Spoiler note: “A girl says nothing. A girl keeps her mouth closed. No one hears.” —Girls, boys, and everyone alike, Jaqen H’ghar has spoken, so please remember: This recap is primarily for non-book readers. If you’re a book reader, please avoid posting any spoilers here, and instead take those thoughts to our book-reader’s recap. Thank you!
We begin this week precisely where we ended “The Queen’s Justice”: at Highgarden, where the Lannister forces are gathering their spoils of war (a nod to the episode’s title), which will be used to pay off the Lannisters’ debt to the Iron Bank. Bronn, in his usual fashion, tries to shake Jaime down for more profit, but Jaime is understandably too preoccupied with Westeros Wells Fargo to take him seriously. Properly rejected, Bronn joins Randyll and Dickon Tarly in their efforts to collect the harvests from farmers across the Reach.
In King’s Landing, the Iron Bank representative is impressed by Cersei’s efficiency in securing a lump sum, but disappointed that they will no longer be able to charge her outrageous interest rates. They discuss opportunities for further investment in Cersei’s efforts to assert complete control of the Seven Kingdoms. We learn that Maester Qyburn has been in talks with the Golden Company in Essos, which could prove interesting if they come to fruition.
But—excuse my Stark bias—the happenings at Winterfell are much more noteworthy this week. Littlefinger presents Bran with the dagger that was meant to kill him back at the series’ beginning, then once more reminds us all of his lingering obsession with Catelyn. If Bran weren’t so engrossed in his psychic vision trips, I imagine he’d say something along the lines of “Dude, that’s my mom.” But for now he settles on giving Littlefinger the heebie-jeebies.
"LITTLEFINGER: “In a way, that dagger made you what you are today. Forced from your home, driven out to the wilds beyond the Wall. I imagine you’ve seen things most men wouldn’t believe. To go through all of that and make your way home again, only to find such chaos in the world, I can only imagine—”BRAN: “Chaos is a ladder.”"
Meera interrupts before Bran can successfully put Littlefinger into cardiac arrest (more’s the pity), and the man leaves them to their heart-wrenching farewell. Meera means to head for home, to be with her family when the White Walkers come—whether to protect them or die with them, her exact purpose isn’t clear, but I’d bet on the former. Meera Reed did not drag her boyfriend from one end of the North to the other and back again just to give up and die. Still, she and Bran don’t part on the best of terms.
"MEERA: “My brother died for you. Hodor and Summer died for you. I almost died for you. Bran—”BRAN: “I’m not, really. Not anymore. I remember what it felt like to be Brandon Stark, but I remember so much else now.”MEERA: “You died in that cave.”"
I don’t know what it is with the Starks and their recurring identity crises, but I hope Bran bounces back from this by series’ end. This show has left me so emotionally unstable that they owe me at least this once slice of wish fulfillment.
Miracle of miracles, we are awarded with some much-needed Stark happiness this week, as “Go the Distance” from Disney’s Hercules plays softly in the background when Arya returns to Winterfell. Her homecoming is reminiscent of a scene in season 1, when the guards refuse her entry to the Red Keep. This time, though, Arya coolly threatens these soldiers with her sister’s wrath, rather than her father’s: “Tell Sansa her sister’s home. […] I’m getting into this castle one way or another. If I’m not who I say I am, I won’t last long. But if I am, and Sansa finds out you turned me away…”
Clearly, Sansa has garnered enough respect to make her men suitably hesitant to upset her. And so the guards allow Arya entrance, only to argue between themselves about what to do with her. Meanwhile, Arya surveys her home, her face a picture of calm following the storm that’s been her life these past few years. She easily gives the slip to the bickering guards for the quiet of the crypts, where Sansa finds her. The sisters share an understated but poignant reunion. “You need better guards,” Arya tells Sansa, and it’s quite appropriate that she’s home now to be the better guard.
Once again, Sansa expresses her wish that Jon would come home, just as she did when Bran returned. Despite Jon’s absence, the narrative continues to remind us of where he belongs: at Winterfell, with the Starks. For now, though, Sansa, Arya, and Bran are putting the pieces of their family back together while they await his return.
Helen Sloan – HBO
"ARYA: “They say you killed Joffrey. Did you?”SANSA: “I wish I had.”ARYA: “Me too. I was angry when I heard someone else had done it. However long my list got, he was always first.”SANSA: “Your list?”ARYA: “Of people I’m going to kill.”"
They share a smile, and it’s clear that Sansa doesn’t believe Arya is really harboring such a list. But that changes sometime between their conversation with Bran in the godswood and when Sansa watches her sister spar with Brienne.
First, Bran reveals his knowledge of Arya’s list—a fact he could only know through his visions as the Three-Eyed Raven. But before Sansa can think too much on that, there is the matter of Petyr Baelish and his Valyrian steel dagger to contend with.
"BRAN: “He thought I’d want it. […] Because it was meant to kill me.”ARYA: “Why would a cutthroat have a Valyrian steel dagger?”BRAN: “Someone very wealthy wanted me dead.”SANSA: “He’s not a generous man. He wouldn’t give you anything unless he thought he was getting something back.”"
This is of no consequence to Bran, who gives the dagger to Arya, claiming it’s wasted on him. Arya’s possession of such a weapon—not to mention the unique skill set she’s picked up during her travels—will surely come into play later. We’re reminded of Arya’s ballin’ skills during her practice spar with Brienne, and it’s here that Sansa seems to realize that her sister’s comments about her list were not, in fact, in jest. She watches the match with equal parts intrigue and alarm, realizing, perhaps—as she did with Bran—that none of them are the same people they were before leaving Winterfell so long ago. They’re together again, but there’s still a long road to recovery ahead of them.
After the sparring session, Littlefinger and Arya have a short staring contest. He looks pretty smug for no reason at all, and I’m rather surprised that Arya’s totally boss eye contact doesn’t make him drop dead on the spot. A girl can dream.
Helen Sloan – HBO
At Dragonstone, Jon continues his efforts to convince Daenerys that the White Walkers are the most pressing matter at hand. On the pretense of showing Daenerys the caverns before he mines them for dragonglass, Jon shows her etchings of the First Men, the Children of the Forest, and the White Walkers in the caves, more or less proving their existence; it’s all very FernGully.
Jon tells Dany that the First Men and the Children “fought together against their common enemy. Despite their differences, despite their suspicions… together. We need to do the same if we’re gonna survive. Because the enemy is real. It’s always been real.” This once more reinforces the lack of trust between Jon and Daenerys, but Jon stresses that they need to push past that in light of the big-picture threat that is the White Walkers. And for one shining moment, it seems as though Daenerys will concede; but, alas…
"DAENERYS: “I will fight for you. I will fight for the North. When you bend the knee.”JON: “My people won’t accept a Southern ruler. Not after everything they’ve suffered.”DAENERYS: “They will if their king does. They chose you to lead them. They chose you to protect them. Isn’t their survival more important than your pride?”"
I dunno, Dany, maybe you should be asking yourself that question. Jon isn’t refusing to bend the knee due to pride—he’s refusing for the sake of his people, who didn’t want him to attempt an alliance with the Mad King’s daughter in the first place. Dany, meanwhile, is straightforwardly refusing to ensure Westeros’ survival if she doesn’t get her way first.
Despite this, between the music and Jon’s history with caves (RIP Ygritte), there’s a deliberate romantic undertone to the scene; it’s suspicious in its blatancy, and contextually odd. Aside from the fact that they’re both pretty, the narrative thus far doesn’t support a romance between these characters. As it stands now, they still refuse to come to a mutually beneficial agreement—or any agreement whatsoever—and Jon is virtually a prisoner on the island.
Allow me a moment to tinfoil out and say that this particular arc seems more a repetition of Jon’s infiltration of the wildlings in seasons 2-3 than it does a save-the-world romance. Besides, you can’t convince me that Targaryen incest is going to play a part in saving the realm when that’s exactly what contributed to the family’s madness and, by extension, its downfall. I’m calling this out as a misdirect, and I’m calling it now. Hold me to it.
Macall B. Polay – HBO
Tyrion and Varys bring Daenerys the bad news about Casterly Rock and Highgarden, and she once more becomes preoccupied with her quest for the Iron Throne. Her patience with her Hand has worn thin.
"DAENERYS: “Your strategy has lost us Dorne, the Iron Islands, and the Reach.”TYRION: “If I’ve underestimated our enemies—”DAENERYS: “Our enemies? Your family, you mean. Perhaps you don’t want to hurt them, after all.”"
That’s a telling choice of words, Dany. She wants Tyrion to want to hurt his family, but for all the ill will he and Cersei harbor for each other, Tyrion’s relationship with Jaime is another matter. I suspect we’ll see Tyrion struggle with his loyalty to Daenerys and his loyalty to Jaime, respectively, in future episodes. For the time being, both he and Jon advise her against setting fire to the Red Keep, the latter assuring her that if she does so, she’ll just be “more of the same” sort of ruler that Westeros has seen time and again, to the woe of the common people.
Later, Davos reinforces the sketchy romance subplot by implying that Jon’s been checking Daenerys out on the sly. (I never thought Davos and I would clash over OTPs, and yet here we are.) Jon dismisses it. “There’s no time for that,” he says. “I saw the Night King, Davos, I looked into his eyes. How many men do we have in the North to fight him? Ten thousand? Less?” In other words, Jon’s keeping his eye on the endgame: defeating the White Walkers…until, that is, Theon Greyjoy washes up onshore, and then suddenly Jon has time to be “extra” (as the kids say) about Sansa again.
"THEON: “Sansa… Is she alright?”JON [getting up in Theon’s face as soon as he name-drops Sansa]: “What you did for her… is the only reason I’m not killing you.”"
Look, I’ll stop pointing out the Jon/Sansa nuances as soon as the showrunners stop including them. Jon is mad as hell at Theon for everything he did back in season 2, and the only thing keeping him from killing Theon on the spot is the fact that Sansa is alive and safe. It appears that it’s not only Sansa’s gross paramours who ignite Jon’s fits of rage, but also any man who’s shared her breathing space. Who’s next, Jon? You gonna raise Loras Tyrell’s ghost via Ouija board just to fight him over that time he gave Sansa a rose and then promptly forgot about her?
Macall B. Polay – HBO
The episode ends where it began, with Team Lannister, which is now near King’s Landing. Things heat up significantly when Daenerys intercepts the army to “Dracarys” the place up and down. Despite Tyrion and Jon’s advice, Dany wreaks havoc upon the Lannister forces with the help of Drogon and the Dothraki. True, she goes after the soldiers instead of the people inside the Red Keep, but considering the destruction that ensues… tomato, tomahto, really.
The show took pains to humanize the Lannister army when Arya met a group of Lannister soldiers in “Dragonstone,” and even Dickon Tarly gets some development in this episode that sets him apart from his cruel father. He shows remorse over having to fight Tyrell men—a house his family had been pledged to before now. Now, we see the Lannister forces being brutalized and roasted (Dickon is seemingly alive by episode’s end, but the teaser for next week’s isn’t promising). The barbarity of Daenerys’ attack is further highlighted by Tyrion, who watches the battle from a distance. Helped along by the score, there is a distinct feeling of unease as he overlooks the chaos on the battlefield.
Archers attempt to take down Drogon and Dany, but only Bronn manages a successful hit when he uses Qyburn’s giant crossbow. Drogon falls, and Daenerys is miraculously uninjured, which—even for Game of Thrones—is one helluva stunt, and I give her props for it. Close by, Jaime is surrounded by fiery destruction, no doubt recalling his time spent under the Mad King’s rule, which spurs him forward in an attempt to run Daenerys through as she’s distracted by Drogon’s injuries. Tyrion can mutter “Flee, you idiot” under his breath all he likes, but thankfully it does nothing to deter Jaime’s sexy fire ride.
Drogon, of course, totally ruins the aesthetic by nearly burning Jaime to a crisp, but someone—Bronn? Dickon, perhaps?—tackles him into the water, where he sinks like a stone on account of his armor. Cue end credits.
Macall B. Polay – HBO
Three more episodes to go, and still no sign of Ghost. How will Jaime and the Lannister forces weather Daenerys’ post-battle wrath? Will Tyrion intervene on his brother’s behalf? Who’s next on Jon’s completely platonic “Defend Sansa’s Honor” list? How will Arya put her new Valyrian steel dagger to use, and why did Bran bequeath it to her in the first place? Between Sansa’s verbal takedowns, Bran’s freaky visions, and Arya’s expert stare, when will Littlefinger just bite it already? And seriously, broken record I may be, but did HBO blow the whole direwolf budget on one scene with Nymeria? Really, just launch a Pillow Pet across the screen and tell me it’s Ghost for all I care; I just want some evidence that he’s still around.
Next: Reading Between the Lines: How the dialogue in season 7 could foreshadow the show’s ending
Remember—speculation is encouraged, spoilers aren’t! Please refrain from posting book spoilers here! Feel free to discuss the episode in the comments or Tweet me @kattymaj, but don’t ruin any surprises for the viewers who haven’t read the books. While the show has largely diverged from its source material, you never know what details will crop up later. Thanks, and see you next week!
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