After quite a shocking season premiere, it looks like the second episode of Game of Thrones isn’t slowing down as it brings us up to date with the characters absent in the first episode, revisits those that did, and sets up the staging points for our favourite characters and villains to spring off from. “Home” is directed by Jeremy Podeswa — who also directed the premiere episode — and is written by Dave Hill who has written numerous other episodes for the show.
Making the cut this time are the rest of the ensemble, and I’m glad they’re slowly introducing the characters this season — as opposed to lumping them all together in the first episode with barely any screentime. Home opens up with one we haven’t seen for ages: Brandon Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright), whose storyline had caught up to the books near the end of season 4, resulting in him being left out for the entirety of season 5. Now, however, the show’s creators have found a way to bring him back with an interesting story arc, as a segue to shoehorn in flashbacks from the time of young Ned Stark, his younger brother Benjen and his sister Lyanna Stark in their younger days, long before Robert’s Rebellion.
We can all see where this is going, and it’s probable that the creators are using Bran’s abilities to explore the backstories of characters in the show to flesh them out a lot more. I’m not sure if the Starks will be the main focus of these flashbacks; I’d love to see a young Jaime Lannister as well as his brother Tyrion. Bran doesn’t spend all his time in flashbacks this episode, however, as the Three-Eyed Raven (Max von Sydow) pulls him back to reality, warning him that experiencing constant flashbacks may not be the best for his health. His mental health isn’t the only one’s in question, as we’re shown Meera Reed (Ellie Kendrick) brooding after the death of her brother Jogen last season. While she seems inconsolable, one of the Children of the Forest reminds her that Bran needs her protection when he leaves their current abode, and to be honest I can’t wait to see Ellie Kendrick in all her kickass glory.
But while the flashbacks of Winterfell showed it in hearty times, the present is anything but. News has reached Roose Bolton (Michael McElhatton) that the riders Ramsay sent out to recapture Sansa were found dead (by Brienne’s hands). To compound his failure, the Maester Wolkan (Richard Rycroft) appears to announce that Roose Bolton has a new son, whose legitimacy puts Ramsay’s inheritance in question. While I wholeheartedly expected Ramsay to do something about this new development, I didn’t expect him to be so quick about it. Alas for Roose Bolton, he’s stabbed by Ramsay after an embrace, much to the perturbation of the maester but oddly enough it didn’t seem to concern Harald Karstark (Paul Rattray) who takes the change in leadership of the Boltons without batting an eyelid. Perhaps the North is going to be ruled by the sons of traitors to the North? Roose’s death throws the whole powers struggle for the North into question now. Yes, Ramsay is brutal and accomplishes most of his goals with dirty tactics and fear, but his father is more methodological in his approach and takes into account the big picture, something I can’t see Ramsay doing with skill.
“I am Lord Bolton.”
Killing his father isn’t enough of course, as Ramsay then summons his father’s wife and newborn son to the courtyard, briefly holding his son before taking them into the kennels and having them ravaged and attacked by the hounds, thankfully all offscreen. It’s the brutal sort of psychopathic choice that I’ve come to associate with Ramsay, but I have to say the show’s writers will have to create new lows for Ramsay to reach. That said, I sincerely hope they stop with the scenes that are used to merely induce shock as opposed to serve as a plot point. It should also be noted that any allegiance the Boltons had with the Freys is probably in tatters.
Still on the run from Ramsay and heading for Castle Black is Sansa (Sophie Turner), Brienne (Gwendoline Christie), Theon (Alfie Allen) and Podrick (Daniel Portman). Not much happens in this short segment other than Brienne recounting to Sansa the time she came into contact with Arya, remarking that she wasn’t dressed like a lady, something that amuses Sansa. However, the scars of Ramsay are hard to shake off, and while Sansa endured him for a few weeks at most, Theon has been on the receiving end of Ramsay’s wrath for months. Alfie Allen does a fantastic job of portraying a man who’s scarred and we can easily see it in the twitchiness of Theon who trembles at the sound of horses neighing and who is ultimately a broken man, not wanting for forgiveness but wanting to go home, back to Pyke.
“I am the storm, the first storm and the last, and you’re in my way.”
Segueing into the Pyke arc we see Yara Greyjoy (Gemma Whelan) argue with her father over the merits of invading the North — and truth be told, her argument holds some weight. The Greyjoys and the ironborn in general have nothing to gain by invading the North, and everything to lose. However, pride is something that everyone in Game of Thrones suffers from, in particular Balon Greyjoy (Patrick Malahide) who orders more invasions to assuage his pride. By now, we should be used to death in Game of Thrones, as he comes across his brother Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk) on a rope bridge. Immediately from the get go we’re given the notion that the two aren’t the best of buds despite being brothers, and we’re treated to the megalomaniac that is Euron. It’s a great scene — one that climaxes with Balon being pushed of the bridge and to his death — whilst also introducing a prominent figure to the show who is (at the moment) shrouded in mystery. His introduction also sows the seeds for a power struggle between him and Yara, one we’re not sure how the show intends to resolve.
To the south and in King’s Landing, the wake for Myrcella (Nell Tiger Free) is observed by Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman) with the former chastising the latter for not letting his mother mourn with them. Tommen however reveals that Cersei wasn’t allowed in the Sept in the first place by the High Sparrow; he goes on to indulge in his failures of not protecting Margery and his mother from the High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce). In all honesty Tommen’s character never seemed to have any backbone — especially when compared to Joffrey — and his wallowing in despair supports that. However, Jaime tells him to go talk to his mother, which leads to him crying on her shoulder and asking her to teach him to be strong. Alas it’s possible that the sweet Tommen we know may morph into someone more akin to Joffrey.
“We all fail sometimes.”
Jaime meanwhile lets his fury about the treatment of Cersei be known to the High Sparrow — as he nearly kills him — before being surrounded by members of the Faith Militant. Once again, Jonathan Pryce’s acting conveys a sense of superiority in the face of sheer dominance by being his humble self. If anything, the High Sparrow sells a powerful narrative, stating that the weak and powerless can topple an empire. I doubt the High Sparrow intends to merely ensure everyone behaves well in King’s Landing; why stop at a city when there’s an entire kingdom?
Across the Narrow Sea, in Braavos, we’re once again given a minute of Arya (Maise Williams) having the life beaten out of her. Just when I expected this to be Arya’s role for the entire season, everyone’s favourite assassin Jaqen H’ghar makes an entrance and brings Arya back into the fold after the very obvious “we have taken away your sight, how will you cope” assassin induction test. Not much else can be said about this segment other than Arya needs a change of clothes.
Meanwhile in Meereen, after a humorous and enlightening conversation about dragons with Varys (Conleth Hill), Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson) and Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel), Tyrion takes it upon himself to head down to the two remaining chained up dragons and attempt to free them. After the deaths we’ve seen so far, it’s quite the nerve wracking scene as we expect Tyrion to be incinerated any second — but lo and behold, he manages to unchain them, remarking to Varys to stop him from doing anything stupid in the future. It’s quite an intriguing scene, one that was apparently written by Peter Dinklage himself. However, while it is quite a humorous scene, it detracts from the calculative personality of Tyrion who wouldn’t do something as brash as this.
“That’s what I do, I drink and I know things.”
But of course, the climactic moment of the episode took place back in Westeros, at Castle Black. Just as men of the Night’s Watch are about to break into the room that has Jon Snow’s (Kit Harrington’s) body — which is being guarded by his direwolf Ghost, Ser Davos and other faithful men of the Night’s Watch — someone starts knocking at the gate. It’s Wun Wun the giant, and behind him is an army of Wildlings who storm Castle Black, leading to most of the Night’s Watch surrendering, especially after one of them was smashed against a wall by Wun Wun. It’s a high adrenaline scene but seems poorly reasoned with. First off all, the reason the brothers of the Night’s Watch backed Ser Alliser Thorne was because they believed that Jon was wrong in letting the Wildlings live, so why would they hesitate at killing them?
While the rest of the traitors are bundled off to the prison, Ser Davos elicits Melisandre’s help to try and resurrect Jon Snow, something we’ve seen coming since the end of the last season. Melisandre is once again her young self — confusing the minds of men everywhere — but she is still conflicted with her religion, and as a result doesn’t wholeheartedly believe she can bring Jon back from the dead. However, Ser Davos convinces her to try and thus begins the most butt cheek clenching, climactic moment of the show so far. As the crescendo of the music rises in the background, we see Melisandre do her best to resurrect Jon before ultimately giving up. As people filter out of the room, Ghost perks his head up and we’re given a split second of Jon Snow gasping for air before we’re brutally cut to the end credits.
Jon Snow is back.
Now I’m going to put aside the fact that the show that has characters “who are never too big enough to be killed” are bringing back one of those characters and speculate on the impact his return will have on the show. First of all, I doubt the rest of the Night’s watch (and even the Wildlings to an extent) will be greeting Jon back with open arms; they are after all fighting a war with an undead army and they may react to Jon as they would to a White Walker. Furthermore, with Jon being brought back to life, I think it’s safe to say that this is one character we can expect to see throughout the show all the way to its end.
