I was sitting happily on my couch thinking how “Game of Thrones” would make the ideal ending to my holiday: Arya reunited with her sword, Bran reunited with his uncle…and then that Holy Alliance. It makes sense that after last week’s devastating reveal on the origin of the White Walkers, but also the backstory behind Hodor, which unfolded cruelly during his death, things would come back to an idle while it gears up for the back-half of the season, specifically the all-important ninth episode.
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Were show runners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss simply following along with George R.R. Martin before they realized they’d need to radically shift direction to efficiently and effectively conclude this series? If something is teased, you know there’s a damn good reason for it. But, yeah, season 6 is rife with Stark reunions! And If I’m totally off at any point, feel free to school me in the comments.
-Bran’s visions and the importance of what we were seeing of the past and future. It doesn’t seem like the type of organization to stop coming after you because you overcame just one of their assassins.
It’s no secret the King was obsessed with fire, which Jaime Lannister revealed to Brienne in season three. Olenna Tyrell and Jaime Lanniester were ready to stand up to the High Sparrow and take the whole lot out.
Initially, this seems to be the immediate aftermath of Aerys giving his pyromancer the command to burn them all – i.e. the good people of King’s Landing – with wildfire.
I think it’s much cooler to have him show up now instead of guiding Bran to the cave, because Bran already had Jojen and Meera for that. We got to see Drogon who has grown to an incredible size and will easily wreak havoc on King’s Landing. So, you know, no pressure.
Not only does Bran witness the death of his family members (Ned, Catelyn and Robb), but he also appears to see brand new footage of his aunt Lyanna Stark’s passing.
Now for something altogether more mysterious.
On last week’s Game of Thrones, the immobile and doomed Three-Eyed Raven (Max von Sydow) began transferring all his knowledge to Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) as the White Walkers closed in.
But, what if the Mad King’s theory turns true that Bran is the person behind all the bloodshed and menace in the land of Seven kingdom!
What’s the significance of this among the scenes of Targaryen intrigue?
Now for perhaps the most major of the revelations contained in the vision. Of course, it’s quite likely Arya will lose a limb or an eye or at least the last lingering chunk of her innocence, because this is “Game of Thrones”, where victory is only slightly less miserable than defeat. With every episode, we’ll seek to discover if we know more than the formerly dead bloke who once lay in the snow.
With the show now retroactively adapting stories from earlier books, and Sansa looking to conquer the Boltons and take back the North with Jon Snow at her side, the timing could hardly be any more flawless for Lady Stoneheart. I never thought that Arya would go through with completely abandoning her physical appearance and identity, but that betrayal will cost her. She may be able to overcome the Waif, but I doubt that she can hold her own against Jaqen H’ghar and the full force of his order.
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They are originally: Niemand, Die Schlacht der Bastarde, and Die Winde Des Winters, though HBO have not yet confirmed what the episodes will be called.
