After a couple episodes with major events at the very end, it seemed reasonable that the writers would deliver a transitional episode that sets up massive conflicts for the rest of the season.  That’s not to say nothing major took place; it’s just that the final moments didn’t quite measure up to Dany stepping out of the fire or Hodor making his final stand.  And some of the biggest moments were buried where some might have overlooked them.

 

 

The Tarlys: Unless the writers weren’t sure that Sam had enough motivation to strike out on his own, I’m not sure what the purpose of this particularly side story was supposed to be.  So Randyll Tarly lived up to his reputation, and it has spurred Sam to take life by the horns a bit more.  Was it all to prove to Sam that separating himself from Gilly and young Samwell was a bad idea?  Or simply to put him in a position to take possession of what will almost certainly end up being a Valyrian Steel sword?  I suspect the latter.

 

The Freys: Lest Jon and Sansa retake the North with little or no resistance, Walder Frey has decided to make trouble for the forces taking territory from Riverrun.  It’s possible that Walder will be able to use Edmure Tully as leverage to force the Tullys to abandon their support for the Stark revival.  On the other hand, this may just be designed to bring Walder into the middle of the fight just long enough for the Starks to get direct revenge for the Red Wedding.  Again, something tells me that it’s going to be the latter option.

 

 

King’s Landing: So much for the campaign to send the High Sparrow and his Faith Militant into the sea with a swift kick.  Apparently Margaery, having recognized that Tommen has been drinking an awful lot of Kool-Aid lately, made the decision to ensure her place on the throne by joining her young husband in legitimizing the High Sparrow to a level practically equal to the throne itself.  This is very bad, even if Margaery believes she is playing a long game.  Because even if she has a scheme in mind, she clearly forgot to send a memo to her family, and House Tyrell (and Jamie) just put themselves out on a very uncomfortable limb.

 

The net result for Jamie is getting kicked out of the Kingsguard, which may or may not make those vows against marriage and such null and void, and sent to Riverrun.  Want to bet a reunion with Brienne is in the works?  Caught between the demands of the High Sparrow (who clearly controls the crown now) and his own conscience, which way will he choose?  I suspect we’ll find out very soon.

                                                                                                                                       

 

Daenerys: I was wondering when she would need to use the dragons to reinforce some of her changes to Dothraki culture, and now it has come to pass.  While it’s great to see Dany getting back in the game, I have to point out that she’s saying precisely the same sort of thing she was saying a few seasons ago.  The past three seasons have been designed, for all intent purposes, to mire Dany in Slavers’ Bay until her arrival with the Dothraki wouldn’t interfere with the plot points between the other Houses in Westeros.  I may be looking forward to her progress, but that doesn’t mean the story construction isn’t showing its considerable seams.

 

The Girl Who Apparently Has A Damn Name Again: Speaking of subplots that don’t really seem to be adding up to much, there’s Arya and her latest decision to abandon the teachings of the Faceless Ones.  What was the damn point?  If it was simply to teach her some additional skills for being a ruthless player in the Game, it seems like a lot of significant foreshadowing for nothing.  On the other hand, perhaps it was to teach her the ways of the Faceless Ones without the need to adhere entirely to their strictures.  One would think she’d have to look over her shoulder the rest of her life if she chose that path, though, so I’m hoping there is more to the story than this.  Right now, though, I was left entirely disappointed by this turn of events.

 

 

Bran and the Dude with Suspiciously Cold Hands: Bran’s plot thread was chock full of interesting tidbits once again, not the least of which was an extended vision that contained tons of intriguing pieces of footage we’ve never seen before.  One could start with the reminder of why it was that Jamie turned on the Mad King, aka Aerys Targaryen aka Dany’s father.  We actually got to see that Jamie’s recounting of the events that led to Aerys’ assassination were right on the money.  (Oh, and we also saw what looked like Ned taking Leanna’s bloody hand, so we are most definitely getting that anticipated revelation at the Tower of Joy before too much longer.)

 

There is an interesting theory about Bran and his ability to be heard in the past during his greenseeing moments.  It was said that the Mad King went insane because he kept hearing voices in his head.  What if Bran is trying to change the past to avoid Robert’s Rebellion and everything that has come after, or just to try to jumpstart the defense against the White Walkers, and it is his whispering that drives Aerys out of his mind?  There is something wonderfully dark and circular about that notion, isn’t there?

 

 

In the meantime, in the present, the White Walkers and their Wights were bearing down on Bran and Meera when a mysterious stranger arrived to save them.  According to this stranger, he was left for dead but didn’t turn into a Wight because one of the Children of the Forest stabbed him in the chest with one of those dragonglass daggers.  It turned him into something more like an intelligent Wight, free from the control of the White Walkers. 

 

Readers of the source material will recognize that this is Coldhands, a mysterious figure that meets up with Bran and company earlier in the original version, but has essentially the same characteristics.  And many have theorized that Coldhands is none other than Benjen Stark, who was last seen in the first season when he left for a ranging expedition and never returned.  As with so much related to Bran’s abilities and plot thread, that would be neatly circular.

 

 

There was a lot of maneuvering in this episode, setting up the bigger moments to occur in the last few episodes of the season, but that’s an important part of ensuring that those conflicts are logical and satisfying.  Battles are brewing at Riverrun, Winterfell, Meereen, and King’s Landing.  And who knows where Dorne’s regime change will factor into the equation?  A lot of pieces on the board have been moved into position, and now it’s time to see how the gambits play out.