As Alliser Thorne reminds him following the death of Maester Aemon, Samwell Tarly is losing all of the friends he had at The Wall. Itd be easy for him to shut himself away with his books, but no, he chooses to prove he can stand on his own two feet. Despite lacking in sword-fighting skills of any kind, he bravely stands up to two of his brothers when they attack Gilly, and although he receives a fair bit of a beating he keeps getting back up for more. It probably helped when Ghost appeared at his side, proof that not *all* of his friends are gone, but that shouldnt take away from his own accomplishment here. Long gone is the boy who was such an easy target back in Season 1. To further prove that, we see Sam lose his virginity as he and Gilly finally get together (more like Sam the Layer, am I right folks?!). Its a moment that both characters deserve, and one expertly played John Bradley-West.