(Season 6, Episode 5 titled "The Door")
**Spoilers**
An episode that demonstrated that even the seemingly extraneous characters can have a tremendous impact on the story. That was some impressive planning by George R.R. Martin.
I never thought I would cry at the end of an episode and that it would be over Hodor, the gentle giant of so few words.
The writers outdid themselves with this episode. It had everything: great set-up for future eps, action scenes with the Westeros version of the walking dead, an explanation to their origin and then the big reveal to questions I didn’t know I wanted to know nor thought the answers would bring me to tears…
Why does Hodor not utter much past the word “Hodor” and why the change of name from Wylis to Hodor?
Seems as though Bran’s time in the tree not only sheds light on the past but also shaped the past. We got a hint of this when young Ned heard Bran’s voice through time that echoed like a whisper.
Hodor is the way he is because Bran changed his life’s course. Hodor saw the future, he saw his own death like the one-eyed-cyclops. He saw that moment in time when he needed to "Hold The Door".
The parallels between the two frames was wonderfully done.
And so what would have been a different life. maybe one with a family and friends, was not to be. But being normal was not his purpose.
Let’s harken back to when Varys spoke to the red priestess and she had this to say.
“Everyone is what they are and where they are for a reason. Terrible things happen for a reason. Take what happened to you Lord Varys when you were a child, if not for a mutilation at the hand of a second rate sorcerer, you wouldn’t be here helping the lord’s chosen bring its light into the world. Knowledge has made you powerful.” - Red Priestess
There are some similarities here with Hodor on how an event could change everything. On a personal level, it’s tragic but on the bigger scheme, Hodor’s purpose was to “Hold the door” and that knowledge condemned him to his mental seclusion that ultimately saved Bran and could possible save them all.
At the end of this, we lost the three-eyed-Raven to the White Walker insurgence. I wonder, could The Three-Eyed-Raven actually be Bran from the future?
The Birth Of The White Walker
They were created with a glass shard through the chest. Of course, the problem with making demons is what’s to stop them from coming back to haunt YOU.
Fast forward to now, and those White Walkers came back. They’ve always been unable to enter the tree until Bran saw them in a vision, which put him face to face with one them. But unlike the people of the past, the White Walker saw Bran and touched him, leaving a mark that acted like a key into the tree.
And now the roosters have come home to roost… or in this case, kill. They fought the people of the tree which lead to Hodor’s death, along with another dire wolf and Bran escaping.
But prior to all that, we witnessed an exciting fight that had this in it…
Woah, what just happened? I hope she took one of those spears on her way out that DOOR.
So why would anyone want to create White Walkers? To kill man.
Why do they want men killed? Because men were killing the trees. They are tree lovers after all.
The irony here is the new Lord of the Iron Islands wants his people to chop down trees to build new ships.
Speaking of which, where are Yara and Theon heading?
Could they be going North to Jon Snow OR are they heading to the Mother of Dragons.
“Across the sea there is a person who hates the great Lords of Westeros just as much as we do. Someone with a large army, three large dragons and no husband.” - Euron Greujoy
I’m leaning toward the Mother of Dragons.
Another important question?
Is Brienne going to hook up with the red headed wildling? I sure hope so.
