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Winter is Blogging 6.8: No One [Contains Spoilers]

Winter is Blogging

Writers: David Benioff, D. B. Weiss.

Directors: Mark Mylod.

Cast: Emilia Clarke, Kit Harrington, Lena Headey, Peter Dinklage, Sophie Turner, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Gwendoline Christie, et al.

Synopsis: While Jaime weighs his options, Cersei answers a request. Tyrion’s plans bear fruit. Arya faces a new test.

In The Riverlands

‘No One’ is the eighth episode of the season, which obviously means we’re teetering on the line of closing remarks in the many stories of our protagonists. With that in mind, we must consider where said stories are going by season’s end. Will we ever see the rise of Lady Stoneheart? Will Ayra make it home, and if so, will she join Sansa and Jon to fight the House of the Flayed Man? What is Sandor’s ‘purpose,’ and will he join the Brotherhood Without Banners? We’ll talk about all this and more this week, but first, let us consider the Riverlands.

The episode is quick, and certainly not afraid to start off by showing some – arguably gratuitous – revenge killing. Imbued with the ferocity of the lil’ axe-totting Gimli, Sandor comes across a band of Brotherhood Without Banners men. It doesn’t take much imagination to figure how this entire scene plays out. Searching for their ‘leader,’ Lem Lemoncloak after brutally butchering Brother Ray and his congregation. Eventually, he comes across Beric Dondarrion and Thoros of Myr who have already found and captured Lem and his men stating that they do not represent the values or ideals of the Brotherhood Without Banners and that they unjustly killed innocents, so must be hanged. After explaining that he has come to kill Lem and his men, Beric allows Sandor to personally hang two of the three men as a courtesy and after they eat, Beric tells him that the cold winds of the north are blowing, and that Sandor should join them to fight.

Now, we gain some insight this episode about Sandor and the effect that Brother Ray had on him, indicated by the fact he refers to him as a friend to Beric. He also notes that once upon a time, he would’ve killed the seven of them just to get to Lem and his co-conspirators. Now, however, he has compromised on the ideals of ‘the Hound’ – and last week we were discussing just how Sandor and Ayra’s journeys have affected them and caused them to stray from their true natures. Instead of senseless, random killing based on the convenience of a situation, Sandor seems to have genuinely transitioned from the chaotic-neutral to the chaotic-good, directing his rage and anger into becoming, well… an avenger; albeit an axe-wielding one. With the invitation to become a member of the Brotherhood, and with Beric directly echoing sentiments of ‘doing more help than harm,’ that Brother Ray lived by, perhaps what we’re seeing IS the skewed path of redemption that we discussed last week, into a type of robin-hood-esque character, that starts to place more value on life, implied by how many and how brutally he is allowed to kill Lem and his men.

Meanwhile, the long-awaited reunion of Brienne and Jaime is underway, as she and Pod arrive at Riverrun at Sansa’s behest in an attempt to recruit the Blackfish. Operating under a temporary alliance, Jaime allows Brienne to talk with Blackfish in an attempt to remove him and his men from the castle, the same objective that she needs in order to contribute to the growing war-efforts for the imminent Battle of the Bastards. There’s a touching moment however, that provides revelation to the characters – and to us – that if it comes to it, Brienne and Jaime will be on opposing sides, and will have to fight – if necessary – to the death. What we’re seeing here is a culmination of build-up and anticipation, a final release (that is, if they don’t meet again) of confusion, affection and respect for one another, that even led Jaime to call into question whether or not to betray his house; something the Lannister’s (typically) don’t do or take lightly. It’s at this moment in time where Brienne goes to return Oathkeeper to Jaime, when he refuses, stating that it will always be hers. It’s an emotional, profound and oddly sanguine moment that seems to imply the man that Brienne knew him to be is not the man he is now; this is a farewell. If Oathkeeper embodied a part of Jaime, it was well and truly gone when he insisted that Brienne keep it.

All of this is further emphasised by the conversation that Jaime has with Edmure later in the episode where he declares that he would mow down every Tully soldier if it meant returning to Cersei; that she is the only reason he keeps going. This is of course, wonderfully juxtaposed with what’s happening in King’s Landing at the same time, where it seems the only thing keeping Jaime going may not last til the season’s end, but we shall see. More on this later in the article. Upon threatening Edmure that he will catapult his son into Riverrun, Jaime instructs him to return to the castle and to tell his men to lay down arms, simply letting the Lannister’s walk in, preventing – disregarding the stubborn and insistent Blackfish – any bloodshed, a promise that Jaime made to Brienne, and who seems disappointed to eventually learn wasn’t entirely fulfilled.

The conversation that Jaime has with Edmure seems entirely sincere and what we’re seeing is Jaime in all of his facets. It’s a conversation that seems to pay homage to the same one that Catelyn had with Jaime when he was her prisoner, a woman he has grown to respect and admire. Though, as Brienne fails her mission, and as the Blackfish fails his, leading to the Frey’s of all people, winning, it seems that this does provide some significant disadvantages for our heroes in the North. With their Great Uncle now dead, and no Tully army to seemingly assist them, their numbers are still low, and it will be no surprise is Sansa is forced to ask Littlefinger for assistance, if she didn’t already last episode.  It’s not completely out of the realm of possibility that some of the Tully men might catch wind of the situation though, and decide to run to assist, but in that unlikely event, it will simply be – maximum – just a few men. The entirety of Jaime and Brienne’s relationship feels it has come to an end with the heart-wrenching, mournful wave they exchange as she and Pod row down the river to escape, and with that, we’re left wondering whether their paths will ever cross again, and how the future of the North will play out.

In Meereen

There seems to be little worry with the world’s most recognisable dwarf, Missandei and Grey Worm, where everything is apparently great now that Tyrion has brokered peace with the Masters of Slaver’s Bay. Peace has set in within the city, so much so that Varys decides to head back to Westeros stating that Daenerys is going to need friends in Westeros if she is going to efficiently conquer the seven kingdoms. We get a glimpse into the personal philosophies of Grey Worm and Missandei as they’re probed by Tyrion and why they refuse to drink. Grey Worm, a military man, has been instructed never to drink, and seeking to regain the humanity they’ve stripped from him, he chooses to drink with Missandei and Tyrion. Missandei herself seems to have a pretty low tolerance, and sooner rather than later, she finds herself – as does everyone else in the room – glowing with a light buzz.

Not before long, in It’s Always Sunny in Meereen, it’s generally… Not so sunny, or great, despite the huge boom in trade and popularity, and generally what feels like a recovering city in the wake of an absent ruler. Notably, the title of each episode usually ties in with one particular character, but is also usually applicable to all characters that are highlighted in the episode in one capacity or another. ‘No One,’ here, obviously refers to Ayra’s story first and foremost, but may also be the answer to ‘Who is in control of Meereen?’ With that in mind, it begins to conjure questions like ‘When the heck is Daenarys going to turn up again?’ and ‘Where the hell are all the Dothraki going to stay?’

Overall, It has, however, been long enough for the people of Meeren – and the Masters of Slaver’s Bay – to realise that Daenerys may not be coming back, and knowing this – to everyone’s surprise – the Masters pledge a full force naval assault on the city in an attempt to claim back their property. Just seconds before the sigil on the masts of the ship register in my mind, I thought Yara and Theon had arrived, but the fact that they haven’t yet makes a very interesting set of events that are yet to unfold in the coming episodes. Especially considering Daenerys just landed on the roof with Drogon. Wait… What?
With the power of dragons on her side, the inevitable arrival of Theon and Yara (who are assumed to pledge allegiance to Daenerys), and the clash of the Unsullied, the Second Sons, presumably the Sons of the Harpy, and the Masters of Astapor, Yunkai and the rest of Slaver’s Bay, we’re seeing a far bigger battle than expected about to hit our screens.

At King's Landing

It’s not long before we see far more of the Faith Militant and the heavy-handed influence that the High Sparrow is accumulating. Led by Lancel, and with Tommen’s blessing, the Faith Militant have infiltrated the Red Keep to take Cersei to the sept, not that it matters however because she is adamant that she isn’t going. Threatened by the Faith Militant, we finally get to see the culmination of her hatred in physical form when Qyburn’s monster steps up to the plate and full on rips a guys spine and head from his body. All because Cersei had one of the most badass lines of the season ‘I choose violence.’ Was it just me that yelled ‘FATALITY’ at the TV?

The rest of the Faith Militant quickly back down and Cersei remarks that the High Sparrow is free to come to the Red Keep to see her as he pleases. One thing’s for certain, she certainly isn’t humble about her singular win. Whether it comes back to haunt her, that’s a another matter. Suddenly, she’s turning heads, and for all the wrong reasons. Either everybody is completely aware of the Mortal Kombat situation the occurred several halls down, or everyone seems to be completely aware of Cersei’s fate. Turns out she isn’t going to get to have a trial by combat after all, and in one swift moment, the future of her character is under immediate and critical threat. Then, in a last-ditch turn of events, Qyburn reports to Cersei about the “rumor” that she ordered him to investigate, and he remarks that it is “more, much more,” to it than previously expected.

What is it? That’s what we need to know. Is it a secret that is being held by the High Sparrow? Something about who he previously was? An alternative theory however, is that if Cersei is going out, she’s taking out the Faith Militant with her, and with that in mind, she may have assigned Qyburn to look into the secret stash of King Aerys’ dragonfire that Tyrion had sealed up. For those that have forgotten, dragonfire is the green napalm that Tyrion used to help defend King’s Landing from Stannis’ fleet back in the battle of Blackwater in season two, to great success.

In Braavos

In Braavos, skilled actress and once-target Lady Crane gives yet another standing-ovation-worthy performance, only to return backstage to find Arya hiding in her dressing room, slowly bleeding out. Before long, Crane takes Ayra back to her living quarters and bandages her up. There’s an ominous sense in the air that at any moment, the Waif may track Ayra down, whether it’s under the guise of Lady Crane, or some old-woman with the reflexes of Daredevil. Completely understandably, Ayra is unsure about whether to take the milk of the poppy and doing so would put her at significant risk.

Shortly after she wakes up, Lady Crane leaves the room, and tension builds, in a split second, we wonder whether she has been brutally murdered, or the assumed Faceless Man that has appeared in her doorway has in fact been fought off. When Ayra investigates, she’s shocked – Lady Crane wasn’t supposed to suffer, but as Ayra broke the code of her contract, she is exposed to a violent death as a form of punishment. Then everything just gets thrown out of the window – including Ayra, who throws herself. The Waif quickly follows, and turns into a full-on Terminator as she chases down a fleeing Ayra. It turns out that Ayra has run all the way back to the place that she’s seemingly squatting in, leading her there, where prey turns to predator and in doing so, we’re ominously led to the House of Black and White, where Jaqen follows a trail of blood. Soon, we’re completely unsure as to whose face is mounted in the Hall of Faces, that is before Ayra is seen to be behind Jaqen with needle to his chest. When he tells her that she is truly ‘no one,’ she proclaims arguably an even more badass line than Cersei, ‘I am Ayra Stark of Winterfell, and I’m going home.’

Obviously the implications of this are, if she’s quick about it, that she may be able to see Jon and Sansa, and if the Lady Stoneheart theory pans out – her currently dead mother. Try and tell me that won’t make for an interesting dynamic! If she takes her time however, she may arrive to find her beloved relatives dead, or worse.  What we see here is Ayra’s story in full circle. Even when she was back in Winterfell in the early seasons, her entire story was revolving about her running from herself, not knowing who she was, and ultimately, she set out on a journey so she could discover who she is – and now, she has. I’d even wager that if she goes back to the House of Black and White at all that she may be welcomed back, provided Jaqen still leads it, of course. Now it’s all a matter of timing, and unfortunately – our game is the waiting one.

We want to hear your thoughts, so please feel free to discuss with us, and enjoy the seven sleeps between this episode and the next but remember, the night is dark and full of terrors. Until next time.

Game Of Thrones airs on HBO in North America, and Sky Atlantic in the UK and Ireland.

A 20-something scribbler with an adoration for space, film, existentialism and comic books. He consumes the weight of the Empire State Building in tea, enjoys the buzz of large cities and can blow things up with his mind.

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