'Game of Thrones' Recap: 'Kill the Boy,' metaphorically (of course)

Who would have thought an episode of Game of Thrones entitled “Kill the Boy” would have actually been a metaphor for the need to mature for characters in positions of power? But that is what “Kill the Boy” is all about. Taking a tighter focus on Jon and Daenarys – with Sansa finally getting more than one scene – “Kill the Boy” shows how much these characters have changed over the years and how their newly unsupported positions will need them to grow.

Since becoming Lord Commander, Jon has been given counsel every which way while still riding the high approval rating that got him elected in the first place. Not until “Kill the Boy” does he have to give an ordered that will be met with more disapproval than acceptance. But after receiving Maester Aemon’s advice, of which the title of the episode is derived, Jon knows the only way to be prepared for the eventual coming of the White Walkers is to have the wildling army at his side. It’s an interesting play from Jon. The Night’s Watch hate this suggestion as they have been fighting the wildlings for nine years but Jon recognizes the White Walkers as the greater threat and knows the Night’s Watch has no chance of defeating them without the help of the wildlings. It is this decision, despite Jon knowing that it will cause rancor amongst the Night’s Watchmen, that show his maturation into becoming a leader and him “killing the boy.”

As Jon is the only one to know who the wildlings truly are it only makes sense for him to ask Tormund to lead them south of The Wall in hopes of being able to call upon them when the White Walkers come. The scene with Tormund was incredibly tense, with Jon for the first time acting powerful as he unshackled Tormund, even though Jon knows convincing the wildlings to join his cause will be tough. Tormund’s requirement that Jon come with him to meet with the wildlings not only puts Jon in danger but also means Jon’s tenuous hold on the Lord Commandership is in jeopardy, especially with Alliser Thorne still present and Stannis’s armies marching south.

Even though Daenarys has been in charge of Meereen for quite some time now, she now must rule without the counsel of her most trusted advisor in Berristan, who was killed by the Sons of the Harpy at the end of the previous episode. Daario seems to be the last advisor she has but she quickly dismisses his idea to destroy the old families of Meereen and let the rest of the city fight it out for power. Instead she gathers up the heads of each family and threatens them with a gruesome dragon-y death (entrails flailing and all) before imprisoning them, in hopes of getting information about the Sons of the Harpy. This does not yield results, however.

Like Jon, Daenarys gets some wise words from a character who has supported her all along in Missandei – fresh from staying with Grey Worm in the infirmary. Missandei does not deign to offer advice to Daenarys but she does remind Daenarys that she has often made her own decisions without taking the advice of her advisors. Yet another quick moment the gives Daenarys confidence to rule. Her ultimate decision is finally to reopen the fighting pits, which Hizdhar zo Loraq (the recently imprisoned) has been lobbying for all season. And if that’s not enough she also tells Hizdhar that she will marry him in hopes of pleasing the old families of Meereen. Though I don’t give Hizdhar much of a chance as we’ve seen how well marriages strictly for political reasons have gone. Still, the fact that Daenarys has recognized she cannot just sit atop her pyramid and not engaged with the actual Meereenese is a big step. Now all that we can do is sit and wait to see if Daenarys’s plan works out.

For the first time since Littlefinger announced his plan for Sansa to marry Ramsay Bolton we actually get to see them interact. And Ramsay is just as charming as he always has been but Sansa tries to balance things out by pulling her best Cersei telling the Boltons that Winterfell is the same, just the people are different. Even though Sansa is trying to burn holes into Theon with her eyes, who really steals the scene is Roose. Just watch him react to Ramsay being a complete ass in front of his wife to be, absolutely priceless. He also notifies Ramsay that his wife, Walda, is pregnant with what is assumed to be a boy, which certainly puts Ramsay into a tizzy. Roose calms Ramsay by saying that Ramsay is in fact his son and that he will need him on the battlefield when Stannis finally attacks.

So not only does Sansa have to put up with Ramsay but now she must make sure she is married to him before Ramsay goes off to war, where he could be killed – and probably will be considering he’s not the most nuanced man in Westeros. If Ramsay dies before they are married then she will not inherit Winterfell. But Sansa also will have to deal with Ramsay’s girlfriend, Myranda, who certainly does not like Sansa and actually seems to enjoy Ramsay’s company, which should tell you all you need to know about her. However, there is still a possible alliance between Sansa and Theon that could come to fruition that Ramsay may have helped along by reminding the two that they are basically all that are left of the Starks and Winterfell. Although Brienne and Pod may have something to say about that, assuming their message gets to Sansa at some point.

The world of Game of Thrones is almost too big to wrap your mind around. But “Kill the Boy” introduced the audience to maybe one of the more intriguing places as Jorah and Tyrion travel through Old Valyria, which are now just ruins amidst a river shrouded in fog. Tyrion seeing for himself that dragons do exist as Drogon flies overhead floors him. He is the first person from Westeros no aligned with Daenarys to see a real life dragon.

Soon after Jorah and Tyrion are attacked by stonemen, or men who have been exiled due to the incredibly contagious greyscale – the disease that doctors were able to contain within Shireen. In Valyria we finally see the consequences of having greyscale and they are certainly not too pleasing. Apparently greyscale is passed through the mere touch of an infected person to your skin. Unfortunately in the battle that ensued, Jorah did not come out unscathed as he was touched on the wrist, which has already shown signs of his skin turning. How long Jorah has is a mystery but all he can do now is hope that he gets Tyrion to Meereen before he completely turns.
By focusing on just a few of the main characters, “Kill the Boy” felt like the most complete episode of the season thus far. It finally began putting some of the major pieces back into movement and gave Daenarys something to do other than twiddle her thumbs atop her pyramid. The inclusion of Old Valyria was an excellent touch and another one of those aspects of the show that remind you how complex and grand the world really is.

Other Gamey Morsels

• Shireen again shows why she’s the best. Despite only having one scene the fact she is excited about going to battle is pretty awesome, especially since her mother disapproves so much.

• Grey Worm and Missandei sitting in the infirmary, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. Seriously though, it’s nice that an unsullied is actually a real person but I hope that is as in depth into their relationship as we get.

• The scene between Stannis and Sam showed that even lesser houses have some power as Stannis tells Sam his dad was able to hand Robert his only defeat during his rebellion. Stannis putting his confidence into Sam to find a way to defeat the White Walkers, or at least why obsidian kills them, gives Sam purpose and also a little confidence. Also, Stannis let’s Sam know that Dragonstone – the island castle where Stannis resides – has quite a bit of obsidian just lying around…