I was left reeling at the end of the last episode as the potential death of a favourite character of mine hung in the air. Meanwhile, another character who saw his return to the show last episode renounced his renouncing of his previous violent life and set off on a path of revenge. After last week’s emotion and adrenaline-filled episode, this week’s “No One” helps strategically place nearly all the characters for the final lift off into the season’s finale in two week’s time. “No One” is directed by Mark Mylod, who also directed last week’s “The Broken Man”.
“No One” is named after Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) of course, who for the past two seasons has been bullied into giving up her personality in an effort to join the most prestigious of assassins, the Faceless Men. Alas, we’ve seen her fail time and again at this and as a result saw her develop a slight case of DID. When tasked to assassinate a travelling actress, she instead warns Lady Crane (Essie Davis) and as a result has to flee from the Faceless Men. Unfortunately for Arya, her old nemesis, the waif (whose previous duties included beating up Arya while she was blind) sets out to kills her and nearly succeeds. Luckily the episode opens up with Lady Crane enthralling a crowd with her acting skills (which for an actress in a show, inside a show – is quite better than most people on said show); she soon stumbles upon Arya and takes her in, stitching her up and giving her a place to rest. Alas for Lady Crane, anyone who in some way is remotely connected to Sean Bean is marked for death.
The waif (Faye Marsay) comes upon her, killing her and then begins chasing Arya through the streets of Braavos. As far as chase scenes go, this was quite gripping; the waif’s doggish grin of catching up to Arya is frightening, to say the least. With Arya bleeding from her stab wounds she soon wearily makes her way down a cobbled alleyway; only to brandish her sword Needle, extinguish a candle and kill the waif in the ensuing cut-to-black transition. Next, we’re back with Jaqen H’ghar (Tom Wlaschiha) and the gloomy house of Black and White where he comes upon the waif’s (still bleeding) face on the wall and with Arya pointing her sword straight at his chest. In a twist that everyone saw coming, Arya leaves the Faceless Men and Jaqen H’ghar, though this time it appears Jaqen isn’t going to send anyone to murder her. Ever since she buried her sword (instead of throwing it away) we knew that Arya was going to return to her homeland and she now will, but with some assassin skills to boot.
“A girl is finally no one”
Last week’s melancholy episode was one of my favourite in the show, mostly because it featured the Hound (Rory McCann). Alas for everyone’s scarred knight, the hippie community he was with was slaughtered by men from the Brotherhood without Banners, letting the Hound segue into killing once again. As a result, the Hound rampages around with an axe and witty one-liners killing four people before stumbling upon the Brotherhood without Banners, who are in the process of hanging the three men who set upon the Hound’s community. Making a return to the series is both Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer) and the red priest, Thoros of Myr (Paul Kaye). They let Clegane kick out the logs beneath two of the murders and then invite him for a spot to eat before Beric Dondarrion turns on his recruiter gimmick and tries to rope Clegane into the Brotherhood, something he seems to be making headway with. Unfortunately, still no Lady Stoneheart.
Meanwhile, the siege of Riverrun continues but a new party enters the fray: Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) and Podrick (Daniel Portman). The two have finally made their way down from Castle Black all the way to the Riverrun (mysteriously bypassing Winterfell and a Bolton army). Podrick and Bronn (Jerome Flynn) share a light felt moment, with the latter teaching the former dirty fighting tactics, which entail slapping Podrick. On the other hand, a curt but a quite emotional reunion between Jaime and Brienne ensues, with the former refusing to take back the sword Oathkeeper, telling Brienne it was a gift. Alas, despite her rather obvious feelings for Jaime, the latter states that if she fails in securing the surrender of Riverrun, she will be compelled to fight alongside the Blackfish (Clive Russell), to fight against Jaime. Unfortunately for Brienne, despite gaining access to Riverrun with Jaime’s blessing, that very blessing compels the Blackfish to not take her seriously. After much cajoling, the Blackfish ultimately states that he will not help his niece.
Outside the gates, Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) pays a visit to Lord Edmure Tully, who is currently a prisoner of the Freys. His weary conversation with Edmure (Tobias Menzies) highlights once again the great acting by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Some of the best writing this season has brought forth the whirlpool of emotions inside the Kingslayer, which naturally compels the viewer to empathise with his plight. Despite his trying to act honorably, he’s still viewed as untrustworthy and as an oathbreaker. Thus, when it comes down to the meat of it, the (probably) most loyal man in the Seven Kingdoms threatens to kill Edmure’s only child if he doesn’t march into Riverrun and tell the men to surrender. Edmure, who was never a fan favourite (remember when Robb Stark was rolling his eyes at his Uncle?), proceeds to enter the castle, despite the Blackfish telling the men not to listen to him, and then commands everyone to lay down arms. Thus, the siege of Riverrun ends without any bloodshed. Or nearly so. Rather than escape, the Blackfish goes down fighting off-screen. I don’t like this new change in the show’s cinematography. Great characters that could have potentially powerful moments often have those played off-screen, with nameless characters commenting on it after the fact. At least we get to see Jaime salute a fleeing Brienne and Podrick, who row away in a boat, with Brienne returning the salute, making for an emotional moment that obscures what could have been a great fight scene.
Cersei (Lena Headey) is having a tough time in King’s Landing. First, several Faith Militant, including her cousin Lancel Lannister (Eugene Simon), come to arrest her on orders of the High Sparrow and take her back to the Great Sept. Unfortunately for them, they didn’t take into account that Cersei is pretty much fed up with pandering to the whims of the Kingdom’s biggest zealot and the fact that she has a seven foot tall undead knight protecting her. Ser Robert Strong AKA Zombie Mountain (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson), rips of the face of one Faith Militant with ease, scaring the rest away and giving that one Faith Militant an express entry into the Faceless Men. Unfortunately, this doesn’t sit well with the King, who issues a royal decree stating that trial-by-combat is now illegal. As a result, Cersei must now face a jury of seven septons. It’s a crushing defeat for Cersei, who’s only hope of not being indicted was to have the Mountain kill any and all opposition. Luckily, there is some good news as Qyburn (Anton Lesser) tell’s her he found something, which we’ll have to wait and see.
Back in Essos, the city of Meereen is once more a bustling cosmopolitan hub thanks to the peace treaty brought about by Tyrion and the Masters. Red priests are on the streets spreading the word on how great Daenerys and her advisors are. However, allies are still sorely needed and as a result, Varys travels back to Westeros on a mysterious expedition. It’s sad seeing Varys depart, especially considering the fact that he was Tyrion’s only friend on both an intellectual and humorous level. As a result, Tyrion is back to trying to make both Missandei and Grey Wom come out of their shells, by making them drink wine and asking them for jokes. It’s a hilarious segment and I’m glad the showrunners are putting both theses characters in the limelight. Unfortunately, this is Game of Thrones and cheeriness is a foreign concept to the plot; the city of Meereen comes under attack from a fleet of ships sent by the Masters. The Unsullied, Grey Worm, and Tyrion mount a defense of the great pyramid and just when it looks like it’s going to be stormed, lo and behold, Daenerys enters. As far as dramatic entrances go, this one ranks near the top. It’s just a shame Drogon didn’t burn down the fleet of ships.
“No One” is a great episode that sets up the last two episodes of the season by bringing all the characters back into play and once again altering the balance of power in the Game of Thrones.
