Three pivotal characters returned to Game of Thrones during Sunday’s episode: Nymeria, Hot Pie — and Reek.
After slaughtering Freys and chilling with Ed Sheeran last episode, Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) stops at the Inn at the Crossroads and bumps into her old pal Hot Pie (Ben Hawkey), who is still cooking his namesake pies there. He reveals that, unknown to Arya, her half-brother Jon Snow (Kit Harington) has retaken Winterfell. Apparently determined to reunite with her family, Arya turns her horse north and rides for home.
On her way there, she is surrounded by a pack of wolves led by Nymeria, Arya’s direwolf. Arya was forced to drive Nymeria away all the way back in the series’ second episode, “The Kingsroad,” after she bit then-Prince Joffrey (Jack Gleeson). Nymeria apparently recognizes Arya, but refuses to go with her. After all, Arya, who is no longer the little girl she was when she last saw Nymeria, has changed so much since the series began.
And Reek returns, to the joy of no one but Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk), who is turning out to be a much better villain than expected.
Poor Theon (Alfie Allen). His storyline is pretty tragic. First, he was forced to be the ward of Ned Stark (Sean Bean) after the rebellion of his father Balon (Patrick Malahide) nine years prior to the series premiere. Upon his return home in Season 2, he hit on his sister Yara (Gemma Whalen) and was spurned by his father; in an attempt to win their trust, he betrayed the Starks, attacked Winterfell, sloppily beheaded Rodrik Cassel (Ron Donachie) and burned the bodies of two farm boys, who he passed off as Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) and Rickon Stark (Art Parkinson). Eventually, he is captured by Ramsay Snow (Iwan Rheon), who tortures and castrates him. The shock of the torture turns him into a dirty, groveling servant named “Reek,” serving Ramsay. At the end of Season 5, Theon shakes off “Reek” and helps Sansa escape Ramsay.
But in Sunday’s episode — during a bloody, awe-inspiring sea battle between Euron Greyjoy and Yara and Theon’s fleet — Theon reverts into the cowardly Reek when Yara needs him most. Because Theon chickens out, Euron captures Yara, Ellaria Sand (Indira Varma) and Tyene Sand (Rosabell Laurenti Sellers). More than likely, these three are Euron’s “priceless gift” that he promised Queen Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) — particularly Ellaria, who murdered Cersei’s daughter Myrcella (Nell Tiger Free).
It’s not hard to guess what will happen to Yara, Ellaria and Tyene: Cersei will imprison, torture and execute them in some sort of gruesome way. But what’s next for Theon? If he swims back to Dragonstone, Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) would be furious that he deserted his sister, maybe furious enough to kill him; Jon, who is headed to meet with Daenerys, never liked Theon and certainly wouldn’t speak on his behalf. He saved her life, but Sansa isn’t likely to shelter him from Dany, especially not with Littlefinger (Aiden Gillen) free to whisper in her ear. With Euron in charge, he can’t even float home to the Iron Islands.
Yara was the only character who cared about Theon, the only one who came for him when he needed it most — and now he’s deserted her when she needed him.
Unlike Theon, Samwell Tarly (John Bradley) is loyal to the last. He decides to try an experimental treatment on Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen) in an attempt to cure his greyscale. Sam decides to help Jorah because he served under his father, Lord Commander Jeor Mormont (James Cosmo).
At Dragonstone, Varys (Conleth Hill) has his loyalty questioned by Daenerys but stands firm in his support for her; Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson) and Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel), apparently not caring that Grey Worm is a eunuch, hook up; and Melisandre (Carice van Houten), exiled from the North by Jon, tells Daenerys that she believes that Daenerys and Jon are Azor Ahai, “the prince (or princess) that was promised” to save Westeros from the White Walkers.
The most important thing, though, that happens at Dragonstone this episode may be Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) and Daenerys’ plan to defeat Cersei. While the Greyjoy, Tyrell and Dornish army heads to King’s Landing — that’s not going too well so far — the Unsullied and Dothraki will head to the Lannisters’ stronghold, Casterly Rock.
In the second season episode “The Prince of Winterfell,” Tyrion tells Varys, “My brother was the youngest Kingsguard in history. My sister became queen at the age of nineteen. When I reached manhood, my father put me in charge of all the drains and cisterns in Casterly Rock.”
In trailers for this season, Unsullied soldiers, at what is probably Casterly Rock based on the Lannister heraldry painted above the gate, attack.
At the end of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, a prequel set 100 years before the series’ beginning, it’s revealed that dwarves had climbed up the shaft of a privy, much too small for a regular man, to steal a dragon’s egg.
Based on these hints, it’s quite possible that Tyrion will climb through the Casterly Rock plumbing he knows so well and allow the soldiers in, or maybe he’ll advise another soldier — Grey Worm, perhaps — of a secret way in.
For now, though, things aren’t looking up for Daenerys. Maybe an alliance with Jon — her nephew, by the way — will be the key to Cersei’s eventual defeat.
Rating: 4/5
