Game Of Thrones Recap: S6E5 ‘The Door’

Meereen: Tyrion & Varys

Tyrion’s deals with the Masters and the freedmen seems to have worked, with no deaths in a fortnight. However, the witty dwarf wants more than peace – he wants security. Most importantly, he wants the Meereenese to know it was Dany who provided it. For that, he needs a spokesman, some trusted and popular. But he’s not talking about Grey Worm or even Missandei. Tyrion is speaking of religion, more specifically Kinvara, the Red Priestess of Volantis.

Like Melisandre, her fire god Rh’llor is the only deity whose servants have powers like glamour and resurrection. Because of Daenerys’ dragons, “fire made flesh” she calls them, she’s more than willing to help the queen when she arrives to meet Tyrion and Varys in the throne room, both in this war “and the great one to follow.”

Varys, who has a noted aversion to magic, brings up the curious case of Stannis Baratheon, another anointed savior who was unceremoniously cut down (after a humiliation conga line, I might add). His pointed questions don’t phase the unflappable Kinvara, who responds by intuiting intimate knowledge of his castration and the magic it was done for. Varys, usually so impervious, is genuinely unnerved but as Tyrion said, they are all on the queen’s side. For now, at least.

MISSING THIS WEEK:

• We took a rare break from King’s Landing while the Lannister and Tyrell forces prepare for what will surely be a flawless execution of a military takeover of the city from religion extremists. Surely flawless.
• We were mercifully given zero Ramsay this week. He’s essentially become a video game boss, the worst humanity has to offer and the one you have to get through to get to the next level and Final Boss, the supernaturally evil Night’s King. He’ll die, probably by Jon’s hand and we will all sleep better when it happens.
• Sam and Gilly only appeared in a brief scene in episode three but they finally reach the Tarly family home of Horn Hill next week, according to the synopsis. Sam better get to his maester-learning. Didn’t he hear the producers only gave him 10-15 more episodes to learn everything?
• Haven’t seen Dorne for four episodes. Anybody complaining? No? Thought so.

NEXT WEEK:

Here’s the synopsis and preview for episode six “Blood of My Blood.”

“An old foe comes back into the picture. Gilly (Hannah Murray) meets Sam’s (John Bradley) family. Arya (Maisie Williams) faces a difficult choice. Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) faces off against the High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce).”