He’s back.
The moment Sandor "The Hound" Clegane chopped wood in the opening sequence of Game of Thrones Season 6 Episode 7, the entire internet collectively lost its mind. No credits. No cold open. Just a man we thought was dead, breathing, sweating, and somehow looking more human than we’d ever seen him.
"The Broken Man" isn't just a transitional episode. It’s a thematic anchor for the entire series. It slowed down the frantic pace of the race toward the Battle of the Bastards to ask a very messy question: can anyone actually change in Westeros? Honestly, the answer the show gives us is pretty bleak, but man, it was a beautiful hour of television.
The Resurrection of the Hound and the Ghost of Septon Ray
Most of us spent years theorizing about "Gravedigger" theories from the books. Seeing Ian McShane show up as Septon Ray was the perfect way to bring those theories to life, even if he only stuck around for forty minutes. Ray is a different kind of leader for this show. He’s a pacifist with a violent past, someone who doesn't care about the High Sparrow’s zealotry or the Crown’s politics. He just wants to build something.
The chemistry between Rory McCann and Ian McShane is effortless. You see Sandor struggling. He’s still grumpy, still cynical, but there’s a flicker of something else. Maybe it’s gratitude. He survived a fall that should have pulverized his internal organs, and Ray found him.
But this is Game of Thrones.
Peace is a death sentence. When the Brotherhood Without Banners—or a rogue splinter group of them—shows up demanding tribute, we know how this ends. The massacre of the villagers and the sight of Ray hanging from the rafters of his unfinished sept is the catalyst Sandor needed. He doesn't go back to being a Kingsguard or a mercenary. He goes back to being a killer, but this time, it feels like it might be for a cause, however grim. It’s a tragic pivot. It suggests that for men like Clegane, the only "peace" is found at the edge of an axe.
Lyanna Mormont Steals the Entire Show
While Sandor was finding his axe, Jon and Sansa were failing at diplomacy. Or, well, they were until they met a ten-year-old girl.
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Game of Thrones Season 6 Episode 7 introduced us to Lyanna Mormont, played by Bella Ramsey. It’s hard to overstate how much of an impact this one scene had on the fandom. While the great houses were dithering, the Lady of Bear Island was busy being the most competent adult in the room. She shut down Jon’s "pretty boy" charm and Sansa’s appeals to lineage with a cold, hard look.
"Bear Island knows no king but the King in the North, whose name is Stark."
That line became an instant classic. But look at the reality of the situation: they only got 62 men. It’s a pittance. The show does a great job of highlighting the desperation here. The North isn't just some monolithic block waiting for a Stark to show up; it’s a traumatized, fractured land. The Boltons have spent years terrifying these people. The fact that the Starks are reduced to begging a child for a handful of soldiers shows just how far the house has fallen since Ned’s day.
The Botched Job in Braavos
Then there’s Arya. This is where the episode gets controversial for some fans.
Arya Stark, a girl who has spent two seasons learning to be a paranoid, hyper-aware assassin, decides to take a leisurely stroll through the markets of Braavos. She’s throwing money around. She’s looking at the scenery. She’s completely unguarded.
It felt wrong. And then the Waif, disguised as an old woman, stabs her repeatedly in the gut.
Watching Arya stumble through the streets, bleeding out into the canal while people just stare at her, is harrowing. It’s a reminder that Braavos is a cold, indifferent place. But the logic here has always been a sticking point. How does she survive those wounds? How did she let her guard down? Some argue it was a lure, others say it was just a lapse in judgment born of her desire to go home. Regardless of the "why," it set the stakes for the "No One" finale of her Braavos arc. It stripped away the idea that she was some invincible superhero. She was just a kid who made a massive mistake.
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Jamie Lannister and the Blackfish: A Clash of Egos
Down at Riverrun, we get a reunion that feels like it’s pulled straight from the pages of A Feast for Crows. Jamie Lannister arrives to find the Freys being... well, the Freys. They’re incompetent, they’re threatening to hang Edmure Tully (but never doing it), and they’ve completely lost control of the siege.
The parley between Jamie and the Blackfish (Brynden Tully) is a masterclass in dialogue.
- The Blackfish doesn't care about Jamie’s "vows."
- He isn't intimidated by the Lannister army.
- He has two years of food and a very thick wall.
Jamie is trying to be the diplomat, the leader his father wanted him to be, but the Blackfish sees right through the golden armor. He sees the "Kingslayer." This interaction reinforces Jamie's struggle. He’s trying to move past his reputation, but the world won't let him. Every time he tries to act with honor or tactical restraint, someone reminds him of his greatest sin. It’s a mirror to Sandor’s journey in the same episode—two "broken" men trying to figure out if they have a second act.
The High Sparrow’s Long Game in King's Landing
Back in the capital, Margaery Tyrell is playing a dangerous game of 4D chess. She’s seemingly converted. She’s reciting scripture. She’s even shaming her grandmother, Olenna, for her "sins."
But the subtle hand-off of the drawing—a rose, the Tyrell sigil—to Olenna tells us everything we need to know. Margaery hasn't broken. She’s infiltrating.
The High Sparrow is getting bolder, too. He’s now threatening Olenna directly. It’s a fascinating power dynamic because the Sparrow doesn't care about money or titles, which are the only weapons the Tyrells usually have. When Olenna later tells Cersei that Cersei has "lost" and is responsible for this entire mess, it’s one of the most satisfying verbal beatdowns in the history of the show. Cersei’s hubris has finally trapped her in a corner where even her wealth and her name can't save her.
What Most People Get Wrong About This Episode
A lot of viewers think the title "The Broken Man" only refers to Sandor Clegane. It doesn't.
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It refers to the speech Septon Meribald gives in the books (condensed into Ray’s character here). It’s about the soldiers who go off to war because some lord tells them to, and they lose their minds and their souls in the mud.
- The Hound is broken by his past.
- The High Sparrow is using broken people to gain power.
- The North is broken by the Boltons.
- Edmure Tully is literally a broken prisoner.
- Arya is physically broken by the end of the hour.
The episode is a meditation on the cost of the "Game" itself. We focus so much on who sits on the Iron Throne that we forget about the thousands of people whose lives are destroyed in the process. This episode forces us to look at them.
Key Takeaways for Your Next Rewatch
If you’re heading back to watch Season 6, pay attention to the sound design in the opening. The lack of music during Sandor’s reveal makes the world feel grounded and real in a way the show rarely is. Also, look at the color palette. The Riverlands are lush and green, contrasting sharply with the cold, grey tones of the North and the dusty, golden hues of King’s Landing.
To fully appreciate the narrative weight here, you should:
- Compare Jamie’s parley to his earlier seasons. See how much more restrained he is. He’s trying to emulate Tywin but lacks Tywin’s inherent cruelty.
- Watch the background characters in Braavos. Their apathy toward Arya’s stabbing is a deliberate choice to show the city's culture.
- Listen to Septon Ray’s sermon. It’s the closest thing to a moral compass the show ever provides, which makes his death even more significant.
The real brilliance of "The Broken Man" isn't in the action—it's in the quiet realization that for most people in Westeros, there are no heroes, only survivors.
Actionable Insights for Game of Thrones Fans
If you want to dive deeper into the lore surrounding this episode, check out the Broken Man speech from George R.R. Martin’s A Feast for Crows. While the show combined characters to create Septon Ray, the original text provides a much more harrowing look at the life of a common soldier in the Riverlands. Understanding that context makes the Hound’s return feel much more earned and less like simple fan service. Also, track the timeline of the Brotherhood Without Banners; their shift from protectors of the smallfolk to the bandits we see here is a crucial plot point that explains why the Hound is so disillusioned when he picks that axe back up.