We begin the last episode tonight where we left off last week. Jon is trudging through the snow, past dead bodies being feasted on by crows, and through the charred forest on his way to see Mance. As he approaches, he raises his arms, and comes face to face with Mance. Jon tells him he has been sent to negotiate with him, and they go off to Mance's tent. Mance expresses his disappointment at his disloyalty, and Jon tells him that he was always loyal to the Night Watch, and that by killing the Halfhand (their plan), he was able to get information that they needed. He had always been loyal to his vows. They talk of Ygritte, how she died at Castle Black and raise their cups to her memory. Talk turns to the battle, Mance tells Jon he did well, but that he knows he threw everything into it, and that he doesn't have much left. He asks about the giant that went into the tunnel and never came back out again, and that the giant was their king--Mag the Mighty. Jon tells him that his friend Grenn was killed by him to defend the gate. Back to discussion of the bargain.
Mance proceeds to tell Jon that he knows his forces are small, how he has sent 400 of his men to scale the wall 5 miles away but goes on to say that ---"My people have bled enough, we're not here to conquer, we're here to hide behind your wall.We both know winter is coming. If my people are not behind your wall we'll all end up worse than dead. Here's the bargain--open the gates to us. I swear no one else will die. Refuse and every last man at Castle Black will be killed.
The sound of a sword being drawn startles them both. Mance guesses the real reason Jon has come to speak with him and asks if that's what the Night Watch is --killing a man in his own tent when he's just offered you peace.
Horns sound.
Mance wonders--are you attacking us? But it is not the raggle taggle Night Watch. It is a superbly trained and outfitted cavalry (courtesy of the funding of the Iron Bank) riding through the snow and chopping, spearing and killing every Wildling in sight. Mance orders his men to stand down--I said my people had bled enough and I meant it.
Stannis rides in to camp, tells Mance it is customary to kneel before your king, but Mance refuses. Stannis says that the fate of his people depends on his decision. Jon stands up for Mance and tells Stannis that he is Ned Stark's son and that his father would take Mance prisoner and see what he had to say. A final warning, Jon tells Stannis to burn the dead before nightfall.
Cersei is at the bedside of Ser Gregor Clegane, slowly dying of poison. The Maesters are trying their best to save him. Ordinary methods are not working--Maester Pycelle is kicked out of the room and his care is given over to the other somewhat shady Maester who tells her he may have a way but the process could change him somewhat. Cersei wonders if it would weaken him, and when she finds out it wouldn't, she gives the go ahead. The Maester begins to drain the blood from his body.
Tywin and Cersei are having an argument about his wish to marry her off to Loras Tyrell, as soon as Tommen is wed to Margaery. Cersei is having none of it, and refuses to be separated from Tommen. She reminds him she was ready to poison Tommen after the battle of Blackwater so he wouldn't be taken from her before they were rescued by Tywin's forces. Tywin wonders how she will be able to resist his will, how she can refuse to do what he wants her to, and she tells him she will tell everyone the truth. How everything that has been said about her and Jaime is true. Tywin doesn't believe her. Cersei say yes, you do.
She goes to Jaime and tells him she has told their father everything. She kisses him, --I told him about us. I'm not marrying Loras, I'm staying right here with Tommen. I'm staying with you, I choose you, my lover, my brother. They begin to make love.
Dani is in the throne room, Missendei rattling off her titles. The first petitioner is an old man who tells her he was a slave. He was a teacher to his master's children. When she took the city, he lost his home. He went to the places they had set up to feed and house the newly freed slaves but the young preyed on the old. With his master he had a comfortable, safe life. He wants to sell himself back to his master. For those too old to change there is only fear and squalor. There are many outside who feel the same way he does.
Dani tells him she took the city to bring freedom to it's people. That freedom means making your own choices. She will allow him to sign a contract with his master, but it cannot last longer than a year.
The next petitioner is more troublesome. A bereft, ragged man carrying a bundle approaches Dani and lays it down in front of her. He says--I do not understand, my queen. It came from the sky, the black one...my little girl. He unwraps the bundle to expose the charred bones of his child.
Drogon is missing and hasn't been seen for awhile--Dani tells Ser Barristan to meet her at the catacombs. She goes deep inside with her two dragons and drags heavy collars and chains over to them to chain them there where they can do no harm. She leaves to their bewildered screeches.
Funeral services for the brave Crows who defended the Wall are being held at Castle Black. Stannis, Davos and Jon look on as they burn....and now our watch has ended. Melissandre gazes at Jon through the flames.
Jon visits Tormund in his cell. They talk of Ygritte, Tormund tells Jon how much she loved him. He could tell because she was always talking about how she was going to kill him. He tells her Ygritte belongs in the north--the real north.
Jon takes Ygritte to the forest and builds a funeral pyre for her. He sets it afire and walks away, stonefaced.
Bran and his small band are fighting north through a blizzard. Jojen is almost done for, falls and says--we're already here. They go up over the next rise, and there, right before them is the tree. It is immense, with a huge white trunk and red leaves, growing at the top of the next hill. They gaze at it for a moment in awe, and then set off for it across the floor of the snowy land in front of it. Skeletal hands of the undead reach up suddenly from the ground and grab at the small party trying to pull them down and kill them. There is a frantic, futile attempt to escape, but there are too many. The skeletons rip themselves from the ground, more and more, and finally Bran wargs into Hodor, and Hodor does some damage, but not enough. One of them gets Jojen, and stabs at him repeatedly. All at once, several balls of fire hit the skeletons and they explode, they have been thrown by a small child. He says-- come with me Brandon Stark, or die with them. Jojen insists Meera go, he is done for and they all scramble under the roots of the tree. The child finishes off a few, and torches Jojen as well. He tells them that the skeletons can't follow them there, and sure enough, when they try, they seem to shatter into pieces.
Bran wants to know who he is, and he explains that the First Men called them the Children, but that they were born long before then. The small boy tells Bran to come, he waits for you, and leads him deep under the tree through hallways of roots to a chair woven of branches and roots around an ancient man.
Bran says--you're the 3 eyed raven, and the old man tells Bran he has been many things, but now I am what you see. Meera wonders about her brother and the old man tells her that he knew, even before he left, he knew (that he would die). The old man goes on to say--I've been watching you all your lives, with a 1000 eyes. Now you come to me at last Brandon Stark, though the hour is late. Brandon says--I didn't want anyone to die for me. The old man tells him that Jojen died so that Brandon could find what he had lost. "You will never walk again, but you will fly."
Brienne wakes up quickly and finds out that their horses are missing. They start walking and Brienne sees Arya practicing her swordsmanship on the next rise. She and Pod go over to talk to her, they exchange polite greetings, Arya wants to know about her sword, if she is a knight, who taught her how to fight. They introduce themselves and then the Hound shows up, buckling his trousers. Pod immediately recognizes him--you're Sandor Clegane! and Brienne guesses--you're Arya Stark, I swore to your mother I would bring you home to her. Arya--my mother's dead. Brienne explains how she promised her mother she would take Jaime Lannister back to King's Landing, hoping to exchange him for her daughters. The Hound is suspicious, he asks her if she is there for the bounty on him. He sees her sword and asks if it was given to her by the Lannisters. She says, Jaime gave it to her. Arya is ready to be gone and tells them the Bloody Gate is 10 miles away. Brienne tells her she swore to her mother...but Arya says she doesn't care what she swore. The Hound tells her she is not coming with her. Tensions rise, swords are drawn--Brienne tells Arya she'll take her to safety. The Hound says--where's that? Her aunt is dead, mother's dead, father's dead, brother's dead, Winterfell is a pile of rubble.There's no safety you dumb bitch, if you don't know that by now, you're the wrong one to watch over her.
The fight begins in earnest. At first the Hound seems to have the upper hand, but Brienne soon begins to gain ground. She disables him, and has him at her mercy. She tells him she has no wish to kill him, but he grabs her sword with his bare hands , pulls himself up, says--I'm not a knight and punches her in the face. He kicks her, beats her, but she gives back as good as she gets. She bites his ear off, spits it out and throws him off a cliff.
All of a sudden she rises to her feet and looks around frantically for Arya, who has seen everything from above, but has no interest in making her presence known.
Arya hikes down to where the Hound lies broken and suffering. He says--go on after her, she'll help you, you won't last a day out there. He asks her if she remembers where the heart is. He is ready, it will be another name off her list. She just stares blankly at him. The Hound begs her to do it, do it...she walks off, to his pleas of kill me, kill me.
Jaime comes into Tyrion's cell and tells him that a galley is waiting for him in the bay--courtesy of Varys. New hope arises in Tyrion-- he tells Jaime, I suppose this is farewell, thank you for my life. Jaime leaves, and Tyrion decides he needs to do one more thing. He walks back, and crawls up through a trap door into the Lannister quarters. He makes his way to his father's bedroom, and his footsteps awaken someone in the bed. She rises up and he sees that it is Shea. Shea sees who it is and grabs a knife. Tyrion tries to wrestle it away from her, and ends up wrapping a cord around her throat and killing her. He sits stunned on the floor next to the bed with a dead Shea draped over the side, her arms and hair falling next to him. His eyes wander to the wall where he sees a crossbow which he grabs, and then he sets out purposefully to find his father--in the crapper. Tywin tries to talk, bully and bluster his way back to his chambers where they can have a proper talk.
Tyrion--you wanted me dead.
Tywin--yes, but...you fight for what's yours, you're a Lannister, you're my son.
Tyrion--I loved her.
Tywin--Who?
Tyrion--Shea
Tywin--Tyrion, put down that crossbow!
Tyrion--I murdered her with my own hands.
Tywin--It doesn't matter, she was a whore.
Tyrion--It doesn't matter...say that word again..
Tywin--And what...you'll kill me? Your own father? You're my son.
Tyrion--You sentenced me to die, you knew I didn't poison Joffrey and you sentenced me to die. Why?
Tywin--Enough, we'll go back to my chambers and talk this through.
Tyrion--I can't, she's in there.
Tywin--What, you're afraid of a dead whore?
Tyrion fires a bolt into his father...
Tywin--You shot me.
Tyrion reloads....
Tywin--You're no son of mine!
Tyrion--I am your son, I have always been your son.
He fires again, killing him, drops the bow and goes to Varys' room. Varys sees him, says--What have you done? And then--Trust me my friend, I have brought you this far. He packs Tyrion up in a crate and we see the crate loaded onto a ship in the bay. Bells ring out from the castle above. Varys walks over and sits down on a crate on the dock.
The final scene of this last episode is Arya's. She is riding Brienne's white horse down to the seaside where she asks to see the captain. She tells him she wants to go north, but he is not going that direction. He is going to Bravos. Arya remembers the coin given to her by Jaqen, fishes it out, hands it over to the captain and says Valar Morghulis. The captain looks at it reverently and tells her she can have a cabin of course.
Arya stands at the rail as the ship sets sail, gazing back at Westeros, but that part of her story is now over. She quickly crosses over to the other side of the ship and looks out over the sea, to the start of her new life. (And it's a doozy!)
