Unsullied Recap—Game of Thrones, Episode 606—”Blood of My Blood”

Spoiler note: “A girl says nothing. A girl keeps her mouth closed. No one hears.” —Girls, boys, and everyone alike, Jaqen H’ghar has spoken, so please remember: This recap is primarily for non-book readers (book fans can discuss the show here). If you’re a book reader, please avoid posting any spoilers here so as not to ruin the fun for those who don’t know what’s coming next. Thank you!

With the happenings at Castle Black seemingly wrapped up for the season, “Blood of My Blood” begins with a fresh perspective, but still in the north—precisely where we left off last week, in fact, with Meera hastening to pull Bran to safety while the wights are still hot on their tail. Ellie Kendrick really sells Meera’s struggle here with her shivering and frantic sobbing, as she’s left alone with not even Bran to so much as verbally comfort her, as he’s stuck in a series of visions. He flashes back and forth from his family, the White Walkers, and the Mad King Aerys shouting “Burn them all!” sounding more broken in his mania than powerful, making the memory all the more chilling.

When Bran comes to, he knows what’s happening amidst Meera’s sobs and apologies: the wights have found them and, for a moment, all seems lost. And then—a metaphorical trumpet sounds, and a mysterious cloaked figure who may or may not be Westley from The Princess Bride converges on the scene. He deters the wights from atop his mighty steed, swinging a medieval flame thrower and knocking the wights back on their undead backs. He implores Meera and Bran to come with him to safety and, seeing no other option and with only a moment’s hesitation from Meera, they oblige.

Nearly the full hour into the episode, we join the trio again in a quieter neck of the woods. I’m inclined to believe that we won’t learn the identity of the masked stranger for another week or so, but my lack of patience is for once rewarded: IT’S BENJEN, Y’ALL. We last saw Benjen Stark way back in Season 1, when he disappeared on a mission to scout out the White Walkers; as it happens, he found them, and was left for dead after one stabbed him straight in the gut. He would have died one hundred percent had it not been for the Children of the Forest, who saved him using the same technique they used to create the White Walkers so many years ago: a dragonglass dagger to the chest. So he may be half-zombie, but Benjen remains who he’s always been, and he’s here to encourage Bran to take on his new role as the Three-Eyed Raven, to channel and control that power—because when the White Walkers come, like it or not, Bran will be ready for them.

Get it, baby boy, and a special shoutout to my friend Sarah, who totally called Benjen’s return weeks ago.

In greener pastures, Sam and Gilly arrive at Horn Hill under the guise of a good ol’ fashioned nuclear family in order to appease Sam’s own. As far as anyone of House Tarly is concerned, Gilly isn’t a wilding, and Little Sam is Sam’s trueborn son; this is all to ensure their safety and Poppa Tarly’s hospitality, as he has as much patience for wildlings as he does for his eldest son—that is to say, none at all. Sam’s mother and sister are, thankfully, a different story, as they welcome Gilly with open arms, compliments, and an overall kindness to which Gilly is not accustomed to but clearly grateful for all the same. Immediate female friendship is what I’m here for, and the Tarly girls deliver it in spades.

Despite the fact that Gilly is absolutely bangin’ in her fresh new duds, dinner that night is an awkward family affair. Poppa Tarly is as hateful as you’d imagine a man who threatened to murder his son to be, and wastes no time in making Sam feel as worthless as he always fears he is. Unable to stand the abuse spit at the man who’s put her above himself at every turn, Gilly throws major shade at Poppa Tarly, but in doing so accidentally reveals that she’s a wildling, which only exacerbates the enmity present at the dinner table. Poppa Tarly is tearing her, Sam, and even Little Sam a new one when his wife can stand it no longer. While he insists that “[Sam] dishonors us!” she counters, “You dishonor yourself!” Meanwhile, the world cheers on Momma Tarly as the divine goddess she is.

And so it comes to pass that Poppa Tarly agrees to allow Gilly and Little Sam lodging at Horn Hill. To please his too-good-for-him wife, the mother and son will be cared for and Little Sam educated as a rightful bearer of the Tarly name. Sam will be granted no such courtesy and, once he leaves for Oldtown in the morning, will no longer be welcome in his family home.

In the face of their impending separation, Gilly continues to hearten and support Sam because she’s #1 Girlfriend, which spurs him to throw caution to the winds: he’s taking Gilly and Little Sam to the Citadel with him, ancient rules be damned, and while he’s at it he’s going to steal the family’s Valyrian steel sword, too. Bold moves and nice gestures, Sam, but I hope you can get your posse into the Citadel without facing almost certain trouble. (And if Poppa Tarly was willing to off his own son, who knows what he’ll be willing to do to Gilly and hers.)

In King’s Landing, the High Sparrow reassures Tommen that Margaery’s impending Walk of Atonement will be all well and good—after all, the common people have a love for her they never bore Cersei, never mind that Margaery will still be walking naked and shamed for no reason among them. But that’s a problem for another day; today, the High Sparrow grants Tommen the courtesy of seeing his wife.

In the privacy of each other’s company, Margaery spins a tale for Tommen about how she has atoned, how her former goodness wasn’t really good because it wasn’t altruistic—she was kind to those less fortunate than her because of what it would do for her status, her reputation, and popularity. She praises the High Sparrow for the good he’s done her, and we’re all pretty sure she’s lying through her teeth, doing whatever she has to do to save her brother. That’s how all of this started in the first place, because Margaery had to protect Loras, and she won’t stop until she knows without a doubt that he’s safe. The High Sparrow may be on top for the time being, but if Margaery has her way, he won’t stay there much longer.

The Tyrell army, headed by Mace (who gives a rousing speech and fails to actually do any rousing), marches onto the sept where it appears that Margaery is about to make her dreaded walk. Although Jaime takes charge of the smack talk, Olenna shows up to spearhead the proceedings, and just when you think everybody’s ready to rumble, the High Sparrow drops a bomb: there will be no Walk of Atonement. Margaery has been cleansed of her sins by other means when she “brought another into the light of the Seven,” which apparently means she’s converted Tommen, so he officially has no concept of the benefits of separation of church and state. The Faith and the Crown will now work together to restore the Seven Kingdoms. What this means is unclear, but the High Sparrow looks too smug for me to be happy about it, so for now I’m not.

In an intermittent scene to set up for what’s to come in King’s Landing, Walder Frey makes his Season 6 debut. He’s cranky because his Cialis hasn’t been taking and also because his sons are so incompetent that they allowed the Blackfish to escape, roam free, and retake Riverrun. But as per usual, ol’ Walder has a trick up his sleeve, and this time that trick is to use the captive Edmure Tully as leverage to get the Blackfish to yield his home.

With that information on our hands, we head back to the Red Keep where, in a callback to Joffrey’s dismissal of Ser Barristan Selmy, Tommen banishes Jaime for threatening the Faith and, by extension, the Crown. So instead of hanging around the capitol, Jaime is being forced to the Riverlands to deal with the Blackfish. In a private and heated conversation with Cersei on the matter, Jaime is more inclined to pay off Bronn to pay off some more guys to slit the Sparrows’ throats—hear, hear—but Cersei tells him to go and take back Riverrun, give their men something to fight for, so she and Jaime can gain back the power and status they lost some time ago. Then they make out and, honestly, good for them; they deserve it. Get some.

In a cartoonishly exaggerated version of Season 4, the play in Braavos continues to portray Joffrey as a sweet innocent and Tyrion as the villainous caricature. As much as Arya enjoys her front row seat to even this inaccurate dramatization of Joffrey’s death, her laughter fades when Lady Crane commands the scene; it seems that Arya connects with Lady Crane’s performance, her grief and her sorrow. This is the woman that Arya is faced with killing, and while that practice is nothing new for her, Arya has always killed with purpose and direction, and she sees no justice in killing the woman on stage.

Regardless, Arya sneaks backstage to poison Lady Crane’s rum, and all the while we hear actor Tyrion’s post-murder speech from the other side of the curtain: “My greatest crime / and now I must flee / and sail across the Narrow Sea / to do unto you more treachery / Don’t fear winter / fear me!” Although set within the ludicrous universe of the play, this speech is a haunting reference to Arya’s journey, and impeccably placed around her actions as she poisons Lady Crane’s rum. I’m always impressed with the show’s narrative, but never more so than how artfully it’s crafted here: Arya commits her final betrayal to the House of Black and White this week, and we can assume her next move will be to sail back to Westeros to wreak the havoc she sought out so long ago. Here, Arya is winter, and she’s on her way.

But before she can make her way, the play comes to an end and the actors assemble backstage. Lady Crane recognizes Arya from her many visits, and seems to take an immediate liking to her: she gives Arya the old “You remind me of me at your age,” compliments her face, and is on the verge of offering her a spot in the theater troupe when Arya bails. She’s not gone for long, though, as she returns just in time to knock Lady Crane’s poisoned drink from her hand, points to the girl playing Sansa, and says, “Careful of that one. She wants you dead.”

And bam, all at once Arya is back with her old vengeance. Of course, busted Kimmy Gibbler is lurking nearby and witnesses the whole thing. While Arya unearths Needle from where she’d buried the sword last season, Kimmy tattles on her to Jaqen, who “promised her” the opportunity to kill Arya should she fail again (at least, we can assume this much). Kimmy is so Lady Macbeth, but Arya will surely be her downfall now that she’s fully embraced her identity and what power that gives her.

In Meereen, Daario and Daenerys head her newly acquired Dothraki horde and banter about what Daenerys’ next move should be. She wants to take the Seven Kingdoms, natch, but Daario claims she’s a conqueror, as if that’s supposed to sway her. Now, I agree that Daenerys is more a conqueror than a ruler, but Daario’s observation of this doesn’t give Daenerys another option other than sailing to Westeros; is he implying that she should just keep taking things until there’s nothing left? Come on, Daario; you’re being useless again.

Daenerys seems to agree, since she does a quick “BRB” and disappears, leaving everyone bored and confused until we hear that familiar reptilian shriek and Drogon’s shadow overtakes the horde as he flies overhead, Daenerys astride him. She lands and gives an impassioned speech about what Khal Drogo promised her, and the Dothraki rally together and cheer at Daenerys’ request that they sail across the sea and fulfill that promise by giving her the Seven Kingdoms. It’s a well-done callback to Khal Drogo’s own speech, but it remains more or less the same scene we’ve seen a dozen times over; it’s always good, but it’s lost its touch. After so many speeches and nothing coming of it, you can color me shocked if Daenerys actually makes it to Westeros.

How are my fellow Unsullied faring this side of the season? Did you cheer with the Dothraki upon Daenerys’ speech, or did you “meh” along with me (no hard feelings, we all have our preferences)? With the disappearance of his beloved sword, will Poppa Tarly be out for his not-so-beloved son’s head? Can Bran teach himself control over his new title, and what role will Meera and Benjen play in his self-tutelage? Does Margaery truly have the upper hand in King’s Landing, or will her strategy put a rift between her and her obviously disappointed grandmother? Will Arya gut Kimmy, and will Jaqen obtain a nice sum from his dead spouse’s life insurance policy? And with Brienne and Jaime both headed to the Riverlands without Tormund around to look all moon-eyed at the former, will the ship war of the century break out amongst our fair fandom?

Remember—speculation is encouraged, spoilers aren’t! Please refrain from posting book spoilers here! Feel free to discuss the episode in the comments or Tweet me @kattymaj, but don’t ruin any surprises for the viewers who haven’t read the books. While the show has largely diverged from its source material, you never know what details will crop up later. Thanks, and see you next week!