Maybe Too Many Riches Lately in Westeros?

Last week, I admitted these are recaps. So welcome to my second official recap. I still recommend After The Thrones. I still love all the folks at The Ringer. But IMHO they have been neutered a bit by HBO (sorry Bill Simmons it is true).

I mostly liked the last three episodes (including much of this episode, called "Blood Of My Blood") but I still feel something was just a bit off. Like that maybe in each of the different story arcs that there was much to like but one thing that was off. 

Anyway, this episode is called "Blood Of My Blood" technically as it describes the relationship between Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) and her blood-riders (more on that later), but it really means that many of the key players are starting to make choices based on what really matters to them most.

That said if you have not seen Episode 6 of Season 6 of Game of Thrones, stop reading now *Spoiler Alert*

Uncle Benjen + 3 Eyes = Jar-Jar

George R.R. Martin and Benioff and Weiss all went to great lengths to leave what happened to Benjen Stark (First Ranger of the Nights Watch and Ned Stark's brother) remain a mystery ever since his disappearance in the first book (he was sent on a Ranging mission to find Ser Waymar Royce that he never returned from).

Benjen was who originally took Jon to the wall.

Also, the search for Benjen was one of the motivations for Lord Commander Mormont to take a large contingent of black brothers Ranging later in the books.

Okay, so Benjen shows up and  saves Meera (Ellie Kendrick) and Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) from the White Walkers and then whisks them both on his horse and heads for parts unknown.

Good to see Benjen (Joseph Mawle) again. But, soon after his appearance things start to go South (or North?) in Game of Thrones logic town. 

Benjen says he was summoned by the 3 Eyed Crow to save Bran and then intimates Bran has himself become the new 3 Eyed Crow (after Max Von Sydow's passing).

Okay fine, that makes sense.

But then, after Bran tells him that he has not learned all the 3 Eyed Crow skills, Benjen explains that Bran has to learn how to be a 3 Eyed Crow soon so that when the Night King arrives at the wall Bran will "be there to stop him."

WHAT?

So we just saw the actual 3 Eyed Crow get destroyed as easy as pie by the Night King. Bran just admitted he has not even Mastered basic 3 Eyed-Crowery.

WTF?

Yes, you and I know Bran has super powers, but we also know that he has not idea how to use them. This whole thing makes DONUT sense. The 3 Eyed Crow had Bran take a gigantic and treacherous journey just to get 3 Eyed Crow training. Mr. 3 Eye screwed it up so badly, that he didn't even protect them from Bran solo missions. Then Mr 3 Eye had NO effect deterring the arrival of the White Army,  got killed in about four seconds by the Night King, resulting in the genocide of the remaining Children of the Forest.

But, being a 3 Eyed Crow will end the Night King at the Wall?

Oh, and Bran saw the history of the world in his dream before he returned (much of which he had not experienced first hand).

You Benioff and Weiss earn three more Jar-Jar's and may George R.R. Martin have mercy on your souls.

It was good to see Benjen again.

Lannister's + Tyrell's = King Sparrow

Crows and Sparrows and Tyrell's...Oh My

I have long been a huge fan of Jonathan Pryce (ever since Brazil). So, I have no problem with his character (The High Sparrow) outthinking Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg) and Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey). Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman) is, and always has been weak, so it doesn't surprise me at all that the High Sparrow turns him.

Before I continue, I have to take a second on Lord Mace Tyrell (Roger Ashton-Griffiths) . Lord Tyrell shows up in full armor to hand over his army to Jamie. There is only one moment I can think of in history where someone failed so totally to look the part in military garb. And, what moment in history was that?

However, the vehicle the High Sparrow uses to turn Tommen against his family is not Michael Dukakis in a tank, it turns out to be Queen Margaery (Natalie Dormer). The mass of Tyrell troops is treated to Margery standing passively by as the High Sparrow reveals that Tommen is now totally in line with the Faith Militant.

Remember, it was only a few weeks ago that Margaery was screaming at her brother, who was broken by the Sparrow's minions, to get it together because the only way they could WIN was to never give in.

So, for this to make sense, we have to believe that Margery was uncertain enough about her family coming to save her (and her brother) from the Sparrow (even though she has to know that since she is the Queen of Westeros the Sparrow cannot kill her) that she totally capitulates and agrees to turn Tommen to the support of the Faith Militant.

Bullshit (although Andy Greenwald thinks Margaery is playing the game - I just think it's dumb).

Yes, Margery loves her Brother but she has always both had her eyes on the prize and been pretty clear-eyed about the big picture. What does she gain by just "Giving Up" like her brother asked her to do?

And there is no way, after seeing what they did to her Brother, who she loves, that she would literally turn the entire kingdom and her weak husband over to the Faith. Why would she love the High Sparrow for breaking her brother? He looked like they had put him through the worst forms of Hell possible.

Even worse, the episode makes it look like she had an honest conversion to religion. Which means it wasn't even necessarily about her brother. Also, if she knows that she can turn Tommen to her will, why wouldn't she just use Tommen to rally the troops against the Faith Militant? This only makes sense if she has an honest conversion and that makes NO SENSE.

By staying hostile and refusing to capitulate she has everything to gain including revenge. By capitulating, she accepts what has happened to her Brother and gives up any real claim to power outside of what is given to her by the Sparrow.

No way.

That makes no sense.

Plus, as much as Tommen is malleable to Margaery's wiles, he also has to go entirely against his Mother (also a bit of a stretch).

Tommen strips Jamie (Nikolaj-Coster Waldau) of his Kingsguard duties and sends him on a mission to retake Riverrun from the Blackfish (oddly enough, in the books this exact even happened but way before where we are now in King's Landing).

Before leaving, Jamie and Cersei start messing around again (sigh). Also, Cersei's argument to Jamie about why he should go after Riverrun also made little sense.

Another Benioff and Weiss shortcut that makes ZERO sense. Three more Jar-Jar's and may the Seven have mercy on their souls.

Why Riverrun?

The Blackfish Party

Okay, I am excited about this storyline again.

The Freys are back!

Okay, that isn't why I am excited, but the Freys are actually back. The younger Freys apparently really did let the Blackfish take back Riverrun and Lord Walder Frey (David Bradley) is not happy. He orders them to take Riverrun back (have I mentioned that Bradley also played Filch in the Harry Potter movies?).

When the Frey offspring say that they cannot or are incapable of taking it back. Walder asks why this is impossible (since they have hundreds of times more troops and resources than the Blackfish)? 

The answer the Freylings give is that all of the smaller houses are turning against them and that they are getting harassed everywhere by the Brotherhood Without Banners as well.  

This is the exciting part, because, in the books, the reason the Brotherhood Without Banners is harassing the Freys is because they are being advised/led by one "Lady Stoneheart."

Lady Stoneheart is related to the Blackfish (he is her Uncle) because she is the one and only Catelyn Stark (the Mom of Bran, Sansa, Arya, Rickon, and the last Robb but not Jon).

So, I am excited about that part.

Walder suggests that the Freylings go down to Riverrun and show the Blackfish the knife they used to kill his relatives at the Red Wedding. And he says that after showing him the knife and then show him that the Freys have Catelyn's brother Edmure Tully (Tobias Menzies) the heir to Riverrun as a prisoner (as you might remember from way back before the Red Wedding, the Blackfish is a badass and Edmure is kind of an idiot).

Edmure was technically married to one of the Freys (one of the only beautiful ones) at the Red Wedding (the "wedding" was the wedding of Edmure). This marriage was arranged as a "make-up" for Robb going back on his promise to marry a Frey (the main reason the Freys with help from the Bolton's turn on Robb in the first place).  

Since Edmure arrives in front of Walder and Sons adorned head to foot in chains, I am guessing that his wedding has not been a joyous one (not a surprise since the Freys killed all of Edmure's relatives). Those Freys sure are super-awesome.

So, the Freys and the Lannister's are heading to Riverrun to take on the Blackfish (as I mentioned this happened in the books but a pretty long time before most of the events currently unfolding).  

Oh, and if I remember correctly, Brienne is also on her way to Riverrun as a recruiter for the new model Stark Army (on orders of Sansa).

Wanted Dead, One Arya Stark

Arya (Maisie Williams) goes to fulfill her contract to kill the actress but checks out one more performance of the play first.  

As the actors and actresses take their bows she puts the poison in the wine but gets caught hanging around in the backstage area by none other than her target who plays Cersei in the play. They have a lengthy conversation and Arya suggests some changes to the Cersei speech after the death of Joffrey but what she is really doing is telling her own very long story of the motivations behind her revenge spree.

It is certainly interesting to think about Cersei's and Arya's stories as parallel.

Anyway, once Arya realizes, through giving this script advice, that she has gone way off script with this Faceless Man stuff. 

As a result of this realization, Arya knocks the poisoned drink out of the actresses hand and runs to dig Needle back up and return to life as Arya Stark.

Her nemesis at Temple Faceless Men runs back to the Temple and tells Jaqen (Tom Wlashiha) who tells her to go ahead and kill Arya (but cause her no suffering).

Thank God the Faceless Men story is mostly over (FM was a great storyline in the books but has been pretty awful on the TV show IMHO).

House Tarly

So Sam (John Bradley-West) takes Gilly (Hannah Murray) and the baby "King Beyond The Wall" to stay with his family (before he is to head to The Citadel to become a Maester).

Just like in the books, Sam's Mom is a lovely woman and his Dad is a total douchebag.

He is constantly demeaning to Sam and insulting to Gilly. Gilly defends Sam during a nasty dinner conversation and Sam's Dad figures out that Gilly is a wildling. He gets even nastier (calling the kid a bastard and Gilly a whore) and mentions both that Sam will never get his birthright "Heartsbane" (the family Valyrian-steel sword) and that Sam can never come home again.  

Sam waits until the family is asleep and leaves with Gilly and Heartsbane. 

Good for Sam.

I will reserve judgment on this one. In the books, Sam drops Gilly off with his family and goes to the Citadel and starts earning his chain. Last we see him, he is involved in some internal political intrigue at the Citadel.

Another shortcut by Benioff and Weiss. Let's hold out hope this one makes sense.

Drogon Is All Grows Up!

Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) and her new army (Khalasar) are heading back to Meereen when who does she sense? 

Up over yonder hill?

It's Drogon the dragon.

And now, Drogon the dragon is all "grownsed up."

Not only is Drogon the dragon huge, but now he also is full-on down with Daenerys riding him.

So, Drogon and Daenerys land in front of the troops and she gives her "conquer Westeros" version of the St. Crispin's Day speech. Everyone in her Khalasar is quite impressed.

It was pretty awesome in all fairness.

Not much more to say about that. War is coming to Westeros on two fronts (assuming Daenerys negotiates boats with Euron) while civil war is still raging in Westeros on two more fronts. Should be an interesting last four episodes of #GoT.

What did you think about episode 6 of #GameofThrones? Let me know what you think leave a comment!