A Stark Family Reunion in Our Game of Thrones Episode 6.04 Recap

A Stark family reunion in our Game of Thrones episode 6.04 recap

Now that he has stepped down as Lord Commander, Jon Snow has decided he is going to go south and “get warm.” A call comes from outside, and they open the gates. Brienne, Sansa, and Podrick enter. Jon locks eyes with Sansa and the two embrace triumphantly. Inside, warming by the fire, they reminisce a bit to break the ice, and Sansa asks where he will go, if he is leaving the Night’s Watch. “Where will WE go?” he corrects her. She smiles and suggests they go home, take Winterfell back from the Boltons. Jon is tired of fighting, but Sansa believes if they don’t take back the north, they will never be safe. She wants his help, but will do it herself if she has to.

Outside, Davos asks if Melisandre will stay at Castle Black. She will do as Jon Snow commands. “He is the prince that was promised.” Davos asks what happened to Stannis, and Melisandre says he was defeated. She doesn’t offer any further details, and won’t speak when asked what happened to Shireen, but luckily Brienne steps in and admits – proudly – that she executed Stannis.

Theon returns home and finds his sister Yara waiting for him. She thought he had been killed, and is mad that men died trying to rescue him. “I risked everything for you.” Theon can’t look Yara in the eye and says Ramsay broke him into a thousand broken pieces. Yara knows – they sent her some of the pieces. She thinks that he is there to claim the throne, but he doesn’t want to be king. He wants to help her rule the Iron Islands.

Ramsay is slicing up an apple when Osha is brought to him. She has no loyalty to the Starks and only protected Rickon to sell him to the highest bidder. “He’s not yours to sell anymore. He’s mine,” Ramsay says pointedly. “What use do I have for you?” Osha responds by coming on to him, promising to give him what he wants – and straddling him. Ramsay is into it, tells her she is a good talker. He had to work hard to get Theon to talk… but when Theon talked he revealed how Osha helped them escape. She reaches for the apple knife, but Ramsay is faster and stabs her in the throat with a dagger. He wipes it off casually and uses it to continue cutting up his apple, while Osha bleeds out on the floor.

Back at Castle Black, Jon, Edd, and Tormund eat with Sansa, Brienne, and Podrick. Tormund seems to have a little crush on Brienne – he keeps eyeing her. A letter comes in for Lord Commander. Jon reiterates he is not the Lord Commander, but takes the letter and reads it. The Bolton seal is on it, and Jon senses it is just some kind of taunt. He reads it as such, until he gets to the part where he claims to have Rickon in his dungeon. He freezes, and continues the note in a serious voice. The letter begs Jon to come and see for himself. Ramsay then threatens to kill everyone at Castle Black if he doesn’t send his bride back. Jon stops reading and throws the letter down in disgust. Sansa reads the rest, which promises his soldiers will take turns raping Sansa, and they will kill and flay everyone. Ramsay signs the letter, “Lord of Winterfell,” which signals to Sansa that Roose is dead. Sansa is certain he has Rickon and again entreats Jon into fighting against the Boltons. She heard Ramsay say he has 5,000 in his army. Tormund can get together an army of about 2,000. “You are the last true son of the north. They will fight for you if you ask,” Sansa insists. “We have to fight for our home, for our brother.” Jon nods.

Baelish returns to the Vale with a gift for Robin: a rare falcon. Royce asks after Sansa, and Baelish suggests that Royce sent Bolton’s men after them – he was the only one who knew of their travel plans. Royce gets nervous, and reminds Robin that he has always been faithful and loyal. Baelish suggests that Royce deserves one more chance. Robin agrees. Baelish has a new issue for Robin: Sansa escaped Ramsay, and he suspects she went to Castle Black – and won’t be safe. Robin decides they should help her – “she’s my cousin.” Baelish quickly agrees.

Margaery is brought upstairs to speak to the High Sparrow. He asks where she would go if he allowed her to leave. She would go to her brother, her husband, her family. The High Sparrow equates this with seeking out sin, because her family is all about money and power. He tells a tale of how he once trafficked in such sins, which culminated in a great feast he held for his friends. He fell into a drunken stupor, and when he woke, he looked around at his naked, passed-out friends, and saw with “perfect clarity what their sins were.” He walked out that door and never looked back. He then takes Margaery to see her brother. In Loras’ cell, Margaery finds her brother mentally and emotionally broken. He begs her to “make it stop.” She wants him to be strong, reminds him he is the future of their house, suggests that they want her to help tear him down. “If we give in, they win.” Loras doesn’t care. He just wants it to stop.

Cersei visits Tommen and finds Pycelle advising him. He won’t leave when Cersei tells him to, but he does when Tommen speaks up. Tommen wants to be careful dealing with the High Sparrow. They can’t put Margaery at risk. Cersei says that her safety is paramount , and Tommen hears a hint of sarcasm in her voice. “You don’t like Margaery, do you?” Cersei tells him it is unimportant; she is the queen and must demand respect. Tommen admits he spoke to the High Sparrow and wants to tell Cersei something he is not supposed to tell anyone.

With Jaime at her side, Cersei storms into the Small Council meeting, claiming the High Sparrow knew they would turn on each other instead of turning against him. In order to get Olenna and Kevan back on their side, Cersei reveals that the High Sparrow has already scheduled a walk of atonement for Margaery, and tells Kevan that this might be his only chance to get Lancel back. Tommen decreed that the royal army not go up against the Sparrows, so Jaime suggests the royal army stands down, and the Tyrell army moves in. Kevan is concerned that this could start a civil war, but Olenna says many will die no matter what. “Better them than us.”

Tyrion has invited representatives from Astapor, Yunkai, and Volantis to Meereen, to entice them out of slavery. These men believe their economy is based on slavery.”There haven’t been slaves in Westeros in hundreds of years, but I grew up richer than any of you,” he points out. His (and Danaerys’) proposal: slavery will not be reintroduced to Meereen, but he will give them seven years to end slavery in their own lands. Slaveholders will be compensated fairly for their slaves, but in return, they must cut off support to the Harpys. He leaves them each with a whore while they contemplate the offer.

Freedmen are waiting outside, and are mad at Tyrion for meeting with slavers. They don’t trust Tyrion, but they trust Grey Worm, and turn to him for answers. He reminds them he is not a politician, but believes if there is a chance for peace, they should take it. Missandei agrees, but when alone with Tyrion, they both warn him against trusting the slavers.

Jorah and Daario approach Vaes Dothrak. This is where they would have taken Danaerys, to the Dosh Khaleen. Jorah disarms and instructs Daario to do the same; weapons are forbidden in the sacred city. Daario takes issue with leaving behind his favorite dagger, but when he sees the Greyscale on his skin, he promises to take care of it himself. They sneak into the city at night, and when a couple drunk revelers catch them, Jorah claims they got lost coming back from market. The men don’t believe him, and the little one runs to get help while the big one stays to fight Jorah. Daario snaps the little one’s neck, but the big guy has size, strength, and youth on Jorah. As he is about to strangle him to death, a dagger plunges through his chest. Daario didn’t leave behind his dagger, and it saved Jorah’s life. Jorah is concerned that the Dothraki will hunt them down when they discover a knife wound in this man, so Daario covers it up by bludgeoning him with a rock. (Later, when the Khals meet, they discuss the dead man and decide that since he was bludgeoned with a rock, it’s no concern of theirs.)

At the Dosh Khaleen, Danaerys goes outside for some fresh air with another young khaleesi, who was wed to her khal at age 12 and had her ribs broken for daring to birth a girl. Daario and Jorah are hiding in the shadows, and they grab the young khaleesi. Danaerys doesn’t seem surprised to see them, but insists they don’t hurt the girl. She asks the girl to trust her, and when she nods, Daario lets her go. Danaerys has a plan.

Danaerys is taken before the council of khals, who discuss her fate. “Don’t you want to know what I think?” she asks, which makes the men laugh. She talks of stories her husband told her about the Dothraki, and tells them they are small men, not fit to lead the Dothraki. “But I am. So I will.” The men laugh at Danaerys and promise to take turns f*cking her, then if there is anything left, let the horses take their turn. Danaerys knocks over two braziers and the hut goes up in flames remarkably fast. The men stop laughing and try to get out. The door has been locked and the guards outside have been killed. Danaerys is seemingly untouched by the flames, and unconcerned by them.

Outside, thousands of Dothraki rush around the flaming hut. The door opens, and Danaerys appears. She is completely naked and completely unharmed. All the Dothrakis drop to their knees before her. Jorah and Daario walk through the crowds – and they drop to their knees as well.

Danaerys rules the Dothraki now.

You can watch a preview for episode 6.05, titled “The Door,” by clicking here.