Game of Thrones returned with “The Red Woman” written by the creative team of David Benioff and DB Weiss and directed by Jeremy Podeswa. And we learned definitively that Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) is really, truly dead. Whether or not he can be brought back to life, however, remains an open question. The episode is once again brilliantly written, acted and directed with lush and lavish sets. I was particularly struck by the wonderful parallels between the various storylines. The episode was dominated by the theme of a changing of the guards with new allegiances and new forces moving into positions of power.
The episode begins at the wall. We hear Ghost howling as dawn breaks, but there seems to be no one on watch as the camera slowly pans in to Jon Snow, lying dead in the snow. Davos (Liam Cunningham) is awake and comes out to investigate the howling. He sees the Lord Commander and runs to him, but it’s too late. Jon’s friends finally arrive and carry him inside.
Ed (Ben Crompton) closes Jon’s eyes. He knows it was Alliser (Owen Teale). Davos asks how many Ed can trust, and Ed says just the men in the room. That would be two loyal Night’s Watchemen for those counting. Davos asks if the wolf trusts Ed, saying they’ll need all the help they can get.
Melisandre (Carice van Houten) knocks and is admitted. She is still subdued and looks upon Jon’s face. She says that she saw him in the flames. Fighting at Winterfell. Davos points out that he can’t speak for the flames, but Jon is gone. Is she subdued because she knows that she is going to have to perform the ultimate sacrifice to honor what she’s seen in the flames?
Meanwhile Alliser is solidifying his hold over Castle Black by addressing the Night’s Watch. The men are incensed and want to know who has killed their Lord Commander. Alliser admits it outright to cries of murderers and traitor. He admits that they’ve committed treason, and then asserts that he’s never disobeyed an order – I still want to know how he justifies that in light of killing his Lord Commander. He tells those assembled that loyalty is the foundation on which the Watch is built. He goes on to say that Jon was going to destroy the Watch – and Alliser had given his life to the Watch – it means everything to him. Alliser justifies himself: “Jon Snow did what he thought was right but would have ended the Watch. He thrust a terrible choice on us and we made it.” Cleverly shifting all blame onto Jon.
Back in Davos’ room, we get a close up of Ghost despondently nudging at Jon with his nose. Dire wolves are supposed to possess the ability to join with their human. There has been lots of speculation that Jon’s soul may be being held within Ghost – so that’s one possibility for Jon to come back to life. Meanwhile, however, Davos and the others discuss their next moves.
Ed is committed to having revenge on Alliser. Davos points out that Jon would not have wanted his friends to die for nothing, but Ed tells him, “If you were planning to see tomorrow, you picked the wrong room.” But Davos – of course – has a plan. They aren’t the only ones who owe Jon their lives. Ed agrees to go for the Wildlings while the others stay with Jon. Dealing with the bodies of the dead is also a theme in this episode.
We move from Jon’s dead body to Ramsey (Iwan Rheon) mourning over Myranda’s body. I was struck again by what a good actor Rheon is to walk the fine line that he does with Ramsey. He actually had me feeling a little sorry for him as he talked about meeting a fearless Myranda at age 11. Even though he was just a little older than she was, everyone else was already afraid of him – but not her. It’s not hard to see them as kindred spirits – and to hope that there are no more sadists around like them! He seems almost on the verge of tears when he’s interrupted with the question of what to do with the body. He is completely callous as he says, “Buried, burned. She’s good meat. Feed her to the hounds.” She is dead and of no more use or thought to him as he leaves the room. Is this simply a soldier’s way?
Roose (Michael McElhatton) seems to be praising Ramsey for his recent victory over Stannis, but it quickly becomes clear that he’s being sarcastic and has no admiration for the victory. He asks Ramsey if he feels like a victor – his victory is nothing because it wasn’t against prepared troops like the Lannisters will bring. Roose is angry that Ramsey has lost both Sansa (Sophie Turner) and Theon (Alfie Allen). They need Sansa to rally the North to their cause and no doubt Theon is still holding the Iron Islands at bay. Roose then threatens to take everything away from Ramsey. After all, without Sansa, Ramsey cannot produce a legitimate heir, and Roose intimates that if Lady Walda has a son, Ramsey will be cut out again and left with nothing.
From here, we cut to Sansa and Theon running for their lives through the snow covered landscape. It’s Theon that keeps her going, urging her on even to crossing the icy river to escape from the hounds. They finally take shelter beneath a fallen tree and she takes comfort in Theon’s arms. But their rest is short-lived as the hounds and soldiers find them.
Theon is ready to sacrifice himself for Sansa and tells her to go on without him – to head north and only north. He finally tells her that Jon is Lord Commander at Castle Black and to head there. Which of course, begs the question of whether this is where they will go – which will now be a big mistake! My only quibble with the show is that I’m getting a big sick of everyone missing the person they are looking for! Regardless, Theon steps out to the guards, knowing that he will be tortured – and possibly killed – though death would likely be the mercy.
Naturally, the hounds also find Sansa – and then Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) and Podrick (Daniel Portman) arrive. I loved the music over this scene, and particularly the strings that emphasized Brienne’s appearance. In fact, this sequence may have been my favorite scene in this episode.
Theon seems to have found himself again and picks up a sword, backing up to protect Sansa while Brienne and Podrick take on the entire group. Podrick takes down one, while Brienne takes out the leader, though she is momentarily stunned by their clash. She does managed to slash his throat with his own knife when he is trapped under his horse. Meanwhile, Podrick is disarmed and is about to be killed when Theon actually steps in and saves him!
Sansa emerges, and Brienne immediately kneels and lays her sword at Sansa’s feet. She tells her: “Lady Sansa. I offer my services once again. I will shield your back and keep your counsel and give my life for yours if need be. I swear it by the old gods and the new.”
This time Sansa is not going to refuse – she’s learning. She looks at Theon first, however, and he nods before she says, “And I vow… that you shall always have a place by my hearth … and…” And here Podrick steps in to prompt her with “and meat and mead at my table.” Sansa continues, “and meat and mead at my table and I pledge to ask no service of you that might bring you dishonor. I swear it by the old gods and the new. Arise.” And the two lock eyes as Brienne rises. Anybody else wondering if Sophie Turner is almost as tall as Christie now? I simply adore these two together! And I’m looking forward to them kicking some serious ass…
The scene transitions to Jaime’s (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) return to King’s Landing. It’s significant that we move from Brienne to Jaime and from one released captor to another with Cersei (Lena Headey). Cersei is overjoyed to hear that a ship has arrived from Dorne and runs to the shore to greet her daughter. Headey is wonderful as we watch her joy turn to grief as her eyes fill with tears. Yet, there’s something about her that seems to have been expecting it.
Once again, we have a discussion over what to do with a body, and it’s a telling contrast to Ramsey’s disposal of Myranda. Cersei asks Jaime if he remembers the first dead body he ever saw – it was their mother. Cersei is consumed by the horror of what will happen to Myrcella’s body. Jaime, however, tells Cersei that Myrcella is gone and she’s not suffering – no one can hurt her again. Is this the soldier’s practical view again?
Cersei laments the loss of her daughter – the one pure thing that she produced that might have proven that she is not a monster. She tells Jaime about the witch’s prophecy – how she would have three children and live to see all of them die. But Jaime refuses to despair and he tells her, “Fuck prophecy! Fuck fate! Everything they’ve taken from us, we’re going to take back!”
We move from one escaped prisoner to the Queen still imprisoned as Septa Unella (Hannah Waddingham) reads scripture to Margaery (Natalie Dormer). Unlike Cersei, Margaery does not seem to have been broken. She at first asks to see her brother and then demands it as Queen! When Unella moves to strike her, however, Margaery retreats cowering to the corner of her cell.
Unella is interrupted by the appearance of the High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce) who calls her off. He promises to speak to Unella about her over-zealousness. Margaery once again asks after her brother – she never once asks about her husband. The High Sparrow, on the other hand, says that he hasn’t come to talk about Sir Lorus. Margaery’s husband misses her dearly. He tells her that the love between a husband and wife is sacred. It reflects the love the gods have for everyone. I’m again struck that the Faith of the Seven would be more at home in North Carolina than King’s Landing. The High Sparrow urges her to confess – it’s the only way to purge our sins.
Margaery says she has nothing to confess. But when the High Sparrow presses her and asks her if she is pure and without sin, she replies that none of us are. She looks thoughtful, and the High Sparrow obviously takes this as a good sign. He tells her that she’s started down the path, but still has many miles to go. I’m sure that Margaery is going to find a way to get out without having to atone for her sins the way that Cersei did. That said, once she does get out, I’d really like to see Margaery and Cersei work together to bring down the Faith of the Seven. It is hard not to like Pryce as the High Sparrow – he does seem to be genuinely devout. Unella, on the other hand, needs a nice slow death!
While King’s Landing experiences somewhat of a stalemate in ruling between Church and State, we move to Dorne, which is undergoing a coup. I was very disappointed by the events in Dorne. Doran (Alexander Siddig) is mourning the death of Myrcella and waxing poetic about his own dead brother – Oberyn was meant to be an adventurer while he was meant to be a ruler. Yet he is completely blindsided by Ellaria’s (Indira Varma) betrayal. Ellaria tells Doran that he doesn’t know his own people – and therefore doesn’t deserve to rule. Doran begs her to spare his son, but Ellaria tells him that he’s weak and Dorne will never be ruled by weak men again!
While Ellaria kills Doran, Tyene (Rosabell Laurenti Sellers) kills Areo (Deobia Oparei). I was most disappointed by this as I was looking forward to more from Siddig and Oparei. None of the sandsnakes have yet to impress me with their acting abilities. The other two snakes (Keisha Castle-Hughes and Jessica Henwick) go to Trystane (Toby Sebastian). They tell him they are there to kill him. Unlike the dichotomy we’ve previously seen between the men and women, in this instance, it’s the man who is concerned about not hurting his relatives. When he finally does choose one to fight, the other dishonorably stabs him through the face from behind. Another wonderful, violent Game of Thrones moment!
Tyrion (Peter Dinklage,) in contrast to Doran, completely understands the value in understanding the people you are trying to rule. Much to Varys’ (Conleth Hill) discomfort, Tyrion insists that they go for a walk amongst the people – disguised as merchants for their own safety, however! I always love the banter between these two, and Varys points out that Tyrion walks like a rich man, like he owns the paving stones he’s stepping on.
There’s a wonderful scene as Tyrion stops and tries to give money to an obviously destitute mother (Sabina Arthur). He holds out a coin, saying “For your baby. To eat.” And makes hand gestures like he’s eating. Varys proves his worth when he steps in and in perfect Meereenese tells her the money is for her to feed her baby. It’s also the perfect illustration that Varys, who came from the streets – he grew up recognizing how the rich walked so he could steal from them – knows the people better. He is literally acting as translator for Tyrion.
The two literally read the signs of the city’s unrest as they walk through it. They see graffiti on the wall that says “Kill the Master” and under that “Mysa (mother) is a Master.” Tyrion points out that Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) is not as popular as she once was. Tyrion sees that it’s not just the Sons of the Harpy that they have to worry about. The come upon a man speaking to a crowd. He is urging them to take control of their lives now that their Queen appears to have abandoned them.
Tyrion remarks that this talk of fighting for their own freedom, “is a problem.” Varys and Tyrion wander through an empty and messy market square. Tyrion points out that “Fear is a problem leading to a standstill.” Everyone is afraid that they are going to be murdered. Without commerce, the city will die and slide further into chaos. People need to eat and work. Tyrion, however, says “We can’t fight an enemy we don’t know.” And that is almost and exact echo of what Ellaryia says to Doran.
Varys points out that the Harpy attack was well orchestrated so they must have a leader. Naturally, Varys has his spies looking to see who it is. As they talk, the alarm bells start going off and everyone is running from the harbor. When Tyrion and Varys get there, they see that all the ships are on fire. Tyrion remarks that none will be sailing for Westeros any time soon. Of course, this means trade is also cut off – not just that Daenerys can’t lead an invasion.
The action cuts to Daario (Michiel Huisman) and Jorah (Iain Glen) riding after their Queen. These two are pretty amusing together as they both ride after the Queen they love. Daario is not subtle when he says that he hopes he’ll be like Jorah when he gets old – and asks Jorah outright why he keeps coming back when he keeps getting rejected! We get a nice shot of Jorah looking at his arm – he’s getting worse. The two find the site where Daenerys was taken and both conclude the Dothraki have her when Jorah finds her ring. A quick shout out to Glen’s riding ability – that horse he was on did not look like he was making it easy for his rider.
Meanwhile, Daenerys is being forced to march beside her captures as they make lewd comments about her. The one concludes that she is an idiot – because she has yet to speak. This she saves for Khal Moro (Joseph Maufahu). It felt a lot like she kept looking up, hoping and waiting for Drogon to save her.
It was nice to be back amongst the Dothraki – I’ve missed them! Khal Moro’s wives (Rubi Ali and Fola Evans-Akingbola) are immediately jealous of Daenerys’ beauty and conclude she is a witch and that Khal Moro should behead her. I loved Khal Moro remarking that the best thing in life was seeing a beautiful woman naked for the first time and his men pointing out that defeating another Khal, conquering a city, or taming a wild horse were better. Khal Moro rolls his eyes and revises his statement that it’s “among the five best things in life.”
As Khal Moro goes to rip off Daenerys’ dress, she shocks them all by saying in perfect Dothraki, “Do not touch me!” She then finally introduces herself: “I am Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targareon, First of her name, the Unburnt, Queen of Meereen, Queen of the Andals, Rhoynar and First Men, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Seas, Breaker of Chains and the Mother of Dragons.” It’s a pretty impressive resume – but Khal Moro isn’t impressed. He tells her she’s no one and he will lie with her that night.
Daenerys finally pulls out the Khal Drogo card – which I would have thought they might have pieced together from the Khaleesi of the Great Grass Seas. Khal Moro immediately states, “Forgive me. No one will touch you.” He finally cuts her free. However, he’s also not taking her back to Meereen. The widow of a Khal must go to The Temple of the Dosh Khaleen to leave out her days with the other widows. Daenerys looks worried.
The episode then moves to another woman being forced to live out her days in a ways she had not expected. A blind Arya (Maise Williams) is begging on the street. We hear snatches of conversation but no whole sentences. Suddenly, Waif (Faye Marsay) is there, wanting to know, “are you listening blind girl? Do any of them talk to you?” Arya has truly become nobody now. But she also isn’t listening – like Doran. However, as a blind beggar, she could be a real asset as a spy and assassin. No one would suspect her and their guard would be completely down.
Waif gives Arya a stick and then attacks her. Arya seems to have completely forgotten her training and strikes wildly while Waif beats her, leaving her bruised and bloody. Waif promises to visit Arya the next day. If Arya learns to listen, can she become a fighter again? Will her other senses heighten to make up for her loss of sight?
Finally, we return to Castle Black. Alliser comes to offer a deal. If the men lay down their arms by sundown, he’ll give them all amnesty. He’ll let Davos ride south on a fresh horse. Davos surprises Alliser by asking for mutton – he’s not much of a hunter and he’ll need food for the trip. Alliser agrees to provide the food and even allows that Davos can take the Red Woman with him if he likes – or not.
Davos and the other aren’t fooled. They know if they open the door, Alliser will simply slaughter them. Given that we see men positioned all around the courtyard with bows aimed at the door, I’d say he’s 100% right – after all, Alliser isn’t going to suddenly start being honorable! The other men think that Ed is their only chance, but Davos says they shouldn’t underestimate the Red Woman. They haven’s seen her do what he’s seen her do.
And then we have that shocking scene. Melisandre looks at herself in the mirror and removes her dress, admiring her body. She then removes her necklace and as she takes it off, the central stone glows red. However, she looks in the mirror again and we see her true form – she is really a very old woman! What does this mean? Could she give the power in the stone to Jon to bring him back? Would that spell the end of her own false youth? Would it kill her outright?
This was a wonderful episode, and I loved how the various storylines wove together. It’s easy to see the directions that many characters will go in. Jaime and Ramsey seem bent on war. Sansa, Cersei, Margaery seem bent on revenge and they are joined by Daenerys in needing to return to power. Dead bodies abound – Jon, Marcella, Myranda, Doran, and Trystane. Will Ellaria be able to rule Doran? Will Tyrion be able to rule Meereen? Who will take control of Kings Landing – Tommen or the High Sparrow?
What did you think of the episode? Favorite scene or moment or line? Are you looking forward to the season? What would you most like to see? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
About the Author - Lisa Macklem
I do interviews and write articles for the site in addition to reviewing a number of shows, including Supernatural, Arrow, Agents of Shield, Agent Carter, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, The X-Files, Defiance, Bitten, Killjoys, and a few others! I'm active on the Con scene when I have the time. When I'm not writing about television shows, I'm often writing about entertainment and media law in my capacity as a legal scholar. I also work in theatre when the opportunity arises. I'm an avid runner and rider, currently training in dressage.
