Game of Thrones Season Finale Recap ‘Mother’s Mercy’: For the Watch

In the Game of Thrones season finale recap, Stannis makes his march, Jon Snow faces his brothers, Cersei atones for her sins and the Many Faced God claims a lot of new souls….

By Damon Martin — Editor/Lead Writer

One of Sir Isaac Newton’s laws of motion states ‘for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction’ and the same could be said for the events that unfold from season to season on ‘Game of Thrones’.

King Joffrey beheading Ned Stark after he was told he would be sent to serve out his days at the Night’s Watch ignited the ‘War of the Five Kings’. Robb Stark opting to marry a commoner instead of his chosen bride while refusing to dole out the kind of savagery that war commands turned his troops against him and led to ‘The Red Wedding’.

In the ‘Game of Thrones’ season 5 finale titled ‘Mother’s Mercy’, retribution came in many forms and each action came with an equal and startling reaction.

For the better part of five seasons, Cersei Lannister toyed with people’s lives like she was playing a children’s game and flesh and blood victims were nothing more than paper dolls that could be torn apart or put back together at her whim. Jon Snow believed that saving the Wildlings to prevent the army of the dead from growing any larger was the right thing to do while ignoring the very commandments he swore to uphold when he became Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch.

Arya Stark bowed before the god of death and then forgot that particular deity requires repayment in kind. And Stannis Baratheon failed his brother, failed his wife and then failed his child and eventually failure had to make its way back around to him — and the Iron Throne he sought for so long was thousands upon thousands of miles away and he’ll never know it’s steely embrace.

Actions require reactions.

And like all ‘Game of Thrones’ episodes, seasons and finales, this one was just as harsh and brutal as any before it. Serving once again as a stark reminder that retaliation is dished out to the just and the unjust alike. And there was a whole lot of dishing out to be done before the final scene faded to black and the credits rolled.

With that said, let’s recap the Game of Thrones season finale titled ‘Mother’s Mercy’:

A March Into Death

Following the events of last week’s episode where Stannis Baratheon burned his daughter Shireen to death as a sacrifice to the Lord of Light, the King awoke the next morning to find the snow melting and the icicles hanging from his tent dripping water to the ground. Melisandre saw this as the sign that Shireen’s sacrifice worked and the Lord of Light was blessing them.

Or maybe the snowstorm just finally passed over them.

Stannis left his tent ready to march on Winterfell to take the war to the Bolton’s front door, but there was a huge problem — half of the men, all of the sell swords and all of the horses left after the king decided that torching his daughter was a good idea. To make matters worse, Stannis was then pulled into the woods where he found his wife Selyse Baratheon dead after hanging herself from a tree.

The final blow was struck when Stannis was told that Lady Melisandre was seen riding out of camp like a murderer leaving the scene of a crime before she could get caught.

Despite a depleted military, no horses, very little food and dwindling chances of survival, Stannis decided to go forward with his war while leading his men into certain death.

When they arrived at Winterfell, Stannis laid out plans for his ‘siege’ but soon found out that the Bolton army was already on the way to greet them. Within minutes, all of Stannis’ army had been slaughtered and the king himself was barely able to stand after being cut up during the battle.

Not far away from the battle while Sansa was trying to signal for help from the Broken Tower, Brienne and Podrick abandoned their post to instead pursue Stannis during the attack. I guess Brienne can only settle one debt at a time and she still owed Renly Baratheon from being a member of his sworn Kingsguard.

With Stannis already facing the inevitable, Brienne found him in the woods and confirmed what she’s always suspected — that he used blood magic to kill his brother so he could ascend to the Iron Throne. Stannis knew it was already over. He killed his own child, his wife was dead and his army was destroyed. This was just the final goodbye.

Brienne: “In the name of Renly of House Baratheon, first of his name, rightful king of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and protector of the realm, I, Brienne of Tarth sentence you to die. Do you have any last words?”

Stannis: “Go on, do your duty.”           

Brienne finally got revenge for her king while Stannis learned that no matter how much belief you might have in a Lord of Light, the gods of karma are still vengeful bastards and he got his and then some in the end.

Stannis is dead and his quest to rule the Seven Kingdoms died in a snowy field just outside Winterfell.

A Debt Repaid

 

When Theon Greyjoy was sent by Robb Stark to strike a deal with his father Balon Greyjoy, he went there with the intention of bringing The King in the North an army full of ships ready to float into Blackwater Bay to help him strike down King Joffrey Baratheon and avenge his adopted father, Ned Stark.

But Theon was quickly shamed into fighting his father’s cause instead, thus betraying Robb and rejoining the Greyjoy bloodline after the Starks were the only family he’d known for the better part of 20 years. Theon once again betrayed the Starks when he sacked Winterfell in his father’s name and then tried to kill Bran and Rickon Stark. He may have failed miserably and it led to his eventual imprisonment and torture at the hands of Ramsay Bolton, he was still a traitor nonetheless.

For all the awful things Theon has done, he proved this week that he wanted to try to find repentance for at last some of them.

Following Sansa Stark’s attempt to signal for help in the Broken Tower and no one coming to her rescue, she tried to quickly return to her quarters before Ramsay could find out that she tried to escape. She was met on a bridge above Winterfell by Ramsay’s play-thing Myranda, who decided to hold her hostage until the future king got home so they could figure out what to do with her. Myranda, just like sick twist Ramsay, knows that Sansa is basically being used to produce an heir or two with the Boltons and the Starks joining the same bloodline and then she’ll be tossed aside like kibble for his dogs.

“If I’m going to die, let it happen while there’s still some of me left”

~ Sansa

Myranda confirming all of the awful things she plans to do to Sansa finally snapped Theon out of his Reek-state of mind — like Darth Vader watching his son get tortured by the Emperor — and he quickly grabbed the girl and chucked her over the side until she fell to the ground and went splat.

With Ramsay and his forces coming back through the gates at Winterfell, time was of the essence so Theon grabbed Sansa and they went to the side of a wall where a giant snow bank sat below them. They grasped hands and jumped into the white, fluffy stuff to run far, far away from Ramsay and his worst of intentions.

One side note — talk about a plan gone to hell in a hand basket, for all the conniving and plotting that Littlefinger did for the past five seasons to weasel his way into running a few different houses in the Seven Kingdoms, this was by far his worst plan of all.

At least Theon and Sansa escaped, but where they go from here, nobody knows.

Someone Is Crossed Off the List

When Arya Stark first arrived at the House of Black and White, she was required to let her former life go to service the Faceless Men and the Many Faced God of death. Part of the oath the Faceless Men take is they will not kill a person for their own gain, but instead will accept payment and then they will give a targeted person the ‘gift’ of death. You see to the Faceless Men, death is a sacrament paid to the Many Faced God.

As much as Arya tried to leave her past life behind, there was just too much hate built up inside of her to let it go. She’s seen so many people she loved taken from her that it’s hard to just forgot how they died or who killed them. Arya’s list was her way to stay connected to the family and friends she lost, but the Faceless Men required her to forgo any thoughts of revenge and instead serve the Many Faced God and hand out death only where it’s required.

Arya tried to live by that oath, but when she set eyes on Meryn Trant — the first person to land on her list after he killed her ‘dancing’ instructor Syrio Forel — her promise to the Faceless Men and the Many Faced God disappeared in an instant.

Arya tracked Meryn down to the brothel in Braavos he visited after bringing Mace Tyrell to the city to meet with the Iron Bank about the debt owed by the kingdom. It was clear Meryn had a disgusting taste for little girls so Arya obliged him by dressing as one that he might like while putting on a different face thanks to the House of Black and White and the tower of faces.

When she finally revealed herself, Arya leapt on him, stabbed both his eyes out and jabbed him a few more times with a tiny dagger. She then made Trant stand before the Many Faced God for the lives he’s taken and the penance he must now pay.

“You’re the first person on my list you know? For killing Syrio Forel, remember him? Probably not. I’ve gotten a few of the others. The Many Faced God stole a few more from me. I’m glad he left me you. Do you know who I am? I can’t hear you. You know who I am. I’m Arya Stark. Do you know who you are? You’re no one. You’re nothing.”

~ Arya Stark

Arya slit Meryn Trant’s throat just like the Boltons did to her brother and mother at the Red Wedding and the leader of the Kingsguard was no more. Another name crossed off the list, but at what cost?

When she returned to the House of Black and White, Jaqen Hagar and the waif girl who constantly said Arya wasn’t ready are waiting on her. Jaqen notes that Arya killed someone and the Many Faced God requires payment of another life since she selfishly took it upon herself to dole out death’s gift. Just when it appears Jaqen is about to feed poison to Arya, he drinks it himself before falling dead on the ground.

Arya rushes to his side claiming that Jaqen was her friend, but moments later the waif girl behind her has transformed into Jaqen. You see in the House of Black and White, the assassins known as the Faceless Men really are no one and that’s what Arya still hasn’t figured out yet. Because Arya can’t let her former life go and she wore a mask from the tower of faces without becoming no one first, her eye sight fades away — just like the way she took away Meryn Trant’s eyes before killing him.

“The faces are for no one. You are still someone. And to someone the faces are as good as poison.”

~ Jaqen H’ghar

Arya goes blind as punishment for stealing a life for the Many Faced God without a toll being paid first. It’s part of the oath of the Faceless Men and she broke it. Maybe not being able to see her reflection any longer will help Arya finally become no one.

The Long Farewell

In Dorne, Prince Doran is seeing off his son and future daughter-in-law Myrcella along with her ‘uncle’ Jamie, and Bronn of the Blackwater as they head back to King’s Landing after quite an adventure in the land of sand and snakes.

Bronn says he might return one day to visit Tyene or maybe she could come visit him. She might have to hurry because he’s been promised to a noble woman from a great house in Westeros.

“You want a good girl, but you need a bad pussy”

~ Tyene Sand to Bronn

Ellaria Sand is even there to wish them farewell where she kisses Myrcella goodbye while the entire party leaves on the boat bound for King’s Landing.

Down in the ship’s hold, Jamie decides to have a talk with Myrcella about her miraculous love affair with Trystane and how it’s a marriage that by all standards of Westerosi history never should have worked. The Lannisters and the Martells have hated each other for decades, but somehow these two star crossed kids found love while so many of their relatives only found hate and disdain for each other. Jamie goes on to explain that the fact that love is never something that can be chosen, but instead is something that happens by fate. You can’t help who you love.

Before he can even finish, Myrcella stops Jamie and explains that she knows that he’s been in love with his sister Cersei since they were children and that he’s her father and not King Robert.

“I’m glad that you’re my father”

~ Myrcella Baratheon

Jamie embraces his daughter for the first time as his daughter because if anyone else would have known about this, he would have been beheaded and the children cast out as beasts born of incest. It’s a wonderful moment cut short when Myrcella’s nose begins to bleed and she falls limp in her father’s arms. He’s horrified by what’s happening, but we all knew what was going on.

When Ellaria Sand killed Myrcella she gave her a taste of ‘The Long Farewell’ — the same poison Tyene Sand gave to Bronn before offering him the antidote to save his life. This time Myrcella is dying and there’s no one around to offer her help on a ship bound for King’s Landing.

From the distance, Ellaria and her daughter along with the rest of the Sand Snakes watch as she ingests the antidote to save her life while Myrcella hopelessly floats into death.

The Queen’s Court

In Meereen, Tyrion, Daario, and Jorah try to decide what to do next with Daenerys missing after she flew away on the back of her dragon, Drogon. Clearly, Daario and Jorah were able to dispatch the rest of the Sons of the Harpy in the fighting pit and escape, but here they sit with no queen and no direction where to go.

Tyrion is ready to head out on the hunt with Daario and Jorah, but he’s not a great warrior, he’s not very good at riding horses and the things he does best are talk and drink wine and neither of those things are going to help them find Daenerys.

Instead, Daario makes another suggestion for Tyrion while he’s inhabiting Meereen.

“You would help us in Meereen though. None of us have experienced governing a city except for him. You want to prove your value to the Queen, prove it right here in Meereen.”

~ Daario Naharis

Daario and Jorah decided to head north where they believe Drogon took Daenerys while they will leave Tyrion, Missandei and Grey Worm to keep control of Meereen while they are absent.

“The queen’s closest confidant, the leader of the Unsullied and a foreign dwarf with a scarred face. Good fortune, my friends. Meereen is ancient and glorious. Try not to ruin her.”

~ Daario Naharis

With Daario and Jorah off on the mission to find the queen, Tyrion is left looking out at Meereen wondering what exactly he’s gotten himself into. Just then an old friend comes calling after their trip was cut short back in Volantis.

Lord Varys has returned because a good spymaster never runs out of spies so long as he’s willing to pay and has a good ear to listen to what secrets can be told.

“The birds sing in the West, the birds sing in the East if one knows how to listen”

~ Varys

Varys also knows that Tyrion has found his way into the good graces of the Mother of Dragons and found a place in her court already. Varys has been telling Tyrion since they left King’s Landing that he was one of the few good things the Lannisters ever produced and he has the ability to be a good leader.

Tyrion is still overwhelmed by such a daunting task as ruling Meereen after Daenerys swept through, outlawed slavery, pissed off every rich person in town, and left the place in shambles after she flew away on the back of a dragon. Tyrion is going to need help to keep Meereen from breaking out into a civil war, but thankfully he has the perfect person by his side to help him in such matters.

Varys: “The grand old city — choking on violence, corruption and deceit. Who could possibly have any experience managing such a massive ungainly beast?”

Tyrion: “I did miss you.”

To the north, Daenerys is sitting in a great grassy field a long way away from her new home in Meereen. While she’s ready to go back and pick up the pieces of her queendom, Daenerys has no clue where she’s at and her dragon is more interested in licking his wounds and sleeping than flying anywhere at the moment.

Daenerys decides to explore, but she soon sees a rider off in the distance and it doesn’t take her long to realize who has found her. It’s a Dothraki horde and the blood riders amass in unison, coming from every direction and surrounding her in the middle.

Daenerys quickly drops her ring into the ground hoping that whoever comes looking for her will find it so they know where she’s gone. These are the Dothraki after all and Khal Drogo is long dead so what they will do with and to Daenerys is anybody’s guess.

The Walk of Atonement

Back at the Great Sept, Cersei finally decides to confess to the High Sparrow to hopefully receive some reprieve from her weeks of torture living in the dungeons after she was found guilty of committing a whole bunch of bad sins.

She admits to sleeping with her cousin Lancel, but denies any other misgivings including the fact that her children belong to another man and not King Robert. Because Cersei admitted to at least one of the charges against her, the High Sparrow shows her the mother’s mercy and will allow her to return to the Red Keep — after she atones for that particular sin.

Atonement according to the High Sparrow means Cersei has to have her hair cut off and she must walk from the Great Sept of Baelor all the way to the Red Keep, stripped completely naked from head to toe while one of his ‘nuns’ walks behind her shouting ‘shame’ as all the people of King’s Landing see their queen humbled before them.

“A sinner comes before you. Cersei of House Lannister, mother to his grace King Tommen, widow of his grace, King Robert. She has committed the acts of falsehood and fornication. She has confessed her sins and begged for forgiveness. To demonstrate her repentance, she’ll cast aside all pride, all artifice and present herself as the Gods made her to you, the good people of the city. She comes before you with a sullen heart, shorn of secrets, naked before the eyes of Gods and men to make her walk of atonement.”

~ The High Sparrow

Cersei makes her way through the crowd, but with each steps she takes, the vile words thrown in her direction get worse and before long the objects being tossed in her direction are just as awful. The entire time she’s walking, Cersei just keeps her eyes focused on the Red Keep and her son that’s waiting for her there.

She stumbles at one point, her feet bloodied from the cobbled stone covering the streets, but finally Cersei makes her way to the entrance. She’s covered from head to toe in piss, blood and shit and when she walks inside her uncle Kevan is there waiting for her and even he’s shocked to see his niece in such a condition.

She falls to the ground and only Qyburn is there to pick her up. He might be the last loyal soul to still serve the queen, but he comments that her feet are clearly in need of his services so she must come away with him right away.

Thankfully, Qyburn has a servant to help him and to help Cersei — a giant, seven foot tall monster clad in golden and white armor with a helmet and mask covering his face.

“May I have the honor of presenting the newest member of the Kingsguard. If it please your grace he’s taken the holy vow of silence. He has sworn that he will not speak until all his grace’s enemies are dead and the evil has been driven from the realm.”

~ Qyburn

The gigantic man is of course ‘The Mountain’ Ser Gregor Clegane after Qyburn brings him back from the dead following his battle with Oberyn Martell last season. His Frankenstein monster is now in service of the Queen and as he picks her up to carry her to Qyburn’s workshop, Cersei’s look of anguish quickly turns to vengeance.

The High Sparrow and the Faith Militant wronged her, humiliated her and shamed her — and she’s about to get medieval on their asses.

For the Watch

At The Wall, Jon is sharing a drink with his old pal Samwell, while commiserating over the fact that despite saving hundreds of Wildlings, there are thousands more who just came back from the dead when the Night’s King put his hands in the air and they all joined his army. Jon did manage to kill a White Walker and that’s when Sam helps him realize that he did it with a sword made out of Valyrian steel. As exciting as that news might seem, the problem is there are only a few Valyrian steel swords left in the Seven Kingdoms and it’s not nearly enough to put a dent into the army of the dead.

And the worst part was when he returned, Jon wasn’t greeted by handshakes or congratulations, but instead had to see his brothers look at him with disgust after he sacrificed some of his own men in the journey to save the Wildlings.

“The first Lord Commander in history to sacrifice the lives of sworn brothers to save the lives of Wildlings. How’s it feel to be friends with the most hated man at Castle Black?”

~ Jon Snow

Sam shares with Jon that he finally got laid but then explains that his place needs to be at Oldtown, where he can attend the Citadel and become a maester. With Maester Aemon now dead, the Night’s Watch needs a new one and Samwell wants to fill that role. He also wants to save Gilly and her child from what he assumes will eventually be an awful death that he’ll have to witness before he’s dead as well. As much as Jon needs a friend at the Night’s Watch, Samwell believes he’ll be best served to stand at his side as a maester.

Samwell also promises no matter what, he’ll always be Jon’s friend even if they are seemingly going at this alone.

“Here’s to us then — long may they sneer”

~ Jon Snow

Jon also has to deal with Ser Davos Seaworth, who has come to the Wall to ask for help for his king Stannis as he gets ready to attack Winterfell. Jon has to break the news that he has nothing to give, but before their argument can go too far, the gates open and Lady Melisandre arrives. She looks cold and shaken for the first time and when she dismounts from her horse, Davos quickly greets her to get the bad news.

She barely has to look at him before he knows that Stannis has been defeated and Shireen is dead as well. Melisandre doesn’t include the part where she burned Shireen alive, but those are just details.

Later in the night, Jon is tucked away in his study doing whatever Lord Commander’s do when his steward Olly comes calling with good news — one of the Wildlings he brought back claims that his uncle Benjen Stark — you know the first Ranger from the Night’s Watch who went north of the Wall back in season one and never returned — is still alive and they know where he’s located.

Jon can’t get outside fast enough to find out the news, but when he barrels through a gathering of his brothers he doesn’t find a Wildling waiting to tell him about his uncle Benjen — he finds a cross with the word ‘traitor’ painted on it and the men waiting on him had sneers on their faces and knives in their hands.

When Jon turns he’s greeted by Ser Alliser Thorne, who lunges at him and stabs him in the gut with a dagger.

“For the watch”

~ Ser Alliser Thorne

A few more brothers join him as they Julius Caesar their Lord Commander but the final blow was the hardest to watch. Little Olly puts the final dagger into Jon’s heart before he joins his brothers by saying ‘for the watch’.

The brothers of the Night’s Watch turn their backs as Jon lays in a pool of blood that fills up around his body. For all the good deeds Jon Snow thought he was doing while acting in the best interests of the realm, he failed to remember the very oath he promised when he took the black. His actions were eventually going to have recourse although he probably didn’t expect it to come from within his own ranks. Just weeks after he was voted Lord Commander, Jon Snow’s own men turned on him and stabbed him to death because they believe he lost his way.

And now his watch is ended…

‘Game of Thrones’ will return in Spring 2016 for season 6 on HBO.