Spoiler alert! This recap is intended for folks who've already seen the episode, and will include a description of its events! So death is now officially meaningless in Game of Thrones. It's not just that Benjen Stark came back, or that Jon Snow came back and now The Hound; the problem is that no death seems final anymore. Is there any doubt that Hodor isn't going to come back as a wight or something worse? Or something better? It feels like Ned is only kept dead because he was beheaded back when the show pretended that death was final. It's long since become a door that can swing both ways. Whom do you think will be the next character who returns from the dead? But hey, cold open! That's pretty fun, right? I actually stopped HBO Now for a moment to make sure I clicked on the...

Spoiler alert! This recap is intended for folks who've already seen the episode, and will include a description of its events! Like any kids show — or any show, really — Steven Universe often falls victim to repeat plots. Tonight's episode feels like a retread, only swapping out one Gem for another. But that character change is significant and helps to enliven an otherwise familiar plot. Lapis and Peridot don't make for the best "Barn Mates" The premise of "Barn Mates" might remind viewers of several episodes back, when Peridot first ended up in the Crystal Gems' camp. Lapis Lazuli, after last week's events, finds herself sharing a bunk with the tiny green Gem, much to her chagrin. Peridot doesn't feel the same way, though. She opens the episode by detailing how excited she is...

Spoiler alert! This recap is intended for folks who've already seen the episode, and will include a description of its events! That is a pretty great way to start an episode of Game of Thrones. Sansa and Jon embracing and sharing memories of home was a warm spot in a show that has lately seemed like it's trying to punish the viewer. The question is what comes after the two Starks are reintroduced to either. Sansa may be ready to take back Winterfell, but Jon sounds like he's given up. You can't blame him. As he says, he swore his life and gave it. He has fought, he has killed and he has died. He was murdered for his attempts to protect everything he knows from the White Walkers, and he doesn't have a lot of hope that he can do much good anymore. If no one is willing to listen...

Spoiler alert! This recap is intended for folks who've already seen the episode, and will include a description of its events! Jon Snow saw nothing after death. But some force more powerful than death itself brought him back. It's hard to square those two thoughts. Clearly there's something going on beyond the mortal coil, but what that might be remains obscured. We see through a glass darkly. "I did what I thought was right. Then I got murdered for it. Now I'm back. Why?" Jon Snow asked, in a bit of dialog that was maybe a bit too on the nose. Davos isn't really interested in that question, much less the answer. What's important is that Snow is back, and he must pick up the fight where he left it. He accepts the magic he sees with his own eyes with only a small bit of shock and...