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"Game of Thrones": Scars of the past


Even after watching "Game of Thrones" for six years, and going through some of the most heart-wrenching episodes, the show still finds ways to rip out my heart.

The Season 6, Episode 5 episode of "Game of Thrones" titled "The Door" does just that, showing the type of emotion enlisted by other episodes in the series such as "The Red Wedding" and "The Mountain vs. The Viper."

Prepare for spoilers for "Game of Thrones" through Season 6, Episode 5.

Quick Hits

  • In a matter of one episode, "Game of Thrones" manages to kill off one of the most innocent characters in the whole series and a beloved animal. In the show, no character is safe, but somehow fans of the show get drawn in and attached to characters, only for their hearts to be stabbed, much like Hodor's was at the end of this episode. Hodor wasn't just Bran's personal walker, he was the show's truly innocent character. Killing off Hodor shouldn't have been a surprise, but boy was that a strike in all the feels. 
  • By the way, for those doing a direwolf count, your current number is 2 — just Ghost and Nymeria, who we haven't seen since Season 1, remain.
  • It's not a coincidence that the creatures of winter, the white walkers, enveloped and killed Summer. Forget the Stark words, "Winter is coming," Winter is here.
  • At some point, Bran will realize that he has to obey orders right? Told not to climb, falls from a tower (though not all his fault). Three-eyed Raven tries to teach him lessons safely, ends up destroying the only safe harbor.
  • Arya's still struggling to stay no one, and how can you blame her given her past history? Forced to kill people impersonating scenes that she witnessed including her father, who is made to look like a bumbling fool. 

Power moves in the North

  • This is the first time we see Littlefinger in a position of weakness. I believe Littlefinger when he says he underestimated Ramsey, but even in weakness, Littlefinger is dangerous. Trying to split Jon against Sansa shows exactly that. 
  • What worries me in the North: We all know you can't trust Littlefinger, so how do we know the Blackfish is still able to gain a Tully army? And even if he had, why would he strategically leave Riverrun to go clear Winterfell of the Boltons when Walder Frey still has his nephew in a dungeon (which he's been in since the Red Wedding)? 
  • Sansa's transition from a helpless girl into a fearless woman has been fantastic to watch, and has made her storyline that much better. However, I'm worried Sansa is getting a little too cocky. Sure, she's definitely played the game of thrones well this season, but cockiness will only get her that much closer to death. 

Daenerys' chance to head to Westeros

  • With Euron Greyjoy now fully prepped to head East and try his luck with Daenerys, the dragon queen has the missing link on how to get back home. Euron's motives seem a bit too good to fully trust him just yet, but any way Dany can get to Westeros is a plan I'm fully behind. 
  • If not for the deaths of Hodor and Summer in this episode, the punch-in-the-gut scene this episode would have been Daenerys telling Jorah that he needs to find the cure. I mean, it can be done. Greyscale, the nasty rash Jorah has on his arm, hasn't been totally cured, but HAS been stopped. Shireen Baratheon, Stannis' daughter, had greyscale on part of her face and Stannis was able to cure it. Could a red priestess be able to save Jorah's life?

Where does Bran go now?

By far the biggest question remaining after this episode is where does Bran go?

The obvious answer would be South. Bran's whole family is down there and the perceived shelter behind the Wall will only fuel the desire for Bran's quest for safety.

However, don't think that it's a coincidence that Jon Snow left the Wall and told Ed, "not to bring the whole thing down while I'm gone."

If Bran thinks that the Wall will provide him safety, we could see a very large, army-sized hole in the Wall by Episode 10 of this season.

Anthony J. Machcinski reacts to "Game of Thrones" each week for FlipSidePA.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChinskiTweets.