The women of Westeros took careful steps into dangerous places on Game of Thrones season 5, episode 3.
Daughter of Death
Arya watches Jaqen H’ghar offer water from a pool to a man in the House of Black and White, and then confronts him about her servitude. “A girl wants to serve herself,” says Jaqen. “Here we serve the Many-Faced God.”
Arya asks which god that is.
“There is only one God,” Jaqen answers. “A girl knows his name — and all men know his gift.”
Arya soon sees the man’s body carried away by acolytes.
Later, a not-quite-waifish young acolyte attacks Arya in her room. She demands to know who Arya is; infuriated, she answers “No One,” but the girl is not mollified.
Jaqen interrupts this hazing ritual. The girl says she was “playing the game of faces,” but Jaqen says that Arya is not ready. Arya insists that she is ready — and that she is No One. Jaqen points out that “No One” is surrounded by Arya Stark’s possessions.
Later, Arya goes to the canals and throws everything she owns into the water. But when it’s time to discard Needle, Arya hesitates, turning the little sword over and over in her hands.
Needle is Jon Snow’s smile and her father’s voice. Needle is Nymeria’s warmth and Syrio Forel’s sacrifice. Needle is Yoren’s protection and Hot Pie’s innocence. Needle is Gendry.
Needle is Arya.
And for all her claims otherwise, Arya cannot throw herself away. She hides Needle beside the canal and returns to the House of Black and White, where she and the young woman bathe the corpse from earlier.
The girl does not answer when Arya asks what happens next.
The love of the Mother
Tommen and Margaery get married and, as viewers gag into their couch pillows, consummate their relationship. Margaery begins to sink her claws into her new husband, suggesting that Cersei will never really be able to see Tommen as his own man.
Later, Tommen suggests to Cersei that she might be happier back at Casterly Rock. Cersei’s alarm bells start ringing and pays an awkward visit to Margaery. There are more power-plays going on in this scene than we can count, and Cersei stiffly urges Margaery to come to her with anything she needs.
Meanwhile, The High Septon is torn out of Littlefinger’s brothel by Lancel and the Sparrows, who whip him naked through the streets of Kings Landing. The High Septon demands that Cersei execute their leader, the “High Sparrow.” Instead, Cersei visits the man where he is caring for the city’s downtrodden. By all appearances, the man is as truly devout as he appears, and Cersei seems to be intrigued by this.
Cersei tells the High Sparrow that the crown and the Faith must support each other — and that the old High Septon is in the Red Keep dungeons.
Later, Cersei tells Qyburn to send a message to Littlefinger. He complies, writing calmly as a cloth-covered figure on his worktable begins to thrash around like something that is definitely not dead.
Bride of blood
Up North, both Winterfell and Theon/Reek have seen better days. Ramsay Snow Bolton has decorated the castle with the flayed bodies of recalcitrant lords. Roose tells him to cut that shit out because their hold on the North is tenuous. Also, Ramsay is getting married.
Speaking of, Littlefinger finally reveals his destination to Sansa: Winterfell, by way of Moat Cailin. Sansa rapidly intuits that she is being brought back home as one party in Littlefinger’s marriage proposal and grows understandably upset. Baelish attempts to sooth her with the news that, contrary to her assumptions, Sansa will not be marrying Roose Bolton.
No, instead Sansa will be marrying his son, Ramsay.
So yeah, no biggie.
Sansa refuses to return to Winterfell and be pawned off into another marriage — to the murderers of her mother and brother, no less — and Baelish agrees to call it off if she wants to.
But. “You’ve been a bystander to tragedy from the day they executed your father,” he says. “You loved your family. Avenge them.”
Sansa gazes out at the North, contemplating her threadbare options with darkness in her eyes. She begins to ride home.
Unbeknownst (apparently) to Sansa or Littlefinger, Brienne and Podrick steadily follow. Brienne decides to teach Pod how to use a sword, and they trade their sad stories. For those keeping score at home, Brienne’s vow to get revenge on Stannis Baratheon for Renly is alive and well.
Anyway, Sansa comports herself gracefully through the awkward return to Winterfell, and is startled when a serving woman welcomes her home.
“The North remembers,” the old woman says.
Later, Bolton makes it clear to Baelish that he is not about to brush off the risk he’s taking in betraying Cersei Lannister. He delivers Cersei’s message (#InstantRaven) and Littlefinger assures Bolton that the Southerners will not be a problem; he implies that they are destined to do great things together, which seems doubtful as both men clearly loathe each other.
(And as both men are loathsome, that leaves viewers in a tough position.)
Leadership
Jon has moved in to the Lord Commander’s quarters and appointed Olly his squire. Stannis is rather miffed by all this, and grudgingly says he is marching for Winterfell soon. He gives responsibility for the wildlings to Jon.
Davos finally gets more than two lines at a time and suggests that Jon reinterpret his oath — specifically the “Shield that guards the realms of men” part. He wants Jon to use the Night’s Watch to take back Winterfell from the Boltons, and hey, that would be an absolutely terrible idea!
But Jon has other duties to attend to. He appointments Alliser Thorne First Ranger and sends Janos Slynt to revive the ruined castle Greyguard.
Like the cowardly asshole he is, Slynt objects rather colorfully to this assignment. Jon is forced to repeat the order, and finally ask point-blank if Slynt is refusing to obey commands. Slant proudly confirms this, so Jon has him dragged outside and sends for his sword. No one — not even Alliser Thorne — raises an objection to what is about to happen.
As Stannis watches and the music pounds, Slynt is knelt over a block. He begs Jon for forgiveness, lending further ugliness to the scene. But similar to Dany’s decision last week (albeit in vastly more favorable circumstances) Jon chops off Janos Slynt’s head with a single blow.
He will be mourned by exactly no one.
Friends forgotten
Tyrion and Varys reach the city of Volantis; in spite of Cersei’s bounty, Varys is forced to let Tyrion out of the wheelhouse before he completely loses his mind. The long-suffering eunuch and the giddy dwarf slide through the city, which is choked with tattooed slaves.
Tyrion stops to watch a Red Priestess sermonize about R’hllor, and how Daenerys is the savior of the slaves; he is unimpressed until the woman appears to see him, and makes haste for a brothel.
The most popular prostitute is a girl who is literally cosplaying as Pantless Daenerys. The girl is watched angrily by a patron in a dark corner, who gets further into his cups each time she flounces past.
Tyrion (being Tyrion) approaches another prostitute and solicits her for pity-sex, as he has no money. This actually works, but — presumably flooded by memories of Shae — Tyrion loses his nerve when she agrees to go with him. He flees to the balcony, where Varys loses sight of him, and takes a long piss.
His relief is interrupted by the angry drinker, who hoods and hog-ties Tyrion. “I’m taking you to the queen,” growls none other than Ser Jorah Mormont.