New synopses have been released for episodes 4-8 of Game of Thrones season 5, along with the show’s unsurprisingly spectacular ratings.
Episode 4, airing May 3, is titled “The Sons of the Harpy.”
“The Faith Militant grow increasingly aggressive,” HBO says. Elsewhere in Westeros, “Jaime and Bronn head south. Ellaria and the Sand Snakes vow vengeance.”
“Kill the Boy” will be the somewhat ominous title of episode 5, in which “Dany makes a difficult decision in Meereen,” and “Jon recruits the help of an unexpected ally.” At Winterfell, “Brienne searches for Sansa. Theon remains under Ramsay’s control.”
Episode 6 will be titled “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken,” after the words of House Martell. Unsurprisingly, viewers should probably expect violence.
“Arya trains,” HBO says, while “Jorah and Tyrion run into slavers.” In Dorne, Trystane and Myrcella make plans. Jaime and Bronn reach their destination. The Sand Snakes attack.”
“The Gift” — and there’s a triple-entendre if we’ve ever heard one — will be the title of episode 7. The action of this episode appears to be focused in the North, where “Jon prepares for conflict. Sansa tries to talk to Theon. Brienne waits for a sign. Stannis remains stubborn.” Meanwhile, “Jaime attempts to reconnect with family.”
And episode 8, called “Hardhome,” looks like it will subtly set the stage for serious business in the final two episodes of Game of Thrones season 5.
“Arya makes progress in her training,” and “Sansa confronts an old friend.” Meanwhile, “Cersei struggles,” and — most gripping of all — “Jon travels.”
Related: Game of Thrones season 5, episode 3 recap: Ladies’ choice
In case there was any doubt that the upcoming episodes of Game of Thrones season 5 might lack for viewership (there isn’t, but allow us the segue) HBO has just released the massive final numbers for the season premiere. Across all (legal) platforms, “The Wars to Come” has racked up 18.1 million viewers, more than a million more viewers than the corresponding data for the season 4 premiere.
In other words, showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss had better make some pretty compelling arguments for ending Game of Thrones at seven seasons, because HBO isn’t going to want to hop off this Gold Road any time soon.