If you feel you missed some crucial details on this week’s episode, we’re here to fill you in.
The rare cold open on Game of Thrones usually signals a special episode. The Broken Man followed suite after the incredible opening reveal. Not because there were any bombastic moments or reveals — many storylines were eschewed in order to focus on introducing new characters. It was a strange time in the season for this episode, but despite the sheer amount of confusing moments and character reintroductions, The Broken Man remained a compelling episode that continues to push the second half of this season towards greatness.
The Broken Man must have been a treat for book readers. A lot of locations and characters this week weren’t clarified for all viewers so, in lieu of a traditional review, here’s some quick explanation.
Ian McShane’s character was Brother Ray, a septon who spreads word of The Faith of The Seven, one of the most commonly worshipped in Westeros. The Hound took up with their company to presumably live a peaceful life… unfortunately The Brotherhood Without Banners had to screw that one up. These guys were formed by Ned Stark in order to protect common folk from the Lannisters. Seems they have gone rogue, or at least have ulterior motives. The entire sequence was the highlight of the episode and both The Hound an the Brotherhood are sure to play a major role in the conflict at Riverrun.
Speaking of, that is where Jamie and Bron ended up in a plot that fans have long awaited. Edmure Tully is the younger brother of Catelyn Stark and uncle to the remaining Starks. He has not been seen since The Red Wedding. His role is still unclear, but he is currently being used as a bargaining chip by the Freys to force surrender upon his uncle Brynden Tully (The Blackfish) who has no intention of giving up Riverrun. If Jamie and the Freys have their way, the Tully’s may go the way of House Baratheon.
That small but mighty girl Davos did such a badass job of reasoning with was Lyanna (named after the Stark) Mormont, cousin of Jorah. Her scene was excellent, and I sure hope to be seeing more of her in the coming episodes. As was the scene at Deepwood Motte, home of House Glover. The scenes played counter to each other, with each head of house having a reasonable explanation for the stance they took. It was cool to see Jon Snow finally in the recruiting phase. It made rejection all the more painful.
It was a great week for the women of Westeros. Aside from Lyanna being our new Arya, minus the suffering, real Arya seemed well on her way home before tragedy struck. The short scenes contained the most tension and left us with a “holy sh*t” cliffhanger that could have been the end of the episode. The paranoia of knowing every person could be wearing a different face may just be the death of her, or even worse scar her for life if she survives. Yara and Theon took to Volantis in the East. Yara once again proved herself the stronger of the Greyjoy’s after giving wicked ultimatum to her brother before going off to enjoy another woman’s company. Game of Thrones has had trouble dealing with women and their sexuality, so this sequence felt like a triumph in that regard. Margaery had a great episode. Her changes have been happening in the background amidst the chaos in King’s Landing, but the rose drawing given to her grandmother was a sign of the future. Her true intentions are a mystery, but getting Olenna to leave can only mean blood. So while the High Sparrow thinks he is slowly creeping up to Varys and Littlefinger levels of manipulation, it turns out the Tyrell’s still stand together after all. With the Lannister forces at Riverrun, the time to strike may be sooner rather than later.
The Broken Man was a very utilitarian episode of Thrones. It felt necessary to reintroduce new and forgotten houses and families. The return of Sandor Clegane was no surprise, but his self-contained side story served as the perfect vessel through which to pace the hour. If there was any doubt in your mind, this week confirms that this is the beginning of the end.
