Full spoilers for Game of Thrones' Season 6 finale, "The Winds of Winter," continue below. This post also gets into A Dance With Dragon book spoilers that specifically pertain to Wyman Manderly's storyline, so read on at your own risk.
Game of Thrones finally went somewhere book fans have been desperate for it to go for years. No, it wasn't Daenerys departing for Westeros, or finding out definitively who Jon Snow's mother was, or even someone killing Walder Frey; it was meeting Wyman Manderly in the flesh.
Wyman Manderly was first introduced in A Game of Thrones, and was a bit player in each book up through the most recent release, A Dance With Dragons. But it was his role in that last novel that catapulted him up the ranks of book readers' fan favorites and resulted in his long-awaited arrival on Game of Thrones being met with plenty of delight.
(And, OK, yeah, those other things that happened were a pretty big deal too.)
Sean Blowers as Wyman Manderly on Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones has already laid the groundwork for Manderly's introduction, even though it took six full seasons for it to happen. Most importantly, Wyman's son Wendel had a blink-and-you-miss-it appearance at the Red Wedding, and was killed alongside Robb, Catelyn and Talisa Stark. He didn't get a line or really anything to do beyond sit near the Starks, but he's easily spotted by the Manderly sigil (a merman) pinned to his lapel. Earlier this season, Jon Snow name-dropped Manderly as a potential house that could join their anti-Bolton army.
Basically Manderly is pissed his son was killed along with the Starks, and that becomes a main motivation both in the books and in the show for why he remains a Stark loyalist. But his storyline plays out a bit differently in "The Winds of Winter," where he is chastised by Lyanna Mormont for not coming to Jon Snow's call to arms and then stands up as the first new house to support Jon's claim as King in the North.
There are a couple of the big reasons fans like Manderly so much, one of which actually did happen in this episode, albeit executed by a different character. (Here's where some book spoilers come into play, so be warned, although they are things that won't happen on the show in the same manner because the TV series has passed this plotline.)
Walder Frey gets served a meat pie in "The Winds of Winter"
In A Dance With Dragons, Manderly -- who has been playing nice with the people who betrayed and killed the Starks despite long being pledged to the house -- is traveling north to Ramsay Bolton's wedding with "Arya Stark" (it's actually a different woman, but that's another story entirely) and has three Freys in his entourage. When he arrives at Bolton-occupied Winterfell, the Freys are mysteriously missing, but he does have three massive meat pies that he presents to Ramsay as a wedding gift.
Wyman proceeds to personally serve the pie to Roose, Walda and some Freys at the feast, calling it "the best pie you have ever tasted, my lords" and promising he will "savor every bite." If you've seen Game of Thrones' finale -- and hopefully you have, because we've already gotten deep into spoiler territory -- then you know where this is going: they were Frey pies, and some of the most twisted execution of vengeance in all of Martin's novels.
Except the meat isn't exactly what he expects it to be
In "The Winds of Winter," Arya serves up a healthy slice of Frey pie to Walder Frey before murdering him in cold blood at his own home. It's gruesome and a tad satisfying to watch her do it, but just know that you have Manderly -- and George R.R. Martin -- to thank for that nasty bit of work.
The other big reason Wyman Manderly is such a fan favorite is because he has what might be the most badass speech in all of Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. In the books, Davos has come to him at his home, White Harbor, for purposes the show has already surpassed, and Manderly shows his true colors as remaining true to House Stark (there's more to it, but it's not necessary to understand just how great the speech is). Even though that point in the show's timeline has passed, the timeliness of reading his monologue still feel right after the events of Season 6's finale.
Here's Manderly's speech in all its glory:
"Foes and false friends are all around me, Lord Davos. They infest my city like roaches, and at night I feel them crawling over me." The fat man’s fingers coiled into a fist, and all his chins trembled. "My son Wendel came to the Twins a guest. He ate Lord Walder’s bread and salt, and hung his sword upon the wall to feast with his friends. And they murdered him. Murdered, I say, and may the Freys choke upon their fables. I drink with Jared, jape with Symond, promise Rhaegar the hand of my own beloved granddaughter…but never think that means I have forgotten. The north remembers, Lord Davos. The north remembers, and the mummer’s farce is almost done. My son is home."
So there you have it. Whether Manderly only got his one episode of glory or he's someone who has a bigger role to play in Season 7 and beyond, his arrival in Season 6's finale was a bit of fan service that won't be taken in vain. Just remember, with the end in sight, the mummer's farce is almost done -- and the north will always remember.
Terri Schwartz is Entertainment Editor at IGN. Talk to her on Twitter at @Terri_Schwartz.
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