New Photos from Game of Thrones Season 7, Episode 4: “The Spoils of War”

Daenerys Missandei Spoils of War

HBO has officially released a big batch of photos from the new episode of Game of Thrones, the fourth of the seventh season. The episode will be titled “The Spoils of War,” but will it be literal or figurative? Let’s have a look!

The photos reveal a few spoilers when it comes to Dragonstone. We can see that Jon and Davos are still moving freely on the island, and appear to be part of Dany’s group standing on the beach looking at something.

Daenerys Missandei Spoils of War 2

Daenerys Jon Varys Missandei Tyrion Spoils of War

The next two photos reveal who is arriving ashore and who Dany’s group is most likely looking at- it’s the Ironmen, with Theon! He’s survived his journey back to Dragonstone intact (more or less). But will they welcome him happily?

Theon Harrag Ironmen Spoils of War

Not only is this a return to Daenerys’ fold for Theon, this should make for an intense reunion for him and Jon Snow. The two haven’t seen one another for years- and that was before Theon made people believe he killed Jon’s two younger brothers and took Winterfell.

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Theon Spoils of War

In King’s Landing, Cersei is showing off her beautiful new map to Tycho Nestoris (guest star Mark Gatiss) of the Iron Bank. She told the banker that she has a plan to pay him back. I’m guessing she’s not just bragging about the decor- she’s letting him know her payment plan, and it just might involve the episode title.

Tycho Cersei Spoils of War

Last week we saw him in Highgarden. In the new episode, we see Jaime is still on the road with Bronn and in armor, so he’s probably traveling back from Highgarden. What are they seeing? Whatever it is, it’s not good.

Jaime Bronn Spoils of War

At Winterfell, Littlefinger lurks, overlooking the courtyard, his favorite place of late.

Littlefinger Spoils of War

And here we see Brienne of Tarth and Podrick Payne down in the courtyard. Is Littlefinger gazing down at them or is that a misdirect? It’s snowing in both images, increasing the likelihood of these being from the same scene.

Podrick Brienne Spoils of War

It doesn’t seem to be snowing in the godswood though, where Sansa stands, looking at something. Is she back with Bran again? Last week they had a terrible moment in the godswood just after their reunion; I’d hate to see that become a weekly thing.

Sansa Stark Spoils of War

And from HBO.com:

Daenerys Drogon

What are you all looking forward to in the new episode?

Sue the Fury
Susan Miller, Editor in Chief of WatchersOnTheWall.com

278 Comments

  1. wow I cannot wait for all the episodes to happen BUT I don’t want it to end !!!!!!! AARRRHHHGGGG THE AGONY!!!

  2. Am most excited for Theon and Jon.

    as well as Arya’s return to Winterfell and her reunion with the other Starks.

    Is Creepyfinger just gonna lurk around the entire season? It’s sad how irrelevant he has become.

    Jaime and Bronn have their first Drogon sighting?
  3. Leaks regarding third picture

    yeahclarke on Twitter says that Dany isn’t there when Theon arrives, so they may be looking at something else
  4. I really hope this is confirmation of no sam this episode (not that im not liking his scenes) cause the episode is only 50 minutes and 47 of scenes, and knowing what we have in it, one more plot would be really bad.

    So we have 4 plots for this episode, KL, WF , DS and Jaime coming back. I think will be: 5 minutes KL, 12 minutes WF, 13 minutes DS and 17 minutes Jaime ans bronn.

  5. Intensely looking forward

    to the Field of Fire 2.0

    .

    I’m looking forward to Arya’s return to WF, which seems to be in this episode based on the preview, but I’m tempering my expectations based on Bran’s weird ass behavior last episode.

    How will Arya greet Sansa, the sister she never got along with ? Sansa will surely rush to embrace her, but will Arya reciprocate or will she pull a Bran ? Arya no longer seems like the hugging type.

    As for Arya and Bran, the potential is definitely there for the most dejected, detached and robotic reunion of all time, so I’m not going to expect anything too heart-warming.

    I’m looking forward to Theon’s reunion with Jon, though I hope our favorite bastard goes easy on my favorite eunuch.

    More Team WF interacting with Team Dragonstone 2.0 will be great.

    As for the rest, well, I can’t say I’m terribly looking forward to a second sleaze-fest between Cersei and Tycho, but we’ll see how it goes.

  6. That picture of the team on Dragonstone,I love the new One Direction lol.Dany and Missandei are probably having some cute girl talk and Jon comes in being like:Um have I told you today that the army of the dead is coming cause it totally is.Bran is probably telling some creepy shit again ans she is probably like:Bring back Jon,at least he just returned from the dead lol.

    Also HBO don’t be so stingy.I know there are so much cooler scenes in this episode that you could have released photos of without spoilers.

  7. Aguero:
    I really hope this is confirmation of no sam this episode (not that im not liking his scenes) cause the episode is only 50 minutes and 47 of scenes, and knowing what we have in it, one more plot would be really bad.

    So we have 4 plots for this episode, KL, WF , DS and Jaime coming back. I think will be: 5 minutes KL, 12 minutes WF, 13 minutes DS and 17 minutes Jaime ans bronn.

    It’s a shame though, this episode is only 50 minutes. I feel like they could have easily used those extra ten minutes to gives us some Sam scenes, given that LEAK SPOILERS

    he’s leaving the Citadel in episode 5. It just feels way too soon for him to leave.

    Additionally, I’m really starting to miss the Hound. Hope he’ll be back in episode 5.

  8. I have a feeling that Littlefinger, Brienne, and Pod are watching Arya enter the gates of Winterfell.

  9. Jack Bauer 24:
    Dany should have kept the red cape.

    Agreed. The costumes desperately need some color this year. It’s getting fookin’ drab and dreary to look at.

  10. Awesome pictures and I am looking forward to every storyline! Just awesome stuff.

    What are they seeing? Whatever it is, it’s not good.

    Hehe… I think they are looking at something good! Great, actually! 😀 😀 So looking forward to this. Plus Bronn, finally! His devotion to Jaime is exemplary; still no castle and highborn wife, but he’s sticking around.

    Aguero: 5 minutes KL, 12 minutes WF, 13 minutes DS and 17 minutes Jaime ans bronn.

    I hope they cut 3 minutes out of KL to make it 2 minutes and give those 3 minutes to Jaime, Brown and whatever they are looking at!

  11. Really looking forward to Jon and Davos + Team Dragonstone Part II. That photo of the six of them looks like the broodiest of album covers.

  12. Jon and Davos are allowed to roam around freely but not allowed to get their boat back. But they’re not prisoners. Just guests. But guests who have to stay there. Alright.

  13. Aguero,

    According to IMBd cast list no Sam this episode. Most looking forward to Jon and Theon but just happy to wallow in the whole thing whilst I can. Not many episodes left 😂

  14. Jenny:

    That picture of the team on Dragonstone,I love the new One Direction lol.

    Right?? If they were a band, what do you think their genre would be?

  15. Also if Jon is pissed with Theon in this episode it’s totally understandable guys.He hasn’t seen the show lol.Sansa must have told him the gist of it but even she doesn’t know what Theon fully endured at the hands of Ramsey.Remember Theon did betray his brother,who Jon loved so much,took Winterfell and drove Bran and Rickon out of their home which lead to a lot of bad shit.I also remember Sansa’s reaction when she first saw him.That was also fair.

  16. Jack Bauer 24:
    Dany should have kept the red cape.

    She should change into better looking clothes. everyone is too drab and monotonous this season. This is especially true of Daenerys. And I had such high hopes for a red/black gorgeous costume for her. But I should be used to it by now……. 🙁

    orange:
    Jon and Davos are allowed to roam around freely but not allowed to get their boat back. But they’re not prisoners. Just guests. But guests who have to stay there. Alright.

    Guests who are mining for what they came for, busily, without having paid anything in return. 😉

  17. UGH… THEON?? I don’t hate him… I don’t love him… I JUST PLAIN DON’T CAAAAAARE…! *sigh* I don’t see the point of his character anymore. Just let him retire and live in peace offscreen or something until the war’s over.

    Beautiful pics of Dragonstone – I hope we get some good Jon/Dany/Tyrion conversation in that scene and it’s not just an excuse to do a Jon-Theon reunion because, see above, don’t care. It might be a mechanism to get Jon P.O.’d at Dany for daring to make common cause with Theon. This would be quite annoying since I think Jon is well aware that Theon helped Sansa escape WF and Dany could take the opportunity to remind Jon of what he said about needing everyone for the conflict(s) at hand.

    I guess that Brienne is looking at Sansa and she and Pod are discussing how things are going under Sansa’s command. I think Sansa has to send Brienne off so she has something to do this season, but I’m not at all sure what. Maybe she’ll get a note saying Jon needs help w/ the Dragonglass and Sansa sends Brienne to get the measure of Dany for her.

    LF creepin’ like he do.

    What are Jaime/Bronn looking at? 1) Dragons? 2) a Dothraki Horde? 3) Cersei doing something ethically dubious involving the people / wealth of Highgarden? Like I don’t know – selling all its people as slaves to the IB?

  18. i was really stoked when arya decided to turn north after her meeting with azor ahotpie but now i am not so sure. she would have gotten in KL with Jaime gone and Cersei’d be dead.

    I am really looking forward to Arya arriving in WF, and my hope is she does so disguised but Bran knows it’s her. Also hoping this episode ends with Arya in possession fo LF’s dagger OR I AM REALLY HOPING that LF returns to form as the best bad guy in the series. His character has been so poorly written this season.

  19. mau,

    Well if his scene ia more than 3 minutes is complete BS. We know that WF and DS will be long and the scene with Jaime i expect no less than 10 minutes of you know and i not even couting the talk Jaime will have in this episode. If the all Jaime arc this episode be less than 16 minutes….such BS.

  20. Really worried about this being the shortest episode of the series on top of the lame duck battles this season my expectations are very low. No Sapochnik is really hurting and I’m concerned about Skakman.

  21. Kay: She should change into better looking clothes. everyone is too drab and monotonous this season. This is especially true of Daenerys. And I had such high hopes for a red/black gorgeous costume for her. But I should be used to it by now……. 🙁

    Guests who are mining for what they came for, busily, without having paid anything in return. 😉

    I don’t know why she would have the red last episode and now gray this episode

  22. Isabelle,

    Um Jon would definitely advocate for something emo obviously,Dany would go full rock so probably punk rock lol.

    orange,

    They can leave if they really want to.But they have stuff to do there and Jon still hasn’t convinced her.

  23. Yay Theon! Don’t kill him, Jon, he saved your sister.

    Definite girl talk happening between Missandei and Dany!

  24. Wake me up when Jon meets the Hound. That’s what I’m dying to see – those two fighting alongside each other. And Tormund, of course, while winking at Brienne the Beauty.

  25. I feel like it’s wishful thinking for two Stark reunions in as many episodes, but I hope to be proven wrong and for Arya to make it to Winterfell without distraction. I’m especially interested in seeing how she and Sansa interact with one another, after all this time.

    Grim faces on Jaime and Bronn… and it looks like they’re looking up?

    I wonder why Daenerys has foregone her red cape… maybe a hint at an internal conflict/struggle?

  26. I was hoping that they were looking out to see Gendry rowing up, but no, it’s Theon. Sigh.

    I sure hope Jaime and Bronn are seeing a big ol’ dragon heading their way!

    And please, oh please, oh please let it be Arya that Brienne, et al are looking at!!!

  27. ANYWAAAAAAAAAAY

    I saw the first three pics and stoped looking because that is all I need in my life

    YAAAAAASSS

    SOS SOSOSOSOS HYPE lol

    #calmdownwomannn

  28. It’s a minor thing, but I love seeing Missandei’s shy little smile in that picture of her and Dany. I’ve always enjoyed their dynamic on the show – it’s partly that of a queen and her advisor, but in less formal moments it’s more reminiscent of a dynamic between close friends, or even sisters. And this definitely looks like a less formal moment. It’s lovely that even in a faster-paced season, the show still makes time to include such small, character-based interactions, and do them so very well.

    Given the aforementioned shy nature of the smile, I wonder if they’re discussing Missandei’s recent consummation of her relationship with Grey Worm, or if perhaps – given Jon’s proximity in the other photo – Missandei is picking up on Dany’s gradually increasing attraction to the King in the North. Maybe it’s both!

    It’s also just awesome seeing that photo of Dany, Jon, Tyrion, Davos, Varys, and Missandei standing there on the beach together. What a crew! It’s still a little surreal that all those characters have gathered in the same place, and that we’re now at the point in the story where HBO is casually releasing a promotional image of them like it ain’t no thing. Oh, but it is! I’m still so grateful that I get to watch this all unfold.

    Love seeing that photo of Jaime and Bronn as well. We’re now four seasons into this partnership, and those two remain absolute gold together – I love every exchange those they’ve shared. I expect this one will be no different.

  29. Jon/Theon should be interesting:

    Theon: Oh shit. What are you doing here?
    Jon: You betrayed Robb
    Theon: Yes. Yes, I did. And I got my dick chopped off.
    Missandei: See me later. You know, in case Grey Worm doesn’t come back. Unless Twerpy the Mad Genius over here sends you off to die too.
    Dany: DAYUM, GIRL!
    Tyrion: I can hear you.
    Missandei: What can I say? Missy likee the tonguey.
    Jon: You mean the Lord’s Kiss? Yeah, I’m pretty good at that.
    Missandei: Seriously? My queen, maybe this Northern boy isn’t so useless after all.
    Dany: Maybe you’re right. OK, new plan. Snow gets all the dragonglass he can carry, but Imma need him to bend the knee. Both knees. If you know what I mean.
    Jon: I don’t know why, but it feels a little weird to think about that.
    Dany: Yeah, now that you mention it… Ah well, I’m a Targaryen. We’re down for weird.
    Theon: So, I’m off the hook? I mean, no dick and all. And I did sorta save Sansa.
    Jon: Fine, whatever. Next time, don’t wait so long to throw people off a balcony. I need to go stretch my lips. Davos, you have the bridge.
    Davos: Huh?
    Dany: Yeah, I need to go rest. Tyrion, try not to mess anything up.

  30. halcyon: I feel like it’s wishful thinking for two Stark reunions in as many episodes, but I’d love to be proven wrong and for Arya to make it to Winterfell without distraction. I’m especially interested in seeing how she and Sansa interact with one another, after all this time.

    Right!! I think she will come close but don’t think it will happen.

    The reason is because Jon will be returning home soon I think.. and I cant actually imagine having all four siblings under one roof. Unless D&D are actually trying to kill me LOL

  31. Does anyone think there’s a chance that Arya won’t actually make it to Winterfell? She’s notorious for having unfortunate arrivals when it comes to family reunions, having shown up too late at The Twins in season 3, then again at The Vale in season 4…Can’t help but worry she’ll turn heel at the last moment before riding through the gates.

    Here’s what has really been on my mind though: What do you all think about the way the characters have been acknowledging (or rather, avoiding) the topic of Jon’s resurrection? The moment where Davos stopped short of sharing this huge revelation with Dany implies that there was some offscreen discussion that he should not bring it up. Wouldn’t it be one of the major points of gossip in the realm, when people like Hot Pie and Cersei talk about how Jon was named KitN, wouldn’t that juicy tidbit circulate? The Wildlings thought he was some kind of God last season- that kind of story has to get around, right? Eager to hear other theories!

  32. mau:
    Aguero,

    Sam will be in this episode. And in the next as well. He will skip only E6.

    Interesting. I hope you’re right, because for the past few weeks HBO has been updating their schedule with the full list of main characters who appear in each episode, and John Bradley isn’t listed for Episode 4. And these listings have been accurate for the last couple episodes.

    Perhaps the scene you think he has this week was moved to another episode in editing.

  33. Dee Stark: Right!! I think she will come close but don’t think it will happen.

    The reason is because Jon will be returning home soon I think.. and I cant actually imagine having all four siblings under one roof. Unless D&D are actually trying to kill me LOL

    Based on the trailers, I doubt Jon is returning to WF anytime soon, but maybe. That would be really awesome if we got a full Stark reunion.

  34. Dragonstone is looking an interesting place to be from both these pictures and the preview trailer. I’m hoping we’ll get a decent amount of time there to further develop individual relationships within the two camps. And the possibility of Theon returning is intriguing.

    I can’t see Jon being overly excited to see Theon again. Even if Sansa told Jon that Theon was the reason she was able to escape Winterfell and he knows Theon didn’t kill Bran and Rickon, Jon is still going to have problems with him. Mostly to do with his betrayal of Robb. Jon and Robb grew up together more so than any of the other Stark children, and he isn’t going to be nicer than he has to be towards someone who betrayed his brother.

    I’m also not sure how Theon will contribute – it was clearly demonstrated in The Queen’s Justice that the Ironborn have no respect for him whatsoever.

    I love Mark Gatiss, so I’m excited to see him again – his scene last week was fantastic.

    Winterfell – Sansa looks pretty concerned in this picture, but I can’t wait to see Ned’s three surviving children back together again. LF has to go down, and soon. I also hope we get some more Brienne and Pod in this episode than we’ve had in previous ones.

    Bronn!! Please have lines this time! He and Jaime are a good team – I’m looking forward to this scene. Bronn always seems to get some of the best lines.

    There seems to be debate as to whether we’ll visit the Citadel in this episode – I hope we do. Sam’s arc is one of my favorite’s so far this season. I think we’ve probably already seen more of him than we did in all of season six. Sam is clearly there for a reason and I want him to find out whatever it is he’s going to find out!! And Gilly – we haven’t seen Gilly since episode 1.

  35. QueenofThrones,

    OK Based only on these photos plus the trailer (where there’s a ton of emphasis on the Iron Bank wanting the Gold from Highgarden) my guess is what happens is Dany and her dragons, impatient with Tyrion’s conservative and “clever” plans, roast the gold caravans and steal the $$. Either Jaime escapes to return to KL and Bronn dies or Jaime is captured and Bronn returns to KL.

    That will provide a first minor victory for her side and the means with which to supply her forces for the long term. Plus if they capture Jaime that’s a valuable hostage right there and as we all know, captured Jaime Lannister = good drama.

  36. Roberta Baratheon:
    I was hoping that they were looking out to see Gendry rowing up, but no, it’s Theon.Sigh.

    I sure hope Jaime and Bronn are seeing a big ol’ dragon heading their way!

    And please, oh please, oh please let it be Arya that Brienne, et al are looking at!!!

    Why on Earth would Gendry have decided to return to Dragonstone ?

  37. Dany, Tyrion, Jon, Davos, Missandei and Varys in the same pic!
    Theon arriving and hopefully Jorah will be there soon as well.

    Characters meeting is so f… cool! 🙂

  38. mau:
    Markus Stark,

    Well Jim Broadbent said that he will appear in 5 episodes.

    That’s true, I remember that. In any case I’m very much enjoying the Citadel scenes, so I hope we will indeed see Sam this week.

  39. mau,

    You can, just cover it, cause theres no sam in preview, no sam in the pictures, no sam actor on IMDb, no sam on frikidoctor spoilers.

  40. Face it, folks. Jaime and Bronn are looking up. That mean bad stuff. You bastards can’t have Bronn!

    Missandei is all: “And then he did this thing with his tongue. Said it was called ‘The Unsullied Swirlie Tornado'” and Dany be like: “The only thing Drogo ever did with his tongue was lick horsemeat popsicles.”

  41. Mr Derp,

    Jack Bauer 24,

    While it would be awesome if the Field of Fire 2.0 were to be as long as the Battle of the Bastards sequence, I honestly think that stretch of time will be more than enough for it to be suitably epic. I believe that the action-based part of Hardhome was something like 18 minutes, and that’s one of the very best scenes that the show has ever done. When it comes to visual brilliance relative to screentime, dragons have a PER that’s unmatched.
  42. Markus Stark: Agreed. The costumes desperately need some color this year. It’s getting fookin’ drab and dreary to look at.

    I mean… it’s Winter now. Not a summer vacation in San Diego for Westeros

  43. Markus Stark,

    How will Arya greet Sansa, the sister she never got along with ? Sansa will surely rush to embrace her, but will Arya reciprocate or will she pull a Bran ? Arya no longer seems like the hugging type.

    It will be a mixed bag, probably, with some humor, some poignancy, and–gods wiling –some feels. Of course, Sansa will be glad to see Arya, but it is Jon for whom Arya abandoned her mission. She’d be huggy buggy with him, but to have just missed him… ! Worse, Sansa is in charge, and with Creepyfinger at her side. Arya won’t forget that in S1 Sansa betrayed her twice in the Joffrey incident, thoroughly embraced Lannisterism, and was on the platform with her dear Joffrey and Cersei when Ned was surprise-chopped. Even the Braavos play was negative about Sansa. So Arya has good reason to be suspicious of her.

    “As for Arya and Bran, the potential is definitely there for the most dejected, detached and robotic reunion of all time, so I’m not going to expect anything too heart-warming.”

    Arya is cold only in the matter of killing and rather passionate otherwise. You’re probably right, but one can hope that with her FM experience she at least would accept his magical status. Even if she is disappointed he’s not more engaged in the
    mundane world around him, I think their reunion will be better than his and Sansa’s.

  44. Beans:
    I have a feeling that Littlefinger, Brienne, and Pod are watching Arya enter the gates of Winterfell.

    That would be awesome! Brienne and Pod look slightly happy/pleased, and LF looks kinda “shit!” so it could be. Or at least something good. News?

    They haven’t done much justice to LF’s character this year. Yes, I get that they’re trying to have Sansa and Jon etc ‘on to him’ by now, but they didn’t have to make him a set piece without the saavy of previous seasons.

    Also if I see another photo of the damn same balcony I am going to see if I can purchase that piece of the set so I can burn it down.

  45. Jared,

    Oh I agree. Im sure it will be epic no matter how much time they spend on it. I was just poking at some comments that have a certain set of expectations regarding how much time the show needs to spend on certain sequences. It’s just kind of silly and somewhat arbitrary, imo.

  46. Markus Stark,

    Well, I thought I saw him in the north, wont he go home first?

    Side note – I only watched the second trailer and only a couple of times without looking at the comprehensive breakdown lol

  47. mau,

    I think that’s on episode 5.There is more time for that I think.At least it wasn’t in the script description that leaked yesterday.But who knows really?
  48. mau,

    Well he can have a scène in the begin and the end of the episode, and thats what the man frikidooctor says the scene is, só i bealive 100 %

  49. Littlefinger looks like he’s gonna be sorrounded by Wolves soon.
    If my history is correct The Starks have been chewing his ass from the beginning of time! This isn’t Kings Landing or the Tullys. Winter is here and these young wolves don’t give a damn. Nothing more poetic to see Littlefinger get destroyed by his own little games. If I was him I’ll slither back to Kings Landing maybe Cersei won’t have her guards pretend to cut his throats again like in Season 1

  50. Jack Bauer 24: Didn’t they release that months ago?

    And your point is? It’s an awesome Hi-Res picture and it’s under episode 4. Did they tell us months ago that this was an episode 4 picture?

  51. Allykat: Does anyone think there’s a chance that Arya won’t actually make it to Winterfell? She’s notorious for having unfortunate arrivals when it comes to family reunions

    Nope, I think she’ll make it just fine. It’s time for her to finally arrive, but she did have that miss already with Jon departing before she gets there.
    ————
    I’m curious how they (D & D) will convey an Arya -Sansa reunion. They’ve already done the crying with super slow Stark theme reunion twice. I wonder if they’ll go for a less emotional one this time.

    Is Jorah going to be on the slow boat to Dragonstone? Daenerys needs his help with tactics… She’d be wise to ask for Jon’s assistance as well but I reckon he doesn’t have time for all that.

    I’d love to have a scene soon with J & D involved when they let their guard down a little bit. Maybe the pic with them and Missandei has a little of that. Yeah, it’s a time of war but it would be nice to have some friendly banter.

  52. Mr Derp,

    Well said! In general, I think there’s a tendency among some fans to underestimate just how much the show can accomplish and accomplish extremely well in a relatively small amount of screentime – especially when it comes to action scenes. Even the two full-length battle episodes that we’ve gotten – Blackwater and The Watchers on the Wall – devoted less than half of their runtime to actual fighting sequences. The rest of those episodes were devoted to character moments, careful setup designed to build tension and anticipation, and the denouement. Once the swords are unsheathed, the show has proven itself to be remarkably efficient and effective in how it tells the story of each battle. It always requires less screentime than one might think, even if those sequences take longer to shoot than anything else.

  53. King Podrick: I mean… it’s Winter now. Not a summer vacation in San Diego for Westeros

    Silly argument. Everyone is wearing black, brown, or deep blue. It’s too much. Maybe you retire your red, green, yellow, grey, and orange clothes during the winter, but I don’t.

  54. Clob: I’d love to have a scene soon with J & D involved when they let their guard down a little bit. Maybe the pic with them and Missandei has a little of that. Yeah, it’s a time of war but it would be nice to have some friendly banter.

    Clob,

    Me too. It would be nice to see another quiet, private moment between them, like last episode. If Daenerys ever finds out about Jon’s death/resurrection, I have a feeling it will be in this type of setting. She’ll ask for details on the “knife through the heart” comment, he’ll be reluctant to tell her, she’ll tell him about how she can’t be killed by fire, how she gave birth to the dragons etc, and then maybe Jon will feel comfortable enough with dishing out the details for her. Eh, I dunno, something like that.

  55. Markus Stark: Silly argument. Everyone is wearing black, brown, or deep blue. It’s too much. Maybe you retire your red, green, yellow, grey, and orange clothes during the winter, but I don’t.

    Markus Stark,

    I’m laughing because now I have this mental image of Jon Snow wearing a Hawaiian t-shirt and I can’t get it out of my head.

  56. Clob: Is Jorah going to be on the slow boat to Dragonstone? Daenerys needs his help with tactics…

    I agree that Jorah is desperately needed for help with tactics. Plus, with a cured Jorah it will be an emotional reunion. The longer Tyrion and Varys are the only ones around, the worse the battle outcomes will get. However, we see Theon coming back in this episode. So perhaps Jorah will be back in another.

    I can’t believe I am saying this, but with the disastrous tactics of the last 3 episodes for Team Dragonstone I am now wishing that Daario was still around. Much, much better tactician. (Plus, imagine the awkwardness all around with Daario, Jon and Daenerys! :D) In fact, his idea to sail the Second Sons directly to Casterly Rock would have been much better. But alas, it was Tyrion who suggested that Daenerys leave him behind on Essos.

  57. QueenofThrones,

    Re Brienne really has been reduced since her encounter with the hound. I get that she’s not a *main* PoV. Still, she’s kind of in the Bran/Theon zone where there’s not a lot for them to do lately other than stand around/be off screen.

    It’s a unique situation where the focus on main PoVs (Daeny, Cersei, Jon) gives the secondary characters surrounding of those PoVs (Euron, Missandei, Jorah, Davos) more to do than *some* the secondary PoVs. I know Davos is a secondary PoV but here he’s more attached to Jon than his own story.

  58. Dee Stark:
    Some comments feel so spoilery

    Please cover you shit up

    Thanks for that!
    Truth be told, I haven’t even read/viewed the article yet, first skimmed the comments to look for your name (as the most famous of the spoiler-averse) and any indication of how safe or “spoilery” it is!
    (I hope that’s not too creepy, coming from an unknown 3rd season lurker who has only recently begun commenting more often)

  59. Maybe they’re saving the more colorful attire for the series finale… and those that are still around. You know, like Tyrion walking through his vineyard wearing some nice, light blue linen shirt. That sort of thing.

  60. Tycho Nestoris,

    Since Brienne’s storyline is controversial in the books I think D&D decided to not give her her own storyline, except 2-3 scenes where she is not with a major character.

    On the other hand the Hound became “POV character” in the show, even if he is not in the books.

  61. As far as the color of the clothes…I love the charcoal gray that the women are wearing. Its the “new black.” I could easily adapt some of those outfits to modern day wear.

    Jaime and Bronn need to spend less time looking up and more time moving quickly away from whatever they see…particularly if its something that breathes fire.

    And yet one more photo of Littlefinger lurking and smirking from the corners of WF. The wolves need to send him packing permanently.

  62. mau,

    For sure. The role reductions for some and the expanded roles for others was a conscious decision. I like it in the case of the hound. Others (jorah) not so much.

  63. Oh! Oh!

    What if Arya gets back to WF – but all she wants is to see Jon so Sansa sends Arya to Dragonstone with Brienne & Pod as her honor guard (or maybe Brienne asks to go with Arya)?! Then if my other prediction about Jaime capture is right by beginning of next episode and if Jorah gets there we have the following people on freaking Dragonstone: Jon, Tyrion, Dany, Arya, Brienne, Jaime, Podrick, Jorah?!??!

    OH #@*$ !!!!!

    I can’t even… like someone said above all these reunions are going to kill me. But I’m probably getting ahead of myself like usual.

  64. Roberta Baratheon: I was hoping that they were looking out to see Gendry rowing up, but no, it’s Theon. Sigh.

    Ha, how great would that be if he left DS in season 3(I think) only to row for 3+ seasons and land back on DS in season 7. Worst maritime navigator ever. Davos would be like, WTF man I told you get away from here. Well we are under new management so I guess you can stay

  65. Looking forward to Theon and Jon reuniting. Wish we had more pics of Jonny in this batch.

  66. halcyon:
    I feel like it’s wishful thinking for two Stark reunions in as many episodes, but I hope to be proven wrong and for Arya to make it to Winterfell without distraction. I’m especially interested in seeing how she and Sansa interact with one another, after all this time.

    Poor Sansa was freaked out last episode with her raven brother, wait till she meets the girl who has no name.
    Weirdly, beaten up, abused, tortured Sansa had a more normal life than her two siblings that are still alive.

  67. Tycho Nestoris,

    It’s interesting to analyse which character got bigger role in the show and which was reduced.

    Selmy, Loras, Halfhand, Blackfish, Edmure, Mance Rayder, Doran, Kevan, Randyll Tarly…. were reduced.

    On the other hand Tywin, Olenna, Margaery, HS, Beric, Ellaria, Thorne, Ramsay, Oberyn, Varys, LF,… got bigger roles.

    Is there any logic to this that I don’t see or it was just random?

    It seems that characters more involved with the politics got bigger roles and those warrior-type characters were reduced. But even there are exceptions.

  68. mau:
    Tycho Nestoris,
    Since Brienne’s storyline is controversial in the books I think D&D decided to not give her her own storyline, except 2-3 scenes where she is not with a major character.

    On the other hand the Hound became “POV character” in the show, even if he is not in the books.

    I don’t agree with that characterization.

    Show: Brienne’s role is to look for Stark Sisters, fail a lot, and ultimately serve one of them. Her other role, occurring before and after the above, is to motivate Jaime’s storyline and character growth.

    Books:

    Brienne’s role is to look for the Stark Sisters, and completely fail to find them. Her role in Jaime’s story is the same – to motivate his plot and character growth.

    The only substantive difference is that in the show Brienne has actually accomplished some of the goals she set out to do WRT the stark sisters. I don’t see how you can say that means her role has been “reduced” or that she doesn’t have “her own” storyline. She’s just further along than GRRM has written so far.

    It’s like you’re saying Jon doesn’t have a storyline now because he’s sharing the screen with Dany (or the reverse)

    Tycho Nestoris: Brienne really has been reduced since her encounter with the hound.

    Not exactly – post hound, Brienne had a lot to do in s5 with the mission to find Sansa plus killing Stannis – she actually did a ton more than she ever did in the books. Then s6 we basically just had the Riverrun thing but I loved it, plus it was obviously book-inspired…

  69. Jesus they’re really getting their money’s worth out of that goddamn wooden walkway at Winterfell! 😝

    Once again, I wish HBO would give us something new in these pics

  70. QueenofThrones,

    She was reduced in a way that D&D almost always put her in a scene with a major character, where she is a supporting character. She doesn’t have her own plot. She was with Cat, then with Jaime, then she got two scenes alone and she was with Arya, then she became part of Sansa’s storyline.

    She is not like Sam for example, who has his own storyline in S6 and S7. And had his storyline in S3 as well.

  71. I can’t WAIT for the Theon/Jon reunion. It’s going to be intense. Though I wish HBO once again didn’t spoil things like this. We already saw Arya looking out at Winterfell, do we need to know everything?

    Agree with the others: I think LF, Brienne and Pod are watching Arya. Brienne has a peaceful (yet wary) look on her face, like “all is how it should be, but I hope she doesn’t hate me.”

  72. Sou: Poor Sansa was freaked out last episode with her raven brother, wait till she meets the girl who has no name.
    Weirdly, beaten up, abused, tortured Sansa had a more normal life than her two siblings that are still alive.

    It’ll be a lot for her to take in; of the four of them, Sansa is the only one who hasn’t really had a magical aspect to her arc. Arya’s trained in changing faces, Bran can see everything ever, and Jon battled White Walkers before returning from the dead.

  73. Apollo: Jesus they’re really getting their money’s worth out of that goddamn wooden walkway at Winterfell

    No kidding! Before the premiere I was wondering if Sansa (and Littlefinger) would have any scenes this season other than at that railing, the Great Hall and the godswood. So far not really, other than Littlefinger in the crypt.

  74. orange:
    Jon and Davos are allowed to roam around freely but not allowed to get their boat back. But they’re not prisoners. Just guests. But guests who have to stay there. Alright.

    It’s like Hotel California (for you Eagles’ fans).

  75. mau,

    I like what D&D have done.
    Her meandering adventures with Podrick was self indulgent writing. And I enjoy a lot of GRRMs meandering chapters in books 4 & 5.
    Though things got good when she reached Quiet Isle

    Sou,

    Yes, Braavos itself was founded by freed slaves.
    Though, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Iron bank had dealings with Slave Cities. They seem like an imposing force that would be relatively free from the constraints of the city.
    Even if it goes against book canon, it doesn’t mess with anything show canon.

  76. QueenofThrones: OK Based only on these photos plus the trailer (where there’s a ton of emphasis on the Iron Bank wanting the Gold from Highgarden) my guess is what happens is Dany and her dragons, impatient with Tyrion’s conservative and “clever” plans, roast the gold caravans and steal the $$. Either Jaime escapes to return to KL and Bronn dies or Jaime is captured and Bronn returns to KL.

    I had the same thought, but I think Jaime will return to KL only to have Cersei light his ass up for losing all the gold she promised the IB. She will be so pissed at him and totally not give any shits that he almost died. That kind of loveless ass chewing from his muse will finally have him defect his crazy ass sister. Where he goes from there is beyond me.

    Or maybe its them just before they get back to KL and they look on the horizon to find the capital smoking because Dany and the dragons finally got tired of playing all nice

  77. mau,

    Tywin, Olenna, Margaery, HS, Beric, Ellaria, Thorne, Ramsay, Oberyn, Varys, LF,… got bigger roles.

    With Tywin, Oleanna, Margaery and the High Sparrow, you had incredible actors. Oberyn, Varys and Littlefinger caught on with the fans. Ellaria got Arianne’s role. Beric is just now coming back on strong.

    Throrne is kind of a combination of other Night’s Watch bad guys. And most of Ramsay’s stuff happens off page. George did that weird Reek switcheroo that was just overwriting.

    Selmy, Loras, Halfhand, Blackfish, Edmure, Mance Rayder, Doran, Kevan, Randyll Tarly…. were reduced.

    The show doesn’t have the time or the budget to fart around forever in the Riverlands, where I’m fairly sure Brienne is going in circles. Plus the guy playing Edmure moved on. That explains Tarly as well. The other characters got the job done or were in stupid plots. The one exception is Selmy. I still don’t know what’s up with that, except it tells me he isn’t making the trip West in the books either.

  78. So I’m thinking Jon and Theon have a very awkward reunion, and maybe Dany has to step in and prevent Jon from killing him. I’m trying to puzzle out Theon’s ultimate role and this is the best I’ve got: Dany “gives” Theon to Jon along with what remains of her fleet to take the dragon glass to East Watch by the Sea. Once there, Theon somehow fucks everything up and gets captured/killed and turned into a zombie. Next season we will see Theombie with the army of the dead, and at a pivotal moment he will have a moment of free will (foreshadowed by Benjen’s existence) and kill the Night King.

  79. Making the 8,

    I like your first theory. Especially since they did willingly sacrifice some of their men to fake out the Unsullied. That could mean the land army is in some trouble, if Drogon flambees a bunch.

    I still think the puzzle he hasn’t pieced together is that Tommen was left alone after the Sept blew up. While Cersei went down to start the Rape-A-Nun room.

  80. HelloThere,

    Well, I don’t really care, I could totally buy that although Braavos is anti-slavery, the Iron Bank is profiteering on slavery.
    Still, this slavery thing is my worthless proof that this guy is not really Tycho Nestoris

  81. Sou: Poor Sansa was freaked out last episode with her raven brother, wait till she meets the girl who has no name.
    Weirdly, beaten up, abused, tortured Sansa had a more normal life than her two siblings that are still alive.

    You act as if Arya and Bran had perfectly normal lives in comparison to Sansa – she didn’t have it any worse (or better) than the two of them – and her was actually the most ‘normal’ considering… they each went through their own horrible, life changing events

  82. Mr Derp,

    No, the Spinoffs are:
    1) Robert’s Rebellion, a.k.a. “HA! FOOLED YOU! Just watch Rhaeger and Lyanna will make Anakin and Padme look like Shakespeare!”

    2) The Chronicles of Dorne, a.k.a. “OK, we threw a big bag of money at Siddig and Pascal and we’re really going to make this work. Honest. (Not really, but we’ll try harder. Plus, naked Sand Snakes.)”

    3) The Housewives of Craster’s Keep, a.k.a. “Rapey Rapey Rapey…And you’re still watching! SUCKERS!”

    4) Meet the Starks! a.k.a. “Ned and Catelyn are a typical couple, except she’s a raging bitch to his bastard and hilarity ensues! Plus, Theon gets his first boner! Only 5,000 left in his life!”

    5) The Land of Bears, a.k.a. “We’re not letting Iain Glen go, even if we’re making him play Jorah 20 years younger. Are you kidding? Women throw their panties at this guy! Also, we’re keeping Lyanna. She can play her mom at 10 or something. We’re giving the actress medication to stay young and sassy.”

  83. viki,

    That is my point exactly. Sansa had a horrible life, but still it was a “normal” life or, as a friend previously said, the only life with no magical arc.

  84. mau:
    Clob,

    Well, except some chambers what else exists in WF?

    Well they literally doubled the size of the WF set at Moneyglass, you can see that in episode 3… so they had lots of choice to film in other locations on set.

    They either have him on that walkway or sitting in the damn corner of the great hall, smirking away. So repetitive.

  85. Clob,

    From my rewatch of a Episode 3, I’m 90% convinced that Jorah makes his way back to his Khaleesi in E4. He seemed pretty determined.

    I’m especially looking forward to the “goodwill bonus points” Jon has earned via Samwell saving Jorah. (By the way, the Jorah-Sam farewell was my favorite part of E3.) I figure Jorah’s going to tell Dany she can trust these NW boys; his father had faith in them and their maester in training risked his ass to save Jorah’s life; he did right by Jorah so Team Dany should do right by them.

    Dany-Jorah is the “reunion” I’m hoping for. He had resigned himself to death by his own hand until Sam entered his room with his Behihana implements cart and told him “You’re not dying today Ser Jorah.”

    Q: Do we know if Jorah ever sent off that note he was writing to Dany? The one that closed with (swoon💕*) something like “I loved you since the moment I met you” ?

    * “What’s ‘swooning’?”

  86. mau: then she became part of Sansa’s storyline.

    This does not compute. Brienne was no more part of Sansa’s storyline in s5 than she was in the corresponding book material. She was trying to get to Sansa for the entireity of her storyline in book 4. Same in s5 of the show.

  87. Sou: Wasn’t Braavos supposed to be ardently anti-slavery?

    Yea the city is. But based on the convo with Cersei in the last epi apparently the IB puts profit before any anti-slavery sentiment.

  88. Ten Bears,

    I think you’re exactly right. Except I think they held the image of Longclaw when Jon handed it over for a reason.

    When Jorah finds out his dad gave it to Jon, he will vouch for Jon. When he finds out the Samwell connection, AND that his young cousin or niece or great-granddaughter or whatever the hell Lyanna is supports Jon, then I’d say Jorah will convince Dany.

    And it couldn’t come at a better time. Jon is gonna be like: “Peace out. I got my rocks. And besides, Theon is here and I gotta go before I reattach his dick and then cut it off again.”

    And Dany be like: “I lost like 90 percent of my allies in two episodes, thanks to Twerpy McDrinksalot over there. You stayin’ and send a raven ordering your peeps to send more.”

    And Jon be like: “Screw that, and I don’t even think you a real blonde! OH yeah, I SAID IT! WHAT YOU GONNA DO!”

    And Dany be like: “I gonna see what you look like burned!”

    And then Jorah shows up… Saves the day.

  89. Making the 8: I had the same thought, but I think Jaime will return to KL only to have Cersei light his ass up for losing all the gold she promised the IB. She will be so pissed at him and totally not give any shits that he almost died. That kind of loveless ass chewing from his muse will finally have him defect his crazy ass sister. Where he goes from there is beyond me.

    I’d be happy with this. IMO main reason Jaime hasn’t split from Cersei is that she’s actually pretty good to him and hasn’t done anything to piss him off directly. Closest thing to a break was when she insisted he should kill Tyrion and he called her hateful – since then it’s been all “us us us, we are all that matter blah blah our children our family yadda yadda”.

  90. Markus Stark,

    I feel like it’s about mood and tone. Dany wore the red to project strength. She was also winning the war. Now, at this point, in the photos, not so much.

  91. WorfWWorfington,

    I’m confused, why would Jorah respecting Jon mean he’s gonna tell Dany to give up her dream of conquering Westeros to help Jon? Jorah’s dream is to help Dany to become Queen of Westeros. It’s in the letter – “my only regret is that I could not live to see the world you built”.

    Dany and Jon are already on their way to common cause. She’s not going to act absurdly out of character and burn an honored guest alive after already agreeing to let him mine dragonglass on her turf. What’s the gain there?

    The way I see it ball is in Jon’s court now. If he wants Dany to think well of him and possibly help later, he should return her olive branch with one of his own. With her former allies gone, Dany needs some token Westerosi forces to lend her conquest legitimacy. Jon should agree to temporarily contribute a small number of Westerosi knights under the command of one of his lords. Possibly Lord Royce or Lady Lyanna. And in return he can ask (not demand) that Dany bring Drogon to the Wall when called.

  92. I thought this episode was only going to focus on one thing (the important event) and was super excited about it considering the run time, but with all of these storylines I’m a little worried! I remember watchers on the wall ep runtime was short but it was focused on one event only, those who are fully aware of what’s going to happen in this ep, should I be worried and lower my expectations? 🙁

  93. Stoneheart,

    I have a feeling this battle will be more like hardhome, which was ~ 18 minutes. Just like HH, This might not be a battle, as much as a slaughter.
  94. Tenesmus: I’m trying to puzzle out Theon’s ultimate role and this is the best I’ve got: Dany “gives” Theon to Jon along with what remains of her fleet to take the dragon glass to East Watch by the Sea. Once there, Theon somehow fucks everything up and gets captured/killed and turned into a zombie. Next season we will see Theombie with the army of the dead, and at a pivotal moment he will have a moment of free will (foreshadowed by Benjen’s existence) and kill the Night King.

    I thought it was obvious what Theon’s role is going to be after we saw in the last episode that Yara is not dead but Euron’s prisoner. It’s such a direct parallel to Theon himself having been a prisoner of Ramsay and undergoing torture and Yara trying to save him. He will try to save her, and in doing so, finally be able to gain back his own identity a bit. Hopefully Theon will also be the one to off Euron eventually.

  95. So Theon was seen fighting with Euron on a beach in the leaked footage. Now are we to believe that this is on Dragonstone – Euron sails all the way back around Westeros (again?) and then attacks Dragonstone while Dany is absent? I think this is really silly, but I’m not ready to dismiss the possibility of it turning out to be true just yet given how quickly this man seems to traverse great distances.

    Or, as seems more likely, does Euron travel back to the Iron Islands to meet his uncle when his uncle returns after the Dragonpit parely and challenges him to a duel?

  96. HelloThere,

    You can get ‘battle fatigue’ if something that intense goes on for too long so I highly dount that it’s going to take more than about 20 minutes or so of this very short episode.

    Remember, a real medieval battle could go on all day or take several days.

  97. HelloThere,

    Aw thanks for your answer, I have very high hopes for this episode, I can’t believe how worried I am LoL, because if it fails I’ll probably wait for all the episodes to air then watch all of them at once,

  98. Stoneheart:
    HelloThere,

    Aw thanks for your answer, I have very high hopes for this episode, I can’t believe how worried I am LoL, because if it fails I’ll probably wait for all the episodes to air then watch all of them at once,

    I’m worried. Shortest episode of the series and the last battle was low rent and abysmal.

  99. I wonder if Dany’s light-grey/dark-grey ensembles are meant to point to an attraction to Jon – they’re pretty close to the Stark colors.

    Probably this is a bit crackpot, but I also wonder what happens if the Tarlys – presumably newly-made lords of the Reach, if Jaime lived up to his promise – die in an upcoming battle. If the Wall falls, the Watch dissolves, and Sam doesn’t become a maester, does that leave him as Lord of the Reach?

    Unlikely, I know, but it’s fun to think about, because all the obvious stuff has already been discussed at length…I haven’t read spoilers so I have no idea what they’re planning to do with the Tarlys, but Sam has obviously finally gotten over being a coward, and it would be a great twist if he ended up riding into battle with Heartsbane as Sam the Slayer, Warden of the South, the Neville Longbottom of Westeros.

  100. Mr Derp: Markus Stark,

    I’m laughing because now I have this mental image of Jon Snow wearing a Hawaiian t-shirt and I can’t get it out of my head.

    Jon’s costume is fine, but the lack of color in Dany and Tyrion’s costumes annoys me. We need more red for her, and more Lannister colors for Tyrion. The blue didn’t suit him at all in my opinion.

    And now not only is Cersei in black 24/7, but she’s making all her handmaidens cut their hair and wear black as well ? Ah, the infinite subtlety of this show never ceases to make me smile.

    GRRM specifically said he hates the trope of bad guys always being in black, and I personally agree.
    If Cersei wants to be an evil Disney queen, fine, but for the Kingsguard and handmaidens to be wearing the exact same black outfits all the time is just too much for me.

  101. QueenofThrones,

    Priorities, maybe? Shouldn’t humans prioritize their survival against non humans/demon like figures over winning crowns? I mean I would hope if antagonistic ET beings come crashing earth to wipe us off the map, we, humans, are still capable of understanding that our survival rests on banding together. Granted the earth would probably do better without us but still. So Jorah or anyone could just tell Dany that her conquering can wait because ultimately is not more important than the war up North. I would be so mad if Jon gave Dany any northerners for her game of thrones. He can bend the knee if that makes her feel better but no Northmen should die for the stupid Iron Throne.

  102. Dialogue for the top photo has leaked! Read below:

    Missandei; “Soooo, do you think he’s fit?”

    Dany: “What? NO WAY! SHUT UP!”

    Missandei: “You soooo think he’s fit.”

    Dany: “Okay… maybe… but like, don’t tell ANYONE okay. I’ll KILL you if you do!”

    Missandei: sings “Dany loves Jon…”

    Dany: “Shut up! You’re such a bitch, lol”

    Missandei: “So, are you going to ask him out?”

    Dany: “Well…I dunno if that’s a good idea right now. I’ve got so much going on in my life at the moment and I don’t think I’m ready for another relationship. I think it might be a rebound and I need to concentrate on myself right now.”

    Missandei: “You should TOTES ask him out! I know he’s a King on the streets, but I bet he’s a WOLF in the sheets.” WOOF, WOOF! Lolz

    Dany: “You’re so bad! Shut up! I dunno, I might… Maybe.”

    Missandei: “Just do it! It’s not like you’re related or anything – and you’re both still young. LIVE A LITTLE GIRLFRIEND.”

    Jon approaches.

    Jon: “So what are you ladies talking about?”

    Missandei and Dany: “Nothing! Missandei just misses Grey Worm, that’s all.

    Jon: “Oh right. Okay. Cool. ”

    Everyone stares out to sea.

  103. Making the 8,

    Is Jaime in denial that Cersei was romping with dweebster Lancel while he was a prisoner? And how is he going to deal with the fact that Cersei promised her…talents … to that showboat Euron? Is Jaime going to think to himself, “wait a minute: the more successful I am in winning this war, the quicker Euron will be bedding Cersei”? After all, in his own weird way Jaime has been proud of himself for being faithful to Cersei his whole life.
    I suspect he didn’t mind when she was with Robert because he preferred whores and mistresses, and according to Cersei, any time she shared any physical “intimacy” with Robert he was too drunk to notice he wasn’t actually having sex with her.

    I have a hard time believing the whole Lancel adultery thing was just swept under the rug (and I forget: didn’t Cersei confess to the HS that she committed adultery with Lancel?). I have a harder time believing he’s okay with Cersei promising herself to that braggart Euron who goaded him with questions about sex tips for his anticipated encounters with Cersei.

    On a semi-related note – I may have misread the scenes: Did Cersei “force” herself on Jaime because she was excited after setting up the Ellaria-Tyene death + torture? I thought Jaime’s reluctance was not because she got turned on by sadistically punishing Myrcella’s killer, but because he may have been upset about Cersei pimping herself out to Euron.

  104. I’ve long thought that Theon’s character can’t truly advance until he gets forgiveness from all the Starks. When he left Sansa in the woods at the beginning of Season 6 he was essentially running away from having to face Jon, so I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO f’ing excited and surprised that he could be running into Jon on Dragonstone. His storyline would have felt incomplete without such a meeting. Jon will forgive him and then he’ll truly be able to give up Reek. The reason he can’t give up Reek is because he hasn’t forgiven himself and he can’t forgive himself until he gets forgiveness from his first family.

  105. Danny,

    unite the realm. Then, everyone can fight the WW. Certaibly Cersei won’t be contributing any armies – let alone 3 dragons to jon’s cause.

    Finally, What else does Jon have to offer Dany? what good would a handful of knights do for Jon against the WW? Certainly not as much good as Dany riding Drogon would. Jon should offer some aid in return or he’s a dick.

  106. Markus Stark,

    I really hate all the black power dressing by all the women. They’ve visually (if not through character) lost their distinctive personalities a little and become some kind of stereotypical super women.

  107. Stoneheart:
    I thought this episode was only going to focus on one thing (the important event) and was super excited about it considering the run time, but with all of these storylines I’m a little worried! I remember watchers on the wall ep runtime was short but it was focused on one event only, those who are fully aware of what’s going to happen in this ep, should I be worried and lower my expectations? 🙁

    Well did you like The Battle Of The Bastards? That episode had more than just Jon in the battlefield. If I time the battle correctly on TV the moment swords were swung it took about 11 good minutes. That’s good enough for me.

  108. Allykat,

    He could be embarrassed that his men turned on him.
    He’s asking people to help him fight the walking dead, which he himself essentially is. I totally understand why he wants to keep it under wraps
    What does everyone else think?

  109. King Podrick,

    Yeah, I don’t think people quite how dull nearly 50 minutes of battle would actually be without it being punctuated in some way. A decent battle doesn’t need to be much longer than 10-15 minutes in real time.

  110. Jack Bauer 24: I’m worried. Shortest episode of the series and the last battle was low rent and abysmal.

    I’m surprise you’ve made it this far in the series. Season 1 and 2 was supposed to have lots of battles with Robb Stark and Lannister forces. Renly against some Stannis forces. Guess what? We got the aftermath of it all and the Battle at Blackwater was shown. I didn’t mind. I understood.

  111. redemily:
    I’ve long thought that Theon’s character can’t truly advance until he gets forgiveness from all the Starks. When he left Sansa in the woods at the beginning of Season 6 he was essentially running away from having to face Jon, so I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO f’ing excited and surprised that he could be running into Jon on Dragonstone. His storyline would have felt incomplete without such a meeting. Jon will forgive him and then he’ll truly be able to give up Reek. The reason he can’t give up Reek is because he hasn’t forgiven himself and he can’t forgive himself until he gets forgiveness from his first family.

    I have said this forever .. Theon HAD to face Jon (not any of the other Stark kids) because that is as close as he is ever going to get to “facing” Robb and dealing with the consequences for betraying him.

  112. QueenofThrones,

    What makes you think the WWs are going to wait until realm is united before they attack? We’ve all ready seen scenes about the shortage of food being an issue and that the North doesn’t have enough soldiers so children are learning to fight. How many people will die and supplies lost in the attempt to unite the realm. Did we just not learn from Tyrion that the most clever of plans don’t often work.

  113. Kay,

    I was thinking the same thing! Daario would totally throw shade at Jon! They really need the second sons now

  114. There was a bts video showing Sansa (or maybe Sophie?) throwing a snowball at someone a while ago.

    I wonder if the scene is Sansa throwing the snowball at Arya from the balcony?
  115. Beans,

    Daario is old news. He’s like the bad boy you fucked for a while before you realised you couldn’t really bring him home to your mum or expect him to hold a responsible job.

    It was exciting but Dany isn’t that teenager anymore. She’s a slightly older teenager.

  116. One of the most significant insights these photos give us is that Brienne of Tarth has finally changed out of Lanister armor (the black plate) into Northern armor (brown leather). The real reason to do that is because of the cold, but it may be a way to show how she has finally severed her ties to Jamie and the South, and fully embrace the cause of the North.

  117. selena,

    If that’s a “leak” or a spoiler … that wasn’t nice of you to post it without spoiler coding.
    😡🚱🚱🚱🚱

  118. Longclaw,

    I get why Jon himself would want to keep this on the DL, however what I’m curious about is how the gossip and lore about his resurrection hasn’t spread throughout the 7 kingdoms. After the huge reaction the NW and Wildlings had to this major event, you’d think rumors would have spread at least amongst the northern kingdoms. Or maybe it has offscreen, and it will come out later.

    Good food for thought! Still curious about what others make of this plot point and how it will be used.

  119. mau,

    I do too. I don’t see a pattern other than the politics/warrior traits you mention. Maybe age? Still, exceptions there too.

  120. Clob: Hmm, did that make anyone picture Jean-Luc Picard in the Star Trek: TNG series finale?It popped in there after I wrote it – Googled it and he was wearing something close to my imagination in his vineyard.The mind is strange. 😛

    GMTA, Clob. I actually thought of Picard way back when Tyrion said he’d like to own a vineyard and share The Imp’s Delight with friends.

    Ep 4 may be short, but often the best things come in small packages. J & D get to know each other a little better, there’s a terrific looking battle, and Winterfell looks to get a badly needed dose of adrenaline. I hope D&D somehow slip a Hound scene in there. And speaking of small packages, thank you Jack for that rousing video.

  121. QueenofThrones,

    OK Based only on these photos plus the trailer (where there’s a ton of emphasis on the Iron Bank wanting the Gold from Highgarden) my guess is what happens is Dany and her dragons, impatient with Tyrion’s conservative and “clever” plans, roast the gold caravans and steal the $$.Either Jaime escapes to return to KL and Bronn dies or Jaime is captured and Bronn returns to KL.

    That will provide a first minor victory for her side and the means with which to supply her forces for the long term. Plus if they capture Jaime that’s a valuable hostage right there and as we all know, captured Jaime Lannister = good drama.

    I love it! That would provide the double meaning I was hoping for, spoiling the spoils.

  122. Oh wow. I’ve been wondering about Theon. Where does he go? Of course, back to Dragonstone. And Jon is there to welcome him. I wonder what they’ll say to each other. He did help Sansa escape from Ramsay but then he also betrayed Robb, sacked/invaded WF, killed Ser Rodrik, drove Bran/Rickon out of WF, so…

    I wonder if Dany and Missandei are talking about the night before Grey Worm left. 😀 Missandei’s smile looks like she’s reminiscing about something sweet.

    That photo of Drogon with Dany on top looks so magnificent! Wow!

  123. redemily:
    Markus Stark,

    I really hate all the black power dressing by all the women. They’ve visually (if not through character) lost their distinctive personalities a little and become some kind of stereotypical super women.

    I’ve been thinking about this, too. At first, I thought maybe Cersei’s wearing black to mourn the passing of Tommen but she didn’t do it for her other 2 children. I’m missing seeing her in her bold-colored gowns. I’m pretty sure Lena could still pull off a “powerful woman” look in other colors.

    One of the reasons Euron’s parade last episode was a welcome sight for me (though I didn’t like that scene) was because for a change, I was seeing lots of colors other than dreary black, gray, and white.

  124. Ten Bears:
    selena,

    If that’s a “leak” or a spoiler … that wasn’t nice of you to post it without spoiler coding.

    This is why I’ve been really careful in reading posts here, especially the photos article. I was spoiled last week about Bran and Arya. 🙁 People sometimes make detailed speculation that turns out to be exactly what happens in the episode so it makes me think maybe it’s not really a speculation. But I do appreciate those who are careful and considerate and cover their spoilers.

  125. Beans:
    Kay,

    I was thinking the same thing! Daario would totally throw shade at Jon!They really need the second sons now

    Well, Daario’s presence would have complicated D&D’s writing for Jon and Daenerys a whole lot!! 😀
    But honestly, Daario was a better tactician than Tyrion, and his objective was simply to empower Daenerys. While Tyrion wants to help Daenerys get on the Iron Throne, as a weird bit of vengeance against his family.

  126. Markus Stark,
    I got the impression Cersei wears her hair short to separate herself from the soft feminine look of the women of the court. Plus her son is dead and she is mourning him. Short hair and lack of adornment are signs of mourning. She’s putting on a show for the people over the twin tragedies of the Sept explosion and Tommen’s death.
    The severity of her style also conveys her power. She isn’t adorning herself for glamour or to be frivolous, she is all business.

  127. redemily:
    I’ve long thought that Theon’s character can’t truly advance until he gets forgiveness from all the Starks. When he left Sansa in the woods at the beginning of Season 6 he was essentially running away from having to face Jon, so I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO f’ing excited and surprised that he could be running into Jon on Dragonstone. His storyline would have felt incomplete without such a meeting. Jon will forgive him and then he’ll truly be able to give up Reek. The reason he can’t give up Reek is because he hasn’t forgiven himself and he can’t forgive himself until he gets forgiveness from his first family.

    selena: I have said this forever .. Theon HAD to face Jon (not any of the other Stark kids) because that is as close as he is ever going to get to “facing” Robb and dealing with the consequences for betraying him.

    Love this way of loooking at it, thanks for sharing!

  128. Tywin's Ghost:
    QueenofThrones,
    What makes you think the WWs are going to wait until realm is united before they attack? We’ve all ready seen scenes about the shortage of food being an issue and that the North doesn’t have enough soldiers so children are learning to fight. How many people will die and supplies lost in the attempt to unite the realm. Did we just not learn from Tyrion that the most clever of plans don’t often work.

    Meta reason: We have 10 episodes of this show left and there are not going to be 10 episodes of fighting the white walkers / WW taking over Westeros.

    In-universe reason: If Dany were to go right now, what possible good could she do? Jon doesn’t know where the WW are. She’d go and basically have to turn around since there’s nothing for her dragons to eat except her Dothraki’s horses I guess? And that all ignores the bigger problem which is that Jon did nothing to try to convince anyone of anything which is his modus operandi so Dany would have to be incredibly irresponsable as well as insane at this point in time to go with him (at this moment, leaving would mean the likely destruction of her people by starvation or war).

    I understand Jon’s perspective. It’s not that hard to realize that other perspectives are also valid.

  129. Allykat:
    Longclaw,

    I get why Jon himself would want to keep this on the DL, however what I’m curious about is how the gossip and lore about his resurrection hasn’t spread throughout the 7 kingdoms. After the huge reaction the NW and Wildlings had to this major event, you’d think rumors would have spread at least amongst the northern kingdoms. Or maybe it has offscreen, and it will come out later.

    Good food for thought! Still curious about what others make of this plot point and how it will be used.

    Correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t think anyone knows about Jon’s Resurrection besides the wildlings and nightwatch. The North does not know and wildlings don’t gossip like a few fisherman wives

  130. WorfWWorfington,

    Hahaha – Very funny. I rolled up LMAO 😀 😀

    Yep, beaver eating seems to be a common event in the sex scenes in GoT – giving blow jobs also! That is to those guys who still have their ‘meat and two veg’ 😉

  131. Jack Bauer 24: I’m worried. Shortest episode of the series and the last battle was low rent and abysmal.

    Bloody ‘ell Jack… You’re always fucking whinging! A few weeks ago you were getting wound up because HBO hadn’t released any episode titles and you were convinced there weren’t going to be any and just called Ep1 -Ep2 -Ep3, etc. Then you was going on about there being no Red Carpet before the premiere.

    All for nothing as then HBO released the first 3 episode titles and of course the Red (blue) Carpet event went ahead as expected.

    Just because this episode will be the shortest (or that Sapo didn’t direct it) I think Ep4 will blow yer rocks off! This is going to be a BIG ONE. Probably will be on par with Hardhome or the BotB and even more spectacular as the dragons will be doing their bizzo bringing down fire like as we saw in the Battle of Meereen and with the Dothraki in action for the first time on Westeros.

    So just chill out and take it as it comes. I don’t think you will be disappointed 🙂

  132. Why isn’t Dany in some kind of amazing looking dragon queen armor when she is on Drogon? She needs some kind of protection from a good archer doesn’t she?

    I am not saying put her in some sexy medieval fantasy armor but something practical but bada$$ looking.

    I don’t know man, wasted opportunity to add flavor to the scene and make it even more epic but I should be happy with what we got. Hehe…

  133. King Podrick,

    Fair point, but then the Wildlings aren’t entirely immune to spreading folklore and telling tall tales. Consider Tormund and his campfire story about Sheila the bear. Or even Osha, who had plenty of stories to tell Bran about giants beyond the wall (and worse). And the stories of Mance as the King Beyond the Wall must have leaked into the seven kingdoms somehow as well.

    All I’m saying is that as a wise man once said, allow them their flights of fancy, it’s dreary in the north. 🙂

  134. Roz’s Ghost:
    Markus Stark,
    I got the impression Cersei wears her hair short to separate herself from the soft feminine look of the women of the court. Plus her son is dead and she is mourning him. Short hair and lack of adornment are signs of mourning.She’s putting on a show for the people over the twin tragedies of the Sept explosion and Tommen’s death.The severity of her style also conveys her power. She isn’t adorning herself for glamour or to be frivolous, she is all business.

    I got the impression she’s just wearing Tommen’s scalp.

  135. Dee Stark (“Some comments feel so spoilery
    Please cover you shit up”)

    Of the old gods:
    “Thanks for that!”
    Truth be told, I haven’t even read/viewed the article yet, first skimmed the comments to look for your name (as the most famous of the spoiler-averse) and any indication of how safe or “spoilery” it is!
    (I hope that’s not too creepy, coming from an unknown 3rd season lurker who has only recently begun commenting more often)

    Touché, Of the old gods! 🙂 ..she sure is a good indicator of the current spoilery level of an article. Lately it’s been a constant battle between not daring to get spoiled in the comment section versus missing out on good discussions and fun comments – like her apparent medicin against ultrahype: #calmdownwomannn Haha..thanks for that one, Dee!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

    It feel ever more Sullied readers do not realize how easy it is to spoil the Unsullied… Often just a few words gets covered up, but the essense of a hidden part is freely disqussed/indicated before and after the cover! 🙁 …Why is it so hard to cover a spoilery paragraph and not just a few words? Interested Sullied will uncover anyway, I would think and then everybody would be happy to contribute.

  136. Markus Stark,

    Sam will be in this episode for sure.
    the Field of fire will be one big scene. but not more then 15 min. and it will also ends in a hang cliff.

  137. Let’s hope the third photo is enough to put paid to the ‘Merman’ theory!
    A full-length shot of Varys, showing him standing on TWO LEGS will hopefully do the job.
    Now, can we get back to all the other theories, please? 😀

  138. Sam,

    Actually, Cersei did wear black for her other kids. She wears black for all of Season 4 after Joffrey’s death, wears black for all of Season 5 after Tywin’s death, then wears some other colors in the Season 6 premiere, before returning to black for the rest of Season 6 due to Myrcella’s death.

    I’m more bothered by the silliness of her imposing black clothes and short hair on her entourage.

  139. Roz’s Ghost:
    Markus Stark,
    I got the impression Cersei wears her hair short to separate herself from the soft feminine look of the women of the court. Plus her son is dead and she is mourning him. Short hair and lack of adornment are signs of mourning.She’s putting on a show for the people over the twin tragedies of the Sept explosion and Tommen’s death.The severity of her style also conveys her power. She isn’t adorning herself for glamour or to be frivolous, she is all business.

    That’s fine. But imposing the same look on her handmaidens is just downright silly.

  140. Anjney:
    Jack Bauer 24,

    Sapochnik is directing ep. 4 & 5

    No, he is not. Sapochnik isn’t directing any episodes this year. Matt Shakman is directing 4&5, and this has been known for nearly a year.

  141. Re: Dany not wearing armour whilst piloting the dragon.

    Remember that crossbow that’s rigged up to combat dragons? What could possibly go wrong? My bet is that this is how Dany dies.

  142. Markus Stark: That’s fine. But imposing the same look on her handmaidens is just downright silly.

    Well she is definitely suffering from bats in the belfry by now – capable of pulling off some stunts but definitely with bats in the belfry so I wouldn’t expect her to be acting totally sensibly.

  143. Markus Stark,

    What I inferred from it is that particular handmaiden is very loyal to Cersei, maybe even worships her a bit. Adopting Cersei’s style would be second nature for someone like that. I’ve Known young women who do that. It IS possible that Cersei imposed the look & dress code, but I have a feeling that Bernadette was all too willing to comply.

  144. Of the old gods,

    hahahaa not creepy at all
    I got your back and all other spoiler free people!!!

    Some times im not sure which comments are based on speculation or spoilers because people seem so sure of whats happening in this episode LOL

  145. Sam: This is why I’ve been really careful in reading posts here, especially the photos article.I was spoiled last week about Bran and Arya. 🙁People sometimes make detailed speculation that turns out to be exactly what happens in the episode so it makes me think maybe it’s not really a speculation. But I do appreciate those who are careful and considerate and cover their spoilers.

    The trailer has been shown several times on Sky Atlantic. What has been seen by millions is hardly a spoiler plus they were links. You didn’t have to open as the preceding narrative surely hinted at.

  146. Markus Stark,

    Oh, I didn’t notice that. Thanks for the correction. For some reason, I always associate her with bold-colored gowns. Yes, it’s kinda hilarious that she’s making her staff look like her mini-me’s but it’s also along the lines of what a self-absorbed/centered person would do. 😀

  147. Dee Stark:
    Of the old gods,

    hahahaa not creepy at all
    I got your back and all other spoiler free people!!!

    Some times im not sure which comments are based on speculation or spoilers because people seem so sure of whats happening in this episode LOL

    Yes, us unsullied need to unite and band together! 😀 I’m seeing patterns of comments that’s making me wonder if they’re spoilers but I’m trying really hard to forget them by distracting myself with other things.

  148. Dead Dane Walking,

    Yes. Exactly. Some people think they’re being clever by using vague language to talk about spoilers or “leaks”, but the context is obvious, and then follow up responses give away more details. It’s just inconsiderate. And in most cases, the spoilery stuff has nothing to do with the topic of the article. There’s never an excuse for failing to use greyscale spoiler coding.

    Besides, there’s a quarantined Forum Section especially set aside for “leaks” discussions.

    🚱🚱🚱🚱🚱

  149. QueenofThrones,

    Meta reason: with only 10 episodes left, we’re not going to watch the realm be neatly untied then the fight with the WWs resolved with rainbows and dancing ewoks.

    As for other perspectives, you’re the one who called Jon a dick. I was merely pointing out the challenges he’s facing in universe.

  150. Unspoilt: The trailer has been shown several times on Sky Atlantic. What has been seen by millions is hardly a spoiler plus they were links. You didn’t have to open as the preceding narrative surely hinted at.

    No, I’m talking about specific scenes that were not in the trailers nor the photos (hence, no way for anyone to know unless from the leaks). For instance, somebody made a comment (uncovered) last week that Bran will return to WF in e3 and Arya in e4. The preview for e3 didn’t show Bran and the preview for e4 had not been shown yet, so how could anyone know that?

    Anyway, I still find most people here are careful with their comments and cover spoilers so I’m thankful for them.

  151. Markus Stark,

    We don’t know that Cersei is imposing black clothes and short hair on her entourage. Imitation is the biggest form of flattery. If you’re under the rule of a person who just blew a bunch of people up, you probably want to do anything to stay on their good side.

  152. alon,

    The Knights Who Say “Ni!” will be in this episode for sure.
    The Search for a Shrubbery will be one big scene. but not more then 15 min.
    King Stannis returns and pops a blood vessel upon reading the gobbledygook: “and it will also ends in a hang cliff.”
  153. Tywin’s Ghost:
    Markus Stark,

    We don’t know that Cersei is imposing black clothes and short hair on her entourage. Imitation is the biggest form of flattery. If you’re under the rule of a person who just blew a bunch of people up, you probably want to do anything to stay on their good side.

    Was just going to comment with that exact answer 🙂 This assumption is just as plausible, I’d say.

    Another example of this was Joffrey, who the people despised, but suddenly cheered for outside The Great Sept, ONLY because their beloved Margaery made it look like she gave him a seal of approval. The people are quite simply like a herd of sheep (Jamie also told Randyll Tarly something along those lines) who will turn on a dime, in order to flatter any favorite to win a game/war.

  154. QueenofThrones,

    Daenerys doesn’t need the men in Jon’s army. Her allies were captured/killed yes but what she lost with that that really affects her is the lost of the armada not the fighting men. She has the largest army of anyone in Westeros, except perhaps the Night’s King. Jon is in an interesting position because he was proclaimed King by popular demand, he did not inherit and he did not conquer and name himself a King. He, in may ways, is beholden to the people who elected him. He understands that. His position is tricky, he commands because it is his job but he is careful in knowing what are the limits of his command. And then there’s the fact that has always haunted him, he is a bastard while his siblings are trueborn. In many ways, he will never truly see Winterfell as his because he is “not a Stark”. At this point, he is a guardian of the Stark legacy which he must protect for his siblings. He probably feels like he can not give up the North because the North is not his to give up. The best he could do for Dany is not get in her way and he was not planning to do so either way. But Daenerys has the upper hand militarily, not to mention dragons. Sending north men to her cause will be a waste which the North can’t afford. It is funny because as entitled as Stannis always seemed there was a moment when he saw the light, it was about saving the realm. Granted, he failed miserably but no one can say he didn’t try.

  155. Ten Bears:
    Dead Dane Walking,

    Yes. Exactly. Some people think they’re being clever by using vague language to talk about spoilers or “leaks”, but the context is obvious, and then follow up responses give away more details…. /

    Yesterday a spoiler completely caught me off guard (not here on WotW though 🙂 ). It’s a perfect example of how easy it is to spoil – even unwillingly. Here’s the edited dialog with all user and character names removed:

    User A: “Sooo….XXXX isn’t / … / YYYY’s head. …/”
    User B: “no yes and no”
    User C: “The leak never said that XXX would kill YYY so I’m not sure where that came from? I don’t know how to do the grey spoiler thingamajig so I won’t say on here for fear of spoiling but someone else will get the privilege of ending /…. / ‘s life!”

    And just like that User C made it clear that:
    1) The information is from a leak.
    2) XXX will not kill YYY.
    3) Someone else will!

    – and all that in spite of User C’s wish not to spoil anyone…

  156. Ten Bears:

    Besides, there’s a quarantined Forum Section especially set aside for “leaks” discussions.

    Exactly, but I think it’s a psychological issue for some (NOT generalizing here) fans with spoilery tendencies – to tease with their leaked knowledge. Sort of like: it is known..to me, but you know nothing, Jon Snow 🙂 Sorry couldn’t resist! 🙂 It will only make that feeling of “power” stronger, if imposed on a lot of unsullied, instead of debating the leaked knowledge in a small quarantined forum with fever ears to spoil…

    But generally WotW’s articles with open discussions are by far the least spoilery I know of, which is why I keep coming back for a good read, a smile and a laugh day after day!

  157. Dee Stark:

    LOL!!

    OH MY GOD!

    that’s horrible.. I am sorry you got spoiled!!!

    It’s okay but thanks anyway, Dee! Naturally it kindda pissed me off and I sure as hell told User C yesterday, but i’ll live 🙂 I won’t stray off to other “dangerous” sites from now on and as soon as that spoiler has aired, i’ll be completely unsullied again! 🙂 🙂
    And besides you’re always hanging around to cheer up with your funny comments, your
    s
    p
    a
    c
    i
    n
    g
    and BIG LETTERS 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 LMAO

  158. King Podrick,

    Though I would definitely love a re-shoot and add in to season 2 of Jamie fighting Robs men, making his way towards Rob and cutting them down “like a dance” just before being overwhelmed and captured.

    I’m sad we never truly saw Jamie fight at full potential. his Spar with Ed could be seen as taunting.

    We may not get Roberts rebellion now but who knows.. maybe we will get a true prequel in the future on the thrid GOT spin off.. and get a good view of young Jamie then.

  159. I just had a thought that it would be interesting if Bran starts talking to a random stable girl and then concludes with acknowledging her as Arya: “Whenever you’re ready Arya, we would love to have you back.” Stable girl looks shocked and walks away. Or just some way for Bran to recognize that Arya is in disguise, catcher her off guard.

  160. I’m so happy to see Dany in her colors that I can forgive it but shouldn’t she have some sort of armor on? I know people said this before.

    I know Dany is not a warioress per se but it always annoyed me in the books how she never even tried to learn wielding a weapon, I mean she’s bound to be in the battle one way or another so she should have a weapon if she somehow gets to it, idk.. perhaps she’s just super confident in her dragons which makes sense, still… carrying a little sword or dagger on her person wouldn’t hurt, plus armor would be almost like expected from someone riding a dragon (duh because of the arrows!)

    Also I always dreamed of seeing a full Targ armor alas Rhaegarish with the rubies and everything, haha! It would be the perfect opportunity to channel it.

    Anyway I noticed the slit/split skirt going on stronger than ever in her wardrobe this season and I love it! Obviously meant to be practical while riding (a dragon!) and still elegant and flowy enough :3

  161. Dead Dane Walking,

    HAHAHAHA

    Well I am glad my comment style is amusing to some 🙂 hahahaha

    Its colorful and fun LOLs

    Yes, I think you should stick to WOTW… I think you are the safest H E R E 🙂

  162. HunterMac87:
    I just had a thought that it would be interesting if Bran starts talking to a random stable girl and then concludes with acknowledging her as Arya: “Whenever you’re ready Arya, we would love to have you back.”

    Haha gooood one! Both stonefaced…:

    Bran the Robot: “Whenever you’re ready Arya…”
    Arya the Faceless: “What?”

  163. Jack Bauer 24:
    Dany should have kept the red cape.

    My favorite dany’s outfit was the S3 and S4 blue cape and dress. I love when Dany wears more color.

  164. Bird of Prey:

    I know Dany is not a warioress per se but it always annoyed me in the books how she never even tried to learn wielding a weapon… / … carrying a little sword or dagger on her person wouldn’t hurt…/

    Hmm weird, but I never thought about that! Got me thinking if GRRM might have a specific point in regards to the endgame – it seems he always does, right. Like pro- and antagonists with weapons/armour vs. those without…

  165. Dee Stark,

    Hahaha don’t worry, Dee the Colorful 🙂 🙂 I just had to venture outside Westeros, but learned the unfortunate spoiler-lesson! …will stick to WotW now and feel the safest riiiight H E R E 🙂

  166. Jared,

    Jared: It’s a minor thing, but I love seeing Missandei’s shy little smile in that picture of her and Dany. I’ve always enjoyed their dynamic on the show – it’s partly that of a queen and her advisor, but in less formal moments it’s more reminiscent of a dynamic between close friends, or even sisters. And this definitely looks like a less formal moment. It’s lovely that even in a faster-paced season, the show still makes time to include such small, character-based interactions, and do them so very well.

    Daeny probably asked how things worked out on Missandei’s date with Grey Worm 😉

  167. Stark Raven’ Rad,

    The friend with whom I watched this and I had a discussion about the reunion and potential reunion, and she pointed out that besides being the most Tullyish one of the bunch (or because of that), Sansa is the only one who doesn’t have a direct experience with the supernatural. Imo, Arya will have a better grasp of Bran’s capabilities than Sansa, and won’t be freaked out by them. And Bran, who might have resented Arya’s far-superior archery skills (in a childhood that must seem a century in the past), will have the profound understanding that he and Arya have truly grown into what they were meant (or fated) to be from an early age.

    SO MUCH TO LOOK FORWARD TO. Uuuggghhh, these seven Sundays are going to be over way too fast.

  168. Markus Stark,

    I would make two arguments against the wearing of bright colors during winter in Westeros: 1) With the onset of winter, brilliant dyes will soon become either unavailable or prohibitively expensive, so those clothes will be packed away for spring rather than worn to shreds Jorah-style; and 2) When waging wars in early winter, whether of conquest, domination, or survival, wearing sunshiny colors might be viewed as frivolity… the last thing Daenerys, Cersei, or Jon wishes to convey.

  169. Prediction:

    Jaime: “The things I do for love.”

    *charges at dragon and is burnt to a crisp*

  170. Sou,

    While I liked this episode much, much better than last week’s (for reasons I won’t bore you with), this was a huge problem for me. In the show, Jaqen explains the origins of the HoBaW (founded by runaway slaves) to Arya, and in the books the city’s origin and anti-slavery stance are delved into in depth. Bad writing and lack of continuity, alas.

  171. Kay,

    I’m hoping for an echo of what happened with Sansa, where he couldn’t act in the moment that her captor took her but ultimately manages to help save her. I do realize that’s hoping for waaayyy too much, but…

  172. Sam:

    The preview for e3 didn’t show Bran and the preview for e4 had not been shown yet, so how could anyone know that?

    I have no idea where you are or what previews you’ve seen. I’m in the U.S., and the preview of Ep4 shown immediately after Ep3 includes a panoramic shot of Arya on horseback looking at Winterfell. She’s seen from the back, but anyone streaming the video and pausing it (as I did) can clearly see that it’s Arya. Just so you know…

  173. Wolfish,

    I remember this uncovered spoiler (and which username) and I also reacted to it.

    Just have to point out, that it was last week, as Sam writes: “For instance, somebody made a comment (uncovered) last week that Bran will return to WF in e3 and Arya in e4…”

    Hence nobody (unless they had seen leaks about it) knew, that Bran would already continue from CB and arrive at WF in ep3… Ep3 had not yet aired, so by definition neither had the “Next on” preview for ep4 showing Arya on the hill at WF…not on Sky Atlantic, not anywhere. It was clearly true leak spoilers as we all know now after ep3 and preview ep4 aired on Sunday..!

  174. Wolfish,

    Btw that same user just made a comment about something (again uncovered) that presumably happens in upcoming episodes – and specifically in ep6 elsewhere yesterday. For sure nothing official is out there from that episode..

  175. Dead Dane Walking,

    I totally understand the frustration and anger about uncovered leak spoilers. I thought the commenter to whom I was responding was referring to something that had been seen in previews. As the young ones say, “my bad.”

  176. As the old ones say: “No worries Wolfish” 🙂 Just wanted to stand up for Sam and correct what looked like a little misunderstanding, as I had been spoiled by the same comment last week. Have you seen the extra Sky Atlantic clip with Arya? Sooo hyped for Sunday!!

  177. Wolfish,

    Hi! Yes, I saw the ep4 trailer (with Arya on the horse) after ep3. That comment I was talking about was made before ep3 even aired.

  178. Dead Dane Walking,

    Oh, thankfully I didn’t see this one. Sorry you read it. I’ve taken note of the ones who tend to write spoilers (in the guise of “speculation”) and skip their comments.

  179. I’m a little late to this one so I haven’t read all the comments. Whilst I know one of the likely big plot points from this episode from the leaked outline last year and I recall Watchers reported on the Theon arriving at Dragonstone scene I feel otherwise pretty unsullied this episode. Given the fast pacing and severe lack of deaths so far I’m going to predict the following (all are unsullied and not spoilers):
    – Greyworm dies, which seems natural after last episode.
    – Euron is going to torture or kill Yara this episode, he may even die as we know Dany is going to win a battle at some point but that feels more likely to be episode 5.
    – Jon is presumably going to leave Dragonstone this episode and head back up north.
    – Arya is going to arrive at Winterfell and presumably find it hard to fit in given how everyone has changed.
    – Something about those scrolls Maester Luwin kept is going to come up given that we see Sansa reading in the episode preview. Could it relate to something which Bran tells her?

    One watch out, apparently the script for this episode has been leaked following the hack and people are posting stuff out in social media including a scene with Arya so please everyone use spoiler tags!

  180. mau,

    Is that a spoiler Mau or a prediction? I’m not too bothered about spoilers at that level if so but better to cover I guess or at least clarify given there are a few like Dee who are 100% unsullied.

  181. Sam:
    “…I’ve taken note of the ones who tend to write spoilers (in the guise of “speculation”) and skip their comments”.

    “Thanks! As Dee said, the unsullied looking out for one another” 🙂

    * Definitely a way to go about it. I try to skip past certain usernames as well.
    * Yes, with Dee as team leader, the struggle continues to reach the big endgame as unsullied…now that it’s impossible to stay away from WotW anyway 🙂

  182. Dee Stark,

    I’m expecting him to go home too Dee, we know he goes North from the trailer which presumably shows either episode 6 or 7. I’m expecting him to leave Dragonstone this episode having mined the dragon glass, go back to Winterfell then we see he stuff from the trailer.

  183. Jon Snowed:
    – Something about those scrolls Maester Luwin kept is going to come up given that we see Sansa reading in the episode preview.Could it relate to something which Bran tells her?

    At the moment it was said in the episode, my thoughts went to Littlefucker, as his instant reaction to these news made him look REALLY suspicious 🙂 Remember all of his treacherous communication with the Boltons must be in those scrolls as well..!!!!

  184. Kay,

    I really hope you are wrong Kay. The idea of Theon and his small band of Iron Born defeating Euron with his 1000 ships and freeing Yara seems absurd to me. I’d prefer it if he heads North with Jon to carry the dragon glass and Dany goes fire and blood on Euron and his fleet.

  185. Jon Snowed,
    Dee Stark

    Maybe Jon will sail directly to Eastwatch by the Sea?
    I expect Thormund is hanging out up there by now and could really use some of the dragonglass soon – as quite some time has passed since Jon left WF?

    It feels almost too good to be true, if D&D please the fans with a complete four-way Stark reunion 🙂

  186. Dee Stark,

    Hi Dee, hopefully you know me well enough that I won’t spoil you but I would be very careful with this episode. One of the major happenings was part of the plot outline leak last year, included in the trailer and apparently the whole script was released on the internet as part of the hack. So a lot of people do know what is happening in this one. I’m reading through these comments and some people are definitely being loose with what they are writing so I would advise to becareful for the next few days until this episode has aired.

    Beyond this one i know only of a few plot points still to air as part of the original leak so hopefully the spoilers will become less frequent. Hopefully this isn’t spoiling anything but giving you some context.

  187. Yeah I have no idea what’s in those scrolls (I am totally unsullied on this) but I am very curious. The idea of his conversations with the Boltons is a good one but doesn’t Sansa already know he did this, I got that impression when they met in Moles town back in season 6.

    I suspect we are going to find out in the next episode though:-)

  188. That’s a good point, I was expecting him to return to Winterfell to drop off the dragonglass and rally a squad but equally he could just go straight to Eastwatch, that would mean presumably Bran doesn’t get to tell him about what he saw in the tower of Joy or a reunion with Arya until right at the end of this season though.

  189. Silent Sister,

    Maybe Cersei’s handmaiden is a Westerosi equivalent (in relation to Cersei) of a member of the “Bee Hive”*.

    Dead Dane Walking,

    Sometimes being spoilery isn’t done with malice aforethought. Last week (and I think I can mention it now because the episode in question has aired) I referred to some pictures which I thought (wrongly) were HBO endorsed but they were from the paparazzi. (Someone had taken some shots of the Euron leading Yara, Ellaria and Tyene scene). Incidentally I originally read your user name as “Dead Dame Walking” – seems that this dame (i.e. the one typing this comment needs some new spectacles).

    * I’m sure people already know but just in case in this sense the “Bee Hive” means avid fans of the singer Beyonce. (Sorry don’t know how to type an acute accent on this site).

  190. Dame of Mercia,

    Haha.. Maybe with spectacles you, can see it here then: Dame “Bee Hive” Beyoncé 🙂
    And in regards to your experience with referring to material, which isn’t HBO official – this is why I try to stick with WotW, since the editors do such an awesome job at screening the material first and make solid warnings IF there are spoilers in an article.

  191. Jon Snowed:
    The idea of his conversations with the Boltons is a good one but doesn’t Sansa already know he did this, I got that impression when they met in Moles town back in season 6.

    I think she was only speaking about his knowledge of Ramsey’s sadistic psycho behavior, saying somethig like: “If you didn’t know, you’re an idiot. If did know, you’re my enemy”.

    I was thinking more of a scene in season 5, where Roose intercepted (and read) a message from Cersei to LF. Roose also demanded to see his answer to Cersei before sending it to KL. But come to think of it, this was of course after Maester Lywin died, so there would only be records of this, if Maester Wolkan continued his records. As a seemingly good-hearted Maester, I assume he would have though.

  192. Dead Dane Walking: * Definitely a way to go about it. I try to skip past certain usernames as well.
    * Yes, with Dee as team leader, the struggle continues to reach the big endgame as unsullied…now that it’s impossible to stay away from WotW anyway

    Haha team leader!

    Jon Snowed,

    I agree!

  193. Dee Stark:
    Jon Snowed,

    …because apparently the episode itself has leaked.

    WHAAAT??? As in the actual footage?! If that’s true, then it’s bye-bye fan sites the next few days for me as well…

  194. Sam,

    Got it. I apologize. I just started a new job and am in between two big weekend trips, so I haven’t been able to keep up with Watchers in a timely fashion!

  195. Wolfish:

    Jon + Tormund + Boyz in the Brotherhood (per Sandor’s vision)…

    I CAN’T WAIT!!! I’M GOING TO BE CHANNELING DEE!!!

    It’s going to be epic entertainment whenever they hook up!!

    Haha… You do that 🙂 I think she’s about to either implode or kill the NK by herself over HERE in the new article about the confirmed leak of ep4 🙂

  196. Been insanely busy so only now got a chance to look at the promo pics. They always give us plenty of the lesser moments but keep the big stuff under wraps, don’t they? I mean, that last pic seems like Field of Fire 2.0, right? (How does Dany ride the huge Drogon anyway without any kind of saddle or harness?)

    1. Dany& Missy on cliff, Jon below on beach.
    Dany: So, do you think he’s hot?
    Missy: His complexion is too pale for my taste, your grace.
    Jon: (thinks to himself): I see the hot chicks are talking about dragonglass and the White Walkers. I knew being all broody would win me allies to save the world.

    2. Missy & Dany
    Dany: You did WHAT with Grey Worm?!
    Missy: He has learned the tongue exceedingly well, your grace.

    3. Varys, Tyrion, Missy, Dany, Davos and Jon on beach (apparently watching Theon’s arrival)
    Just look at those cliffs behind them! They look like dragon skin with those scale-like rock formations. Huge props to the location scouts!
    Look at Jon’s expression. If it’s indeed Theon, Jon knows from Sansa that Theon didn’t kill Bran and Rickon, but he still betrayed Robb, took Winterfell, executed Ser Rodrick…
    Tyrion’s expression is also interesting. Everybody is serious but he also seems to be puzzling out something.

    4. Theon and some Ironborn pulling the boat.
    Notice again the “dragonscale” on the cliffs/rocks behind them.
    Notice how Theon seems to be leading, first in line, but he’s dressed differently from the rest of the Ironborn. (OK, he’s lost his armour and his IB cloak while shipwrecked.)

    5. Theon.
    Looking very unhappy but looking mostly like Theon… but with a touch of Reek..?
    He’s missing the typical IB armour he had.

    6. Cersei and Tycho Nestoris
    Tycho Nestoris is holding a ledger, Cersei is holding a wine glass.

    7. Jaime and Bronn on horseback
    (Give me NCW on horseback on a loop and I’ll watch it for hours. Whaddaya mean story, plot, character development, yadda yadda, I’m watching Jaime/NCW on horseback. It’s perfect. I’ll just watch that horse-riding scene again, if you don’t mind, and then that other horse-riding scene, and then another… Oh, sorry. Am I meant to say something intelligent here? Well, in the show Jaime ALWAYS rides a white horse (go and check it, I did.) You know, kind of like the cliche “knight in shining armour on a white charger”. It’s an ironic, visual comment since S1.)
    Oh, and Jaime and Bronn don’t look too happy about what they’re seeing… maybe dragons?

    8. Littlefinger on a Winterfell walkway, snowing. Long lens (=distant)
    He’s not looking happy… Is he witnessing yet another Stark reunion, with his protege/pawn once again emotionally hugging yet another sibling thought dead, slipping away from his control and game…

    9. Brienne and Pod
    They seem to almost stand to attention and look approvingly at what they see. A Stark reunion?
    Oh, and Brienne’s new northern-style cloak, with fur, wow!
    Even Pod’s got some rabbit fur on his shoulders, bless his little cotton socks.

    10. Sansa in the godswood
    Beautiful, beautiful picture. White snow, white tree, white sky, red leaves, touch of red on Sansa’s lips. She’s looking a bit bleak. Like, “OK, I wanted to get back home to Winterfell but now my big brother was dead and ressurrected, my little brother is a tree god and my little sister is a death cult assassin… Am I the only normal one around here?”

    11. Dany on Drogon
    This picture was released long ago but now we get confirmation it’s from ep4.

  197. thi targaryen,

    Can you *please* greyscale your spoilers ?

    That’s the second time I am being spoiled because of one of your comments and I am pretty sure I am far from being the only one.

    Be considerate, use spoiler tags, stop pretending your spoilers are predictions, they are not.

    That is really getting annoying.

  198. I think the costumes might be dark this season to create a darker atmosphere. With winter coming (even in the south) everything should appear gloomier than before. Maybe this was the intent of the show even if it’s not too subtle a trick.

  199. There have been so many spoilers and leaks that even reading through the comment sections of all the WoTW posts can inadvertently influence you so that you might post a spoiler without realizing it.

    Because of this I no longer wish to comment on anything involving plot, characters’ possible reunions or what I think might happen unless it’s something I know is only coming from me and not from something I’ve read or seen.

    Also, I’ve read the books and while the show is now vastly different there still may be a few things hinted at or foreshadowed that could be deemed as spoilers for the show. Commenting is now like a minefield. I feel bad for the mods who might be trying to monitor it all.

    All I know is I’m very much looking forward to this Sunday’s episode! The photos look amazing. I’m particularly excited by the one of Drogon.

  200. Dolorous JENN,
    I totally agree with you, that picture of Drogon looks totally amazing, I find it particularly interesting seeing the pictures up North with the snow, contrasting with the pictures down South being all sunshine and all. Did they ever explain why the seasons last for so long? I wish we could have spring weather for 10 years, I would be dressed casual AF, all the time…lol

  201. Markus Stark: That’s fine. But imposing the same look on her handmaidens is just downright silly.

    how do you know she has imposed it?? often the royals will get copied by their servants and subjects as ‘trendsetters’

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