âGame of Thronesâ recap: The latest on Dany, Jon, Sansa and Arya
Looks like Jon Snow (Kit Harington), Lord Commander of the Nightâs Watch, is dead. Officially.
Unless, that is, Melisandre (Carice van Houten) uses her Lord of Light magic to reanimate him on âThe Red Womanâ (Episode 51), the Season 6 premiere of HBOâs fantasy epic âGame of Thrones.â
Jon lies in a pool of blood at Castle Black after being stabbed by his brothers in arms. Their treasonous ringleader is Alliser Thorne (Owen Teale).
The murder was necessary, Alliser claims, because Jonâs poor judgment -- he made peace with the hated Wildlings -- would have destroyed the Nightâs Watch.
âHe thrust a terrible choice upon us,â Alliser declares. âAnd we made it!â
Locked in a room with Jonâs corpse are his fierce dire wolf Ghost, along with Ser Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham) and a handful of Nightâs Watch loyalists. Alliser offers them amnesty (donât believe it) if they surrender by nightfall.
âThereâs always the Red Woman,â Davos says of Melisandre, pointing out that sheâs capable of defeating Alliser and his 40 men. âYou havenât seen her do what Iâve seen her do.â
Melisandre does possess incredible powers, including the ability to look 70 years younger than her true age. For when she removes her clothes and necklace, Melisandre transforms from a beautiful woman to an old hag.
As for Jonâs half-sister, Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner), she flees from her sadistic husband, Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon), with help from Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen).
When Ramsayâs soldiers track down Sansa near an icy river, sheâs rescued in the nick of time by faithful Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) and her companion Podrick Payne (Daniel Portman).
Sansaâs younger sister, Arya (Maisie Williams), meanwhile, is reduced to a blind beggar in Braavos because she defied orders from assassins known as the Faceless Men. One of their acolytes, The Waif (Faye Marsay), delivers a harsh lesson in self-defense by beating Arya with a stick.
At Kingâs Landing, Queen Mother Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) learns the tragic news from her brother/lover Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) that their daughter Myrcella (Nell Tiger Free) is dead. She was poisoned by Ellaria Sand (Indira Varma), a bitter enemy of House Lannister.
Jaime vows payback, promising Cersei that âeverything theyâve taken from us, weâre going to take back -- and more!â
Ellariaâs next homicide victim is Dorneâs ruler, Prince Doran Martell (Alexander Siddig). She despises Doran for not avenging the death of his brother Oberyn (Pedro Pascal).
Doranâs son and Myrcellaâs fiance Trystane (Toby Sebastian) meets a similar fate when one of Ellariaâs daughters, lethal âSand Snakeâ Obara (Keisha Castle-Hughes), pokes a spear through his skull.
In Meereen, Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) and Lord Varys (Conleth Hill) strategize on how to squash a rebellion led by the Sons of the Harpy. These insurgents nearly assassinated Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) before she dramatically escaped astride her mightiest dragon, Drogon.
Who secretly directs the uprising? Varys dispatches his spies to gather intelligence. And who just set fire to Danyâs fleet of ships? Also unknown.
âWell, she wonât sail to Westeros anytime soon,â Tyrion remarks upon seeing the flames. In other words, Danyâs plans to invade Kingâs Landing and seize the Iron Throne are definitely on hold.
So whereâs Dany? Sheâs been captured by Dothraki horsemen and taken to their leader, Khal Moro (Joe Nauhafu). He scornfully laughs at her many titles -- including Mother of Dragons -- until she reveals that her late husband was Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa).
âNo one will touch you,â Moro says apologetically. âYou have my word!â
Apology accepted. Now escort me back to Meereen immediately, Dany insists, and Iâll give you a thousand horses for your trouble.
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