'Game of Thrones' recap: 'Fear is useful'

Spoiler alert! The following contains spoiler's from Sunday's episode of Game of Thrones.

Corrections and clarifications: An earlier version of this post misidentified the character of Lord Commander Mormont.

It's a brave new world in Westeros. Tywin Lannister is dead. Oberyn Martell is dead. Lord Commander Mormont is dead. The latest episode of Game of Thrones was all about dealing with the fallout of death, not so much on an emotional level but a political one.

What do you do when someone important dies? How do you fill that role? How do you avenge their death? How do you go on when someone powerful isn't exerting their power anymore?

Our favorite characters were forced to deal with these consequences in The House of Black and White. We recapped the most important moments in the episode.

JAQEN H'GHAR DOESN'T LIVE HERE

Arya! We missed you so much last week. The younger Stark daughter has finally made her way out of Westeros and to the House of Black and White in Braavos, but at first the establishment isn't so welcoming. A man we've never seen before rejects Arya and her attempts to enter the house, only to reveal himself as the very attractive assassin himself from season two, Jaqen H'ghar.

It seems like, potentially, Miss Stark is finally somewhere where she will be comfortable settling down. Given the fact that she's been on the run since the end of season one, we're looking forward to her hopefully getting some stability in her life. Or whatever counts as stability for a young girl who's already killed a whole slew of people.

BRIENNE AND POD VS. THE WORLD

Poor Brienne of Tarth. The one person in Westeros with real morals and a true mission has the hardest time convincing other people of that fact. Everyone's favorite not-a-knight finally found a brown-haired Sansa Stark, only she wasn't interested in riding off with someone she associated with the Lannisters.

But that won't put Brienne off from following and protecting the eldest Stark daughter, considering she thinks (probably very accurately) that Littlefinger isn't the best of guardians. We're guessing whatever Littlefinger has planned, Brienne will have something to say about it.

NOT THE HAND OF THE KING

Poor Cersei Lannister. Wait, did I really just say that? I find myself kind of feeling sorry for the Queen Mother, who, in addition to losing her son, her father and her intimate relationship with her brother, is also losing control of King's Landing.

After the death of Oberyn Martell last season, Cersei is concerned about her daughter Myrcella (oh yeah, remember her? More on her below) who has been living in Dorne since season two.

She's sending Jaime off to rescue/look in on the poor girl, which may or may not be a good idea given how tenuous Cersei's own position is in the capital.

This is never more clear than at the latest meeting of the Small Council, in which Cersei is taken to task by her Uncle Kevan, a poor stand-in for Tywin Lannister if I ever saw one. He wants to know what "the king" actually wants, and I can't help but remind him that "the king" is like 13-years-old and has a cat named "Ser Pounce," so his opinion really doesn't matter too much.

Still, even though Cersei is receiving the severed heads of dwarves and the patronage of Maester Qyburn (who, let's be real, is super shady), she better watch her back if she wants to hold on to her ruling role.

YOU CAN'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT

Bronn! There you are! We missed you so. And since your bromance with Tyrion is effectively over (more on him below), we're glad to see that your bromance with Jaime Lannister is in full swing. Jaime is there to stop Bronn's marriage to what we can only describe as a very respectable woman (book readers will be very excited to see Lollys in the flesh) and to recruit the sellsword for his trip to Dorne.

I can only hope some road trip hijinx ensue from the pair as they head as south and south goes. I also hope Bronn gets a new bride out of the deal, because, let's be real, we all just really want him to be happy.

MEANWHILE IN DORNE…

Remember the incredibly brutal death of Oberyn Martell? Yeah, his family hasn't forgotten it, either. The episode gave us our first look at Oberyn's homeland of Dorne, and the long-forgotten Princess Myrcella, now all grown up and played by a brand-new actress. It also reminded us that the Oberyn's lover and his daughters, "the Sand Snakes," are still pretty darn pissed that he was killed last season.

His brother, Doran, doesn't seem too concerned about the whole thing at the moment, considering Oberyn's death was legal in the eyes of the law, but we doubt this is the last we'll hear from these guys. They don't call them Martells "Unbowed, unbent, unbroken" for nothing.

MHYSA IN TROUBLE

The Sons of the Harpy are turning out to be a real thorn in the side of Daenerys and her slave-free world in Meereen. Not only are they killing her Unsullied and her loyal citizens, but now her loyal citizens are killing them.

Dany's latest challenge came not from someone who hated her rule but from someone who loved it too much.

When a supporter of Dany's kills a Son of the Harpy awaiting trial, she's forced to execute him, publicly.

The cries of "Mhysa" in the crowd quickly turn to hisses (like, serious legitimate hisses), which is not a good sign for our favorite blonde queen (sorry, Cersei).

But things may be looking up for Dany, considering Drogon the wayward dragon came to visit her instead of toasting and eating small children. With her dragons on her side, Dany can't do anything wrong, right?

THE ROAD TO MEEREEN STARTS IN VOLANTIS

Hey, Varys, what are you up to these days? We can't help but be suspicious of the former Master of Whisperers as he and Tyrion travel towards Dany. Tyrion is still a drunk mess, but Varys has plans of stopping in Volantis on the way to Meereen. What's in Volantis?

Definitely not the Mother of Dragons. Varys chooses this time to remind the imp how good he was at ruling, back when he was Hand of the King (guys, remember season two? Things were so much simpler then…), but Tyrion still just wants to drink his problems (and his guilt) away. We're really hoping Varys doesn't take advantage of the youngest Lannister, because he's at his most vulnerable right now.

LORD COMMANDER SNOW

Can we talk about how this is the greatest moment in the history of Game of Thrones? Because Jon Snow, easily the best character in the entire darn series, has finally has gotten something good in his life after five years of taking other people's crap. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, you're looking at the new Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, and who the heck cares if he's a bastard?

We knew that the Watch couldn't possibly be run by Ser Alliser, just the worst man at the Wall, but it was such a happy surprise when Sam (displaying his greatest bout of courage since he killed a White Walker) nominated Jon for the job. And honestly, it makes perfect sense, given how much of a leadership role Jon has taken over the past few seasons.

Turning down the offer from Stannis to be a legitimate Stark and rule Winterfell was just icing on the cake. Jon is a man of the black, through and through. Like seriously, who is better to lead the Night's Watch than Jon Snow?

No one, we tell you! Even if he was kind of a mopey dork about the whole thing. (Like seriously, Jon, can you smile for once? We'd really appreciate it.) Westeros can fall apart, but everything is going to be OK, because Jon is leading the Watch. And we really don't need anything else.