Just nine days remain until the season premiere of Game of Thrones! Today in our walk down Memory Lane, we take a look at an episode packed with eagerly anticipated moments. The debut of Euron Greyjoy, a heartbreaking return to Winterfell for Bran, and the resurrection of Jon Snow all feature in “Home.” Taking on the episode is another returning presence in the Lane, having taken part in last year’s GoT50. Please welcome back SirSquinty! – Sue the Fury
It’s wonderfully fitting that I write this from an airplane, on my way “Home” after an incredible stay at the first annual Con of Thrones. How even more fitting that this is the episode in which we were first introduced to young Hodor, played by Sam Coleman, a lovely chap of whom I had the pleasure of getting to know at the con. I even ran into him at the food court at the airport before we both headed our separate ways Home (the caps will remain for this memory lane’s duration, as you’ll soon see)!
This episode will of course be forever remembered for its closing shot where our beloved hero Jon Snow opens his eyes and breathes air once again. However, as far as season 6 episodes go, it’s actually one of the more slowly paced ones. With this in mind, I thought I’d play a little game with this Memory Lane. How many moments in this episode can I tie into the aptly titled “Home?” Before you go on reading, take a guess as to how many I’ll find, and see how well you do at the end! Fair warning – some are stretches…
![GOT602_073115_HS_DSC_9834[1]](https://watchersonthewall.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/GOT602_073115_HS_DSC_98341.jpg)
The episode marks the return of the Bran Stark storyline after an entire season on the backburner. We revisit Bran, who is now deeply entrenched in his training to become tree. Most exciting is of course learning of his powers to visit the past, which he does with the help of the Three-Eyed Raven (Max Von Sydow). For the first time we see Bran return to Winterfell, his family Home [one!]. It is here that we see young Ned, Benjen, Lyanna, and even little Wylis Hodor, who could then speak – WHAT?! Meera also expresses what I’ll classify as Homesickness [two!], due to her brother Jojen’s death, and the general meandering of #TeamBran. One major revelation we learn in this episode is that Bran cannot dawdle too long in the past or else bad things could happen…
Jaime returns Home [three!] to King’s Landing after a wayward (and narratively questionable) trip to Dorne in season 5. As you’ll remember, Myrcella was snatched from his fingertips just as he had begun to show signs of fatherhood. In an attempt to make up for what he lost with Joffrey and Myrcella, Jaime tries to impart some fatherly advice to Tommen. However, the High Sparrow and his crew creep up on them and surround them. “The gods won’t mind. They spill more blood than the rest of us combined,” quips Jaime when he believes he can intimidate the High Sparrow into submission. Still, he is no longer a match physically for the Sparrows who have taken up residence in and around the Red Keep. One might go as far to say as they have made themselves…feel…at Home [four?] Meanwhile, Cersei adjusts to her new imprisonment that she has come to call Home [five!]. That can’t be fun for her.
![20160421_ep602_Publicity_still_7_00121897[1]](https://watchersonthewall.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/20160421_ep602_Publicity_still_7_001218971.jpg)
Cutting over to the Daenerys storyline minus a Dragon Queen or two, Tyrion and #TeamDany engage over some dinner and drinks. Not one to sit idly by while enemies could storm the gates at any moment, Tyrion resolves himself to take action and decides to unchain Rhaegal and Viserion. As he does so, he recites his instantly famous monologue which includes the memorable line: “I’m here to help; don’t eat the help.” In doing so, Tyrion regales the dragons with a tale of when he was a boy back Home [six] and dreamed of one day meeting a dragon. Well, Tyrion – today’s your day.
Continuing on our tour through Essos, we come to Arya No One in her state of discomfort. The newly blind nobody is being abused by The Waif in the streets, and acquiring many new bruises and cuts along the way. Eventually, Jaqen H’ghar approaches her and continues to test her, inquiring incessantly into what her name is. When she refuses to be anyone other than No One, Jaqen brings her with him, returning her to the House of Black and White, a place she has learned to call Home [seven].
Back to Westeros in a flash we go, this time landing at Winterfell, where the Boltons have taken up residence. With the news that Lady Walda has borne a son, and feeling his inheritance threatened, Ramsay impulsively kills Papa Roose Bolton, against his better judgment. Ramsay – you shouldn’t a done that, buddy! Your daddio was the only thing keeping you tethered to sanity. Of course, Ramsay doesn’t take my advice and proceeds to feed his stepmother and new baby brother to his hounds, thus foreshadowing Sansa’s poetic justice later this season. Why does he do this? Someone had threatened Winterfell, Ramsay’s new Home [eight!] – what was the poor bastard Bolton to do?!
Naturally, following Ramsay, it only makes sense to catch up with Reek Theon and Lady Sansa Bolton Lannister Stark. Safely away from Ramsay’s hounds, the party sets course for The Wall so that Sansa can reunite safely with Jon, her last known vestige of Home [nine]. Theon, however can’t bring himself to face Jon after what he did to Winterfell and the farmer’s boys, and decides that he’ll be heading Home [ten!] to Pyke to reclaim whatever dignity he has left. It’s a sad parting but helps to set the upcoming Greyjoy storyline in motion.
![20160421_ep602_Publicity_still_20_00145954[1]](https://watchersonthewall.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/20160421_ep602_Publicity_still_20_001459541.jpg)
Yara pushes her father to exercise caution in his next battle plans, but Balon quickly shuts her down. He storms off stormily into the storm and encounters his brother Euron, Home [eleven!] at last after many years at sea. Balon and The Crow’s Eye spar for a moment, before Balon has an…accident. Yara swears vengeance on whomever killed her father, and lays her first claim to the Seastone Chair. Will she be the first woman to rule the Iron Islands?
![GOT602_072315_HS_DSC_8320[1]](https://watchersonthewall.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/GOT602_072315_HS_DSC_83201.jpg)
The episode finally closes on the storyline that everyone was begging for: back at The Wall, with a dead Lord Commander, Davos makes an 11 o’clock plea to Melisandre to conjure up some magic and try to revive Jon from the dead. Flashback to May 2016, when everyone sat on their couches collectively biting their nails as Jon lay there silently, Melisandre casting a spell on him, with the Snow loyalists standing around watching. After the supposed failed revival attempt, and the party leaves, the camera lingers on Jon and pans over to Ghost.
Just as seems like all hope is lost….HE’S ALIVE!!! Jon breathes like he ain’t never breathed before and the episode cuts to intense music, commemorating this amazing moment. I know hindsight is 20/20 and you “knew all along that Jon was coming back,” but this moment was still really great, and given all the pre-season hype of #KitHaringtonHairWatch, I think this was as strong as it could have been, all things considered. Welcome Home, Jon [twelve!]!
![20160421_ep602_Publicity_still_32_00161588[1]](https://watchersonthewall.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/20160421_ep602_Publicity_still_32_001615881.jpg)
All in all, I found 12 individual instances of a story point referring to “Home.” With which ones do you agree? With which do you disagree? Did you find any that I did not? What are your thoughts upon revisiting “Home”?
Notable Quotables:
“I’ve never been much of a fighter…Apologies for what you’re about to see.”
– Davos, on his preparation to combat Alliser Thorne’s men head on, before being rescued by the arrival of Edd and Wun Wun
“Next time I have an idea like that, punch me in the face.”
– Tyrion, to Varys reflecting on his terrifying plan to (successfully) unchain the dragons without any fireproof armor, or even nearby water
Other Highlights from the Episode:
• The Mountain had some good Mountain-y action, when he one-shot rammed a drunkard’s head into a brick wall, killing him instantly. Then again, this man was boasting all sorts of rumors about the Mountain’s beloved Cersei, so, one Mr. Undead Clegane was really just showing some loyalty is all.
• Turns out this was an episode for one-hit kills: Wun Wun doesn’t take too kindly to a Night’s Watchman shooting him in the back, so he grabs the marksman by the legs from the parapet and swings him like a baseball bat into the wall. His bloody remains splatter everywhere; he is very, very dead. Score 2 for 2 for our very large characters.
Welcome to the World:
• Baby Bolton
• Jon Snow
RIP:
• Roose Bolton
• Balon Greyjoy
• Fat Walda
• Baby Bolton
• A Night’s Watchman
• A King’s Landing drunkard
BeautifulDeath for “Home” : The Death of Roose Bolton
Who knew the secret to reviving Jon Snow was to give him a haircut?
Thanks Mel!
I’m been looking back to the Con and I have to say I can’t shake this amazing feeling that filled the air with sweetness. It feels like I’ve done some next level drug and I need more of it! It’s surreal because it’s just a hop, skip and a jump and we’re in Season 7 and surely this will fly by as well! Which is why we have to continue to enjoy these moments with only 13 episodes left. I’ve been thinking that it’s about the journey to and everything leading up to watching these amazing episodes! Ahhh the HYPE is real! Great read again Sue, Cheers
Lord Parramandas searching through his old history writings… The Red Woman… a bit further… Book of a Stranger… no that’s too far, a couple pages back… Ah, here it is:
Lord Parramandas’s second attempt to write a GoT review, but the positive vibe got the better out of him, written on May 2nd 2016
Amazing episode. I would love to write a full review but the episode really exhausted me (in a positive sense) so I will say just a few things:
First of all, I LOVED the fact that they didn’t overdramatise Jon’s resurrection or the wildlings’ attack. Yes, I know that a lot of people wanted to see Jon rising from a funeral pyre like a God reborn. I know that a lot of people wanted Ghost to rip out Olly’s throat and the wildlings kill ser Alliser. But this is Game of Thrones. There is no “good vs evil” and it is surely not a predictable show.
Ser Alliser continues to impress me. I was worried that the producers would go full villain on him but as far as I am concerned, his characterisation remained mostly the same.
About Jon’s resurrection, I think it was well done. Melisandre leaving, then Tormund, then Edd, then Davos… Only Ghost remained. Yes, it was surely expected, but still a nice moment. I actually thought for a second that Ghost died in order to bring back Jon.
Sansa and Theon: God! That hug really brought tears in my eyes. Nothing more to say.
Roose and Ramsay: My only issue about the scene is that I didn’t expect his death that soon. Nevertheless, Roose dying in the same manner as Robb was pretty satisfying. But Walda’s death… That was brutal. Karstark lord is a great addition to the show and he actually has reasons to follow the Boltons.
Balon and Euron: THAT’s the way to handle Balon’s death, not just a throwaway line. Both actors were great and Euron really has sinister presence. And as Mihnea said: No eyepatch!!!! I always judge actors by their performance, not by outlook. Another thing, I really liked the fact that Euron himself killed him, not some mysterious Faceless man. I will miss Patrick Malahide, even though his screen presence was brief.
Other scenes were good. King’s Landing, Winterfell flashback… perfectly fine. My only issue is Arya’s scene which was in my opinion too much like the first one.
I still have trouble ranking this episode. In my opinion, it rivals Kissed by Fire, which is my lowest 10-rated episode, currently on rank 13. I’m not so sure where to put this episode, but I think it will take place on rank 13 just below The Dance of Dragons, pushing Kissed by Fire to rank 14.
Side note: I really really hope that GoT Wikia will once return to its former fansite form. Although I LOVE Watchers on the Wall, I really miss a kind of encyclopedic page, which is not filled with countless comparison and rant articles. But with the certain administrator in charge, I know that is impossible. I really loved to edit articles, especially “Differences”.
“Score 2 for 2 for our very large characters”..,followed by a picture of XXL Walda.
Was that juxtaposition intentional sarcasm?
Flayed Potatoes,
I thought the secret to reviving Jon was to lay your hands on his magic abs, followed by a plaintive “Please!” (thereby channeling the collective daydreams of fangirls – and some fanboys – around the world).
4th favorite episode of season 6 for me behind Winds of Winter, Battle of the Bastards, and The Door.
I very much believe the 7.01 title will be announced today.
I’m so annoyed that almost every article like this needs a little remark about Dorne. People think they are very smart or objective if they bring up Dorne and how bad it was every time?
I will start calling Dorne the best storyline that was ever made just in spite of this non-stop circlejerk. Lol
Ten Bears,
You can’t do that if he’s dirty though. You have to give him a thorough sponge bath, cover him in a loincloth, and wash his hair with shampoo and conditioner.
At the time this aired I figured that the scene where Brienne tells Sansa about having met Arya was setting up Brienne being sent to look for Arya later in the season. That didn’t happen, so in retrospect it seems to have been written solely to show Sansa’s reaction, which is nice, because the show almost never includes things like that, especially with the Starks. Jon hasn’t so much as spoken Arya’s name since episode 102.
Roose goes out after once again warning Ramsay that his reckless disregard for norms and gratuitous cruelty will be his undoing, which turns out to totally not be the case, as Ramsay’s tactics work until the bitter end that had nothing to do with his behaviour.
Well of course you do. That goes without saying. Who’d pass up an opportunity like that? Certainly not Melisandre, who’s been obsessed with The Beefcake That Was Promised.
Re: “Home” – A stretch???
The Sansa-Brienne chit chat about Arya was a callback to Brienne’s [unfulfilled] sacred vow to Catelyn to bring her daughterS “home.”
It may also be the first time in five years Sansa has thought about her little sister and pictured how she looked back “home.”
Brienne: “I saw her with a man. I don’t think he hurt her. She didn’t want to leave him; he didn’t to leave her.”
Sansa: “You don’t know which way she went?”
Brienne: “I spent three days looking for her. She disappeared. ” *
Sansa: “How did she look?”
Brienne: “She looked good. She wasn’t exactly dressed like a lady. ”
Sansa: “No, she wouldn’t be. ”
——-
* Off topic, but this is (at least) the second time Arya has purportedly “disappeared.” The first time….
From S2e1:
Cersei: Arya, little animal … she disappeared.
Tyrion: Disappeared? What, in a puff of smoke?
Ten Bears,
Such a difficult job too… giving those abs a sponge bath. :'( Surprised she didn’t include a massage in the spa package.
But secretly I think she has a thing for Davos 😛
Effing AMAZEBALLS episode.
– Opening scene was amazing, nostalgic, and so sweet, for Bran especially.
– I absolutely ADORED Sansa in this episode…. her reactions to Arya discussion, and her sweetness with Theon.
– I cared zero for the Euron crap
– Tyrion + the dragons was E V E R Y T H I N G
– I love the way Roose was murdered. Just like Robb – Peace out MOFO!!!!! Justice, finally
– All the scenes at the wall, again, were amazing, intense, and very very exciting. The last scene I was on the edge of my seat.
Seriously guys, what an amazing episode!
Another Home reference, Walda pleads with Ramsay to not kill her and her baby, by saying she’d leave and go back to the Riverlands (her Home).
No so sure about the Jaime Home, as he technically returned home in the previous episode.
Great write up Sue!
A much stronger episode than 6.01.
A. The opening sequence with Bran is terrific, and upon rewatch I appreciate some of the subtleties of Isaac’s acting much more than I did the first time. Only complaint is really more of a complaint about the season than the episode itself, which is that we learn next to nothing about the Three-Eyed Raven. Wish the show had revealed his identity, or at least the fact that he’s a Targaryen. The fact that they don’t makes me wonder if he’s even the same person on the show, or just some random old guy.
B. Arya’s scene is fine.
C. King’s Landing is good, but Jaime randomly deciding to list off his crimes felt forced, and the sparrows appearing out of nowhere, armed no less, as if they somehow sensed that something was wrong, was cheesy and silly.
Particularly liked Lena’s acting in her scene with Tommen, once again she steals the show.
D. Meereen is pretty strong. Dinklage really sells the scene with the dragons. I really like the part where he mentions wanting a dragon when he was a child, saying it didn’t have to be big, but could be little like him. Imagining a sweet little Tyrion asking for that, and then Tywin coming in to shit on his parade is really surprisingly sad.
The sequence also has some good comedic beats.
My only criticism is the dumb “punchline”, if you will : “Next time I get an idea like that, punch me in the face”. I can’t overstate how much that line takes me out of the moment. It sounds so silly, so dumb, as if it belong in a sitcom.
“Punch me in the face”. What ? Doesn’t sound at all like something that a character in this world would say, it’s unfortunately a silly attempt at humor that goes terribly wrong. I know humor is subjective, so many people probably laughed at that, but it just feels so out of place to me.
E. Theon’s scene with Sansa is really good and emotional.
Brienne not telling Sansa that it was the Hound who was with Arya is a little odd, but forgivable.
F. Ramsay killing Roose is an excellent scene, the only issue is Karstark. He has no reaction, meaning that he was aware that Ramsay was planning on doing this. The question then becomes how, and why he would be aware. He just arrived at WF, as he says at the beginning of the scene.
As far as we know, he and Ramsay aren’t great friends, they probably don’t even know each other. And yet apparently some time between his arrival and his meeting with Roose, Ramsay felt the need to say “Just so you know, my father’s wife is pregnant, and she could give birth at any second, and if it’s a boy I’ll be killing them all”. Why and when would he say this to a man he barely knows who has just arrived ? Seems very odd.
G. Yara’s scene with Balon is good. Shame that in that scene she’s advocating peace, when at the Kingsmoot she’ll be advocating making their mark on the world and reaving. Yet another example of the writers not knowing some of the characters. Yara’s message isn’t consistent at all.
Euron’s sudden appearance out of nowhere highlights a recurring problem with the show this year. People manage to get in and out of places with no difficulty whatsoever, and we have no clue how they did it. How did Euron get into the castle ? And was he just going to roam the castle looking for Balon, hoping he wouldn’t be seen ? How did he know Balon would be alone on a bridge, with no guards, amidst a storm ?
Way too convenient, and it just makes this introduction weaker than it could have been, because it makes no sense.
H. The resurrection scene itself is good. Unfortunately, the lead up to it has some issues. Firstly, Edd returns with the Wildlings, which raises a question about the previous episode. How did Edd leave Castle Black ? We see him leave after Thorne gives his speech and everyone has woken up. How is he allowed to leave ? Does he sneak off ? If he can sneak off, why can’t they all ? Once again, too convenient.
And then, Davos suddenly wanting to resurrect Jon is extremely odd. Davos knows nothing about this being possible, hates magic, distrusts Melisandre, and has no reason to want Jon to be alive. If Davos were acting like his usual self, he’d probably find the idea of someone coming back to life through Mel’s magic to be pretty damn repulsive and wicked. Yet for some reason, he really wants Jon to be resurrected.
I mean, how does he even think about this ? He has no prior knowledge of any such thing. And why is it so important to him that Jon be brought back ? It’s extremely clumsy.
Finally, one can make another extremely minor nit-pick, but it’s strange nonetheless, which is that in the last episode, we see Mel go to bed, but here, she’s out of bed and sitting by the fire. The reason this is odd is because it’s actually the same night. In 6.01, Alliser tells Davos to surrender by nightfall. In this episode, he says “It’s time Ser Davos”, meaning that nightfall has arrived. So we are still the next day of Jon’s assassination. So I guess Mel took a nap in the nude, and then got out of bed to sit by the fire with her necklace back on. Ok. As I said, this is very minor and doesn’t matter at all, but it’s odd.
The epicness, the pace, and the acting are all strong in this episode, and make it a good episode despite all of the writing issues. Overall, probably the second strongest 2nd episode of a season, after 4.02.
Sean C.,
1. Yeah, it is kind of odd that Jon hasn’t mentioned Arya. Not even in a throwaway line. Meanwhile, Arya has not forgotten him; Needle is repeatedly brought up as a reminder of their connection, and the lovely scene they shared together in S1e2 (Arya + Nymeria + Jon + Needle).
After S6e2, I too thought Sansa might send Brienne on a renewed mission to find Arya. Alas, it was more important to Sansa to use Brienne as a bodyguard for secret meetings with DouchebagFinger and as a glorified messenger to Uncle Blackfish, than to find her little sister.
2. About Ramsay & Roose (though it’s speculative at this point): Roose was justifiably pissed that Ramsay had first used Theon Greyjoy, and then Sansa Stark, as his “playthings.”
Their escape only made it worse
Roose reminded Ramsay “I needed him [Theon] whole!” And the value of Sansa Stark was to help insure the fealty of the Northern houses.
Who knows how things would’ve played out if Theon had been treated decently and remained “intact”? Certainly Balon, after receiving Theon’s d**k-in-a-box, considered a neutered Theon to be worthless. If Ramsay had pretended to be nice to Sansa and she gave him an heir, Roose/Ramsay might have been able to keep all of the Northern lords in line and forestall any Stark resurgence. That was Roose’s objective, but Ramsay selfishly messed it up.
It looked like the Umbers and Karstarks were pro-Bolton either way: the former because of the Jon Snow-authorized Wildling incursion and the latter because of Robb Stark’s decapitation od Lord Karstark.
I guess one could debate whether Ramsay would’ve been better or worse off if he hadn’t treated Sansa and Theon like voodoo dolls.
Lord Parramandas,
This a thousand times! I was worried it was going to be some huge production but it was just perfect. I was a little unsettled that it was not brought up by others after episode 3, seemed like it should have effected him or others in some way. But on further watching, I felt like more wasn’t nec.
Yes – got to admire, well maybe not admire, to understand him.
mau,
Dorne was/is actually a very compelling storyline and I can’t wait to see what Elaria and the SS do next to further that plot. The politics, revenge, sex, cunning, fight scenes!!! I enjoyed it much more than it’s book counterpart. Was it perfect, no but it was still fookin awesome and anyone who says otherwise deserves the Euron Silence treatment.
I agree Doran and Hotah were underused and I would have loved to have seen Darkstar being “the greatest swordsman that ever lived” no disrespect to Mad Mardigan, of course, who is probably not even in the top 5.
I think Harald Karstark’s non-reaction implies that Ramsay had been plotting to overthrow Roose for a while.
The birth of Roose’s trueborn heir, along with his threat to take Ramsay out back and slaughter him for pig-feed, prompted Ramsay to get on with it while he still had the chance.
Earlier in the scene Karstark agrees with Ramsay’s idea to kill Jon Snow and also says, “It’s time for new blood in the North”.
I think we’re meant to accept that Ramsay and Lord Karstark are both on the same page.
Yara didn’t advocate peace. She just advocated not invading the mainland and provoking the Northerners by attacking their strongholds.
Balon accuses her of “waging peace”, but I don’t think she ever said anything about stopping the reaving. Just the full-scale invasions/rebellions, which only result in the Ironborn getting their backsides spanked.
Flayed Potatoes,
On that note Look I liked the manbun at first it was new and different etc but I need the curls back.The season 5 look was perfection.I’ve got my eyes set on a scene in season 7 but if it doesn’t happen even then I will just despair lol.
Jenny,
Oh are you thinking
This is my favorite Jon look btw https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/ff/1c/f9/ff1cf9f336575282933b0f1ce820f09b.jpg though he looked really pretty when he died lmao.
But I have to give it to Melly. She’s a great stylist. If this whole red witching thing doesn’t work out she can always open a spa next to Tyrion’s vineyard and Hot Pie’s bakery.
Markus Stark,
Incisive observations!
If I can add to what you said in para. D about Tyrion & dragons…
I can see how the writers thought it’d be a good idea to cap off Tyrion’s emotional speech to the dragons (excerpted below) with a little levity and a “punchline.”
However, Peter Dinklage did such a great job conveying Tyrion’s sense of wonder with that last line, “But here you are…”, that I wish they had ended the scene right there and cut out the “punch me” part that followed.
Excerpt: Tyrion tells his story to the two dragons
****
“When I was a child, an uncle asked what gift I wanted for my nameday. I begged him for one of you. ‘It wouldn’t even have to be a big dragon,’ I told him. ‘It could be little, like me.’ Everyone laughed like it was the funniest thing they had ever heard.
Then my father told me the last dragon had died a century ago. I cried myself to sleep that night….”
(As he strokes dragon):
“But here you are.”
Flayed Potatoes,
Leaks
Making the 8,
Hold on!
Syrio Forel is the greatest swordsman wbo ever lived. Or maybe Arthur Dayne (if Ned hadn’t tainted his reputation) or Ser Barristan.
And Iiked Bronn & Tyene in Dorne, “B.P.” notwithstanding.
Jenny,
Lord Parramandas,
We will all miss Patrick Malahide’s snarling grimace 🙁
I swear by the old gods and the new I had no influence on the placement of that picture.
Whoops I missed that one! Good catch! Also, I wrote this one, not Sue 😉
Ember,
On this point, one could be argued that Euron was Balon’s brother, so he was probably well known by the people at Pyke’s castle and he could probably have every right to come and go as he pleased…
Besides, this is exactly how Euron was introduced in the books… so blame it to Martin. 🙂
Was this the first episode in which Bran has an extended vignette via the weirnet? Previously, all of his visions were montages filled with microsecond images and flashbacks. Now, with BR’s assistance, he is learning to see the past in realtime.
What a wonderful and relevant scene to happen upon! Lyanna was already expertly riding her horse and offering guidance to her brothers. The facial and verbal expressions by Bran when recognizing Lyanna and Wylis/Hodor were quite special.
“It is beautiful beneath the sea, but if you stay too long, you will drown.”
That truism makes me smile. One must wonder if BR was passively serving as tour guide for these Stark-relevant mental meanderings or did he have an agenda that didn’t include Bran eventually breaking the time barrier and overriding Wylis’ mind. I found it interesting that BR guided Bran to this scene and later to the Tower of Joy (bookends for Lyanna) and didn’t go in chronological order to include the Harrenhal tourney. Hmmm… As a Targ, BR must have been extremely fascinated by these events as well. In a sense, it was Ice and Fire observing another past connection between Ice and Fire.
Bran/BR scenes make me giddy. I was smiling for the rest of the episode like a loony. Was other stuff happening? Oh yeah, hungry, intelligent dragons, Bolton family dysfunction and desperate voodoo sponge baths. 🙂
I just spent a little time skimming through the comments on the open chat and recap threads for this episode. Kind of fun to read initial reactions again. 🙂 I was actually looking for my comments… and for some reason I didn’t see any. I don’t know what I was doing that I didn’t comment. Odd.
https://watchersonthewall.com/game-thrones-season-6-episode-2-home-recap/
https://watchersonthewall.com/game-thrones-season-6-episode-2-home-open-chat/
Markus Stark,
Man, you need 2 hour episodes lol
____
Didn’t Davos approach Mel after Edd and the Wildlings returned?
Aliser gave them till nightfall, Mel sleeps, they start breaking the door, wildlings and Edd return, the attack is complete (we don’t see Mel in the process and we DONT need to see her), Edd and Wildlings beat the nights watch and arrest the mutineers. We cut to other scenes and return to the wall the next day when Mel is awake and sitting by the fire.
very well said
I think it was written because it would have been bizarre for Brienne *not* to tell Sansa about her sister. It is odd that she didn’t mention the Hound; I heard that the writers left that out so as to avoid hinting at Sandor’s return. I expected Brienne to say his name, and Sansa to believe maybe Arya is being safeguarded, given how protective Sandor was of Sansa.
Alfie Allen was once again fantastic. His performance through Theon’s huge transformation over the years has been a standout.
I fully agree! The fact that he hasn’t been nominated more times as best supporting actor is almost criminal to me.
Clob,
You inspired me to look back at my comments:
I wrote this:
May 2, 2016 at 8:42 am
Well I REALLY enjoyed that bridge scene. And Euron is a very interesting character so far. I am excited to see him in another scene without a storm. hahaha
But I was really intrigued by the storm/drowned gods discussion.
I need a rewatch to catch everything
I COMPLETELY DISAGREE WITH MYSELF NOW…. this is what a rewatch did! hahaha.
Speaking of Euron…this is why you haven’t seen him
https://twitter.com/JamesHibberd/status/883346245166796800
Great one SirSquinty! Linking everything through a connecting theme is something I will do for my memory lane too, partly inspired by this 😉
I feel the same way. The con was surreal. I’m still processing it all.
I feel like I should give some earned kudos for this rather than keeping it to myself… In my opinion 6×1, this episode 6×2 and 6×3 was a string of Sophie’s best performance of the series. With that it is also my ‘favorite’ part of Sansa’s storyline to date as well, even if it was “stolen.” (I could probably add in a couple episodes at the end of S5 too but we’re focused on S6 for this memory lane.)
🙂
Dee Stark,
Yeah, now you’re probably wishing his scene with the storm was his last. 🙂
Clob,
Hmm what do you mean stolen.
Clob,
TOTALLY, wish it was never included LOL
Dee Stark,
You wrote:
“…absolutely ADORED Sansa in this episode…. her reactions to Arya discussion, and her sweetness with
Theon.”
………………………
Her reactions to the Arya discussion was that she wouldn’t expect Arya to be dressed like a lady.
That was it.
No questions about “a man” she was with: the man she didn’t want to leave and who didn’t want to leave her. No curiosity about who this “man” was, and what happened to him.
Or… did Sansa’s newly-pledged “sworn shield” deliberately conceal, fabricate and lie to Sansa? Maybe make up a story that Arya and “a man” ran off?
Sorry if I keep harping on this. Like anyone, my personal experience colors my perception. If my little sister had been missing for years and I just encountered someone who had seen her recently with “a man”, my interest would extend beyond how she looked and how she was dressed.
But I’ll concede: by itself, Sansa’s comment was nice in that it showed Sansa did remember that her tomboy sister would not be dressed like a lady.
“Please” was truly the ‘magic’ word.
“Stolen” just used for saying that it was essentially Jeyne Poole’s storyline given to show!Sansa
HelloThere,
Jeremy Podeswa stated that he took inspiration from “The Anatomy Lesson” by Rembrandt for Jon Snow’s resurrection scene.
Beautiful, but fraught with tension. I thought it was very well done.
There really hasn’t been much emphasis on his resurrection yet, so I’m personally hoping that it might become a bit more relevant in the episodes to come. I don’t expect or want it to become a crazy big deal, but I think there should be more purpose to it other than giving him an excuse to leave the Night’s Watch.
darkgreenblue,
The “man” Brienne saw with Arya was the self-effacing, gallant hero who had braved a violent mob to come back and rescue his Little Bird from brutal gang rape and certain death. Mentioning The Hound’s name would have been reassuring to Sansa, knowing that Arya was in good hands: nobody would hurt the Wolf Girl with Sandor around.
Of course, if Brienne had disclosed that she picked a fight with Sandor and knocked him off a cliff…
Ten Bears,
Are you serious?
Brienne said a man. Sansa assumed this was an unknown man. The last person she would think that Arya would be with is someone from King’s Landing. Especially the Hound.
She asks “you don’t know which way she went”, and Brienne tells her essentially that she disappeared and looked for her for three days….
Sansa proceeds to ask about how she looks, which means she was asking if she looked well, or beat up, or starved. Brienne said she looked good and she said it in a very confident matter. Then the way she dresses comment came next, with a sweet loving smile from Sansa.
I don’t know what else you would want in the convo? She asked about her well being, location, and Brienne gave her positive information, and the subject was changed. Was Sansa supposed to send brienne to find Arya in that moment? Um no.
Thanks!!! Can’t wait to read yours. Even if yours will be a cheap knockoff of my theme 😉
SirSquinty,
Sorry Sir Squinty, my mistake. I saw that it was posted by Sue and then just skipped to the write-up and didn`t read the intro.
Lovely summary Squinty!
On top of the great recap articles that we all appreciate, I love seeing the Beautiful Death posters again. They are a great artistic addition to the fandom and give me another element to be hyped about going in to season 7!
Ember,
Thanks! 🙂 Sue published it of course! Hope you’re enjoying the memories…8 more to go!
Yes, it really is an amazing episode (even though 4 S6 episodes are even higher for me). I disagree about Euron though… I feel his introduction was very well done.
Episode #61: “Dragonstone” (July 16)
Jon (Kit Harington) organizes the defense of the North. Cersei (Lena Headey) tries to even the odds. Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) comes home.
Written for television by David Benioff & D. B. Weiss; directed by Jeremy Podeswa.
Episode #62: “Stormborn” (July 23)
Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) receives an unexpected visitor. Jon (Kit Harington) faces a revolt. Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) plans the conquest of Westeros.
Written for television by Bryan Cogman; directed by Mark Mylod.
Episode #63: “The Queen’s Justice” (July 30)
Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) holds court. Cersei (Lena Headey) returns a gift. Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) learns from his mistakes.
Written for television by David Benioff & D. B. Weiss; directed by Mark Mylod.
Ten Bears,
I suppose it is possible that there was some discussion between Sansa and Brienne about The Hound that didn’t make it to the final (written) version of the scene. I don’t know how much notice D&D take of their continuity people. I’ve said before I thought it was odd that in season 2 (GoT) Tyrion says he is going to make a marriage pact for Myrcella with the 2nd son of Dorne and then in season 5 Trystane was Doran’s only son. I don’t want to be overly pernickety over faults. I never noticed the rubber sword that people are alluding to on another thread. Then the ASOIAF books had some odd things – or things that were very convenient for the story [ spoiler ]I never understood why Book Gendry who after all stayed with the BWB never told Lady Stoneheart that he had seen Arya before she ran away and it was handy for the story that Then’s squire was hiding up the right tree in order to be able to tell Lord Manderly that Bran and Rickon were still alive and also very handy that so many people in Westeros seem to have been so incapable of independent thought that LittleFinger is able to put ideas into their minds.[ / spoiler] I hope my attempt at covering spoilers works this time – it doesn’t relate to anything in the show but could be a bit “spoilery” for someone who hasn’t read the books yet.
Horrible manner of death for Walda and the baby, especially so, since I took a liking to Walda. She was sweet-natured and pretty and not at all like Walder – she did have the makings of a lady. I’ll say again that Maester Wolkan must be the most clueless poor dude in Westeros. While Ramsay was “mourning” Myranda in Ep 6-1, he even said to Wolkan “you were already afraid of me.” So M Wolkan had known without a doubt for years that Ramsay was dangerously demented. If Wolkan had been at all worldly, he would have known that Ramsay would be crazed about a male baby preempting his status, yet M Wolkan bounces out with a big smile on his face and announces, in front of Ramsay, that a healthy male baby was born. Oh well, there’s only so much time in each episode, and Karma is Karma, so Ramsay did what he had to do in the most expedient manner.
Loved seeing Bran standing straight and very tall, walking through the Winterfell courtyard. His surprise at a talking Hodor/Wylis is made all the more tragic when he gets “home” to the tree and tells Hodor that he saw him as a young man and says “You could talk, what happened?” “Hodor,” is the reply. Hodor indeed.
Tyrion interacting with the dragons was priceless, much better than him making snide “eunuch” jokes about Varys. I didn’t want to see a Tyrion who was descending into meanness, like Cersei. “I’m here to help” is a much better statement of his personality. The CGI of the dragons gets more and more amazing. The artists make facial expressions on these “beasts” that are almost human.
These are just small points, since most of the big ones have been discussed a number of times. I enjoyed the episode, but especially everything having to do with rezzing Jon. After a whole year of waiting, and all the publicity, and the hair watches, and the attitude of “well, of course he’s coming back … but what if …?” Jon’s gasp was beautiful, the whole thing handled perfectly. We were on the edges of our seats until that first gasp of Jon’s allowed us to breathe easier. Davos was perfect, Mel was perfect. The writers do some of their best work when they are writing for Davos. He was able to convince a very sad, reluctant Melisandre into at least getting up to try her best with Jon. Thank goodness.
I vividly remember being on Cloud Nine after watching “Home” for the first time. Seeing Jon return to life after a full year of frenzied speculation was incredibly cathartic, both narratively and in our own world. The flashback to Winterfell – complete with younger versions of Ned, Benjen, Wylis, and, for the first time ever, Lyanna – was wonderful (and Lyanna’s introduction, riding in on a horse with the natural ease and confidence of one born to it, was absolutely perfect). Tyrion unchaining the dragons was an incredibly powerful moment, given his lifelong love for the creatures (brilliantly conveyed by Peter Dinklage). And so, so much more …
By the time the credits rolled, I was practically whistling jauntily with joy. Quite a feat for an episode that also sees Ramsay assassinate his father – excuse me, Lord Bolton, I forgot, he was “poisoned by our enemies” – and feed his stepmother and newborn baby brother to his dogs. RIP Roose Bolton – you were a (metaphorical) bastard, but a fantastic character nonetheless, wonderfully played by the indelible Michael McElhatton (I’m going to miss that voice, doling out evil but incisive observations). And RIP to Lady Walda, by far the best member of House Frey to ever grace our screens (kudos to Elizabeth Webster, who brought a sweetness to the role that I never could have imagined).
When we got an episode this great this early, I knew that Season 6 was going to be special. Other episodes later in the season exceeded it, but this one still ranks very, very high on my personal list.
Great write-up, SerSqunity! 🙂
Dame of Mercia,
You need to delete all spaces in your spoiler code, e.g., the spaces around the backslashes.
Clob,
thanks for doing that, I hadn’t thought to look there.
That’s the thing, though, Ramsay didn’t actually mess anything up with Sansa, because Sansa was never going to make nice and give him an heir. The only reason she married Ramsay was as part of a really stupid revenge plan, and Littlefinger’s separate plan would have involved taking down the Boltons well before any little Bolton heirs could be born (whatever value they would have had, since according to Season 6 nobody gives a damn about Sansa).
Indeed, to the extent that Roose regarded Sansa as an ally who could be conciliated by making nice (and we have no idea what exactly either he or Ramsay thought Sansa’s motivations were for agreeing to this), he was completely wrong, and Ramsay was right. Ramsay treated Sansa like she was a threat to be crushed, which is what she was. To that extent, he was right.
For there to have been actual consequences for Ramsay’s behaviour, it would have to have taken the form of Sansa’s otherwise-wouldn’t-have-happened departure posing a real threat (it didn’t) and his brutality becoming a rallying cry against the Boltons (which also didn’t happen). Or some indication that Littlefinger’s in-motion scheme would not have succeeded but for Sansa’s flight from Winterfell.
Ramsay’s 20th Good Mann,
I totally agree on all points, particularly with respect to the value Yara places on the Ironborn way of life weighing against her innate practicality and her comprehension of military strategy. I thought her point of view was articulated perfectly well in both this episode, and future episodes. I don’t see a shred of inconsistency in the writing at all.
Dee Stark,
I agree. My impression of the timeline was always that at least one full day passed between Edd and Tormund capturing Alliser and the mutineers and Davos approaching Melisandre about resurrecting Jon. I do not think it all happened over the course of one night. The standoff between Alliser and Davos happened at the beginning of the episode, and Jon was resurrected at the end. Thanks to the number of intervening scenes at other locations in between those two events. I have no trouble at all believing that time has passed.
Sean C.:
What an incredibly well-argued commentary. Thank you!
To all of the excellent points you made, I would add that most of the Northern lords could have given a rat’s ass (pardon my language) about the Boltons’ proclivities, hence the fact that Ramsay’s brutality did not “[become] a rallying cry” against them. Your last paragraph reminded me of an exchange between Robb and Roose, way back in S2, during which Robb reminded Roose that flaying had been outlawed for centuries… and then the fact that the Boltons still engaged in it (the flayed man is still the house sigil, ffs) was essentially waved away.
It was a very interesting little nugget of conversation, one that for me clearly showed how the “honorable” Starks were all-too-willing to brush off illegal (illegal!) behavior to keep the loyalty of a powerful vassal house. To me, it’s especially interesting when one contrasts Robb’s behavior towards Roose with Ned’s behavior towards Jorah, permanently exiled for selling two poachers into slavery. I suppose that, when it comes to illegal behavior, the number of fighting men a vassal house can provide goes a long way towards determining the severity of punishment against its miscreants.
Ten Bears,
Yep. Right after I asked if she looked alright, next question would be “What did the man look like?” I’d want a description of him.
Flayed Potatoes,
I’m enjoying yours and Jenny’s conversation lol. That is one of my favorite pics as well. Just gorgeous. I hope a certain someone proves worthy 🙂