Quick Recap:
- the return of yet another character
- the most badass 10-year-old ever
- Arya somehow surprised that pissed off assassins might come after her
Thoughts:
I’m a big fan of Arya. That’s why I’m pretty surprised that she didn’t see Sunday’s events coming. I mean she’s been training with The Waif, who absolutely hates her guts. She already lost her vision when she double crossed the Faceless Men and was warned pretty clearly about the consequences is she slipped up again. And yet she thought she could just walk away?
I’m pretty confident Arya is going to survive though. I don’t think that we just saw two seasons of Arya training just to die anonymously in Braavos, but she got stabbed pretty badly and it’s not like there’s an emergency room for her to walk into. I’m willing to wager that we will see Arya linked up with Jon and Sansa really soon.
Back to the other surprise from “The Broken Man,” namely the broken man. When we last saw The Hound two seasons ago, he had been left for dead by Arya after his confrontation with Brienne. There has been speculation that he would return this season, but it seemed a little far fetched to me. After the return of Jon and Benjen, isn’t it a little crazy to bring back another character from out of nowhere?
“The Broken Man” made it pretty clear that The Hound is going to return to the thick of show’s plot. But how? He is no longer loyal to any of the major houses, and Arya is in Braavos. He is nowhere near Dany, and I struggle to see him fighting for Littlefinger. I’m excited to see how he is brought back into the plot.
There are some interesting similarities between Jon and the Hound’s story. While The Hound didn’t die, by all rational accounting, he should be dead. Just like Jon, he was told that he didn’t die because whatever supernatural power is pulling the strings in Westeros isn’t done with him yet. While the show began as an individual clash of wills (think back to Cersei telling Ned Stark about the game of thrones), it has really come to be shaped by religion. Whether it’s the High Sparrow, Melisandre, or the Faceless Men, “Game of Thrones” has really taken on a new feel.
Other assorted thoughts. I hate the idea of Sansa relying on Littlefinger for help, but it seems she is right. The 10-year-old in charge of Bear Island might be the coolest character so far in this show. I mean at ten years old she intimidated Jon Snow into silence, and he’s already returned from the dead. I still don’t think that Margaery has been brainwashed by the High Sparrow. I think she’s playing a really long term game that out-game of thrones even Cersei.
Predictions:
- Maybe another undead character appears in Braavos to save Arya? Just kidding.
- Jon gets really, really, really angry when he finds out about Sansa going behind his back
- Jaimie regains his mojo and the Blackfish heads north