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| ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 6, Episode 5: Hold the Door | ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 6, Episode 5: Hold the Door |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Hodor. | Hodor. |
| I guess “Mr. Hold T. Door” is more accurate, we now know. But he’ll always be Hodor to us. What’s that? Oh nothing, just some snow in my eye… | I guess “Mr. Hold T. Door” is more accurate, we now know. But he’ll always be Hodor to us. What’s that? Oh nothing, just some snow in my eye… |
| As with many epic sagas, the story and action in “Game of Thrones” are driven largely by characters moving toward and eventually becoming the people they are supposed to be. While we tend to focus on the big-ticket destinies, whether it’s Daenerys Targaryen emerging triumphantly from the flames last week or Jon Snow rising from the dead to fight again, the smaller figures have their own slots to fill. | As with many epic sagas, the story and action in “Game of Thrones” are driven largely by characters moving toward and eventually becoming the people they are supposed to be. While we tend to focus on the big-ticket destinies, whether it’s Daenerys Targaryen emerging triumphantly from the flames last week or Jon Snow rising from the dead to fight again, the smaller figures have their own slots to fill. |
| And so it went on Sunday, although “smaller figure” is perhaps not the best descriptor for the behemoth formerly known as Wyllis the Stable Boy. I’m not sure it makes sense to say Hodor realized his destiny on Sunday, because he’s been relaying said destiny repeatedly from the moment we met him. But I like to think, as the undead splintered the door and clawed at his face, the big fella had a supremely satisfying moment of existential clarity: “Oh so that’s what I’ve been saying this whole time!” | |
| The White Walker attack provided a tense and terrifying end to an episode mostly devoted to setting up future events. For Bran, the onslaught accelerated his Jedi time-traveling warg training, the Three-Eyed Raven’s murder like Obi Wan Kenobi’s Death Star demise in “Star Wars.” As he flees into the frozen wasteland, Bran must deal with the fact that not only did his most loyal companion just die (presumably) to save him, but that Bran, in a convoluted sense, doomed Hodor to his simpleton life by recklessly vision-questing on his own and drawing the White Walkers to the magical cave. | The White Walker attack provided a tense and terrifying end to an episode mostly devoted to setting up future events. For Bran, the onslaught accelerated his Jedi time-traveling warg training, the Three-Eyed Raven’s murder like Obi Wan Kenobi’s Death Star demise in “Star Wars.” As he flees into the frozen wasteland, Bran must deal with the fact that not only did his most loyal companion just die (presumably) to save him, but that Bran, in a convoluted sense, doomed Hodor to his simpleton life by recklessly vision-questing on his own and drawing the White Walkers to the magical cave. |
| We’ll have more on this later but right now let’s quickly review what else happened on Sunday. | We’ll have more on this later but right now let’s quickly review what else happened on Sunday. |
| • At Castle Black, Sansa, Jon, Davos and Brienne made plans to retake Winterfell with a loose coalition of northern houses, perhaps some of Uncle Blackfish’s Tully forces and whatever stragglers they can pick up along the way. Tormund is still smitten but sadly for both him and “Thrones” ‘shippers everywhere, it sounds like Brienne will be heading to Riverrun. Littlefinger and Sansa had their first meeting since he left Winterfell last season, and it went about as well as you’d think. You were either a monster or an idiot for leaving me with Ramsay, she said. Littlefinger pleaded idiot and he seemed sincere, but Sansa wasn’t in the forgiving mood. | • At Castle Black, Sansa, Jon, Davos and Brienne made plans to retake Winterfell with a loose coalition of northern houses, perhaps some of Uncle Blackfish’s Tully forces and whatever stragglers they can pick up along the way. Tormund is still smitten but sadly for both him and “Thrones” ‘shippers everywhere, it sounds like Brienne will be heading to Riverrun. Littlefinger and Sansa had their first meeting since he left Winterfell last season, and it went about as well as you’d think. You were either a monster or an idiot for leaving me with Ramsay, she said. Littlefinger pleaded idiot and he seemed sincere, but Sansa wasn’t in the forgiving mood. |
| • Dany, on the other hand, finally gave poor Jorah a taste of the Khaleesi kindness he’s been craving for as long as I can remember. He only had to get greyscale, battle his way through the fighting pits and nearly have his head caved in by a Dothraki to get it. But still, worth it! You’ll recall that Stannis actually found a way to stop Shireen’s greyscale before it got to Stone Men status. Too bad they’re all too dead to be of any use to Jorah. | • Dany, on the other hand, finally gave poor Jorah a taste of the Khaleesi kindness he’s been craving for as long as I can remember. He only had to get greyscale, battle his way through the fighting pits and nearly have his head caved in by a Dothraki to get it. But still, worth it! You’ll recall that Stannis actually found a way to stop Shireen’s greyscale before it got to Stone Men status. Too bad they’re all too dead to be of any use to Jorah. |
| • Arya has her eyes back but is still getting smacked around on a regular basis by the Waif, who has some serious class issues. Her grudge isn’t enough to keep Arya from getting a rare second chance from the Faceless Men, however, and wouldn’t you know it? A girl’s first gig as an official no one involves watching a third-rate theater troupe mocking the very thing she’s not supposed to care about anymore. What’s worse, they’ve mangled the story to the point that Ned is the clown and Joffrey seemed halfway sympathetic. Silver lining: She gets to kill the woman playing Cersei, a member of Arya’s kill list. So that sort of counts, right? | • Arya has her eyes back but is still getting smacked around on a regular basis by the Waif, who has some serious class issues. Her grudge isn’t enough to keep Arya from getting a rare second chance from the Faceless Men, however, and wouldn’t you know it? A girl’s first gig as an official no one involves watching a third-rate theater troupe mocking the very thing she’s not supposed to care about anymore. What’s worse, they’ve mangled the story to the point that Ned is the clown and Joffrey seemed halfway sympathetic. Silver lining: She gets to kill the woman playing Cersei, a member of Arya’s kill list. So that sort of counts, right? |
| • Speaking of reframing the narrative, Tyrion continues to embrace his role as Dany’s chief fixer and spin doctor. It’s not enough that things have calmed down in Meereen, he tells Varys; the citizens have to know it was the mother of dragons, breaker of chains, “and all that” who brought it about. Enter Kinvara, a green-eyed red priestess who favors the same chokers as Melisandre and thus might also be over 800 years old. She promised to use a crew of silver-tongued clerics to retail the message, and overcame Varys’s skepticism by recounting details from his mutilation as a lad. Kinvara was singing the same “the one we’ve been waiting for” song about Dany that Melisandre has been saying lately about Jon Snow, which suggests A. some interesting parallels between the two, or B. that’s pretty much the standard red priestess line. Didn’t you guys say that about Stannis, too? Varys asked. Kinvara: You win some, you lose some. | • Speaking of reframing the narrative, Tyrion continues to embrace his role as Dany’s chief fixer and spin doctor. It’s not enough that things have calmed down in Meereen, he tells Varys; the citizens have to know it was the mother of dragons, breaker of chains, “and all that” who brought it about. Enter Kinvara, a green-eyed red priestess who favors the same chokers as Melisandre and thus might also be over 800 years old. She promised to use a crew of silver-tongued clerics to retail the message, and overcame Varys’s skepticism by recounting details from his mutilation as a lad. Kinvara was singing the same “the one we’ve been waiting for” song about Dany that Melisandre has been saying lately about Jon Snow, which suggests A. some interesting parallels between the two, or B. that’s pretty much the standard red priestess line. Didn’t you guys say that about Stannis, too? Varys asked. Kinvara: You win some, you lose some. |
| • By the way, do we think Varys’s tormentor is still in that box in King’s Landing? | • By the way, do we think Varys’s tormentor is still in that box in King’s Landing? |
| Please check back for a more in-depth version of this recap. | Please check back for a more in-depth version of this recap. |