‘Game of Thrones’: Bran Gets Help From a Familiar Face

The High Sparrow tightens his grip on King’s Landing and Sam returns home

bran stark hodor game of thrones time loop
HBO

(Spoiler alert: Do not keep reading of you did not see this week’s episode of “Game of Thrones”)

This week’s “Game of Thrones” started right where last week’s left off. Meera (Ellie Kendrick) is dragging Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) through the snow, but isn’t having much luck.

Bran, still within one of his visions, sees several moments from the past, including the death of the Mad King. When they are attacked by wights, a mysterious rider appears and kills them all. He scoops them up and takes them to safety.

To the south, Sam (John Bradley-West) and Gilly (Hannah Murray) arrive at Sam’s childhood home, where they are greeted by his mother Melessa (Samantha Spiro) and sister Talla (Rebecca Benson). Later at dinner, they sit with his father Randyll (James Faulkner).

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Faulkner does a superb job of capturing the stern father figure that is Randyll Tarly. He continually mocks Sam for always having his head in a book.

When Gilly defends Sam, Randyll deduces that she is a wildling and becomes outraged. Later, Sam decides he cannot leave Gilly and her son with his father. So he leaves his family home, but not before stealing his family’s Valyrian steel sword.

In King’s Landing, Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman) is finally able to speak with Margaery (Natalie Dormer). She is to make the walk of atonement, just like Cersei (Lena Headey). She has clearly fallen under the sway of the Sparrows and tells Tommen the gods have a plan for all of them.

Arya (Maisie Williams) is still tasked with killing Lady Crane (Essie Davis), a player in a Braavosi acting troupe. Despite some misgivings, she poisons Crane’s rum as instructed.

But when Crane catches her as she’s leaving, they strike up a conversation and become friendly. Arya can’t let her drink the poison and tells Crane that her understudy paid to have her killed. Knowing that the Faceless Men will kill her for doing so, she retrieves Needle from its hiding place and flees.

Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) meets a Tyrell army as it marches into King’s Landing. They arrive at the Sept of Baelor just as Margaery is to make her walk.

After a tense standoff, the High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce) announces there will be no walk, but then reveals that Tommen has fallen under his grasp. Tommen announces that the crown and the faith will be united going forward to help rule the kingdom. For marching on the Sept, Jaime is stripped of his rank and position in the King’s Guard.

Jaime is to travel to the Riverlands to find and kill the Blackfish. He plans to gather a team of mercenaries to kill the High Sparrow, but Cersei tells him to take charge of the Lannister army and do his duty.

Bran comes out of his vision to learn that his long-lost uncle, Benjen Stark (Joseph Mawle), has returned. He tells Bran that he was killed by a White Walker north of the wall. But the children of the forest found him and saved him. He is going to help Bran become the new Three Eyed Raven.

The episode ends with Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) leading the Dothraki to Meereen. She rides ahead of the group and returns atop her dragon, Drogon. She declares that the Dothraki will help her destroy her enemies across the sea.

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