**The following contains spoilers from the show AND book of Games of Thrones and is not a representation of The Odyssey’s opinions, but rather the opinions of the writer**
Death. Loads and loads of death is what filled Game of Thrones fans with all types of emotions in the Season five Finale.
In the last episode of season five, titled Mother’s Mercy, HBO writers had people on the edge of their seats, cringing their eyes, and eventually wanting to pull their hair out. Between what’s happening in Castle Black, Dorne, Winterfell, Braavos, Mereene, and King’s Landing it’s safe to say that nobody’s safe in the game of thrones.
Let’s take a visit through each town and see what Episode ten taught us about the intense, and gut-wrenching series that is Game of Thrones.
For The Watch.
The highlighting scene of the episode certainly came in the final scene when Lord Commander of the Nights Watch, Jon Snow, was brutally stabbed and killed by his brothers for allowing the Wildlings to pass through the Wall and enter the Seven Kingdoms.
Snow was tricked by Olly to go outside where they had reportedly heard news about Jon’s uncle Benjen being found alive. As Jon heads outside to hear this report he is stabbed repeatedly by members of the nights watch, and then ultimately killed by an emotional stab from Olly himself that leaves Jon laying flat on his back in the snow with blood seeping from under him while his eyes glisten in the moon light and the viewer is left looking Jon in the eyes one last time.
Or not. After all, Melisandre came back to Castle Black after she had realized that Stannis was no longer the Azor Ahai she thought he was. If we’ve learned anything from the books it is that death is not always permanent, which author George R.R. Martin has even confirmed himself. In book four of the series A Song of Fire and Ice, we learn that Thoros of Myr, a red priest, like Melisandre, brings Catelyn Stark back to life as Lady Stonehart, along with Beric Dondarrion being revived multiple times by him as well. So, it’s not exactly crazy to think Jon will be the watcher on the walls one day again, however, a recent article was released that actor Kit Harrington will not be returning for season 6, leading people to believe Jon Snow actually did die after all.
Walk Of Shame.
To contrast one of the more frustrating scenes in the Game of Thrones series, the writers brilliantly put the most fulfilling scene, maybe ever, right beforehand.
Cersei Lannister, whom has received a wide array of hatred over the course of the show, finally got what was coming to her. In one of the most graphic scenes in the entire show, Cersei was given her walk of shame.
Cersei, who was being held captive by the Faith Of The Seven on charges of adultery and fornication, finally confessed to the High Sparrow of her sins. The High Sparrow then proceeded to tell her that because she confessed she was free to go home, except that she would be awaiting a trial for other charges of which she continued to deny. One of which was the charge of incest between her and her brother, Jamie.
While we all would have loved to see Cersei die, I think what we saw was even better. Butt-naked and without her luscious blonde hair, Cersei was sentenced a walk of atonement through the capital to the Red Keep. On the long walk home, the common folk cursed her, threw dung at her, and simply demeaned the woman who had once been the queen of the Seven Kingdoms. At last, this vile, deceiving woman received a taste of her own medicine.
When she arrived at the Red Keep, Qyburn and a new member of her kingsguard, Ser Robert Strong, who is believed to be The Mountain reborn, immediately greeted her. As we learn in the books, Cersei’s trial will eventually be by combat, so the introduction of Ser Robert Strong shouldn’t baffle anybody. It’s worth noting, though, that The Mountain is yet another character brought back from the dead which is yet another indication that Jon Snow my be brought back to life eventually.
The Kiss of Death.
Speaking of Lannisters meeting their doom, the fruit of Cersei and Jamie’s loins got her own taste of death. Literally.
In a scene in which Prince Doran and Ellaria Sand send Prince Trystane and Princess Myrcella back to King’s Landing on a boat with Jamie Lannister and Ser Bronn, Ellaria Sand gives Myrcella one last good-bye kiss to send her on her travels.
Moments later, a pivotal scene ensues on the boat wherein Jamie finally tells Myrcella that he is her father, and Myrcella approves saying she has known for quite some time. As the two share a beautiful moment, blood spittle’s from the princess’s nose, and she begins to die in Jamie’s arms.
The scene immediately shifts to the docks in which Ellaria and the Sand Snakes are watching the boat disappear. Sand, too, has blood spill from her nose as she wipes poison off her lips. The Sand Snakes hand her a handkerchief and then an anecdote that counteract the poison she had just used on her lips to kill Myrcella. Just like that, a Lannister is dead and Dorne can finally have their revenge for Prince Oberyns death.
This scene is a call for many wild things to come. How will Prince Doran react since he was adamant about keeping healthy relations with the Lannisters? Was Prince Doran just saying that as a cover up yet is secretly behind this? How will Cersei react to her little girl being killed by the Dornish right in front of the Knight of the Kingsguards eyes (not to mention that he’s also her father and Cersei’s lover)? What does this mean for Prince Trystane, who is on his way to King’s Landing to serve on the King’s Court? Who knows, but Season 6 will be filled with major repercussions.
Briene vs. Baratheon.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, King Stannis is still pretty shook from having to sacrifice his own daughter, Princess Shireen, in episode nine. However, he realizes his only way to success is to march on Winterfell. Before he makes the descent towards Winterfell, he is given news that his wife, Queen Selyse, has hanged herself, and that half his army has abandoned him fearing for their lives. He decides to march on Winterfell anyway and is met halfway by the Bolton’s and their army. He must really believe in Melisandre’s visions, huh?
Simultaneously, having been around the walls of Winterfell in hopes of saving Sansa from the Bolton’s, Brienne of Tarth quickly took notice to the battle going on. When Podrick Payne confirmed that Stannis’s army was involved she set out for battle, ultimately leaving Sansa out to dry. Remember, Sansa was going to the top of Winterfell’s castle with a candle trying to give Briene a signal to come save her.
Anyways, in one of the ending scenes to the battle you get to witness Stannis struggling to walk as he’s bleeding out whilst lying on a tree. With the woods empty, Stannis hears footsteps approaching just to look up and see a lady knight. Brienne appears angrily explaining how she was in the room when Stannis’s shadow killed his own brother, Renly Baratheon, the guy whom Brienne loved and swore her sword to when Renly was the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. She sentences Stannis to die, on Renly’s name, and begins to swing her sword at him in a way that would clearly kill him. Then the scene shifts. Cliffhanger!
There must be some reason they didn’t show Stannis dying, though it’s hard to explain. In the books we never get to witness the battle of Winterfell so this was a curveball HBO threw at us. Regardless, it felt good to see Briene’s story go full circle and for her to finally get her revenge.
Reek, Reek, What Rhymes With Reek?
As the battle of Winterfell is taking place we get another unbelievably emotional series of events. Atop Winterfell’s castle is Sansa Stark, who appears to be planning some type of escape as she is watching the battle commence. As she begins her plan to liberation, Myranda, the girl who had previously had an affair with Ramsay Bolton, confronts her. She threatens Sansa with a bow and arrow for trying to desert Winterfell in an epic, yet odd, showdown on top of the castle walls.
While this is going down Reek is urging Sansa to just go back to her room and forget whatever she is thinking about doing. But, when Myranda threatens Sansa again and prepares to unleash a bow at her, Reek suddenly disappears.
Where’s Reek?
Reek is gone.
Instead, Theon is back from his stupor and grabs the senile woman and tosses her off the ramparts of Winterfell. That’s the original Theon Greyjoy we remember!
With the Bolton’s having won the battle they begin to head back into the castle as Sansa and Theon are looking at Myranda’s limp body in the snow. When the two notice this, Theon grabs Sansa’s hand and tells her to follow him. They run to the edge of the castle walls and look down at the blizzard that awaits them if they can escape Winterfell.
Reek would have run back into his little rat hole, but Theon Greyjoy is Ironborn. He was Ned Stark’s ward, and even conquered Winterfell at one point in time; he’s not going to turn his back on the Stark’s again is he?
He grabs Sansa’s hand and they jump off the ramparts together into a deep pile of snow away from Winterfell and hopefully away from the Bolton’s grasp. Did they survive? We won’t know until season six, but wow, what a satisfying ending to the awkward relationship they had all season.
The Girl Took A Life That Was Not Hers To Take.
As death was the theme of this entire episode, the goriest death of them all came from an interesting source. As we have all begun to figure out by now, Arya Stark has been training to become an assassin of the Many-Faced God.
Earlier in the season, Arya was given the task of using her powers to kill a man in Braavos by the Many-Faced God. Going by the alias of Cat of the Canals she was instructed to learn about this man so well she would be able to kill him at the perfect moment when he least expected it. All of this came to a sudden halt when in episode nine, Arya sees a familiar face arrive Braavos.
Meryn Trant, who’s on the Kingsguard, was sent by the King’s Council to Braavos to accompany Mace Tyrell as he discusses finances at the Iron Bank. When Arya saw him, she took matters into her own hands, giving us all a glimpse at what she is turning into.
Arya uses a different face, from the pick of the litter in the sanctuary of faces at the House of Black and White, and gets into a room alone with Meryn Trant. When Meryn starts beating her, thinking she’s just an innocent girl from a brothel, Arya takes off her deceiving face and stabs Trant in the face repeatedly. The scene gets murderous and Trant is bleeding out all over the room when Arya asks him if he knows whom she is. When he’s in too much pain to even speak, she reveals that he was the first one on her “list” for killing her trainer Syrio Forel during the sack of Kings Landing.
Let us let this one sink in. Arya is now a silent assassin killing the guys on her list that she’s been talking about since Season one. How can you not think she has the most outlandish, yet lovable, story in the entire show? One word: badass!
The Imp and The Queen.
The two most popular characters on the show have recently joined forces and its sparking conversation. Tyrion and Dany together could be one force to be reckoned with. Well, anyone with dragons is going to be a force to be reckoned with, however, having a mentor with the wits of Tyrion certainly just helped increase Dany’s claim to the Iron Throne.
In episode nine, A Dance of Dragons, we witnessed Drogon save Dany from the fighting pits and carry her off to safety with everyone either looking around in astonishment or burning due to Drogon’s fire fury. In episode ten, we further learn that Drogon is too tired to fly and Dany is stranded near the Dorthraki Sea. That is, until an entire khalasar on horses finds her stranded by herself.
Meanwhile, in Mereen, Jorah, Daario, and Tyrion debate who should be ruling in her absence. With Jorah and Daario being the true fighters and hunters, they agree that they’re going to go find Dany while Tyrion governs Mereen.
I repeat: Tyrion is going to be ruling Mereen with some help from Grey Worm and Missandei. This is all we know before Jorah and Daario set off on their expedition of finding and recovering Dany. Once they leave things get even more interesting. As Tyrion is overlooking the two men leave from atop the castle, a familiar face re-appears in Tyrions life.
Yep, you may have guessed it. That creepy thing with eight legs, you know, The Spider! Varys is back and is offering to help Tyrion. Tyrion needs information on the Sons of The Harpy, and Varys has his birds everywhere chirping in his ears giving him just that. Now, things are starting to get very interesting in Mereen.
Words can’t express how amazing this episode was set up by the writers, nor can they express how long these next nine months of waiting for season six will be, especially if author George R.R. Martin continues to delay the release of book six, The Winds of Winter.
Although there are many questions that this season finale leaves you pondering, the ending to this season was the most satisfying of any season yet, of course, until the killing of the character everyone loves, Lord Commander Jon Snow (thanks George R.R. Martin).
As amazing as the season was, one thing I couldn't help but think about is what I would have done differently this season had I been HBO. If there was one thing I couldn’t help but get frustrated by in this season was this: Why focus so heavily on Dorne, Briene, Stannis when you could have included 1. The Iron Islanders/The Greyjoys; 2. Jamie’s time in the Riverlands; 3. The Brotherhood Without Banners aka The Outlaws and Lady Stonehart; 4. Griff and Young Griff. All of these were included in Books four and five of A Song of Fire and Ice and are all immensely impactful to the entire Game of Thrones story. Odd approach, in my eyes, by HBO.
Either way, this series was everything it was hyped up to be and maybe even exceeded its expectations. Season five, as a whole, was quite different from the books, but also a lot more intense in certain aspects. In the end it all was wrapped up perfectly in the Season Finale, Mothers Mercy.
