Honestly, if you ask a casual fan about the best moments in HBO’s flagship show, they’ll probably point to a dragon burning down a fleet or a massive undead army at a wall. But for the die-hards? The ones who lived through the agonizing wait between seasons? Game of Thrones Season 6 Episode 4, titled "Book of the Stranger," is where the show finally stopped spinning its wheels and started sprinting toward the finish line. It’s a dense, emotional hour of television that gave us the reunion we’d been waiting half a decade for and a literal trial by fire that changed the power dynamics of Essos forever.
The stakes were sky-high. By the time this episode aired on May 15, 2016, the show had officially outpaced George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels. We were in uncharted territory. No safety net. No book spoilers to lean on. Just pure, unadulterated David Benioff and D.B. Weiss storytelling. It felt dangerous.
The Stark Reunion That Actually Mattered
For years, the Starks were the punching bags of Westeros. We watched them get scattered, blinded, maimed, and murdered. So, when Sansa Stark rolled up to the gates of Castle Black with Brienne of Tarth and Podrick in tow, the collective breath of the fandom held. We’d been burned before. Remember when Sansa and Arya were in the same city and never met? Or when Jon just missed Bran at Craster’s Keep?
This time was different.
Seeing Jon Snow and Sansa Stark embrace in the courtyard of Castle Black wasn’t just a nice moment; it was a narrative reset. It’s arguably the most cathartic second in the entire series. Jon, fresh off being stabbed to death and resurrected, was ready to hang up his sword. He was done. He’d seen the "nothing" on the other side. But Sansa? She’d just escaped the nightmare of Ramsay Bolton. She wasn’t looking for peace; she was looking for a home.
The chemistry between Kit Harington and Sophie Turner in this scene is palpable. They weren't even that close as children, but surviving trauma turns cousins (or "half-siblings" as they thought then) into the only people they can trust. Sansa’s growth here is staggering. She’s no longer the girl who wanted lemon cakes and songs; she’s the one pushing Jon to take back Winterfell. It’s a reversal of roles that felt earned after five seasons of suffering.
Power Plays in King’s Landing and the Iron Islands
Down south, the High Sparrow was busy tightening his grip on the capital. The dynamic between Jonathan Pryce’s High Sparrow and Natalie Dormer’s Margaery Tyrell is like a high-stakes chess match played with whispers instead of knights. He’s trying to break her, using her brother Loras as the ultimate leverage. It’s a slow burn, but it highlights the sheer incompetence of Cersei Lannister. Cersei thinks she’s playing the game, but she’s really just handed the match to a religious zealot who doesn't care about gold or titles.
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Basically, Cersei and Olenna Tyrell—two women who absolutely loathe each other—finally realize they have a common enemy. The "enemy of my enemy" trope is classic, but watching Lena Headey and Diana Rigg trade barbs while plotting a military coup against the Faith Militant is top-tier television.
Meanwhile, over on the Iron Islands, Theon Greyjoy finally makes it back to Pyke.
He’s a broken man. Alfie Allen’s performance as Theon is often overlooked, but the way he portrays the lingering effects of Ramsay’s "Reek" conditioning is haunting. He doesn't want the Salt Throne. He wants to help his sister, Yara. This is a big deal because the Ironborn aren't exactly known for their progressive views on female leadership. Theon throwing his support behind Yara sets the stage for the Kingsmoot, though we all know Euron is lurking in the shadows with some pretty wild claims about dragon-binding horns (at least in the books).
The Pink Letter and the Call to War
The climax of the northern plotline in Game of Thrones Season 6 Episode 4 centers on a piece of parchment. In the books, "The Pink Letter" is a massive mystery with multiple theories about its true author. In the show, it’s a direct provocation from Ramsay Bolton.
The contents are vile. Ramsay threatens to kill Rickon, rape Sansa, and feed Jon’s "wildling maggot" friends to his hounds. It’s the final nudge Jon needs. You can see the shift in his eyes. The Night’s Watch commander is gone, and the Ned Stark-lite version of Jon is beginning to surface. This sets the literal stage for the Battle of the Bastards. Without this specific moment of provocation, Jon might have just wandered off into the sunset, but Ramsay, in his infinite arrogance, forced the hand of the one man who could actually kill him.
Daenerys Targaryen: Unburnt and Unmatched
The closing sequence in Vaes Dothrak is where the episode moves from "great" to "legendary." Daenerys is being held by the Dosh Khaleen, the widows of former Khals. They’re telling her she’s nothing. That her time is over. That she’ll be lucky to spend the rest of her days in a hut.
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They clearly didn't get the memo about the dragons.
Except she doesn't need dragons here. That’s the beauty of it. Daenerys uses her own immunity to fire and some clever pyrotechnics to burn the Khals alive inside the Temple of the Dosh Khaleen. When she emerges from the flames, unburnt, and the entire Dothraki nation bows to her? It’s a visual masterpiece.
Wait. Let’s address the elephant in the room. Some fans complained that this was a "deus ex machina" or that Dany’s fire immunity is inconsistent. In Martin's books, Dany being unburnt at the birth of her dragons was supposedly a "one-time magical event." But the show decided to make it a recurring superpower. Does it simplify her character? Maybe. But does it make for a pulse-pounding ending to an episode? Absolutely. She didn't just escape; she gained an army of 100,000 riders in a single night.
Why the "Book of the Stranger" Title Matters
The title refers to one of the Seven Gods in the Faith of the Seven. The Stranger represents death and the unknown. He’s the god people don't like to pray to. Throughout the episode, everyone is facing their own version of "The Stranger."
- Jon is facing the "unknown" of life after death.
- Sansa is facing the "death" of her old identity.
- The Khals literally meet the Stranger in the form of a silver-haired queen with a torch.
It’s a subtle nod to the fact that the old ways of the world—the old rules of the game—are dying.
Actionable Takeaways for Game of Thrones Fans
If you’re revisiting this episode or analyzing it for a rewatch, keep these specific narrative threads in mind. They explain why the final seasons took the shape they did:
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1. Track the Stark Agency
Notice how Sansa is the one driving the plot now. For the first five seasons, the Starks reacted to things happening to them. From this episode forward, they are the ones making things happen.
2. The Dothraki Paradox
Pay attention to how Daenerys secures the Dothraki. This moment is the foundation of her invasion of Westeros. Without this specific victory in Vaes Dothrak, she never has the ground forces necessary to take on the Lannister army.
3. The High Sparrow's Overconfidence
Watch the High Sparrow’s interactions with Tommen. He’s grooming the boy king, which is what ultimately leads to the disaster at the Sept of Baelor. This episode is the beginning of the end for the Tyrell-Lannister alliance.
4. Brienne and Tormund
Seriously, go back and watch the first time Tormund sees Brienne in the courtyard of Castle Black. It’s a tiny, wordless moment, but it became one of the most beloved running gags in the series. It provides the much-needed levity in an otherwise dark show.
Game of Thrones Season 6 Episode 4 proved that the show didn't need the books to be "good." It showed that the creators understood the emotional core of these characters, even if they were starting to take some shortcuts with the travel time and "teleporting" characters across the map. It was the episode that gave us hope that, maybe, the "good guys" could actually win a round for once.
Next time you watch, look at the lighting in the final scene with Daenerys. The orange glow against the night sky isn't just about the fire; it's a symbolic sunrise for her conquest. The world was getting smaller, the threats were getting bigger, and the "Book of the Stranger" was just the beginning of the end.