S06.E06: Blood of My Blood

[Mya Stone]

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Episode Synopsis: An old foe comes back into the picture; Gilly meets Sam's family; Arya mulls a difficult decision; Jaime confronts the High Sparrow.

[janjan]

WOW!!!!!

[Pallas]

And as my heart leapt, still, the first thing I thought was, "But It can't be him; he lost his horse!" 

[90PercentGravity]

Didn't he also lose his hand? 

[janjan]

No, Thorne lost it on the way to King's Landing.

[Pallas]

Nope, just his guts and his heart. So now the Starks number six: four on their first lives, two on their second. 

What I saw in Bran's visions: Night King, dawn, dragonflight over King's Landing, Craster's baby touched with dragonglass, Aegon on the throne, "Burn them all!," Ned on the block, wildfire being poured and stored,  Aegon again: "Burn them all!," Jaime unsheathing his sword before Aegon seated on the throne, young Ned asking "Where's my sister?" Jaime and Aegon fighting, Aegon fleeing and Jaime stabbing him from behind as he runs, Night King/Walkers/zombonies...

Margaery, Tommen and the Sparrow: that's what using's for.

So Littlefinger told Sansa the truth about the Blackfish and River Run: because he hoped Sansa (and Jon) would go there seeking help from her great-uncle, and because he also knew that Cersei and Frey would send their armies there? While Littlefinger and the armies of the Vale attacked Winterfell? Or will Littlefinger sit back and allow the North to carve itself up in civil war, and only then send in his army to face the depleted victor?

But it's Brienne who's going to River Run -- where she's bound to encounter Jaime again, sent there by Cersei with the Lannister armies...leaving Cersei alone in King's Landing, to face her trial by combat: the Mountain vs. who? Loras? 

And then there's Arya: does A Man have a plan, or does he really imagine that A Girl will lose to a girl? Needle makes for one more Valyrian steel sword now free to join the fray, along with Sam's.

The momentum's now rolling at the pace of a great farce.

[Anothermi]

<<cartwheels *** cartwheels *** cartwheels *** cartwheels *** cartwheels>>

Another milk carton campaign brought to a successful conclusion!!!

I thought it might be Benjen to the rescue, but I didn't recognize his accent. It's been too long.

14 minutes ago, Pallas said:

So now the Starks number six: four on their first lives, two on their second. 

Yes. Both Night's Watch members get a second chance. That dragon glass is one handy little tool. Creates! Destroys! Revives! Glad, also, to get confirmation that the 1st WW was created with dragon glass. That's what I thought it was, but ya never know.

I was also really happy to see Sam storm back and take control of his life and his family. When his father bragged about the valerian steel sword I just knew Sam would have to get it somehow. Only he (of his family) knows just how important it is to fight WW with valerian steel. Pretty sure that sword will see action at some point if it sticks with Sam.

[Llywela]

Wow. So many long-lost characters crawling out of the woodwork this season! I thought it was Benjen when the rider first showed up, we could only see his eyes but they looked like his eyes (having re-watched the very first episode only recently probably aided that recognition), but I thought no, it's been six years, surely it can't be - yet who else could it be? And then it was! Bran's untethered visions were very interesting - if he can only recall the details and learn how to parse them, he could learn a lot.

I liked Sam's little excursion home, which achieved several things: it fleshed out Sam's background a little more, pushed his relationship with Gilly and both of their character development forward a few paces, and perhaps most importantly, got a Valerian steel sword into his hands! And his home is in the Riverlands, right? Which appears to be the place to be just at the moment - a number of storylines are converging in that area. We've now got Sam, Gilly and Little Sam passing through on their way from House Tarly to wherever Sam is going to become a Maester, we've got the Blackfish at River Run, Edmure being sent to River Run by Walder Frey (probably to have his head chopped off publicly or something), Jaime being sent to River Run to re-take it from the Blackfish, Brienne being sent to River Run to ask for help from the Blackfish - yeah, River Run is where it's all about to happen! It'll be interesting to see which of those characters ends up running into which, and how it all shakes out.

For a moment there I thought Margery was about to die, there and then on the steps, before her dad's army could do a thing to prevent it - but of course the High Sparrow was cleverer than that. I'm not sure what Margery's game here is, though - last time we saw her she was vowing to remain strong while Loras begged her to save him. Her new approach is clearly the outcome of that, rather than a genuine conversion - but what is she trying to achieve, in the long-run? Is this all about Loras's safety? Is she just winging it?

I enjoyed the restlessness of the Dothraki as they were hanging around waiting for Dany to come back - a neat little visual reminder that this isn't a traditional army with traditional army discipline. Also, very impressed that not one of them turned tail and fled when the dragon flew overhead!

Edited May 30, 2016 by Llywela

[gingerella]

Holy shiiiiiiiiiiiiiit! Never did I actually think we would see Benjen tonight, though I hoped and hoped that some time this season we would, THIS I the sort of thing I would have expected in a season finale, but we are finally, FINALLY reunited with Uncle Benjen after 5 seasons, WOW, WHOA, HOLY BEJEEZUS!  So let me get this straight, Benjen was stabbed by a WW and left to die, but the CHoF came along and saved him by driving a dragon glass dagger into his heart?  Did I understand that correctly?  And he has a weird green parlor now, or was that just frostbite and living North of the Wall for 5 seasons? I am sort of in shock that he is actually alive, well, as alive as Jon Snow is I suppose. 

Where re did we see Arya last when she blew out the candle? I hope to hell she is no longer within the House of Black and White.  A Girl needs to flee Braavos swiftly! I thought when she was digging up Needle, there was a small boat moored immediately behind her at the rocks...here's hoping she rows away to a boat leaving as first light.  I felt as "Oh.My.God.FINALLY" when Arya dug up Needle, as I did when Benjen looked up at Bran, NEEDLE, the Stabbity Stark is back baby. I am still not really sure what Arya has learned while she has been with Jaquen and company. I mean, she can't really DO anything magical that I am aware of, she can steal another face, but it seems like you have to actually BE in the House to steal the faces from the Many Faced God, yes? So how can she use anything from the House of Black and White, and if she cannot use anything from her stay there then WHY the hell did A Show have her here all this time being tortured?  Unless....unless she does know how to steal faces now, and if so, she could be of immense help to her family in taking back Winterfell, pretending to be this one or that one....hmmm...

Poor Sam, his mother and sister were delightful, and I would have liked to know their characters better but alas, his father is a right arse.  Excellent thinking to take that Valerian sword before ducking out. I knew as soon as the father mentioned it was Valerian steel, that Sam would need it since he already knows that it is valuable in fighting what's coming.  So glad he didn't leave Gilly with that awful father.

Not only did we get Uncle Benjen back, but we also got Edmure, Blackfish, Margery, this was a blockbuster episode, no?!?  Someone - looking at you Jamie - should just go pay a visit to that 400 year old fool and kill him already.  His bloodline is inbred and weak, get rid of the lot of them. 

I reckon as others have already said, Brienne and Jamie will reunite, but...will she get to know him in the biblical sense or will that honor go to Big Red Beard? I smell some Kings Guard vs. Wildling love triangle tensio coming up...and I am firmly rooting for team Wildling!

sorry, I am rambling, I'm still freaking out over Benjen after we were just talking about him in the Great Mysteries thread...Do we dare to hope in earnest for Arya to reunite with Nymeria in her time of need? Surely A Girl needs A Wolf right about now, yes?

OK, I need to go hyperventilate over this epic now...must.get.grog.now.

Edited May 30, 2016 by gingerella

[Anothermi]

2 hours ago, Llywela said:

We've now got Sam, Gilly and Little Sam passing through on their way from House Tarly to wherever Sam is going to become a Maester, we've got the Blackfish at River Run, Edmure being sent to River Run by Walder Frey (probably to have his head chopped off publicly or something), Jaime being sent to River Run to re-take it from the Blackfish, Brienne being sent to River Run to ask for help from the Blackfish - yeah, River Run is where it's all about to happen! It'll be interesting to see which of those characters ends up running into which, and how it all shakes out.

Good rundown of the convergence of characters on River Run. It will be good to see it on the intro map! But I don't think Sam/Gilley/SamJr are near there. We learned a while ago that the Tarly's are Bannermen for the Tyrell's (along with Brienne's family  - Tarths?). That land is considered the breadbasket of Westeros. We've not been to High Garden, but King Renly was stationed near there and he was south of King's Landing. Further, Sam and Gilley took a ship to get to where they were going and Robb et al rode horses to get to River Run. The river we saw for Catelyn's dad's funeral wasn't big enough for a ship.

So I think Sam's story is taking a different track. Hope he gets to learn some useful info from the ancient books at the Citadel before he re-teams up with Jon. Sam's book learning has proven VERY useful in past seasons... but the clock seems to be ticking a lot faster than previous seasons so he'd better get a move on.

[Llywela]

35 minutes ago, Anothermi said:

Good rundown of the convergence of characters on River Run. It will be good to see it on the intro map! But I don't think Sam/Gilley/SamJr are near there. We learned a while ago that the Tarly's are Bannermen for the Tyrell's (along with Brienne's family  - Tarths?). That land is considered the breadbasket of Westeros. We've not been to High Garden, but King Renly was stationed near there and he was south of King's Landing. Further, Sam and Gilley took a ship to get to where they were going and Robb et al rode horses to get to River Run. The river we saw for Catelyn's dad's funeral wasn't big enough for a ship.

My Westerosi geography is very shaky. Sam said they were in the riverlands, so I just assumed it was Tully land. If they are Tyrell bannermen, I guess Sam's family were a one-off and not about to pop up again as part of Littlefinger's army! What are the Tully lands called, then? If it isn't on the map, my brain doesn't retain the information!

[ChocButterfly]

8 hours ago, Anothermi said:

I was also really happy to see Sam storm back and take control of his life and his family.

Yeah, but where the hell is he suposed to take them? He said they don't admit women where he's going, he has no money, so what is his plan? Seems like he does things without thinking them first. Plus, I'm betting thye don't give Maester students a salary, though maybe I'm wrong.

Haha! I'm surprised and glad to know that Margery is even more clever than her Grandma! Someone asked to what purpose is she doing that. To what purpose? Well, she just avoided the Walk of Shame without any bloodshed, the people now love her even more, she has the High Sparrow on her side and I'm sure she'll find a way to get Loras out with some act of "contrition". She's such a good player!!

7 hours ago, gingerella said:

. I am still not really sure what Arya has learned while she has been with Jaquen and company.

She has learned a LOT! Skills, combat training, etc. Basically she has been receiving fighting training and accomodation for free. Plus, we didn't see it, but probably there was also a course on Poisons 101.

When I saw the guy in the horse I inmediately thought of Benjen. I'm so happy one of The Biggest Misteries On the Show so Far has been resolved! I'm glad they said his name, cause I surely didn't remember his face! And I'm pretty sure Benjen is not exactly ... alive. Dude looks like a corpse. Plus, did anyone else notice he gave Bran the rabbit's BLOOD to drink??!!! When he was pouring the blood, I was sure he was going to feed the rabbit to the kids and drink the blood himself, cause, you know, he's kind of a zombie. But then he gave the blood to Bran, and he fucking drank it without asking!! Why??!!

Glad to see the Blackfish is back for real, but I'm not sure where this is going. Sansa is expecting her uncle to help her take back Winterfell, and it turns out he needs some BIG help on his own. He cannot have enough man power to defeat Jaimie's army. So who's going to help Sansa and Jon in the North?

Now I'm really curious to know who the hell is going to be the Champion for the Sparrows against the Mountain, and I'm dreading you guys were right all along and turns out to be....Tommen!

Edited May 30, 2016 by ChocButterfly
Grammar and spelling, the usual.

[Pallas]

2 hours ago, Llywela said:

Sam said they were in the riverlands, so I just assumed it was Tully land.

Sam told Gilly, "Once you get south of the Riverlands..." as they traveled, before nervous-talking a list of deciduous trees. gingerella tagged his father justly: "a right arse." 

6 hours ago, Anothermi said:

That dragon glass is one handy little tool. Creates! Destroys! Revives! Glad, also, to get confirmation that the 1st WW was created with dragon glass. That's what I thought it was, but ya never know.

You were right right right. And I was way off in thinking that White Walkers are only created from living infants. (1) The original -- the Night King -- was created from a fully-grown Not!-Kevin-McKidd; (2) Benjen said he was gutted by a Walker's "ice sword" and left alone to let the magic marinade (probably in a pentagle of dead things, like the girl back in episode 1: remember the terrible, empty design of dead Night's Watch horses that Jon or Sam found north of the Wall?). But then, while only partly turned, Benjen was revived by a dragonglass dagger to the heart. So...does Benjen have any blood left? In the literal and not the episode-title sense?

6 hours ago, Llywela said:

I'm not sure what Margery's game here is, though - last time we saw her she was vowing to remain strong while Loras begged her to save him. Her new approach is clearly the outcome of that, rather than a genuine conversion - but what is she trying to achieve, in the long-run? Is this all about Loras's safety? Is she just winging it?

And A Show even reminded us of Margaery's resolve and bond with Loras, in the Previouslies. Poor sweet Tommen, who only wants to protect those he loves, who only want to use him. The scene at the Sept ended without showing us if Loras too was pardoned -- I thought not, but then, would Mace and Olenna have stood down if Loras was still imprisoned? Or did they have no choice, since the King (and Queen) stood publicly allied with Sparrow, while the people cheered?  

So now Jaime, too, is released from his oath. Uncle Kevan's idea (I assume) to send Jaime to the Riverlands as head of Kevan's Lannister armies surprised me: was it worth that much to Kevan, to get Jaime away from Cersei and Tommen, and out of King's Landing? Of course, last time the Lannister armies went to the Riverlands (allegedly, to avenge Tyrion's being taken into custody by Catelyn) they sacked and reaved, led by the Mountain. Is Kevan setting Jaime up? Is Cersei in on it?  

Or did Cersei suggest it to Tommen? I think Cersei went off Jaime way back when he "abandoned" her after attacking Ned, on behalf of Tyrion: sincerely on behalf of Tyrion, in Jaime's case. For that, Cersei took up with Lancel. And ever since -- in Cersei's view -- Jaime's sins against her have compounded. She doesn't only hate him, but she has always envied his male privilege and Tywin's favor, while thinking herself his superior in Tywin's scale of Lannister-ness.

Cersei may have begun hating Jaime when he left her, at 16, to join the King's Guard (of all things), and really despised watching him dutifully serve and abet Robert, as Robert humiliated her. Jaime's sense of honor, his loyalty to that as well as to his name, their name, her name, is ridiculous to her. He is not the man she would have been: Cersei sees Jaime's saving grace as a fatal, foolish flaw.

[abcfsk]

Haha, you have to admit, the advantage of basing a show of epic lengths on a series of books is you can never quite predict what's going to happen. I don't think a TV show created from scratch would have the gall to introduce a character in season 1 with very specific plans to have him disappear and come back in season 6, years and years later. But here we are, getting an answer to something we could've given up on being followed through a long time ago. 

I admit I wouldn't mind seeing A Girl stick A pointy thing in A Man and Another Girl who put her through this twisted Hogwarts school of witchcraft. I was happy she didn't kill that woman in the end, I know she's become a blunt weapon in some ways but she's still human. 

Edited May 30, 2016 by abcfsk

[janjan]

As soon as I figure out how to make my DVR go frame-by-frame through Bran's vision, I'll have to observe the Mad King more closely. It couldn't be coincidence that his "Burn them all!" mantra was interspersed with the scene of the wights attacking Bran and Benjen fireballing them. Was Bran doing his mess-with-the-past thing again, albeit unwittingly? Was the Mad King hodor-ing the wights? Maybe he wasn't mad at all, just misunderstood.

Dany, OTOH, seems to be going mad. There have been subtle hints all along that she's her father's daughter in more ways than one, and it was loud and clear in this ep. Dario: "You're a conquerer."  Dany re Westeros: "I'll take what's mine." Nothing about freeing the poor serfs or breaking the wheel; just go all medieval on the iron suits and stone houses. And dragons do a lot of burning. Methinks she isn't going to be a Force for Good in the Community.

Kudos to the director for Drogon's entrance. The shadows rock!

How come the Tarleys, a minor house, have such an imposing mansion? Snazzier than Winterfell and the Twins and everything else we've seen from the outside. For a minute, I half-expected Lord Grantham and Isis to come strolling up.

Oh Margie, such a slick operator. You could see it in her first embrace of Tommen, in her calculating look over his shoulder. And then she used him to get out of the Walk of Shame. She must have something in mind to save Loras -- I have faith in her. I just hope she lets Olenna in on it. (Olenna was surprised by the event, but of course there was no way Margie could have alerted her.)

It was nice to see that Papa Doofus Tyrell got out of Braavos in one piece. Now it's time to get Arya outta there. I guess we'll have to endure one more scene there, as Arya Needles the girl with the modern hairdo. Good riddance. Jaquen was most cool in his Lannister soldier suit, but less so in a dress. And it's kind of a let-down to find he's just a paid hit man. If assassin-ing is so profitable, why doesn't he invest in some lights for that place? Jeez, time to get Arya (and us) out of there!

On to River Run! Can't wait!!

[gingerella]

1 hour ago, janjan said:

Jaquen was most cool in his Lannister soldier suit, but less so in a dress. And it's kind of a let-down to find he's just a paid hit man.

Yeah, I feel this way too about A Man. I was so stoked when Arya boarded that ship to Braavos, and then this all happened and well, it's a let down. I don't even think the House of Black and White is all that interesting, many faces notwithstanding. Now that I think about it, did we ever discuss the name "House of Black and White"? It seems so obvious to me in this moment, like killing others is simply black or white, they don't operate in a grey area at all. When someone's time is up, it's up. But Arya, as Arya Stark, does operate in a very grey area. In fact, since Arya fled KL her entire existence has been living on the fringes in a grey area of existence. I think her showing up on the House's doorstep was her trying to find a way to exist somewhere, and she trusted Jaquen because he saved her and her little posses's asses back at Rat Bucket Castle.  But imagine how disappointed she must have felt to realize that in fact this man, whom she thought would save her again, actually was just like all the rest of the men who have crossed her path, always seeming on the outside that they are there to save and protect her, when in fact they really were not. Ironically the most honest man to cross her path in that regard seems to have been The Hound, and look what she did to him...Annnnyway, just positing aloud over a morning mug o grog. Arya is best when A Girl and her Needle are en guarde!

2 hours ago, janjan said:

Dany, OTOH, seems to be going mad. There have been subtle hints all along that she's her father's daughter in more ways than one, and it was loud and clear in this ep. Dario: "You're a conquerer."  Dany re Westeros: "I'll take what's mine." Nothing about freeing the poor serfs or breaking the wheel; just go all medieval on the iron suits and stone houses.

Yeah I noticed that too. She doesn't seem to be interested in saving anyone else at this point. Or perhaps it was the only way she could get the loyalty and commitment from a huge khal of crazy ass, hard to control horse riders?  She really seemed committed to breaking the wheel, let's see what she says once she's back in Mereen with Tyrion and Varys.  I don't want Dany to be crazy like her papa...that would be a waste of her entire character IMO.  Speaking of the dragonettes, did Tyrion actually release the twins in the dungeon from their shackles or did he only feed them? I cant remember...And if he unchained them why aren't they flying about outside?

In other news, Riverunn is about to become Bloodrunn I fear. What I would like to see - and we all know A Show rarely gives us what we want - is that Brienne is able to bring out Jamie's honest side, the side he showed her when she was helping him bathe in that pool.  And that she can convince him to work with her to overthrow Winterfell, and secure the North against what's about to happen because she has seen it and Winter if Fucking Coming...for realz, and like, NOW! That's what I hope happens...So that in that scenario, Jamie and Brienne team up, even with Big Red perhaps, and they decimate everyone at The Twins once and for all, give Walder Frey his very own Red Wedding...and then they get rid of Team Bolton, and shore up the North ASAP.

It was weird to not see Jon & Company last night, but hopefully they are safe. I want Sansa to rise up and be the baddest motherfucking Stark the North has ever seen. That? Would be the best redemption her character could possibly have after enduring season after season of emotional and physical torture. And I would like her to be the one to show Littlefinger how to fly, sooner rather than later.

[Llywela]

6 minutes ago, gingerella said:

Speaking of the dragonettes, did Tyrion actually release the twins in the dungeon from their shackles or did he only feed them? I cant remember...And if he unchained them why aren't they flying about outside?

He definitely unchained the dragons - there was that whole big scene where he went down into the dungeons and sweet-talked first one and then the other into letting him get close enough to take the chains off. So maybe they are flying free, but have stuck around Mereen instead of going searching for Drogon and Dany - or maybe they are unchained but still stuck in the dungeon because a) they are lazy and enjoy being fed, or b) they don't actually fit through the door any more!

[janjan]

31 minutes ago, Llywela said:

[Maybe] they don't actually fit through the door any more!

Tyrion unchained them but then closed the door on them.  Drogon could smash down a mere door, but the other two looked much smaller. Probably from not getting much exercise down there chained up in a dungeon.

Now that we have Benjen back (or at least an odd-colored semblance of him), is it too much to hope for Syrio's return? Just sayin'.

[ChocButterfly]

Quote

Dany, OTOH, seems to be going mad. There have been subtle hints all along that she's her father's daughter in more ways than one, and it was loud and clear in this ep.

Yeah, for me Dany has always been this close to loose it. And she has indeed lost it a couple of times. It'd be interesting if at the end, instead of being the Savior we all expect, she turns out  the villain to defeat. We're gonna need those dragons, though!

Quote

How come the Tarleys, a minor house, have such an imposing mansion? Snazzier than Winterfell and the Twins and everything else we've seen from the outside. 

Heck, I think that castle was even fancier than the one in Kings Landing!! I would have loved for Sam to stand up against his father at least just once. Leaving in the middle of the night and stealing his sword doesn't really do anything for me.

Quote

What I would like to see - and we all know A Show rarely gives us what we want - is that Brienne is able to bring out Jamie's honest side, the side he showed her when she was helping him bathe in that pool.  And that she can convince him to work with her to overthrow Winterfell, and secure the North against what's about to happen because she has seen it and Winter if Fucking Coming...for realz, and like, NOW! That's what I hope happens...

Hahaha! I hate to bust your bubble, but Jaimie has always been an egotistical, asshole! He doesn't give a shit about anyone but himself and his sister. He has never been on the path of redemption, like some people like to believe. He's never shown any remorse whatsoever for all the wrong he has done, on the contrary, he's only shown hubris. The only  reason why he helped Brienne, was because he likes her. 

Are there really only 2 people in the Faceless Men Order? Can't they at least show people in the background working with the bodies? That whole place is so lame! I'm glad that Arya, in spite of being a cold blooded killer, is not a complete psychopath. She's actually more empathetic than 90% of the people in this show.

Tyrion didn't let the dragons free, he only unchained them. If I were them, I'd still be very pissed off.

Hey, we also got a mention of the Brotherhood Without Banners!!

[Anothermi]

1 hour ago, ChocButterfly said:

Tyrion didn't let the dragons free, he only unchained them. If I were them, I'd still be very pissed off.

 

2 hours ago, janjan said:

Tyrion unchained them but then closed the door on them.

I went back and looked. There was no door to close*, but there was a long flight of steps and a relatively small arched entry way. Varys and Tyrion left though it.  Varys didn't have to stoop, in fact he held a torch higher than his head.  The scene changed to Arya sitting begging immediately after they passed through the arch and we could see the light of their torches fading away.

That said, it would be a bit of a squeeze for the dragons and that long flight of stairs would be a challenge (from what we saw of how awkwardly they moved after Tyrion unchained them). Still, it is possible that they were hungry enough to get out and have been feeding on sheep - like Drogon did. Perhaps the poor sheep herders have given up petitioning about charred flocks which is why we haven't heard about them? That was how Dany learned about Drogon's whereabouts after he flew off. 

One thing for sure, if they did get out... they are unlikely to be able to get back in, even if they wanted to. It does make me wonder if there's a larger door somewhere in that cavern, but it there is, we've never seen it.

* back when Dany locked up her well-behaved dragons I seem to remember her sadly closing a door on them. That didn't happen with Tyrion and Varys.

Edited May 30, 2016 by Anothermi
add memory of a door

[Anothermi]

10 hours ago, gingerella said:

I was so stoked when Arya boarded that ship to Braavos, and then this all happened and well, it's a let down.

I've just been re-watching the scene where Arya is to poison the actress Lady Crane. It was a whole vignette of what Arya has learned since she came to Braavos. She had to endure what we have seen her endure for that scene to be so poignant.

She has learned discipline - to a point. All the meaningless jobs, following orders without knowing why, being stripped of her ego. It's a little like what the High Sparrow expects of those in need of atonement, but Arya didn't know what she was supposed to be learning.

She got as far as her 1st assassin assignment and she botched it because of her own kill list. She lost her sight and learned to fight without it (although I complained at how slow she was doing that, but nevertheless, she learned well). In that process we learned that her formerly long Kill List, the one she arrived in Braavos with, had substantially dwindled. Even the Hound wasn't on it. OK, some on the list were dead by that time - either by her killing them or dying some other way - but she only gave 3 names didn't she? Cersei being the prominent one.

Now she's seeing a dramatized version of her family's life. Joffrey is seen as a buffoon, not the sadist he was, and so was her father played that way, not as the stern, noble but loving man she knew. And the one truly good actor, the one who gets inside the character she is portraying, is playing Cersei. Through that actor (actress if you prefer) Arya gets to see Cersei as a mother, gets to understand how a mother feels at the death of her child. She actually says this in her conversation with Lady Crane. She is able to understand that Cersei, too, would be angry at the death of the child she loved, just as Arya was angry at the death of Mycah, her father, Lommy, her brother...

When asked for her name in that scene, Arya called herself "Mercy". She was not Black nor White. She was embracing the whole world of grey that she had experienced since leaving Winterfell (thankyou for that lovely section of your post, Gingerella). She was able to kill someone for good reason - that she understood - but not for money, perhaps not even because they were on her list? I don't think she would have really understood that if she hadn't been asked to kill the person who showed her how to feel empathy. An actor. Arya's been 'no one' all her life, defined by those around her, having to hide in plain sight because of her family connections. With this last act of individuality, she's completed her training. Not as expected, but successfully. She's become herself.

It's kind of too bad that the faceless ones were not the special breed she hoped they would be. They are not as magical as they seemed before she got to know who they were and why they existed. But having childish beliefs broken is part of becoming an Adult. Both Sansa and Arya have learned exceptionally tough lessons. Sansa was the obey-er, now she makes her own choices. Arya was the warrior, now that is tempered by compassion.

Now if I could just understand why she's sticking around. Does she need to face Jaqen one last time?

Edited May 31, 2016 by Anothermi
arg, spelling

[gingerella]

anothermi, thank you so much for laying out your thoughts about Arya's growth, I can see it now, just as you've described it above. 

[ChocButterfly]

My favorite part: Arya snickering at Joffrey's death when everyone was sad! Ha!

[abcfsk]

I found that funny too, ChocButterfly.

Syrio, man, I forgot about him.

Great summary of Arya's journey, Anothermi. 

Of course A Man and the faceless tribe, so mystical, magical and fantastic when we saw him / them at first - surely the people with the Secret to everything, who see everything - are another set of people out for some cash and a living, however dirty. Just mercenaries, like the rest of the population in one way or another. No golden pot at the end of the rainbow in GoT - no romantic illusion left unbroken. 

Which makes me worry a bit for Dany. I like her, even if she's been huffing and puffing threats through 5 seasons, but there's this shining prophecy she trusts will be fulfilled that I'm not sure the creators of this story are willing to give her. 

Edited May 31, 2016 by abcfsk

[Anothermi]

9 hours ago, abcfsk said:

Which makes me worry a bit for Dany. I like her, even if she's been huffing and puffing threats through 5 seasons, but there's this shining prophecy she trusts will be fulfilled that I'm not sure the creators of this story are willing to give her. 

EEE-zackly! I've been enjoying her recent arc. Like Sansa and Arya she's matured. Sure she's still "taking what is hers" but NOW she's not just saying it. She knows she can do it. Her dragon(s) are big (and she can ride them!)... people are in awe of her fire-proof-ness AND she knows how to make the most of both of those things (timing is everything).

She only needs 1000 ships! Please don't let it be Urine Greyjoy who provides them and in some supreme feat of bumbling hubris... accidentally destroys her (and still doesn't net himself and the Iron Born "the world").

But you are so right abcfsk, this story has never been one to provide happy endings for anyone. The difficulty for us hapless viewers is that the characters are so well drawn that we want them to achieve their dreams. Hell, I even rooted for some of  the evil machinations going on at King's Landing (post Ned's death).

Edited June 1, 2016 by Anothermi

[Anothermi]

2 hours ago, abcfsk said:

Syrio, man, I forgot about him.

What brought him to your mind, abcfsk? I was thinking about him when writing my take on Arya's journey but felt I'd head off on a tangent if I did.

[gingerella]

22 minutes ago, Anothermi said:

What brought him to your mind, abcfsk? I was thinking about him when writing my take on Arya's journey but felt I'd head off on a tangent if I did.

I can tell you what brought him to my mind anothermi...the connection with Braavos, simple as that! And the fact that Syrio felt like perhaps the one man who really had Arya's best intentions at heart, though we lost sight of him before he had a chance to disappoint her so who knows, perhaps he would have ended up like all the other male "mentors" in her life thus far.

36 minutes ago, Anothermi said:

She only needs 1000 ships! Please don't let it be Urine Greyjoy who provides them and in some supreme feat of bumbling hubris... accidentally destroys her (and still doesn't net himself and the Iron Born "the world").

Hmmm, yeah, this is disturbing to even contemplate...I would hope Dario would set her straight on ol Urine during their evening cuddle-up sessions, unless of course Urine offs Dario to get closer to Dany.  I hate the Greyjoys, how ironic - hehe, see what I did there, IRONic?  Anyway, how ironic that the work Joy is in the surname of such a joyless shitty clan, huh?  I don't think I've ever seen any of them smile or crack a funny line. And BTW, how the hell is Urine going to build all these ships with they live on a bunch of rock islands in the sea?  I mean, we've seen shrubs, sure, but do you know how many trees need to be felled in order to just re build the shipping fleet that Yara and Theon took off with?  I'd wager a helluva lot more than what's to be found on those three piece of shit rocks they live on. Makes no sense to me. "Go build me another fleet of ships, stat!"  "Um, sir, we've got no wood..."

[janjan]

That's apparently what happened to the original settlers of Easter Island. Old pollen samples indicate that there used to be trees there, but the settlers (apparently Polynesians who floated in on boats) cut them all down and then couldn't get away when they had depleted the island's resources. What a wonderful endgame that would be for the Iron Islands -- stuck on their rocks with nothing left to eat and no wood for ships to escape. Heh heh.

So whose fleet is gonna reach Mereen first, Yara and Theon's or Urine's (TM Anothemri - hee!)? I'd love to see Urine try to seduce Dany. Her heart still belongs to Drogo, and the contrast between a tough guy and a blowhard couldn't be starker.  She'll get the ships and leave him in the dust. But still, I suspect that while promising to make Westeros great again,  she is heading for a megalomaniacal crack-up.

[ChocButterfly]

42 minutes ago, gingerella said:

And BTW, how the hell is Urine going to build all these ships with they live on a bunch of rock islands in the sea?  I mean, we've seen shrubs, sure, but do you know how many trees need to be felled in order to just re build the shipping fleet that Yara and Theon took off with?  I'd wager a helluva lot more than what's to be found on those three piece of shit rocks they live on. Makes no sense to me. "Go build me another fleet of ships, stat!"  "Um, sir, we've got no wood..."

Not to mention that by the time they finish building them, Yara and Theon should be back from Essos with Dany, if there's any reality at all in the whole story..