‘Game of Thrones’: Wedding Leaves Cersei Scrambling for Power

April 26, 2015 7:00pm PT by Aaron Couch

One of the Starks eyes their own wedding, while Tyrion faces a threat from the show's past in Sunday's episode.

[Warning: Spoilers ahead for Sunday's episode of Game of Thrones, "High Sparrow."]

Game of Thrones has finally thrown a wedding without anyone dying.

King Tommen's (Dean-Charles Chapman) nuptials to Margaery (Natalie Dormer) go off without a hitch in Sunday's episode, which leaves his mother Cersei (Lena Headey) scrambling to retain the waning power she has left.

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Enter the High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce). The mysterious religious leader is a fan favorite for book readers, and his introduction into the show is already shaking things up. His group of religious fanatics humiliate the High Septon (Paul Bentley), forcing him nude into the streets from a brothel. Cersei, who is less influential as her son Tommen becomes more enamored with his new queen, befriends the High Sparrow, a person she likely would have imprisoned in the past for causing such trouble. She sees him as someone she can use in the future. But for what?

The episode featured plenty of other big moves. Among them:

Sansa gets engaged to Ramsay. She survived a betrothal to Joffrey (Jack Gleeson), and now Sansa (Sophie Turner) is promised to another psychotic young man. Her husband-to-be Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon) is the son of Roose Bolton (Michael McElhatton), who betrayed her brother Robb (Richard Madden) at The Red Wedding. To add insult to injury, Roose currently rules her homeland as Warden of the North. Sansa initially balks at the betrothal for those reasons, but Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) presents it to her as a way to enter the game rather than being a bystander. This could be Sansa's chance to gain some real power — and avenge her family.

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Jon won't be Jon Stark. Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) decides to stay true to his vows and remain on The Night's Watch, even though Stannis (Stephen Dillane) offered to make him the legitimate heir to Winterfell. Declining the offer might be the wrong move in the long run. As Davos (Liam Cunningham) tells Jon, perhaps the best way to defend the realm would be to take the North and rule it: "As long as the Boltons rule the North, the North will suffer."

Jorah kidnaps Tyrion. Poor Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) can't catch a break. Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen) spots him in a brothel, and ties him up. Jorah has been down on his luck of late, too. Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) banished him last season after learning he'd once spied on her for Varys (Conlethh Hill) before becoming loyal to him. After kidnapping Tyrion, he says he's taking him to the queen. Presumably that's Dani, though conceivably he could mean Cersei, which would be infinitely worse for the fugitive Lannister, who is wanted for murder.

Arya sheds her past. Arya's (Maisie Williams) training to become one of The Faceless Men stalls, with her relegated to sweeping floors. Jaqen H'ghar (Tom Wlaschiha) encourages her to get rid of her possessions so she can truly begin to become a member of his sect, who have no personal identities and can change their faces. Arya complies, tossing her belongings into the water. But just can't manage to let go of Needle, the sword her father Eddard (Sean Bean) gave her before his death. Instead she stashes it way. Perhaps this last bit of Arya will help her retain who she was.

What did you think of the episode's big moves? Sound off in the comments — and stay tuned to The Live Feed following the East Coast feed for Iwan Rheon's take on Ramsay's future.

Game of Thrones airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO.