The Second Watch is a weekly “Game of Thrones” recap column by Arts & Life Editor Erin Yarnall. Read more here. 

The beginning of “Hardhome” successfully caught up with the characters we were left waiting to see at the end of last week’s episode — especially Daenerys and Tyrion. “Hardhome” showed Tyrion proving himself to Dany, finally being accepted as a political advisor for her, but his struggle to gain her acceptance reminded viewers why they loved the feisty dragon queen in the first place, especially when she asked Tyrion “Why are you worth meeting?” after his lengthy speech about why she was worth meeting. Despite the excitement of these two characters finally meeting each other (and Daenerys finally meeting someone from Westeros beyond Jorah and Barristan), Tyrion put a damper on the episode by advising Daenerys to send off Jorah Mormont.

It’s unknown what Jorah was expecting when he returned to Daenerys. The last time they met, she told him if she ever saw him again she would have him killed. Still, he returned. Somehow he thought if he brought Tyrion back with him, he would be accepted? Jorah’s thought process is confusing — but also desperate. Daenerys is everything to him, and watching him leave the queen for the last time (that we know of) was heart wrenching, especially knowing that he has greyscale.

“Hardhome” also featured my most anticipated moment of this season, when Reek finally tells Sansa that he didn’t kill her little brothers, Bran and Rickon. Despite the fact that Reek is still a horrible human, this scene shows Sansa how twisted Ramsay has left him, and also gives her hope for her future, knowing her two youngest brothers are still alive. Sansa was utterly hopeless before, and now she has something to live for — to see her two youngest brothers return to their home.

The episode ended with a battle scene that left viewers feeling entirely hopeless about the fate of Westeros. Sure, the ultimate hero of the battle, and our favorite member of the Night’s Watch, Jon Snow, was able to make it out of the battle alive, but almost every other person who fought wasn’t. Not only that, but at the end of the battle, the White Walkers changed all of the dead wildlings into White Walkers — showing Jon, and the wildlings who managed to escape that there was ultimately no hope.

Although it left me feeling utterly hopeless about the future of all of my favorite characters (and least favorite — everyone is going to die and us viewers have to come to terms with that), it was filmed beautifully. Instead of looking like a program made for television, the battle scene, which took a month to film according to Kit Harington, looked like an action sequence from a horror blockbuster, which makes sense as each episode costs around $6 million to make, one of the highest costs for a television show in history.

One of the best parts of the elongated scene was the acting. Throughout “Game of Thrones,” Jon Snow has come up against incredibly difficult and terrifying circumstances, but Kit Harington has never shown it more than throughout the scene in “Hardhome.” In many shots, he genuinely looks terrified, but without having to scream or proclaim it in any way. If an acting award was given out for this episode, it would go to Harington’s eyes, as what scared me the most watching this episode was the absolute look of fear in them when he came up against the White Walkers.

Kill, Marry, Screw, Prediction

Kill: It was a surprisingly death-free episode, which I noted, up until the last twenty-or-so minutes, when almost everyone in the scene died. Countless wildlings, including the female leader who I was really starting to grow fond of. Her death, being mauled to death by dead children, was one of the most tragic so far this season. All the emotions for a character we don’t even know the name of. Some White Walkers also died, maybe? Can they die? Either way, countless numbers of them were stabbed. One White Walker definitely died, when Jon obliterated him with a sword made of Valyrian steel.

Marry: N/A

Screw: The entire world is going to be screwed over by the White Walkers.

Prediction: The Night’s Watch is slowly but surely turning on their reluctant Lord Commander, Jon Snow, especially after he just left to help to Wildlings. When he returns to the Wall, Sam and Gilly will either be gone or dead, especially after one of Maester Aemon’s last words to Gilly, which was to get her baby south. This will leave Jon with no supporters left at the wall, and he’s going to have to leave, or die.