The eighth episode of Game of Thrones has gotten a
reputation for severe violence. (Ned Stark, Red Wedding to name a few.) This
week’s “Hardhome” certainly lived up to the jaw-dropping standard. It’s hard to believe there are only two
episodes left in the season. But after
tonight’s episode, it’s clear why they can only produce ten episodes a season
at this epic movie budget level.
(Quality wins over quantity.) The closing battle of the episode had a
good balance of action and suspense. It
reminded me a little of the “Battle of Helm’s Deep” in the Lord of the Rings or
the historic drama of Braveheart. The stakes have never been higher for some of
our favorite characters.
The episode opens in Myreen with Daenerys interviewing her
“gift.” She asks why she should spare Tyrion
and of course he has good reason. “I killed my mother the day I was born. I
killed my father with a bow. I’m the greatest Lannister killer of all time!” Tyrion goes on to flatter Daenery’s by
recounting her life’s story and struggles. He observes what she needs most is advice
about how to wage her attack and rule Westeros. Danny seems to see reason in having Tyrion’s
counsel. What will she do about Jorah? Tyrion sees the value in Jorah’s devotion
despite his betrayal. Danny decides to
have him banned but not killed. For
Jorah, he may prefer death to being far from Khalesi. He is led out of the palace in despair as he
looks again at his spreading greyscale lesion.
Cersei is served up some parochial school discipline as the
nun tries to get her to “Confess!” Cersei
offers up her typical Lannister threats and is rewarded by being hit by the
nun’s spoon.
Arya and Jaqar are playing the “lying game.” Arya is perfected her technique as she
describes her life as Lanna the oyster girl.
(Jaqar only has to hit her once this time.) He is intrigued by this
character and encourages her to live as Lanna, and see what she can learn. We follow “Lanna” sporting some hideous
braided horns, as she sells oysters to a salty sea captain. She notes the captain is a gambler and this
information may prove useful. Jaqar
commands her to observe and report on the activities down by the docks.
Qyburn, the mad maester, visits the dehydrated and desperate
Cersei. He tells her she is facing
charges of incest and fornication. (But, that may mean they don’t know about
Jaime and the children’s true parentage.)
He reports Tommen has isolated himself and refuses to eat. Cersei’s hated Uncle Kevan sits as head of
the Small Council. Qyburn cautions she
will not be able to sidestep these charges and her best recourse may be
confessing prior to the trial. Cersei
refuses to lower herself before the High Sparrow. Apparently, she’s still not thirsty enough to
see reason.
Sansa waits in quiet rage for Theon. When he appears, she seizes on his loyalty to
Ramsay. Theon tells her there is no
escape from Ramsay. He tells her of his
torture by the bastard. Sansa is
unmoved, “Good!” Theon moans, “I
deserved everything! I deserve to be Reek!” Sansa wants him to answer for what he did to
her family, including murdering her younger brothers. Theon confesses the
brothers are alive!
Roose and Ramsay discuss strategy for facing Stannis’s army.
Roose’s plan is passive, stay inside
Winterfell as Stannis’s troops die in the harsh winter. Ramsay is eager to
bring the battle to Baratheon. Roose
cautions him to never give one’s strategic advantage. Ramsay asks his father
for twenty men to defeat them! What is
he trying to prove and do I care as long as he’s defeated!
Daenery’s and Tyrion are bonding over their terrible dead
fathers. Danny says she knows her father
was completely mad. Tryion muses, “The
right kind of terrible prevents people from being more so.” He observes Khalesi’s good political decisions
to reopen the fighting pits and marry an aristocrat like Hizdar. Tryion tells her his most trusted friend Varys
encouraged him to seek her. Danny has
utter distain for the “Spider” who actively sought to kill her in her youth. Tyrion credits Varys with Danny’s life. Tryion says he trusts Varys and his brother
Jaime exclusively. Danny reminds him
Jaime killed her father. (Awkward!) However,
Danny is convinced of Tryion’s insight and says she’s not going to kill him if
he will be her advisor.
Tyrion, now secure in his survival ask her pointedly, “Why
do you want the Iron Throne?” He
theorizes even if the “common people” of Westeros supported her, how do you
rule without the rich? Danny scoffs, comparing
the wealthy ruling families as spokes in a wheel, each with a time they are on
top. (How Buddhist of her.) She says she wants to break the wheel. Whoa there, sounds like dragon mom wants a
full on class revolution.
Jorah, rejected, returns to the slaver who bought him. He begs him to have another chance to fight in
the Great Pit in front of his beloved Khalesi. Jorah would rather die in front of her then be
banished.
Cersei has her periodic visit from the angry nun. The nun again urges her to confess. Cersei
talks big about how the nun will be tortured for treating a Lannister this way.
The nun doesn’t seem worried and splashes the precious water on the cell floor.
Once alone, Cersei laps up the spilt water like an animal.
Sam’s head wound is attended to by Gilly. They both seem a little sheepish about what
happened after the attack. (Wink-wink.) Olly interrupts this awkward moment
with some concerns about Jon’s mission to Hardhome. Sam counsels the orphan. All Wildings aren’t
bad people. (Especially, a brown- haired lass named Gilly!) Sam speaks of the Army of the Dead and how
the Night’s Watch will need all the fighters they can muster. Sam says leading is about making hard
choices.
Jon Snow and Tormund arrive on a boat to the port of
Hardhome where the Wildling refugees have gathered. The “Lord of Bones” comes forward and quickly
insults Tormund, roughly saying he’s a puppet for the Crowes. Tormund kills him savagely and demands to
speak to the Wildling Elders. Everyone
gathered listens to Jon’s speech about the coming battle with the undead. He is interrupted by hate and suspicion but
tells the assembly they are not friends, but need each other for their mutual
survival. Jon presents them with a gift
of dragon glass, to any Wildling who joins their cause. He offers them refugee in lands South of the
Wall for farming, if they will fight the White Walkers.
A question is raised about Mance and how he died. Jon confesses to shooting him with an arrow
and the meeting nearly breaks out in anarchy, until Tormund explains the
circumstances. Tormund explains how
Stannis ordered Mance’s execution by fire; Jon’s arrow defied Stannis and was a
mercy to Mance. Jon asks them to think
of the survival, as a people as the “long night of the dead approaches.” The crowd calms. They trust Tormund. Even the Giant Wau-Wau decides to accept Jon’s
offer. The Thenns will not join with the plan, but Tormund explains the
Wildlings are a stubborn people who took Mance twenty years to unite.
Wau-Wau plays with a piece of dragon glass as a thundering avalanche
is heard in the distance. Everyone stops
to stare at the mountains above Hardhome. They rush to shut the gates, cutting off many
Wildlings closer to the mountain. The
Wildlings and Crows ready themselves as the dead begin to attack the gate.
The next ten minutes are intense pandemonium as the first
real battle erupts between the living and the dead. The White Walkers have
raised an infinite army of wights. (The wights operate on an almost zombie like
frequency but are able to fight with weapons, and aren’t interested in brains.)
According to GOT wiki, within the White Walkers ranks are the elite who sport a
subtle crown of ice and have the ability to reanimate the dead. Jon meets an “elite’ inside the fort which
overtakes the reluctant Thenn, and then seems to toy with Jon almost like a cat
with a mouse. Jon is able to evade him
as he retrieves his Valyarian blade, and is able to slay the White Walker with
his weapon.
A small minority of Crows and Wildlings are able to flee
Hardhome in small boats. As Tormund and Jon look back, the beaches are littered
with bodies. Another “elite” White
Walker seems to stare intently at Jon Snow as he raises his arms in an almost
Biblical gesture, reanimating the dead. There are rumors this Walker may be the
infamous thirteenth Commander of the Night’s Watch, who fought on the side of
the Dead. Are the White Walker’s capable of reason? It appears this Walker has a clear message for
Jon, “I control death and you can’t win.” Given the limited Valaryian steel and dragon
glass in the world, the Undead clearly seem to have the upper hand. Kind of makes Cersei’s dehydrated indignation
seem downright foolish.
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