Game of Thrones Episode 39: The Watchers on the Wall

Jon Snow and Samwell Tarly begin the episode standing watch atop Castle Black, talking about fear, vows, and what might happen if they die before the coming battle. A bird suddenly appears on the Wall, and when Sam notices it is acting strangely, the men at Castle Black realize that the wildlings are close.

At the wildling camp south of the Wall, Ygritte insists on being the one to kill Jon. She reports that Castle Black is vulnerable, and Styr orders the attack to begin.

Back at Castle Black, Ser Alliser Thorne takes charge of the defense and sends men to their posts when the first alarms sound. The attack quickly becomes a two-front assault: wildlings climb the Wall from one side while others, including giants and a mammoth, move against the castle gates from the other.

As the fighting intensifies, Thorne is injured in the chaos, and the Night’s Watch struggles to hold its positions. Pyp fires crossbows while Sam helps reload, but Ygritte shoots Pyp dead, devastating Sam.

Sam climbs the Wall to warn Jon that the courtyard is overrun. Jon leaves Edd in charge and rushes below to help defend the castle. At ground level, he directs men to different choke points and sends Grenn and others to protect the inner gate from the giant and mammoth trying to force their way in.

Inside Castle Black, the wildlings break through defenses and fighting spreads through the yard and stairways. Tormund leads an assault inside the castle, and Jon eventually kills Styr in single combat.

Jon then comes face to face with Ygritte. She hesitates instead of immediately shooting him, and before she can act, Olly hits her in the back with an arrow. She dies in Jon’s arms, and the battle continues around them.

Elsewhere in the fight, Gilly hides with her baby and survives the chaos by staying out of sight. The battle remains brutal, with men on both sides dying as the Night’s Watch tries to keep the castle from falling.

Jon orders Tormund captured after the wildling leader is wounded and surrounded. Above the Wall, Edd helps hold the line, and the Night’s Watch finally forces the wildling assault to withdraw for the night.

By morning, the battlefield is littered with bodies. Jon tells Sam that he is going north to kill Mance Rayder, hoping to stop the wildlings by removing their leader. He asks Sam to burn the dead, including Grenn and the men who died defending the Wall after killing a giant. Before leaving, Jon tells Sam to keep his sword ready and then heads out beyond the Wall alone.