Oathbreaker

"Oathbreaker" is the third episode of the sixth season of Game of Thrones. It is the fifty-third episode of the series overall. It premiered on May 8, 2016. It was written by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, and directed by Daniel Sackheim.

At the Wall
As Jon Snow awakens and gasps for air, he slowly sits up and scans the room. He then looks down and is horrified by his stab wounds. Davos Seaworth, having returned to the room, is shocked but relieved and quickly helps Jon as he struggles to walk. Davos asks Jon if he remembers anything. Jon, still shocked, says yes, he remembers getting stabbed by Olly and Alliser Thorne for bringing the Wildlings to Castle Black. Melisandre enters, shocked that the resurrection has worked. She then goes to Jon and asks him where he was after his death. Jon replies he saw nothing, to Melisandre's disappointment. Seizing on whatever hope she still has, however, she says that the Lord brought Jon back for a reason, that Stannis was not The Prince That Was Promised, but "someone must be". Davos asks Melisandre to leave them alone so Jon can reacclimatize.

After he has recovered somewhat, Jon dons his Night's Watch armor and the Lord Commander's cape, and walks into the courtyard, seeing many of the fellow Brothers arrive before him. Jon, still struggling to walk properly, comes down and greets the dumbfounded Tormund. Tormund jokes with the resurrected Lord Commander before hugging him tightly which slightly pains Jon due to his stab wounds. Jon then greets the relieved Eddison Tollett and they embrace.

Sometime later, Jon oversees the public hanging of the traitors responsible for the Mutiny at Castle Black: Bowen Marsh, Othell Yarwyck, Alliser Thorne and Olly. Jon asks if any of the men have last words to say. Bowen says Jon shouldn't be alive, stating it's not right. Jon replies, "Neither was killing me." Yarwyck pleads Jon to tell his family in White Harbor that he died fighting the Wildlings. Alliser then says he had a choice: to betray his Commander or the Night's Watch. He then says that Jon bringing the Wildlings was a dangerous problem and had to be stopped, and warns him that Jon will be fighting their battles forever.

Jon then moves on to Olly, who says nothing and glares furiously at Jon. Jon reluctantly cuts down the rope, killing all four traitors. Jon looks at Olly's lifeless body. Afterwards, Jon takes off his cloak and hands it to the confused Edd. Jon then says Edd can do whatever he wants with the cloak, unofficially designating Edd as the 999th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. Jon then leaves the courtyard, saying "My watch has ended" while the rest of the Brothers look on in shock.

On a ship heading for Oldtown
Samwell Tarly, Gilly, and her baby son Sam are sailing on a ship to Oldtown. Gilly and Sam have never been on a ship before. Samwell is seasick and begins throwing up into a chamber pot. Gilly assures Samwell that it won't be long and says that she can't wait to see Oldtown. Gilly tells Tarly that the ship's captain says that Oldtown is the most beautiful city in Westeros. While Samwell had originally planned to go and study at the Citadel, he changes his plans since he cannot bring Gilly and her child along as the Citadel only allows men within its walls.

Unwilling to abandon Gilly and Sam to the streets, Samwell decides to take them to his ancestral home of Horn Hill. While he does not get on with his father Randyll Tarly, Samwell assures Gilly that his mother and sister are very kind. Samwell wants to do everything to protect Gilly and her child from harm. Despite some unease, Gilly promises to follow Samwell and let him decide what is best for them.

Beyond the Wall
Bran has a vision of the past again. He and the three-eyed raven are at the Tower of Joy in Dorne, shortly after the end of Robert's Rebellion. The last two of the Targaryen Kingsguard stand before the Tower and block the way of a small party of Northmen led by Eddard Stark himself. The three-eyed raven identified one of Ned's companions as Howland Reed, Meera's father. Eddard tells Ser Arthur Dayne and Lord Commander Gerold Hightower to stand down, and asks why they weren't at the Trident. Ser Arthur states that Rhaegar ordered them here to guard the tower, so there they remained, even as Rhaegar and Aerys both died. Eddard asks where his sister Lyanna is, but Dayne simply wishes Stark the best in the wars to come. The two Kingsguard draw their swords, with Ser Arthur saying, "And now it begins," to which Eddard replies "now it Ends." The two sides clash, with Dayne making short work of a few of Ned's northmen. Ser Arthur slowly cuts down the number of northmen, but Ser Gerold falls to Ned's blade. Eventually, Ser Arthur duels Eddard one-on-one. Bran expresses his shock at Ser Arthur's skills, with the three-eyed raven confirming that the Sword of the Morning is better than Ned. Dayne easily gains the upper hand and kicks Ned's sword away from him, but is unprepared for Howland stabbing him through the back of the neck. Eddard seems visibly uncomfortable at winning this way, but unhesitatingly delivers the killing blow to the incapacitated Ser Arthur. Bran is shocked, as he had heard tales of this duel and never expected his father to stand for such things.

Eddard runs towards the tower, having heard a woman's scream come from one of its windows towards the end of the duel. Bran runs to follow Eddard, calling out, but he is told it's time to go by the raven. Ned looks back for a second, seemingly hearing Bran, but then runs into the Tower. Bran tries to follow, but he is forced out of the past and back into the cave by the three-eyed raven, saying he had stayed in the past for too long. Bran is both angry and sad at this, but the raven asserts it was for his safety, and again sternly reminds him that the past cannot be changed. The raven further states that he's waited a thousand years for Bran to arrive, and that Bran will not share the raven's destiny. But before he can leave the cave, Bran must learn everything.

At King's Landing
Qyburn is in the company of the little birds, children who used to spy for Varys. Qyburn tries to win the favor of the children by attracting them with candied plums from Dorne. Shortly afterwards, Cersei, Jaime Lannister and the reanimated Ser Gregor Clegane enter. Cersei wants Qyburn to gather information from Dorne, Highgarden, the North and wherever people are trying to take advantage of their losses and plotting against them.

At the Small Council meeting, Grand Maester Pycelle complains about Qyburn and his experiments. Ser Kevan Lannister, now Hand of the King - is heading the Council – which now consists of himself, Pycelle, and Lord Mace Tyrell – with Lady Olenna Tyrell in attendance to lobby for Margaery and Loras Tyrell's release. Cersei, Jamie and Ser Gregor enter the room, startling Pycelle and Mace. On being questioned about what they are doing at a small council meeting, Cersei replies that she is the Queen, only to be corrected by Olenna that the rightful queen is the one married to the king and that Margaery is the one who fits that description. Jaime then argues that he, as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, also has a right to attend. Pycelle admits that Ser Gerold Hightower once sat on the council, but dismisses this due to the Mad King's eccentricities. Cersei accuses Kevan of not caring for her daughter Myrcella, while Jaime appeals to the bigger picture and urges Kevan to take action against Ellaria Sand and the Sand Snakes who have taken over Dorne after eliminating House Martell. Displeased with the newcomers, Ser Kevan and small council leave the hall.

Meanwhile, an angry King Tommen Baratheon and his Kingsguard visits the High Sparrow to secure permission for Cersei to visit her daughter's resting place in the Great Sept. The High Sparrow replies that Cersei cannot visit because she still has not been cleared for the other sins that she is accused of. Tommen criticizes the High Sparrow for his self-righteous treatment of Cersei after she had atoned for two of her crimes. Despite their differences, the High Sparrow claims admiration for the deep love that Cersei has for her son, Tommen, which he attributes to the divine love of the Mother.

When Tommen asks the High Sparrow why he wants to put his mother through more trials, the Sparrow replies that he is merely carrying out the will of the Seven. He urges the young King to turn to the Seven for wisdom. Before Tommen leaves, less angry and more uncertain, the High Sparrow tells him that the Seven have worked through his grandfather and mother even though they may not acknowledge it.

In Meereen
In the Great Pyramid, Varys holds court when the Unsullied bring in Vala, a prostitute who is in league with the Sons of the Harpy. She had seduced and murdered several members of the Second Sons and Unsullied. Vala is defiant and states that she opposes the new regime imposed by the Unsullied and Second Sons as illegitimate. She became a prostitute out of patriotic fervor for the old ways. Varys assures Vala he has no interest in torturing her and decides to strike a deal. In return for revealing who is funding the Sons of the Harpy, he offers her and her son safe passage on a ship bound for Pentos with a bag of silver to start a new life. Varys warns her that if she doesn't agree to the offer, she will be executed for her crimes, leaving her son orphaned.

Meanwhile, Tyrion passes the time by engaging Missandei and Grey Worm in small talk. Tyrion offers to play games with the pair but they are not interested. Before Tyrion can embark on a drinking game, Varys returns and informs them that the Wise Masters of Yunkai, the Good Masters of Astapor, and the Free City of Volantis have been secretly funding the Sons of the Harpy. While Grey Worm advocates attacking the cities, Missandei advises against it since that would leave Meereen unprotected. Using this information, Tyrion asks Varys to use his little birds to send them a message.

In the Dothraki Sea
Daenerys Targaryen walks the Dothraki towards Vaes Dothrak and is ushered into the the Temple of the Dosh Khaleen by Khal Moro's bloodriders. Upon entering the temple, the High Priestess of the Dosh Khaleen orders the bloodriders to leave and strips her naked, giving her a robe which the dosh khaleen wear. As Daenerys puts on her new clothes, she tells the high priestess that she will soon regret what she has done as she was the wife of a great khal the Queen of Meereen, and the Mother of Dragons. The high priestess retorts that she herself was the wife of a previous Great Khal, Savo. Just as Daenerys thought she would conquer the world at Drogo's side, so did the high priestess think she would conquer the world at Savo's. But Savo was slain, and she joined the dosh khaleen. She is now content, just as Daenerys would be if she is allowed to join them. When Dany expressed confusion, the priestess points out that khaleesi are supposed to return to Vaes Dothrak immediately after their khal's death... but Daenerys went out into the world. She explains that all the khalasars have gathered to decide which cities will be sacked and which tribes will be enslaved, and now they will have to decide what to do with Daenerys for not coming to the dosh khaleen after Khal Drogo died.

In Braavos
A blind Arya Stark resumes her training with the Waif and Jaqen H'ghar, the former of whom beats her repeatedly when she lies. Meanwhile, Jaqen has her mixing potions blindly. During her training, Arya continues sparring with the Waif while answering questions about her family and the Hound. Arya admits to leaving the Hound to die instead of killing him, despite wanting his death. The Waif then interrogates Arya about the people on her list: Cersei, Gregor Clegane and Walder Frey. The Waif voices her disbelief that Arya's list is so short, but Arya counters by asking which name she wants added. When Arya insists that she is no one, the Waif does not believe her and tries to hit her. However, Arya is able to deflect her blow and leap out of the way, surprising the Waif.

After confirming that Arya has mastered blind sparring, Jaqen approaches Arya and offers to give back her sight if she tells him her name. Arya replies that "a girl has no name." Jaqen then leads Arya to the well where he scoops up a bowl of water, which he offers her. She is reluctant, as others have drunk from it and died, but he says that if she is truly "no one" there is nothing to fear. Arya drinks from the bowl and her sight is restored. When Jaqen asks Arya who she is, she replies that she is no one.

At Winterfell
The Umbers led by Smalljon Umber travel to Winterfell to meet Ramsay Bolton, the new Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. Smalljon and Ramsay chat about their experiences with their fathers. Smalljon mentions that his father Greatjon Umber is dead but admits that he would have killed him if the opportunity arose. Ramsay denies murdering the late Roose Bolton and claims that he was poisoned by his enemies, but Smalljon doesn't bother believing him.

Smalljon has come to forge an alliance with the Boltons against Jon Snow and the Wildlings. However, he refuses to bow to Ramsay; citing the late Robb Stark's betrayal at the hands of Roose. Smalljon then reveals that he has a "gift" for Ramsay, who asks if it is a girl, hoping for Sansa Stark. Smalljon replies otherwise and Umber guards enter the room with two hooded figures. The first turns out to be Osha – the second is Rickon Stark, Ned Stark's youngest child. Osha and Rickon appear uncomfortable to find themselves in Ramsay's presence. When Ramsay asks Smalljon to verify Rickon's identity, an Umber retainer enters the room carrying the severed head of the direwolf Shaggydog, and Rickon's expression of dismay confirms this was his pet. Satisfied, a gleeful Ramsay then issues a sarcastic "welcome" to "Lord Stark."

First

 * Ser Arthur Dayne (Flashback)
 * Ser Gerold Hightower (Flashback)
 * Lord Howland Reed (Flashback)
 * Lord Smalljon Umber
 * High Priestess of the Dosh Khaleen

Deaths

 * Ser Arthur Dayne   (Flashback)
 * Ser Gerold Hightower   (Flashback)
 * Lord Greatjon Umber (Mentioned)
 * Shaggydog   (Off-screen)
 * First Steward Bowen Marsh
 * First Builder Othell Yarwyck
 * First Ranger Ser Alliser Thorne
 * Olly

Cast
Starring
 * Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister
 * Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Ser Jaime Lannister
 * Lena Headey as Queen Mother Cersei Lannister
 * Emilia Clarke as Queen Daenerys Targaryen
 * Kit Harington as Jon Snow
 * Liam Cunningham as Ser Davos Seaworth
 * Carice van Houten as Lady Melisandre
 * Nathalie Emmanuel as Missandei
 * Maisie Williams as Arya Stark
 * Conleth Hill as Varys
 * Kristofer Hivju as Tormund Giantsbane
 * Isaac Hempstead-Wright as Bran Stark
 * John Bradley as Samwell Tarly
 * Iwan Rheon as Lord Ramsay Bolton
 * Jonathan Pryce as the High Sparrow
 * Dean-Charles Chapman as King Tommen Baratheon
 * Hannah Murray as Gilly
 * Tom Wlaschiha as Jaqen H'ghar

Guest Starring
 * Max von Sydow as the Three-eyed raven
 * Diana Rigg as Lady Olenna Tyrell
 * Owen Teale as Ser Alliser Thorne
 * Anton Lesser as Qyburn
 * Julian Glover as Grand Maester Pycelle
 * Jacob Anderson as Grey Worm
 * Natalia Tena as Osha
 * Ben Crompton as Eddison Tollett
 * Faye Marsay as The Waif
 * Roger Ashton-Griffiths as Lord Mace Tyrell
 * Ian Gelder as Ser Kevan Lannister
 * Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson as Ser Gregor Clegane
 * Brenock O'Connor as Olly
 * Kae Alexander as Leaf
 * Dean S. Jagger as Lord Smalljon Umber
 * Paul Rattray as Lord Harald Karstark
 * Art Parkinson as Rickon Stark
 * Meena Rayann as Vala
 * Joe Naufahu as Khal Moro
 * Souad Faress as a High Priestess of the Dosh Khaleen
 * Staz Nair as Qhono
 * Hannah John-Kamen as Ornela
 * Angelique Fernandez as a Dothraki widow
 * Robert Aramayo as Lord Eddard Stark
 * Luke Roberts as Ser Arthur Dayne
 * Eddie Eyre as Ser Gerold Hightower
 * Brian Fortune as First Builder Othell Yarwyck
 * Michael Condron as First Steward Bowen Marsh
 * Wuese Houston-Jibo as a Dothraki widow
 * Diogo Sales as a Moro's bloodrider
 * Junade Khan as a Moro's bloodrider
 * Annette Hannah as a little bird
 * Nathanael Saleh as a little bird
 * Michael Nevin as a little bird
 * Jesse Magee as a little bird
 * Iona Clarke as a little bird
 * Lucy Gallagher as a little bird
 * Fionn Kernan as a little bird

Uncredited
 * Leo Woodruff as Lord Howland Reed

Cast notes

 * 18 of 27 starring cast members appear in this episode.
 * Starring cast members Aidan Gillen (Petyr Baelish), Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell), Indira Varma (Ellaria Sand), Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark), Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy), Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth), Jerome Flynn (Bronn), Michiel Huisman (Daario Naharis), and Iain Glen (Jorah Mormont) are not credited and do not appear in this episode.

Mutiny at Castle Black: Conclusion
As the leaders of the Mutiny at Castle Black are hanged, they re-iterate that their primary motivation in the TV series was due to Jon letting the wildlings through the Wall. In the novels, it was due to the Boltons threatening the Night's Watch with destruction, and Jon deciding to break his vow of neutrality to fight them. This condensation significantly affects several parts of the storyline and introduces several unaddressed plot holes. For more information, see the main article on the "Bastard Letter".

Gilly's baby and the TV timeline
A major issue regarding the Timeline comes up with the return of Gilly's son in this episode: the TV writers might not have been keeping as strict track of the in-universe timeline as the novels did (the index to every book lists how old the current child characters are). In the books, roughly two years pass between the first novel and the Red Wedding, in the middle of the third book. Because it is the longest book, the TV series split the third novel into two seasons (Seasons 3 and 4), with the Red Wedding at the end of Season 3. Either way, on-screen dialogue in the TV series established that one year had passed in-universe by Season 2, and it was directly stated on-screen that just prior to the Red Wedding, the war had been going on for two years (since late Season 1).

From Season 4 onwards, however, the TV series actually hasn't stated how much time has passed within the storyline: whether it is still proceeding at a rate of one year per TV season (in order to match the younger actors aging at a normal rate), or if the narrative slowed down without clearly announcing it. Gilly's son in the TV series was born in Season 3, thus if time in the TV series is progressing at a rate of one year per TV season, he would be nearly 3 years old in Season 6 - and thus not really a "baby" anymore like in the source material but more of a toddler.

On the other hand, it has never been stated that the rate at which time passes suddenly slowed down, and other comments vaguely implied that it still progresses at the same rate: in Season 5, Myrcella says she has been in Dorne for "years" since Season 2, which would seem to imply closer to at least three (even assuming that Season 2 to 3 was one full year as stated elsewhere). The only other direct hint about the passage of time is that Roose Bolton stated at the Red Wedding that he was going to marry Fat Walda Frey, and she announced she was pregnant in Season 5 - though it is unclear when exactly they married or when she conceived, only that she eventually gave birth in Season 6. Thus, at the very least, around nine months to one year must have passed since the Red Wedding by this point. Gilly's son was born slightly before that in Season 3 (the last season in which a dating was definitively given), thus he must also be at least one year old. The episode itself was somewhat ambiguous when Gilly's son actually appeared: the actor-baby clearly is not around one year old as the actor-babies playing him were in prior seasons; instead he has a full head of hair and looks much more like a toddler between two and three years old. Other statements about exactly how much time has passed since Season 3 have not yet been made.

Heraldry
George R.R. Martin never physically produced his own illustrations of what every piece of Heraldry that is mentioned in the novels looks like: there is obviously more than one way to draw a lion (for the Lannisters) or a wolf (for the Starks) - potentially in infinite variation. When the TV series began, graphic artist Jim Stanes said that he researched hundreds of alternate medieval designs to produce the official in-universe design of the Lannister lion sigil in the TV series, which is very specific. The specific Lannister lion design used in "the TV continuity" isn't necessarily what it looks like in-universe in "the book continuity". In this episode, notice that the large clasp on Howland Reed's cloak is shaped like the sigil of House Reed, a lizard-lion (a type of crocodilian). The design of the lizard-lion is an exact replica of a very specific fanart production of the Reed sigil, which has been used as infobox art on the "House Reed" article on Westeros.org's A Wiki of Ice and Fire since November 2012 (over three years before this episode was produced). Notice that it is an exact replica of even the smallest details: from the circular shape of the lizard-lion, to its long flaming tongue which bends at the same angle, and three toes on each foot.

Similarly, recently in Season 5, observe that of House Stokeworth that appeared on Lollys Stokeworth's dress is :  this Stokeworth sigil in the TV series is also an exact replica of an unofficial fanart version from AWOIAF and used as the infobox heraldry on the House Stokeworth page. It is actually the most recent version of the AWOIAF Stokeworth sigil - looking at reveals that the current version used in 2015-2016 was first loaded in February 2014. The current version is exactly like the one used in the TV show in Season 5: a resting lamb (passant), facing left, with its arm holding the cup. Illustrating that there is more than one way to draw a design, the previous versions on that page had the lamb facing right, striding on its legs.

The only conclusion that can be reached is that from around Season 4 onwards, the TV production team must be actively reading A Wiki of Ice and Fire to research what in-universe heraldry is "supposed" to look like (and by extension, possibly even Game of Thrones Wiki).

That being said, the fanart wouldn't have been posted to AWOIAF unless it was of high quality, and often the only difference between "fanart" and "official" art is if Martin has directly given it permission to be used in one of the official publications or art calendars.

In the books

 * The episode is adapted from the following chapter of A Game of Thrones:
 * Chapter 39, Eddard X: a flashback of the showdown at the Tower of Joy.


 * The episode is adapted from the following chapters of A Feast for Crows:
 * Chapter 24, Cersei V: Cersei orders Qyburn to send his whisperers to spy on the kingslanders who mock the Lannisters.
 * Chapter 45, Sam V: Sam tells Gilly he intends to send her and the baby to Horn Hill, and pass the baby as Sam's bastard son.


 * The episode is adapted from the following chapters of A Dance with Dragons:
 * Chapter 12, Reek I: Ramsay meets with the leaders of Houses Karstark and Umber.
 * Chapter 29, Davos IV: It is revealed where Osha and Rickon went.
 * Chapter 45, The Blind Girl: Arya regains her sight.
 * Epilogue: The Small Council, headed by Ser Kevan Lannister, discuss the political situation and their course of action. Ser Kevan is weary of the mute giant of a man recently added into the Kingsguard.


 * The remaining material appears to be based on what will come in the sixth novel, The Winds of Winter, particularly the storylines of Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen and Rickon Stark.

Memorable Quotes
Arthur Dayne: "Lord Stark."

Eddard Stark: "I looked for you on the Trident."

Arthur: "We weren't there."

Gerold Hightower: "Your friend the Usurper would lie beneath the ground if we had been."

Eddard: "The Mad King is dead, Rhaegar lies beneath the ground. Why weren't you there to protect your prince?"

Arthur: "Our prince wanted us here."

Eddard: "Where's my sister?"

Arthur: "I wish you good fortune in the wars to come." [He and Gerold don their helms.] "And now it begins."

[The two Kingsguard draw their swords.]

Eddard: "No, now it ends."

Ramsay Bolton: "When my father became Warden of the North, your house refused to pledge their banners."

Smalljon Umber: "Your father was a cunt."

Ramsay Bolton: "My beloved father, the Warden..."

Smalljon Umber: "Your father was a cunt, and that's why you killed him. I might've done the same to my father if he hadn't done me the favor of dying on his own."

Ramsay Bolton: "My father was poisoned by our enemies."

Smalljon Umber: "Mmm."

Ramsay: "Why have you come to Winterfell, Lord Umber?"

Smalljon: "The bastard Jon Snow led an army of wildlings past the Wall. We're farther north than any of you fuckers. Wildlings come down, we always have to fight them first. I like fighting wildlings. Been doing it all my life. But there are too many of them for us to beat back alone."

Ramsay: "So now you've come seeking help?"

Smalljon: "We need to help each other. The colder it gets, the farther south those goat fuckers will roam. Won't take them long to get here."

Ramsay: "You think a horde of wildlings can take Winterfell?"

Smalljon: "If they get Jon Snow leading them, maybe. He knows this place better than we ever will."

Ramsay: "Pledge your banners to House Bolton. Swear loyalty to me as Warden of the North and we will fight together to destroy the bastard and all his wildling friends."

Smalljon: "I'm not kissing your fucking hand."

Ramsay: "Traditionally a bannerman kneels before his lord."

Smalljon: "I'm not doing that either."

Ramsay: "Why would I trust a man who won't honor tradition?"

Smalljon: "Your father honored tradition. Knelt for Robb Stark. Called him King of the North. Was Robb Stark right to trust your father?"

Ramsay: "Then it appears we're at a bit of an impasse."

Smalljon: "Fuck kneeling and fuck oaths. I've got a gift for you."

Jon Snow: "If you have any last words, now is the time."

Bowen Marsh: "You shouldn't be alive. It's not right."

Jon: "Neither was killing me."

Alliser Thorne: "I had a choice, Lord Commander. Betray you or betray the Night's Watch. You brought an army of wildlings into our lands. An army of murderers and raiders. If I had to do it all over again knowing where I'd end up, I pray I'd make the right choice again."

Jon Snow: "I'm sure you would, Ser Alliser."

Alliser Thorne: "I fought, I lost. Now I rest. But you, Lord Snow, you'll be fighting their battles forever."

Jon: "My watch has ended."