Game of Thrones Episode Recap: Oathbreaker *SPOILERS*

May 09, 2016

  • Quick catch up: Ramsay killed Roose, the king of the Iron Islands is dead, and Jon is alive. Beyond here there are spoilers for episode 3. Ye be warned. Let’s proceed with the episode! Now, the third episode of any Game of Thrones is always a pinnacle episode, but it feels like the showrunners might have overdone it last episode so who knows what’s going to happen this time around.  We start off with Davos finding a living, breathing, no longer blue, still naked Jon sitting up. The wounds from his assassination are still fresh on his body, and he is reeling remembering how he got them. Davos wraps Jon in his cloak while prodding him about what he remembered. Melisandre doubled down on the tough questions by asking Jon where he went after he was dead. Turns out it’s just black, or at least for Jon it was. He saw nothing. While Melisandre tries to give Jon comforting words about the lord of light wanting Jon to be alive, Davos sends her out of the room in order to help Jon cope with his newfound life.

  • Can we just take a minute to appreciate Davos’ straight-forward buck up speech? He tells Jon that he shouldn’t be alive but here he is alive, and that it’s pretty okay to feel freaked out about it. He lets Jon express himself, and in turn Jon is able to process what happened a little easier. Davos man, he’s awesome. He’s probably going to die. Jon walks out of the building among his men and the wildlings until he meets Torvold who tells him the men think he’s a god. Jon insists he’s not (because being worshipped would absolutely be a bad thing) and Torvold responds that he knows and even teases Jon a little bit. It’s so nice that baby bird Jon is being given the chance to psychologically heal from his near-death experience. Jon hugs Torvold and the newly badass Edd, smiling and joking. Cut to a ship working its way through a terrible storm and we get to see Gilly and Sam for the first time this season! Sam’s down with a touch of mal-de-mer with the ships swaying, but Gilly is having a grand old time being on the ocean. He’s trying hard not to vomit but Gilly knows it’s better out than in and when she nods her head, Sam throws up. They discuss their arrival at the Citadel, and how women aren’t allowed in. Gilly, headstrong as ever, is sure she’ll find a way in, but Sam reminds her that there’s no one there to help him bend the rules.

  • Sam tells Gilly that he’s taking her to his hometown to have his family care for her and the baby. Gilly reminded him of his promise to be with her whereever she is, and promptly walks away. Sam reminds her that he’s only trying to keep her and the baby safe because he cares for them both. She accepts Sam’s terms, and adds that she trusts him because he’s the father of her son (metaphorically speaking). We’re now taken to a scene where none of the characters are recognizable. A blonde man is sharpening a sword as other men on horseback approach. Another man with dark hair and a Targaryen crest on his chest piece picks up a helm. In the distance, Bran and the Three-Eyed Raven (here on will be called TER) are watching from afar. It’s now plain we are seeing a vision on the past.

  • Bran identifies a young Ned Stark, while TER points out the man next to him is Meera’s father, Howland Reed. One of the two men is identified as Sir Arthur Dayne, The Sword of Mourning, one of the best swordsman in Westoros. It’s then we find out Aegon and Rhaegar are both dead at this point. Book-readers know that means Ned is standing in one place now, and that place is the Tower of Joy, the “prison” where his sister Lyanna is being kept.  The two men decide to fight Ned, with the Sir Arthur duel-wielding. Two of Ned’s men are easily dispached but Ned manages to kill one of the two Targaryen guards. Now there are several men fighting the duel-wielding swordsman. Sir Arthur holds his own against 4 men, deflecting blows he can’t even see. He dispatches of two of the men, leaving only Ned and Howland. He kills Howland, leaving only Ned. The fight is grueling, and Ned is disarmed.  Bran tells the TER he’s heard this story, and that Ned wins but Ned is disarmed and faces death when Howland, barely alive, stabs the Sir Arthur in the back.Ned takes the Duel-Wielder’s sword and slashes him across the chest, killing him. Bran learns the hard way that his father’s war stories were stories, and didn’t always reflect the truth. Moments later we hear a woman scream from the tower.

  • Bran wants to know what is in the tower, but the TER insists they go. Bran calls out to his father and it appears that Ned hear him. I wonder if later on he’ll be able to affect the past in more tangible ways than just audibly. Bran tries to follow but the TER stops him. Bran is angry the TER has ripped him from the past again. He like any teen would, rebels against the TER who only seeks to educate and train Bran properly. He tells Bran that he won’t end up an “old man in a tree,” but before he leaves he must learn everything.

  • We switch over to the Dothraki hoard. Dany is no longer in chains, but she’s not exactly treated with respect either. Walking beneath two enormous sculpted horses, she has arrived at the place where Khaleesi retire. The Khal welcomes her home, although it’s pretty apparent on her face that this is the last place she wants to be.  The women inside strip Dany of all her clothes and her kickass dragon necklace. After being giving a simple dark brown smock, she tells the woman who I will call Den Mother because she hasn’t been introduced, that they’re making a big mistake by keeping her there. Den Mother questions Dany as to why she didn’t show up when Khal drogo died cause you know, screw your aspirations as a young woman, your husband is dead you no longer have a life.

  • Which is pretty much what she tells Dany, if she’s “fortunate enough to stay” with them. Turns out because she went out into the world, her fate is to be determined by a group of Khalasar’s. Varys fans himself on the stairs where Dany once ruled from, if the fan wasn’t enough of a hint, his face screams that it’s boiling hot. Enter, the female spy who helped in the death of one of the Unsullied. Varys asks to speak with her alone, and gets right to the point. He knows who she is (her name is Vala), and what she’s done. Vala gets right to the point too, she thinks the Unsullied and the Second Sons are foreign soldiers brought by a foreign queen to trample on the city’s traditions.

  • Varys asks her to see things from his side, and mentions Vala’s son, which Vala naturally takes as a threat. However Varys says the boy will never come to harm as children are blameless, but for her crime the penalty is death (which would leave her son without parents). He offers her a new life, in exchange for information, or she could face death. The decision is left in the air. That is until Varys comes to the council meeting with Missendei, Tyrion, and Greyworm. Well, not quite yet. Varys is running late so Tyrion decides to try to get to know Missendei and Greyworm a bit better. They aren’t the best conversationalists so Tyrion tries to play a game with them but it doesn’t really go as planned because neither Missendei nor Greyworm drink.

  • Thank the gods, Varys finally arrives. He announces that the funding for the Sons of the Harpy comes from the masters of Astapor, Yunkai, and Volantis. There’s no way to force the masters to stop funding the Sons of the Harpy, so Missendei suggests speaking to them in another language (business). Tyrion asks Varys to send messages to all three groups to begin the conversation. We find a Maester Kyben speaking with children, Varys’ little birds it seems. The Maester asks the children for whispers, much in the way that Varys does. He plies them with sweets until they are interrupted by Zombie Mountain entering the room (Prediction here: I think the Hound will return and kill Zombie Mountain). With Zombie Mountain is Cercei and Jaime. Kyben introduces them. The children are dismissed.

  • The following conversation reveals Cercei is recruiting Varys’ birds, she commands the Maester to collect them all for her. We also find that the High Sparrow is going to levy charges against someone (my guess is Tommen) and the Mountain will be the one doing the trial by combat.  After that we come to a meeting of what’s left of the king’s council. Attending is the Maester Pycelle, Mageary’s grandmother Olenna, the master of coin, and the new Hand of the King. As the Maester bitches about Kyben, and the abomination that is now Zombie Mountain, enter Zombie Mountain, Cercei, and Jaime. Olenna happily reminds Cercei that she’s no longer queen, and her presence along with Jaime’s is questioned. Jaime reminds them that the head of the Kingsguard always attends small council meetings. Jaime silences any questioning by seating Cercei and himself at the table to discuss the women of Dorne. But the high council refuses to stay. This small battle is lost.

  • In the meantime, King Tommen goes to confront the High Sparrow. Tommen demands Cercei’s passage to see Myrcella’s final resting place. However, the Sparrow says Cercei hasn’t atoned enough and has to enter a trial with seven septons to go into her sins. Tommen insists , but is declined and given a lesson in faith that disguises really subtle manipulation on the High Sparrow’s part to try and get Tommen under his control. Finally back to Arya, who continues her training blind. As she’s beaten, she tells the story of Arya Stark while playing the game. Every time she lies, she’s hit. She tells the trainer she doesn’t know if her family is alive, and that the Hound is dead. She seems to improve her fighting skills, and even talks about her list. She talks about how she wanted to kill the Hound, but did not at the same time. THe montage continues and Arya gets better and better. Jaqen offers her eyes back again, in exchange for her name. Again she refuses, and he offers her a drink of water from the well that Arya has witnessed kills people. He tells her that if she truly has no name, then she has nothing to fear by drinking the water. She drinks the water and regains her sight. She is truly no one.

  • Ramsay meets with the head of House Umber who is very blunt about how his family thought of Roose and how he’s well aware Ramsay killed him. Lord Umber makes Ramsay very aware of the Wildling army and of Jon Snow leading them into Winterfell. However he won’t kneel to Ramsay, instead he hands over Osha and Rickon Stark. Umber brings in the head of Rickon’s direwolf as proof.  Ramsay turns on his best I’m-going-to-abuse-you-smile, and welcome’s Rickon home.

  • We cut back to Jon still huddled and not quite okay with his resurrection. Edd enters and tells him it’s time, and Jon drops the armor which he had been stabbed in onto the table and picks up his sword. Outside, Melisandre, Torvold, Davos, and the wildlings watch as Jon approaches the traitors to be hanged, all four of them (pretty sure there was more than four but I could be wrong).  Jon asks them if they have any last words.

  • Man 1: You shouldn’t be alive. It’s not right. Jon: Neither was killing me. Man 2: My mother is still living in White Harbor, could you write her? Tell her I died fighting the wildlings. Jon: (icy silence) Thorne: I had a choice, Lord Commander. Betray you, or betray the Night’s Watch. You brought an army of wildlings into our lands. An army of murders and raiders. If I had to do it all over, knowing where I would end up, I pray I’d make the right choice again. Jon: I’m sure you would, Sir Allister. Thorne: I fought, I lost. Now I rest. But you, Lord Snow, you’ll be fighting their battles forever. Olly only stares at Jon with hatred. Jon says nothing and draws his sword to cut the rope holding the hanging platform up.

  • Editor’s Photo Caption: F*ck you, Olly. Jon hesitates before cutting the rope. The platform is pulled away and the men are hung. However, the nooses are not long enough to snap their necks, so everyone endures listening to them choke to death. Afterwards, Jon stuns Edd by making him the new Lord Commander. He says, as he departs, “My watch is ended.” And thus ends the episode! Can you really say Jon is breaking his oath when techinically his oath ended with his death? What do you guys think about the episode? Let us know in the comments down below!