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Seven episodes in, and Game of Thrones Season 6 isn't
particularly interested in providing any answers just yet.
The Broken Man is another table setting episode, one that
leaves out quite a few big strands from the previous instalment (there's no
Daenerys or Bran), and the ones it does include are more teases for what's to
come.
The biggest of these is the return of Sandor Clegane, who
hasn't been seen after being left for dead by Arya back in Season 4. Left for
dead, though, doesn't mean he actually died, and he's still alive here,
although it's a more peaceful version of the character... until the end of the
episode, at least.
The other big moment of the episode is Arya's run in with
the Waif, who last week was promising to kill her. She comes awfully close to
making good on that here, but right at the last moment Arya is shown clinging
to life, although hardly in a good position going into the next episode.
Elsewhere, Jaime attempted to parley with the Blackfish and
take back Riverrun for the Freys, Jon and Sansa recruited Northern houses for
their army, and the latter is going behind the former's back, and Margaery
revealed she is playing the High Sparrow.
It was all setup for what's to come, and means that we're
left with plenty of questions, with just three episodes for them to be answered
in.
10. How Will The Siege Be Lifted?
Jaime arrives at Riverrun this week, in order to try and
take back the castle that the Blackfish has taken from the Freys (who, er, took
it from the Tullys in the first place).
It doesn't quite go as well as the Kingslayer expected, with
Brynden Tully very unimpressed by him, and the siege is really going to begin
next week (had Jaime just let Bronn handle this, it'd all be over and everyone
would be cracking jokes and drinking ale by now).
Without diving into what happens in the books, it's going to
be interesting to see how this plays out with neither side prepared to budge.
They can't really do a lengthy siege on the show, so something is going to have
to happen to expedite things considerably.
9. What Will Happen When Brienne Gets To Riverrun?
Although Riverrun is interesting enough already, thanks to
the mix of Jaime, Bronn, the Blackfish, and Bronn (yes I know I've listed him
twice, and frankly even that isn't enough), it's about to get even better with
Brienne and Pod added to the mix.
While seeing Pod is always good fun, and it'll be nice to have
him and Bronn together again, the big draw here is obviously the reunion of
Brienne and Jaime.
The pair bade an emotional farewell back in Season 4, when
he sent her on a mission to find Sansa Stark. Now, though, they're back on
opposing sides: she wants to ally with the Tullys, he wants to defeat them.
That means this probably isn't going to be the happiest of reunions, but what
each side will do, and what they'll do to each other, remains to be seen.
8. What Will Cersei's Plan Be Now?
Things continue to go terribly for Cersei, who has been on a
major downward curve ever since she allowed the High Sparrow to start gaining
power in King's Landing.
That decision continues to backfire this week, as Olenna
effectively ends the brief alliance between the Lannisters and the Tyrells,
telling Cersei some harsh truths while she's at it.
Cersei is still headed for a trial by combat, but she may
have a few other obstacles to overcome. Life in King's Landing isn't going to
be any easier now Tommen and Margaery are aligned with the Faith, and it would
seem like there's no way of getting her son back from the High Sparrow's
clutches (and, y'know, he's likely to die), so Cersei's next move isn't an
obvious one.
Also entwined in this storyline is Olenna, who states her
intention to leave King's Landing. Are we going to be done with the Queen of
Thorns for Season 6?
7. When Will Jon's Army Move On Winterfell?
Jon, Sansa, and Davos go on a recruitment trip around the
North, leading to a hugely entertaining encounter with the scene-stealing
Lyanna Mormont, a terse one with House Glover, and nowhere near enough men to
successfully take on the Boltons.
Despite the lack of numbers, Jon is still insisting that the
battle happens now, and this is the army they've got. Sansa has other ideas of
course, but right now Jon is the one in charge, especially since it's to him
the wildlings are loyal.
I'm guessing that the actual battle itself will take place
in episode 9 (I know, a bold af prediction there...), but does that mean next
week will see them starting to march on Winterfell?
6. Will Arya Kill The Waif?
After rejecting the chance to become a Faceless Men, Arya is
attempting to book passage home to Westeros this week, and foolishly lets her
guard down. Approached by an old woman - "sweet girl" - she turns,
pauses, and is then stabbed in the stomach before throwing herself off the
bridge.
Thankfully she does eventually emerge from the water, but
then wanders through the streets of Braavos with no one helping the poor
bleeding girl. However, this is Arya Stark, and we know she's going to survive,
but it's how it happens that will be interesting.
Once the Waif realises she hasn't died then she will be
after her again, and the fact that she can take on almost any face makes it
even harder for Arya to avoid her. That means the two will probably have to
face off (no pun intended...) again, but will Arya be able to kill her when the
time comes?
5. When Will She Make It Back To Westeros?
Regardless of whether or not Arya manages to kill the Waif,
there's still the matter of what she'll do next, because either way she'll need
to get away from Braavos.
The logical conclusion is that she does indeed head back to
Westeros, but that itself probably won't be all that straightforward. Given the
way Arya's storyline has gone, I can imagine them waiting until the season
finale before having her head back over to Westeros. And that's provided she
can indeed kill or escape the Waif, free herself from Jaqen as well, and make
it back to Westeros without any other misery befalling her.
4. What's Margaery's Gameplan?
After last week's episode, the assumption was that Margaery
was playing the High Sparrow, rather than actually aligning herself with the
Faith.
Rather than keep that mystery dangling, the show resolves it
this week, to the audience and Olenna Tyrell at least. Although Margaery is
keeping up the pious appearance to the High Sparrow, she reveals to her
grandmother that she hasn't truly gone over, handing her a scrap of paper with
the House Tyrell sigil on it.
So, we know that Margaery is up to something, but we don't
know exactly what game she is playing. As it stands, it's still a risky one,
which could be dangerous for herself, her brother Loras, and her husband Tommen
(it's unclear whether he's in on it as well, but I'd guess not), but if it pays
off then it could finally rid King's Landing of the High Sparrow.
3. Was Sansa Writing To Littlefinger?
After a disagreement with Jon about the size of their army,
Sansa goes off and writes a mysterious letter.
Although the show doesn't reveal its contents or who it is
being sent to, all signs point to her writing to Littlefinger. It's clear she's
been mulling over his words, and she wants more men before moving on
Winterfell; Littlefinger is the one who can provide them.
If she isn't writing to Littlefinger, there aren't many
other possibilities really, except some other Northern house not yet mentioned
here (the Manderlys could still come into it). If, as expected, it is Petyr
Baelish, then how will that work out, and just what side is he really going to
be on? And how will Jon react to his sister going behind his back?
2. Why Are The Brotherhood Without Banners Suddenly
Murderers?
Although we haven't seen any recognisable faces, such as
Beric or Thoros, the Brotherhood Without Banners have made a return in the past
couple of episodes.
They were mentioned by Walder Frey last week, and he says
they're helping the common folk. However, they turn up here and it's in much
more antagonistic fashion. They make demands of Brother Ray, and later return
(or so we're assuming) to slaughter him and the rest of the Sandor Clegane's
newfound friends.
That rather goes against what the Brotherhood stands for, so
have they made a more villainous turn, or is it a case that those three men
weren't really part of the Brotherhood? If not, where are the real members, and
what will they do when they finally turn up? (I'm still hoping for
you-know-who, but they might need to be introduced before that could happen.)
1. What Will Sandor Clegane Do Next?
Sandor Clegane returns as a more peaceful figure, but by the
end of the episode he's picking up the axe and ready to hunt down the people
who killed Brother Ray and co.
Does that mean we're going to see him immediately going back
to his old ways, and cutting down the people responsible? If that is the case
(which seems likely), could that take him on a collision course with the
Brotherhood, with whom he doesn't have the most pleasant history anyway.
Then there's the idea of CleganeBowl. A long-standing fan
theory, Sandor's return moves us closer to it becoming real, but there's still
a long way to go before it's feasible - what could happen that forces him to
head to King's Landing and fight for the Faith?
What questions are you asking after The Broken Man? Share
your thoughts down in the comments.
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