(Spoiler alert: Do not keep reading if you did not see this Sunday’s episode of “Game of Thrones”)
“Game of Thrones” opened with a familiar scene this week–sort of.
Lady Crane (Essie Davis) is playing Cersei as she holds a dying Joffrey in her arms. Her monologue brings the crowd to its feet. Backstage, she finds Arya (Maisie Williams), wounded and near death.
Crane patches her up and they begin to bond. She offers Arya a spot in her theater company, but she refuses. She gives Arya a mixture containing milk of the poppy and she soon falls into a deep sleep.
Back in Westeros, The Hound (Rory McCann) quickly dispatches the members of the Brotherhood he saw in his village before everyone was killed.
Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) is walking tall in Meereen as it seems his alliance with followers of the Lord of Light is paying off. The city is seemingly back to normal. Varys (Conleth Hill) is not so sure that everything is alright, but nevertheless he departs the city for Westeros to secure more alliances for Daenerys (Emilia Clarke).
In King’s Landing, the Faith Militant comes for Cersei (Lena Headey). But before they can lay a hand on her, Mountainstein (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson) kills one of them and scares the others away.
Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) and Pod (Daniel Portman) arrive at Riverrun. She demands to speak with Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), but they argue.
Brienne wants to speak with the Blackfish (Clive Russell), believing she can convince him to abandon the castle and march North. Brienne passionately defends Sansa and her cause, but the Blackfish has his mind made up: he will not leave Riverrun.
The hits keep on coming for Cersei, as she is embarrassed in the throne room. Afterwards, Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman) makes a royal decree that trials by combat will be outlawed, throwing a major wrench into her plans for her trial by the Faith.
Tyrion finally gets Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) and Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson) to drink with him. Unfortunately, his humor doesn’t go over so well. But he does get them to loosen up a bit and share a laugh with him. The joy is shortlived, though, as the other Masters of Slaver’s Bay sail their fleet towards Meereen.
Jaime goes to Edmure (Tobias Menzies) and tells him that the Blackfish must surrender. But both know that he never will.
Edmure gives a very surprising speech in which he rips Jaime for his perceived sense of decency. So Jaime reverts to his cold ways and lets Edmure know in no uncertain terms how many he will kill to get back to Cersei.
Edmure enters the castle and, as the rightful lord of Riverrun, demands that all the Tully soldiers lay down their weapons. They comply,and Jaime marches in with his army. Edmure orders the Blackfish arrested, but he has slipped Brienne and Pod out of the castle. He remains behind though to fight his last battle.
Meereen is under siege. In an epic shot, we see ships bombarding the city with flaming projectiles. Grey Worm has taken charge at the Pyramid, but Daenerys makes a dramatic entrance with Drogon.
On the road with the Hound, he finds the Brotherhood, but they are already planning to hang the men responsible for destroying his village. He joins in the hanging and then enjoys a meal with the Brotherhood. They try to convince him to join their cause in the war brewing in the North.
Lady Crane checks in on Arya, The Waif (Faye Marsay) appears and kills her. She chases Arya through the streets, but Arya stumbles and reopens her old wound. She makes her way to an underground room, where she has stashed Needle. Arya snuffs the only candle in the room.
We next see Jaqen (Tom Wlaschiha) walking through the Hall of Faces, where The Waif’s face has now been hung. Arya puts her sword to Jaqen, but he congratulates her for surviving. But rather than admit she is No One, she declares herself Arya Stark and that she is going home.