There’s nothing more infuriating than watching a show, only to be left with a bunch of unanswered questions when it ends. Game Of Thrones fans are used to it by now (heck we have to wait a whole year between seasons for answers!), but we also know that there’s a reason behind the madness. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at season six episode three “Oathbreaker.”
He’s ba-ack!
We picked up right where we left off last week, in other words, with our hero Jon Snow gasping for air after being brought back from the dead. He began to hyperventilate as he felt the stab wounds on his Adonis-like body and stumbled off the table into Davos’ arms. Melisandre heard the commotion and rushed in, astonished to see him alive. (Congrats, girl, er… ma’am… you’ve finally done right!)
When asked if he remembered what happened after the stabbing, Jon told them that he hadn’t seen anything. (Boo to no Beetlejuice-like afterlife!) I know I’d be rather disappointed to hear that, but Melisandre was already looking ahead. She told Jon that the Lord of Light had brought him back for a reason. All these years she had stayed with Stannis, believing him to be the man spoken of in the prophecy, but clearly Jon was the Chosen One.
Hold it there, sister! The guy’s still trying to get his brain unscrambled, so let him live (yes, pun intended)! Davos (the only logical person in this fictional world) told Melisandre to get out so that he could calm Jon down. Poor Jon was heartbroken about being betrayed for doing the right thing. When he told Davos that he had failed, Davos told Jon to keep fighting and fail again. (And hopefully not die in the process.)
After all that serious business, we got some much-needed comic relief from Tormund. When Jon walked outside and the crowd parted before him, Tormund told Jon that they all thought Jon was a god. Only Tormund knew better because he had seen Jon’s “equipment” which wasn’t as big as a god’s should be. (That’s just guys being guys, right? Because I was definitely distracted during the resurrection scene last week by a definite bulge under that itty-bitty loincloth that was draped over him! Right, ladies?)
Sam I am…
We finally checked back in with Sam and Gilly, who had set off from Castle Black last year so that Sam could study at the Citadel and become a Maester. Although Gilly’s baby had experienced a serious growth spurt (as if months have passed by instead of weeks), the ship to Oldtown was still at sea. The original plan when they boarded was for Sam to find a place for Gilly at the Citadel or in the nearby area. However, she learned that he was planning to bring Gilly and the baby to Horn Hill so his family could take care of them while he trains. (I’m not quite sure how his father will take that considering that he forced Sam to join the Night’s Watch or be killed, which should make the reunion interesting.)
Why are we being tortured?
The long-awaited Tower of Joy flashback happened tonight … and we learned absolutely nothing. Bran and the Three-Eyed Raven watched as Ned Stark, Howland Reed, and several others faced off against Arthur Dayne and another member of the Kingsguard as Ned attempted to rescue his sister. At that point in time, Robert had just killed Rhaegar Targaryen and Jaime had killed the Mad King, so Ned wanted to get Lyanna back to her fiancé.
Fast forward to some awesome swordplay, after which Ned and Howland were the only ones left standing. We then heard Lyanna’s screams, but just as Ned began climbing to the top, the Three-Eyed Raven pulled Bran back to the present. (Honestly, I just wanted to strangle him with those roots he’s encased in! We were so close to learning what in fact happened that day, so why pull away at the last second?!) If I were Bran, I would have been mad, too. However, the Three-Eyed Raven assured him that he would not be like him, an old man stuck in a tree forever. First though he had to learn everything. No pressure, right?
Daenerys’ situation is not improving…
Daenerys and the khalasar she’s a prisoner in returned to Vaes Dothrak (a much different-looking locale than the one we saw in Season 1) where she would take her place among the other former Khaleesis. First, she was stripped bare and made to wear Dothraki clothes. Then, the woman in charge said that she had seen Daenerys devour the stallion heart, so she knew who she was (and no, all those titles did not impress her). She also told Daenerys that it was forbidden for a widowed khaleesi to go out into the world, and she’d better hope that the Dosh Khaleen placed her back with the other women after her “trial” of sorts. (Drogon, any time you’d like to swoop in and save the day, that’d be great!)
Varys gets his answers…
You probably remember that one particular “lady of the night” who’s helped the Sons of the Harpy kill the Unsullied and the Second Sons, right? Well, she was brought before Varys so that he could find out who’s behind the attacks. If she complied, she and her son could sail safely to Pentos and begin a new life. We soon learned that the masters of Astapor, Yunkai, and Volantis were funding the radical group. Obviously, they hadn’t taken too well to Daenerys conquering their cities and freeing the slaves, so this was their way of getting payback and returning to city life as it used to be before the Breaker of Chains showed up.
Back at King’s Landing…
When we saw Qyburn tending to a room full of young children, our hearts probably melted at how cute it was. But in that same instant, we likely braced ourselves wondering whether he’d make them part of his experiments. Thankfully, he was only bribing them to become his “little birds,” gathering information around the city. Cersei, Jaime, and Ser Gregor/Ser Robert Strong/ Qyburn’s Frankenstein creation stopped by to tell him that they also wanted those “little birds” to bring whispers from every corner of the kingdom.
Their next stop was dropping in on the small council meeting. Maester Pycelle was talking badly about Qyburn and the newest member of the Kingsguard, but Cersei and Jaime wanted to talk about Dorne and other developments instead. Since the council (consisting of Kevan Lannister, Olenna, Mace Tyrell and Pycelle) couldn’t make them leave, they left instead. (I was kind of looking forward to more witty banter, but I guess there’s time for that down the line.)
Meanwhile, Tommen went to the High Sparrow demanding that Cersei be allowed to visit Myrcella’s final resting place. (Not for nothing, but after last week’s talk with Cersei, I expected a little bit of take-no-prisoners attitude, but instead Tommen sat calmly on the bench next to the High Sparrow philosophizing. Bor-ing!)
Arya becomes “no one”…
After a series of failed fighting sessions and refining her senses, Arya eventually began holding her own against The Waif. Naturally, that’s when Jaqen arrived to give her that dreaded cup filled with water from the fountain. (You know, the one where people drink from and die?) Arya drank it with only the slightest hesitation, and her eyesight was finally returned to her. (Since she’s officially “no one,” I’m curious to see where she goes from here.)
What happened to loyalty?
It’s understandable why the Karstarks teamed up with the Boltons after what Robb Stark did to their lord. However, the real surprise of the night was that the Umbers decided to follow suit - not so much because they broke their oath as sworn bannermen to House Stark, but because THAT’S WHERE OSHA AND RICKON WERE HEADED when they split up from Hodor, Bran, Meera and Jojen earlier in the series. Unfortunately, the bad feeling I had during this scene came true when Umber brought Osha and Rickon to Ramsay as a gift, along with poor Shaggydog’s head (sniff, sniff).
Sweet revenge…
While studying the armor he had worn when he was stabbed, Jon Snow was called outside where we found Olly, Alliser Thorne, and the other traitors with nooses around their necks. (Oh, how we’ve been praying for this moment!) Jon asked for their last words, and that’s where Thorne made a grand speech about how he would make the same choice again, while Olly just scowled (little brat).
Although Jon took his time cutting the rope, when he did, the beautiful sounds of necks breaking filled the air. (Yeah, no shame in admitting that this show has turned me into a bloodthirsty viewer. I mean c’mon, they killed everyone’s favorite character!) Afterwards, Jon gave Edd his cloak and told him that he was now in charge at Castle Black because Jon’s watch had ended.
Hence the episode title, Oathbreaker. If we’re going to get technical though, the oath proclaims that a member of the Night’s Watch serves until death. Since Jon Snow died, his watch is actually over. The oath doesn’t say anything about serving more than one lifetime. Even if it did though, would you be eager to go back to a job where you were murdered? Didn’t think so!
Until next week then where we’re only fed scraps of information that will leave us hungering for more!