For the first time this season, “Game of Thrones” didn’t introduce any new main or main-adjacent characters in Sunday’s episode.
So, with no new characters to run down like we usually do on AccessHollywood.com, tonight we’re recapping the big moments that shook the regular residents of Westeros and beyond in Episode 306, “The Climb.”
The Reeds & Osha: Bran Stark’s wildling nanny, Osha, and spear-proficient Meera Reed got into an argument over skinning rabbits. “It’s a quite difficult skill,” Ellie Kendrick, who plays Meera, told AccessHollywood.com of the task, which likely had a fair few viewers squirming. “I never realized how hard it was. … It’s all very gory.” Aside from the gruesome rabbit moment, which Natalia Tena, who plays Osha, also addressed with Access in this interview at the show’s LA premiere, the big development of their journey in 306 came via Jojen Reed. After returning from using his warg abilities to enter the mind of an animal, he reported to young Bran Stark that he saw Bran’s brother — Jon Snow — on the other side of The Wall, surrounded by enemies.
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Jon Snow: Jon may be with the wildlings (the enemies Jojen spoke of), but Ygritte revealed she knows Jon hasn’t actually become one of them. After promising to keep his secret, Ygritte tells Jon she expects him to stay true to her. “I’m your woman now, Jon Snow. You’re going to be loyal to your woman,” she notes. Later, while climbing The Wall, disaster strikes and Jon and Ygritte are left dangling hundreds of feet above the ground. The wildling and warg Orell, who clearly dislikes Jon, cuts the rope that holds them. Before the lovers can plunge to their death, Jon shows off his hero skills by swinging to the side, pummeling his axe into a chunk of the ice and saving them. Orell looks less than pleased when the couple makes it to the top of The Wall at the end of the episode and kiss.
Melisandre & Gendry: Stannis Baratheon is still aching for the crown, and Melisandre seems to have carte blanche to do what she wants to help him get it. Earlier this season, Stannis wanted her to wield more magic and give him another son (like the shadow baby that killed Renly Baratheon in Season 2). At the time, Melisandre told Stannis he was too weak. She also suggested more royal blood was out there. Enter Gendry. For those who may have forgotten, in Season 1, Ned Stark actually figured out that Gendry was the bastard son of King Robert Baratheon. Last year, in this interview, Joe Dempsie, who plays Gendry, shared his thoughts with Access about why his character hasn’t figured out who he is. “He knows that there’s something up. He knows that Jon Arryn came to see him as Hand of the King and ended up dead and then Ned Stark, and the same thing happened,” Joe said at the time. “His world has been so far removed from anything that could even compare to being the son of the King. I think if someone told him, I think if he found out, if he discovered his true parentage, I think he would be shocked. But I think that’d he’d believe it.
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Arya Stark: Before she left with Gendry, Melisandre marveled while staring at Arya Stark. “I see a darkness in you,” the red priestess commented. She also said (to Arya) she saw eyes of different colors — “eyes, you’ll shut forever.” “We will meet again,” Melisandre told the young Stark as she left.
Robb Stark & Edmure Tully: In Season 2, Robb Stark married a girl he met on the battlefield – Talisa. Problem was, in Season 1, in order for the Stark armies to cross The Twins, his mother, Catelyn Stark, made a deal with Lord Walder Frey (who owns the bridge castles) — Robb would have to marry one of his daughters. Robb didn’t like it, but said he’d honor the bargain. He didn’t, so in this episode, with Robb now wanting help from The Frey army, two of the Freys came to Riverrun with Lord Frey’s demands. One of the demands is Lord Frey wants Harrenhal. His second demand is that Edmure Tully (Robb’s uncle, and Catelyn’s brother) marry his daughter, Roslyn, 19 as a sort of make good. “You’re paying for my sins, uncle,” Robb said, after Edmure reluctantly agreed. “It’s not fair, or right. I’ll remember it.”
Theon Greyjoy: The mystery of who is torturing Theon continues for non-readers. As his pinky was being flayed, “The Boy,” as HBO has called him thus far, let Theon play a guessing game about who he is. Theon guessed he is a Karstark (note: Robb took off Lord Rikard Karstark’s head last week). First “Boy” said he was right. Later, he said he (Boy) is a liar.
Tyrion Lannister: He was scarred in the Battle of Blackwater when Ser Mandon Moore attempted to kill him, and in Episode 306, Tyrion finally figured out who was behind the hit. When his older sister, Cersei Lannister, wouldn’t answer his questions, Tyrion figured out that it was King Joffrey who ordered Ser Mandon to kill him. Later, Tyrion had to approach Sansa Stark and his mistress, Shae (who is serving as Sansa’s handmaiden), and tell them both that he is now betrothed to Sansa. “This is awkward,” he started. Although they didn’t actually show Tyrion making the revelation (or Shae’s immediate reaction), Sansa, later on, is spotted in floods of tears as she watches Littlefinger’s boat (a boat she could have been on) sail away.
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King Joffrey Baratheon: It appears the child of twins Cersei and Jaime Lannister is more sadistic than first thought. Ros, the prostitute-turned-manageress of Littlefinger’s brothel, was traded to the King, who killed her, brutally, with his crossbow. Littlefinger made the deal because he realized Ros had betrayed him and told Lord Varys about his plans to take Sansa with him when he left for The Eerie.
“Game of Thrones” airs Sundays at 9 PM on HBO.
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