Why Benjen Stark is so important.
Benjen Stark (Joseph Mawle) was the mysterious man who saved Bran and Meera (Ellie Kendrick). If you don't count the younger version of him seen in flashbacks earlier this season, the last time we saw the grown Benjen was during the third episode of the show's first season.
The crazy thing is he has played a significant part on "Thrones," even in his absence. Jon Snow (Kit Harington) joined the Night's Watch because of Ned Stark's (Sean Bean) younger brother, who was a member of the Night's Watch. Soon after Jon started his training, Benjen left on a mission north of the Wall to explore reports of Wildling and White Walker activity. He never returned. Later, Jon was part of a search party for Benjen.
Olly (Brenock O'Connor) also used the lie of news about Benjen to lure Jon Snow to his death at the end of season five.
Now, he's back and sounds as if he will be pivotal in Bran's preparation to be the Three-Eyed Raven.
Why is the Tarly Family sword, Heartsbane, so cool?
One of Sam's last acts before fleeing from his family home with Gilly (Hannah Murray) and the child was to steal Heartsbane, the sword that has been in his family for some 500 years.
Why risk his father's wrath? As the old man said, it's made of Valyrian steel — one of the few materials that can kill White Walkers, aside from dragonstone. We only know of two other swords made of that steel, Jon Snow's and Brienne of Tarth's (Gwendoline Christie).
Yes, that was The Mad King.
Average people only see their own lives flash before their eyes in near-death experiences. For Bran, it's way more than that.
"Bran had to absorb the history of the world, the entire history of the world in imagery," cocreator David Benioff said in the behind-the-episode video. "There's a part of him that's no longer Bran Stark, it's the Three-Eyed Raven. And the Three-Eyed Raven isn't entirely human."
This also marks the first time we've seen the legendary Mad King — Daenarys' father and the last member of the House Targaryen to sit on the Iron Throne — on-screen. What could that mean? We'll have to wait and see.
Oh, Edmure's still around?
The last time we saw Edmure Tully (Tobias Menzies), who's Catelyn Stark's (Michelle Fairley) brother, was right after he was spared from The Red Wedding murders on season three.
He took Robb Stark's place (Richard Madden) in the wedding to Roslin Frey (Alexandra Dowling). So he has been in the dungeons all this time? Presumably, so has Roslin.
Now he's been brought out as a bargaining chip in the battle over his family's land at Riverrun.
Deja vu with Daenerys.
Did that rousing speech Daenerys gave at the end of the episode sound familiar at all? It should have, because much of it was derived from Khal Drogo on season one.
"One of our favorite scenes from season one was watching Khal Drogo deliver a speech to his gathered khalasar," cocreator David Benioff said in video about the episode. "That speech certainly lingered in Daenerys' mind. She's echoing almost the exact same language when she's talking to the Dothraki now."