Over the course of the season, a number of characters have found themselves hightailing it out of their current situations and heading out to parts unknown, with various levels of success when they turn back up again. For instance, Yara and Theon beat a hasty retreat from the Iron Islands and wound up in Meereen. Edd left Castle Black and returned with a wildling army. Brienne and Pod were sent on a mission, and though they may have failed on their primary assignment, turned up in time not only to see Jaime, but for Pod and Bronn to reconnect.
Then there’s Varys, who left Meereen for parts unknown back in “No One.” And Olenna beat a retreat from King’s Landing after the High Sparrow threatened her safety. Where did they go?
Who knew the answer would turn out to be…..Dorne?
SPOILERS AHEAD
Now that I’ve found somewhere safe
To bury my bone
And any spoiler knows a dog needs a home
A shelter from pigs on the wing
Dorne? No one wants to go to Dorne. As King Arthur once remarked to his knights, “Tis a silly place.” Frankly, after last season, the fact that the show stuck a pin (or a sword) into this storyline and left it to bleed out while they focused on other plotlines seemed like the best thing for all involved.
But that’s where Olenna went, after she found out about what happened to her entire family in King’s Landing.
https://vine.co/v/5uw3V3Led2A
For the record, watching her insult the Sand Snakes was about the most fan-servicey thing the show has done all season in a season full of fan service.
https://vine.co/v/5uw3tDm9Fap
And Varys too. He’s there to make a deal, since geographically, Dany traveling across the Narrow Sea will have her land in Dorne, it’s best to warn the ruling family and sway them to her side.
Olenna, Varys, and the (people who murdered the last of the) Martells. This might just be the major powerhouse in the south we’ve been waiting for.