Knee-Jerk Reactions to “The Spoils of War:” Five Best and Worst Moments
FLEA BOTTOM BROWN FIVE: Jaime sinks, but Bronn doesn’t
The last shot of the episode showed Jaime, weighed down by his armor, sinking into the depths of a surprisingly deep lake. But Bronn is in there with him, and Bronn doesn’t wear armor. Bronn knows that Jaime is his meal ticket — he’s gonna fish Jaime outta there, guaranteed.
Helen Sloan – HBO
FLEA BOTTOM BROWN FOUR: Cersei and Nestoris are in the map again
The directors ere moving these two back and forth from one place to another as much as they can, but Cersei and Nestoris are essentially stationary. The map room is a pretty place, but it’s starting to scream “here comes another serving of exposition, folks!”
FLEA BOTTOM BROWN THREE: Does Pod have to get walloped in every episode?
Poor Pod. He’s such a nice character. Brienne even accepted his compliment this time. And what does he get for it? His face slammed into a frozen bit of donkey dung in the Winterfell courtyard. If I have to swordplay, let Syrio Forel be my teacher, not Brienne, please.
FLEA BOTTOM BROWN TWO: Tyrion is a problem for Dany all of a sudden?
This chunk of dialogue caught me off guard. I understand that Dany is a bit frantic because she’s losing, and queens take it out on their staff from time to time. And yes, Tyrion’s strategic choices haven’t worked out (he didn’t do so well in Meereen, either), but war is hell. I found it jarring that Daenerys turned on Tyrion so quickly, implying that his failures might reflect attachments he still felt for his old family. That felt like a low blow. She owes him an apology, in my opinion.
FLEA BOTTOM BROWN ONE: There’s no way Bronn escaped incineration
Get out! Drogon was bearing down on Bronn while he was messing with the ballista, and by all rights the dragonfire should have turned him into a burned black husk. Drogon’s blasts covered a lot of territory, more than a man can avoid by throwing himself from a wagon. Even on fire, Bronn could have survived it with the old stop, drop and roll (into the lake).
BONUS VALYRIAN STEEL MOMENT: It’s not easy loving Bran
Poor Meera gets no love at all. She was right when she called out Bran’s “Thank you” for being less than effusive. But what else could he say? She loves him, I think. But everything has to be sacrificed to protect the Three-Eyed Raven. It was a sad, bittersweet scene, and a moving one. Meera is right when she tells Bran “you died in that cave.”
Wrap it up and put a bloody bow on it: It’s all coming together, and the long-term emotional investment we as viewers put in is paying off. Characters are emerging from their long journeys transformed, the extent of their metamorphoses thrown into relief by their reunions with each other. This one had it all: deeply felt interior moments, Westerosi history, and some of the best battle scenes I’ve ever witnessed. I was simply blown away by this episode.
If next week is better than this, I might need an oxygen tent.
Next: Reading Between the Lines: How the dialogue in season 7 could foreshadow the show’s ending
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