It might be finals week, but Game of Thrones isn’t taking a break, so neither are we. Head below to check out our review of Season 6 Episode 3, “Oathbreaker.”
Castle Black
Jon Snow is very much alive and very much freaked out about it and honestly, I can’t even blame him. Davos and Melisandre both try to calm him down in their own ways. Melisandre, who, just last episode was having a complete crisis of faith, is now convinced Jon is the Prince of the Lord of Light’s prophecy and she looks at him with adoring reverence.
In the courtyard, the brothers of the Watch are even more spooked than Jon was. The only character who comes up to him is Tormund, the red-headed wildling male who cracks a joke at Jon’s expense. Jon then hugs his friend Edd, who is his closest ally since Sam has left.
Speaking of Sam, we get our first look at Sam all season. He is on a ship with Gilly and her baby headed to Oldtown, but wait, it turns out they’re not going to Oldtown at all. First they plan to stop by Horn Hill, Sam’s ancestral home, and have Sam’s mother and sister recognize Gilly. Aww, how romantic.
Back at the castle, it is now the execution day of Thorne and the other brothers who conspired to have Jon murdered. They are all in nooses, even Olly, and Jon asks for their final words. One claims Jon should not be alive. Another asks Jon to tell his mother he died fighting Wildlings. Thorne states he would do it all over again. And Olly,the bastard, doesn’t say anything. Harsh. Jon hangs them all and then immediately names Edd Lord Commander of the Night’s watch.
Beyond the Wall
In another one of Bran’s flashbacks, we see a slightly older than last time Ned along with Howland Reed, Meera’s father. They are battling Arthur Dayne, one of the Knights of the Mad King’s Kingsguard, outside of the Tower of Joy in Dorne (Book readers, this is where I started screaming.) To his horror, Bran discovers Ned did not actually win the fight fairly like he’d told his children but only beat Dayne because Howland stabbed him in the back when he was not looking. For a man of honor as Ned claims to be, this is such a betrayal. The flashback ends right as Ned is going into the tower but no, before he hears his son calling out to him, which should not be possible.
Back in the weird psychic tree, Bran argues with the old man for refusing to let him see more of the flashback, but the man warns him about changing the past. I’m getting the vibe there are big things planned for this segment of the show.
Meereen and Vaes Dothrak
In the capital city of the Dothraki, Dany meets the Dosh Khaleen, the widowed wives of all the Great Khals. Her usual “Forie and Blood and Dragons” spiel does not work on these old ladies. It seems she broke Dothraki rules by not returning to Vaes Dothrak in Season 1 when Khal Drogo died, and now she must pay the price. It’s not quite clear what the price is, but either way Dany is not about it.
Back in Meereen, Varys is putting his spying skills to use by interrogating a woman who helped the Sons of the Harpy in their massacre of the Unsullied and Second Sons last season. It turns out the slave masters of Astapor and Yunkai, the other slave cities Daenerys freed were behind the takeover, and if they want to save Meereen they must work with them. Uh oh.
King’s Landing
Varys’ little birds in Westeros have been taken over by Maester Qyburn, the creepy failed Maester who brought Gregor Clegane back to life and made him Cersei’s creepy, undead bodyguard. Cersei and Jaime want revenge on every person who is trying to celebrate the downfall of the Lannisters, but the small council, led by their uncle Kevan and Margaery’s grandmother Olenna Tyrell, are not having it, literally walking out of the meeting so they don’t have to speak to Cersei or Jaime.
At the Sept, Tommen is still trying to fight the High Sparrow for Cersei’s right to see Myrcella’s body. He puts up a good fight, but the Sparrow is not budging even though he admits Cersei’s best feature is the love of her children. However, he refuses to let Cersei see Myrcella claiming she has yet to fully atone for her sins despite her naked walk of shame last season. Poor Tommen seems more powerless than ever.
Braavos
Arya is still training in the House of Black and White and nan, homegirl cannot catch a break from this chick with the staff. She is adamant that she has given up her former identity as Arya Stark and she starts talking about her family members in the third person to distance herself from them. However, Arya stumbles when she recalls the Hound and how she both wanted to kill him and not.
After a training montage she finally catches the hang of blind fighting! Yes, my girl! It should be a triumphant moment but the music is strangely ominous. Arya gets her eyes back! However, has she truly fallen under the House of Black and White’s indoctrination?
Winterfell
Ramsay is trying to secure the alliances to House Bolton now that he is Warden of the North and no one buys that he didn’t kill his father. The Umbers, one of the oldest houses in the North, do not trust Ramsay, but Lord Umber brings him a blast from the past: Osha and Rickon Stark! Long time, no see! And we know it’s Rickon because Lord umber also brings Shaggydog’s head on a pike.
Final Thoughts
Honestly, nothing really happened this episode. Now that we’re on the third straight episode of setting up and brooding, I would have liked to see the plot move forward some. Certain things have been moved into place, like Rickon’s arrival at Winterfell and Jon’s resignation from the Wall. There was a battle this episode, but it was in the past with people we barely knew, so the tension was not there.
Speaking of the flashback episode, you can definitely tell GRRM is no longer writing the battle scenes, because the tension is gone and they’re honestly kind of predictable. Such a shame because I’ve always loved the battles in Game of Thrones. Hopefully next episode will get the plot back on track.
Best Quote: “What kind of god would have a pecker that small?”- Tormund, proving that your friend coming back from the dead is an appropriate time for a dick joke.
Featured Photo Credit: Courtesy of horslips5’s Flickr account.
Rosie Brown is a junior journalism major and can be reached at rosie.a.brown@gmail.com.
