We will remember this Game of Thrones Season 6 episode ever as the most awaited comeback of Jon Snow is finally happened. It turns out the Red Woman isn’t so feeble after all. A week after revealing herself to be perhaps centuries old as part of an extended pity party over her shattered visions, Melisandre put an end to the essentially non-mysterious mystery over whether Jon Snow would in fact stay dead. He didn’t, jolting awake after some laying on of hands, a few prayers.
At the moment viewers are nearly alone in this knowledge all of the direct witnesses, except Ghost, left before Jon had his awakening. This includes the Red Woman, who apparently read none of those blog posts, most of which surmised that the story placed her at Castle Black essentially to bring Snow back. She had to be talked into even trying by Ser Davos, easily the MVP of the first fifth of Season 6.
In dispensing with the big question hanging over this season when will Jon Snow come back? the resurrection raises more of them that aren’t as cut and dry. What sort of Jon Snow will he be now? And what about Melisandre? She admitted that she was something of a fraud, so might this display of true supernatural ability link her to Jon Snow for more noble purposes?
It's tempting to name Jon a winner here because, hey, he defeated death. When major characters die on Game of Thrones, they tend to stay dead, and the only resurrections we've seen have been minor ones around the show's edges.
And in every way, Jon coming back from the dead is a high point of the episode. It's something we all knew was coming it would have been lousy storytelling if it hadn't but the series still managed to stretch it out just long enough to make me briefly wonder if he would stay dead. But then Ghost woke up, and Jon opened his eyes, and all was well.
Yet Jon didn't really do anything here, did he? Melisandre's the one who provides the necessary magical knowledge to bring him back from the afterlife, while Davos gives her the pep talk she needs to go through with the ritual.
And the ritual itself is filled with the sorts of physical, sensual touches that this show excels at, especially when employed in magical ritual. Melisandre tenderly washes Jon's body. She touches it. She prays. She leaves thinking none of it worked, and she, indeed, is the failure she thought she was.
Bran Stark was back for the first time since Season 4, appearing mostly in a vision that took him and the Three-Eyed Raven to Winterfell past. Bran witnessed his father and uncle, as boys, sparring and viewers got the first living look at Lyanna Stark, Ned’s sister who died before the “Game of Thrones” timeline but is thought to have a significant role in the story. We also got the suggestion that Bran’s visions are intoxicating to him, which could be an issue going forward. Oh, and another thing:
Hodor’s real name is Wyllis! And he used to say more things! I may be more excited about the Hodor origin story than I am about the race for the Iron Throne.
Ramsay Bolton attained new levels of treachery, killing first his father and then his stepmother and infant half brother. He accomplished the latter, the latest almost unbelievably cruel moment in a show that’s had plenty of them, by letting loose his dogs, who were clearly unsated by the Myranda Value Meal they got last week. It’s unclear if these were the same hounds who, as many commenters noted, mysteriously went missing during Brienne’s rescue of Sansa and Theon last week.
Tyrion took his first babysteps toward dragon friendship, unchaining the two beasts Dany put in the cellar at the end of Season 4. “The next time I have an idea like that, punch me in the face,” Tyrion told Varys. That’s what you get for drinking and thinking, my friend.
Speaking of bad drunken ideas, you absolutely do not want to be besmirching Cersei’s honor in King’s Landing.
So long Balon Greyjoy, Theon’s father and the king of the Ironborn. His demise came via a new character, his brother Euron, who I’m guessing will be returning soon to claim the throne. In another win for Melisandre, you’ll recall that Balon was the last remaining living leech king from her Season 3 liaison with Gendry. So a big week for her. Gendry, of course, is still rowing, in our hearts if nothing else.
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