Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken

"Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" is the sixth episode of the fifth season of Game of Thrones. It is the forty-sixth episode of the series overall. It premiered on May 17, 2015. It was written by Bryan Cogman and directed by Jeremy Podeswa.

Plot
Arya trains. Jorah and Tyrion run into slavers. Trystane and Myrcella make plans. Jaime and Bronn reach their destination. The Sand Snakes attack.

In Braavos
Arya continues her training with the Faceless Men. She cleans a corpse methodically, which is then taken away by two men. Arya is obviously curious about what is on the other side of the door through which the corpse was taken. Arya is about to walk through the door when the Waif obstructs her path and latches the door. Arya wants to know what happens to the bodies she scrubs clean, but the Waif tells her that she will know when the time is right. Frustrated at the lack of answers, Arya demands to play the game of faces. The Waif tells her that Arya has already tried playing the game but failed. She again asks Arya who she is, to which Arya replies that she is no one. The Waif simply tells Arya to get back to work is about to walk away, when Arya asks her who she is. The Waif tells Arya a story about how she was the only daughter of a widowed Lord, who remarried, producing another daughter. Her stepmother, in order to secure her own daughter’s future, tried to poison her. The Waif found out about this and sought out the help of the Faceless Men to exact her revenge. The Waif then asks Arya whether she believed the story, surprising Arya. When Arya doesn’t respond, embarrassed that she bought the Waif’s story, the Waif tells her to get back to work, hinting to Arya that to pass the game of faces, Arya must be able to lie convincingly. Later, when Arya is asleep, Jaqen H'ghar comes to test Arya again. This time, when he asks Arya who she is, Arya tells him how she came to join the Faceless Men, trying to slip in a few lies into the story. However, Jaqen is able to tell when Arya is lying and hits her with a switch whenever she does. Before he leaves, he tells her that she is lying not only to him, but to herself as well. A grieving father brings his sickly daughter to the House of Black and White. He explains to Arya that he has been to every healer in Braavos and spent every penny he had. He tells her that his daughter is suffering and needs to find peace. Arya sits besides the girl and tells her a short false story, about how she was sick too, but her father bought her here and when she drank from the temple's well, she was healed. This persuading the sickly girl to drink the poisoned water from the well. The water gives the peace of death to the sickly girl, and Arya, having successfully proven that she can lie, is brought to the Hall of Faces with Jaqen H'ghar, a great underground chamber that houses thousands of faces. All the faces had been taken from the corpses that the acolytes wash in the temple. The Faceless Man then asks Arya if she is ready to give up who she is to become "no one". After a moment of silence, he then states that she is not ready to become "no one" (she is too attached to her past as a Stark), but that she is ready to become "someone else".

In Slaver's Bay
On the western side of Slaver's Bay, Tyrion Lannister and Jorah Mormont are still making their way to Meereen (on the far opposite eastern side of the region) on foot, after losing their boat passing through the Smoking Sea and the ruins of Old Valyria. Tyrion is annoyed that they didn't find any villages to steal a boat or supplies from as Jorah had hoped, so they're slowly walking and only have berries and roots to eat. The topic of just why Tyrion was even in Volantis comes up, and Tyrion is surprised that Jorah did not ask earlier: he explains that he actually fled from Westeros because he killed his own father Tywin. He says he did it because his father tried to have him executed for a crime he didn't commit, and then he found his father screwing the woman he loved - Jorah nods, as this seems as likely a motivation for Kinslaying as any. Tyrion then says that despite how miserable he is now, at least he can say that he had a good father. Jorah asks how he could have known his father Jeor Mormont, but Tyrion explains he visited The Wall once and met him: he was a great leader who seemed to genuinely care about all of his men, a rare thing in the world, but now as the eulogy for Night's Watch members goes, "The world will not see his like again." Jorah is shocked to realize he means that his father is dead. Tyrion becomes apologetic and says he thought that Jorah knew already. Jorah asks how he died: Tyrion says he only knows the report he heard, which said that his father led an expedition beyond the Wall, but there was a mutiny, and Jeor was murdered by his own men. Jorah wordlessly processes this in silent grief, then changes the subject by saying they have to keep moving.

As they walk, Tyrion asks why Jorah would support Daenerys Targaryen and how she would be better than any other rulers - or why Westeros would even support her, given that her father was the Mad King. Jorah explains that he never used to believe in things like destiny and was very cynical, but after seeing Daenerys emerge from the flames unharmed with baby dragons, he believes in her now, and the Iron Throne is hers by right. Tyrion remains skeptical that this doesn't automatically mean she will be a good queen, given that the Targaryens were famous for going insane, just like Daenerys's own father.

Spotting a slaver ship in the distance, Jorah pulls Tyrion to the ground. However, the pair has already been spotted before they start hiding, and the slavers emerge from the trees behind them and take them captive. The lead slaver, Malko, intends to return to them back to their destination in Volantis. Tyrion, however, manages to successfully persuade him that Jorah is one of the most skilled knights in Westeros, and would fetch a better price being sold to the fighting pits in Meereen which have just reopened. Though not in the circumstances they hoped, Tyrion and Jorah are once again quickly heading towards Meereen and Queen Daenerys.

In Dorne
Bronn and Jaime approach the Water Gardens, wearing Martell disguises from the soldiers they killed. Bronn wonders what Jaime will do once they get inside and find Myrcella, to which Jaime replies that he likes to improvise; Bronn sarcastically remarks "That explains the golden hand." Meanwhile, Ellaria Sand and the Sand Snakes are already inside the Gardens; she sends them out to abduct Myrcella, telling them to do it "for Oberyn."

Myrcella herself is enjoying another stroll with her betrothed Trystane Martell, Trystane's father Prince Doran Martell and his bodyguard Areo Hotah watch from above. Doran comments that they look lovely together, but that they don't realize how dangerous their betrothal is, and that he and Areo must protect them. Doran asks if Areo remembers how to uses his longaxe, and Areo assures him that he does.

Jaime and Bronn infiltrate the Water Gardens and soon come upon Myrcella kissing Trystane. Jaime tries to convince Myrcella to come with him, but Trystane interferes, suspicious of the bloodstains on Bronn and Jaime's Dornish robes. When Trystane tries to draw his sword, Bronn quickly knocks him down, to Myrcella's horror. Jaime tries to lead her away, but they are suddenly attacked by the Sand Snakes. Bronn fights against Tyene and Nymeria, while Obara attacks Jaime with her spear, driving him away from Myrcella. Obara orders Nym to break away from Bronn and take Myrcella prisoner, but as Nym tries to pull her away, they are cut off by Areo and Prince Doran's guards, who surround them and force them all to drop their weapons. Jaime, Bronn, Ellaria and the Sand Snakes are all taken into custody.

In King's Landing
Petyr Baelish arrives in King’s Landing and is on his way to meet Cersei when he is confronted by Brother Lancel and some other Sparrows. Lancel warns Baelish that they have purged King's Landing of its corrupt ways, and the new King’s Landing will not tolerate his prostitution business. Baelish dismisses these threats.

Cersei, meeting with Baelish, continues to deny her involvement in Loras Tyrell’s arrest by the Faith Militant. Baelish is not fooled and warns that House Tyrell will not tolerate this insult. Cersei claims that she is the insulted one since Ser Loras, who was promised to her, prefers the company of men – even Baelish seems slightly thrown that Cersei is playing that card. Cersei then gets to the reason for which she summoned Baelish; she is suspicious where his loyalties truly lie and asks him whether she can rely on the Knights of the Vale to fight for the Throne if the time comes. Baelish assures her that young Robyn heeds his advice and he will always counsel loyalty to the Throne. Baelish then reveals that Sansa is back in Winterfell, where Roose Bolton has arranged for her to marry Ramsay. Cersei is infuriated by the Boltons’ betrayal. To add fuel to the fire, Baelish adds that marrying the last remaining Stark gives the Boltons a stronger hold over the North than an alliance with a hated southern house. Baelish recommends that Cersei be patient and let the Boltons and Stannis, who is currently marching towards Winterfell, fight each other and when the victor is still recovering from the battle, step in and defeat him. He thinks that Cersei’s uncle Kevan Lannister could muster a force or even Jaime Lannister could lead an army to the North. Cersei contemptuously claims that her uncle doesn’t have the courage to lead an army, while Jaime is away on a “sensitive diplomatic mission.” Baelish proposes that the soldiers of the Vale could fight instead but Cersei is unsure of Baelish’s ability to lead an army. Baelish convinces her, stating that he "lives to serve". All Baelish wants in return is to be named Warden of the North. Cersei agrees to talk to the King about this.

Olenna Tyrell returns to King’s Landing after learning of her grandson’s arrest. Olenna tries to talks Cersei down into releasing Loras. Cersei sticks to her claim that it was the Faith Militant who arrested Loras and she had nothing to do with it. Olenna warns Cersei that her actions have endangered the Lannister-Tyrell alliance – the very alliance that is supplying the capital with food. Cersei informs Olenna that the High Septon has called for a preliminary hearing to determine whether the charges against Loras have merit and expresses confidence that Loras will be acquitted.

The High Sparrow interrogates Loras first who refutes the accusations against him. He then questions Margaery, who also denies any knowledge of it. The High Sparrow then calls in Olyvar, in character as Loras’s "squire", who claims that the accusations against Loras are in fact true. Olyvar also admits that Margaery walked in on them once, but didn’t seem surprised. To support his testimony, Olyvar tells the High Sparrow of a birthmark Loras has that is shaped like Dorne, much to Loras' shock and fury. Deciding that this is more than enough evidence for a trial, Loras is arrested. Since Margaery bore false witness before the Gods, she is arrested too. As Margaery, who is forcefully dragged away, calls out for Tommen, the King watches on helplessly while Olenna sadly regards Cersei's barely contained smug expression.

In the North
At Winterfell, Sansa is joined by Myranda in her room. She requests to help Sansa take a bath, so she is presentable to Ramsay during the wedding. While she is washing Sansa's back, Myranda mentions the many girls Ramsay has been with, how they all bored him after a while and how Ramsay then victimised them. Knowing that Myranda is trying to frighten her, she coldly counters by calling her relationship with Ramsay out, and mentioning that no one can frighten her in her own home.

Later, when Theon comes to fetch Sansa for the wedding, she refuses to hold Theon’s arm, even after he pleads her to, saying that Ramsay will punish him if she doesn’t. Reek then gives Sansa away to Ramsay, and they wed in front of the Godswood. After retreating to the bedroom, Ramsay asks Sansa to take her clothes off. Reek is about to leave but Ramsay tells him he must stay. Ramsay quips to Reek:, "You grew up with her as a girl, now watch her become a woman." Annoyed by Sansa's hesitance, he pushes her face-down over the side of the bed and angrily rips open the back of her dress. As he unbuckles his clothes, Sansa obediently remains still but begins crying softly. Reek is visibly distraught and begins silently crying himself, as Ramsay proceeds to roughly consummate their marriage.

Appearances

 * Main: Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken/Appearances

First

 * Joss
 * Ghita
 * Malko

Deaths

 * Ghita

Cast
Starring
 * Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister
 * Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Ser Jaime Lannister
 * Lena Headey as Queen Mother Cersei Lannister
 * Aidan Gillen as Lord Petyr Baelish
 * Natalie Dormer as Queen Margaery Tyrell
 * Indira Varma as Ellaria Sand
 * Maisie Williams as Arya Stark
 * Sophie Turner as Lady Sansa Stark
 * Jerome Flynn as Ser Bronn
 * Alfie Allen as Theon "Reek" Greyjoy
 * Michael McElhatton as Lord Roose Bolton
 * Iwan Rheon as Ramsay Bolton
 * Tom Wlaschiha as Jaqen H'ghar
 * Dean-Charles Chapman as King Tommen Baratheon
 * with Iain Glen as Ser Jorah Mormont

Guest Starring
 * Diana Rigg as Lady Olenna Tyrell
 * Jonathan Pryce as the High Sparrow
 * Alexander Siddig as Prince Doran Martell
 * DeObia Oparei as Captain Areo Hotah
 * Keisha Castle-Hughes as Obara Sand
 * Rosabell Laurenti Sellers as Tyene Sand
 * Jessica Henwick as Nymeria Sand
 * Finn Jones as Ser Loras Tyrell
 * Will Tudor as Olyvar
 * Eugene Simon as Lancel
 * Faye Marsay as The Waif
 * Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Malko
 * Toby Sebastian as Prince Trystane Martell
 * Nell Tiger Free as Princess Myrcella Baratheon
 * Charlotte Hope as Myranda
 * Elizabeth Webster as Walda Bolton
 * Michael Yare as Slaver 1
 * James McKenzie Robinson as Joss
 * Hattie Gotobed as Ghita

Cast notes

 * 15 of 27 cast members for the fifth season appear in this episode.
 * Starring cast members Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen), Kit Harington (Jon Snow), Stephen Dillane (Stannis Baratheon), Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth), Carice van Houten (Melisandre), Conleth Hill (Varys), John Bradley (Samwell Tarly), Hannah Murray (Gilly), Michiel Huisman (Daario Naharis), Nathalie Emmanuel (Missandei), Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth) and Kristofer Hivju (Tormund Giantsbane) are not credited and do not appear in this episode.

Sansa's wedding night scene with Ramsay

 * While the storylines with the Boltons in the North and Sansa Stark in the Vale are related in the novels, the TV series made a major condensation by having Sansa actually marry Ramsay Bolton. In the novels, Sansa marries Sweetrobin Arryn's cousin and heir Harrold Hardyng, while Ramsay marries a Northern girl taken prisoner and passed off as Arya - actually, Sansa's best friend Jeyne Poole, missing and presumed dead since Joffrey's coup at the end of the first novel. Jeyne was kept sexually enslaved in one of Littlefinger's brothels in the intervening years (apparently just out of Baelish's petty cruelty), then sent to the Boltons because, given that she grew up alongside the Stark girls in Winterfell, she could plausibly pass herself off as Arya when asked questions about the castle.
 * Ramsay's treatment of Jeyne Poole on their wedding night is horrific even by Ramsay's standards. Much of it is only implied, but Jeyne is left a horrified shell weeping so loudly at his abuse that much of the rest of the castle can hear it - Roose gets annoyed at this, because the guests in the castle are major Northern lords, and Ramsay is oblivious to how much he is infuriating all of them with his psychotic behavior. At one point Ramsay has Reek "warm up" Jeyne by performing oral sex on her, meant to humiliate both of them (this is the second time it is heavily implied in the novel that Ramsay castrated him). Reek dares not resist because he knows that Ramsay will severely punish both of them if he does (i.e. start cutting off fingers from both of them). It is heavily implied that Ramsay forced Jeyne to have sex with one of his hunting dogs for his own sick amusement, threatening to cut off her feet one at a time if she didn't.
 * In contrast, Ramsay's wedding night with Sansa Stark in the TV version was relatively toned down. He made Reek stay in the room to watch to humiliate them both, and Sansa is crying and clearly not enjoying what is happening, but he isn't doing everything he did to Jeyne in the novels (which would have probably been outright unfilmable, even by implication).
 * Westeros has no concept of sexual abuse within marriage, and most marriages among the nobility are not made for love but to secure political alliances. As in the real-life Middle Ages, once a woman is married her husband has the right to sexual access to her - particularly on their wedding night - and moreover, the woman is aware of this and that she doesn't really have viable options to deny him. That is, Ramsay has sex with Sansa and she is crying, but she isn't fighting him off - she knew the marriage would entail this (indeed, Littlefinger instructed her to basically seduce Ramsay). This is comparable to aspects of Cersei Lannister's marriage to Robert Baratheon: Cersei quickly grew to loathe Robert, but she never outright denied him sexual access to her - simply because she had no real options. Her father had commanded her to marry Robert to secure a political alliance, so she couldn't complain to Tywin about how Robert was treating her. Neither Cersei nor Robert would say that he ever "raped" her (particularly if she wasn't actively fighting him off), given that by definition in Westeros rape cannot legally occur between a husband and wife; similarly, neither Ramsay nor Sansa would describe their wedding night as "rape" in their understanding of the term, nor that he "forced" himself on her. "Rape" does occur within marriage in Westeros in the physical sense that a wife resists her husband throughout the sexual encounter (though this is not legally considered rape) - the young Jaime Lannister was horrified when he had to stand guard outside the Mad King Aerys II Targaryen's bedchambers as he raped his wife Queen Rhaella, fighting him every moment as he bit her and clawed at her. Sansa is disgusted to be having sex with Ramsay, but she is passively going along with it (in contrast with Jeyne Poole's torment in the novels).
 * Even if the episode specifically Sansa as consenting on her wedding night with Ramsay, she is still crying and afraid of him now - unlike even the preceding episode, in which he was trying to frighten her in the dinner scene but she kept her composure (and even grinned smugly when Roose denigrated him). Fundamentally, in the novels Sansa's storyarc in the Vale is an advancement of her character:  she is no longer a victim but a confident force in her own right.  Jeyne Poole in the novels, in contrast, is purely a frightened victim.  Their character arcs go in completely separate directions and cannot be easily superimposed over each other.  Even if Sansa didn't have sex with Ramsay at all and they just remained betrothed at Winterfell, Sansa is now being presented as a crying, frightened captive again - which is a step backwards in her character arc.
 * The wedding night scene between Sansa and Ramsay met with very negative reaction from professional critics. Many described it as a rape scene - or, pointed out that even if the characters wouldn't call it rape in their culture, from a narrative perspective it was still so unsettling to viewers that it was functionally a rape scene to the audience.  Others criticized how drastically it was altering Sansa's character arc - even if it wasn't "rape" in as many words, Sansa shifts from being the resourceful prisoner of Littlefinger or the Boltons getting by on her inner strength, to once again a crying and distraught hostage.  Several also pointed out that it was the last in a long string of criticisms about Benioff and Weiss including violence against women in the TV series that isn't even in the novels (having Joffrey threaten and later kill Ros, threatening Meera Reed with rape, etc.) - and particularly, the controversy over how Benioff and Weiss handled The Jaime/Cersei sex scene in "Breaker of Chains".  From all evidence it seems that the writers did not intend to portray Jaime raping Cersei, the camerawork in that scene was simply very confusing, but afterwards they were so afraid of drawing further criticism that they simply avoided making any clear statement about it, even avoiding making Blu-ray commentary for the episode (after several months, the actors did eventually say that they never received any instructions from the writers or their script implying that they wanted it to be a rape scene).  Therefore, despite being faced with that major controversy during Season 4, and facing general criticisms for invented scenes of sexual assault or threatened assault in the past four Seasons, Benioff and Weiss were planning since the early writing stages of Season 2 to put Sansa in such a frightening position for viewers again.
 * Writer Bryan Cogman said that Sansa is not intended to simply be a victim in her wedding night with Ramsay. Rather, she consciously chose to take part in the repugnant marriage for the long-term goal of retaking the North: "This isn't a timid little girl walking into a wedding night with Joffrey. This is a hardened woman making a choice and she sees this as the way to get back her homeland." Therefore Sansa knew that she would have to let Ramsay have sex with her on their wedding night and chose to take part in Littlefinger's plan anyway, because having sex with Ramsay and being his wife will allow her to destroy the Boltons from within.

In the books

 * See: Differences between books and TV series - Season 5


 * The episode is adapted from the following chapters of A Feast for Crows:
 * Chapter 2, The Captain of the Guards: In fear that Obara, Nym and Tyene will draw Dorne into a war against the Lannisters, Prince Doran commands Areo Hotah to imprison the Sand Snakes and Ellaria.
 * Chapter 21, The Queenmaker: On Doran’s orders, Areo puts a stop to the plot to use Princess Myrcella to spark a war.
 * Chapter 22, Arya II: The Faceless Man warns Arya that the Many-Faced God will take all her body parts, and her hopes and dreams and loves and hates as well. He wonders if Arya can allow that, yet answers for her —he doesn't believe she can. The Waif teaches the lying game to Arya.
 * Chapter 34, Cat of the Canals: While playing the lying game, the Waif lies about her background and asks Arya if she can spot the lies, and encourages Arya to try and do the same.
 * Chapter 39, Cersei IX: Cersei forces an entertainer to admit to sleeping with an accused Tyrell.
 * Chapter 43, Cersei X: Cersei conspires for the Faith Militant to imprison Queen Margaery, who is set to stand trial.
 * The episode is adapted from the following chapters of A Dance with Dragons:
 * Chapter 37, The Prince of Winterfell: Before the heart tree in the Godswood, Reek gives Ramsay’s “Stark” bride away during the wedding ceremony. Later, during the bedding, Ramsay rapes his new wife and forces Reek to watch.
 * Chapter 38, The Watcher: Cersei’s Kingsguard arrives in Doran’s court.
 * Chapter 40, Tyrion IX: On their way to Meereen, Tyrion and Jorah are spotted by slavers.
 * Chapter 47, Tyrion X: Tyrion and Jorah are captured by slavers, to be sold in Meereen and perform in its fighting pits, which they learn Queen Daenerys has reopened. Tyrion convinces their captors of his and Jorah's usefulness.
 * Chapter 67, The Ugly Little Girl: The Faceless Man tells Arya she must don a new face and identity, and so he leads her down to the Hall of Faces, a hidden room where the walls are covered with the faces of those who die at the temple.