“Oathbreaker” may have been less eventful than “Home,” but it provided many hints at what’s next for Game of Thrones season 6.
Game of Thrones dropped a lot of information on us this week, so if you need help sifting through it all, we’ve got you covered. Here are six things you should make note of from “Oathbreaker:”
Cleganebowl
During Arya’s fight/training session with the Waif, we were reminded of Sandor Clegane’s existence and the fact that Arya ‘left him for dead.’ Talking about the Hound wasn’t just for Arya, it was for viewers too. We last saw the Hound in season 4, so some people may need a preemptive reminder of him before we see him again. Oh yes, we are going to see him again.
Word choice is very important. In this instance, Arya said the Hound died, but then she says, “Arya Stark left him to die.” She, nor the viewers, actually saw the Hound die. His fight with Brienne left him heavily, possibly mortally, wounded, but he never died onscreen.
A good motto to watch Game of Thrones by is, no body, no death. If we don’t actually see them killed, and/or see their dead body, chances are it’s a big fake-out and they’re not actually dead (I’m still delusionally holding out for Stannis).
Why would he resurface though? Welcome to Cleganebowl! It’s long been theorized that the two Clegane brothers, the Hound and the Mountain, would duke it out to the death in a trial by combat. Whose trial? Cersei of course! Much like Tyrion’s trial, Cersei’s will most likely not look good for her, and naturally, she’ll demand a trial by combat with Gregor as her champion. The Faith will in turn choose and send for Sandor as their champion, and these brothers will finally battle it out.
It’s also possible the Hound did actually die, but clearly resurrection is the new name of the game. Ian McShane has said of his role this season, “My character is an ex-warrior who’s become a peacenik. So I have this group of peaceful… it’s like a cult, peaceful tribe… who have brought back… I bring back this beloved character that everyone thinks is dead. So, I’ll leave it at that.” Sandor, perhaps?
Either way, Cleganebowl is coming. Know that.
#TeamSnow
Make no mistake, Tormund is Jon Snow’s biggest fanboy. Nobody calls Jon pretty more than Tormund. Not to mention, Tormund was totally looking at his pecker.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Tormund draws little hearts around Jon’s name in the snow when he thinks no one is looking.
No Mercy
Evidently, Jon is not above killing children.
In Jon’s defence, Olly was one of those who helped kill him, but what would the old Jon have done? Would the old Jon have given Olly another chance? Yes, Olly was a murderer’s assistant, but he wasn’t of the Night’s Watch and didn’t break any vows. It’s possible the old Jon might have spared him, a child, and tried to make Olly understand why he has to do what he’s doing.
Oh, who are we kidding? We all fist pumped when Olly kicked it. Ramsay better beware, because this bastard is ready to do what needs to be done.
Tower of Joy
The flashback wasn’t just about seeing a young Ned Stark, and Bran flexing his abilities. That tower Arthur Dayne was defending is the Tower of Joy. In it, Lyanna Stark can be heard screaming, but it hasn’t yet been revealed what’s happening up there. In fact, we know very little of what happened to Lyanna after being kidnapped by Rhaegar, and before dying after Ned’s rescue.
If you go on the internet at all, you’ll know the popular theory is that Lyanna is screaming from labor pains. That’s right, Lyanna Stark is giving birth, and will thusly die from it. But who is she giving birth to? Surely by now you’ve heard the theories that newly resurrected Jon Snow is actually the son of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen.
It’s also postulated that giving birth was fatal for Lyanna because she was birthing twins. The other twin, drumroll please, is Meera Reed. Of course, Ned couldn’t come back with two babies ‘of his own,’ so Howland Reed, the only other person to have entered the Tower of Joy, took the other child.
This would mean that Daenerys is not the only Targaryen left. She’d have a niece (Meera), and a nephew (Jon). That’s three Targaryens. And hey, look at that, three dragons! Coincidence?
A point is also being made that Bran mustn’t stay in any vision too long, but knowing Bran, he’ll venture out on his own at some point. Most likely he’ll return to this moment and follow his father up the tower, and just like that, Bran will find out the secret we’ve all been waiting for.
Hungry Birds
We finally met the little birds Varys was always referring to (anyone else disappointed they aren’t actually birds? Here I was hoping Varys’ secret skill was talking to birds like Snow White), and apparently in his absence they have flocked to Qyburn. Apparently.
The fact that Game of Thrones made a point of really showing us that Qyburn has these kids under his thumb makes me think there’s more to it than just a change of allegiance. In fact, I would guess there isn’t a change of allegiance.
It seems hard to believe that Varys would set his valuable informants loose for the taking. He had birds in Essos while he was in Westeros, so the reverse only seems logical. If he really wants Dany to rule the Seven Kingdoms, he’ll need to stay up to date on what’s going on in Westeros, and having his birds play double agent seems like a perfect scheme.
Legit Witch
I’ll be the first to admit I doubted Melisandre’s powers. I definitely wondered if she was a total fake, that even the shadow baby was somehow a trick. Now I leech my words. Melisandre is absolutely, definitely, positively, actually a magical priestess. Although, no one is probably more surprised than she is. Just look at her face!
Perhaps her magic wasn’t working before because R’hllor hated Stannis and refused to give her the strength needed to help him. If Jon truly is Azor Ahai reborn (as his resurrection could indicate), then R’hllor probably only allowed powerful magic to be performed if it would somehow help Jon in the future.
It’ll be interesting to see what magic Melisandre will attempt now that she knows what she’s capable of, and hopefully she’ll be able to help in the fight against the White Walkers (if she lasts that long).
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