Please note: there are FULL spoilers for the third episode of season 7, as well as all preceding episodes.
Jon Snow and Ser Davos arrive at Dragonstone, where they are greeted by Tyrion and Missandei. They agree to surrender their weapons, and head towards the keep, where a swooping dragon leaves Jon and Davos speechless. Tyrion remarks that even heis not quite used to the idea that Dragons are not just real, but at the command of the Queen. Varys meets with Melisandre on a cliff overlooking Jon Snow’s ship, and their friendly chat soon turns ominous for both: Varys suggests Melisandre not return to Westeros lest she meet an untimely end, Melisandre replies that she must die in this strange country… just like him.
Jon enters the main hall of Dragonstone, and is finally (finally!) face to face with Daenerys Targareyn, the latter of whom receives an astounding introduction before Ser Davos manages to only utter that Jon is the King in the North. Daenerys and Jon trade stories, full of veiled threats on Daenerys’ side, as Jon tried to impart the importance of working together to stop the Night King and his undead army of White Walkers. Varys brings news of Euron’s destruction of the Greyjoy/Tyrell/Dornish fleet, and Daenerys quickly excuses herself.
Theon Greyjoy is dragged aboard one of the few surviving Greyjoy ships, and is shunned for not attempting to rescue Yara from Euron. In King’s Landing, Euron parades through the streets with the captured Ellaria Martell and her daughter, Tyene Sand, as well as his niece Yara Greyjoy. Presenting the captured mother and daughter to Cersei, as the gift he promised her, Euron expects to be granted Cersei’s hand in marriage, which she tells him he will have – when the war is won. Cersei proclaims Euron and Jamie as commanders of the naval forces and armies, respectively, and Euron makes his desires from Cersei very apparent, without endearing himself to Jamie in any way.
Somewhere underneath The Red Keep, Cersei has Ellaria and Tyrene chained, face to face, and makes no secret of her desire to cause Ellaria as much heartbreak as Ellaria caused Cersei over the death of Cersei’s only daughter. Cersei poisons Tyrene in the same way, and tells Ellaria she will spend the rest of her days face to face with her youngest, and most beautiful daughter’s slowly rotting corpse. Apparently proud of her actions, Cersei visits Jamie’s (her brother!) room and the two spend an apparently messy night together.
Cersei is called to a meeting with an envoy from Bravos, Tycho Nestoris (Sherlock actor and writer Mark Gattis, now clean shaven after his appearance in season’s four and five) who skips the small talk and tells Cersei that house Lannister owes a large sum to the Iron Bank. Cersei tells Nestoris that the Lannisters always pay their debt.
Jon and Tyrion talk at Dragonstone, and Tyrion says he believes Jon about the white walkers. He offers to help in any way he can, and later convinces Daenerys to let Jon mine for Dragonglass and forge it into weapons. Daenerys agrees, and tells Jon he will have all the resources and men he desires.
Sansa is taking to ruling Winterfell well, though Petyr Baelish continues to try and influence her, but she is drawn to the gates as a visitor has arrived: Bran Stark, and Meera Reed. Sansa embraces her brother for the first time in years (and from memory, the first time since Season 1). The two talk, and Bran insists he cannot be Lord of Winterfell, despite being the true born son of Eddard Stark, as he is now the Three Eyed Raven. Bran recalls Sansa’s wedding night to Ramsay Bolton in detail, and Sansa leaves.
At Oldtown, Samwell is present as the Archmaester inspoects Jorah Mormont, and tells him the infection has is no longer active. Joran does not tell the Archmaester that Samwell was involved, and Samwell and Jorah leave on friendly terms. Sam is not punished for his obvious involvement, but he is hardly praised either.
The Unsullied army takes Casterly Rock, almost too easily. Once they realise there are none left, who else but Euron Greyjoy takes their ships form behind, burning them all, and trapping the Unsullied in the near undefendable citadel. Simultaneously, Jamie Lannister, with Randyll Tarly and Bronn (when did we see him last?) lay seige on Highgarden, the final place of power for House Tyrell. Jamie finds Olenna in her chambers, and tells her he will not slay her with Joffrey’s sword, instead allowing her to take some poison and fade peacefully. As she drinks, she lets the truth of Joffrey’s death be known – it was she who poisoned the boy, though she admits she did not think it would end as badly as it did. Jamie is shocked to realise he blamed Tyrion for nothing, which also led to the deaths of Oberyn Martell and Jamie’s father, Tywin, as Olenna lets loose with one final request – that Jamie tell Cersei she was responsible.
+ I really enjoy that Tyrion, who has not ever met Ser Davos, knows all about the Onion Knight. There is such a huge backstory to all of these characters it makes sense some would be famous, infamous or feared across the whole world
+ the entire Jon/Dany scene in the Dragonstone throne room was well worth the wait of them coming face to face. Neither were as insufferable they have sometimes been otherwise, but at the same time neither made full use of their time together: Dany never mentioned that Mellisandre had been the one to suggest summoning Jon, and perhaps that knowledge may have changed the conversation. Similarly, had Davos not stopped himself from mentioning that Jon had died and resurrected, things likewise have been different
+ Euron is so slimy it is hard not to love-to-hate him. The Jack Sparrow comparisons are not quite accurate, I don’t think, but there is that same “dirty sexy” appeal that he or Ragnar (from Vikings) have. He certainly didn’t cement himself as anyone’s favourite character with the way he was talking about Cersei
+ the scene in the dungeon with Cersei, Ellaria and Tyrene was chilling, and really showed the “shades of grey” these characters have. No doubt, what Cersei was doing to Ellaria was horrid, but one can’t help but think that maybe Ellaria brought it upon herself?
+ damn, Olenna Tyrell said what we were all thinking – despite everything that happened before and since, Joffrey really was a right cunt
– nothing from Arya, The Hound or Brienne was surprising. I’d have though that Arya would be well on her way to Winterfell by now (maybe Bran’s arrival was a tease for Arya?), unless her remark in the previous episode was an indication she isn’t going there anymore
> it’s finally ocurred to me who the Archmaester at Oldtown is: it’s Slughorn, from Harry Potter.
Final thoughts: This was a significantly better episode that last week, and showed that there is still first-time meetings, or long-overdue reunions that we can look forward to. I am very interested as to what Daenerys will do, since she has now essentially lost all of her allies in Westeros (the Greyjoy fleet, the Martell army, the Tyrell gold and her Unsullied army). This was an episode where every scene felt important, perhaps not surprisingly because it didn’t feature any disgusting Oldtown bodily fluids.
MoshFish Reviews 