‘Game of Thrones’ season 6 finale recap: Shocking revelations galore

King’s Landing

The episode begins in King’s Landing, with Cersei looking over the cityscape. Loras Tyrell is about to stand trial for fornication, buggery, and blasphemy at the Great Sept of Baelor. King Tommen Baratheon and his mother Cersei Lannnister stay at the Red Keep as this begins.

One of Qyburn’s “little birds” whispers something in Grand Maester Pycelle’s ear.

Loras confesses to all of his crimes. “I humble myself before the Seven and accept whatever punishment the gods deem just,” he said.

He kneels before the High Sparrow to “dedicate his life to the Seven.” He joins the Faith Militant, abandoning the Tyrell name and his claims to Highgarden.

King Tommen stands up to try and go down to the Great Sept, as Ser Robert Strong (aka the undead Ser Robert Clegane/the Mountain) stops him at the door.

Lancel Lannister, who has been with the Faith Militant, follows a “little bird” (or spy) to the tunnels under the grounds of the capital.

Pycelle meets Qyburn, whose little birds kill the Grand Maester. Lancel goes down into the crypts of King’s Landings as he discovers the Mad King Aerys’ stash of Wildfire in their liquid green form. A little bird stabs him, too.

Margaery Tyrell senses that there’s something wrong about this as she points out that Cersei and Tommen aren’t in the Great Sept – especially the former, who is supposed to stand trial, too.

“We all need to leave,” she says, but the Faith Militant stops everyone from doing so.

Clearly, Cersei wants to burn down the Great Sept with Wildfire.

An fatally injured Lancel crawls in the tunnels to see that there are candles waiting to blow up casks of Wildfire. The Great Sept explodes in huge green flames as Cersei watches on with a smirk on her face.

Septa Unella is held hostage by Cersei. “Confess,” she repeatedly says as she pours wine down her face.

“You didn’t do it because you cared about my atonement,” Cersei accuses Unella of treating her cruelly while she was imprisoned “just because it felt good.”

“I’m ready to meet the gods,” Unella tells the queen mother, who denies her of that privilege. She brings in the Mountain, who removes his helmet to stare down at Unella as she screams in horror.

“Shame, shame, shame,” Cersei says.

King Tommen is informed of what happened earlier and leaps to his death as he looks at the Great Sept burning down. Margaery, his wife and queen, was in there, after all.

The Twins

“The Freys and the Lannisters send their regards,” Ser Walder Frey speaks in front of the same hall where the infamous Red Wedding occured.

Lord Frey sits down to speak to Jaime Lannister, who asks the former if he had fought himself in his younger days.

“Here we are now, two Kingslayers,” Lord Frey tells Jaime.

“They don’t fear the Freys. They fear the Lannisters,” Jaime says. “Why do we need you?”

King’s Landing

Cersei calmly asks Qyburn to show Tommen’s mangled corpse. She asks that he be buried where the Sept once stood.

Oldtown

Samwell Tarly and Gilly arrive at Oldtown as the former prepares to train as a Maester at the Citadel. He shows his reference from “Lord Commander Snow at Castle Black,” unaware of what had happened, saying that he’s there to study to become Castle Black’s new maester after Aemon Targaryen.

“According to our records, Jeor Mormont is the Lord Commander,” a Maester tells him there are “irregularities.”

 

Sam stares in wonder at the cavernous library of the Citadel as he awaits for the decision of the Maester order.

Winterfell

A white raven flies in the skies of Winterfell as the scene begins.

Jon Snow reflects on his family in the great hall of Winterfell’s castle.

Ser Davos Seaworth confronts the red priestess Melisandre to tell Jon Snow what she had done to Shireen: influencing Stannis to burn his own daughter at the stake for the sake of victory against the Boltons – which didn’t happen.

“You had all of them fooled. You lied!” Davos tells Melisandre, who replies, “I didn’t lie! I was wrong.”

“How many died because you were wrong?”

Davos asks Jon to sentence her to death. The red priestess responds, “I’ve been waiting to die for many years.”

“You know the Great War is still to come,” she tells Jon Snow, who she resurrected. “You know I can help you win that war.”

Jon banishes Melisandre to the south, and as she rides her steed, he has a small talk with Sansa. 

“I’m not a Stark,” the “bastard” and erstwhile Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch says.

“You are to me.”

He confronts her about trusting Petyr Baelish (aka Littlefinger), whose Knights of the Vale had helped them in their tenuous victory against the Boltons.

“We have to trust each other. We can’t fight amongst ourselves. We have so many enemies now,” Jon tells Sansa.

“A raven came from the citadel. A white raven. Winter is here,” she tells Jon about the white raven shown earlier in the scene.

Dorne

Lady Olenna Tyrell is at Dorne, to ask for assistance from the deposed Oberyn Martell’s paramour, Ellaria Sand, and his bastard daughters, the Sand Snakes.

“We must be allies now if we wish to survive,” Ellaria tells Lady Olenna, who wishes to avenge her loved ones’ deaths in the Great Sept.

Meereen

Daario tells Daenerys her ships are ready. She has just inked a deal with Yara Greyjoy, along with her brother Theon, in the previous episode.

“You’re not going to Westeros,” Daenerys tells Daario, asking him to stay in Meereen on her behalf.

She tells her that she has to marry someone to help bolster her claim to the Iron Throne. The latter insists on bringing him, her lover, to Westeros.

“I can’t,” she flatly and coldly tells him.

“The Dwarf told you to do this,” Daario accuses Daenerys, referring to Tyrion Lannister, her would-be advisor.

Tyrion and Daenerys sit down to talk. He tells her she has “everything you’ve ever wanted” to take back the Iron Throne, but the latter hesitates.

“Are you afraid? Good. You’re in the great game now, and the great game is terrifying,” Tyrion tells Daenerys.

“I said farewell to a man who loves me and who I thought I cared for. And I felt nothing,” she says.

Daenerys then names Tyrion as Hand of the Queen, giving him a pin to signify this important task.

The Twins

A servant serves Lord Walder Frey his supper. He is looking for his sons, and then the servant reveals that she had carved them into his food. He stares down in horror.

Arya unmasks herself to reveal herself as the servant in disguise. She slits Lord Frey’s throat, just like how her own mother Catelyn Stark died.

 

Winterfell

Littlefinger and Sansa talk at the Godswood of Winterfell.

He confides in her what he wants: him at the Iron Throne and Sansa at his side.

“It’s a pretty picture,” Sansa says.

Littlefinger reiterates his allegiance to the Starks, but Sansa tells him off, saying that although he has served many houses before, it has never stopped him from serving himself.

North of the Wall

Benjen Stark (now “Coldhands”) takes Bran and Meera Reed near the Wall’s Godswood. He leaves his nephew there, saying that he has to help in the Great War to fight for the living.

Tower of Joy

Bran prepares to go back into the past with his Greensight. The scene shifts to the Tower of Joy with a younger version of his father, Lord Ned Stark – continuing where a previous episode left off. Bran follows Ned up the tower.

Ned’s sister, Lyanna, has just given birth, and she’s all covered in blood. He comforts her as she lays dying.

“Listen to me Ned!” she whispers to Ned. “You have to protect him! Promise me, Ned! Promise me!”

He is handed a baby boy and the scene cuts back to Winterfell: to Jon’s face. It is thus revealed that Jon Snow is not Ned’s bastard son. (READ: ‘Game of Thrones’ season 6 finale addresses long-standing Jon Snow theory

Winterfell

Jon speaks to House Stark’s allies at the Great Hall in Winterfell. They speak of the winter that has just arrived.

The feisty, young Lyanna Mormont speaks: “House Mormont remembers. The North remembers! […] There is no King but the King in the North whose name is Stark.”

They all declare Jon Snow as the King in the North, with the other houses pledge their allegiance to the Starks.

“King in the North!” everyone shouts, as they raise their swords.

King’s Landing

Jaime and Bronn return to King’s Landing to discover the Great Sept in ruins.

Cersei walks down the throne room, prepared to take the Iron Throne in the place of her son, Tommen. She is given a new crown. The Lannisters now have the Iron Throne.

 

Meereen

Daenerys with the Greyjoy siblings finally to cross the Narrow Sea for Westeros. The dragons soar over the skies.

The mighty fleet’s sails are all in black and red, emblazoned with the Targaryen sigil.