It’s hard to keep one’s head down and not listen to the
swirling rumors regarding the final two episodes of Game of Thrones. I thought I knew the order of events because
of those pesky books I read. (Never be surprised again!) But, since the series
has now caught up with most of the action in the books, its nice to be free of
knowing what lies ahead. Everyone has a
theory of how this season will end and I declare my “ending” happened tonight
and it was awesome and epic!
The episode opens in the North in Stannis’s camp. Melissandre looks into the fire then leaves
her tent to see fire erupt in the camp. (Has Ramsay made good on his promise to
cripple Stannis?) In the morning it’s confirmed, a group of twenty men burned
their stores and horses and about one hundred men died. Stannis commands Davos to find the guards from
last night and hang them. Stannis
reiterates his plan to not retreat in the face of these mounting difficulties. Davos looks at the Queen and Princess Shireen
with concern and pity.
Jon leads the refugees from Hardhome, including the giant
Wau-Wau. They look broken and frozen as
they come to the Wall at last. Ser
Alliser looks down on them with scorn. (He doesn’t really have any other
looks!) For the moment, he holds all the
power to turn away Jon Snow and his band of broken men. Alliser commands, “Open the gates.”
As the men file inside, Jon and Sam speak. “It was a
failure.” Jon admits. Sam, the eternal optimist,
points out the lives he has saved noting, “It mattered to him.” (It reminded me of the fable about throwing starfish
back into the ocean, “It mattered to that one.”) Alliser delivers a near compliment
to Jon, “Your good heart will get us all killed!”
Stannis orders Davos to return to Castle Black to get more
supplies. (How are they going to feed all the Wildlings, Crows and Stannis’s
army?) Davos probably senses something is wrong and asks if he can take Shireen
with him. Stannis says he needs Davos to
persuade Jon to continue to back Stannis and he will be rewarded with full
funding for the Wall when Stannis is king. (This seems like a big IF, not
when.)
Davos goes to Princess Shireen to say goodbye. She is excited about the book she’s reading,
“The Dance with Dragons.” Davos give her
a carved stag as a present. Does he fear
he isn’t coming back or does he suspect something may happen to Shireen? He
thanks her for teaching him to read, making their parting seem final. Davos leaves with a kiss.
In an opulent room in Dorne, Jaime has an audience with
Prince Doran. The Prince doesn’t want
violence, just an explanation of Jaime’s actions. He explains Cersei received a “threatening”
message from Dorne including Myrcella’s locket. Mycella explains her necklace was stolen. The Prince declares his allegiance to King Tommen
and offers him a toast. Ellaria Sand pours
out her drink.
Jaime wishes to take Myrcella back to Kings Landing and
Prince Doran agrees, as long as his son Tyrstane accompanies her and is awarded
a seat at the Small Council. Jaime agrees to this, but will his sister? Jaime
asks what will happen to Bronn. The Prince decides to let Tystane decide since
he was the one who was assaulted.
The Sand Snakes are playing slapping games as Bronn is
brought out of his cell. Tyene asks him to tell her again that she is the “most
beautiful woman in the world.” Bronn is nervous as he enters the Prince’s
sitting room. Tyrstane has decided to
let him live, but first the Prince’s guard knocks him off his feet. This seems a fair price given the severity of
Jaime and Bronn’s crimes.
Back in Braavos, Lanna and her cockle cart make way down the
docks. She has been given a “special”
sauce for thin sea captain but there is someone more important arriving, Mace
Tyrell. Several King’s Guards escort him
on his mission to renegotiate the terms of the Crown’s loans with the Iron Bank
of Braavos. She follows the flame-haired
man around town until they inevitably end up at the “best brothel in
Braavos.”
Lanna is able to enter the establishment by tempting the
women and their clients with her shellfish. She spies on the banker’s room where he is
assessing the women for his entertainment. The guards become increasingly nervous as he
requests younger and younger women. There
is a moment in which he makes eye contact with Lanna and hope he doesn’t fancy
her. (Can’t deal with all the Stark’s girls getting raped.) At last, the Madame
finds an eleven-year-old girl for the old bastard. He wants a “fresh one”
tomorrow.
Lanna returns to the House of Black and White to tell Jaqar
she didn’t poison the thin man, but she saw other things. He tells her to get back to work washing a
newly deceased man who lies on the floor near the pool. He seems pleased with her observations.
Prince Doran scolds Ellaria privately. He is tired of her insubordination. He demands she swear allegiance to him or
die. She kisses his ring. Elia finds Jaime busy trying to write a
letter home to Cersei with his left hand. Ellaria knows about Jaime’s
relationship with Cersei. She isn’t
shocked about their relationship, as she is familiar with “forbidden
love.” She ponders whether Jaime is
culpable in the death of Oberon, but it’s implied she thinks Cersei is culpable
for the death of her lover.
Stannis visits his daughter. She explains how in her book, “The Dance with
Dragons” the brothers Aegon and Rhaegar fought each other and how it destroyed
the Targaryeons. She wisely sees
parallels between their war and her father’s. Stannis asks who would she have chosen in such
a war, and then goes on to talk about destiny. Shireen bravely says she wants to help his cause;
she’s the Princess after all. (If she only knew what Daddy had in mind!) He accepts her offer and leaves saying,
“Forgive me.”
Shireen is led outside clutching the wooden stag Davos gave
her. She looks frightened and confused. But then she sees the pyre and starts
screaming, “Where’s my father!” Her
mother and father stand in the back of the crowd as she’s brought before
Melissandre who promises her “suffering will be over soon.” Melissandre gives a speech about the sacrifice
needed for the Lord of Light. The fire
is lit, and the Queen begins to finally react. The Queen runs for the pyre but its too late,
Shireen is dead. The crowd looks stunned
and bewildered. How can we ever forgive
Stannis for this? If a man would
sacrifice his own family, does he have any honor left?
Deanery’s, Hizdar and Tyrion wait for the big day of
fighting in Myreen. The first two
fighters come out: one large and muscular, the other smaller and quick. The fight begins when Dany claps her hands. As the men parry, Dario recalls his days in
the fighting circuit and how fast beats big every time. As he finishes this sentiment, the large man
beheads the smaller man. Dany is visibly
a bit repulsed and so is Tryion. Hizdar
speaks eloquently about the necessity of cruelty if the world is to have order.
Tryion scoffs, “The world has quite enough death without it being part of my
leisure time.” Tyrion notes his father
Tywin would have liked Hizdar.
The next fighters are introduced and Jorah is among the
eight men in the field. Daenerys tenses, obviously she still has feeling for
him but she is compelled to begin the fight with the clap of her hands. Jorah is able to kill his first opponent by
impaling a dagger in his chest. Next, he
parries with a Braavosi looking “water dancer.” The other man seems to have the advantage as
Jorah falls, as the Braavosi pauses for the kill; a heavily armored man kills
him from behind. The crowd goes wild, as Jorah and the armored man are the last
ones standing. Finally, Jorah runs him
through the back with a spear. As Daenerys starts to clap, he extracts the
spear and throws it towards her, hitting a would be assassin!
Masks of the “Sons of the Harpy” appear everywhere in the
crowd. The masked men kill Hizdar with a
dagger to the heart. Tyrion defends
Missandei by slitting the throat of another. Dario desperately tries to clear a way for
Khalesi as they run towards the center of the stadium. More Sons appear from the bowels of the
fighting pits and Khalesi with her small group are surrounded. Daenerys takes Missandei by the hand and
closes her eyes. (Is she bracing herself for certain death or calling for her
children?) She opens her eyes upon hearing Dhrogon flying overhead.
The dragon swoops down on the crowd, eating and roasting
Dany’s enemies. The dragon is taking enemy spears. Daenerys approaches Dhrogon,
reverently removing a spear from his back. The Sons are still attacking,
Khalesi decides to mount her dragon and gives him the command to fly. She flies
away from the nightmare of death and destruction below, as her loyal friends
look up in awe.
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