Game of Thrones Recap ‘The Broken Man’: Dogs of War

In the Game of Thrones recap, a familiar face returns, Jon and Sansa gather their forces, and Jamie arrives at Riverrun for a meeting with The Blackfish….

By Damon Martin — Editor/Lead Writer

Remember this old adage about Game of Thrones — if you don’t see them die, are they ever really dead?

It’s important to remember those words as the beginning of this week’s episode of Game of Thrones kicked off and we found a familiar face in our midst as we see Sandor Clegane aka “The Hound” for the first time since he was presumed dead at the end of season 4.

Back then, The Hound was acting as a liaison to Arya Stark as he attempted to trade her back to her family for a pile of gold and somewhere along the line became her protector. But when they ran into Brienne of Tarth, who just happened to be wearing shiny new armor and sporting a Lannister sword, they believed she was out to kill one of the last remaining Stark children and The Hound set out to protect her.

Unfortunately, time, travel and battle took its toll on The Hound and while he put up a fight, he still fell to Brienne after she kicked him off the side of a mountain and he tumbled down to the other side where it looked like he would expire. He even said if a maester didn’t come along in a matter of minutes, he was as good as dead.

Except for one problem — he didn’t die.

As it turns out, The Hound lived after former warrior turned pious septon named Brother Ray found him laying on those rocks, already stinking of rot and covered in flies yet somehow Sandor Clegane was still clinging onto life.

Brother Ray: “When I found you, I thought you’d be dead for days. Well you were stinking already and you have bugs all over you and bones coming through right there. Was going to give you a proper burial but then you coughed. Nearly shit myself. I reckoned you were going to die by the time I loaded you on the wagon, but you didn’t. Now I reckoned you’d die a dozen more times over the next few days, but you didn’t. What kept you going?”

The Hound: “Hate”

The Hound claims that hate kept him alive — well either that or cause he’s a big fucker and he’s tough to kill. Either way, The Hound walks a much different path now. After such a close brush with death, Sandor Clegane seems at peace with just living, working and surviving. In fact, Brother Ray believes the Gods have a plan for The Hound.

“What matters — I believe — is that there’s something greater than us and whatever it is, it’s got plans for Sandor Clegane.”

~ Brother Ray

But unfortunately for The Hound those plans may not include much peace because he doesn’t live in a peaceful world. He lives in Westeros where men kill each other for food, clothing and gold. He lives in Westeros where men take what they want by force. And when someone doesn’t give up, they usually die. Brother Ray found that out the hard way even after The Hound warned him. More on that later.

With that said, let’s recap this week’s episode of Game of Thrones titled “The Broken Man”….

Gather Your Armies

After leaving Castle Black a few weeks ago, Jon and Sansa are traveling to various houses around the North trying to gather forces who are willing to support them in their campaign to take back Winterfell and oust the Bolton’s from power.

The first stop is at the Wildling camp where Jon and Tormund Giantsbane attempt to sway the Free Folk to fight for them against the Bolton army or risk everyone — men, women and children — being flayed living by a cruel ruler like Ramsay Bolton. When Jon saved the Free Folk at Hardhome, he promised them safety, protection and land south of the Wall if they followed him back. He was able to provide them with land but Jon’s brothers in the Night’s Watch killed him for it.

Now that he’s alive again, Jon needs even more from these people, as much as he hates to ask.

“You’re right. This isn’t your fight. You shouldn’t have to come to Winterfell with me, I shouldn’t be asking you. It’s not the deal we made. I need you with me to beat them and we need to beat them if you’re going to survive.”

~ Jon Snow

Tormund also stands by his friend Jon Snow as he explains to the Free Folk that if they don’t fight, tribes and families that have survived hundreds of years will disappear in a blink of an eye once the Bolton army arrives to destroy them. Plus, Tormund reminds them that if Jon didn’t save them the first time around, they’d all be a bag of bones army following the Night King.

“He died for us. If we’re not willing to do the same for him, we’re cowards and if that’s what we are, we deserve to be the last of the free folk.”

~ Tormund

Finally, the Free Folk come around and decide to join Jon’s army and help him defeat the Bolton’s.

The next stop is Bear Island, which is the home of House Mormont.

House Mormont is the ancestral family where Jeor Mormont — former Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch — and Jorah Mormont — exiled slaver and right hand to Daenerys Targaryen — come from. When the War of the Five Kings started, House Mormont declared for Robb Stark and that’s where Lady Maege Mormont and her daughter both died serving him. That left Lyanna Mormont — named after Lyanna Stark — to control Bear Island and the Mormont legacy. She was 10 years old.

You’ll also remember Lyanna Mormont as the person who sent a message to Stannis Baratheon when he tried to gain support in the North and said that as long as her house stands, they will only serve under somebody named Stark. That’s why Stannis was ready to legitimize Jon as a Stark because he know those houses in the North would follow him far easier than they ever would a foreigner from the south.

But Lyanna Mormont isn’t all that interested in sacrificing anymore of her family members or soldiers for a war without a leader named Stark. Technically, Jon is a bastard and by all rights, Sansa is a Lannister or a Bolton, depending on which husband she claims. So it’s left to Davos Seaworth to finally explain things to Lady Mormont in a way that sways her to join their cause.

“Jeor Mormont and Jon Snow both understood that the real war isn’t between a few squabbling houses. It’s between the living and the dead. And make no mistake, my lady, the dead are coming.”

~ Davos Seaworth

Jon backs up his claim.

“Your uncle fought them at the Fist of the First Men. I fought them at Hardhome. We both lost.”

~ Jon Snow

Those words are finally enough for Lady Mormont to declare for this new House Stark and the coming war against the Bolton’s. After all that talk, she pledges her army to them — all 62 men. All that for 62 men.

The next stop is at House Glover and if that name doesn’t sound familiar, don’t worry, it probably wouldn’t at first. House Glover is actually a family that lives at Deepwood Motte, an area that sits near the sea on the coastline in the North. When the War of the Five Kings first started, Yara Greyjoy took a fleet of ships and conquered several small villages and towns along the coastlines — including Deepwood Motte while tossing House Glover out in the process.

Meanwhile, Galbart Glover, the lord of House Glover, ends up fighting with Robb Stark before he is killed at The Red Wedding. So his brother Robert is left to rule in his place after his death. But Robert has no interest in following another “King in the North”. Robert tells Sansa and Jon that the Bolton’s helped retake Deepwood Motte from the Iron Born and he has no desire to go up against them.

In other words, he rebuffs Jon and Sansa’s request quite harshly.

At this point, Jon knows that winter is coming and it won’t be long before the snow prevents them from making any kind of significant movement against Winterfell and the Bolton army. So with 2,000 Wildlings and a smattering of Northern men who declared for them, Jon Snow is ready to go to battle, but his sister knows it’s not nearly enough to win.

“It’s not enough. We need more men.”

~ Sansa Stark

Jon doesn’t exactly disagree, but he also knows they are running out of time. Much like Stannis, it appears Jon is ready to march into certain death with an out numbered army, but Sansa isn’t prepared to go down quite so easily. So she retires to her chambers where she grabs a scroll and a bottle of ink to write a letter to send by raven to someone who could help. Someone who could raise an army powerful enough to destroy Ramsay Bolton.

That somebody is likely Lord Petyr Baelish, who now controls the Knights of the Vale.

Remember, Littlefinger offered to fight for Sansa and her brother Jon at the beginning of the season, but she refused his help and said she never wanted to see him again after he sold her out to get married to Ramsay Bolton. Now with her back against the wall and Jon ready to march into certain death, Sansa is ready to call upon the man she knows will back her up with an army powerful enough to lay waste to the Bolton’s.

It’s almost certain that Lord Baelish will be receiving a raven’s message very soon.

The Thorns of a Rose

Back in King’s Landing, it appears Margaery Tyrell really has taken to the Faith of the Seven. She’s reading the Seven-Pointed Star on a daily basis now and can even recite passages of the holy book back to the High Sparrow. She is spending a lot of time in the Great Sept of Baelor, but not spending so much time at King Tommen’s side and even less time in his bed.

The High Sparrow informs Margaery that it’s her duty to give King Tommen an heir, but she says she no longer feels those desires to lay with men like she once did. In reality, Margaery is likely fuming mad that Tommen refused to grow a pair and actually rescue her from these religious fanatics months before she was finally set free.

Margaery also meets with her grandmother, Lady Olenna, to present the terms in which her brother Loras Tyrell can be set free. Flanked by Septa Unella — the religious lady who also said “shame” on repeat during Cersei’s walk of atonement — Margaery tells her grandmother what needs to happen next.

“Loras’ only hope is to confess his crimes and repent. If he does, the Faith will allow him to retire to Highgarden. He’ll have to renounce his name and title and live his life as a penitent. He can begin again. As a free man.”

~ Margaery Tyrell

Of course, Lady Olenna scoffs at that request because Loras is the last male heir to the Tyrell name and it’s up to him to carry on the family name. She truly believes Margaery has lost her mind — until her granddaughter slips her a piece of paper before leaving. On the parchment is a drawing of a rose — the symbol of House Tyrell.

It’s clear now that Margaery is playing to win, but to defeat the High Sparrow and his troupe of fanatics, she has to act as a Trojan Horse to truly beat them. It was a subtle message that told her grandmother that she hasn’t lost her mind or been poisoned by some pious whack job. She’s just playing possum long enough to get her way. It’s probably also part of the reason why she no longer wants to lay with Tommen because Margaery Tyrell only lays with kings and this boy is no king.

After receiving the message, Lady Olenna retires to her room where she begins preparations to return to Highgarden. There she meets with Cersei, who attempts to gain her support in a planned attack to tack back the city from the religious crazies who not only have the ear of the people but now have King Tommen in their back pocket as well. Lady Olenna has no desire to listen to Cersei’s ravings because this entire situation was started by her own accord.

“Loras rots in a cell because of you. The High Sparrow rules this city because of you. Our two ancient houses face collapse because of you and your stupidity. You lost Cersei. It’s the only joy I could find in all this misery.”

~ Lady Olenna

It appears Cersei will be going after the Faith Militant all by herself because she no longer has the support of her brother, her son or the Tyrell army. She does have a Mountain to fall back on if times do get really rough.

Sailing to Meereen

Catching up with Yara and Theon Greyjoy after they high tailed it out of the Iron Islands following the election of their psychotic uncle Euron to become the next king, they are currently sitting inland with their fleet parked outside while spending some time in a brothel.

All of the Iron Born men and even Yara are enjoying the fruits of the women inside, but Theon looks rather uncomfortable. This used to be his greatest pleasure. Now it just serves as a reminder of what Ramsay took from him.

During the conversation, Yara gives Theon some tough love as she tries to wake him up from this post traumatic slumber he’s been living in ever since escaping from the North to return home. She tells Theon that he has to snap out of this and remember who he is. He’s Theon Greyjoy — last living son of Balon Greyjoy and a proud native of the Iron Islands.

In other words, Theon needs to wake up and get back what made him such a strong warrior before Ramsay took it all away from him and if he’s not ready to be that man, then he should just go ahead and slit his wrists and be done with it already.

“If you’re staying, Theon, I need you. We’re going to sail to Meereen. We’re going to make a pact with this dragon queen and we’re going to take back the Iron Islands. Are you with me?”

~ Yara Greyjoy

Theon agrees and it looks like Yara is taking her uncle’s ships and his plan to merge their army with Daenerys Targaryen across the Narrow Sea. Remember, Daenerys’ fleet was burned at the beginning of this season and now that she has an army of 100,000 Dothraki, 8,000 Unsullied and a sell sword company of the Second Sons, she needs a lot of ships to get back to Westeros if she’s going to conquer it.

The navy from the Iron Islands would certainly be a good start.

The Siege

Jamie Lannister, now leading the Lannister army of 8,000 plus men, arrives at Riverrun to help take back the castle from “The Blackfish” Brynden Tully, who took the castle from The Frey’s after they “won” the castle as part of the pact their family made with Tywin Lannister to orchestrate the Red Wedding.

As he arrives at Riverrun, Jamie talks to Bronn, who he’s brought along as his right hand on this journey, while paying him a handsome price to act as the sword he can no longer swing. Actually, Jamie seems rather interested in employing Bronn on a permanent basis as the new commander of the Lannister army. It’s not a job Bronn seems all that interested in considering he was supposed to be taking it easy after returning home from Dorne and barely escaping with his life.

Jamie: “You can be the right hand I lost.”

Bronn: “You promised me a Lordship and a castle and a highborn beauty for a wife.”

Jamie: “And you’ll get all three. A Lannister always….”

Bronn: “Don’t say it. Don’t fucking say it.”

When Jamie arrives, he meets up with Lothar Frey and Black Walder Rivers — the two sons of Walder Frey, who were sent to take back the castle from the Blackfish. They’ve been standing outside the castle for hours, threatening to kill Edmure Tully unless The Blackfish concedes to their demands and turns Riverrun back over to them. Clearly the tactic isn’t working because The Blackfish more or less tells them to get it over with already.

Jamie tells the Frey’s that their threats are meaningless unless they are willing to carry them out. In the end, Jamie tells the Frey boys that he’s in charge of this siege now and all commands will come directly from him.

From there, Jamie decides that it’s time to parlay with The Blackfish to try and come to a resolution before a lot of blood is spilled. When The Blackfish meets with Jamie, he first quizzes the former captive about the promise he made to his niece, Catelyn Stark, about returning her daughters to their home. Clearly, Jamie didn’t live up to that bargain. Then The Blackfish reminds Jamie what he’s up against by saying that he’s going to attack Riverrun and take back the castle in the name of King Tommen.

“As long as I’m standing, the war is not over. This is my home. I was born in this castle and I’m ready to die in it. So you can either attack or try to starve us out. We have enough provisions for two years. Do you have two years, Kingslayer?”

~ The Blackfish

Jamie’s attempts to end this siege peacefully have failed miserably, but is he ready to attack The Blackfish and kill everybody inside to take back Riverrun for Walder Frey? One thing we know for sure — unlike Black Walder and Lothar Frey, Jamie has the gumption to follow through on his threats.

The Girl is Found

Back in Braavos, Arya is ready to leave the free city for good and return to Westeros. She tried to become an assassin of the Faceless Men, but Arya realized that for all her murderous rage, she still couldn’t kill for no reason.

So with two bags of silver, she found a ship bound for Westeros and even convinced paid off to leave a day earlier than originally scheduled.

But unfortunately for Arya, she never made it to that ship much less back to Westeros. She finds out in the worst of ways what it’s like to go up against the Faceless Men when an old woman shows up at the docks and stabs her in the stomach repeatedly. The woman removes the face and we find that the Waif is hiding underneath. She’s come to collect after Arya attempted to leave the order.

Despite being stabbed, Arya is able to fight back enough to break free and toss herself over the edge of the bridge into the water. The Waif looks down and just sees the brown water mixed with the red of Arya’s blood and she assumes her rival is dead.

Moments later, Arya pulls herself out of the river and back into the town as she wanders through the streets, now bleeding profusely from her stomach, No one seems to pay much attention, much less offer her help. Arya continues to stagger through the street, but something tells me, there’s an acting troupe somewhere in Braavos that might be willing to take her in.

Dogs of War

Back at the camp where The Hound now resides, his friend Brother Ray tells a story about his former life as a soldier where he routinely killed men, sacked villages and never batted an eye at the kind of violence he was inflicting on his fellow man. Eventually, Brother Ray found his faith and turned away from the sword and instead focused on the Gods.

During his speech, a trio of riders show up out of nowhere and start hinting around that they are looking for money, food or any supplies this small congregation could offer. Brother Ray does a good enough job staving them off but as they exit, the lead man tells them that the night is dark and full of terrors.

Hearing those words perk The Hound’s ears up because he knows that means they are followers of the Lord of Light, which means in these parts, they are members of the Brotherhood without Banners.

The Hound warns Brother Ray that they won’t be so easily deterred just because he told them that they have no money and no food to give them. The Brotherhood will eventually return and take whatever they have, whether the congregation is willing to give it or not. Still, Brother Ray refuses to pick up his sword again.

Brother Ray: “Violence is a disease. You don’t cure a disease by spreading it to more people.

The Hound: “You don’t cure it by dying either.”

Later that day, The Hound is in the woods cutting down trees when he hears a scream off in the distance. He rushes to get back to camp, but by the time he arrives, he finds that every man, woman and child has been slaughtered. The camp has been sacked and his friend and savior Brother Ray has been hanged to death.

The Hound wanted to lead a new life. One that wasn’t fueled by hate. But that world that he used to live in won’t let him go.

So The Hound sifts through the carnage on his way out of the camp and picks up an axe just before he exits. Unlike Brother Ray, The Hound never quite gave up the sword and now he’s going to swing it with a vengeance and the Brotherhood without Banners may have just unknowingly awoken a sleeping monster.

Only three episodes to go this season so don’t miss the next Game of Thrones on Sunday night at 9pm ET and take a look at the preview below: