Note: This post contains spoilers about the latest episode of Game of Thrones.

All of his life, the bastard Jon Snow wanted one thing: to be a true Stark like his brothers and father. And in the second episode of Game of Thrones' fifth season, King Stannis Baratheon offered to grant him that wish — and the lordship of Winterfell — in return for his loyalty in the coming wars.

Ultimately, Jon chose a bastard's life — and his vows — at the Wall instead.

"If I don't take my own words seriously, what sort of lord of Winterfell would I be?" he asks.

Well, that's a shame — "Jon Stark" sounds so good, too.

Luckily the choice paid off, and the Night's Watch justified Jon's loyalty by voting him — with a little urging from Sam and a smidgen of help from good old Maester Aemon — the Watch's 998th Lord Commander. It's what the Old Bear, former Lord Commander Mormont, would have wanted, and it felt great to see it play out on-screen.

Welcome to Dorne

Elsewhere in Westeros, we finally got our first glimpse of Dorne, the homeland of Oberyn "The Red Viper" Martell. Oberyn, you may recall, got his face bashed in by Gregor Clegane last season, and it turns out his brother, Prince Doran, and his lover Ellaria Sand are still salty about it.

The Martells have been nursing a grudge against the Lannisters ever since Tywin (R.I.P.) ordered Clegane to slaughter Doran's sister, Elia, and her children by Rhaegar Targaryen during Robert's rebellion two decades past. And that grudge has only intensified thanks to recent events.

That could be bad news for Myrcella — Cersei and Jaime's daughter — who's currently a "guest" at the Dornish Water Gardens. Prince Doran insists that the Martells "do not mutilate little girls for vengeance," but clearly Ellaria is planning to take matters into her own hands.

"Get it done." — Cersei, always. Image: HBO

In King's Landing, Cersei is not ignorant of the danger Myrcella may be in, and Jaime has resolved to do something about it.

It was fun to watch Bronn play the doting betrothed to Lollys Stokeworth, and it's a shame that Jaime had to come and ruin his plans. But hopefully it will be even more fun watching the two of them sneak and slash their way into Dorne.

The Mad Queen?

Dany has her own problems, and the situation in Meereen is getting worse, not better. Drogon's surprise reappearance — and sudden re-departure — might herald things to come, but for now the black dragon has no help to offer his mother. Tyrion, too, might have been able to offer Dany some sage counsel this episode, but he and Varys remain on the road.

Oh, hey, Drogon. Image: HBO

And the Dragon Queen clearly missed the point of Barristan's story about her father Aerys.

It turns out the king that Robert usurped before the series began earned his most enduring title.

"The Mad King gave his enemies the justice he thought they deserved, and each time it made him feel powerful and right," Barristan tells Dany. "Until the very end."

Yet when a member of her own inner circle, the freed slave Mossador, begs for her mercy, she chooses the justice she thinks he deserves, turning the people of Meereen against her in the process. Dany is clearly walking a fine line here, and it's uncertain what kind of ruler she's becoming.

Chance encounters

But it was Arya's storyline that gave this episode its name, "The House of Black and White."

The youngest Stark daughter has been through the grinder and come out harder and more determined than any of her family members would have guessed she could be. But the big question for Arya going forward will be whether she can leave her roots behind and become "no one" through her training at the House of Black and White, the Braavosi temple dedicated to the god of death.

Is Arya ready for a new life? Image: HBO

Arya's reunion with Jaqen H'ghar, the Faceless Man who helped her escape from Harrenhal during season 2, was a long time coming. But his presence here was a surprise for readers.

In the books, Arya's master in Braavos is an old priest she thinks of as the Kindly Man, and fans have long speculated that he's actually Jaqen. The assassin's grumpy old man disguise was a nice nod to that theory, though it doesn't prove anything — as we've already seen this season, the show definitely =/= the books.

That became evident yet again when Brienne and Pod finally ran into Sansa, the latest in a long string of eye roll-inducing coincidences unique to the show. Constantly having important characters accidentally run into one another is an effective way to make any fictional world — even one as big as Game of Thrones' — feel small, no matter how convenient it is as a plot device.

Luckily it doesn't change too much about the story, because Sansa — her newfound confidence tipping over into full-on arrogance — rejects her mother's former sworn sword with barely a thought. I have a feeling she's going to come to regret that, but who knows? We're in totally uncharted territory here.

This episode had a few pay-offs, but like the season 5 premiere it focused more on setting up future storylines. Jaime is headed to Dorne, but we still don't know where Sansa and Littlefinger are going. And although Brienne and Pod made a bloody escape, their path from here is murky.

At the Wall, Gilly and Shireen Baratheon had a conversation about the disfiguring disease Greyscale that was just a bit too long to not be important later.

And Stannis revealed to Jon that he's having trouble winning the Northern houses over to his cause despite his saving the Night's Watch. (That letter from 10-year-old Lyanna Mormont — "Bear Island knows no king but the King in the North, whose name is Stark" — is a favorite line from the books).

All the while, Arya's list of foes is getting shorter and shorter. Wonder who she'll cross off next?

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