While “Oathbreaker” was one of the most anticipated episodes of this season for me, it seemed to be composed of filler plots to set up larger action in episodes to come. Varys is setting up a new spy organization in Meereen, Cersei and Jaime are getting ready to take on anyone in their way and Jon is preparing to start his life over again.
After he was brought back to life in the exciting conclusion of last week’s episode, Jon spent this week getting accustomed to being undead and killing everyone who made him that way — including one of the show’s most despised characters, Olly, who is literally a child. At first it felt wrong to be rooting excitedly for the death of a kid, but then I remembered that he not only murdered Jon, but also Ygritte. After killing Olly and the rest of the awful members of the Night’s Watch, he declared his loyal friend Edd the new commander and left as his “watch has ended.” Who knows where he’s heading on his own, but the new, undead Jon seems to be an angry one wracked with a sense of vengeance. Maybe he’ll return to Winterfell?
One of the major focuses of this episode was Daenerys, as she returns to the homeland of the Dothraki — Vaes Dothrak, where she is to live in a colony of Khal widows. Not only is Daenerys sentenced to live with the Dosh Khaleen, the widows of dead Khals, she finds out in “Oathbreaker” that that might be her best option. Due to her leaving, and not immediately moving to Vaes Dothrak after the death of Khal Drogo, she could be sentenced to death by the Dothraki. It’s a safe bet that one of the most popular and powerful characters in “Game of Thrones” won’t be killed by minor characters, but it’s always nerve-wracking to see Daenerys not in control of a situation and not in the company of her dragons.
The scene I was most excited for this week was the flashback to a young Ned Stark at the Tower of Joy. After Jon was brought back to life last episode, I was ready to see the show confirm that he is part Targaryen and get on with him conquering the world with his aunt, Daenerys already. Unfortunately, all we saw was Bran learn a lesson about focusing too much on the past and a bloody fight between young Ned Stark and his friends against Targaryen soldiers protecting whatever is in the Tower of Joy (let’s be real, it’s Lyanna Stark with her son, baby Jon Snow). Hopefully the show will dive into that sooner rather than later, but I have a feeling that Bran trying to find out what’s in the tower will take us all season.
Fortunately, there’s another young Stark to focus on, as Rickon Stark returned to the show after multiple seasons of being somewhere in the wilderness with Osha. Unfortunately, he’s been captured and is now in the hands of Ramsay Bolton, the most deranged person in Westeros, which is really saying something. With Sansa, Brienne, Podrick and now Jon all roaming throughout the North, someone’s bound to save him. Hopefully.
Marry
No one, but we did see the strength of Tommen’s love for his wife and his mother in this episode (still not that strong, though).
Screw
The Night’s Watch, while in the loyal and faithful hands of Dolorous Edd, is totally screwed without Jon.
Kill
Ser Arthur Dayne and the soldiers who were helping him guard the Tower of Joy. Olly, Alliser Thorne and everyone else who had a hand in killing Jon were hung at Castle Black.
Prediction
Now that Jon Snow’s “watch has ended,” he’ll go back to Winterfell and rescue his brother/cousin, Rickon.
Stray Observation
Jon Snow is seen as a sort of god amongst the Wildlings now that he’s come back from the dead, and it was hilarious to see Tormund reassuring Jon he didn’t think he was one because of the apparently small size of his, well, you know.