their version of Tyrion bumping off Tywin. Arya takes the distracting scene as her opportunity to slip backstage and poison the actress’s rum. After accomplishing her goal, Arya runs into Lady Crane and makes the mistake of sharing a personal conversation with her target, with the actress reminiscing about how she first saw the theater. Arya gives her advice about changing her speech (one much more suited khổng lồ the vengeful Cersei) và gives her name- Mercy.
Mistaking Mercy for a girl who is simply enamored of the theater, Lady Crane asks, “Do you lượt thích pretending khổng lồ be other people?” & it’s a moment of truth for Arya. Does she?
Amid the complaining actors backstage, the actress is about khổng lồ drink her poisoned rum, only to lớn find it knocked from her hand by Arya. She tells her the other actress wants her dead và leaves. It’s then we see that the Waif has witnessed this entire exchange, and Arya is in serious trouble right away.
Arya runs back to lớn the dock where she hid Needle và retrieves her blade. Meanwhile, the Waif reports back on Arya’s failure. Jaqen (absolutely chill while slicing off faces) gives the Waif permission khổng lồ take Arya out. She very much wants personal permission to lớn take care of Arya, & I wonder if Jaqen is using this also to test the Waif in some way. The Faceless Men aren’t supposed lớn have personal feelings about delivering death, but clearly the Waif is as flawed as Arya.
Xem thêm: Khám Phá Kem Dưỡng Da Pond Có Tốt Không? Nên Chọn Loại Nào? Kem Dưỡng Da Pond Có Tốt Không
Needle by her side, and on the run from the Faceless Men, Arya hides. She can’t go back khổng lồ the House of Black & White and pretend to be other people anymore. She has Needle, and she’s Arya. Now she just has to lớn stay alive.
The High Sparrow is giving one of his stellar TED talks when they arrive khổng lồ break up the crowd. Jaime & the Tyrells demand Margaery & Loras back, & come close lớn action…and then the High Sparrow drops his bomb- Margaery has helped him bring Tommen over to lớn their side. The Kingsguard by Tommen’s side now wear seven-pointed stars on their armor. The faith and the crown are one, & the Lannisters và the Tyrells have been outplayed. The commoners roar with approval.
The High Sparrow is thrilled. Jaime is fucking pissed. Mace is just…really confused.
The High Sparrow played well. Why have a queen when you can have a king as part of your cause? But what does this mean for Loras? Will he make his own atonement, possibly in the trial by combat also mentioned tonight? Very few would be willing khổng lồ fight the Mountain, but Loras Tyrell might.
Jaime has even more problems than a nephewson who has found religion- he’s been fired. Tommen informs Jaime he’s in trouble for acting against the faith, and now they’re sending Jaime away.
In tonight’s episode, Walder Frey makes his grand return (uncomfortable young girl by his side- new wife, Walder?), berating his sons for losing Riverrun. The Blackfish, as Littlefinger reported, has taken that castle back, & Houses Mallister & Blackwood are also rebelling, plus the Brotherhood without Banners are causing trouble.
There is lots of exposition in this scene. Basically the Freys are not doing well in charge. Walder thoughtfully refreshes the audience’s memories that these two sons are the ones who killed Talisa và Catelyn at the Red Wedding. (Except one of them is a recast.) So, everything is going lớn hell for Walder, except he still has a pretty sweet ace up his sleeve. He orders his sons to lớn get Riverrun back, & to use the reminders of the Red Wedding, including their hostage- Edmure Tully (Tobias Menzies).
So that’s Stark kid uncle #2 making his return tonight. It is quite the family-centered evening, isn’t it?
Speaking of Riverrun, Jaime stops by Cersei’s place khổng lồ let her know he’s being sent to lớn the Riverlands to lớn handle the situation. If he was expecting a sympathetic ear, forget it. She tells him to bởi what he’s been ordered lớn do, & she’ll be fine in King’s Landing, as she has FrankenMountain to take care of her trial by combat.
He doesn’t look great. Benjen looks half-dead, và from the sound of it, he is. He explains that the trắng Walkers killed his ranging group, and stabbed him, but before their magic could take hold in him, the Children of the Forest intervened. They used dragonglass in his heart, lượt thích they did when they created the white Walkers, Benjen explains. It’s also clear from Benjen’s words that he has some sort of connection to the Three-Eyed Raven, và knew him during the years he was gone.
“The Three Eyed Raven is dead.”
“And now he lives again,” Benjen says as Bran wakes up.
He also warns that the Night’s King is headed for the world of men and- that Bran will be there waiting for him.
After that, I don’t give a fuck about anything else. Sorry, Dany. I think they should’ve ended the episode with Benjen’s reveal because how do you vị trí cao nhất that? They didn’t.
Headed back khổng lồ Meereen with the khalasar, Dany’s had time lớn think on the long horse ride. She’s crunching numbers and they’re not adding up in a great way. They need a thousand ships for all their people & horses, and they just don’t have that. But she is still weirdly confident- she’ll get them one way or another.
Annnnyway, she decides to lớn go for a little pick-me-up jaunt và disappears for a bit. Then we see overhead, Drogon has returned finally. Và he’s not alone. Soaring in the sky, holding on, Daenerys rides her dragon.
She lands & makes a big speech in Dothraki about them all being her bloodriders, about how she’s going lớn ask a lot of them (doesn’t she always?), & it’s loud, & I’ll be honest, I wasn’t that into it. It probably didn’t help that the desert setting didn’t mesh well with the CGI of the dragon.
The only thing I found interesting was Daario’s reaction, & the fact that the camera made it a point lớn highlight & capture his reactions. As Daario watches, he doesn’t look totally sold on this moment…or he doesn’t speak enough Dothraki khổng lồ follow what she’s saying. The vibe was off for a stirring speech, and I find myself puzzled a bit by it.
Riding a dragon is only that exciting if there’s an emotional payoff & there really wasn’t one tonight in Dany’s scene. It’s a strange thing when I’m more excited by a character simply standing there like Edmure or Benjen, than I am by a dragon soaring in the sky. But there you have it- the characters will always be more exciting than the speeches and tricks. There were a great many satisfying character moments & big returns tonight setting up the second half of the season, and they far outshone any fire và blood.
