This week’s episode of Game of Thrones Season 6, “The Door” episode much of the buildup this week was focused on Littlefinger’s return and his eventual reunion with Sansa Stark, who wants to know whether Lord Baelish knew what Ramsay Bolton would do to her. “He did what he liked with the rest of me, as long as I could still give him an heir,” she tells him, letting on about the horrors she experienced. “The other things he did ladies aren’t supposed to talk about,” she adds, Brienne at her back. It’s a satisfying showdown. Sansa has no more illusions about Littlefinger, and she even threatens to have Brienne cut him down. She doesn’t even want his help and tells him that she and Jon Snow can handle Ramsay Bolton themselves.
Oh, but Littlefinger has one more trick up his sleeve. Brynden Blackfish, Sansa’s uncle on her mother’s side, still has an army that could very well answer the call if she needs it. Littlefinger apparently holds the key to unlocking this added dose of firepower. Sansa may not want Littlefinger around, but she probably needs him.
In Braavos, the other Stark sister, Arya, now goes by “no one,” but the waif at the House of Black and White isn’t ready to accept her. The top faceless man himself admits the waif has a point, which he uses as a segue to instruct Arya/no one about the history of the Faceless Men. This leads to her first mission, which she must not fail. Otherwise, she’s going to end up giving her face to the wall in the Hall of Faces.
The mission means she must witness a comical play about the end of King Robert’s reign in Westeros. (“I feel the winds of winter are sailing across the land,” Fake Cersei says in the play. A reference to George R.R. Martin’s long-gestating next novel in the series, also called “The Winds of Winter”?) Arya’s new “identity” is at risk when she sees her father Ned Stark lampooned as a buffoon. Clearly, it pains her to re-live Ned’s execution in such a silly way. The trauma belongs to the audience, too, because the devastation is still fresh, even five seasons later. Arya’s mark is backstage, where male genitalia and naked breasts are freely on display. But “no one” is paying attention to what her target, an actress, drinks — rum. That’s where the poison will go, but first she has questions. But the Faceless Man reminds her that a servant doesn’t ask questions.
Back in Westeros, another surviving Stark, Bran, is off on another one of his vision quests with the Three-Eyed Raven. He witnesses a bizarre gathering of the Children of the Forest sacrifice a man with what looks like a blade of dragonglass. The man’ s eyes start turning ice blue, and that’s when Bran wakes. It’s a shocking revelation: The Children of the Forest created the White Walkers in order to fight back against the men who were seizing their lands.
Before that horrifying truth can fully settle in, the show cuts to the Iron Islands, where the Kingsmoot is under way. Yara makes her case against the traditionally sexist Ironborn, who refuse to accept a female ruler while a male heir of Balon Greyjoy lives. But that heir, Theon, calls his sister Yara the rightful ruler. “We will find no better leader! This is our queen,” he says, cheers erupting in the crowd. Oh, but here comes Euron Greyjoy, brother of Balon to claim the throne for himself. Yara accuses him of killing Balon, which he did, and Euron happily admits it because the now-dead noble was an ineffective leader. “I apologize to you all for not killing him years ago,” he tells the Kingsmoot.
Euron has been sailing the seas of the world, and now he wants the Seven Kingdoms. He plans to do it by building a massive fleet, sailing to Daenerys Targaryen in Slavers Bay and seducing her with his ships. That’s enough for the Kingsmoot, so it’s time for his baptism by drowning. “What is dead may never die,” the drowned priest intones, and Euron rises again, breathing with the lungs of a king. In the meantime, however, Yara and Theon split and steal the best ships Good thing, because Euron wants to murder them. No matter, though, Euron orders the construction of a thousand ships. Finally, the Greyjoy story line is going places.
Over in Essos, Dany pays tribute to Ser Jorah, but as she goes to embrace him, he shies away because of his greyscale disease. She can’t touch him or she’ll become sick, so he tries to walk away. Dany won’t have it, though. It must be on her terms. “I command you to find the cure, wherever it is in this world. I command you to heal yourself, and then return to me,” she tells him, tears welling in her eyes. She needs him by her side. It’s a poignant moment between these two characters, who have been together since the beginning and have seen all sorts of wonders and horrors.
With Dany on her way back to Meereen, Tyrion, Varys, Grey Worm and Missandei chew over the deal the fugitive Lannister lord struck with the slave masters. How will they sell this compromise to the masses of freed slaves? They bring in the High Red Priestess from Volantis, who sees Dany as the chosen one and her dragons as fire made flesh. While Tyrion is willing to take what she says at face value, at least for political expediency, but Varys calls the priestess a fanatic. Hey, what about Stannis Baratheon? Wasn’t he the chosen one? The red priestess is unbowed. “Terrible things happen for a reason,” she tells Varys, reminding him of when he was castrated as a youth a mutilation which ended up putting him in the position he’s now in. A voice spoke to him when his genitals were tossed in a fire, she reminds him, and finally something is too horrifying for Varys.
Back to Bran, where he decides to go on a journey to the past by himself this time. This time, winter has come, and a great army of the dead forms near him. He walks toward them — because he can walk in his dreams — and finds the Night King and the White Walkers in line. Usually, he goes unseen in these visions, but they notice him, and the Night King grabs him. His mark is now upon Bran, and that means the Night King is coming for him. The time is come, and Bran isn’t ready, but now he has to become the Three-Eyed Raven.
Further south but still in the North, Jon Snow and Davos try to plan their battles, against both the White Walkers and the Bolton army. Sansa, however, becomes Michael Corleone before everyone’s eyes. She uses the knowledge that Littlefinger gave her (while lying about its provenance, because she doesn’t want Littlefinger involved), that Brynden Blackfish still has an army, to make her case that they can win over other northern holdovers. How to get in touch with the Blackfish, though? Not a raven. Ramsay can intercept that, so Brienne should go and deliver the message.
Jon is starting to smile again, and, after Sansa’s heartening words and strategies, he’s confident that he can muster enough power in the North to take back Winterfell. So he marches, and now poor Edd is in charge of Castle Black.
Back beyond the Wall, Meera and Hodor begin their preparations to leave, but it’s too late. The White Walkers and their wights have arrived. The Children of the Forest must stand against their creations as Meera and Hodor try to wake up Bran from whatever fresh historical download he’s getting from the Raven. Good thing the Children can lob explosive stones, but even the magical fires aren’t enough to keep the Night King and his two White Walker lieutenants out of the Raven’s cave. The wights start coming in through the ceiling, too, so Meera and Bran’s direwolf, Summer, must fight. The Children help, too, but Meera reaches Bran. “Warg into Hodor now!” Enough of the interactive history lesson. It’s time for Hodor to come to the rescue. Not even Summer can get out of this alive.
As Bran and company make their last dash, the Night King faces off with the Three-Eyed Raven, whom he promptly cuts down. One of the Children stays behind, much like Vasquez in “Aliens,” to take out as many wights as she can, leaving Meera, Hodor and Bran enough time to get outside. While Bran is controlling Hodor, however, the younger version of Hodor, called Wylis, takes notice of Bran and starts freaking out. “HOLD THE DOOR!” he keeps saying, echoing Meera. It sure sounds a lot like “HODOR.”
While young Wylis freaks out, yelling “HODOR!” over and over again, the older Hodor holds the door and is torn apart by the wights. Hodor has been experiencing his own future death for decades, and now he’s feeling it. Dry your eyes, “Game of Thrones” fans.
