Unsullied Recap—Game of Thrones, Episode 502—The House of Black and White

Spoiler note: “A girl says nothing. A girl keeps her mouth closed. No one hears.” Girls, boys, and others alike, Jaqen H’ghar has spoken, so please remember: This recap is primarily for non-book readers (book fans can discuss the show here). If you’re a book reader, please avoid posting any spoilers here so as not to ruin the fun for those who don’t know what’s coming next. Thank you!

I cannot gush enough about that opening scene.

Not only does Maisie Williams once again knock her performance out of the park, but Arya’s Braavosi arrival is way aesthetically impressive. First you’ve got the Titan watching over the sea, then it’s the city-on-the-water, and we reach the House of Black and White in no time flat. It sits alone on its own little chunk of land, looming over the water, haunting from every angle.

Well, from every exterior angle, anyway, since Arya isn’t getting in that easily. The man who answers her knocks shuts her out almost as quickly as if she asked him if he’s “heard the good news,” and Arya is left to sit on the steps all night, reciting the names on her hit list. From Williams’s performance to the newness of Braavos, there’s just nothing not captivating about this scene.

Later we find Arya wandering the streets of Braavos, and she’s almost roughed up by some hooligans that she probably would’ve ended up murdering if the Mysterious Robed Man from the House of Black and White didn’t show up and send the hoodlums running. Arya follows him back to the House and demands to know why anyone would be afraid of him, to which I say, “Well, he kiiiinda looks like Samuel L. Jackson. SLJ will mess you up.” But then the Mysterious SLJ takes his face off and he’s Jaqen H’ghar. Did not expect that, but I am THRILLED to have this smooth-talkin’ cat back in our lives, even if he does shut those Oreo cookie doors before we can get a look inside. Hey, at least Arya gets in this time.

We return to Westeros to find that Podrick and Brienne have once again crossed paths with Sansa and Petyr, only this time they realize it. Thank every god that every Westerosi worships, because I could not handle another one of those “Just missed them!” moments.

But that doesn’t mean all goes well at this roadside inn—in fact, despite Brienne’s tear-jerking pledge to Sansa, the latter rejects her protection, a conclusion I’m a bit torn by. Sansa’s wariness and mistrust of strangers is entirely in-character, but I don’t think some of her reasoning is. Based on the dialogue, her main reason for distrusting Brienne is that Brienne showed signs of fealty to Joffrey at his wedding to Margaery. Sansa claims that “Sometimes we do [have a choice],” but Sansa knows better than anyone how your free will can be stripped of you in a place like King’s Landing. Although the rest was on point, that bit of dialogue just didn’t jive with me. I’ll chalk it up to Sansa’s ever-increasing numbness, but that’s the best I can do.

Petyr attempts to have Brienne subdued but, as usual, she kicks ass and takes names instead. She and Pod flee the inn, Brienne guts some dudes and saves Pod’s life, and they decide to follow Sansa and Petyr, despite the fact that it’s probably a terrible idea. Brienne’s devotion really knows no bounds, and I love her for it. She may not be a lady in title but, yowza, what a woman.

Over in King’s Landing, Dorne has sent Cersei a threat concerning Myrcella—a giant snake figurine wearing the princess’s Lannister necklace. Despite Cersei’s jibes, Jaime vows to go to Dorne and bring Myrcella home to safety without starting a war or getting himself killed in the process. He won’t head out alone, though, since it turns out Bronn isn’t getting the bride Cersei promised last season, as she’s betrothed to another, but that all works out well for Jaime, who enlists Bronn as his partner in crime. Jaime and Bronn head South—I smell a bromantic comedy.

Our first shot of Dorne comes with Goddess Ellaria Sand, who appears to be channeling Oberyn’s spirit in her hatred of the Lannisters. She watches over Trystane and Myrcella (who are getting a little fresh in the Water Gardens) like some sort of fabulous wicked witch, and then she strides off to have a heated yet chilling word with Doran, Oberyn’s brother and ruler of Dorne. He points out that Oberyn’s murder wasn’t really a murder at all, since he died during a trial by combat, which is something I hadn’t considered before. Like Ellaria and the Sand Snakes, I was so shaken by Oberyn’s death that all I wanted was a piece of justice, too, but Doran’s logic sways me a bit. After all, we saw what Oberyn’s vendetta ultimately did to him; I can’t imagine Ellaria’s will serve her any better. But as ill-advised as it is, I’ll keep hope alive, if only to see more of Indira Varma totally killin’ it.

Meanwhile, Varys and Tyrion have another profound and brilliantly acted discussion about the futility of their natures or something, and we learn that Cersei has put a bounty on her brother’s head—quite literally, as she’ll offer a lordship to whomever brings her the aforementioned head. Cut to a decapitated head being tossed rather unceremoniously on a table. Since it’s not the droid she’s looking for, Cersei wants it taken away, but instead Maester Qyburn Frankenstein over here takes it for himself. I imagine he’ll have an entire chamber filled with severed heads before this is over. The thought is unsettling, to say the least. What is this guy doing with his free time?

Far from the road to Meereen, King’s Landing, and basically everywhere else, Stannis & Friends are still camping out at the Wall. Despite Jon’s little stunt of mercy last episode, Stannis proposes a deal: He’ll legitimize Jon, turning him from a Snow to the Stark he’s always wanted to be, thereby naming him the rightful heir and Lord of Winterfell. The catch? Jon swears fealty and gives the North to Stannis. Play on the kid’s heartstrings, why don’t you, Stannis?

But it doesn’t matter, because Jon tells Sam he’ll refuse because he’s all about his role as a man of the Night’s Watch. Which works out in his favor, since Sam then gives a speech about his merits and Jon ends up the Watch’s 998th Lord Commander. His friends chant his name like he just scored the winning touchdown for his high school football team, and Alliser Thorne is super pissed, so we’ll see where that takes us.

We move on to Meereen, where Daario and Grey Worm are seeking out that Harpy dude who killed the Unsullied warrior in the brothel. They pull a B&E on a nondescript house while Daario grills Grey Worm about his inability to feel fear; he claims that “someone who’s forgotten fear has forgotten how to hide,” and he stabs a dude through a wall, kinda like how Hamlet stabs Polonius through a curtain, except it works out better for Daario. Whatever, it was pretty slick.

Back in Daenerys’s quarters, the Targaryen Group, Inc., debates what to do with this Son of the Harpy they’ve taken prisoner. Daenerys is ready to make an example of him with the support of her council, but then it’s Ser Barristan Selmy to the rescue.

Let’s all take a moment to say HALLELUJAH, SER BARRISTAN. I’ve been getting a little worried about Daenerys; she’s been steadily losing control of her situation and herself, and seemed to be going the way of her father. It’s about time someone set her straight about what the Targaryens became, and what she’ll have to do to reclaim the nobility of her name. As much as I adore Ser Jorah and want to see him back by Dany’s side, he often let his infatuation get in the way of telling Daenerys what she needed to hear when it came to her family history. Ser Barristan doesn’t play those games.

Despite Ser Barristan’s wise council, though, it doesn’t work out that easily for Dany. Sigh. So close. But while the Son of the Harpy is awaiting trial, he’s killed by a former slave, his body left leaning against a wall, bloodied mask on his face and “KILL THE MASTERS” smeared on the stone next to him. What a shot, I’ll tell ya… Despite that brilliant bit of cinematography, Daenerys punishes the slave with a public execution, and the Meereenese are not impressed. They hiss like angry cats and then we’ve got a full-scale riot on our hands. Looks like they won’t be praising their Mhysa much longer.

Daenerys is lamenting her bad day at work when Drogon shows up again, and boy howdy, has he gotten huge. He creeps toward Daenerys sort of like my dog does when I’ve got food, but flies away just as Daenerys is about to touch him. Symbolism, probably, and then the credits roll.

What did you guys think? What’s your take on our new locations, Braavos and Dorne? What other impressions can Jaqen H’ghar do? Will Ellaria and Doran continue to butt heads, and what consequences will come of it? Seriously, what are Petyr and Sansa up to? Will Daenerys ever be able to keep it together? And, guessing game time—how many heads will Maester Frankenstein end up with?

Remember – speculation is encouraged, spoilers aren’t! Please refrain from posting book spoilers here! Feel free to discuss the episode in the comments or Tweet me @kitmaj_, but don’t ruin any surprises for the viewers who haven’t read the books. Thanks, and see you next week!

• Published on 04/20/2015 at 12:09 AM CDT
• Last updated on 10/21/2016 at 1:05 PM CDT