‘Game of Thrones’ Season 6, Episode 2 Recap: Is Jon Snow Alive?

Game of Thrones’ second episode of season 6, “Home,” opened with the return of Bran Stark, who has traveled back in time to his father Eddard Stark’s childhood at Winterfell.

Game of Thrones Season 6, Episode 2 Recap

Accompanied by the Three-Eyed Raven (Struan Rodger), Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) watches a young Eddard spar against his brother Benjen Stark, as their sister  Lyanna rides into the keep on horseback. Hodor is there as well, and apparently once went by the name Willis, and was able to say much more than just “Hodor.” Before Bran can soak in any more of the happy past, he’s mentally dragged back to his body in the tree-cave. After Bran gets over the disappointment of leaving the Winterfell of yore, he asks Hodor (Kristian Nairn) what happened to him to make him lose his speech, to which Hodor replies with a “Hodor” laced with unknown meaning. Then, on Bran’s request, Hodor brings him outside to see Meera (Ellie Kendrick). Meera is growing weary of Bran’s escapades with the Three-Eyed Raven, but a Child of the Forest tells Meera, “Brandon Stark needs you.”

Castle Black

At Castle Black, Alliser Thorne (Owen Teale) is still urging Davos (Liam Cunningham) to leave and promising that no harm will come to him, the men who’ve chosen their allegiance to Jon Snow (Kit Harington) or to Jon’s direwolf Ghost. However, Davos and Jon’s men don’t trust him at all, and would prefer to take their chances in a fight – despite being severely outnumbered. They brace themselves as Thorne has men of the Night’s Watch begin to barrel through the door. But, before they can sacrifice themselves for honor, a giant breaks through the gate below with the Wildlings at his heels. The men of the Night’s Watch try in vain to take down the giant before surrendering to the Wildlings. Tormund Giantsbane (Kristoger Hivju) is now in charge.

Kings Landing

In Flea Bottom, King’s Landing, Cersei (Lena Headey) is the subject of vulgar boasting. A man, swigging his ale, talks about her naked Walk of Shame throughout the city to his pals as they cheer him on. The Mountain quickly makes sure that that’s the last thing the man will ever say of Cersei, as he smashes his face against the wall until he slumps lifeless to the ground. While Cersei sends out her Franken-Kings Guardsman to dispatch those who shame her, she shows restraint when the other knights of the Kings Guard, on Tommen’s (Dean-Charles Chapman) orders, will not permit her to go to the sept to see Myrcella.

Before his sister’s body, Tommen explains to Jamie (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) that if he had allowed Cersei to come, the Sparrows may have tried to jail her again. He’s also embarrassed that he was unable to save both his wife Margaery (Natalie Dormer) and his mother from imprisonment. Jamie urges Tommen to see his mother and make amends. He listens to his father, and goes to seek Cersei’s forgiveness and to ask her to help him be strong. Meanwhile, Jamie is confronted by the High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce). He tells the High Sparrow of his own sins, and wonders why he’s yet to be tossed in jail. He soon finds himself surrounded by sparrows.

Mereen

“He makes dwarf jokes, I make eunuch jokes,” Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) says after earning looks of disgust from Varys (Conleth Hill) and Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson) for a quip. Chugging his wine, Tyrion insists upon hearing some kind of good news. There’s none to be heard. Even the dragons aren’t well, as they’ve stopped eating altogether. Tyrion decides that the only thing to do is to unchain the dragons. Hopefully, they’ll not only find themselves some food, but realize who their friends are and who are their enemies. Determined to make the dragons know that he’s one of their friends, Tyrion tells them an anecdote from his childhood when he very much wanted a dragon of his own, while unchaining them. Varys looks at Tyrion in amazement after he pulls the stunt off, but Tyrion claims he wishes Varys had punched him in the face before he tried it.

Bravos

The Waif (Faye Marsay) confronts Arya (Maisie Williams) once again with a stick, and quickly gets the best of her. Then, Jaqen H’ghar (Tom Wlaschiha) comes by, testing her commitment to the House of Black and White. “If a girl says her name, a man will give her eyes back,” he tells her. Staying strong, Arya insists that she is no one and is then able to follow him.

Winterfell

Ramsay Snow (Iwan Rheon) is talking to his father, Roose Bolton (Michael McElhatton), explaining how Sansa’s escape came to pass. He then suggests that he try to take Castle Black, where Sansa is bound to be heading, and kill Jon Snow. Ramsay further insists that the Karstarks and others would be happy to help him take Castle Black and take out the last remaining Stark son. Then, the news comes that Roose’s wife has had a son. Despite Roose assuring Ramsay that he will remain his firstborn, Ramsay quickly murders him. He then tells the maester to send word that Roose was poisoned by enemies and asks to see Roose’s wife, Walda Frey, and the newborn son. Cooly and determinedly, he brings them into the kennel. “I prefer to be an only child,” he says, sicking the dogs on them.

Forest Near Winterfell

Brienne (Gwendoline Christie), sitting in the snow with Sansa (Sophie Turner), tells her that she saw Arya and that she had looked well. Sansa, in turn, admits that she should have gone with Brienne in the first place, but declines to elaborate on the horrors she faced as Ramsay’s wife. Sansa then tells Theon (Alfie Allen) that they will all go to Castle Black, where she believes she’ll find her brother Jon. Theon fears that he’s done far too much harm to her family to ever be forgiven by Jon or anyone else. Though he would have brought her to the wall himself had Brienne not shown up, now all he wants to do is to go home to the Iron Islands

Pyke

Theon’s sister Yara (Gemma Whelan) is talking war strategy with her father Balon Greyjoy (Patrick Malahide). She won’t apologize to him for trying to rescue Theon. Following the disagreement, Balon is walking across a footbridge, when he sees a figure. It is his brother, Euron, who claims that he is the Salt God. The younger Greyjoy tosses the king over the bridge and into the water below. Yara, is eager to find out who killed her father, but is eagerer still to take over for him. However, she soon learns that she’ll be battling it out for votes in a Kingsmoot against her uncle Euron.

Castle Black

Back at Castle Black, Davos swallows his pride and goes to plead with Melisandre (Carice van Houten) to try her magic on Jon Snow. But she is not the brazen and confident red witch he had known, staring forlornly into the flames of the fireplace and beginning to tear. In so many words, Melisandre tells Davos that she is a fraud, that the battle she had seen in the flames never came to pass. Despite Davos’ own reservations when it comes to faith and Melisandre’s wounded confidence, Davos still wants her to try.

Melisandre ultimately agrees to give resurrecting Jon Snow a try. As she cleans his wounds with a damp rag, she says an incantation, cuts locks of his hair and then washes it. She then rests her palms on his chest and repeats her incantation over and over, begging with her eyes for something to happen. Nothing does. Tormund is the first to lose faith. Davos leaves as well. Eventually, it is only Ghost and Jon left in the room. Then, suddenly, Jon Snow opens his eyes and gasps for breath.