Game of Thrones - 'Blood of My Blood'

"I have an army."
"We have a church."

Bran has visions of the Night King and of the Mad King's assassination by Jaime Lannister. The wights catch them, but are saved by a mysterious rider in black with a flaming flail.

In Braavos, Arya Stark opts not to kill the actress, and flees the House of Black and White, with the Waif all-too eager to deliver her severance package. At chez Tarly, Sam introduces Gilly to his kin; a loving mother and a hate-filled misery of a father. Gilly drops the W bomb to upset Daddy, and Sam decides that fuck it, he's taking Gilly and little Sam with him, and the family Valyrian blade for good measure.

In king's Landing, Jaime and the Tyrells make a show of force to rescue Margaery from the Sparrows, only for the High Sparrow to pull a jack move. Margaery's atonement was completed by persuading Tommen to embrace the power of the faith, which includes booting Jaime from the King's Guard and sending him to join Walder Frey's forces besieging the Blackfish at Riverrun. Frey himself berates his staff and tells them to drag Edmuir Tully up to Riverrun as a hostage.

"It's been... tough."

Meera and Bran's rescuer explains that he was summoned by the Three-Eyed Raven, by which he means Bran. He reveals himself to be Benjen Stark, stabbed by a White Walker, but 'saved' by the Children of the Forest, who stopped the ice with a blade of dragonglass to the heart. Isn't modern medicine wonderful.

And on the march back to Mereen, Danaerys nips off and picks up her dragon, giving a triumphant speech rallying the Dothraaki to her cause. It's a huge success, because let'd face it, it's hard not to be convincing on the back of a dragon.

'Blood of My Blood' moves a lot of plots forward, in particular getting Arya out of what seemed like a never-ending cul-de-sac, and is a largely upbeat episode in which, actually, no-one dies. I'm sure next time will be a blood bath, but it was good to see the show not falling back on pure shock value.