#Heheldthedoor

We find out that the Children of the Forest had made the first White Walker to protect nature from mankind. Long story short, it didn't go so well and now the Children of the Forest are trying to fight them along with everyone else.

So Bran decides to go on a solo mission to the same spot the satiate his curiosity. Not the best idea. The once blooming weirwood stands dead and what initially looks like some really bare trees turns out to be a chill-you-to-the-bone army of dead.

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Since he thinks they can't see him, he decides to stroll amiably through their ranks. Fool of a Stark.

Because one of them is the Night King. Who SEES Bran. The wights now see him too, turning around to face Bran. And before you know it, the King grabs Bran's hand creating some kind of bond.

When Bran comes to, the Three-Eyed Raven warns that they all must leave now, because the Night King will come for them. And oh shit, he does, along with his army of undead.

Just a few minutes before the attack, the Three-Eyed Raven tells Bran, "It's time to become me," and they go into a vision, where Bran sees his father Ned as a very young boy at Winterfell going off to be a ward of the Vale while young Hodor/Wylis stares on.

What follows is CGI zombie awesomeness if you're into that kind of stuff. But you know there's going to be a HUGE price to pay.

By then, Meera shatters one of the King's deputies with a spear topped with obsidian while yelling for Bran to to warg into Hodor, but their big man is just cowered in a corner repeating his name, as he does. Eventually, Bran does, and they flee. But not before the last (possibly) of the Children of the Forest sacrifice themselves.

And then Summer dies (are they are seriously going to kill of all the wolves?) heroically and horrifically, making you want to sob and cry out loud.

But the death count isn't over. The Night King cuts down the Three-Eyed Raven and a horde of spider-like wights follow Hodor, Meera and Bran down a tunnel. They manage to open a big, heavy door and get outside.

Meera yells "Hold the door!" to Hodor repeatedly which he does, even as his attackers claw and pull at him. And slow horror begins to take over you when in the vision, Bran sees young Hodor drop down and start seizing because ever-blundering Bran accidentally warged into Wylis.

Bran can still hear Meera yelling "Hold the door," while vision Wylis starts chanting "Hold the door" then "hold door" which morphs into - HO-DOR!!!

This was truly the first time where I was like, "Goddamn. This is how the non-book readers feel."

The saddest part about this is that Hodor must have spent his life knowing that he was going die holding a door. (I'm sure we'll see him again. But with piercing blue eyes).

Time travel is always messy

All this has a much bigger implication for the show.

Because through same crazy time paradox, Bran's actions in the vision have a massive affect on the past; and by and extension, the future. It's an unbelievably dangerous power and Bran, after barely having a story arc over the last few seasons is now among the very few who can truly change the game.

And that leads us to another fan theory: is the Three-Eyed Raven really Bran from the future trying to fix shit he messes up? But if the same chaos keeps happening, then they're stuck in a paradox.

And all those other Brans they've mentioned, like Bran the Builder. Ole Nan mentioned a few in the stories she told Bran in Book 1. Are they THIS same Bran? Has he just been coming around for centuries making bad decisions? It's possible.

It is possible. Seriously. This is a black hole of possibilities.

Steely Sansa Stark

Okay, Littlefinger truly does fly/teleport/drive. His ability to appear at will is absolutely confounding.

But the more you think about it, he's among the most likely people to be able to travel fast thanks to his many investments over the years. That means he can make nonstop trips to wherever he likes unlike poor Sam and Gilly who are probably stopping in every port from the Wall to Oldtown.

This time, he sends a note Sansa to meet him at Mole's Town. To say that this is a tense confrontation is the understatement of the century. Sansa, with her new Catelyn-like strength (and Brienne at her back) lays into him.

"Did you know about Ramsay?" she asks. "If you didn't know, you're an idiot; if you did know, you're my enemy. Would you like to know about our wedding night?"

It's pretty clear that she's not really asking.

He denies any knowledge and offers her an army, but she won't have it. But Littlefinger, ever the puppet master, tells her that the Tullys have retaken Riverrun and that the army would be hers to command under the Stark name.

"I have an army," she answers.

"Your brother's army," he says. "Half-brother."

Littlefinger, you puppet master you. He's going to get caught up in his own plots pretty soon. You can bet on it.

Back at the Wall, Sansa tells Jon about the army but lies about the source of the information. She then sends Brienne off to find her uncle.

Somehow, Sansa also found time post the happy reunion last week to stitch a dress with the Stark sigil embroidered on it and a Ned Stark-inspired fur coat for Jon. It's a sweet moment in an otherwise dark episode, but it's nuts how she made everything so fast - she'd destroy everyone on Project Runway.

A girl remembers

Across the sea in Braavos, Arya is back to being beaten black and blue by the Waif while training. But Jaqen still decides to send her out on an errand to murder a stranger - one who just happens to be starring as Queen Cersei in a play about the murder of Arya's father.

We then watch a lewd retelling of the events in King's Landing from Season 1 till Ned Stark's head is lopped, setting off all kinds of emotions in Arya.

That's because despite Arya's quest to become "No One", it's near impossible for her not be Arya Stark.

But will Arya go through with poisoning the actress? Personally, I don't think so. At this rate, she's just as likely to poison the other actress who hired the Faceless Men. Which would mean Arya's time in Braavos is almost at an end.

Also, an ass kicking for the waif is long overdue.

Moot point

In the Iron Islands, the time has come for the Kingsmoot. Yara looked like she had a clean shot especially after Theon throws his full weight behind her.

But this is the Game of Thrones and nothing is that easy.

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So it's not the biggest surprise when Euron Greyjoy - who recently killed his brother Balon by casually tossing him off a bridge - struts to the forefront and knocks aside all claims. He also takes the time to point out that Theon ain't even got a dick no more so he isn't man enough to decide shit. OUCH.

Note: The resemblance between Euron (Pilou Asbaek) and Theon (Alfie Allen) is uncanny. Spot-on casting.

Anyway, Euron doesn't even try to deny Yara's accusation about Balon's death and instead outlines his plans for when he's voted kingproposes a plan - to build the Iron Fleet for Daenerys so that they can take the Seven Kingdoms together.

Soon enough, he has the crowd and the throne.

What follows, is a really nicely handled sequence where Euron is baptised by Aeron Greyjoy as Yara, Theon and their men flee from Pyke with the best ships. That totally saves their hides, because the new king's first order is to have them killed.

Lucky for us, Yara has proven to be quick on her feet time and again.

Colliding narratives

For those who've read the books, Season 6 has been full of all kinds of crazy revelations just because we don't have a corresponding event from the book with which to compare. Like that mind-numbing Hodor scene.

But for the narratives across the sea, the plots are similar to where the books are at still.

In the Arya scene, the one small discrepancy is that Arya acts in the play mentioned before. But from a television point of view it's more effective seeing how Arya reacts while watching her family's tragedy played out as farce.

And after literally bringing down the house in Vaes Dothrak, Daenerys is ready to march off with her massive new army, but not before a heartbreaking though hopeful goodbye to Jorah, who finally revealed to her his greyscale.

So start laying your bets now on whether Game of Thrones will set him up for a timely return where he'll sacrifice himself for her/or whether he'll somehow track down whatever magic saved Shireen from her greyscale?

Again, the books don't provide any answers here, the same way we can't look to them for insight into how Tyrion allying with the red priestess, Kinvara, will turn out. That plot doesn't bode well at all.

Notable others

Seeing Dolorus Edd with such few men of the Night's Watch made me nervous. I don't see them holding Castle Black for too long when the promised hordes of White Walkers show up.

Still waiting for the Tyrell army to hit Kings Landing and deal with the High Sparrow and his brainwashed minions.

Tormund smiling at Brienne while on horseback and Brienne grimacing back. But, smiling. It was the best.

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