History Recap / GameOfThronesS5E8Hardhome

At '''Winterfell''', Reek brings Sansa some hot broth but is instead harshly confronted for his betrayal. He begs of her that he was in fact helping her by telling his master of her escape plan. That his master is all-knowing and that escape will only lead to pain and mutilation and a disgrace that never ends. To which Sansa agrees with his punishment, wishing she could inflict on him what Ramsay did to Theon ''herself''. Theon is too dulled to pain to care much about scornful words after tasting the flaying knife and agrees that his punishment was just considering his crimes: betraying Robb, his botched beheading of Ser Rodrick, his treatment of the castle's inhabitants when it was under his occupation. And of course, the murder of the those two boys. Sansa is rage incarnate.

Tyrion tries to moderate Jorah's treasonous actions and asks Dany to see worth in his motivation and eternal love to her. Yet at the same time, he exposes Jorah's inability to confront his mistakes. He advises that the queen not take his life, as that would only sow dissent but neither can she accept him back to her side, as that would portray weakness. Daenerys can only opt to have him removed from the city once more, though the decision causes a crack in her [[ToughRulerFacade queenly mask]]. A devastated Jorah is brought beyond the outer walls and, after checking his greyscale patch and seeing that it has definitely begun to spread, straightens his back and gets down to making his last days worth everything.

Tyrion tries to moderate Jorah's treasonous actions and asks Dany to see worth in his motivation and eternal love to her. Yet at the same time, he exposes Jorah's inability to confront his mistakes. He advises that the queen not take his life, as that would only sow dissent but neither can she accept him back to her side, as that would portray weakness. Daenerys can only opt to have him removed from the city once more, though the decision causes a crack in her [[TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask queenly mask]]. A devastated Jorah is brought beyond the outer walls and, after checking his greyscale patch and seeing that it has definitely begun to spread, straightens his back and gets down to making his last days worth everything.

Jon's party beaches and they are met with a decidedly chilly reception. But it quickly vaults into near open hostility when the ever-calming presence of the Lord of Bones and his delegation of warriors confront them. Accusations are hurled around despite Jon's attempts to mitigate and Tormund is mocked for his alliance with the crows. Rattleshirt takes things a step too far when he taunts Tormund for sucking Snow's co-- Tormund seizes his bone staff and clobbers him to the ground and with nine titanic but crisp overhand blows, caves in the chieftain's giant-skull helmet and the head beneath. [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority "Gather the elders and let's talk."]] Tormund rumbles and none of the free folk protest.

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: When Tormund wipes the floor with the Lord of Bones, nobody in the chieftain's circle or elsewhere has any problem with it, but quite the opposite, because the Free Folk culture only bows down to strength.

* AnAxeToGrind: Loboda wields a huge battleaxe. Unfortunately it's [[NoSell not much good]] against a White Walker.

-->'''Tyrion Lannister:''' "Into your service?" Your Grace, we have only just met. [[RefugeInAudacity It's too soon to know if you]] ''[[RefugeInAudacity deserve]]'' [[RefugeInAudacity my service]].
-->'''Queen Daenerys Targaryen:''' If you'd rather return to the fighting pits... Just say the word.
-->'''Tyrion:''' ''({{Beat}})'' When I was a young man, I heard a story about a baby born during the worst storm in living memory. She had no wealth, no lands, no army, only a name and a handful of supporters, most of whom probably thought they could use that name to benefit themselves. They kept her alive, moving her from place to place, often hours ahead of the men who'd been sent to kill her. She was eventually sold off to some warlord on the edge of the world and that, appeared to be that. And then, a few years later, the most well-informed person I knew, told me that this girl, [[FromNobodyToNightmare without wealth, lands, or armies, had somehow acquired all three]], in a very short span of time, along with ''three dragons''. He thought she was our ''best'', ''last'' chance to build a better world... [[DeadpanSnarker I thought you were worth meeting at the very least]].

Smash-cut to extreme Arya close-up!

-->'''Arya Stark:''' ''([[SincerityMode candid]])'' My name is Lanna. I'm an orphan. When I was eight, I begged enough money to buy my first bucket of oysters. I sold that bucket and made enough to buy two more. It took a while but I finally saved enough to buy myself an oyster cart. Now every morning, I make my way down to the canals. I pass the fishmongers and the bakers. I usually see Lhara, my first customer of the day on her way home. Then I turn left, onto Moonsinger Lane -

-->'''Sansa Stark:''' They weren't "those boys." They were Bran and Rickon. They were your ''brothers''. You've known them since they were ''born''.
-->'''Reek:''' They weren't, they were only -
-->'''Sansa:''' Only what?
-->'''Reek:''' ''(weeping)'' I can't.
-->'''Sansa:''' Tell me.
-->'''Reek:''' I can't, not unless the master says.
-->'''Sansa:''' Tell me. They weren't ''what''?
-->'''Reek:''' They weren't -
-->'''Sansa:''' Tell me why Bran and Rickon should be gone while ''you'' still breathe the air. Tell me to my face, Theon! Tell me that they weren't your brothers!
-->'''Reek:''' [[WhamLine They weren't Bran and Rickon!]] I couldn't find them. ... It was two farm boys. I killed them and burned them so no one would know.

-->'''Queen Daenerys Targaryen:''' Why did you travel to the far side of the world to meet someone terrible?
-->'''Tyrion Lannister:''' To see if you were the right kind of terrible.
-->'''Daenerys:''' Which kind is that?
-->'''Tyrion:''' The kind that prevents your people from being even more so.

-->'''Tyrion:''' I had given up on life. Until Varys convinced me ''you'' might be worth living for. If you chop off my head, well... My final days were interesting.

-->'''Yezzan zo Qaggaz:''' You're a free man. You could have gone ''anywhere''. Why did you come back?
-->'''Ser Jorah Mormont:''' ''(steps forward, they flinch away)'' Let me fight for her, and I belong to you.

-->'''Samwell Tarly:''' Try not to worry, Olly. I've been worrying about Jon for years. [[TheHero He always comes back]].

-->'''Lord Commander Jon Snow:''' My name's Jon Snow, I'm Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. ... We're not friends. We've never been friends. We won't become friends today. This isn't about friendship. This is about survival. This is about putting a seven hundred-foot wall between you and what's out there.
-->'''Chief Karsi:''' You built that wall to keep us out.
-->'''[[TheBrute Loboda the Magnar of Thenn:]]''' Since when do the crows give two shits if we live?
-->'''Jon:''' In normal times we wouldn't. But these ''aren't'' normal times. The White Walkers don't care if a man's free folk or crow, we're all the same to them, meat for their army. But ''together'', we can beat them.
-->'''Karsi:''' Beat the White Walkers? Good luck with that. Run from them, maybe.

-->'''Loboda:''' Where is Mance?
-->'''Jon:''' ... He died.
-->'''Loboda:''' How?
-->'''Jon:''' ''(hesitant, sorrowful)'' I put an arrow through his heart.
-->''(the clans erupt at Jon, shouting abuse)''
-->'''[[BarbarianHero Tormund Giantsbane:]]''' Hey! Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!
-->''(the group are quietened somewhat)''
-->'''Loboda:''' I say we send the Lord Commander back to Castle Black, with no eyes. ''(draws hunting knife and makes for Jon)''
-->'''Tormund:''' ''(blocks him)'' Hey, none of you saw Mance die. ''I did''. The southern king who broke our army, Stannis, wanted to burn him alive to send us a message. Jon Snow defied that cunt's orders. His arrow was ''[[MercyKill mercy]]''. What he did took courage. And that's what we need today, the courage to make ''peace'' with men we've been killing for ''generations''.
-->'''Karsi:''' I lost my father, my uncle and ''two brothers'' fighting the damn crows!
-->'''Jon:''' ''(strongly)'' I'm not asking you to forget your dead. I'll ''never'' forget mine! ''(stirringly)'' I lost ''fifty'' brothers the night Mance attacked the Wall. But I'm asking you, to think about your children ''now''. They'll never have children of their own if we don't band together. The Long Night is coming and ''the dead'' come with it. No clan can stop them. The free folk can't stop them. The Night's Watch can't stop them. And ''all the southern kings can't stop them''. Only together, ''all'' of us. And even then it may not be enough, but at least we'll give ''[[PrecisionFStrike the fuckers]]'' a fight.
-->''(everyone is struck silent, contemplating)''
-->'''Karsi:''' ... You vouch for this man, Tormund?
-->'''Tormund:''' ''(looks at Jon)'' [[PrettyBoy He's prettier than both my daughters]], [[MasterSwordsman but he knows how to fight]]. [[AChildShallLeadThem He's young]], [[WiseBeyondTheirYears but he knows how to lead]]. He didn't have to come to Hardhome. He came because he needs us - ''and we need him''.

-->'''Tormund:''' [[HoldTheLine If they get through, everyone dies!]]

* AdultFear:
** Part of Jon's appeal to the wildlings is that if they stay, their children don't stand a chance. Later we see Karsi sending off her children with the Night's Watch, clearly distraught.
** Karsi is horrified by the sight of child wights.

* NotSoDifferent: Tyrion sums up himself and Dany as, "Two terrible kids from two terrible fathers."

[[HesMine "Get the glass."]] Loboda tells Jon and strides forward to confront the humanoid abomination, Jon searches frantically through the wreckage for the bag of obsidian while Loboda swings his axe over head with both hands and brings it down. The Other [[NonchalantDodge leans casually aside]] and the blow embeds the axehead into the earth. The Magnar yanks it back and tries again with a cross-cut but his axe bites into a blazing charred wooden pillar instead; the monster is ''[[JustToyingWithThem toying]]'' with him. Loboda frees his axe, and the Walker uses a partisan made of enchanted crystal to snap-freeze and shatter his weapon into so many useless pieces. Disarmed, the Thenn Chieftain is casually run-through, his blood probably solidifying in his veins from the piercing frore; as no crimson clings to his killer's quartz pole-arm when it's extracted. Jon finds an obsidian dagger among the debris, but before he can reach it he is grasped by an achromatic hand and easily cast along the dirt floor with ghastly strength, losing his sword through the hole in the cabin and into the arctic weather outside, such is the force of his rolling flight. The Walker advances ominously, but even one who is only half a wolf is never down long. Jon weaves under and around the sweeps of the mystic lancet and actually tries to ''[[CrazyAwesome box the White Walker in the face]]''. Amused, the monster throws Jon aside, who scrambles into the rafters and manages to scavenge an anelace, the Walker leaps up onto the beams in a single bound, [[CherryTapping cherry taps]] Jon's hastily telegraphed attacks and allows Jon's weapon to splinter on the edge of its pole-arm. Numb from the reverberation, Jon is helpless as the Other brings the wrapped haft of its staff sword down onto his clavicle, smashing him off to fall hard on the mud-packed floor a good twelve foot below.

* RemovingTheHeadOrDestroyingTheBrain: Averted; the wights are immune to arrows to the head. They have to be crushed, cut to pieces or burned to be taken down. For [[IdiotBall some reason]] no-one, not even Jon, bothers to [[BurnTheUndead use fire against them]] even though they had done that in Seasons 1 and 3 (although admittedly [[RealityEnsues the chaos of battle and the raging blizzard would have made trying to start a fire near impossible]] and any fires already burning are subsequently blown out by the wind and snow when the White Walkers initiate their attack).

-->'''[[ActionGirl Chief Karsi:]]''' You built that wall to keep us out.

* ActionGirl: Karsi. Some other nameless spearwives count as well.

* CallBack: After a massacre the White Walkers again let a member of the Nights Watch escape to [[SpareAMessenger tell the tale]], though this time Jon Snow isn't a SoleSurvivor.

* TheCameo: Music/{{Mastodon}} play wildlings in the battle, all of whom are killed and made into wights.

-->'''Tormund:''' ''(blocks him)'' Hey, none of you saw Mance die. ''I did''. The southern king who broke our army, Stannis, wanted to burn him alive to send us a message. Jon Snow defied that cunt's orders. His arrow was ''mercy''. What he did took courage. And that's what we need today, the courage to make ''peace'' with men we've been killing for ''generations''.

Winded, head-ringing and with probably a few broken ribs, Jon staggers to his feet and flees from the leisurely pursuing fey. The snow-fall has turned into a true graupel outside and though Jon snatches up Longclaw from among the shattered timbers, internal hemorrhaging brings him down in a heap, disarming him once more. The White Walker is not taking prisoners now, his mouth set in a teeth-clenched snarl as he bears down on the injured Lord Commander. Frantic, Jon ''just'' manages to grasp Longclaw as he crawls on his belly, rises to one knee, the Mormont ancestral sword in hand as he executes a last-ditch defiant, all-or-nothing block before he's decapitated. ''[[SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound *Crack-clang-huuuuuum*]]'' Jon is astounded, as is his opponent, when the thousand-folded dragonfire-forged metal stands up to the magical halberd without a dent. Jon cries out as the vibrations shiver through his arms and needles pierce his eardrums and for a second both the Other and the man of the Night's Watch are utterly gobsmacked, they exchange looks. Jon's: "oh, ''[[HeroicSecondWind it's on]]''" The White Walker's: "he can [[OhCrap kill me]]!"

Jon is found by Edd, who endorses a full retreat, "Fuck the glass! We're gonna ''die'' here!" Why does Dolorous always have to be right? With a screeching Skroth war-cry from one of his two surviving generals, a teeming mass of wights rush past the Night's King and dive off the cliff in greater numbers than the defenders can ever hope to match. Although they break upon the ground, [[ImplacableMan they are not stopped]]. Neither can the palisade, which finally topples under the sheer weight of undead bodies as the gate bursts asunder. Jon, Edd, Tormund and "Wun Wun" the giant are forced to run for their lives, even as the big fella covers their asses with an uprooted flaming log stake that he bats great swathes of the pursuing wights with.

As the last human life gutters out, a pair of boots come into view on the quay. this stylish footwear belongs to the Night's King; who marches to the end of the pier and transfixes Jon with an unfathomable glare. He draws Jon's attention to the western landscape with a mere turn of his crowned head, where the free folk were camped, and where now remains nothing but blood-stained snow and lifeless corpses.

** A snarling foe breaking through a barricaded door, with archers and axe-men waiting on the other side, resembles the mines of Moria scene in ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Fellowship of the Ring]]''.

[[HesMine "Get the glass."]] Loboda tells Jon and strides forward to confront the humanoid abomination, Jon searches frantically through the wreckage for the bag of obsidian while Loboda swings his axe over head with both hands and brings it down. The Other [[NonchalantDodge leans casually aside]] and the blow embeds the axehead into the earth. The Magnar yanks it back and tries again with a cross-cut but his axe bites into a blazing charred wooden pillar instead; the monster is ''[[JustToyingWithHim toying]]'' with him. Loboda frees his axe, and the Walker uses a partisan made of enchanted crystal to snap-freeze and shatter his weapon into so many useless pieces. Disarmed, the Thenn Chieftain is casually run-through, his blood probably solidifying in his veins from the piercing frore; as no crimson clings to his killer's quartz pole-arm when it's extracted. Jon finds an obsidian dagger among the debris, but before he can reach it he is grasped by an achromatic hand and easily cast along the dirt floor with ghastly strength, losing his sword through the hole in the cabin and into the arctic weather outside, such is the force of his rolling flight. The Walker advances ominously, but even one who is only half a wolf is never down long. Jon weaves under and around the sweeps of the mystic lancet and actually tries to ''[[CrazyAwesome box the White Walker in the face]]''. Amused, the monster throws Jon aside, who scrambles into the rafters and manages to scavenge an anelace, the Walker leaps up onto the beams in a single bound, [[CherryTapping cherry taps]] Jon's hastily telegraphed attacks and allows Jon's weapon to splinter on the edge of its pole-arm. Numb from the reverberation, Jon is helpless as the Other brings the wrapped haft of its staff sword down onto his clavicle, smashing him off to fall hard on the mud-packed floor a good twelve foot below.

* KillItWithFire: Averted; the White Walker extinguishes most of the burning council hut with his mere presence, and Wun Wun is the only one who gets a chance to lay his hands on a burning brand.

* Loboda's comment about sending the Lord Commander back minus his eyes references an incident in ''[[Literature/ADanceWithDragons]]'' where the Weeper, one of the remaining wildling chieftains hostile to the Watch after Mance's defeat, sends back [[DecapitationPresentation the severed heads]] of three rangers with [[EyeScream their eyes gouged out]] back to Castle Black.

* RemovingTheHeadOrDestroyingTheBrain: Averted; the wights are immune to arrows to the head. They have to be crushed, cut to pieces or burned to be taken down. For [[IdiotBall some reason]] no-one, not even Jon, bothers to [[BurnTheUndead use fire against them]] even though they had done that in Seasons 1 and 3 (although admittedly [[RealityEnsues the chaos of battle and the raging blizzard would have made trying to start a fire near impossible]]. Indeed, any fires are subsequently blown out by the wind and snow when the White Walkers initiate their attack).