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scifi_rewatchHello, hello! We are approximately seven weeks away from the start of the eighth and final season of “Game of Thrones.” Reaching the endgame here.
In recapping season seven, I may spend a liiiitle bit of time speculating about possible spoilers for the upcoming books (aided by Linda’s commentary at westeros.org) but I don’t mean to make it a big staple. Suffice it to say that the show and the books are largely two different animals by now. I’m more keen to comment on the show.
Like many season openers, this one casts a wide net, even as the characters slowly grow closer in proximity to one another. There’s a little bit of recapping past events and foreshadowing future ones. Since it’s very character driven I tend to be on board, though I have a tiny quibble to pick in the Sansa story. :/ Alas, compared to developments later in the season, this barely deserves notice.
But let’s stay on track here! Our first non-ten-episode season starts out strong. We get the character beats, and also some very direct reminders about the impending danger of the White Walkers. Winter is coming. :P
Summary
Beyond the Wall
Literally traveling in a winter storm, the Night King, White Walkers and wights (including giants!) are on the move. Bran and Meera have made it to the Wall. Ed allows them in once Bran proves his usefulness (and maybe confirms his identity?) by speaking of Ed’s experience at Hardhome, and the unique danger of their supernatural enemies.
Winterfell
Speaking of those taking the White Walkers seriously, Jon wants the maesters to focus on dragonglass; he also wants the northerners to train their sons AND daughters for battle. Tensions (some of them interfamilial with Sansa) are on the rise as he readmits the Umber and Karstark children as Stark bannermen. Cersei sends a raven demanding that the Starks bend the knee to her, Brienne beats Pod in training and wards off advances from Tormund, and Sansa does the same (warding off advances, that is,) from Littlefinger.
Riverrun and the Twins
But actually the episode’s cold open takes place at the Twins; Arya, disguised as Walder, tricks all the Frey men who took part in the Red Wedding into drinking poison. Later, she’s on the road and runs into Lannister soldiers, but it’s not all blood and gore here. Instead, they show kindness, share food, reminisce about home, and don’t take her seriously when she says she’s headed to King’s Landing to kill Cersei.
King’s Landing
Cersei is taking stock of her various enemies, and despite Jaime’s feelings on the matter, she invites Euron to be her ally. Euron, who wants vengeance on Yara and Theon but more importantly wants Cersei as his queen, vows to bring her a priceless gift to prove his worth. Meanwhile, Jaime wants to focus on the loss of his children, but Cersei is definitely not up to that; survival is her only endgame now.
A snowier part of the Riverlands? Maybe the Vale? :P
Sandor and the Brotherhood without Banners comes across the home of the man Sandor robbed in season four; but now it’s snowing hard and the father killed himself and his daughter long ago in order to avoid starvation. Sandor argues about why the Lord of Light might bring Beric back but leave better people like the girl to die; Thoros invites him to look into the flames and Sandor gets a vision of the White Walkers crossing over the Wall at Eastwatch. Later, likely motivated by guilt, Sandor buries the bodies and attempts to say some words over them.
Oldtown
Sam’s training at the Citadel consists largely of slopping soup and diarrhea, and putting books away while longingly looking at the Restricted Section. He tries to get the Archmaester to grant him access, but while the man believes Sam’s story about seeing White Walkers, he’s confident that Westeros will weather this winter because of precedent and the Wall. So Sam sneaks into the Restricted Section, finds out about dragonglass at Dragonstone, and later tends to a man who is obviously Jorah, asking if Daenerys has arrived on the continent yet.
Dragonstone
And it turns out she has, right at the end of the episode! :P She and her entourage arrive at Dragonstone, where she was born, and revel in a slow, revealing walk up to the castle, removing Stannis’s heart banner and taking in the throne room before going to the Chamber of the Painted Table. With Tyrion by her side and a nice war strategy set up before her, she finally speaks: “Shall we begin?”
Possible spoilers
I agree with Elio and Linda that Bran will never return south of the Wall, but it is possible. It’s also possible, backed by developments at the Wall, that Jon would be amendable to training girls to fight. Sam wanting to talk to the maesters at the Citadel about the danger the White Walkers pose is almost a definite. The Freys are likely going down, but probably not by mass poisoning. They’ve been picked off more piecemeal in the books. A lot of other developments are possible/not probable. The last most probable event, imho, is that Daenerys will land at her birthplace of Dragonstone.
Thoughts
Well, the White Walkers are coming and Bran is sounding more prophetic. :P Yup.
Elsewhere, other characters are dealing with interpersonal drama. Arya uses her Faceless Men magic to kill anyone who had a part in the Red Wedding, effectively putting any Stark vengeance to bed. But we see that she stops the women from drinking the poisoned wine, so her revenge has limits. Later, she comes across Lannister men (including popular musician Ed Sheeran, who sings a Westerosi song from the books) but things don’t end bloodily there either. They treat her with kindness and speak fondly of their homes, so Arya doesn’t feel compelled to off them. Of course this further reminds us of her humanity, but it’s also a nice reminder of general humanity. I think the show has been a little too eager in the past to paint random soldiers as buffoons and/or sadists. These ones get a foreshadowing moment in namedropping the Dragon Pit—HINT HINT.
Sandor gets a more obvious foreshadowing moment when he sees the White Walkers making their big stand at Eastwatch. Dun dun duuuuun. But more compellingly, he also has to come to terms with his guilt over what he did to that man and his daughter. At the very least, he aided their suffering by robbing them. Rory McCann continues to walk that line between being a man of feeling and a man of assholery. :P
Winterfell is a mix of advancing plot—remember, WHITE WALKERS. Remember, DRAGONGLASS—but also character beats. Lady Mormont gets her badass moment by shaming Lord Glover about not letting girls fight. Tormund, Pod and Brienne engage in brief fighting and flirtation. But Sansa is at the center of some more serious and tense stuff. She goes against Jon in suggesting that the Karstarks and the Umbers, whose patriarchs betrayed Jon in the Battle of the Bastards, be stripped of their lands. (I get where she’s coming from with this whole “actions have consequences” thing, but I’m far more Team Jon and Forgiveness here.) She’s obviously not thrilled by her place in Jon’s…court, I guess? But she’s keeping Littlefinger at a distance, too. She’s a complicated gal. And I can see why she’d “admire” Cersei, too (her bad wig has Cersei’s hair style). And yet…I didn’t hear her “admiring” Cersei in her inflection, despite Jon’ assertion that she did. I hear her being upset by the threat Cersei poses. I dunno, maybe it’ not Sophie Turner’s best acting. And yet…the showrunners have a history of attempting to go for something that ultimately looks entire different (*cough cough* Jaime/Cersei sex scene in season four *cough*)
There’s no sexy times happening between Cersei and Jaime in this episode. :P Both are still too shattered by the deaths of their children, Tommen’s recent one in particular, though they’re handling it differently. Cersei is ready to tear down her enemies, even if it means relying on the cowardly Greyjoys. Well, Euron might be an ass, but his martial and sexual sparring with Jaime is kinda funny. Also, we get a promise of future plot development by Euron promising Cersei a priceless gift of some kind. Hmmm.
As for Jaime and Cersei, I get it, they’re siblings and their relationship is gross. But it’s also so raw, so real. I certainly wasn’t thinking about the twincest when Jaime pointed out: “a dynasty for whom? All our children are dead!” I was thinking of heartbroken parents. :( Lena and Nickolai work off each other so well that I can’t help but want to see them together. They bring a lot of genuine emotion and complexity to the show.
Meanwhile, Sam’s library training makes me feel bad for any complaints I ever had about library school. :P I could shelve books all day, and I didn’t have to worry about soup and diarrhea (they looked disgustingly similar, too. Gotta wonder if anyone is getting any nutrients at the Citadel. :P)
I also like the archmaester’s analytical reaction to knowledge and perceived danger, but of course he’s wrong here. Sam’s fears are unfounded only if the Wall holds—HINT HINT. In the archmaester’s defense, the Wall has held for millennia. But every civilization faces an end of days. So it seems.
Little Sam is growing bigger—awww—Gilly is reading, and Sam pulls through to find a plot point. Huzzah! Dragonglass is close and it will bring characters together! And in a creepy but well executed moment, we see that an ever-more-sickly Jorah is being tended to at the Citadel. And he remains hyper-focused on Dany’s quest.
And wuddaya know—Cersei’s concerns from earlier in the episode are realized as Daenerys and co land at Dragonstone! We get to see a lot more of the majesty of the place than we did when Stannis was in charge—from the long walk up the hill to the dragons carved of stone to another elaborate throne. The art department outdoes itself. I also agree that saving dialogue until the very end lends to the gravitas. And in a smaller moment—I like when Dany scoops up a handful of sand. I associate that action with coming home after a long exile. I think it gets the point across.
In recapping season seven, I may spend a liiiitle bit of time speculating about possible spoilers for the upcoming books (aided by Linda’s commentary at westeros.org) but I don’t mean to make it a big staple. Suffice it to say that the show and the books are largely two different animals by now. I’m more keen to comment on the show.
Like many season openers, this one casts a wide net, even as the characters slowly grow closer in proximity to one another. There’s a little bit of recapping past events and foreshadowing future ones. Since it’s very character driven I tend to be on board, though I have a tiny quibble to pick in the Sansa story. :/ Alas, compared to developments later in the season, this barely deserves notice.
But let’s stay on track here! Our first non-ten-episode season starts out strong. We get the character beats, and also some very direct reminders about the impending danger of the White Walkers. Winter is coming. :P
Summary
Beyond the Wall
Literally traveling in a winter storm, the Night King, White Walkers and wights (including giants!) are on the move. Bran and Meera have made it to the Wall. Ed allows them in once Bran proves his usefulness (and maybe confirms his identity?) by speaking of Ed’s experience at Hardhome, and the unique danger of their supernatural enemies.
Winterfell
Speaking of those taking the White Walkers seriously, Jon wants the maesters to focus on dragonglass; he also wants the northerners to train their sons AND daughters for battle. Tensions (some of them interfamilial with Sansa) are on the rise as he readmits the Umber and Karstark children as Stark bannermen. Cersei sends a raven demanding that the Starks bend the knee to her, Brienne beats Pod in training and wards off advances from Tormund, and Sansa does the same (warding off advances, that is,) from Littlefinger.
Riverrun and the Twins
But actually the episode’s cold open takes place at the Twins; Arya, disguised as Walder, tricks all the Frey men who took part in the Red Wedding into drinking poison. Later, she’s on the road and runs into Lannister soldiers, but it’s not all blood and gore here. Instead, they show kindness, share food, reminisce about home, and don’t take her seriously when she says she’s headed to King’s Landing to kill Cersei.
King’s Landing
Cersei is taking stock of her various enemies, and despite Jaime’s feelings on the matter, she invites Euron to be her ally. Euron, who wants vengeance on Yara and Theon but more importantly wants Cersei as his queen, vows to bring her a priceless gift to prove his worth. Meanwhile, Jaime wants to focus on the loss of his children, but Cersei is definitely not up to that; survival is her only endgame now.
A snowier part of the Riverlands? Maybe the Vale? :P
Sandor and the Brotherhood without Banners comes across the home of the man Sandor robbed in season four; but now it’s snowing hard and the father killed himself and his daughter long ago in order to avoid starvation. Sandor argues about why the Lord of Light might bring Beric back but leave better people like the girl to die; Thoros invites him to look into the flames and Sandor gets a vision of the White Walkers crossing over the Wall at Eastwatch. Later, likely motivated by guilt, Sandor buries the bodies and attempts to say some words over them.
Oldtown
Sam’s training at the Citadel consists largely of slopping soup and diarrhea, and putting books away while longingly looking at the Restricted Section. He tries to get the Archmaester to grant him access, but while the man believes Sam’s story about seeing White Walkers, he’s confident that Westeros will weather this winter because of precedent and the Wall. So Sam sneaks into the Restricted Section, finds out about dragonglass at Dragonstone, and later tends to a man who is obviously Jorah, asking if Daenerys has arrived on the continent yet.
Dragonstone
And it turns out she has, right at the end of the episode! :P She and her entourage arrive at Dragonstone, where she was born, and revel in a slow, revealing walk up to the castle, removing Stannis’s heart banner and taking in the throne room before going to the Chamber of the Painted Table. With Tyrion by her side and a nice war strategy set up before her, she finally speaks: “Shall we begin?”
Possible spoilers
I agree with Elio and Linda that Bran will never return south of the Wall, but it is possible. It’s also possible, backed by developments at the Wall, that Jon would be amendable to training girls to fight. Sam wanting to talk to the maesters at the Citadel about the danger the White Walkers pose is almost a definite. The Freys are likely going down, but probably not by mass poisoning. They’ve been picked off more piecemeal in the books. A lot of other developments are possible/not probable. The last most probable event, imho, is that Daenerys will land at her birthplace of Dragonstone.
Thoughts
Well, the White Walkers are coming and Bran is sounding more prophetic. :P Yup.
Elsewhere, other characters are dealing with interpersonal drama. Arya uses her Faceless Men magic to kill anyone who had a part in the Red Wedding, effectively putting any Stark vengeance to bed. But we see that she stops the women from drinking the poisoned wine, so her revenge has limits. Later, she comes across Lannister men (including popular musician Ed Sheeran, who sings a Westerosi song from the books) but things don’t end bloodily there either. They treat her with kindness and speak fondly of their homes, so Arya doesn’t feel compelled to off them. Of course this further reminds us of her humanity, but it’s also a nice reminder of general humanity. I think the show has been a little too eager in the past to paint random soldiers as buffoons and/or sadists. These ones get a foreshadowing moment in namedropping the Dragon Pit—HINT HINT.
Sandor gets a more obvious foreshadowing moment when he sees the White Walkers making their big stand at Eastwatch. Dun dun duuuuun. But more compellingly, he also has to come to terms with his guilt over what he did to that man and his daughter. At the very least, he aided their suffering by robbing them. Rory McCann continues to walk that line between being a man of feeling and a man of assholery. :P
Winterfell is a mix of advancing plot—remember, WHITE WALKERS. Remember, DRAGONGLASS—but also character beats. Lady Mormont gets her badass moment by shaming Lord Glover about not letting girls fight. Tormund, Pod and Brienne engage in brief fighting and flirtation. But Sansa is at the center of some more serious and tense stuff. She goes against Jon in suggesting that the Karstarks and the Umbers, whose patriarchs betrayed Jon in the Battle of the Bastards, be stripped of their lands. (I get where she’s coming from with this whole “actions have consequences” thing, but I’m far more Team Jon and Forgiveness here.) She’s obviously not thrilled by her place in Jon’s…court, I guess? But she’s keeping Littlefinger at a distance, too. She’s a complicated gal. And I can see why she’d “admire” Cersei, too (her bad wig has Cersei’s hair style). And yet…I didn’t hear her “admiring” Cersei in her inflection, despite Jon’ assertion that she did. I hear her being upset by the threat Cersei poses. I dunno, maybe it’ not Sophie Turner’s best acting. And yet…the showrunners have a history of attempting to go for something that ultimately looks entire different (*cough cough* Jaime/Cersei sex scene in season four *cough*)
There’s no sexy times happening between Cersei and Jaime in this episode. :P Both are still too shattered by the deaths of their children, Tommen’s recent one in particular, though they’re handling it differently. Cersei is ready to tear down her enemies, even if it means relying on the cowardly Greyjoys. Well, Euron might be an ass, but his martial and sexual sparring with Jaime is kinda funny. Also, we get a promise of future plot development by Euron promising Cersei a priceless gift of some kind. Hmmm.
As for Jaime and Cersei, I get it, they’re siblings and their relationship is gross. But it’s also so raw, so real. I certainly wasn’t thinking about the twincest when Jaime pointed out: “a dynasty for whom? All our children are dead!” I was thinking of heartbroken parents. :( Lena and Nickolai work off each other so well that I can’t help but want to see them together. They bring a lot of genuine emotion and complexity to the show.
Meanwhile, Sam’s library training makes me feel bad for any complaints I ever had about library school. :P I could shelve books all day, and I didn’t have to worry about soup and diarrhea (they looked disgustingly similar, too. Gotta wonder if anyone is getting any nutrients at the Citadel. :P)
I also like the archmaester’s analytical reaction to knowledge and perceived danger, but of course he’s wrong here. Sam’s fears are unfounded only if the Wall holds—HINT HINT. In the archmaester’s defense, the Wall has held for millennia. But every civilization faces an end of days. So it seems.
Little Sam is growing bigger—awww—Gilly is reading, and Sam pulls through to find a plot point. Huzzah! Dragonglass is close and it will bring characters together! And in a creepy but well executed moment, we see that an ever-more-sickly Jorah is being tended to at the Citadel. And he remains hyper-focused on Dany’s quest.
And wuddaya know—Cersei’s concerns from earlier in the episode are realized as Daenerys and co land at Dragonstone! We get to see a lot more of the majesty of the place than we did when Stannis was in charge—from the long walk up the hill to the dragons carved of stone to another elaborate throne. The art department outdoes itself. I also agree that saving dialogue until the very end lends to the gravitas. And in a smaller moment—I like when Dany scoops up a handful of sand. I associate that action with coming home after a long exile. I think it gets the point across.
