In the context of the show, Benjen claims to have been stabbed and left for dead by the White Walkers only to be saved by the Children of the Forest with a well-timed shard of obsidian or dragonglass to the heart. In the books, at least, Coldhands is one-of-a-kind: a “good” zombie. Can just anyone stop zombification via White Walker with dragonglass or did that trick die with the Children of the Forest? (Good job, Bran!) We don’t know, that remains to be seen.

So while Benjen-as-Coldhands likely won’t manifest in the books, his reappearance at this time is pretty exciting in the context of the show.

You might remember this Season 1 scene (the sun is shining at the Wall! Kit Harrington’s hair is so short!) between Jon and his uncle where Benjen says he’s leaving to investigate “disturbing reports.” It’s possible Benjen is returning after years away with some pertinent White Walker intel. But, more compellingly, the clip ends with Benjen echoing the last words Ned Stark said to Jon Snow in the pilot. “Next time we see each other,” Ned said, ”we’ll speak about your mother. I promise.” Benjen told Jon:

Unlike Ned, Benjen may actually be in a position now to make good on his promise. Could Benjen be returning to finally reveal the truth behind Jon Snow’s parentage? It seems like all of the flashbacks of young Ned this season—including the one in this episode—are leading up to that. It would be a tidy closing of a loop (more in keeping with the logic of the show than the logic of the books) for Uncle Benjen to be the one to help deliver the news. And once Jon Snow knows who his parents truly are, there could be nothing holding him back from rallying the North.

The other big returning character in the episode was Walder Frey (David Bradley), the diabolical mastermind behind the Red Wedding. (Oh, and Edmure Tully was there, too. Hi, Tobias Menzies!) Frey made sure to remind all of us of his crimes against the Starks with a colorful description of the horrors of the Red Wedding. Someone has to make him pay for what he did, and there’s a tantalizing theory that that person might be Arya. Walder Frey is one of the names on her famous list. No details yet on how she might get to the Freys, but if she did, there’s a conveniently Arya-sized character with loads of access introduced in this episode whose face the little Stark assassin could wear.