Oathbreaker (Game of Thrones)
Jon Snow is found alive by Ser Davos Seaworth; Ramsay Bolton is presented with the gift of Rickon Stark; Bran Stark, accompanied by the Three-eyed Raven, witnesses the confrontation at the Tower of Joy, where his father attempts to rescue his sister, Lyanna; but Bran is ultimately prevented from entering the tower; Daenerys Targaryen arrives at Vaes Dothrak where her consequences for leaving the khalasar will be determined, and in Braavos, a blind Arya Stark gives up her old life and sees anew as "no one".
Filming of the first exterior scene at Castle Black took place over the course of several months, as a result of a rock slide that occurred on the set.
The episode earned a nomination at the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series.
Bran and the Three-eyed Raven observe a vision of a young Eddard Stark, Lord Howland Reed, and four other rebel soldiers arriving at the Tower of Joy in Dorne's Red Mountains at the climax of Robert's Rebellion.
Eddard announces that Prince Rhaegar Targaryen and the Mad King have been killed and asks why Ser Arthur was not present at the Battle of the Trident.
The Three-Eyed Raven explains that the rest of the vision is intended for another time, but Bran demands to stay and calls out to Ned.
The elder of the Dosh Khaleen tries to sympathize with Daenerys and explains that the various khalasars have gathered at Vaes Dothrak to discuss which cities and towns to conquer.
Later, Varys explains to Tyrion, Grey Worm, and Missandei that he has discovered that the slave masters of Yunkai, Astapor, and Volantis have been financing the Sons of the Harpy.
Tyrion warns that taking military action will leave Meereen defenseless and they conclude that the only way to defeat the Sons of the Harpy is to hunt them down.
The raid on the Tower of Joy was an event portrayed in a dream of Ned Stark in the chapter "Eddard X" of A Game of Thrones.
"[3] Actors Natalia Tena (Osha) and Art Parkinson (Rickon Stark), both of whom had recurring roles in the series until the third season, make their first return appearance in the episode.
[4] For the flashback scene at the Tower of Joy, actor Robert Aramayo was cast to play a young Eddard Stark.
In an interview with Access Hollywood, Aramayo stated that he was a big fan of the series, and that "it was an honor and a gift to be able to be a part of it.
[8] As a result of a rock slide that occurred on the set of where Castle Black is staged at Magheramorne Quarry, scheduling for the filming of the scenes had to be re-worked by executive producer Bernie Caulfield and producer Chris Newman, with showrunner D. B. Weiss saying, "It actually worked out for the best – some of the stuff we were shooting in that location benefited from the additional prep time the rock slide gave us.
[10] Robert Aramayo (young Eddard Stark) spoke about the filming of the scene in an interview following the airing of the episode and stated, "We all went through a bunch of training, which continued through our three- or four-day shoot in Spain.
[12] "Oathbreaker" was very positively received by critics, citing the Tower of Joy flashback, the final scene with Jon Snow executing his assassins, and the storytelling as strong points for the episode.
The website's critical consensus reads, "The most solid episode of season six so far, 'Oathbreaker' boasts no shocking reveals or breathless cliffhangers, just strong forward-moving storytelling.
"[13] In a review for IGN, Matt Fowler wrote, "With Jon's final choice in "Oathbreaker," the show seemed to make a huge step forward into the endgame.
Not everyone's story is firing on all cylinders at the moment, Tyrion was actively bored while waiting for news this week, but enough is going on in the North and at King's Landing to carry the series right now.
"[4] Likewise, Emily VanDerWerff of Vox wrote, ""Oathbreaker" is a crisp, lean, nicely paced episode of Game of Thrones.
"[14] Alyssa Rosenberg of the Washington Post wrote that she believed this was "The strongest episode of the sixth season of Game of Thrones to date.
"[16] Steve Johnson of The Baltimore Sun noted, "Instead of the heavy action of the season's first two hours, Sunday's Game of Thrones, called "Oathbreaker," was more about putting pieces on the chess board into place.
