Not unlike the season premiere, there were a ton of plot threads explored in this episode.  Not all of them got the time or attention that one might have liked, but isn’t that always the case?  What matters is that the proceedings in this installment seemed to do a number of the things that could or should have happened in the premiere, and the episode is that much better as a result.

 

 

The theme of this episode seems to be “regime change”, especially in the North.  For the first time in a couple seasons, we get to see what is happening in the Iron Isles and House Greyjoy.  And in a few short moments, Balon is tossed out of office (literally off a bridge) by his mad brother Euron, and suddenly there’s a “throne” in contest.  And it’s a given that there will be more than a couple contenders.   This is actually the writers of the show more or less catching up with events in the source material, so it will be interesting to see why they would revisit material they cut earlier in the saga.

 

In similar fashion, the Bolton hold over Winterfell and the North was already precarious, but it’s going to be even more so with Ramsey now taking out his father and baby brother.  Just in case we forgot how much of a murderous bastard Ramsey truly is, the scene in which he sets his hounds upon his “mother” and brother served as quite the reminder.  There was no other outcome possible for that scene, which made it all the more bone-chilling.

 

 

This is all actually rather important because as bannerman to the Lannisters, Roose Bolton was a canny strategist who knew precisely what it would take to secure the North and his family’s control over it.  Ramsey is an impulsive maniac, and thus the door is opened for anyone with the sufficient numbers and loyalties to retake Winterfell.  And who, mayhap, might be the leading contender for that?

 

Re-enter Jon Snow, whose resurrection was not only the most obvious plot “twist” in the history of Westeros, but also carries with it some huge implications.  As previously noted, Jon’s death essentially releases him from his vow to the Night’s Watch, and given how quickly they rolled over as soon as Wun  Wun made quick work of that archer, there’s little chance they will insist that Jon do anything.  The Wildlings represent quite the army, and they could rally behind Jon to retake the North with the right incentive.

 

 

Even if Jon doesn’t want to become King of the North, there’s another contender making her way in that direction.  Sansa is an actual Stark (Jon being almost certainly a Stark/Targaryen mix), and she has Brienne as her right-hand knight.  Not only is she likely to make it to Castle Black sooner rather than later, but she would be the perfect person to install in Winterfell as Queen of the North in the fullness of time.  I’m sure there will be plenty of complications, including whatever this little bout of death might have done to Jon, but one might also consider that he now might fulfill one of those prophecies that Daenerys was given back in the second season.

 

Speaking of Jon’s lineage, this episode checks in on Bran by showing us that he has the ability to see into the past.  What limitations there might be on this ability remain to be seen, but just the existence of that ability means that it will be possible to see what really happened during Robert’s Rebellion and in the Tower of Joy.  In other words, if Jon is the product of the union between Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, then he has at least some claim to the Iron Throne.  And a rather gorgeous aunt/cousin who is roughly the same age.  Funny how that works out, hmm?

 

 

Even if the North is up for grabs, there is no assurance that the Lannisters will simply capitulate.  If anything, there is plenty of reason to think they will fight to the bitter end.  Note that Brienne’s loyalty to Sansa now could very well place her on the opposite side of a battlefield from Jamie, which would be an interesting way for their previous relationship to culminate.  Jamie is already wavering between loyalty to his family and his recognition that they have often been in the wrong, so one has to wonder if he might seek redemption by changing sides.  It’s unlikely, but Jamie has a history of breaking vows.

 

But before any of that happens, the not-so-small matter of the High Sparrow and the Faith Militant must be addressed.  I saw their little mindgame with Jamie to be more for the sake of the audience than for Jamie’s benefit; it’s a strong reminder that large armies of common people can accomplish a great deal with the right leader.  Again, it actually has been a theme of the saga, considering that Dany tried and failed to use that power to her advantage.  That may not happen with someone else (like, say, Jon Snow).

 

 

Over in Braavos, Arya’s struggle as a blind beggar comes to its next stage remarkably fast.  I was actually a little disappointed in that notion; given how terribly she fared in yet another round of staff combat, I figured she would have a little more time to develop additional skills.  Then again, there’s no assurance that Jaqen is going to make things any easier on her back in the House of Black and White.  Becoming a super-assassin isn’t supposed to be easy, after all!

 

One of the best scenes of the episode, despite being somewhat disconnected from the rest of the ongoing storylines, was Tyrion’s little talk with the dragons.  Feeding the speculation that he might, in fact, be part Targaryen himself, Tyrion forms a bond with the two dragons still in captivity when he frees them.  It’s all a ploy to ensure that they survive and thus keep Dany’s mystique in Meereen alive and semi-well, but the ease with which he forms that bond is telling.  (As is the confirmation that the other cities taken by  Dany have now fully reverted back to slaveowner control.)

 

 

All in all, this was a much more active episode, with tons of key moves to change the state of play all over Westeros.  And thankfully they refrained from delaying the resurrection of Jon Snow any longer than they have, because not only was it obvious they were going there, but that would have been hanging over future episodes if they hadn’t.  Now the various storylines are moving forward with a bit more urgency, which should help propel this season forward properly.