Two key features of episode 609 are the carnage resulting from the battle scenes, especially the one for Winterfell, and the portrayal of strong women desiring not only power or revenge but also their opinions to be considered.
The episode opens with Tyrion trying to explain the conditions in which the city of Mereen is. He tries his best in justifying what he has done while Daenerys was gone. Overall, the scene seems to have some elements of comic relief. However, more interesting are her plans for dealing with the slavers. She will destroy their fleet, their army, and their cities. Tyrion is not pleased about her approach and releases the information about why his brother Jaime killed her father, the Mad King. He explains that Aerys had caches of wildfire placed underneath particular structures frequented by many people, such as the Red Keep and the Sept of Baelor. Overall, his victims could have been both traitors and innocent, loyal citizens. Then, there is the interaction between the Masters and Daenerys and her council to negotiate the terms of surrender. Of course, the Masters think that Daenerys does not stand a chance beating them. However, her reign has begun, and an intimidating Drogon appears out of nowhere. Suddenly, the other two dragons make a hole through the walls and come out of their captivity and join Daenerys in burning down the Slavers’ fleet. At the same time, Daario and the Dothraki fight the Sons of the Harpy who are massacring the Mereenese people. Of the three Masters who were present to deal with Daenerys, only Razdal is left alive. Therefore, he can inform what he experienced so that others stop planning any retribution against the Dragon Queen. The Battle of Mereen is a marvel to the viewers’ eyes due to the efforts put by the FX team. Those dragons simply look spectacular in flight and battle.
Prediction: There are some speculations about Cersei trying to burn down King’s Landing next episode. It is a possibility since Tyrion makes it clear that caches of wildfire are placed below the Sept of Baelor. Furthermore, Cersei is described as having eyes as green as the color of wildfire in the books. She might want to ignite the Sept to eliminate the High Sparrow and his army. Of course, she does not care about who is innocent or not.
After the Battle of Mereen, viewers are transported to Winterfell and its surroundings where a parley takes place between Jon and Ramsay. Of course, Ramsay constantly speaks to Jon in a condescending manner. Of note is how Jon tries to persuade Ramsay to have a sword fight with him so that more lives are not lost. Jon is looking for a way to keep the most people alive to fight the White Walkers. However, Ramsay opts not do it. His army outnumbers Jon’s, and he likes carnage. He is also aware that he cannot beat Jon. Then Ramsay displays the head of the dead direwolf to prove that he holds Rickon Stark. Of course, Ramsay takes advantage of the shock that the dead direwolf has created to demoralize the Starks just to have Sansa cut him off and deliver one of the best lines of the episode: “You are going to die tomorrow, Lord Bolton. Sleep Well.” Sansa’s firm conviction that Ramsay will die is related to the plans she has prepared, the involvement of House Arryn in the battle. The parley ends up by Ramsay sickly description of how his enemies will perish – they will be dog food, a hint to his eventual death (readers have predicted that Ramsay will be eaten by dogs or a direwolf).
The night before the battle, Jon is discussing with his “generals” the strategy that they will be using. They want Ramsay to come to them. However, Sansa expresses her opinions about Ramsay since she is the one who knows him personally. She warns him that they will never see Rickon alive again. Ramsay’s claim to Winterfell is contested by Rickon, a trueborn male Stark. She also mentions that Ramsay likes to play games with people and set traps, which is what Bolton eventually does by setting Rickon free and making him run towards Jon by shooting arrows at him. Some interesting comments arise from their argument:
“Battles have been won against greater odds.” – Jon makes this comment based on his experience. However, a good strategy and luck are required.
“No one can protect me. No one can protect anyone.” – Sansa has come to the realization that she cannot fully rely on others for protection. One has to learn to protect oneself.
Would things have turned out differently if Sansa had told Jon about her plans of having the knights of the Vale involved? The information she hid from Jon could have prevented most of his army from being slaughtered. Probably her plan was to weaken House Bolton with her brother’s army. Apparently, she felt like she did not have a voice, and that could be the reason why she did not divulge her plans. Furthermore, Bolton would have opted to be besieged at Winterfell if he knew Jon and Sansa possessed a larger army. Winter would have weakened this more massive army eventually. Hopefully, next episode will reveal the reasoning behind Sansa’s decisions.
Everything goes wrong for Jon and his army. Ramsay does set a trap by killing Rickon and provoking Jon. In regards to the battle, I like the clash between the two armies, one of them mainly on horseback. At a particular point, the arrows are hitting everybody. Eventually, Jon’s army is surrounded by lances and a pile of dead bodies. It seems that the only way out is to climb the mountain of corpses. Of course, Jon almost dies of suffocation trying to climb. Furthermore, Tormund kills Lord Umber. However, the fate of Lord Karstark is unknown. Out of a sudden, the Knights of the Vale arrive, and they exterminate Bolton’s army. Ramsay retreats and locks himself in Winterfell. However, Wun Wun tears the door down. Of course, he dies doing it, and it is Ramsay who finally kills him by sending an arrow straight to his eye. Jon proceeds to kill Ramsay by beating him to death. However, he realizes that Ramsay’s death belongs to Sansa. She has Ramsay devoured by his dogs, a sort of poetic justice which is hardly found in the adaptation and books. I like how Sansa reminds Ramsay that his house, his name and the memory of him will disappear before he meets his end, and the smirk on her face as she leaves the kennels. Overall, I enjoyed watching the battle even though it is cliché in nature. However, I would have liked Jon to be less emotional and show more skills as a tactician. His victory is hollow compared to Daenerys’s memorable one. The Stark army is gone. Northern houses are decimated.
Other Highlights
- After the Battle of Mereen, there is a meeting between Yara and Daenerys, and their counselors, Theon, and Tyrion, respectively. Daenerys is impressed with Yara’s desire to rule the Iron Island and her brother’s support for her claim. They mentioned to her that Euron is also coming for her with not only ships but with a marriage offer. According to them, Euron wants to rule the Seven Kingdoms by marrying Daenerys, after which he can easily dispose of her. Both ladies decide to make a pact, as long as the Ironborn abandon the “old way.” They take a quick look at their counselors before shaking hands. They both seem to share the idea that they could make a better world for their subjects. Of note is the fact that Theon reveals that he did not murder the Stark boys.
- Davos finds the pyre where Shireen was burned by accidentally finding the stag he gave her before their separation last season. After the Battle of Winterfell, he looks at Melisandre with murderous intent. Based on the preview for next episode, Davos will bring the fact that Melisandre is to be blamed for the burning of Shireen and Stannis’s demise. Of course, this scene will put Jon Snow in an uncomfortable situation, between one of his honorable and loyal “generals” and the witch who reanimated him.
- We have not seen Ghost much on the last few episodes. I wonder whether we will see the Sand Snakes or Sam Tarly again this season.