Directed By: Mark Mylod / Written By: David Benioff & D.B. Weiss

Original Airdate: June 12, 2016

In the Riverlands, Sandor Clegane seeks revenge for the massacre on his village and hunts down the Brotherhood only to stumble upon Beric Dondarrion. In Meereen, life seems to revert back to normal since negotiating a truce with the slave masters, however, this is short-lived when they start attacking the city. In King's Landing, Cersei Lannister challenges the Faith Militant while, out of the blue, King Tommen Baratheon announces a surprising decision that affects his mother’s trial. At Riverrun, Brienne unsuccessfully tries to convince the Blackfish to surrender his castle to Jaime Lannister, who strikes another deal. In Braavos, a wounded Arya Stark finds refuge but only momentarily as the Waif is still in pursuit of her for acting against the Faceless Men.

main cast

the riverlands

In the forest of the Riverlands, four members of the Brotherhood Without Banners are exchanging jokes over a fire, including Gatins and Morgan, who took part in the massacre of Brother Ray’s village. While Gatins jokes around and attempts to instruct the others on how to kiss a girl, the four men are set upon by an axe-wielding Sandor Clegane, who has come to exact revenge for the murder of the villagers. The Hound swiftly kills two of them before they can even respond and he then dispatches Morgan after a brief scuffle. Sandor then brings his axe up in a powerful swing and buries it in Gatins' groin, causing his innards to drop out. Sandor demands to know where the one with the yellow cloak is and gets a "Fuck you!" in response. The Hound points out that those are terrible last words and gives him one chance to do better. After a moment's thought, Gatins calls him a cunt and Sandor remarks that Gatins is "shit at dying" before literally cutting him short. Some time later, Sandor stumbles upon a forest clearing in the Riverlands where he finds other members of the Brotherhood, including their leaders Ser Beric Dondarrion and Thoros of Myr. Sandor witnesses Beric and Thoros in the process of hanging Lem and two others for their role in the unauthorized attack on Ray’s village. As the condemned men stand on blocks with nooses around their necks, Sandor explains that they killed his friend and wants to murder the men himself. However, Thoros forbids the Hound butcher any of the men. The Hound urges Beric to inflict a harsher death upon them than a hanging, but Beric refuses him. Out of respect, however, he does allow Sandor to kill two of the men. Despite this, Sandor complains, pointing out that in days gone by he would have killed all seven of them to get his way, but ultimately agrees to let them simply hang. Sandor kicks the blocks from under the feet of two of the men, including Lem, as Beric kicks the block of the third man. As his body is still twitching, the Hound takes Lem’s boots off of his feet to keep for himself. Following the executions, the Hound joins the Brotherhood for a meal by a creek. Beric suggests he should join up with them, as they are fighting for a greater cause and that "cold winds are rising in the North."  Sandor is skeptical of their chances of success and distrusts them due to his earlier acrimonious encounter with them. Beric recognizes that Sandor was born a fighter and tells him that they are now fighting against “things” that seek to destroy all life: “good and bad, young and old.” He then tells Sandor that it’s not too late to start helping more than the harm he’s caused in the past.

king’s landing

In King’s Landing, Qyburn informs Cersei Lannister that the Faith Militant have been permitted entry to the Red Keep and they demand to see her. Among the Faith Militant is Cersei’s cousin, Ser Lancel Lannister, who informs her that the High Sparrow would like to speak with her inside the Great Sept of Baelor. However, Cersei refuses, even when Lancel warns her that it was a command and not a request. Cersei retorts that the High Sparrow promised that she could stay in the Red Keep until her trial, to which Lancel replies that no such promise was made. When Ser Gregor Clegane threatens the Faith Militant, Lancel commands for Cersei to order the Mountain aside or there will be violence. However, a steely Cersei refuses to let the Kingsguard stand down when declaring: “I choose violence”. After a tense moment, one of the Faith Militant then proceeds to attack Ser Gregor in the chest, penetrating his armor, but the Kingsguard seems unharmed. In quick retaliation, Ser Gregor rips off his head with no effort, forcing Ser Lancel and his men to stand down.

Shortly after, Cersei, Qyburn and Ser Gregor enter the throne room to find a large crowd as there is a royal announcement.  Cersei asks her uncle Kevan Lannister why she was not informed but Kevan bars her from standing beside her son, King Tommen Baratheon, and asserts that her place is in the gallery "with the other ladies of the court." Cersei then reluctantly takes her place there while the other women hurry aside, not wanting to be near her or Gregor. King Tommen starts by declaring that the crown and the faith are the two pillars that hold up the world, and should one collapse, so does the other. Tommen then notes that ‘The Father’ judges them all and if they break his laws, they shall be punished. He then announces that Ser Loras Tyrell and Cersei's trial will both be held on the first day of the festival of ‘The Mother’. After much prayer and reflection, Tommen also announces his decree that a trial by combat will now be forbidden within the Seven Kingdoms, calling it a scheme made by those who want to escape judgement. With this in place, Cersei and Loras will now both have to stand trial before seven septons, as it was in the earlier days of the Faith. As King Tommen leaves, Qyburn attempts to comfort a shocked Cersei when taking the opportunity to inform her that Lord Varys’ little birds have been investigating an old rumor that she once told him about. He notes that the investigation has found it to be “much more than a rumor”.

meereen

Meanwhile, in the streets of Meereen, the Red Priestesses preach that Queen Daenerys Targaryen has been sent by R'hllor to end slavery. Tyrion Lannister and Lord Varys enter the marketplace where they debate the merits of Tyrion's hiring of "fanatics" to keep order in Meereen. Nonetheless, what they both have requested from the priestess Kinvara has helped improve the peace within the city. They walk towards the harbor, as Varys is leaving on a secret expedition because Daenerys needs friends in Westeros. He parts with Tyrion before reaching the docks as his expedition would not remain secret if he was seen with the most famous dwarf in the city.  As he leaves Tyrion corrects him, "The most famous dwarf in the world." Afterwards, Tyrion meets with Missandei and Grey Worm in the Great Pyramid and he offers to share drinks with them to celebrate the resurgence of the city.  When they express a reluctance, Tyrion convinces them to do it in honor of their Queen. Grey Worm complains of the taste while Tyrion boasts of starting up his own vineyard once Daenerys has conquered the Seven Kingdoms. He then makes a joke about Westeros Lords, but Grey Worm expresses puzzlement and it becomes clear he doesn't know what a joke is. Missandei explains and then tells her own joke about two translators. Tyrion feigns amusement but Grey Worm says that it was the worst joke he has ever heard.  As the others react with confusion, he reveals he was making his own joke. Missandei laughs and Grey Worm himself smiles. Before Tyrion can tell another joke, they hear the sound of bombardment. Looking out the ramparts, they see a large fleet of ships from Astapor, Yunkai, and Volantis. Missandei declares that the Masters have come to reclaim their property.

By evening, the slavers' fleet are using trebuchets to bomb the city, causing much damage to Meereen, including the Great Pyramid itself. Inside, Tyrion admits that diplomacy has failed and an enraged Grey Worm then takes command of the city's defense. Grey Worm proposes that the Unsullied must not go to the beach, certain that the Masters will take the pyramid if they abandon it. He insists that it’s the only place that they can defend. At that point, they hear movement coming from above. The Unsullied ready for attack and after one of their men venture out onto the balcony, he quickly retreats back into the room with the entrance of Queen Daenerys, who has returned with her dragon Drogon.

riverrun

Brienne of Tarth and Podrick Payne travel to Riverrun to deliver Sansa Stark's letter to her great-uncle Brynden Tully requesting House Tully’s assistance in fighting the Boltons. Upon arriving, they discover that the Lannisters and Freys are besieging the castle and within moments they are surrounded by several Lannister horsemen. Brienne tells them that she has come to see Ser Jaime Lannister and that she has come to return his sword, Oathkeeper. While Brienne speaks with Jaime, Podrick is waiting in the camp, when he is suddenly put in a choke-hold by an unseen figure, who is revealed to be Ser Bronn. The sellsword is jubilant to see Podrick, and playfully ribs him about sex and his fighting skills before Bronn offers to give Podrick a lesson in dirty fighting -- the kind that he will really need, not the formal kind, that Brienne has been giving him for two hours a day.

Meanwhile, Jaime and Brienne are meeting discreetly inside the tent. While Brienne has found Sansa, their situation is complicated by a bounty that Cersei Lannister has placed on Sansa's head after Joffrey Baratheon’s murder. Brienne tells Jaime that she has come to secure Brynden's help in seeking reinforcements for her campaign to retake Winterfell from the Boltons. This is not possible because Jaime is laying siege to Riverrun. Brienne convinces Jaime to let her negotiate with the ‘Blackfish’ so that Brynden and his men can leave the castle at night to travel to Winterfell. Jaime agrees to grant Brynden safe passage but says that he has to surrender by nightfall. Brienne also tries to return the sword he gave to her because the use it was lent to her for has been fulfilled. Instead, Jaime tells her to keep it because it is now hers. She reminds him that, should she fail to get Brynden to surrender, her oath to Lady Catelyn Stark would compel her to fight against Jaime. Clearly moved by his admiration for her, Jaime replies, "Let's hope it doesn't come to that." Brienne and Podrick then enter Riverrun to negotiate with the ‘Blackfish’. However, Brynden refuses to relinquish his ancestral seat. Brienne then tells him of her oath to aid his grand-niece Sansa and shows him Sansa's letter. While sympathetic to his grand-niece, Brynden is unable to help. Brienne then tells Podrick to get a maester to fetch a raven and send a message to Sansa telling her that she failed to secure help from Brynden.

Later that evening, Jaime visits the captive Edmure Tully and apologizes for the conduct of the Freys. Edmure is still defiant and insists that his uncle will not surrender Riverrun. Jaime then informs Edmure that he had sired a son with Roslin Frey and if Edmure can convince the ‘Blackfish’ and the garrison to surrender, he offers to allow Edmure and his family to live in a comfortable exile at Casterly Rock. When Edmure denounces Jaime as an evil man, Jaime responds that he would let the gods decide. Edmure then asks Jaime how he sleeps at night after all the bad things he has done. Jaime then recounts his time as a captive of Lady Stark and how she struck him with a stone. Despite her hatred for him, he came to respect Catelyn for her undying love to her children. Jaime compares Catelyn's love for her children to Cersei's love for her own. He then reiterates that he loves Cersei so much that he would kill any Tully that stands in his way as he then issues his final ultimatum to Edmure. If the Tullys do not surrender, he will catapult Edmure's son over the wall and kill every Tully who stands between him and Cersei. Jaime then leaves to let Edmure make up his mind.

Some time later, Lord Edmure eventually accepts Ser Jaime's offer and walks back to the castle and announces himself as their rightful lord, convincing the guards to lay down the drawbridge despite the protests of his uncle Brynden. The guards obey Edmure because they have sworn an oath of fealty to Hoster Tully and his son. The guards then lower the drawbridge and allow for Edmure to enter the castle. Back at the Lannister and Frey lines, Lothar Frey criticizes Jaime for losing their most valuable hostage. Once inside, Lord Edmure climbs the ramparts and orders the Tully garrison to lower the drawbridge and to surrender to the Lannisters and Freys, who then march into Riverrun and occupy the castle, draping Lannister and Frey banners all over the walls. Edmure then orders his men to find his uncle Brynden, put him in chains and hand him over to the Freys. However, the ‘Blackfish’ has already escaped and is assisting Brienne and Podrick’s escape into a boat from a waterway of the castle. Brienne tries to convince Ser Brynden to escape with them, but he insists on fighting for his home to the very end, though admitting he'll "probably make a fool" of himself due to a lack of recent combat experience. The ‘Blackfish’ then informs Brienne to continue serving his great-niece Sansa and assures her that she will do a better job of it than he has done. Shortly after, on the ramparts, a Lannister soldier later reports to Ser Jaime that Brynden has been killed while resisting arrest. In the darkness, Jaime then witnesses Brienne and Podrick rowing away on their boat and quietly waves goodbye, to which Brienne solemnly waves back.

braavos

Meanwhile, in Braavos, the mummers acting troupe are once again performing “The Bloody Hand” with Lady Crane playing Cersei Lannister in the scene where she mourns the death of the late King Joffrey Baratheon. However, unlike the previous version, her performance has been altered, just as Arya Stark had proposed to her, with Lady Crane's version of Cersei promising revenge. Following the scene, Lady Crane walks off stage where she eventually finds Arya in hiding and seeking refuge, as she is badly injured after her attack by the Waif. Arya is later treated and looked after by Lady Crane. The two have a brief conversation about what they're going to do in the future as well as the fate of Crane’s rival actress Bianca. Crane implies that she disfigured Bianca's face enough to make it impossible for Bianca to find more work as an actress. Then Lady Crane asks Arya to join the play company who are going to Pentos before Arya warns her about dangers that will be coming to both of them. Finally, Lady Crane tries to give Arya the milk of the poppy which Arya first rejects but accepts after being told that sleep is the only way for the wound to heal.

The following morning, Arya wakes up startled by a loud crash. She finds Lady Crane brutally murdered and the Waif waiting for her, who was disguised as a young man until pulling the face off of her own. She proclaims that Lady Crane's death would have been painless had Arya succeeded in her mission, as well as the fact that she is the next victim for the Red God. Suddenly, Arya leaps out the window and flees into the streets. She rolls under a wagon and momentarily flees into a bathhouse but is unable to outrun the Waif, who is closing in on her. The Waif discovers her target in the upper market of Braavos, descending from a high parapet, using a large crowd of people to break her fall, before continuing her chase of Arya. Barely managing to stay ahead, Arya barely manages to stay ahead and rolls down a broad flight of stairs, overturning several baskets of vegetables in the process. Her flight causes her recent stab wounds to reopen. Arya then flees into an alleyway and uses her dripping blood to leave a trail to a doorway, thus luring the Waif into a darkened room that is only lit by a single candle. The Waif soon catches up with her and into the room. Closing the heavy door, the Waif tells Arya that she can choose to die on her knees or on her feet. Arya rises to her feet, retrieving her sword Needle from its hiding place under a blanket. With one swift slice of Needle, the candle is chopped in half and the room is plunged into total darkness.

Some time later, while pacing the atrium of the House of Black and White, Jaqen H’ghar notices a trail of blood on the ground. Following the trail, he then enters the Hall of Faces and eventually finds that Arya has murdered the Waif and has ripped off her face, sticking it onto one of the columns of faces. Having experience in fighting without sight, Arya was ultimately victorious over the Waif. Jaqen also notices that Arya has also gouged out the Waif's eyes with her sword. Sneaking up from behind and pointing Needle towards him, Arya confronts Jaqen, who admits to sending the Waif to kill her, though he seems genuinely satisfied with the fact that Arya has bested her. Jaqen further explains that she now has finally become "No One" and has passed the test to join the Faceless Men. However, Arya corrects him that she is “Arya Stark of Winterfell,” and that she instead is going home. Jaqen responds with a nod and a barely perceptible smile, as Arya then walks away from the Hall of Faces and towards her exit of Braavos.

*Episode descriptions from GOT Wiki