History Recap / GameOfThronesS6E6BloodOfMyBlood

'''Far beyond the Wall''', Meera and Bran are alone now. There doesn't seem to be anyone around, with the beating of their hearts as the only sound. They're being pursued by a horde of wights, and soon enough, Meera gives up running. Bran has flashes to a number of scenes: from his fall in the tower to the Mad King shouting "Burn them all!" He finally awakes from his coma, and says they've been found. Just as the wights descend on them, they get a savior on horseback. With a burning flail and a chain scythe, the rider makes short work of the wights and brings the two with him. Who is this man...

* ComeWithMeIfYouWantToLive: Almost said word for word by the rider during the rescue of Bran and Meera.

* AdaptationalWimp: Black Walder Rivers, whose book counterparts "Black Walder" Frey and "Bastard Walder" Rivers are proven warriors. Likewise Lothar's planning during the Red Wedding was perfect. In the show Rivers get kicked out from Riverrun by an old man when Lothar failed to take "he might go to the bathroom" into consideration in his plan.

In the '''Dothraki Sea''', Daenerys hears something. She rides on ahead and comes back on Drogon. One RousingSpeech later, the Dothraki are all her bloodriders: the [[TitleDrop blood of her blood]].

* AdaptationalWimp: Black Walder Rivers, whose book counterparts "Black Walder" Frey and "Bastard Walder" Rivers are proven warriors. Likewise Lothar's planning during the Red Wedding was perfect. In the show Rivers get kicked out from Riverrun by an old man that Lothar failed to take "he might go to the bathroom" consideration in his mass murder plan.

* DemotedToExtra: A single scene in the series while in the novels, Randyll Tarly has a bigger role in the War of the Five Kings and current Westerosi politics: Leads the center of the Tyrell army in the Battle of the Blackwater, defeats the northmen in the Battle of Duskendale, takes Maidenpool and oversees its reconstruction and arranges a marriage for Dickon with Eleanor Mooton, then marches on King's Landing after learning of Margaery's imprisonment - the High Sparrow then releases her and her cousins intto is custody. Currently he's the Master of Laws for King Tommen.

* LivingProp: In ''The Bloody Hand'' Margaery has no lines. She shows up in the stage after getting married to Joffrey and just stands there as he chokes.

* AdaptationalWimp: Black Walder Rivers, whose book counterparts "Black Walder" Frey and "Bastard Walder" Rivers are proven warriors.

** Tywin may have hated Tyrion, but he at least recognized his talents and knew he could perform tasks given to him. Lord Tarly shows nothing but flatout resentment and disdain towards Sam for choosing to pick up a book instead of a sword.

** The title of the episode fits as well. Blood of my Blood works out in two ways: Benjen saves Bran, his brother's son and Daenyrys adopts the Dothraki as her own, the blood of her blood; her husband and child's kin.

** Arya uses the alias "Mercy" when Lady Crane asks for her name. In a "Winds of Winter" preview chapter concerning a plot that the series is not adapting, Arya uses the name "Mercedene" (shortened to "Mercy") when the Faceless Men had her join Izembaro's theater troupe.
* NegatedMomentOfAwesome: Lord Mace Tyrell, Warden of the South, arrives at the head of his army to rescue his children, very confident and in a position of strength for once... but his great hour never comes. His speech fails to arise his troops and The High Sparrow plays him and the others like royal chumps. [[ButtMonkey Mace being Mace]], he also fails to grasp what has happened and has to ask his mother for clarification.
* NewEraSpeech: Tommen declares that the Faith and the Crown have a new alliance which shall restore the world.

* OrcusOnHisThrone: Walder Frey is still running things from his dining room table at the Twins. No wonder he lost Riverrun.

In '''King's Landing''', Tommen speaks with the High Sparrow once again, who allows him to see his wife. Margaery warmly greets Tommen, and surprisingly talks positively of the High Sparrow, with deprecation toward her past sins. Tommen protests that Margaery is very charitable toward the poor, but she says this was really about her vanity in being seen to do good works. He agrees with her that the High Sparrow is very different from what they expected. Outside in the city, Mace Tyrell leads his army through the streets wearing splendid armor to where Jaime Lannister waits. Together they march to the Sept where the common people and Faith Militant are preparing for Margaery's Walk of Atonement. Jaime demands the High Sparrow release Margaery before it happens. He refuses, and brushes off Jaime's threats to kill all of them by proclaiming they would gladly die in the name of their faith. A tense scene follows, broken by the High Sparrow saying it will not be necessary, as Margaery atoned already through bringing someone else to the faith. The doors of the Sept open to Tommen and his Kingsguard, astonishing Jaime. Tommen proclaims the new union of the crown and the faith. Befuddled, Mace wonders what is happening, to which his mother Lady Olenna replies that the High Sparrow beat them. Later in the throne room, Tommen dismisses Jaime as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard as any attack on the faith is also one on the crown. He says Jaime will not be punished though, but will serve the crown outside King's Landing. Jaime later complains to Cersei that Tommen has sent him to help Walder Frey recapture Riverrun, but vows instead to have Bronn gather a team of killers to assassinate the High Sparrow. Cersei warns against this, since it would likely lead to his death, advising him to do as Tommen says. She assuages his worries over her upcoming trial by saying it will be settled through combat, and the Mountain would be her champion, assuring him they will still defeat their enemies.

* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: The new Lady Frey is another plain-looking teenage girl - seemingly younger than the previous one - who says or does absolutely nothing but to idly stand next to her disturbingly old husband through her whole scene.

Far beyond the Wall, Meera and Bran are alone now. There doesn't seem to be anyone around, with the beating of their hearts as the only sound. They're being pursued by a horde of wights, and soon enough, Meera gives up running. Bran has flashes to a number of scenes: from his fall in the tower to the Mad King shouting "Burn them all!" He finally awakes from his coma, and says they've been found. Just as the wights descend on them, they get a savior on horseback. With simple weapons, the rider makes short work of the wights and brings the two with him. Who is this man...

At last Sam, Gilly, and little Sam arrive at Horn Hill, his family estate. Sam warns Gilly not to say she's a wildling, since his father hates them. He passes Gilly off as his mistress, and little Sam as their son. They are welcomed warmly by his mother and sister, the latter giving Gilly one of her dresses to wear at dinner. Sam's father, Randyll Tarly, is coldly contemptuous of everything about him. Under his questioning, Gilly lets slip her backward, which only increasing his latent hostility. Even so, he agrees to let both her and little Sam stay, believing this is his grandson. Sam at first submits to this, but then decides he won't leave them there, taking off with both and his family sword to boot.

In King's Landing, Tommen speaks with the High Sparrow once again, who allows him to see her. Margaery warms greets Tommen, and surprisingly talks positively of the High Sparrow, with deprecation toward her past sins. Tommen protests that Margaery is very charitable toward the poor, but she says this was really about her vanity in being seen to do good works. He agrees with her that the High Sparrow is very different from what they expected. Outside in the city, Mace Tyrell leads his army through the streets wearing splendid armor to where Jaime Lannister waits. Together they march to the Sept where the common people and Faith Militant are preparing for Margaery's Walk of Atonement. Jaime demands the High Sparrow release Margaery before it happens. He refuses, and brushes off Jaime's threats to kill all of them by proclaiming they would gladly die in the name of their faith. A tense scene follows, broken by the High Sparrow saying it will not be necessary, as Margaery atoned already through bringing someone else to the faith. The doors of the Sept open to Tommen and his Kingsguard, astonishing Jaime. Tommen proclaims the new union of the crown and the faith. Befuddled, Mace wonders what is happening, to which his mother Lady Olenna replies that the High Sparrow beat them. Later in the throne room, Tommen dismisses Jaime as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard as any attack on the faith is also one on the crown. He says Jaime will not be punished though, but will serve the crown outside King's Landing. He later complains to Cersei that Tommen has sent him to help Walder Frey recapture Riverrun, but vows instead to have Bronn gather a team of killers to assassinate the High Sparrow. Cersei warns against this, since it would likely lead to his death, advising him to do as Tommen says. She assuages his worries over her upcoming trial by saying it will be settled through combat, and the Mountain would be her champion, assuring him they will still defeat their enemies.

In Braavos, a girl watches a play reenacting the Purple Wedding. Once again, the performances are over the top, even hystrionic. Lady Crane's sorrowful performance as Cersei mourning Joffrey's death gets to a girl however. A girl also notices Bianca, the younger actor who plays Sansa, mouthing her lines, reinforcing a girl's hunch that she is behind the assassination order. She goes backstage afterward to poison Lady Crane's brandy, who stumbles upon her afterward. To cover this, a girl compliments Lady Crane's acting, who thinks she's an admirer and aspiring actor. She advises a girl on acting, and a girl in turn points out ways that the play could be made better. A girl is visibly uncomfortable after finding out how kind Lady Crane. Lady Crane takes her tip on improving the play, but Izembaro, the troupe's leader, dismisses her in a sexist manner. A girl reappears to knock her rum aside when Lady Crane is about to drink, warning her about Bianca. The Waif is watching this as well, and reports it to Jaqen. He is disappointed and grants her permission to kill a girl, who has meanwhile retriever her sword from its hiding place, reclaiming herself as Arya, and now waits in the catacombs below the temple.

In the Dothraki Sea, Daenerys hears something. She rides on ahead and comes back on Drogon. One RousingSpeech later, the Dothraki are all her bloodriders: the [[TitleDrop blood of her blood]].

* AncestralWeapon: Heartsbane.

* TheOtherDarrin: If you didn't recognize Lothar Frey that's because he's been recast, with Daniel Tuite taking over the role from Tom Brooks.

** Loras might be able to pull the Tyrell-typical [[BlingOfWar overly decorated shiny armor]] off. His father, on the other hand, looks like a bloated Christmas ornament. Given [[TooDumbToLive his persona]], this was probably fully intentional.

** On top of that, we have mention of the Brotherhood Without Banners for the first time in three seasons, who since then have been causing trouble by raiding the Frey's supply lines.

** Walder tells his sons to bring the knives they used to kill Catelyn and Talisa respectively to the Blackfish. Also helps since Lame Lothar has been recast so saying he is the one that stabbed a pregnant woman refreshed the memory well.
** Gilly defends Sam by saying him killing a Thenn and a White Walker makes him a better fighter than Randyll.
* CameBackStrong: The Children of the Forest gifted Benjen Stark with some sort of augmented or awakened power. He can ignite a weapon, foresee the future and is even aware of the actual contents of Bran's visions.

* ProperLady: Both Lady Melessa and Talla, who remain quite courteous and nice towards Gilly even after she's revealed to be a wildling.

** Part 2 of the play is still a lowbrow affair filled with bad dialogue and ToiletHumor (which ironically, was actually accurate to the books in that particular scene), though Lady Crane's good acting saves the worst.
** Loras might be able to pull the Tyrell-typical [[BlingOfWar overly decorated shiny armor]] off. His father, on the other hand, looks like a bloated Christmas ornament. Given [[ButtMonkey his persona]], this was probably fully intentional.

* VillainousBreakdown: Walder undergoes one after being informed by his sons that the Blackfish has recaptured Riverrun and at least several Riverland houses are now rebelling against the Freys' rule. When he orders his sons to retake Riverrun, they tell him that they lack the troops necessary to quell the revolt, forcing him to use his remaining hostage, Edmure, in a desperate gamble to retain power.

* ContinuityPorn: In addition to the play reenacting the Purple Wedding, Bran's flashes are full of brief call backs.

* EvilSoundsDeep: Randyll Tarly's voice is deep, gravely, and menacing, though he's not (yet) straight-up evil, just racist, thoroughly unpleasant, and a shitty dad.

* PaperTiger: The usually ridiculous Mace Tyrell looks really impressive at the head of his army in full battle gear. The impression wanes quickly, Lord Tyrell is not even riding his horse, which is being lead on its reins by a footman, Jaime and Olena are the ones calling the shots, and Mace gets confused by the events.

* TakeThatAudience: Izembaro's foppish jerkass attitude towards Lady Crane daring to suggest making changes to his play comes across as a jab at people who don't like changes made when adapting books to show, essentially [[ThisLoserIsYou casting anyone with that attitude as a primadonna.]]

At last Sam, Gilly, and little Sam arrive at Horn Hill, his family estate. Sam warns Gilly not to say she's a wildling, since his father hates them. He passes Gilly off as his mistress, and little Sam as their son. They are welcomed warmly by his mother and sister, the latter giving Gilly one of her dresses to wear at dinner. Sam's father, Randyll Tarly, is coldly contemptuous of everything about him. Under his questioning, Gilly lets slip her backward, which only increasing his latent hostility. Even so, he agrees to let her and the baby stay, believing this is his grandchild. Sam at first submits to this, but then decides he won't leave them there, taking off with both and his family sword to boot.

In Braavos, a girl watches a play reenacting the Purple Wedding...

At Horn Hill, Sam, Gilly, and Sam meet Randyll...

** On top of that, we have mention of the Brotherhood Without Banners for the first time in three seasons, who've since then have been causing trouble by raiding the Frey's supply lines.

* {{Foil}}: Ser Jaime Lannister and Lord Mace Tyrell, the two commanders during the showdown with the Sparrows. Only one is a true leader. Jaime is brash and climbs the stairs mounted on his ride with great élan and determination, and Mace is... Mace, a meek puppet of his mother, not even holding the reins of his own horse.

* PaperTiger: The usually ridiculous Mace Tyrell looks really imperative as the head of his army in full battle gear. The impression wanes quickly, Lord Tyrell is not even riding his horse, which is being lead on its reins by a footman, Jaime and Olena are the ones calling the shots, and Mace gets confused by the events.

* {{Foil}}: Ser Jaime and Lord Mace Tyrell, the two commanders during the showdown with the Sparrows. Only one is a true leader. Jaime is brash and climbs the stairs mounted on his ride with great élan and determination. Mace is a meek puppet of his mother, and is not even holding the reins of his own horse.

* TurnInYourBadge: Jaime is dismissed from the Kingsguard.

* HopeSpot: During the tense showdown, Jaime seemingly forces the High Sparrow to back down, but then the Sparrow reveals his trump card up his sleeve; King Tommen has being recruited into the Faith.

* {{Foil}}: Ser Jaime and Lord Tyrell. The two commanders during the showdown with the Sparrows. Only one is a true leader. Jaime is brash and climbs the stairs mounted on his ride with great élan and determination. Mace is meek puppet of his mother, and is not even holding the reins of his own horse.

* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: The usually ridiculous Mace Tyrell is really magnificent as the head of his army, at least until the events confuse him once again.