Game of Thrones Recap: Not No One

Game of Thrones had another slow episode but finally gave Arya her due.

At this point in the sixth season of Game of Thrones, the name of the game is build-up. The first half of the season dropped plenty of bombs, such as the nature of Hodor’s “Hodor” and the return of Benjen Stark. The second half has been sitting back a bit, letting tensions build. That’s all well and good, but it doesn’t always make for compelling television. Game of Thrones is a show built on big moments, and when there aren’t any the plot can feel at something of a standstill.

That’s not say that “No One” doesn’t have anything worth talking about. For one, The Hound gets his act together and takes revenge on the Brotherhood members that killed the commune he was living in. That leads to the reintroduction of Thoros and fan-favorite Beric Dondarion, two characters that haven’t been seen in literal years. All three men were once enemies, but that’s not the case anymore. The Brotherhood wants The Hound for their own cause, and The Hound wants revenge.

That strangling love stifles Jamie’s character.

There’s some great banter here, which is something that Game of Thrones tends to do well between characters that aren’t often seen together. “No One” tries to repeat this same trick again with Tyron, Grey Worm, and Missandei, but the results aren’t as effective. Before that, Jamie and Brienne meet again.

Brienne and Jamie are one of the best pairings of the series, right up there with Arya and The Hound. Them meeting again under such strained circumstances is bittersweet, but Jamie makes it clear that he doesn’t want any violent between the two of them. While this episode does somewhat redeem Jamie’s wasted character arc, it still suffers under the yolk of Cersei. In a rather dramatic speech to Edmure, Jamie makes it clear that Cersei is the only person he loves. That strangling love stifles Jamie’s character.

Edmure, turned by threats to his family, gains entry to Riverrun and commands his army to stand down. The Blackfish is furious but also refuses to leave. He tells Brienne that she will be better counsel to Sansa than him, but we know too much about The Blackfish to believe such a cheesy line. The Blackfish eventually dies offscreen, an end totally unbefitting to not only his character, but to the Riverrun storyline.

we know too much about The Blackfish to believe such a cheesy line.

Over in King’s Landing, Lancel and other Sparrows threaten Cersei. They are met with The Mountain, who tears one of their head’s off. Later, Tommen decrees that there will be no more trial by combat, drastically decreasing the chances for Cleganebowl. That was Cersie’s ace in the hole, and it’s also thrilling to watch her lose her footing.

Qyburn reminds her that there is some secret legend that he’s looking into that apparently will bear fruit. What is it? Well, the characters painfully choose their words so that the audience is left wondering. The forced secrecy is so distracting that it doesn’t feel like the moment has any weight.

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In Meereen, Tyrion, now famous alcoholic, tries to cajole Grey Worm and Missandei into drinking. In another episode it could be a cute scene, but here it feels forced. It would be passable, however, if it weren’t for the sudden entrance of Daenerys during a raid from The Masters mere minutes later. Then entire sequence feels off, as if there were no other way to dramatically bring Dany back to Meereen. Game of Thrones is now struggling to get all the pieces in place for the finale.

The real meat of the episode lies with Arya, who is healing from her wounds with the help of the actress she was originally sent to kill. The troupe is moving on to Pentos, but Arya has business elsewhere. It is, unfortunately, only obvious to the audience that there is no safe place from The Waif in Braavos. Arya is found, and her new mother-figure brutally murdered. And so begins the chase.

The chase scene is a season highpoint. There is some excellent cinematography here, like when The Waif runs up to Arya in the background while the camera isn’t focused on her. The Waif, like most villains, savors the challenge and takes her time. That turns out to be her undoing. When cornered, Arya turns to darkness and her newfound skills to defeat her pursuer.

That leads to a confrontation to a surprised but glad Jaquen, who finally admits that Arya has truly become no one. Arya corrects him, stating that she is Arya Stark, and that she is going home. Arya has learned all she can from The House of Black and White and is now stronger for it.

Next: Alan Ball looks back at Six Feet Under.

But a strong Arya scene isn’t enough to really save “No One.” Game of Thrones can afford a mediocre episode here and there, especially when a major finale is on the horizon. It does go to show that six seasons in, it’s still difficult for Game of Thrones to build compelling moments out of quiet episodes.

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