Totally agree with your assessment. Based on what we saw this week, the Arya story has apparently been pointless for two years. Also, based on what we saw the entire ethos of the Faceless Men is apparently malleable and meaningless. This is all particularly frustrating because Arya's entire character arc since early in the show has been based on her struggling with losing her identity. She's been through many names and many identities, she's been separated from her wolf etc. Perhaps someone could argue that the Faceless Men helped her regain her identity and that idea honestly has good potential. Unfortunately that potential dramatic tension and irony was never really brought out due to the meandering story and the lazy writing of Jaqen's character. The whole thing winds up looking like a meaningless shaggy dog story.

Likewise, the scenes at Riverrun were equally pointless. What's the point of that entire multi-episode sequence? The Blackfish might be dead, perhaps not... just like after the Red Wedding. Brienne is again is wandering around without accomplishing much of anything. Jaime professes his love for Cersei, something we already knew. Again, the entire thing seems like a meaningless waste of time.

Lastly, Dany coming back is hardly shocking. In fact, Dany's return to Mereen is likely one of the most telegraphed plot points in show history. Instead we get yet another scene of Tyrion flailing around socially with Grey Worm and Missendei (sp), moving nothing forward and just marking time.

Perhaps there are deeper implications of all of these stories. Perhaps in future weeks I'll look back and understand why this material needed to be covered. However, the show is remarkably inefficient in moving these story lines forward. The show won't cut to the damned chase and get on with it this season. There's not a lot of time left and the show seems comfortable in just wallowing along.

The way that Dany returned was corny as hell.

I liked the interactions between long time associates, especially Bronn and Pod.

my only gripe about last night's ep was the seemingly miraculous recovery of Arya. one night of sleep and a little tending to does not make for a healed little girl who can free run and jump with ease. that was almost absurd...

A lot happened in this episode, but it was still kind of dull. Much of it was set-up.

The Lady Crane storyline cheapened the Many Faced God to me. The assassins turned out to be for hire to anyone with a grudge and money. Offhand I don't remember the previous assignments, though.

Does Edmure now have to leave Riverrun? His troops laid down their arms and have given away control of Riverrun. But part of his deal may allow them (or maybe just him) to stay there. If he isn't forced out I don't see him helping Sansa. He seems like the kind who only looks out for himself.

Arya's injury in general seemed weirdly inconsistent.

Yeah, and holy shit, next week's episode looks epic as fuck!

I'm curious if the troops can even really help after leaving Riverrun. Laying down their arms means they don't have much to offer Sansa unless she has a big store of arms to replace what was lost.

I don't think the Faceless Men and Many-Faced God were ever portrayed as anything else. They've always been shown to be some kind death cult that do assassinations for hire on the side.

Your guess is as good as mine. I think Jaime's threat of killing his baby son was what prompted him to agree to whatever it is they agreed to.

That's exactly what they are. They are hired assassins. It's how they support their way of life. Way back in Season 1 the small council of Robert Baratheon debated hiring a Faceless Man to assassinate Dany. For a price, the Faceless Men will agree to kill anyone in the world, considering this contract to be a sacrament of their god. The price is always high or dear, but within the means of the person if they are willing to make the sacrifice. The cost of their services depends on the prominence and security of the target.

My speculation is that he going to Dorne. Historically, House Targaryen and House Martell have aligned. Also, their army sat out the war of the five kings so they are tanned, rested, and ready.

to amend a Walking Dead saying, "If Davos dies, we riot"

Thanks. Taking contracts on the side to sustain themselves gives them more weight than just being for-hire killers.

Not that we need to care about then anymore.

Yeah the "blind fighting skills" seemed more of a by-product of being blind and not part of an actual training plan.

Which goes against the theory that Jaqen intended for her to reclaim her true self. She was punished for being herself in the first place.

Did she wear the mask of the waif? My initial impression was that she just brought the face, and I still have no idea if she can disguise herself without the help of that temple.

Don't think it was one night. Maybe a few days. Then again, the wound did open back up.

Two things:

1) You have no clue what someone can do when someone else is chasing/trying to murder them.

2) this isn't the real world

This was one of the poorest GOT episodes in its run with slapdash writing and sloppy action choreography. It featured possibly the corniest moment in GOT history as Sir Jaime waved goodbye to Lady Bryn of Tar. That felt plucked from a much lesser series.

I feel greatly cheated if that is the culmination of Arya's arc from the past two seasons. We are fed scene after scene of her training with the many faced god, only for her to be let go after killing the waif? This is something I expect from a network broadcast series with awful storytelling rather than GOT.

My guess is that the showrunners were super busy going over the next episode and left underlings to tidy up these side plots in this one.

What are the chances that Brienne eventually ends up killing Jaime with the sword he gave her/didn't take back?

At least we've gotten a several scenes of the (iron) throne room again this season. It had been absent for about 2 seasons worth.

For this point, I assume they could just figure out what face she took, then track that one down. As such, she might as well just be herself.

Tommen is a little shit. He knows he's wrong, but he's been swayed by the High Sparrow for too long. It's a credit to the writing that I am now rooting for Cersei to destroy that sanctimonious prick.

The Arya storyline didn't bother me as much as others here. I think Jaquen knew when he first met her that she had a destiny (which is why he gave her the coin), and he was happy to help her along - although he would have been just as nonplussed if the waif had killed Arya. Now she has some skills she didn't have before, which she can use to help with whatever the writers have planned next.

milk of the poppy's a hell of a drug...

Two things:

1) Just as you don't know how debilitating her wounds were and that no amount of adrenaline could push you through it. She was fucking stabbed, repeatedly, with 5 inches of sharp steel in the worst possible area

2) yes, it's a fictional world, but it has been established that humans are just as vulnerable to injury as they are in the real world.

To me, it's just weird. Three weeks ago he was promising to do anything to save / help his mother. Now, after two brief conversations with the High Sparrow, he's suddenly snubbing his mother, depriving her of trial by combat and acting like a puppet. It makes no sense.

Well, he's not wrong. Trial by combat is bullshit. Maybe he agrees with the High Sparrow.