I love where last week’s episode left off. Yes, we did not get to see some characters (or events) that I thought we might, but it’s hard to beat a spontaneous Dothraki barbecue when it comes to episode-ending scenes so early in the season. If you asked me if Daenerys could walk through fire without being burnt (or losing her hair), I would have told you that the first time was a magical moment and that she couldn’t just survive being engulfed in flames whenever she wanted. Oh how delighted I was to be wrong.
That being said, it was thrilling and ruthless and cool. But really ruthless. Like bordering on evil sort of ruthless. Perhaps we’ll explore that below (we will) after getting through some fresh markets (and some that are still open).
But let us first take a look at this episode’s title, “The Door.” Immediate thought was the Moon Door, but I don’t think we’ll be getting back to there anytime soon. Then I thought of Bran, but his views into the past are more like windows. Maybe he accidentally steps through and that leads to Meera shaking him as he convulses? Or maybe the great door of the Sept of Baelor? That seems like an important “once you cross this threshold” moment, and there is a physical door there? But there are lots of other “once you cross this threshold” moments that may be nearing. Yara failing to take the Salt Throne, follow Euron (or else) and you can’t turn back? Jon and Sansa raising arms against Ramsay, an all-or-nothing sort of move.. Or perhaps with Arya, maybe she is about to take a large step onto the grand stage (wear a new face already!) that she won’t be able to take back? Maybe Tyrion (and that new R’hllor priestess) venture somewhere (perhaps in terms of knowledge gained) that they can’t turn back from? While these are mostly decent guesses, we’re dealing with a pretty vague episode title, and we will have to wait and see this door on its own terms. On to some markets, starting with some unresolved eventualities from last week:
Littlefinger to conspire with a Northern Lord? 35. 70. It seems we will get to watch Sansa take Littlefinger to task for handing her over to the bastard rapist turned Lord Ramsay. But does that preclude him from a) pledging his swords to the Stark cause and b) moving on and inviting other Northern Lords to their side? I don’t think it does. The pair of Sansa and Littlefinger may even petition some Northern Lord together. The only way this wouldn’t happen is if a) they introduce no more armies to join the Jon/Sansa/wildling/Littlefinger retinue or b) Sansa asks for help on her own. But now that Littlefinger is already with Sansa, what better way for him to support her while getting out of the way of potential carnage than by disappearing to recruit Lords away from the front line?
Does Wyman Manderly appear? 35. 90. I cannot see the armies of the Vale and the wildlings alone taking down Ramsay. And I cannot see Jon and Sansa getting routed. So we need more armies, and I do not know where they can come from besides a Northern house. I am assuming that will be in the form of Manderly, because he is prominent in the books and has enough unique characteristics to make him easy to cast (fat). He also is anti-Frey, and the average fan will like that a lot. Give me Manderly! I could also see them going Mormont/Glover/etc., but why turn away from such a big target (ha!) from the books when it so readily lends itself to the story on the screen?
Is Umber double-crossing Ramsay? 50. 10. This is not happening. If Umber cross Ramsay, we will have a super boring Bastard Bowl with Umbers inter-mingling with Bolton troops only to murder them all at the sound of a horn. No, that’s too cheap, make Jon/Sansa earn their home back. Also, if Osha was part of the double-cross, how do you send her in there without a knife? In fact, why haven’t you just murdered Ramsay yet? Lord Umber is a bad guy. It will make for a better Bastard Bowl.
Does Ramsay send part of Rickon to Jon/Sansa? 20. 40. I am still holding onto hope that Ramsay will flay this wild young Stark. His letter on its own will probably incite Sansa and Jon to risk war, true, but why not add some flayed Rickon fingers to the postage being exchanged, if only to sweeten the deal for the sadist? As a male, Rickon is a threat to inherit Winterfell and he cannot be impregnated to bear Ramsay’s Bolton heir. There is just no reason Ramsay should leave this Rickon’s body in one piece, especially when he enjoys peeling apples/skin so much!
Does Bastard Bowl occur by episode 6? 20. 50. I think the average fan is writing this potential conflict off until the end of the season, but I cannot forget that this is a show about zombies (from the first scene of both books and show). If I were running the show, we would end the season in episodes 8, 9, 10 with the entire North (and maybe the wider world as well) realizing that a) Winter is here, b) the White Walkers are coming in earnest and potentially have broken through the wall, and c) our armies are almost entirely too weak to mount a solid resistance after the constant warring that has taken place since Ned’s beheading. The viewer can then spend the time between season six and seven dreaming of Daenerys atop Drogon scorching the wights and White Walkers from above. So I am of the opinion that Bastard Bowl happens in either episode six or seven, depending on how long it takes to meet Manderly and have him join the cause.
Euron wins Kingsmoot? 70. 99. Yara claims the Salt Throne, yay! And maybe with Theon’s support she can claim it?! No. Euron is crazy, he has all those ships you see anchored off the island, and he is magical and well-traveled and scary. The Iron Born follow strength, and nothing is stronger than fratricide and traveling the entire world and having a slave rower blow into a magical dragon horn that kills him. Now go and bring Dany the ships she needs to flee Meereen!
Arya puts on a new face soon? 40. 70. Get her story moving already, would you? She was blind and had to train and now is a more legit fighter and can do Daredevil/Book of Eli things. Great. Got it. Now can we give her a face with which she travels back to Westeros and finds her friend Nymeria so they can frolic near the Trident and never kill anymore? Well, maybe not that, but get her in the game (of thrones…)!
Faceless men reveal larger Westerosi aims? 25. 20. After not advancing the story of neither Arya nor the Faceless Men (Jaqen) last week, I am losing faith that their story arc is going to get anywhere this season. I fear the show will keep their intentions a mystery for another year, and that will be the suck. If it were up to me, I want to know that they care what happens in the West. I want to know that they are aware of the looming White Walker invasion. I want them to oppose the Citadel or the Lannisters or someone. Braavos was a fun detour and helped expand the scope of the show. Fantastic. But now we need to see Arya get back into the fold. Maybe even have the Faceless Men pose a threat to people or groups that Arya cared about. Maybe they are all League of Shadows and want to see a corrupt and tyrannical government (and people) torn to shreds so that society can start over? Make Faceless No One (Arya) choose between Jaqen and someone or something she loved. Whatever they are about, I want to know (even though I have little faith the show will reveal their underlying goals soon)!
Sam makes first landfall in Braavos/Stormlands/Reach/Other? 10/10/70/10. 25/5/50/20. I simply repasted my numbers from last week, though I will admit that giving Sam last week off makes it slightly more likely he will complete his journey to Old Town as he originally intended. The same thing happened with Sansa — she set out for the Wall, we saw her ramblin’ briefly one week, didn’t see her at all the next, and on the third [episode] she rose arrived where she was supposed to. But what will Ginny do in Old Town? Will they really sail right past the city to bring her to Horn Hill and House Tarly?
And now some new markets ahead of episode five!
Jaime leads assault on Sept of Baelor? 70. 90. We saw Tyrell troops lined up outside the Sept in the season six trailer, and I cannot imagine the actual assault being set up any more perfectly after Olenna and Kevan agreed to go along with Jaime’s and Cersei’s Tommen-not-approved plan last week. What will happen once the troops are lined up is anyone’s guess. But I have to imagine the High Sparrow will not be too happy about it, nor will he be so inclined to hand over the Queen and her brother. His troops certainly seem ready, willing, and able to raise their arms as instructed. And besides, when have we seen any idea of Cersei’s turn out for the best?
Daenerys to Meereen next? 90. 70. This is the most likely path for her to take, and I imagine she will arrive just in time to save Tyrion and the rest of her people from the treachery (and armies) of the Wise Masters. So I concede that this is the most likely outcome. But she has to get back to Westeros! Why not take her as close as possible to the Narrow Sea? Maybe back to Pentos and Illyrio Mopatis? He was the one that negotiated the terms between Viserys and the Dothraki in the first place, so certainly if Daenerys arrived at the head of the largest khalasar ever assembled he’d be willing to arrange the ships to get her across the sea? That probably won’t happen, but I give it a larger chance than others might. The only other way to get her the ships she needs is via Euron, and he is still a world away and not yet the King of the Iron Islands. Seems to be a very large voyage to squeeze into the second half of the season…
Hound and Cleganebowl? 30? 80. Let’s go!!! I hope Hound is revealed to be alive around episode seven, and then shortly after we get Cleganebowl. I expect that duel to last for the entirety of episode eight. Please! Please please please!!!
Brienne and Tormund? 85. 70. I really, really want this to happen. But I don’t want to get my hopes up just yet. Shipping this!
Before we get to the final market, humor me by entertaining the following statements. Last episode, Ramsay murdered a person that wanted to kill him and have sex with him. He has murdered many people, often with severe brutality. Brutal killing is something the reader or viewer would identify as a characteristic of him and his house. He has ordered animals to kill on his behalf. He is in control of a large army. He’s likely leading that army to war against a group that wants power restored to where it was before he took it. He accepts that birth is important and determines your lot in life. He watched his brother be killed. He’s obsessed with secular power and knows nothing about nor cares anything about the White Walkers and the threat they pose.
All the previous statements also describe Daenerys.
Daenerys is bad? 5. 51. The story is going out of its way to show us Daenerys’ brutality. Her dependence on birthright as a justification for her right to rule. Her closest comparison onscreen has been Ramsay. They have done all the same things, yet we root for Dany and we recognize Ramsay as the enemy? The only good thing Daenerys has done is free the slaves. But let’s look more closely at that. Slaves in Qarth went unfreed. In Yunkai and Astapor, she freed the slaves, but since then those freed slaves have been put back in their chains and the Wise Masters are still in power. She freed the Unsullied but they pledged their lives to her and do nothing but serve still. The slaves in Meereen were freed, but now are murdered by masked men and wage civil war against those that would take the power back. She abandoned those freed people atop Drogon and has yet to return to the city. The only other reason to treat her with any sympathy is because her brother was rude to her and she was mistreated by her spouse for a while before eventually coming to love him. Watch out for Daenerys. She has broken bad by murdering seven to twelve khals in cold blood. She will bring fire and death to Westeros and will not recognize the threat the Others pose. She is being treated as a hero, but she is not heroic. She will make a selfish choice and put the fate of the world in jeopardy before the end. She will go down as the reddest herring of all time. She. Is. Evil.
Hope you disagree. Can’t wait until I am proven right.
