Game of Thrones Episode 702—”Stormborn”—Preview

Last week, HBO set the stage for the final act of Game of Thrones. Cersei is ensconced in King’s Landing. Jon is managing dissension up in the North. Daenerys is arrived at Dragonstone and the Night King is on his way to the Wall.

Oh, and Arya Stark is a non-stop murder machine on her way to kill the queen. We can’t forget that.

Liam Cunningham as Davos Seaworth and Kit Harington as Jon Snow – Photo: Helen Sloan/HBO

Next up is “Stormborn,” a title taken from one of Daenerys’ many names. Here’s HBO’s official description:

"Deanerys (Emilia Clarke) receives an unexpected visitor. Jon (Kit Harington) faces a revolt. Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) plans the conquest of Westeros."

The bit about Tyrion planning the conquest of Westeros is pretty self-explanatory — that’s Daenerys’ goal, and Tyrion will be eager to please his queen. The other two are a little more alarming. Take the prospect of Jon facing “a revolt.” Sansa questioned his authority in “Dragonstone,” but didn’t seem close to starting a revolt. And who might be the “unexpected visitor” Daenerys receives? We have our ideas.

Or none of it could mean anything — HBO is pretty notorious for its vague episode descriptions. The trailer provides a more solid indication of what we’re in for.

“The Targaryen cannot be trusted.” “The Mad King’s daughter cannot be trusted.” So Cersei is against Daenerys and Jon is being advised to go against Daenerys. We’ll see what Dany, with her dragons, armada, and army, will have to say about that. Also, fans haven’t failed to notice that the trailer shows Arya encountering a wolf and someone strangling Littlefinger, both events pregnant with possibilities.

Here’s a factual breakdown of the episode:

• Start Time: July 23, 2017, 9 p.m. EST
• TV Info: HBO
• Episode: Season 7, Episode 2, “Stormborn”
• Writers: Bryan Cogman
• Director: Mark Mylod
• Run time: 59 minutes
• Live Stream: Stream 1 – Stream 2

Mark Mylod has previously directed episodes like “High Sparrow” and “The Broken Man.” This is his third season working on the show, so the producers clearly like him. Meanwhile, staff writer Bryan Cogman takes over writing duties from showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss. He’s been on the show since the start, and worked with Mylod on season 6’s “The Broken Man.”

Check out some more images from the episode to get an idea of what we’re in for:

Kit Harington as Jon Snow and Aidan Gillen as Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish – Photo: Helen Sloan/HBO John Bradley as Samwell Tarly and Jim Broadbent as Archmaester Ebrose – Photo: Helen Sloan/HBO (LEFT TO RIGHT) Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen, Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, Gemma Whelan as Yara Greyjoy, and Indira Varma as Ellaria Sand – Photo: Helen Sloan/HBO

It’ll definitely be fun to see this lot in action together.

Next: We break down the trailer for 'Dragonstone,' shot by shot

We’ll be back tomorrow both during and after the episode to break it down. Join us as war returns to Westerns!