Spoiler note: “A girl says nothing. A girl keeps her mouth closed. No one hears.” —Girls, boys, and everyone alike, Jaqen H’ghar has spoken, so please remember: This recap is primarily for non-book readers (book fans can discuss the show here). If you’re a book reader, please avoid posting any spoilers here so as not to ruin the fun for those who don’t know what’s coming next. Thank you!
“The Broken Man” played so many games with my heart that I finally understand that Backstreet Boys song. On the whole, the characters were left teetering on the edge between losing all hope and gathering all the hope they could find in order to not only continue their journeys, but to overcome all the obstacles involved. That feeling was accompanied by some major jumping back and forth across the map, so let’s break this down geographically and explore how these broken characters have yet to shatter completely.
The episode opens and closes with someone I thought perhaps was broken for good, but instead returned in a blaze of humility: the Hound, alive and as well as we’ve ever seen him. He may be enduring the sort of identity crisis that’s familiar only to those who have encountered the brink of death, but he’s still swinging an ax and intimidating the locals, who in this case are a tight-knit group of religious folk.
Although a septon of the Seven (as indicated by his ballin’ necklace), the man who found and saved the Hound is the kind of noble follower the High Sparrow pretends to be. He is neither self-righteous nor, by his own admission, completely sure that there even are gods, or what their nature is—man’s clashing belief systems may all derive from the same entity, for all he knows. But one thing’s for sure, as far as the septon is concerned: there’s something bigger out there than humanity, and you have to have faith that it will lead you where you’re supposed to be. The Hound is skeptical, as he wonders what sort of gods would give a man like him a second shot at life, what sort of gods wouldn’t punish him for his sins, but the septon assures him that he’s been punished already. And when we look at his face and remember the tale he confessed to Arya, it’s easy to agree.
Later, the septon holds what appears to be a regular youth group meeting about how it’s never too late to change your path. It strikes a chord with the Hound just in time for the Sheriff of Nottingham and two of his minions to ride up on their camp and make thinly veiled threats. On their leave, they reveal themselves to be members of the Brotherhood Without Banners, which gives the Hound cause for concern, even though the septon shrugs it off. They have nothing for the Brotherhood to take, so why would they bother them further?
That question is answered at the end of the hour, when the Hound is chopping wood for the night, stopping only when he hears horses in the distance. By the time he arrives back at the camp, it’s to find all its people dead and the septon hanging from the house they’d been building. And just as soon as the Hound was redirecting his life path, he’s back on his old track when he fetches his ax and heads off to raise some hell.
The good are always the first to go, as evidenced by the camp’s slaughter whilst old frauds like the High Sparrow are enjoying the luxury of power. He might not be dressed in finery and doused in perfume, but that guy sure knows how to live it up. Margaery has likewise abandoned the trappings of materialism, as she’s dressed more comfortably than she has been all year, but still more modestly and less stylishly than in seasons prior.
The High Sparrow gives her kudos because he has no sense of style himself, but that’s not why he’s come to speak with her—no, he’s here to play wingman for Tommen, who hasn’t gotten any action since Margaery’s release from her cell. Margaery explains that she hasn’t been in the mood, and if we didn’t already know that the High Sparrow goes heavy on the misogyny, he tells her, “Congress does not require desire on the woman’s part, only patience.” It seems that “congress” and conversations with the High Sparrow run in the same vein, then. This particular conversation comes to the end when the High Sparrow reveals that her grandmother may be next on his list: “The Queen of Thorns is a remarkable woman, a strong woman, and I can’t have that, so to the dungeons it is.” (Okay, half of that’s not verbatim, but it’s all there between the lines.)
Margaery meets with Olenna under the smug, careful eye of Septa Unella, who Olenna would rather have beaten to a pulp. Margaery bids her grandmother play nice, and assures her that all will be well for Loras; as long as he confesses his crimes, he may return to Highgarden—where he’ll have to live in penance since his confession must include a renouncement of all his lands and titles. In one of the most moving scenes of the episode, Margaery kneels before Olenna and implores her to “Go home,” and as Margaery squeezes her grandmother’s hands, there is the distinct crinkle of paper. Once alone in the corridor, Olenna unfurls the note to find a sketching of a rose, and it assures her that her granddaughter is not truly lost to her or herself. But Margaery’s warning remains just as clear: go home, or you’re next.
Olenna clearly keeps this in mind, and as such refuses to bend to Cersei’s will when the Queen Regent tries to convince her to remain in King’s Landing. While Olenna may blame Cersei for all the hell that’s been unleashed upon the capitol, Cersei is in no position to deny it, but they need each other: Loras is still in a cell and Cersei has no friends left to her. But Olenna has had enough, and she’s taken Margaery’s warning to heart. She’s leaving King’s Landing, and she advises Cersei that if she has any sense about her, she’ll do the same.
Not that those outside the capitol are faring spectacularly, as we see when we move on to Jaime at Riverrun—then again, Bronn is back, and that’s pretty spectacular in and of itself. In fact, I’m so happy to see him that this bromance could take us back to Dorne and I probably wouldn’t mind. (Okay, I would, but fortunately Jaime and Bronn are taking a different holiday this season.)
As the pair approach with an army in tow, they find that the Freys have done a shoddy job at laying siege upon the castle. Their camp isn’t properly guarded and they can’t even dig a decent trench, and their threats to slit Edmure Tully’s throat are doing nothing to move the Silverfox—I mean Blackfish—who is entirely unimpressed by them, probably because they’re not as good-looking as he is. From his stance on the ramparts of Riverrun, he lifts an eyebrow, calls, “Go on, then—cut his throat,” and walks away, cool as you please. I never thought I’d see the day, but if the Silverfox keeps it up, then Handsomest Man On the Planet Ser Jorah may have some competition for his title.
Even though Jaime punches one of the Red Wedding vets in the face and takes over their lousy siege, the Silverfox won’t yield to him any more than he did to the Freys on threat of his nephew’s life (rightfully so, since Edmure remains alive, and even washed and fed on Jaime’s order). He won’t allow anyone to take his home again, no matter the cost, and it seems that he may have taken lessons from Lady Olenna on how to cut down a Lannister, as he ends their meeting with his short, succinct impression of Jaime: “I’m disappointed.” Ouch.
Far and away, Yara and Theon engage in some sibling bonding at a brothel in Volantis. Yara has more game with the ladies than Theon ever did—she’s certainly nicer to them—but her sexual exploits are put on hold when she gives Theon the sort of tough love that seems customary for the Ironborn. It’s not a pep talk I would recommend for anyone actually dealing with any kind of PTSD, but it’s powerful within the show’s narrative, and strikes the right nerve with Theon. He’s able to meet Yara’s gaze with his own unblinking one, and agrees to sail with her to Meereen to make a pact with Daenerys that would enable them to take back the Iron Islands.
In the North, the Stark campaign to remind these clowns of their loyalties isn’t going so well. The wildlings, while at first reluctant to join Jon’s army and take back Winterfell, are swayed by Jon’s assurance that he knows it’s not their battle, but if they don’t die with him then they’ll surely die after he’s gone: If Jon loses to the Boltons, they’ll wipe out the wildlings next. Tormund helps convince them by saying, “[Jon] died for us. If we’re not willing to do the same for him, we’re cowards. And if that’s what we are, we deserve to be the last of the Free Folk.” But it’s Wun Wun who seals the deal. He simply stands and says “Snow,” as if that settles the matter, and apparently it does: the wildlings know where their loyalty lies, and they pledge it to the Starks.
Unfortunately, Jon, Sansa, and Davos’ northern canvas doesn’t get better than that. The squad rolls up to Bear Island like they’re about to drop their new album, but ten-year-old Lady Lyanna Mormont isn’t interested in their sound. Sansa and Jon both try to appeal to her the best ways they know how—Sansa by way of compliments and a little sisterhood, and Jon by praising her uncle’s time as Lord Commander—but Lady Mormont won’t hear of it. She’d prefer to belittle Jon’s status as a bastard and throw shade at Sansa for her marriages, as though Sansa had arranged them herself. (While it’s suggested that Bear Island grants more freedom to its women, Lady Mormont is in a position to know how most highborn women are treated and sold off).
Davos steps in to avert further disaster, and drops a bomb on this kid: “Make no mistake, my lady, the dead are coming,” and they need the North to unite in order to fight them. At least Lady Mormont knows where her priorities are, as she then pledges faith to the Starks and gives them a whopping 62 men. It’s next to nothing, but it’s better than what awaits the trio at House Glover.
When Lord Glover fiercely denies his house’s assistance and turns his back on them, Sansa speaks up: “I would remind you that House Glover is pledged to House Stark, sworn to answer when called upon.” Jon turns his head like GIRL, but Sansa doesn’t notice, as she lifts her gaze to meet Lord Glover’s as he turns and approaches her once more. She doesn’t break eye contact as he hurls hatred in her face: “I served House Stark once. But House Stark is dead.”
As it happens, all that talk about the North remembering was mostly for naught, as Jon and Sansa have scraped together a small army comprised mostly of wildlings, and added on by odds and ends of various Northern houses. But it would seem that the wildlings all these noble families hate so much have a stronger concept of duty and honor than any of them can boast. Still, it’s not enough, so Sansa writes and seals a letter, undoubtedly addressed to Littlefinger, as a means to gain access to the Knights of the Vale.
Last but never least, Arya emerges onto the streets of Braavos and buys passage home to Westeros with two heavy bags of coins, origins unknown. Satisfied that she’s secured herself a cabin on the next ship the hell outta Dodge, she stands on a scenic bridge to reflect on her time in Braavos, but is rudely interrupted by the witch from Snow White, who wants to sell her an apple. Of course, her face is removed to reveal not a hot magical stepmother with ulterior motives, but busted Kimmy Gibbler, who doesn’t have apples so much as several stabs to Arya’s gut.
In a last-ditch effort to escape the finality of death, Arya thrusts the back of her skull into Kimmy’s face and throws herself over the bridge into the river below. Once the water is stained red and Kimmy is smug enough to call it a day, Arya emerges and hobbles around the streets where she had so recently found triumph, clutching at her wounds and fearing everyone she sees.
Horrified as I was to see our girl in such a life-or-death-but-most-probably-death state, it’s clear that Arya’s story isn’t over, so allow me to speculate the crap outta this: considering that Arya had her game face on only last week, her lack of readiness for the Waif’s attack seems poorly plotted. Unless—and I had this feeling as soon as Arya stepped onscreen—perhaps that wasn’t Arya at all, but Jaqen in disguise. She did have a new outfit and a suspicious amount of money on her, but no Needle, and was able to identify the ship’s captain she would need straightaway. Arya’s usual on-guard behavior was significantly lacking, and she was much quicker on her feet around the captain than when she was attempting Lady Crane’s assassination last week.
Jaqen may have more of an interest in helping Arya than he’s let on. After all, since Arya’s arrival at the House of Black and White, the Waif has proved herself unfit to work amongst the Faceless Men, as she hasn’t been able to let go of her personal vendetta against Arya since day one. If he’s half as perceptive as he puts on, Jaqen knows that the Waif will do whatever it takes to be rid of Arya, and she’ll make her suffer all the while, and that is not the way of a servant of the House. Based on Arya’s arc alone, she’s unlikely to die right now, so it’s not the stretchiest of stretches to wonder if Jaqen has been testing the Waif just as much as he’s been testing Arya. Whatever the case may be… #KillTheWaif
Okay, Unsullied, now it’s your turn to speculate: Did we see the end of Arya and, if not, how will she escape such seemingly fatal wounds? Do the Starks need the North to remember, or will they take back Winterfell with an army of their own making? Which of the Greyjoys will get to Daenerys first, Euron or the Yara/Theon dream team, and will she agree to an alliance with either? Will the Hound once more embark upon a life of violence, or does he have other plans to avenge the fallen? Will Loras be freed from his cell, and how will Margaery fare without Olenna’s support and guidance? And finally, cast your vote for prom king: Handsomest Man On the Planet Ser Jorah, or his challenger, the ruggedly debonair Silverfox.
Remember—speculation is encouraged, spoilers aren’t! Please refrain from posting book spoilers here! Feel free to discuss the episode in the comments or Tweet me @kattymaj, but don’t ruin any surprises for the viewers who haven’t read the books. While the show has largely diverged from its source material, you never know what details will crop up later. Thanks, and see you next week!
Via http://winteriscoming.net/2016/06/06/unsullied-recap-game-of-thrones-episode-607-the-broken-man/
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