S3┬ÀE6 ÔÇö The Climb

The hour retold

The Wall gives the episode its spine and its title: Jon, Ygritte and the free folk go up seven hundred feet of ice that sheds climbers like a dog shaking off water, and the hour keeps returning to them ÔÇö small figures on a white face, roped to people they cannot entirely trust. When a sheet of ice takes half the party into the void and Orell cuts the rope rather than haul two crowsÔÇÖ weight, the message is tidy: on the climb, everyone is expendable to somebody. The summit earns the seasonÔÇÖs one unguarded image ÔÇö two people above the world, kissing where the maps end.

Down in the warm country, the ladders are made of people. Walder FreyÔÇÖs price for the bridge Robb needs arrives itemized: an apology in person, Harrenhal in hand, and Edmure Tully at the altar ÔÇö the Freys collecting on the marriage Robb broke, one Tully down. And in KingÔÇÖs Landing, the episode delivers the seriesÔÇÖ thesis statement through Littlefinger, purring over the throne room: chaos isnÔÇÖt a pit, chaos is a ladder. The speech plays over Ros ÔÇö sold to JoffreyÔÇÖs crossbow for informing to Varys ÔÇö and Sansa weeping on a dock as her ship to safety sails without her. The realm, Littlefinger explains, is a lie people agree to climb. The episode agrees with him, and asks the audience to notice who falls off.

What happens

• Jon and the free folk climb the Wall; the ice sheds climbers like flies.
• Walder Frey's price arrives at Riverrun: an apology, Harrenhal, and Edmure at the altar.
• Littlefinger wins the Vale-sized game with Varys and ships Ros to Joffrey's crossbow.
• "Chaos is a ladder."

The people of the episode

The fallen ÔÇö spoilers

• Ros ÔÇö Sold by Littlefinger to a king who wanted a moving target.