Jorah and Daario prepare to save Dany; Theon returns to the Iron Islands; Margaery makes a confession. Get a sneak peek of tonight’s Game of Thrones (“Book of the Stranger”), airing at 9:00pm ET|PT on HBO.
During last week’s Game of Thrones, events across Westeros and Essos continued to intensify. And even though “Oathbreaker” triggered a whole new set of questions and concerns, I’m still focussing on the fact that JON SNOW LIVES! Here are some of the moments that stood out most:
I don’t care how repetitive this is, because JON SNOW LIVES! And even more importantly, he actually seems to be his old self. When Jon stumbled off that slab into Ser Davos’ arms, I think he felt the things we all felt at his death—confusion, betrayal, frustration. When Melisandre tried to ask Jon about his experience while dead, he said there was nothing. Furthermore, Jon wasn’t at all concerned about being some foretold prince. He tried to do what he believed was right, and appeal to the Night’s Watch to bring the Wildlings on their side, but Jon was killed for it. How did he move forward? With Ser Davos’ counsel (LOVING the new bromance), Jon decided to wrap things up with his Lord Commander duties. He executed the traitors (including Aliser Thorne and Olly), gave his cloak to Dolorous Edd, and peaced out “My watch has ended.”
What’s next for Jon? Will he return to Winterfell and try to reclaim Winterfell for the Starks? Will Davos and Melisandre follow Jon?
Speaking of the Starks, one of the best things about “Oathbreaker” was watching Bran and Three-Eyed Raven go back to the past, this time to observe a seemingly well-known part of Robert’s Rebellion—the fight between Ned Stark and Ser Arthur Dayne at the Tower of Joy in Dorne. Bran was so sure in his father’s depiction of events. Yes, Dayne was the best swordsman in Westeros, but Ned beat him…right? Well, in fact, the Sword of the Morning (Afternoon and Night!) was about to kill Ned, but was stabbed in the back by one of Ned’s soldiers. Then Ned finished Dayne off. When he heard a woman screaming from the tower, Ned took off running, but before we and Bran could figure out who/what was in the tower, Three-Eyed Raven pulled us out of the warg. *SHAKES FIST*
So, a couple things. First, I am firmly in the R+L=J camp. I believe Lyanna was in the Tower of Joy and the screams we heard was her in childbirth. With that said, I do feel a little conflicted. Everyone has always believed Ned to be the epitome of honor. This is part of the reason, folks were shocked that Ned would cheat on Catelyn and have an illegitimate son (Jon) with another woman. But perhaps the purpose of this warg dream was to show us that Ned wasn’t perfect. And after years of war, Ned would sacrifice honor at times. So maybe Jon *is* his son…?
You know how I keep wishing for a Stark Family Reunion? The end of “Oathbreaker” suggested that the number of Starks was about to dwindle again. Rickon is alive… and he and Osha are now in Winterfell with sadistic Ramsay. This is NOT what I wanted to see. Have Rickon and Osha been with the Umbers all this time? Why would Smalljon Umber bring them to the Boltons now?!
I was actually reading an interesting theory that maybe this is all a ruse to kill Ramsay and reclaim Winterfell for the Starks. The Umbers have always been fiercely loyal to the Starks, why abandon their oath now? Isn’t it more likely that Smalljon would fake Shaggydog’s death (Rickon’s direwolf), lure Ramsay out of Winterfell on the pretext of defeating Jon Snow and the Wildlings, and then kill Ramsay. You can read the full theory HERE, but what do you think???
In this week’s Game of Thrones, “Book of the Stranger” (written by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, directed by Dan Sackheim):
Tyrion strikes a deal. Jorah and Daario undertake a difficult task. Jaime and Cersei try to improve their situation. (via HBO)
The episode images released this week shows us that Dany is about to face the music at the Temple of the Dosh Khaleen. At the same time, it looks like Ser Jorah and Daario Naharis will try to break Dany out. Also, Theon finally makes his way home.
Game of Thrones airs this Sunday, May 8 on HBO! Tune in and come live tweet “Book of the Stranger” with @WeSoNerdy!
“Book of the Stranger” will also be available at the following times:
HBO—
May 15 = 11:35pm, 2:05am
May 16 = 10:00pm
May 17 = 9:00pm, 4:20am
May 19 = 11:30pm
May 20 = 9:00pm
May 21 = 11:50pm
May 27 = 8:00pm
HBO2—
May 16 = 8:30pm
May 20 = 2:45am
May 21 = 5:00pm
May 22 = 8:00pm
May 28 = 7:00pm
June 26 = 3:10pm