"Book of the Stranger" was filled with reunions, alliances, and a kickass, fiery ending. As a reader of the books with no more books to read, Season 6 has been a very interesting experience. Payoffs, even predictable ones, are coming quicker than expected. As in, you may have assumed Jon Snow was coming back to life at some point, but maybe not as soon as the second episode of the season. Likewise, we all knew Sansa was heading up to Castle Black, but her big emotional reunion with Jon Snow could have been held off for another few episodes (or even side-stepped altogether). As it turns out, it was right away. Right at the top of this episode, in fact. AND IT WAS SO GREAT! I audibly gasped right when it was about to happen. We're all still so invested in the Starks and it's wonderful. We're so invested, in fact, that we can now care so much about Jon and Sansa hugging even though they never really had a proper scene together on the entire show. They were both in Winterfell back in the show’s pilot episode, but they never interacted. Jon had a scene with Arya, but never with Sansa. But that didn't even matter here. The North is where this story's at right now. And also, given how many times we've been denied reunions over the years, we'll kind of take anything at this point.
There's a ton of politics and conflict brewing down in King's Landing and it was awesome to watch Cersei and Olenna begin to see eye-to-eye regarding High Sparrow and the Faith Militant. Though at this point, with all that's going on up north, with the White Walkers, and over in Meereen, the actual Iron Throne feels like the lesser story these days. Does it actually matter who's ruling down there once other dominos fall into place? And while High Sparrow may seem like the enemy at this point, everyone involved is a murky shade of gray. We're basically caught between the power hungry and the overly pious. It's not like up north where good and evil is more easily defined and it's easy to root for actual heroes.Jon Snow and Sansa's new mission to reclaim Winterfell is incredible. Not only did Ramsay's awful note shake Jon out of his apathy (while also putting to use all the wildlings he saved) but it's given Sansa the empowering storyline we all wish she'd had last season before she just wound up getting victimized all over again. She's the driving force here. She's determined to topple the Boltons and take back her home. Granted, she may have more of a claim and connection to Winterfell than Jon, who grew up feeling like an outsider there, but it's still an awesome turn of events.
Yes, I began shipping Brienne and Tormund right when they locked eyes as Sansa entered Castle Black. It was great how that odd (currently one-sided) flirtation came back later in a comical way over the dinner table. So just about every part of this arc -- with the Starks, Brienne, wildlings, Melisandre, Night's Watch, etc. -- is really working well. Other material lands with mixed success, like the King's Landing and Iron Islands stories. The latter of which also featured a sibling reunion - between Theon and Yara (Loras and Margery in fact giving us three such reunions in one episode). A nice moment, especially considering how Theon wanted to back Yara as ruler, but Iron Island scenes, almost by design, come off cold. The show just never quite built up the region as a place to consider as a top contender for power.Over in Meereen, it appears as though Tyrion might actually be on the wrong track, diplomacy-wise, for a change. There were moments when he seemed to have the masters of Yunkai and Astapor in the palm of his hand, but Grey Worm and Missandei kind of went overboard with their warnings and there’s a sense that Tyrion may have stepped into big trouble. And that would make sense if you consider all that happened out in Vaes Dothrak and how Daenerys, like the Unburnt boss that she is, burned the Khal and his top men to a crisp and then stood tall as the fiery, naked Khaleesi once again.
Meaning, it's possible that Daenerys re-wrangling all of the Dothraki will help back in Meereen with the Harpys – and perhaps with the trouble Tyrion may have started by proposing that slavery be slowly abolished. What will this all mean in the long run? Her having BOTH the Unsullied and the Dothraki at her command? That sure sounds like an invasion force, doesn't it? You know, should she ever choose to start heading west...
That final scene though…. Daenerys utilizing her fireproof body to trap all the bosses in the temple was amazing. It's been a few seasons since she's had a nice badass moment like this one - probably since she had her dragon torch Astapor and then she walked off with all the Unsullied. So this was very satisfying. And again, it was another payoff move that came quicker than expected. Seeing Daario and Jorah hunting around for her, mocking one another, I wrongly assumed that we'd just be quickly touching base with them. It didn’t seem we'd get the full rescue -- though Daenerys played a huge role her in her own emancipation -- this week, even if you might have predicted she could eventually lead some sort of temple rebellion from within.Overall, I liked that this episode was anchored by really strong-willed women. Even if the King's Landing storyline isn’t quite as compelling, all the women there are doing their best to not get publicly shamed and humiliated by the armed, freak show religious cult that's taken over. And over in Pyke, Yara's making a go at becoming the new ruler. Hell, even Osha tried to use her wildling wiles on Ramsay in order to escape. Her Season 2 trick didn't work though and she wound up getting stabbed herself, but the initiative was appreciated.
Littlefinger made his first Season 6 appearance this week too, manipulating simple Robin Arryn into helping him send soldiers up to save, or support, Sansa. Robin, who's still an inept little sociopath who can be as cruel as a child squashing bugs. Fortunately, Littlefinger can persuade him to do what needs to be done (even if what need to be done is scare the piss out of Lord Royce). I would like to think Littlefinger has a bigger plan here, but it seems like he's just trying to clean up his Season 5 mess. Which is kind of a shame, as most of that storyline was. The only other thing that springs to mind now is that maybe he did intend on putting Sansa in harm's way, so that he could rally the north himself. Because if she died or she escaped, either option would give him cause to attack.
