The Door

"The Door" is the fifth episode of the sixth season of Game of Thrones. It is the fifty-fifth episode of the series overall. It premiered on May 22, 2016. It was written by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, and directed by Jack Bender.

Plot
Sansa meets with an old friend now enemy. Sansa and Jon make battle plans. Arya is given another chance to prove herself, but is experiencing internal conflict. Jorah confesses a devastating secret to Daenerys. Tyrion meets with a dangerous Red Priestess, who shares information with Varys. Yara finds her rule tested. Bran discovers the origin of the White Walkers, while losing many loyal companions.

At the Wall
Sansa Stark receives a message bearing the sigil of House Baelish asking her to a meeting in Mole's Town. Accompanied by Brienne, Sansa, angry, meets Petyr Baelish asking if he was aware what Ramsay Bolton was capable of. Baelish deflects, saying he has the knights of The Vale waiting at Moat Cailin to aid Sansa. She is mistrustful of him when he claims he had no idea of Ramsay's abusive treatment of her. She doubts Baelish's ability to protect her or even himself, threatening to have Brienne kill him. He says he'll do whatever she asks and Sansa tells him to leave and never come back for her. He obeys, but not before informing that her great-uncle Brynden Tully has recaptured Riverrun and recommending she seeks him out and the remaining loyal Tully forces. Sansa says she already has an army, her brother Jon Snow's army of wildlings. "Half-brother", Baelish corrects her as he walks away.

In the Dothraki Sea
Daenerys is unsure of what to do with Jorah, having banished him twice, with him returning twice, and saving her life twice. Jorah finally confesses his love for Daenerys, but also reveals his spreading greyscale infection, and says that this time, he needs to leave for good. He starts to leave and states his plan to take his own life when the greyscale envelops him, but Daenerys tearfully commands him to find a cure and come back to her side when she conquers Westeros. Jorah then departs while Daenerys and Daario Naharis lead the Dothraki horde back to Meereen.

In Braavos
The Waif continues to drill Arya, mocking her high-born origins. Jaqen H’ghar explains that the Faceless Men were slaves in Valyria before establishing the Free City of Braavos and the House of Black &amp; White. Handing Arya a vial, Jaqen tells her an actress, Lady Crane, will be the next to receive the Many-Faced God’s “gift.”

Arya enjoys the spectacle of the actors re-enacting the War of the Five Kings, playing Baratheons and Lannisters, but her pleasure ceases when her father, and his execution, are inaccurately caricatured. Arya sneaks into the dressing room to observe her target – the actress playing Cersei – who appears to be a clever, decent woman. Arya later shares with Jaqen her plan to poison Lady Crane’s rum, which no one else in the troupe drinks. Arya suspects that a jealous younger actress, Bianca, has commissioned the kill. Jaqen cuts her off, reminding her a servant does not question.

In Meereen
While the rulers of Meereen enjoy a tenuous peace, Tyrion reminds them of the need to convince the Meereenese that everything has been done with Daenerys's blessing, as the Masters could use Tyrion and Varys's foreign status against them to reclaim Slaver's Bay. To that end, Tyrion invites Kinvara, High Priestess of the Red Temple of Volantis, to negotiate spreading the word of Daenerys's accomplishments. To Tyrion's surprise, Kinvara appears to be highly accommodating in supporting Tyrion's goals, as she firmly believes that Daenerys is The Prince That Was Promised. Varys is more skeptical, being suspicious of any practitioners of magic, and points out that Melisandre had already declared Stannis Baratheon to be the Prince, only for him to be defeated twice. Kinvara says that while the Lord of Light has a plan, the humans following him do occasionally make errors. She then unnerves Varys by revealing that she knows Varys was emasculated by a "second-rate sorcerer" and offers to repeat the words he heard in the flames, and identify who it was that spoke. Kinvara then assures Tyrion that she will send the preachers and priests best suited to the task at hand.

In the Iron Islands
As the Kingsmoot is held, Yara Greyjoy is the first to lay claim to the Salt Throne. Yara argues that raiding the mainland is not enough to and that they need to use military force to teach the mainlanders a lesson. An Ironborn man challenges Yara's candidacy on the grounds that she is a woman and points out that her brother Theon Greyjoy has returned. After some hesitation, Theon endorses his older sister and urges the gathering to do the same; stressing that she is a warrior, a reaver, and an Ironborn. Many shout for Yara to be their Queen.

Before they can crown Yara, Euron Greyjoy joins the gathering to lay claim to the Salt Throne. He openly mocks Theon for his military failures and emasculation before deriding Yara as a woman. Yara in turn accuses Euron of killing their King and her father Balon. To her surprise, Euron admits killing Balon but then defends his actions on the grounds that Balon was leading them to defeat in the North. When Euron states that his only regret is not killing Balon years earlier, he is met by resounding cheers from the crowd. Theon then counters that Euron had spent years gallivanting overseas while Yara was commanding Ironborn ships and men. Yara then suggests building a massive fleet to attack and make their mark on Westeros.

In response, Euron announces that he also supports expanding the Ironborn fleet. Revealing a trick up his sleeve, he then proposes to marry Daenerys Targaryen and then carry her army and dragons back to Westeros. The Ironborn support Euron's plan and declare him king. The Drowned Men priest Aeron Greyjoy then leads Euron down to the sea to be baptized. During the drowning ceremony, however, Yara, Theon, and many of their loyalists flee the Iron Islands, taking the best of the Iron Fleet with them. During the baptism, Euron falls unconscious but is revived on the shore. Shortly later, he is crowned with the driftwood crown by his brother Aeron. After learning that his niece and nephew have fled with the best Ironborn ships, Euron calls on his followers to build their own ships so that he may pursue the pair and kill them.

Beyond the Wall
It is revealed that Leaf and the other Children of the Forest created the first White Walkers during their war against the First Men. Bran, Leaf, Hodor, and Meera are hiding with the Three-Eyed Raven. The White Walkers are able to find them after Bran is touched by The Night's King in a Warg dream. After being touched the White Walkers are able to also pass through the entrance of the root cave. After the Wights begin to swarm the cave they kill most of the Children of the Forest and Summer. The Three-Eyed Raven bid Bran farewell before being killed by the Night's King. In order for Bran to make it out, Leaf sacrifices herself to buy him some time. Bran must Warg as Hodor in order to hold the door, but he is able to do this while still being in a greendream. Meera repeatedly yells at Hodor to "hold the door" which Bran hears in his dream. As Hodor is holding the door in real time, Bran witnesses Hodor have a seizure as he is warged and begins screaming "hold the door", which he begins to slur and turn into "hodor", while a desperate Old Nan tries to aid him.

First

 * Izembaro
 * "Joffrey Baratheon" actor
 * Lady Crane
 * "Eddard Stark" actor
 * Bobono
 * Bianca
 * Kinvara
 * Lord Rickard Stark

Deaths

 * Three-eyed raven
 * Summer
 * White Walker
 * Leaf
 * Hodor

Cast
Starring
 * Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister
 * Emilia Clarke as Queen Daenerys Targaryen
 * Kit Harington as Jon Snow
 * Aidan Gillen as Lord Petyr Baelish
 * Liam Cunningham as Ser Davos Seaworth
 * Carice van Houten as Melisandre
 * Sophie Turner as Princess Sansa Stark
 * Nathalie Emmanuel as Missandei
 * Maisie Williams as Princess Arya Stark
 * Conleth Hill as Varys
 * Isaac Hempstead-Wright as Prince Bran Stark
 * Kristofer Hivju as Tormund Giantsbane
 * Alfie Allen as Prince Theon Greyjoy
 * Michiel Huisman as Daario Naharis
 * Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth
 * Tom Wlaschiha as Jaqen H'ghar
 * Iain Glen as Ser Jorah Mormont

Guest Starring
 * Max von Sydow as the Three-eyed raven
 * Kristian Nairn as Hodor
 * Richard E. Grant as Izembaro
 * Essie Davis as Lady Crane
 * Pilou Asbæk as King Euron Greyjoy
 * Gemma Whelan as Princess Yara Greyjoy
 * Ben Crompton as Eddison Tollett
 * Ellie Kendrick as Meera Reed
 * Faye Marsay as the Waif
 * Jacob Anderson as Grey Worm
 * Michael Feast as Aeron Greyjoy
 * Kae Alexander as Leaf
 * Daniel Portman as Podrick Payne
 * Darrell D'Silva as an Ironborn
 * Kevin Eldon as the actor playing Eddard Stark
 * Leigh Gill as Bobono
 * Eline Powell as Bianca
 * Rob Callender as the actor playing Joffrey Baratheon
 * Eva Butterly
 * Vladimir Furdik as the Night King
 * Ania Bukstein as Kinvara
 * Gerald Lepkowski as Zanrush
 * Annette Tierney as Old Nan
 * Sam Coleman as young Hodor
 * Wayne Foskett as Lord Rickard Stark
 * Sebastian Croft as Eddard Stark
 * Matteo Elezi as Benjen Stark
 * Fergus Leathem as Ser Rodrik Cassel
 * Kate Anthony as a Braavosi woman
 * Sally Mortemore as a Braavosi woman
 * Michael Hooley as a Night's Watch man
 * Ruairí Heading as a Night's Watch man
 * Robert Render
 * James Lecky
 * Glen Barry as a mummer ("background panel")
 * Brendan O'Rourke as a mummer ("the boar")
 * Ross Anderson-Doherty as a mummer ("background panel")
 * Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir as a musician
 * Ragnar Þórhallsson as a musician
 * Arnar Rósenkranz Hilmarsson as a musician
 * Brynjar Leifsson as a musician
 * Kristján Páll Kristjánsson as a musician

Cast notes

 * 17 of 27 starring cast members appear in this episode.
 * Starring cast members Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister), Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister), Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell), Indira Varma (Ellaria Sand), John Bradley (Samwell Tarly), Iwan Rheon (Ramsay Bolton), Jonathan Pryce (High Sparrow), Dean-Charles Chapman (Tommen Baratheon), Jerome Flynn (Bronn), and Hannah Murray (Gilly) are not credited and do not appear in this episode.

In the books

 * The episode is adapted from the following chapter of A Storm of Swords:
 * Chapter 20, Catelyn III: Robb is certain that killing Rickard will turn the Karstarks against him.
 * The episode is adapted from the following chapters of A Feast for Crows:
 * Chapter 19, The Drowned Man: The Kingsmoot takes place under Aeron Greyjoy's guidance. Asha claims the Crown of Salt and Rock and obtains support. Euron interrupts the kingsmoot and lays his own claim to the throne, suggesting a plan to bind dragons to conquer the Seven Kingdoms. He wins the acclaim of most of the ironborn present and then crowned King of the Iron Islands.
 * Chapter 29, The Reaver: Euron reveals his plan to marry Daenerys.
 * The episode is adapted from the following chapters of A Dance with Dragons:
 * Chapter 26, The Wayward Bride: Asha has fled the Iron Islands.
 * Chapter 27, Tyrion VII: a Volantene Red Priest preaches that Daenerys is Azor Ahai.
 * Chapter 35, Jon VII: The Mormonts, Cerwyns, Glovers, Hornwoods and other Northern houses join Stannis in his campaign against the Boltons.
 * The episode is adapted from the following chapter of The Winds of Winter:
 * Mercy: Arya observes the actors and actresses in a play called "The Bloody Hand".
 * The remaining material appears to be based on what will come in the sixth novel, The Winds of Winter, particularly the storyline of Bran Stark.