RECAP: GAME OF THRONES S6EP6 - DEAD PEOPLE, SWORD STEALING AND TERRIBLE SONS

Watching Meera struggle to tow an unconscious Bran was a stark and painful reminder that Hodor was gone.

For a second there, I honestly thought Meera was about to give up, until none other than Benjen Stark came to the rescue. Apparently, he had been saved from imminent death at the hands of the White Walkers by the Children of the Forest and is now working with the Three-Eyed-Raven.

If anything is certain, Tommen Lannister is an idiot. However, what still surprised me more were the events in King’s Landing this episode. Recall that just a couple of episodes ago, King Tommen was seen begging his mother to make him “strong”. This looked like it could have been a turning point in his reign, transforming him from the soft-spoken and weak-willed King into someone who could take down the High Sparrow. Watching him converse in a polite and civil manner with the High Sparrow, and the eagerness on his face as he was given the offer to see his wife showed us that he was still just a pawn. This was further reinforced when Margery seemingly managed to convert him. I’m left wondering when Margery was converted herself, as we last saw her urging Loras to stay strong., and whether or not this is all a façade. The anticlimactic scene where Jamie and the Tyrell army march through King’s Landing to confront the Sparrows left us all disappointed and slightly annoyed at Tommen.

We’re finally introduced to Randyll Tarly, the dickhead father of Sam. Randyll is every bit of the douche he’s chalked up to be. After repeatedly referring to poor Gilly as an “it” and a “wildling whore”, it’s clear that Samwell’s gentle nature comes from his mother. And worse yet, he calls Sam fat as the boy reaches for a piece of bread. LET THE MAN EAT!

One of my favourite moments from this episode was when Samwell makes the decision to take Gilly and her baby to Old Town with them, and steals his family’s Valyrian steel sword. I think we can expect this moment to be pivotal at some point in the future, as we know the value the sword will have in the inevitable fight against the White Walkers.

I can’t be the only one who’s relived that Arya didn’t kill the actress. While the Waif smugly referred to Arya as ‘Lady Stark’ in the previous episode, maybe that isn’t such a bad thing. We’re now left wondering if the lengthy amount of time Arya spent at the House of Black and White had a point to it.

Daenerys appeared at the tail end of the episode with many new followers. She disappears into the mountains and returns with a big dragon.