I gotta be honest, I was seriously nervous when I saw who was directing tonight’s episode of Game of Thrones. Jack Bender is the former showunner of notorious shitpile Under the Dome, and the only positive thing to come out of that godawful show was the best review I’ll ever write. But Bender did a fine job with a mostly talky episode. “The Door” isn’t as flashy as previous installments of GoT, but it might be the most heartbreaking episode of the season.
Before we get to the ending – the superb gut punch of an ending – can we take a minute to appreciate just how badass the women of Game of Thrones are? It’s not exactly a secret that this show boasts one of the deepest rosters of powerful women on TV right now, but “The Door” really hammered that home with style and panache.
Arya, in her brief scenes tonight, got in a seriously good fight scene with the Waif, which made me appreciate that two of the show’s finest combatants are young women. Brienne remained her intimidating self, and Gwendolyn Christie makes a case for having one of the strongest presences on the show (which should come as no surprise; look at the fine work she did in The Force Awakens without ever showing her face). My favorite character in “The Door,” though – and maybe season six as a whole – had to be Sansa. The opening scene with her and Littlefinger was nothing short of electric, as she called him out for all his manipulation and lying, forcing him to speculate what Ramsay did to her. “If you didn’t know, you’re an idiot,” she says. “If you did know, you’re my enemy.” All of a sudden it seems very dangerous to be Sansa Stark’s enemy.
Elsewhere, Yara Greyjoy continued to impress. The Kingsmoot was admirably well-done, although a little underwhelming compared to how it’s portrayed in A Feast for Crows. But Yara has what Brienne has – presence – and uses it to rally the ironborn to her cause. I’m looking forward to seeing her square off against her uncle Euron, even if I’m not crazy about Euron’s plot.
First of all, Euron’s idea (team up with and marry Daenerys) is hilariously optimistic. Yet another Game of Thrones man underestimating a woman. Secondly, is he possible he’s a little short-sighted? It’s probably that Pyke achieved naval superiority as a result of their isolation. None of the major kingdoms – King’s Landing, Dorne – rely on seafaring as a method of expansion or conquest. Pyke has been pretty much unchallenged on the water, and Euron’s fleet of a thousand ships is going to mean fuck-all once they actually land in Westeros and have to fight with better-trained, horse-mounted combatants.
The best part of “The Door” is Bran, though. I know the Bran subplot is divisive, but I’m a huge fan. It is with Bran and Arya that Game of Thrones embraces its weirder, supernatural side. And yes, the argument could be made – not incorrectly – that neither plot explicitly furthers the overall narrative of the show. Who gives a shit? Bran’s visions are just so damn fascinating, and showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss (who wrote this episode, making it six in a row for them) smartly use them as a way to fill the audience in on Westerosi history.
We now know that Bran’s visions are interactive, which helps confirm a nascent fan theory. (I get a feeling that season six will be confirming more than one of those.) When the Night King grabs Bran’s arm, it’s genuinely unsettling, to say nothing of the tableau of silent, motionless white walkers that Bran walks through. It’s through contact with Bran that the Night King is able to ascertain his location, and subsequently storm the cave.
The attack on the cave is genuinely scary. Bender treats the white walkers like horror movie monsters, which is arguably how they should always be portrayed. They pop down from the ceilings and crawl on the walls, and their rapid, skittering movement is held in nice contrast to the implacable pace of the Night King.
It’s also here that I must admit I was wrong. When Bran first encountered Hodor (then called Willys) in a vision, I decided I didn’t need to know how he lost his mind and power of speech. I was wrong. The revelation is nothing short of heartbreaking, and Bender directs Kristian Nairn to his finest performance yet as Hodor. Hodor in the past hears Meera in the present, confirming that Bran’s visions are more like jaunts: he is actually present in whatever past he travels to (remember how Ned reacted to hearing Bran’s voice at the Tower of Joy). Meera’s cry of “Hold the door!” quickly becomes “Hodor,” and as we finally start to understand the consequences of Bran’s meddling in the past, the walkers claw at Hodor and the episode cuts to black. “The Door” is only the fourth episode of Game of Thrones to feature silent end credits (the others are “Blackwater,” “The Rains of Castamere,” and “The Viper and the Mountain”), as if to underscore the sacrifice, however unwilling, that Hodor is making. It’s breathtakingly sad, and a good reminder that six seasons in, Game of Thrones can still break your heart.
A Few Thoughts
- “A bit brooding, perhaps” – Brienne, summing up Jon nicely.
- Kristofer Hivju, as Tormund, made the most of a wordless performance. He had no lines, but his smile at Brienne spoke volumes. I know I’m not on Tumblr, and thus can’t use this phrase, but I am ‘shipping the hell out of these two crazy kids.
- The baptismal ceremony of the Drowned God is one of George R.R. Martin’s more fascinating rituals, but does Euron’s driftwood crown look kinda goofy to anyone else?
- Really glad that the Greyjoys don’t use the phrase “nuncle,” like they do in the books. Maybe one of Martin’s stupidest phrases. We let you get away with “Ser,” don’t push it.
- Nice Winds of Winter reference from the actress playing Cersei in the play.
- Someone needs to make a Ghostbusters meme out of Euron and Theon, stat. Euron’s face on Venkman’s body, Theon’s on Walter Peck’s. Caption: “It’s true. This man has no dick.”
- Update: it’s been pointed out to me that Daenerys’ major problem so far has been getting from Essos to Westeros. She does have an army that is better equipped to fight on land. And she’s married for political gain before (Hizdarh zo Loraq), so Euron’s plan isn’t quite as dumb as it sounds at first blush.
- In regards to the Hodor reveal: is that something that Martin, Benioff, and Weiss have been planning since season one? Because if so, holy shit. I haven’t seen that level of thinking ahead since Futurama.
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