Spoiler note: The discussion in this post is primarily for non-book readers (book fans can discuss the show-only here). We ask that all Sullied book-readers refrain from posting any mentions/references to the books in the comments here, veiled or otherwise. No spoilers, at all! This show is best viewed without knowing all the surprises beforehand or afterwards, so please be respectful of your fellow fans. Thank you!
Jesus… we can’t even get through the first five minutes of the season without killing 100 people.
Welcome all to the first Unsullied recap of Season 7! Once again, your virgin eyes and ears shall remain unmolested in the posts of Oz.
As a rule, we know that the premiere episode is typically a precursor for the rest of the season. What we didn’t know is that we would see Walder Frey one more time and that Giant Wights are real. Bundle up kiddos… winter is here.
Walder Frey is Dead
Which means, this has to be Arya. The cold opening brings 100 deaths (roughly) before the damn intro hits. Welcome back, Game of Thrones. Haters rejoice, especially when there is a mass killing within the first five minutes.
Arya’s plan is obvious… to fulfill her death list while gaining a few trophy-kills along the way. And she gets a head start by apparently killing all of the Freys that mean a “damn thing.” Damn good to see David Bradley at least one more time before we bid him farewell forever. We hated you, Walder. But we loved to hate you.
*The music hits…
**Oldtown in the intro!**
Your Friendly reminder that Winter is here, and the dead have come with it.
Just beyond the cold opening, was another cold opening. The Night King traipses through our screens on horseback with White Walkers and wights in tow. And oh… a fucking GIANT WIGHT, with what appear to be two more in the background.
Meera and Bran at the Wall
Following the Benjen drop-off three stops short of their destination, Meera and Bran arrive at the Wall tunnel and Bran has to prove to Edd who he is and what he has seen. And that’s it. To be continued next week, I hope.
Undermining in the North
Jon discusses the need for dragonglass with the Lords of the North. He then proclaims that men and women, boys and girls will need to be trained. When Lord Glover objects, the strongest person in the room stands up and proclaims that she will fight too. “I’m not freaking sitting and around knitting, you dumbasses!”
Jon goes on to call on Tormund and the Wildlings to go to Eastwatch since that is the closest place to Hardhome where the Walkers were last seen (and later confirmed by the fire of Thoros).
And then… I could hear the Sansa haters screaming at their televisions from across the narrow sea. And to be honest, I was too for a moment.
Sansa argues that the castles of Karstark and Umber should be given to lords that fought against the Boltons. And she had a completely valid point. The problem was that it was in front of everyone. Jon stands his ground and calls on Ned Umber and Alys Karstark and requests their loyalty to House Stark to which they oblige. Littlefinger approves as well.
And let me be clear on this… if Sansa had been chosen as King in the North and Jon had handled the situation the same, I would be blasting his ass. The truth is that Jon would have been wise to discuss these issues with Sansa before a public meeting. If that didn’t happen, Sansa would have been wise to ask if they could briefly speak in private. They’ve both got to learn to handle this better because everytime they do it, it benefits Littlefinger.
A raven arrives bringing a message from Cersei asking Jon to pledge allegiance to her. Sansa obviously respects her resolve and states that she learned a lot from Cersei which is undeniably true. I don’t know if this scene has “underlying plot” written on it, but I found it rather odd.
Segue to Cersei and Jaime standing on wet paint on the biggest color-by-number in the history of Westeros. They discuss a number of issues including the arrival of Dany and their little brother along with Tommen and the obvious need for allies.
Those quick-built 1000 ships look GOOD
In easy speculative order, about the only House that Cersei has left to form an alliance with is the Greyjoys. And sure enough, Euron shows up with his huge fleet, fresh haircut, and big cock. Euron and Jaime exchange pleasantries about the rebellion, cutting each other down while Euron brags about his 1000 ships “and two good hands.” The burn. The BURN.
Euron understands that truth will not be simply granted. So, he offers a Gift. And the only gift that I know of that has been referenced as a Gift before is Tyrion. Shit just got real. Speaking of shit…
Bedpan Sam
Life at the Citadel is not all it’s cracked up to be as Sam is apparently paying dues by cleaning up shit and serving bowls of brown shit. In his small time in the library, Sam notices an area that is secured with information he believes he needs to be able to help Jon.
Later, during a Westerosi autopsy, Sam asks the Archmaester about getting access to the restricted area of the library. He explains that he has seen the White Walkers and the importance of being able to review the material. The Archmaester proclaims that he believes Sam, but doesn’t seem to buy into the idea that the end is near giving examples of other times in the past where others believed that the world was ending.
Probably the most important thing the Archmaester says in the exchange is the reference regarding the Wall and that it has held for years and will again.
Sneaky Sam grabs the keys to the restricted area anyway.
You’re a Lucky Man
Kristofer Hivju’s facial expressions make the whole Brienne infatuation work better than his words. And the writers throw in a reminder of why Baelish is still in Winterfell when it’s obvious no one can stand him. I’ll repeat… Lysakiller is not dying anytime soon.
Ed Sheeran is a Fookin’ Lannister
Arya walks up on the Castle on the Hill; I mean someone that’s the shape of you; I mean Ed Sheeran and a young group of Lannister soldiers who are genuinely friendly (potentially saving their lives in future episodes). Arya snacks on Bugs Bunny and tells the group straight up that she is on her way to King’s Landing to kill the Queen. Everyone has a laugh. Ed Sheeran Youtube videos get another million views.
Beric Dondarrion Could Be My Favorite Character
We catch up with the Hound and the Brothers without Banners looking for a place to spend the night. The Hound voices his opposition to the selected locale most likely due to the guilt of knowing he robbed the most recent inhabitants. The Hound questions why Beric is so special and why the LOL keeps bringing him back. He doesn’t know. Yet.
Then Thoros gets the Hound to look into the flame to see what he sees: that the dead are passing the Wall by Eastwatch.
Later, Thoros finds the Hound digging graves for the dead father and daughter. Again, we see evidence of the transformation of the Hound. Thoros recognizes it as well.
Sam’s Discovery
Woah! Was that a drawing of the dagger used to try and kill Bran?
In one of the books Sam swiped from the restricted area of the library, he comes across the fact that Dragonstone has a mountain of dragonglass and quickly sends a raven to Jon (of course, setting up the inevitable linkage we’ve all speculated about).
As Sam is delivering food, he comes across none other than Jorah Mormont who inquires as to whether or not Dany has made it to Westeros. I assume Jorah ended up there looking for a cure. Go find THAT book, Sam!
Touchdown
And then, a journey six seasons in the making finally becomes reality. Dany and company arrive at Dragonstone and quickly familiarize themselves with their new surroundings. The landing was not as dramatic as I had envisioned but serves the purpose all the same. Dany makes her way into the “map table room where Stannis made a shadow baby with Mel” and simply states, “Shall we begin?”
Oh yes. We shall.
Episode 701 Personal Awards
Favorite Action Sequence: Brienne knocks Pod on his ass.
Favorite Quotes:
“Leave one wolf alive, and the sheep are never safe.” –Walder (Arya)
“Tell them, winter came for House Frey.” –Arya
“I don’t plan on knitting by the fire while men fight for me.” –Lyanna Mormont
“Everything before the word ‘but’ is horse shit.” –Jon quoting Ned
“Right now, we look like the losing side.” -Jaime
“We’re the last Lannisters. The last Lannisters that count.” –Cersei
“The place was getting crowded.”- Euron
“So here I am with a thousand ships, and two good hands.” -Euron
“It’s my luck I end up with a band of fire-worshipers.” –Hound
Favorite Sequence: The Hound with Beric and Thoros
The “Oh Shit, I’ll Back Up” Award goes to: Euron when confronted by the Mountain
Jackass Award: I’m not a Sansa hater, but what she did make me cringe.
Pointless Trivia: Fact-check me on this, but I’m pretty sure this is the first episode that Tyrion appears in where he does not say a word.
Overall Thoughts: Great dialogue. Lacking action. But I’m personally more interested in the dialogue anyway, especially in the first episode of the season. After six years of saying she’s going home, Dany finally made it to Westeros and has plenty of help in tow. The question is, where will she begin, and what will she say when someone from the North shows up asking for some dragonglass on loan?
Cersei will eventually get to see Euron’s big cock, but will it be because he delivers Tyrion? Or someone else? And will this “alliance” be enough to push Jaime over the edge? And considering how fast everything is moving, will Arya get to her before any of this occurs?
Questions abound! Let’s discuss and rejoice that our show is back. Take it all in… this season is going to pass quickly.
Until next week, hang out and stay awhile. Invite an Unsullied to join us. And may there always be peace in your realm. –Oz
Follow Oz on Twitter.
**SPOILER NOTE: The Management of this fine site would like to remind you that spoilers (book or leak) are not allowed in Unsullied posts. This includes spoilers covered by code or otherwise. Personally, I appreciate feedback from Sullied and Unsullied alike, so long as they do not include any type of hinting or conversation related to the written verse. However, spoiler coded comments do tend to lead to further Sullied conversation and for that reason, we ask that you please refrain from posting any SPOILERY content whatsoever in Unsullied posts. Thank you for the coop. -Oz
Check out GRRM’s latest blog post…. one quote from Revelations 18:10. Mood: Enigmatic. No comments allowed. And one tag: ‘Song of Ice and Fire’.
Plus he’s been saying how he’s been busy and pleased with work being done lately. I wouldn’t be surprised if they asked him to hold release until after the season.
Side note: The Sam poop montage may have been one of the worst scenes in the history of the show. Not just cause it was gross and exceedingly long/overdone, but when has the show ever done a choppy cheesy high school editing job like that? This is a show of long, grand shots and camerawork. I can’t recall another scene that tried to play to a Wednesday night sitcom audience.
Drums pounding while a green-and-golden banner with a white elephant is raised atop the tallest tower
Hello again everyone! The time has come and Lord Parramandas has officially returned to continue the journey and add new pages to the history writings. From what I’ve seen from this episode, I’m sure we have a hell of a journey ahead. Last year, I used to start this post with »it’s time for a brief review« but as the season progressed those writings became anything but brief and I’m sure writing 114 Memory Lane posts for LOST episodes during the year left its tollas well… so, no more »brief« reviews. For those who followed them last year, you know the formula and it’s no different this year. There is a lot I need to cover, so let us begin! (On a side note, I did manage to watch the episode with Slovenian subtitles today, despite the early hour)
ARYA: So, we got a »cold opening« in this season again. For me, it was pretty predictable outcome as soon as I saw lord Frey (which was of course Arya in disguise). So with one swoop, most of his sons and grandsons…well, died. I’m sure this is a scene that many of you cheered for Arya, BUT the scene was also quite disturbing for me. Sure, Freys deserved it but to think that Arya just performed a mass murder of dozens of people in a manner that was quite similar to Red Wedding… at this point, I cannot go past »it is wrong to answer one crime with another« and like I said above, the scene itself is quite unpleasant for me. Well, maybe that’s its purpose considering the second Arya scene on which I will focus a bit later. I wonder who is head of the house now… there were no children among them so I assume new lord Frey must be very young. Or maybe a lady… Also, I would personally more like to see House Frey destory itself in a »war for the lordship«.
WINTERFELL: And here I come to the story, that has been discussed through the year in such an unpleasant manner that I sometimes wanted to leave WotW all together. Usually in the manner »Jon is a good guy and Sansa is selfish and she will be an ass to him« – well, I must say that in this scene, it is certainly not the case for me and I sense all Sophie’s interviews were very Littlefinger-biased. She’s not »on Littlefinger’s side« in this episode. She’s officially on Jon’s and she’s aware of LF’s sly nature. But still, the two siblings cannot do without their arguments. I must say I enjoyed their scenes a lot. Both stubborn in some way, but they both made some great points. So in a matter of speaking, there was a struggle what to do with Umbers and Karstarks. Sansa wanted their castles to be granted to other families while Jon was willing to pardon them and name new heirs according to bloodline. Who is right? Well, we can never be completely sure as that depends on heirs themselves but as Jon is the king, it was his word that prevailed. A young boy Ned became a new lord Umber and a young woman Alys became new lady Karstark.
And then of course followed a funny argument between the siblings and I was like »Jon, you made a good point… no, Sansa, you made better now…. and now Jon again…« Really, the scene and the characters really got me in a very good mood. So different but yet so similar, both possessing the typical Nothern stubborness. And I cannot go past fact that Sansa praised Jon for his ruling. They are surely not »enemies« and there is family bond between them… but of course, a shadow of a snake looms above them both in a form of Littlefinger. That man will surely mean trouble. I wished Sansa good fortune in the wars to come in my S6 finale review and I will wish the same to her again, and to Jon as well. Stand together as a family instead as enemies for power struggle. They’re both among my top characters and I hope it stays that way
KING’S LANDING: And now to another two of my top characters, also siblings. Cersei commited a purge in KL in previous episode and now, she was left with no firm allies, even Freys, and Jaime faced her with that fact. But as Ben Linus from LOST would say »I always have a plan« and so did Cersei, at least she thought that way. And this plan was forming an alliance with newly-made king Euron Greyjoy from Iron Islands. I got an impression in this episode that Euron has mental issues… I don’t know, his character gave me a bit of Ramsay vibe and he seems some sort of a hidden psychopath. In this particular episode, he proposed Cersei to marry him (Jaime’s face expression was priceless) and when she refused, he promised her a worthy gift. I don’t know but I have a feeling this gift will involve killing someone we know. So yes, he’s certainly dangerous.
ARYA (PART 2): I described in first Arya part that I’m worried for her character but this second part gave me some hope. I will mention at this point, that Arya is a character I’m pretty neutral about. How would I say… I like several scenes, but I was never a big fan of the character. I somehow cannot warm up to her. BUT if there are more scenes like this one, it may change. So here, Arya met a bunch of Lannister soldiers in the forest (Ed Sheeran included). In any other season, the scene would probably end with all the soldiers being killed… but here, the soldiers seemed pretty nice men, offering Arya food and beer. Well, I think that’s the point of the scene… if House Lannister’s leaders are corrupt, that doesn’t mean every soldier in their service is bad. After all, they’re just people and maybe this represents that Arya may still not be too far gone. Maybe she will learn even more that the world is not »black and white« like she did with the Hound and the rest of the Faceless men.
BROTHERHOOD: Speaking of Hound, he was traveling with the brotherhood towards North and they came across an abandoned cabin. I immediately recognized the place… it was where that kind farmer and his daughter Sally lived in S4. And Sandor was the person who stole their silver as he was sure they will be dead when the winter comes. And yes, they were dead in this episode, Sally in her father’s arms… two frozen corpses. Of course, Sandor buried them soon after, showing his character progression he achieved since S4. At this moment I will also mention that I love how the producers decided to keep Beric in the story. I’m sure this character can contribute a lot.
OLDTOWN: Sam’s life in a Citadel is… well, not particulary pleasant. Transporting books in the library, emptying chamber pots, filling the bowls with stew, helping the archmaester dissect the corpses. I wouldn’t like to be in his place. When it comes to the story, the first important part is that he stole a couple books from the forbidden section in the library, learning about the hidden dragonstone mountain on the island called… well, Dragonstone. And secondly, he found Jorah Mormont in Oldtown, who was being isolated in a cell due to greyscale. I must say his state gradually became worse since S6. And moving back to first important thing, Sam mentioned he needed to inform Jon about dragonglass and I’m sure he just set the events in motion for Jon and Dany to meet up. I’m not that thrilled about this meeting though but I suspect it may happen in near future.
DRAGONSTONE: Speaking of Dany, the team Targaryen (a silver queen, a dwarf, a eunuch soldier, a translator and a spider) arrived to Dragonstone, the place where Aegon started his invasion. Quite a strange feeling to see the fortress abandoned and a lone Stannis banner hanging in a throne chamber. Such a majestic fortress, but so isolated from the rest of the world. I really liked how Dany touched the ground when she disembarked, returning to the place where she was born. And now, they can begin… begin what? Well, that awaits for the next episode.
The army of dead is marching (shown in post-prologue scene) and sooner or later, it will reach the Wall and find their way across it… or through it. But all that still awaits us. This episode set up the groundwork for the season, being more calm in pace, but reintroducing many characters in the process. I enjoyed all scenes and I can say I can proclaim this one as my second favorite premiere so far, just behind »Two Swords«. And now comes the lord’s verdict… on my ranklist, I think I will put it on rank 23 ahead of »No One« and behind »A Golden Crown« (both 9 rated episodes).
So this is it! The journey has started again and I hope you enjoyed this episode as well. And if not… well, bad for you. With best regards from Lord Parramandas
And I must say: I’m happy I reached this season as unsullied. I managed to stay away from all the spoilers, apart from casting news (which I don’t count as spoilers)
Ryan,
Ramsay. Sausage
Implying above: October 18th release.
Anthony Tyrael,
At least that was only one ‘jump cut’…. not a hyper remix of shitty bedpans.
Right there with you, Oz. At the very least, after being absent for three seasons, the Lightning Lord is making a strong move up those power rankings.
Narrative-wise, there may have been grander and more consequential scenes in this fantastic premiere episode (Arya’s revenge and Dany’s homecoming, most notably) but the sequence with Beric, Thoros, and the Hound may have been my favorite. Those three are golden together. I love that the show took the time to revisit the farmer and his daughter from Season 4 , and to confirm the fate that the Hound had predicted for them. That’s the kind of character-based history and callbacks that I love to see from the show. Sandor may be as gruff and colorful as ever, but he is a different man now, and his muted grief over the deaths of a good man and the daughter that he couldn’t protect shows that quite well.
Yeaaah unsullied recaps!! WOO!
Great recap Oz. I am so happy the season is back and your recaps as well 🙂
Well, let me start by saying that I absolutely loved (shocking?) this premiere. It is rivaling for top spot! 🙂 My brief thoughts on each story line.
– The cold open was fantastic. Couldn’t ask for a better start to the season. Was happy to see that Arya spared the wife, opposed to the Freys who did the just the opposite. Sweet justice right here. And the two lines she gave, wow. I was blown away. I can cut straight to the next Arya scene, which I absolutely loved. I thought it was so sweet to see Arya hanging out with other young people, eating, laughing, and for her to see that even though they are Lannister soldier, they are human, they have families like her, and they are friendly. This is one of my all time favorite scenes of Arya. I see some people complaining that Ed Sheeren cameo was distracting, and think that is absolutely ridiculous. So just because you know it is Ed Sheeren its distracting? All actors are famous and their faces are known. So just because he isn’t an actor it made you feel like you weren’t watching GOT? Makes no sense. People finding something to Nitpick as usual. He wasn’t even part of the conversations.
Thoughts: I was a little disappointed to see that Arya wasn’t heading home. But I had a feeling she was going to try and finish of this list of hers. This list is THE ONLY thing that has kept her alive, and in her mind she owes to her family to finish it off. I do hope she gets side tracked by someone who convinces her to go North instead. I need more Stark reunions.
– Winterfell: Absolutely loved every scene here. The scene with Alys and Ned made my heart melt. I loved the Sansa/Jon relationship portrayal and the exchange they had… one of my favorite scenes. I am a bit scared…. I know LF is going to swoop in and make things worse. Why people giving Sansa so much shit for opposing Jon, when the other Northern Lords do the same?!? hmmm….. Anyways I have no idea how this Sansa/Jon/LF stuff is going to progress… and really don’t know what to expect. But I am VERY nervous. I want Sansa to stay on the Stark side…. and I am getting nervous about it. But I like it regardless. Loved to see Jon ruling. He is amazing.
– The WW scene was insane, freaky, and I was screaming at the giants. HOLY #$%^&*&&%*%%^*%^%&*&^(%&
– Bran arrives at the Wall… soooo looking forward to MOREEEEEE
– Cersei, Jamie, Euron: I like the Cersei Jamie convo of them talking about everyone… Meh… I guess I can say I am more sold on Euron this year (not liking him but just his character in general).. cant stand him though, and I think the gift will be Ellaria Sand.
– Sam – Loved all of Sam’s scenes, people complaining about a little longer shit montage.. I thought it was funny 🙂 I am so intrigued by his story and cant wat to see more. Sam sending JON a raven —- WILL JON GO TO DRAGONSTONE HOLLLLY BALLLLLLLLLLLLLLSSSSSSSSSSS ARE WE GETTING THAT UNION THIS YEAR I WILL DIE
– I FUCKING LOVED THE SCENES WITH THE HOUND AND BWB. I DONT EVEN NEED TO SAY MORE BUT I CAN SAY THEY MAY GO DOWN AS SOME OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITE SCENES OF THE SHOW. *phew*
– Dany arriving was epic, emotional, and the lack of dialogue made it even stronger in my books. Exceeded my expectations of her arrival scene. It was so beautiful. Where was this shot? Can anyone tell me?
9.5/10 (I would give it a ten but people would probably get mad at me lol)
edit: wow that was really long. Sorry hahaha
This was a great episode.
What I loved most was that we spent a good amount of time in each place. There is so much more focus now that there are fewer characters. It almost felt like season 1 again.
The revenge-is-a-dish-best-served-cold-opening (got that one from What the Flick)
was great as well.
I agree with you Oz on the Jon/Sansa thing. Sansa shouldn’t have questioned him publicly like that and he should talked to her about it before hand. And I think both of their arguments are valid on what to do with the Umbers and Karstarks. I guess will we see if Jon was right.
Bryan Cogman was right, the Citadel ain’t Hogwarts.
Ryan,
You’re awfully upset over that poop montage…
Why is the Baratheon sigil still over KL in the opening credits?
There were three giants in the scene, affectionately known as Wun Wun, Wun Two, and Wun Three. The corpse teleportation from Winterfell to his ancestral homelands north of the Wall clearly didn’t go as planned.
One person who isn’t in frame, but is absolutely a wight.. Hodor.
Totally agree Oz! Great dialogue, not enough action! But I realize, and accept, that plot lines need to be set up to get to the bigger picture! I’m sure he action will be plenty this season, maybe the next episode? I loved all the dialogue, a reminder from the early seasons of why I loved GoT, not just for the action. I thought writing was spot-on! The costumes, scenery, Euron’s ships and Dragonstone….beautiful!! I loved the premiere! And when Danaerys said, “shall we begin” at the end and then it ended there! Loved it…..but also yelled, Nooooooo!! I wanted more….which is what GoT does so well! Only 6 more episodes!! Ugh!!😔
Literally the only real mistake in this episode, in my opinion! Though it helps that it’s a really good episode. This is, of course, a nit-pick, and I’d rather they spent their budget in VFX for the actual episode and not re-modeling and re-animating the intro credits endlessly. But it did bother me a bit!
Dee Stark,
Nice recap Dee. I agree with a lot of your points and nice to see you positive as always.
Just a minor advice: you don’t need to capitalize sentences as it can be a bit distracting to read. I know you want to express your hype but sometimes, “normal sentences” can capture the positive vibe better.
As for the Jon and Dany meeting, I strongly suspect it will happen this year, considering Sam’s mention of Jon. As you may know, I’m not THAT thrilled about it considering they’re strangers but I’m sure it would be nice.
Haha, and your “phew” comment at the end… it’s how I felt when I wrote my own review. I finished watching the episode a couple hours earlier and then I immediately went to write my review which occupied more than 2 pages in Word. And now I have a bit of a tension headache from all the hype and positivity.
Any way, great job Dee and I hope to see more of your reviews in future. Like I said on many occassions before, your positivity is a big value on this site.
My favorite part of “Dragonstone” was the scene with the Hound and the Brotherhood. The callback to the earlier episode with the Hound, the farmer, and the farmer’s daughter as well as the character development shown in the Hound was perfect. I love when shows recall previous scenes from earlier episodes. It really helps bring everything together in a way that makes sense and feels like a natural, honest progression.
Dee Stark,
Also, one question, Dee… did you recognize the cabin the Brotherhood settled in?
It’s really cool that book trolls can’t come in and spoil people anymore. We’re all literally at the same place. Show is ahead of the books and totally diverges from it anyways. if anything, there are book purists who are more pure than show watchers at this point by refusing to watch the show and glean what little there is shared between the two at this point.
I think dany coming to Westeros in last night’s epsiode is the only guarantee that the two share really.
Great episode last night.
Ryan,
While it may not have contained glamorous landscape shots or dragons spitting fire, the Sam montage scene was just as expertly crafted as the material the rest of the show has produced. I think sometimes people forget the amount of effort that goes into editing and editing with rhythm, especially when sequences don’t contain “long, grand shots”.
It certainly wasn’t visually pleasing to watch, but this show prides itself on showing the grotesque. The reason this show sets itself apart from other tv fare is because the creators find creative ways to tell the story (I’d take this well edited montage scene over three episodes of Sam working the grind at the Citadel any day).
I think while it may have come across as choppy to some, I can assure you the editors put a lot of effort into that sequence, if simply to time the editing and pace properly. There was almost a melodic rhythm to it, and I had a smile on my face as Sam was tortured through this monotonous routine.
Sequences like these make me appreciate the show that much more. Of course I love dragons and battle scenes like the next person, but when the filmmaking craft shines through, even through something seemingly minor like editing or music, I gain such a respect for the show that I haven’t seen elsewhere.
Dee Stark,
Loved your review!
Yes! The beach was in Zumaia (Itzurun beach), an hour away from my home, in Northern Spain! The stairs leading up to Dragonstone are actually in another place, but also in my same area; Gaztelugatxe. You can look them up on Google 🙂
Lord Parramandas,
haha I cant, I feel like I need caps to over hype what I am saying
I also loved your review, im happy to see you include them here.
And yes, I did recognize the cabin… how could I forget 🙁
“The truth is that Jon would have been wise to discuss these issues with Sansa before a public meeting. If that didn’t happen, Sansa would have been wise to ask if they could briefly speak in private.”
Totally agree with this, but I do think Sansa was just shocked that he wanted to forgive them. The notion of not holding kids responsible for their parents sins is pretty modern, and Sansa was offering a common sense argument that the castles should be given to loyal families. I also think that she resents the fact that he doesn’t realized how much she grew and learnt and how useful she could be – as a little sister myself, I understand.
About the Cameo, I didn’t even know who Ed Sheeran was, and I didn’t notice that there was anything wrong with the scene. Not sure what people are angry about.
My favorite parts of the episode were Euron’s burns and the Hound’s guilt. Both wonderfully played!
Dee Stark,
Trust me, you don’t need caps… words are enough to express the positivity. Like I said, it can be a bit distracting, that’s all.
Mr Derp,
150%
Luka Nieto,
Thank you for compliment!!!!
Oh my God wow!!!!!!!!! Stunning. Thank you for the info!!! I cant believe you live so close to there. I spent one month in spain and did not hit the Basque Country which is ON my list!
Great to see you again, Oz!! Best Unsullied reviews. During the down time I didn’t come to this site from the airing of 6:10 and have avoided all spoilers, so I am unsullied and feel it. It feels good.
From the opening, which I could hardly sit still for, I had a feeling of “oh okay, well that was not really surprising, but good.” I knew right off that it was Arya as Frey killing the whole family, loved that. From there, it got a bit more…well, predictable? I just kept shaking my head going, okay – that should be expected. A few things weren’t.
Sansa defying Jon…sort of expected. Cersei wanting to kill the universe and not give two fucks, all expected. Bran at the Wall, expected. NOT dear Wun Wun and two others in the army of the dead. Dany arriving at Dragonstone was lovely, but well, we knew it was coming and it took a bit long for her to utter one sentence.
Sam at Oldtown…..wow, I could have been just fine with one or two of the books, shit, supper sequences. What was the point of the autopsy scene other than Sam talking to the Archmaester? Two things here…Excellent that we see Jorah is there, hopefully Same will find THAT cure in his stolen reference books (anyone else think Harry Potter here?) AND that little Sam is growing and Sam sends the finding of dragon glass in the books.
The best was by far the ongoing evolution of The Hound. That whole sequence was perfect. And it appears from his vision in the fire that the White Walkers are going around the wall at the sea…maybe the Kings touch on Bran wasn’t as prophetic as we thought?
Great episode, but after SO damn long, I was hoping for more than basically what we already knew at the end of last season, but confirmed now. From this point I pray that it delivers shocks and twists and turns as we love our Game of Thrones to do. I am not a fanatic…I am OBSESSED with this show. I’m going nowhere.
Strangely, I actually enjoyed the poop montage.
Miss Stark,
I did too! I thought it was fookin hilarious. Not sure why so many people didn’t like it. Either too gross for them or no sense of humor perhaps
Miss Stark,
Mr Derp,
Same here
So glad it was included
Luka Nieto,
Haha, it’s fun to visit filming locations… in 2013, our highschool class had a trip over Balkan and on day 4, we stopped in Dubrovnik (I’ve been there two times before though). And suddenly I started to recognize so many filming locations. We were walking on the walls and reached the highest tower and then I realized the area around the tower was where Dany entering the House of the Undying was filmed… even though I knew the actual House of the Undying was “placed” on Lokrum island. And later that day, we went to Lokrum island where we enjoyed the rest of the day on the beach and I came across ruined monastery and I immediately recognized the area where the market of Qarth stood. I was sick that day so I spent most of the day at the beach, but if I was in better shape, I would have surely explored the island more for more filming locations.
My personal highlights:
1) White walking Giants with blue eyes- brace yourselves guys
2) Sansa´s dismissal of Littlefinger- the girl has truly gotten cold
3) The Hound and Brotherhood- by far the best part of the episode
Final note on Arya (personal opinion):
Looking at the trailer for “Stormborn”, I am pretty sure that meeting Nymeria will trigger her some memory / urgency to go home and she will turn north to Winterfell (or should I say Winterhell. Dude, seriously, bad joke). She is not going to Kings Landing anytime soon..
Dee Stark,
Also, Dee… I think I told you before but this year, Oz’s threads will be the ones where I will participate. When I wrote my review today, this thread wasn’t published yet, so I posted it to Sue’s thread as well. But on the other thread, I only plan to see if someone responded to me… otherwise, I won’t spend much time there.
I saw some comments in the open chat regarding Arya’s transformation when she wears a face. I am sorry but, no one questioned it when Jaquen did it, and when they Waif did it…. height, age, voice, and even gender was transformed…
BUT OF COURSE, when Arya does it, people want to know how it is doable. So it was okay before to not know how that is accomplished, but now it’s not? Like did people want a scene between Jaquen and Arya explaining how? Its called magic… isn’t that enough?
I know! I went to the Alcazar where they filmed Dorne water gardens. So amazing to be there.
Lord Parramandas,
yay that’s awesome!
You’re the forgetting the biggest thing of the episode:
Gilly’s baby is FINALLY not a baby
But yes also Ser Beric’s sexy gravelly voice
Only problem was that I couldn’t take the Ed Sheeran scene seriously at all, but I actually loved everything too much to care
Dee Stark,
Yes, I assume Arya learned a techniquie how to remove someone’s face off-screen in Braavos so it’s not something I would nitpick… of course Jaqen and Waif had more experience so people are more open for their change of faces. But sometimes, we need to fill the gaps with our own explaination.
Lord Parramandas,
We didn’t get an explanation for the others, we don’t need one for arya
Okay, I really have a tension headache now… I guess the overall excitement took its toll!
Dee Stark,
I agree and somewhat disagree.
They spent a lot of time with Arya in Braavos during seasons 5 and 6, but used much of that time showing the same repetitive scenes of the Waif wailing on Arya. They could have replaced one of those scenes with a little more explanation on how that magic is done, but generally speaking, I can accept that it’s magic and move on with my life 🙂
I noticed that Bran doesn’t need a Weirwood tree to have a vision.
Yes, for sure. I’m used to stuff like this from LOST… sometimes, we are not handled answers on a tray, but in those cases, we simply fill the gaps with our own. Supernatural elements can never be properly explained and I won’t allow stuff like this to take away my overall enjoyment.
Rob,
That’s huge!!!!!!!!!!
Here’s the thing, Sansa, and it’s cruel and horrible and I hate to say it:
When it comes down to it, only you and maybe Brienne, care what Ramsay did to you. Or more importantly, care what it still means to you.
Jon isn’t a sexist pig, but he also can’t be punishing what looks to be a 9-year-old boy because his father or uncle or whoever sided with the Boltons. Was there something else that could have been done? Sure, maybe force the Umbers and Karstarks to pledge men and food to the Night’s Watch, but he’s also not going to destroy fortresses, or leave them unmanned, or spread the families thin.
Littlefinger doesn’t give a shit. But you knew that. Unfortunately, his men are there and they are hungry and their horses are hungry and they would much rather be back home. So, you guys have to deal with him.
The northern lords really don’t care. Far as they know, you willingly married Ramsay, and you kinda did. And you willingly married Tyrion Lannister and you wanted like 10,000 of Joffrey’s babies. They haven’t seen you since you were a snotty little brat who was too good for the North.
Lyanna probably does, but she already helped quite a bit. Davos would care if you let him, but he’s kinda busy, and you don’t seem to want to talk to him anyway.
Tormund would care if Brienne told him to, but his solution would be to cut whatever is left of Ramsay out of the dogs and stab the remains. And then eat them. And then the dogs. While staring at Brienne.
Bran will care. Meera probably will care. But they also are kinda busy.
Best thing you can do is get Brienne to take you to Dragonstone. Tyrion was kind to you. Dany would lend Lyanna a dragon and let her rule the North. You should see how Theon is doing. And those Sand Snakes are kind of mopey too. You’d fit in.
Fact is. There is a war on. And you didn’t deserve what happened. No one does. But Ramsay is dead. So is Roose and Tywin. So no one cares.
Next time, pull Jon aside and say it in private. You can bring Brienne if you like.
I need to rewatch the episode, but LF nodding approvingly at Jon’s decision to forgive House Umber and House Karstark gave me some ominous vibes…
I have to agree with your enthusiasm here Dee, I think the whole sequence was my favorite part of this episode.
And I have to say I was pleasently surprised by Euron as well… Much more interesting here than the brawling thug we saw last season.
“Let’s not argue in front of the vassals.” has become the go-to comment for my wife and I.
Calm breathing, focusing on only one thing at the time, no fast moves… yes, that’s me trying to get rid of a headache. I guess I shouldn’t spend time on my computer before watching GoT episode in future… or maybe take a short break after watching before writing a review. THis thing took me more than an hour.
I’ll just post my comment from the other thread.
Well hello there everyone!! Let me start by saying I missed you all, even those i disagreed with and argued! Good to be back!
On the episode: Man I thought it was really solid, not the most action packed episode, but i thought the writing was really solid.
Let’s start with the opening. What can I say about this, one of the best openings ever, the acting was just perfect. Walder Frey was superb, the pacing of the scene just great! It was in my opinion much better than last years scene.
On Jon’s scene with Sansa I thought it was good as well, I liked that both Sansa and Jon made good points, and they fitted each characters experiences. Loved little Lyanna Mormont, I mean, how can you not! Also great to see Jon entering his kingly role.
The Hounds scenes where absolutely perfect. His jokes, great as always, but also it was great to see him feel remorse at what he did to that family. And the fact that he buried the bodies was not only a great scene, but also a great Easter Egg!
Thoros’s actor as always, just superb, I always loved his interpretation of the character.
As for the other scenes, i have more mixed feelings.
Sams scenes looked to drag a bit to long, but I loved his scene with the maester(anyone knows the actor? he feels so familiar!). I did liked Jorah’s introduction though.
And little Sam has grown!
Cersei’s scenes where…decent, i have nothing to complain there, but they didn’t really ”click” for me. And the only moment i got annoyed in this episode was Euron saying ”they stole my ships” and right after ”i got the best fleet in the world” but, eh…
I also loved Ed Sheerans cameo! I usually dislike these celebrity cameos, but man they put him in the right role. And hearing that song was a great Easter Egg!
All in all it was a solid opening, and i can’t wait for more! I’ll give it a 8,5/10
PS: Really good to be back! Can’t wait to talk with you again, I avoided this site, and many others for over 1 year.
Lord Parramandas,
great review! my first year as a true unsullied, as well. i’m really excited!
Dee Stark,
Agreed with most of what you wrote Dee. I really think the Hound scene will go down as one of the best in the series. Just great.
seeing him bury the dead and saying ”they deserved better” really hit me. great character growth there, especially knowing what he said and did to them in s4.
Mihnea,
Welcome back, Mihnea. I was on a lot less this year (and on those ocassions that I were, I usually got frustrated by negative folk) but I still paid ocassional visits (no spoilers though). But now, I feel kind of relieved. Also, this Oz’s thread has such a pleasant atmosphere, making me feel relaxed and happy.
OZ – Welcome Back!
Love the recap.
Agree with you on Beric Dondarrion, and I find Arya sneaking up my list of favorites as well. The Westeros revenge tour is too good!
Who else is still on her list?
Mihnea,
BTW. Great recap. The actor playing the archmaester is Jim Broadbent
Make sure you have Melisandre or Thoros of Myr by your side then if this really happens… well, I’m pretty much convinced it will indeed happen.
Looking forward to seeing the viewership numbers tomorrow. Think it broke the S6 finale record of almost 9 million?
Expanding on what I said earlier, I love it when the show makes a reference to an earlier scene in an earlier episode. It makes the history and character developement so much richer.
Not only did I love the scene with the Hound revisiting the farmer’s house, but now when I go back and watch season 4 episode 3, the scene with the Hound, the farmer, and his daughter is going to mean so much more. So, not only did they come up with a great scene for the new season, they also managed to make an episode from season 4 even better too.
Could Sansa be playing Littlefinger here? Letting him think there is derision between the siblings to keep him around.
You know Dee, it’s become almost a “national” sport to bash Sansa… Although I must say that she should expose her disagreement with him in private. But Jon should consult his “Small Council” instead of taking unilateral decision as well… They are both learning and both of them will make mistakes. What warmed my heart was the exchange they had after that scene (although Jon sounded a little bit condescending.)
Valyrian Lance,
I was thinking along the same lines. Not really sure yet though. Either way, I think we’ll finally see Sansa show she’s a true player by the end of this season. At least, that’s my hope.
Loved it all! The pacing was good and I bet the episodes are only to get faster paced (in a good way). Not sure if we’re allowed to discuss the previews for the next episodes here so I’ll keep it vague: Very exciting! 🙂
A-Train,
Off the top of my head: Cersei, The Mountain, Ilyn Payne, Melisandre, Beric and Thoros.
The Hound was crossed off as she admitted to the Waif.
Valyrian Lance,
Very possible. Her demeanor changed once she and Jon spoke in private.
Maybe Meera is pulling him on a weirwood sled!
Gfx,
Absolutely, as long as the discussion is purely based on the preview and no other outside knowledge.
Lord Parramandas,
Thanks! Good to be back.
Yeah i always loved Oz’s threads better, they have a nicer atmosphere overall.
Thanks appreciate it, i just do them for fun.
OHHHH he was in Harry Potter, now i know where i remember him from.
Dame of Mercia,
or Brans powers are growing
Dragonstone has a perfect RT score https://twitter.com/TheWrap/status/886960115307257857
And is the most tweeted episode in shows history http://www.thewrap.com/game-thrones-season-7-premiere-twitter/
My personal opinion is that the gift from Euron will be a dragon. Otherwise where will the tension be in the battle sequences? I liked the spectacle of Dany’s dragons crushing the Master’s fleets but the battles are better in my opinion when there’s a cost associated with them and consequence. Dany’s dragons just destroying every army they encounter is boring.
I could get behind the gift being a dragon and seeing dragons battle each other.
Thanks, as always, for the great recap, Oz!
The opening was awesome following so closely on the heels of the “Previously on” segment. I laughed out loud! As for Ed Sheeran, I didn’t find him distracting at all. Just another actor.
I, too, cringed at Jon and Sansa’s public wrangling over the castles. I love Sansa’s attitude with LF, though–like brushing off the loser-who-thinks-he’s-a-player in a bar! You go girl!
I like the newly-styled Euron much better. Now I see the sexy pirate.
I agree with Dee that the highly personal focus on Dany’s landing was the way to go here. What it means to her is what is most important. She’s not the conquering queen here, but the little girl realizing a long-held dream and reconnecting with her family roots. Moving stuff.
I love the teen movie gross approach that D&D took with the Sam intro! Had me gagging right along with Sam. Too bad that Jim Broadbent’s Maester isn’t the helpful, active wiseman I expected…yet?
And my poor Bear!! Locked away and rotting! Help him, Sam!
The best sequence by far was the BwB. The dialog, the emotions from all of the actors, the setting–it was the heart of the episode. Richard Dormer’s voice is almost as good as Iain Glen’s! Gravelly velvet! And Rory’s performance of the Hound’s tortured life and struggle for redemption is masterful. Emmy from me!
If this episode is an indication of the quality of the season, they weren’t kidding in the interviews–they really HAVE taken tv up yet another notch. It was brilliant!
Can’t wait to see the Tweet-storm during the opening…!
ManderlyPieCompany,
A dragon, or perhaps Tyrion?
I know, right?
Mihnea,
I highly doubt it will be Tyrion… I’m afraid it would be one of Dany’s new allies… I just hope it’s not the Queen of Thorns. My heart will not bear it.
I think it wasn’t about approving of Jon’s decision: it was about approving of Jon doing the opposite of what Sansa wanted – and that might open up some doors for LF.
About forgiving the Umbers and Karstarks:
Everyone compares this situation to Joff punishing Sansa for what Robb did, but if we go back further, we see that even if Ned was executed as traitor, nobody – Joff and Cersei included – thought of taking Winterfell away from the Starks. They actually held Sansa as the key to the North. Robb was viewed as the rightful Lord of Winterfell, but he also rebelled, calling himself KitN.
Only after the Red Wedding, when the Stark forces were basically wiped out, could they think of giving the castle and the title to the Boltons.
Taking away the lands from the Umbers and Karstarks might be an option worth considering, but somehow I feel that it might have brought some friction – Jon could have given those lands to two of the faithful Lords, but all the rest of the faithful Lords would feel being kind of ignored. Why them, why not me? Not to mention, that Karhold and Last Hearth are the closest to the Wall, so the Walkers will reach it first, should they get through the Wall (and I guess they will at some point). Being in charge of those lands is not exactly the best thing in the world.
Can the premiere hit 11 million viewers? https://www.google.com/amp/amp.timeinc.net/fortune/2017/07/14/game-of-thrones-season-7-premiere-ratings/%3Fsource%3Ddam
A Dornish Tyrell,
yeah, he might get one of her rivals. Ollena, Ellaria and her daughters, Yara?
Cersei did made a point to mention how much she hates them this episode.
As for a Dragon, how could Euron get one?
Ryan,
It’s just a scene, it tells part of Sam’s story and serves a purpose in explaining his later actions. This season time will be moving a little faster for a number of storylines. It’s not so bad.
You have raised some interesting points… I think Jon should have either given a chunk some of the Umber’s and Karstark’s land to the Houses that activelly sided with the Starks during the BotB or taxed them heavily. Thus, he would have rewarded the Houses that supported him and punished (not so harshly) the Houses that betrayed him. And I’m speaking here of punishing Houses, not Allys K. or Ned U. individually (they are blameless). Taxing those Houses more severily (either making them provide men to man the Wall castles or providind food/weapons to the NW and/or the wildlings) could have also worked.
Oz of Thrones,
Official commentary:
Just had to pop my head in here to say what a beautiful picture of Sandor that is. Love it!
I don’t think Euron could get a dragon alive… too wild, too risky…
Is Lyanna going to actually fight lol?
A Dornish Tyrell,
I don’t entirely disagree with you, but heavily taxing the Umbers and Karstarks is somewhat similar to what happened to the Germans during the Treaty of Versaille after WWI. I understand punishing them in some way, but you have to be careful not to punish them to the point of being too harsh or humiliating, because that could turn the Umbers and Karstarks into even greater enemies than they were before.
I would agree with taxing them, but making sure it’s within reason.
Shouldn’t we be seeing the NK and WW’s slaughter random villages at least once and not always fighting main characters?
Mihnea,
HIIIIIIIIII!!! WELCOME BACK! so happy to see you back!!!!!!
This. It’s magic. It’s not like taking someone’s face means the Faceless Men wear literal skin suits, Jame Gumb style.
Mr Derp,
“Heavily taxing” was probably a poor choice of words… The taxing Germany suffered after WWI was excessive and it certainly lead to the rise of Hitler. You’re absolutely right in your concern about the amount of punishing they need to/should endure… I should have probably said something like: “if they are going to be forgiven and retain all their lands and revenues, at least they should pay an extra tax to either support the NW or the wilding in their manning of Eastwatch by the Sea (as long as this tax is not excessive or humiliating).”
A Dornish Tyrell,
I agree with you… and yes I agree she should have this convo in private, as he should also, but its not THAT bad because he does get opposed by others.
Their conversation after warmed my heart too. <3
Ginevra,
weirwoodtreehugger,
hahaha… ah well.. what can you do
Yes, I really see it now. I scrolled through the comments on other thread and the vibe is a lot more frustrating for my taste… here, I feel relaxed and I feel the show is more accepted.
A Dornish Tyrell,
Agreed.
My personal view is that you should punish those who actually were involved in the rebellion. There’s no reason why anyone else should be punished simply for having the same last name. Punishing an entire House for the actions of a few would be equivalent in today’s society to putting an entire family in jail for one family member committing a crime. That’s not justice. That’s a great way to perpetuate bad feelings between Houses.
For some reason I wasn’t allowed to edit my comment. So here it goes (in bold):
“Heavily taxing” was probably a poor choice of words… The taxing Germany suffered after WWI was excessive and it certainly contributed to the rise of Hitler. You’re absolutely right in your concern about the amount of punishing they need to/should endure… I should have probably said something like: “if they are going to be forgiven and allowed to retain all their lands and revenues, at least they should pay an extra tax to either support the NW or the wilding in their manning of Eastwatch by the Sea (with the condition that this tax is not excessive or humiliating).”
Dee Stark,
Thanks Dee, good to see you to!
Really good to be back, missed this place.
My only complaint about Sam’s poop montage is that it went on a tad bit too long. But I got the purpose of it.
Sam’s storyline was a bit out of whack with the rest of the GoT stuff. At the end of S5, he set sail from Castle Black to go to Oldtown. During S6, Sam basically only did this: 1) Threw up on a boat. 2) Went to Last Hearth, met his family, and then stole a Valyrian steel sword from his father (with this entire sequence basically lasting a day), and 3) Arrived at Oldtown to become a Maester. Even factoring in travel time, the amount of time this took wasn’t that long. A couple of months at most (when generally, in GoT, one season = one year).
So the poop-montage did its job in helping to “catch up” Sam to the rest of the GoT storylines, time-wise, while simultaneously show how dull and tedious this passage of time was for Sam (as well as aging up little Sam out of toddler-hood). Sam is now occupying the same time-spot that everybody else is.
Why hasn’t Davos said anything to Jon about the Dragonstone dragon glass?
He probably didn’t even know… Stannis considered the mountain useless.
I wonder what the Hound was referring to when he mentioned a mountain shaped like an arrowhead? It sounds like a mountain that contains dragonglass to me, but I really have no idea yet.
Mr Derp,
this is one of my favorite tidbits of info that we got yesterday
I am sooo curious.
Haha, even though I wrote such an immense review, I could keep rambling about this episode… I guess I will really need to make a video review as well in the following days. My only worry is that if I will manage to stop talking…
A great and well written Unsullied recap from Oz. His recaps are always a pleasure to read – Nice one Oz 🙂
Here was my post from the open chat thread – now buried deep down in some 500+ comments.
Caw, caw – Black Raven reporting in after a double helping!
Great episode. I wondered what the fuck was going on at the start with Walder Frey. Arya slit his throat back in S6E10! Ok, we all know that Arya can change faces, but to emulate Walder’s voice also? I think a bit of poetic license was used there? That would have be impossible to do even for a FM…
Well, she certainly took revenge for the Red Wedding and poisoned ALL the Frays. Just goes to show that Jaqen H’ghar certainly trained her well back in S6 😉
Addendum I’ve since seen a post from Ash on the Open Chat and others in this Unsullied recap. I never considered that putting on a face mask, one becomes the person to who it belonged to in ALL respects. e.g. Jaqen also being the old black guy when Arya arrived at the HOB&W and then the Waif as the old woman who stabbed her on the bridge… Just a pity that aspect of becoming a FM was never mentioned by Jaqen during Arya’s training?
Was also amusing when Arya met up with some Lannister men (Ed Sheeran, etal) and them asking her why she was heading for Kings Landing – “To kill the Queen! They all laughed of course taking that to be a joke, but we know better!
Euron’s arrival in Kings Land was interesting. He certainly pissed off Jaime with his comments to Cersei about wishing to become the King beside her and also having a poke at him saying at least he’s still got two hands. No idea what this gift will be to her to show he’s trustworthy?
The scenes in the Citadel with Sam were great. I would be retching also doing that terrible job! It was comical to see the soup being ladled out in the refectory had a similar appearance and consistency to the piss and shit in those bedpans 😀
Assisting the Archmaester performing an autopsy couldn’t have been much fun either. I jumped out of my seat when the arm with greyscale shot out of the hatch, but I guessed immediately it was Jorah’s even before he spoke and asked Sam if the Mother of Dragons had arrived on Westeros.
The scenes with Sandor ‘The Hound’ were as good as ever and glad to see he’s still comes out with expletives at every opportunity… Thoros to Sandor: “Have some rum?” Sandor: “I can’t drink that shit – Too sweet for me!”
I thought I recognized that house as the one he and Arya stayed at with a farmer and his daughter back in S4. His prediction to Arya saying they both would be dead by winter was correct after he robbed the man of his silver. However, he must have had respect for them and buried their bodies albeit he forgot the rites said at funerals in the Faith of the Seven. I reckon he will change his faith to the ‘Lord of Light’ after seeing the army of the dead, thousands of them marching south towards The Wall in the flames?
Dany’s arrival in Drogon was cleverly done also with no talking from Varys, Missandei and Grey Worm giving her the space to capture the moment of finally arriving home to the ancestral seat of her forefathers and then in Stannis’s old war room – “Shall we begin?”
Dee Stark,
I’ve heard some speculation that it could be the Hound seeing a vision of the Wall coming down, but it’s not based on any spoilers or inside knowledge. Either way, I’m very curious to know more.
Mr Derp,
Im extremely curious
and scared!
Mr Derp,
It is very intriguing, indeed. In which episode do you think the Wall will fall down?
A Dornish Tyrell,
yeah/??
I really thought it would happen at the end of season 7.. BUT I THINK I AM WRONG OMGGGGGGGGG
This is weird.
Luckily that was not Wun Wun as he died at Winterfell and was likely burned, however, Hodor is probably in there somewhere.
CJM,
I agree with your good points here. There was no music under this edited piece either, just the sounds. I liked it, it was an artistic and effective way to quickly convey the endless and demoralizing grind Sam was going through.
Hexonx,
Stannis: Im told you killed a Whitewalker
Sam: I did your Grace
Stannis: How?
Sam: With a dagger, made of Dragonglass
Stannis: Dragonglass?
Sam: The Maesters call it ‘obsidian
Stannis: I know what it is, we have it in Dragonstone, why would obsidian kill a Walker
Sam: I don’t know… etc.
All Stannis said is “we have it up in Dragonstone”
He had it confirmed yesterday. Whats the big deal?
Dee Stark,
Lol, I literally just posted the same exact conversation on another thread! Great minds, yada yada…
A Dornish Tyrell,
I’ll plead the 5th on that one 😉 …
Mr Derp,
HAHAHA
no way!!!!!!!
I found the YouTube video and was transcribing it LOL
I never saw your comment, where is it
Definitely great minds yada yada 😉
Stannis knew there was dragonglass on Dragonstone, but he had no idea it was important at all.
Dee Stark,
It was over in the other episode review thread for book readers.
Mr Derp,
I don’t understand what the big deal is anyway? It was a confirmation.
I saw this on twitter and thought it was cool 🙂
A call back from season 5
https://twitter.com/GameOfThrones/status/887001271927832576
Dee Stark,
It’s surely not a big deal… I see no point in being frustrated about such a minor thing.
Dee Stark,
I posted mine at 2:10, 8 minutes before yours, so you were obviously copying me! lol…j/k
And I liked the callback. Nice!
I thought it was great also. I rolled up laughing during those scenes of him retching whilst collecting, emptying and cleaning out the bedpans. What a ‘Shitty’ job huh 😀
Mr Derp,
oh okay. don’t go there!!! hahaha we covered both recaps! *high five*
Mr Derp,
HAHAHA!! 🙂
Lord Parramandas,
yup!
You know what I found funny…. how similar the inside of the chamber pots and that stew looked like.
Not a big deal at all. Just find it weird that this is the “big secret” Sam found out about when he already knew. I guess Sam now has a map of where it is but it seems to me he should have prodded Stannis for more info at the time considering Sam knew the importance of it.
Off topic but I’m really thinking about learning the main GoT theme on piano… just found a piano video on Youtube and it doesn’t seem too hard.
Lord Parramandas,
I accidentally figured out the main riff on my keyboard once by accident, so you’re probably correct that it shouldn’t be too hard to figure out that song. Hell, if you can play “Light of the Seven” then the other songs should be a cakewalk
Someday when I have the time I’d love to figure out how to play The Rains of Castamere on any/every instrument I can get my hands on. Love that song.
Hexonx,
Sam was too intimidated by Stannis to say much. He’s probably lucky he even got out what little he did.
Pretty cool Episode for a lot of reasons. Not my favorite, but enough to get me jacked up for the season (which is typically how the opening episodes go for me).
Really loved the Hound, Beric, Thoros stuff. Excting to see them transforming, looking for answers, helping each other through it. I love the Hound’s banter with Beric, and his relentless truthspeak towards him (“There’s no divine justice, ya dumb cunt. Otherwise, you’d be dead!).
The Jon/Sansa stuff has me eating my hat…. probably. I am now more doubtful the tension will amount to much real drama, and Sansa was pretty cold towards- as somebody said above- a desperate looking Baelish. We shall see. I wonder how/if the priorities of the northern leadership would change if Jon heads south to meet a queen, and leaves Sansa alone with Bealish (oh but she’s got Brienne don’t she?). On that note: they know Brienne defeated the Hound in single combat… have they put together the fact that it was the Hound that Arya was traveling with, or will the writers just gloss over this? One would assume this a worthy conversation for Brienne and Sansa to finally have.
Sam stuff was ok. A bit of comic relief in an otherwise more somber episode. Could have done without the Shereen cameo. I guess I don’t understand what is cool about dropping a pop star into the seven kingdoms to sing a new one for us.
The Euron scene was a good way to reestablish the character. Didn’t care for the slinky posture (he’s no keith Richards) at the outset, seemed a bit cartoony, but the dialog between he and the twins was good enough to hold the scene together.
Overall, pretty damn excited about the season, glad it’s finally back. Wishing everybody a great season!
Mr Derp,
I learned “The Rains of Castamere” last year and it was real pain in the ass. Here’s my video of it.
Mr Derp,
omg my response was going to the exact same hahahaha
Lord Parramandas,
Its pretty easy. It’s just layers, but the timing is simple enough. The difficulty is in playing the bass clef at the same time, but that’s the beauty as well. Get that down and you’ll be golden! (adding full chord voicings, you can take it as far as skill and practice will let you!)
Yes! Exactly – My thoughts also and then the scene changed quickly back to Sam retching cleaning out the chamber pots 😀
Sister Kisser,
Yes, I just learned the first 10 seconds on piano and the timing is what’s really an issue. I have an electronic piano and not the full one (61 keys) so my soundtrack would be more simple though.
I didn’t find the Sam scenes enjoyable, funny, or insightful. Getting past the personal preference issue, it’s a matter of opportunity cost. Is there anyone who wouldn’t have immediately understood what it meant for Sam to be assigned “bedpan duty”, without taking up valuable screen time?
Dee Stark,
Huh…Well that’s kinda spooky! Ima have to keep my eye on you Dee. I think your warging powers are starting to become stronger by the day. Get outta my head!!!
Black Raven,
Gives Davos’ bowl of brown a whole new dimension. I was so glad I finished my dinner a couple of hours before the episode started otherwise I might’ve had to skip it that night.
I have a feeling it’s going to be quite literal and he will see it during the scene from the trailer.
Clob,
Yup, definitely considered that too. It was quite interesting how the flames kind of exploded a bit once he saw that particular vision.
Lord Parramandas,
That’s really good. Well played 🙂
I can’t play the piano – I just know a few chords/triads, but can play a guitar reasonably well. I’ll have to give it a try sometime.
Black Raven,
My main instrument is bass, so it sounds like we could get a pretty rockin GoT band together. I mean, who needs Ramin Djawadi anyway? Pffft!
Black Raven,
Thanks. Although I’m completely out of practice with this particular soundtrack and I wouldn’t be able to play it at the moment.
Mr Derp,
Ill try but its going to be hard!!! You’re going to need to borrow Magneto’s helmet!
lol I’m of a different opinion…they express a different tone and level of positivity! Inappropriate in a purely intellectual discourse on the merits of the show, which is maybe why you find it distracting. Or just, you know, different strokes…
But at the opposite end of the spectrum, reaction videos (as opposed to reviews) have an audience because they share a range of emotions.
Fan discussion is a hybrid of both and a conversation amongst “friends” and we all know that the written word is a very limited form of personal (vs academic) expression…so I say “you do you” to express yourself! 🤓😎🤡 (well except for the people who get nasty to fellow fans 😡)
Personally I enjoy both of your reviews and comments 😀
David and Dan have got a tough job keeping seasons 7 and 8 as suspenseful and entertaining as seasons 1-5… There were some good conversations in season 6 but not enough and it seems like season 6 was going through the motions to get to a destination.
Game of Thrones is at it’s best when characters have great story building conversations with each other and face challenges. Like Tyrion – Bronn Tyrion-Varys Tyrion-Jorah Mormont. Jamie and Cat Jamie and Brienne Arya and The Hound. Sansa Tyrion… Sansa and Littlefinger. Jon and Mance Jon and Ygritte. Theon Greyjoy and Ramsey Snow.
Season 7 will be great if the hound Thoros and Beric cross paths with Ayra again. Arya sees Gentry again. Ayra sees Melisandre again. Jorah sees Queen Daenerys again. Cersei sees Tyrion again… Jon meets Queen Daenerys.. I don’t want to see Arya just going around taking people off her list. I also hope Tyrion has some good conversations with Queen Daenerys like he did in season 5.
The strongest scenes in Dragonstone are Euron talking to the Lannisters in the Red Keep and all of the Hound scenes.
My biggest complaints of Dragonstone are no sign of Edmure Tully at the Twin Towers and not one word spoken by Davos and Tyrion Lannister and only 4 words spoken by Queen Daenerys!!!!
I wanted to hear Tyrion Lannister say “Welcome Home my Queen”…
D&D need hire better directors too. For season 8 they should hire Alik Sakharov Alex Graves Neil Marshall and of course Miguel Sapochnik.
Of the old gods,
haha thank you 🙂 I agree
I need caps, because generally, my reviews are already full of hype and excitement. I need the caps to express even MORE LOL
Hahaha 😀 😀 😀
I often wondered what “Have a bowl of brown for me” Davos said to Gendry as he rowed off… and now we all know 😮
As always Oz Great recap 🙂
Everyone cares about Edmure Tully all of a sudden.
Dee Stark,
Hmm, ok, but as long as it doesnt escalate to the point where I need to borrow Wolverine’s claws too!
Mr Derp,
HAHAHA I know. who cares? Why do we care? lol
Mr Derp,
LOL I wont go there!
That’s interesting – also the bass for me these days. I can still knock out a few riffs on the guitar, but not as nibble in the fingers as I once was… I’m getting too bloody old to play in a rock cover band, but still enjoy it all the same!
A while ago I suggested to the guys that we played the GoT opening theme, but they were not so enthusiastic. A pity…
I know what you mean but like I said, caps really are distracting for me… the review loses a bit of a “flow” to me, if you get what I’m saying and I set an upper border even when it comes to hype. I generally like Dee’s comments but those caps can be a bit bothersome for me at times. (No offense, Dee).
While I rarely watched reaction videos, I made several video reviews myself (not for GoT though) and I plan to do a couple of them for GoT this year.
Dee Stark,
What can I say – Spot on, Dee!!! 🙂 I couldn’t agree more with your uuhm “…brief thoughts on each story line” HAHAA 😀
It’s as though you picked my brain on every single observation. First off – especially your thoughts on the Sheeran cameo. I found the scene was somehow really refreshing compared to the way travellers have met each other in all other seasons and episodes. The fact that he is a known face, but not an actor, hence ruining the scene according to some, is simply not true in my book. I believe the “nitpickers” just have to settle and watch the scene again a few times.
Your thoughts on that made me think of the Sam/Maester-scene when Sam and Gilly arrives at the citadel at the end of S6. The maester played by Frank Hvam – one of the funniest, most ridiculous slap stick comedians in Denmark (my home turf) – pulled me right out of the scene the first time around, spitting coffee all over followed by a loud WTF!?!? and disbelief! 🙂 BUT…when that first reaction had settled and I had concluded, the coffee hadn’t hit anything with electric circuits, I found he fit the part perfectly as the obnoxious “door-stopper”. Today that scene is one of the my jewels, not thinking about who plays the part anymore. I sure that will happen for the nitpickers with the Sheeran cameo as well, when they re-watch it and appreciate the entire scene instead 😉
And holy S… Arya has turned into a vicious assassin on a killing spree!! I do think she will get sidetracked by events/war before she gets KL, though. A reunion with some siblings might still be possible.
Reeeeally worried about Sansa’s sudden “respect” for the lessons Cersei taught her!!! Although she lets Jon know, he’s good at ruling, I get an odd vibe, that it’s just her using her tricks on him as well now. Think she will seriously stir up some trouble and maybe even go a little Cersei-nuts on her own later, if she continues to feel too much of a runner up to Jon. Great Winterfell scenes all around…The subtle Tarth-Bane flirt is funny as hell 🙂
Also agree with you regarding Euron! Personally never liked Pilou Asbæk and just can’t see, what casting departments see in his screen acting!? His voice and accent (even when speaking danish) is horrible and overacting his lines – he always does that – it makes me cringe everytime. He is more of a stage actor, but who am I to say… Just my opinion 😉
Oops…in short before my comment ends up being longer than yours 😉 I’m just so hyped to be back in Westeros!!!
** Right there with you on the gift to Cersei being from Dorne. I mean who else could it really be?? Not anyone from Dragonstone, I hope!?
** The Citadel/Sam – editing weird for GoT, but that shit scene worked so well nevertheless… Literally had to look away towards the end in order to NOT puke and smile simultaniously!!! (Hmm..is that even possible?)
** BWB/Hound: So excited to follow his more humane storyline from here.
** The long awaited arrival at Dragonstone without dialogue except “Shall we begin”… Just perfect!!!!
** And Giants wiiiiights…!!!! (Fill in all your own swearing #¤%&… )
Was SURE that was the blue eye and nose ridge of a giant in the early posters/teasers!
* Verdict: 9.3/10
…and 9.5 if Castle Black had lasted just a little longer. Wanting more!!!
Btw I can hear that my neighbor across the street is watching the show again right now – Think i’ll follow up on that one 😉
Am I the only one who is seriously concerned about Bran just casually going through the wall despite having the F-ING MARK OF THE NIGHT KING ON HIS ARM??
After that happened last season the Three-Eyed Raven told Bran that he was no longer safe in this place, or something like that. Later in the season Uncle Benjen said something that the same magic that kept the Dead from passing through The Wall prevented Benjen from passing through.
And now Bran just casually gets dragged through without a worry? Is The Mark gone? Did it wear off? I know that there was a lot of Eastwatch-by-the-Sea foreshadowing but I feel like Bran – who is a dumbass – just opened the door for the Night King to walk right through the wall.
Or maybe I’m looking into it too much…
I actually liked Euron in all scenes he appeared in so far. The way how the actor delivers lines… I get the vibe the character is actually a psychopath and quite sadistic and I feel a lot of uneasy tension whenever this character appears on-screen… in a way “What is he actually capable of?”
Hexonx,
When Jon was addressing the Northern lords, he instructed them to dig for dragon glass, so it is also found in the North. I think the discovery was just how much dragon glass was on Dragonstone.
Lord Parramandas,
Lol… are you her copy editor? I don’t find a caps sentence distracting. But I do find some bro mansplaining how to write exceptionally annoying.
Jack Bauer 24,
Well, if Brienne has any say in her training, with perhaps some tips from Arya, I don’t see why not?
Like I said above, I meant no harm. Just stated my opinion. I generally appreciate her comments and positivity very much.
Lord Parramandas,
I don’t think you meant any harm by it either, but it did come across as a bit pretentious and douchey. I’m sure if Dee didn’t care, then no harm no foul.
It was just a tiny advice from my side and I really tried to be as nice as possible. If stuff like this comes across as pretentious and douchey, then I’m really afraid to write further comments on this site.
Lord Parramandas,
Yeah when you put it like that, I do see your point in regards to the mind of a psychopath – always smiling, cracking jokes, but in reality being a raging looney… We just haven’t seen that horrible side with our own eyes in the show. BUT as Dee Stark wrote in her recap, it was better in this premiere episode (hated his performance last season) and kindda liked the ping-pong between Jamie and Euron. Mostly due to NCW’s subtle facial expressions 🙂 I find him a much better screen actor of those two Danes…
It’s not the character – it’s the actor, but to Pilou Asbæks defense on GoT, it’s probably because I’m biased as a Dane…sorry! I’ve seen him in many other productions over the years, and he really doesn’t change very much in the way he portraits different characters and deliver his lines (which I find more suitable for the stage)… Apart from that, I am actually looking very much forward to letting him surprise me during season 7, since it’s a very interesting character for the show at this point, so bring on the A-game, Pilou 😀
Dead Dane Walking,
When I rewatched Home, I paid special attention to Euron (bridge scene)… he really spoke as an insane person there that even made Balon feel uneasy. And then the Kingsmoot scene… he appeared as a typical boasting and loud-mouth Ironborn at first (like most of them are) but when he got crowned and woke up, I again noticed the “insanity” and how unstable and vicious he may be. After all, Balon himself stated he heard rumors Euron got mad in Valyria.
Young Dragon,
I don’t remember the exact wording so I would have to go back and watch the scene but I thought he said something like “there is heaps of it on Dragonstone.” Also, Jon says “I want every Northern Maester to scour their records for any mention of Dragonglass. Dragonglass kills White Walkers, it’s more valuable to us now than gold. We need to find it, we need to mine it, we need to make weapons from it.” So that doesn’t confirm either way that there is or isn’t Dragonglass somewhere in the North. Like I said, it’s not a big deal. I just want more from the Sam story line. I will be a little disappointed if this is the only information Sam gleans from being at the Citadel but it’s only the first episode so I am confident he will find other useful info.
Lord Parramandas,
It’s all good 🙂 Guess I’m just a bit more critical towards my countrymen 😉 With so far 5 actors from such a small country in smaller and huge roles with dialog, you just want them to do a great job representing the nation on such a huge show. Only Pilou has disappointed me a little so far, but nice to hear some fans are having a different, more positive experience with him. I must conclude, that I am biased on this matter 🙂 …Hope I will get to feel the same enthusiasm towards Pilou’s version of Euron later on this season.
Dead Dane Walking,
The actor may be portraying similar characters all the time but maybe that’s the way Euron is supposed to be.
Dee Stark,
Dee, I only hope you didn’t take my comments about caps too seriously… it was just an harmless advice from my side. But I rather see you overhyped than too negative.
nvm
Jaimie,
Omg Yes! I thought the same thing!! Love Oz’s recap and enjoy everyone else’s commentary but who died and made him the grammar and punctuation police? No thanks pal
Jaimie,
Oh come off it, Lord Parramandas was just offering a bit of friendly advice. I mean it isn’t something I would have done here, and if read the wrong way it could have come across badly, but it came from good intentions, and I think it just shows what a great diverse community has fostered here. It has people from all sorts of different cultures who have lots of different first languages, but who share a passion for Game of Thrones, and are willing to discuss things together, and offer advice to one another, rather than being afraid of what to say. That is only a good thing in my book. #spreadlovenothate
Does anyone else think the purpose of Arya’s scene with the Lannister soldiers and their conversation about going home was to get her to turn around and head to Winterfell?
I just think it’s to soon for Cersei to be killed off, and if Arya gets to Kings Landing she is done for.
Samson,
That’s definitely one of the messages within that scene.
The soldiers were unable to go home, see their families, because they were stuck fighting someone else’s war.
And there’s Arya actually choosing to go and fight her own war, when she could be at home with her family after all these years.
I think there will probably be something else next episode that convinces her to head back to Winterfell.
And, as you say, we’re unlikely to see Cersei killed off for a while yet. So Arya’s got to get sidetracked somehow.
Oh no! Don’t leave us, Lord P! Some people just don’t “get you” sometimes man. Everyone hug it out, kiss and make up. We all agree Dee is always ALWAYS AWSOME! And all caps is her signature font. Love it.
I just noticed two things from The Hound’s scenes in this episode on a rewatch.
When speaking to Beric he says: “I’ve met better men than you. And they’ve been hung from crossbeams. Or beheaded. Or just shat themselves to death in a field somewhere.”
I think we can take it that he’s referring to Brother Ray, who was hung from a crossbeam.
Can we take it that he’s probably referring to Ned as the man who was beheaded?
I wonder who the man who shat himself to death was. Must’ve been quite a man.
Also, when he was burying the farmer and his daughter he tries to recite a prayer, but he can’t remember the words. That was a neat reference to when he was last at the farm and he interrupted the farmer before he could finish reciting the prayer at the dinner table.
Also during that scene with the farmer back in Season 4, the farmer talks about Walder Frey violating guest rite, and saying that the gods will have their vengeance… with Arya sat right across the table from him.
These are some nice touches.
Dee Stark,
You’re glad the montage of poop and gagging was included? ?I thought was disgusting lol
Quick question I’m sure nobody knows the answer to.
If Arya takes on the whole body and everything when she puts on a face, what would happen if she killed, for example, the mountain? Would she be as strong as him?
Ramsay’s 20th Good Man,
And her deciding to go home might be when she runs into Nymeria!
Okay, this comment issue still hasn’t been fixed? This is getting annoying as hell now.
Rob,
Wait, what?
HOW DID I MISS THAT?
/refills whiskey
Ramsay’s 20th Good man,
WONDERFUL observations all.
Testing the comments again… I’m somehow not able to write them.
Knight of the Walkers,
Thank you. It was a harmless advice and nothing more. In a way even a compliment on how mere words can have such a meaning without needing to capitalize them.
Dead Dane Walking,
What an awesome comment!!!!!! So nice to see how much we agree 🙂
Mr Derp,
LOL Derp 🙂
Its okay, I generally take no offense to such comments, I wouldn’t make them my self, but I think he simply was giving some advice. Although I would likely still use CAPS when I get overly excited because I cant help myself.
I appreciate the advice Lord P 🙂
Lord Parramandas,
not at all 🙂
Knight of the Walkers,
100%
moonpeas,
Aww thank you so much!!!!!!!! You are so kind!
ygritte,
I thought it was funny.
Ramsay’s 20th Good man,
love this
ManderlyPieCompany,
I agree, a dragon would be an awesome gift and a really shake up the kingdoms.
🙂😉🙂
I didn’t remember that until your comment, but as you’ve mentioned, it was a beautiful detail!!!
Luka Nieto,
well Cersei was married to Robert Baratheon so she is still technically a baratheon. unless they don’t take the last name of their partner in this story.
Technically maybe, but she crowned herself as “Queen Cersei Lannister” in s06e10. So clearly she decided to revert to her “maiden” name…
QueenofThrones,
Yes, women from important houses can keep their maiden name. Just like Sansa was always called a Stark and not a Lannister
What will happen to Jon’s status as King once Bran reappears south of the wall? As Ned’s last surviving, legitimate, male heir will this affect Jon’s support by some of the more traditional Northern houses, particularly if they don’t fully support his tactics?
Ramsey’s 20th Good Man,
Wonderful observations! It is details like that that make GoT so special! Thanks for pointing it out.
And for those of you who weren’t lucky enough to go to Con of Thrones as I did, I have to tell you that Oz is not only smart and funny, but he’s GORGEOUS, too! Ozette is one lucky woman!
HeWhoWalksWithDeath,
Qyburn stated in Season 6 episode 10 “I now proclaim Cersei of the House Lannister, First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals and First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms”.
QueenofThrones,
Ya beat me to it
Ramsay’s 20th Good man,
Great observations on what was unquestionably my favourite sequence in S7E1. It was a great callback to that scene in S4, made me very emotional because of reminding us viewers of the farmer, a good, decent man, and his little Sally, who made such good rabbit stew… And the different ways the Hound/Sandor handled these two encounters. Genius way to write character development. Also with Beric and Thoros.
BTW, I also thought along similar lines: hung, beheaded, shat themselves…. hmm. Ray, Ned and ?? I thought of battlefield, and the only time we’ve seen the Hound on a battlefield was Blackwater Bay… and you could argue he “shat himself” during that battle. Was broken by that horror of fire and deserted… Could he be talking about himself? (Does he view himself a better man than Beric, an anoited knight, which Sandor is not?) Dunno, just spotballing here.
Also, thanks for reminding me that the farmer talked about breaking guest right and gods’ vengeance… and Arya was right there, listening attentively! So, in a roundabout way, this S7 scene connects with the S7 cold open scene.
Talking about encounters… S4 Arya and the Hound meet a group of Frey (so enemy) soldiers camped by the road and kill them. S7 Arya meets a group of Lannister (so enemy) soldiers camped by the road… and after initial hesitation shares meat and mead and even a laugh with the ordinary, young lads. Totally different circumstances but a nice callback/mirror. Also a very important scene for Arya’s characterization and character development. She’s not just some cold-blooded mass-murderer or some angel of vengeance, she’s still got humanity and empathy (just look at her face when the nice boat boy talks about his dad!), and she needs to stop generalizing/stereotyping/seeing things in black and white. And in this scene, we see the beginnings of it.
Spotballing??!? :O I meant spitballing, couldn’t edit, haha.
Dragoncrass,
I wonder how everyone will react if when they meet Three Eyed Raven Bran. It was creepy the way he told Ed about his experiences. I had thought he would have told something about Jon. I would like to see Littlefingers face when he reveals who killed Jon Arryn and how he betrayed Ned. I hope this will happen.
Valyrian Lance,
The more I think about it, the more I like the idea
that Sansa really was deliberately disagreeing with Jon in public in order to mess with Littlefinger’s head. It has the added benefit of spurring Jon to put his foot down in front of the macho Northern lords, showing his strength and leadership, and also ensuring that young Ned and Alys are personally loyal to Jon. Thinking that there is genuine sibling rivalry between Jon and Sansa will hopefully keep Littlefinger from coming up with too many more plots. If she is deliberately doing this, it might be nice if she actually told Jon about it, though.
Maybe it wears off? We don’t know that the spells on the Wall are the same as the spells on the cave, or that the Mark is still there. The WW moved on the cave immediately after Bran’s vision of the NK, after all. It is a scary idea that the magic of the Wall could so easily be broken, though.
Chilli,
Oh goodness I hadn’t thought about Bran’s capacity to expose Little finger’s past antics. That would be so satisfying if he revealed what Baelish has been up to from the start. On the other hand does that mean that Bran will have a big target on his head? I can’t imagine Littlefinger letting Bran live for long if there’s a chance he could scupper his plans to get his slimy mitts on the iron throne…
I had that EXACT thought during that scene! I also agree with you that it’s too soon to kill off Cersei. It’s way past time for Arya to go home.
WorfWWorfington,
What episode were you watching? If I remember correctly, some of the other northern lords wanted to DESTROY the Umber and Karstark castles. This was when Sansa chimed in and said that the castles didn’t commit any crime. She wanted to reward the loyal houses and punish the traitors’ houses. She made valid points. And so did Jon. The problem was, they should have talked about this behind closed doors and not in front of everyone. BOTH Sansa and Jon could have initiated this, but none did. They BOTH had valid points, but they also BOTH went about it in the wrong way. Also, just as Jon cares about Sansa, Sansa likewise cares about Jon; this was evident when she mentioned that she didn’t want Jon to commit the same mistakes that got Ned and Robb killed. She is LOYAL to Jon, and just because she doesn’t agree with everything Jon says doesn’t make her a bad person. And Jon wasn’t a saint either, the way he kept dismissing Sansa’s opinions (What? Listen to you?) is borderline insulting at this point. He didn’t listen to Sansa’s advice on Ramsay (don’t do what he wants you to do i.e. don’t let Ramsay’s antics change your plan i.e. don’t charge in blind rage when Ramsay inevitably kills Rickon) and that nearly got Jon killed. On the other hand, Sansa should have told him about the Vale army (and she apologized about that, acknowledging her mistake). My point is, I think people can make unfair assumptions about Sansa’s actions, motivations and capabilities. It is easy to dismiss her because she was initially a very weak and silly character. Most people behave like Jon, who can’t get past seeing Sansa as the silly little girl from years back. Sansa has developed into a major player. She is flawed, but so is everyone else (save perhaps Lyanna Mormont who is so perfect I wouldn’t mind seeing her sitting on the Iron Throne). Sansa is not Jon’s enemy, and Jon should take advantage of her insights into Cersei and Littlefinger. She CAN bring something to the table.