The WiC Scale: Winners and Losers from “Blood of My Blood”
By Ani Bundel
If it’s Friday, it must be time for the WiC Scale! Once again, it’s time for our weekly score of who’s up, who’s down, and who’s out in Game of Thrones.
This may be one of the shortest Scales of the season, as many of our storylines were left offscreen in “Blood of My Blood.” Those who sat out this round including the entire Meereen contingent, those at the Wall, those who just left the Wall, and the Ironborn. This also marks five weeks running where we are free of the Dornish. How much longer can that continue?
Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner
The High Sparrow: First, he got his fanatics sanctioned the king. Then he made the Tyrells look like fools. Now he has the Crown. Not bad for a guy who’s only been around for a little over 10 episodes.
Up
Coldhands/Benjen Truthers: Whether or not it’s true in the books, it is in the show: Coldhands and Benjen are one and the same. I suppose that will be our trade off for the lack of Lady Stoneheart. Also, Hi Benjen! Long time, no see.
Sam and Gilly: Not only did they get a pretty ride across the countryside in a high-stylin carriage, a good meal, and (at least for Gilyl) a new outfit, but Sam now has a Valyrian steel sword.
Lady Crane: Not only did she get a new devoted fan, she also got to keep her life, and she got to find out which of her rivals was trying to kill her.
Arya: Welcome back, Arya! Screw this No One business.
The Waif: She doesn’t need weapons, and she doesn’t need to say “I told you so.” She gets what she wanted: a chance to fight kill Arya.
Daenerys: So she’s recycling her dead husband’s speeches. Did Drogo ever do them from the back of the biggest dragon ever created on a television CGI budget? I don’t think so.
Middling
Bran and Meera: The good news is they lived. The bad news is they have no idea what’s next and are having to blindly follow a dude who was almost a White Walker.
Tommen and Margaery: Well, that’s one way to force the generation above you to buzz off with their barely concealed manipulations. Too bad they seem to have traded it in for what might be a more overbearing set of overseers.
Kevan: The only one who wasn’t openly humiliated on the Steps of Baelor by the High Sparrow, he even got the bonus of seeing the Jaime/Cersei nexus forced apart without him having to lift a finger. Too bad his King is now answering to a Higher Authority than the Hand.
Down
Jaqen H’ghar: Whatever dreams he had for Arya’s assassination education have been dashed. Oh, well: at least he’ll get to collect her face.
Jaime and Cersei: The saddest part is that neither of them seem to have realized how badly they’ve lost yet.
Lady Olenna: At least she understands how badly they all lost.
Daario: Sorry dude. Dany’s now got something better to ride than you.
Randyll Tarly: Not only did he find himself breaking bread with a wildling, his wife told him to buzz off and his son stole the family heirloom.
The Freys: They’ve lost Riverun, and everyone is laughing at them. Who says there’s no karmic justice for breaking guestrights?
Edmure Tully: Oh, that’s where he’s been? Oh. That sucks.
Out
No one—and we don’t mean Arya! (Not yet anyway.) For the first time all season, we had an episode free of death. We doubt it’ll last, though.