If you forgot anything from last season, here is a recap: Almost everyone you liked is probably dead; King’s Landing is Kaboom town; and, Arya is all X-23. Who let the dogs out? Sansa did and they ate the kid from Misfits. Jon Snow is Daenerys’s nephew, sorta. Benjen Stark was busy siring a vampire slayer and future 16th President of America, and Cersei is a slightly better mom than Kris Jenner. That about covers it.
On to–Game of Thrones, Season 7 in the year of the post-GRRM arena. This one’s called Dragonstone and it is looking to be a real doozy.
Last verse, same as the first. Arya steals our hearts as she steals old people’s faces. As Walder Frey toasts his kin, you know it’s their last sloppy meal together. Her wolf and sheep analogy seems quite fitting and Winter did indeed come for House Frey. The first scene sets the tone for Arya’s character (all she needs is a bit of Wolvie claws) and for the rather long in coming revenge of the Starks.
From one feast of friends, we move to another–this time death wears the face of the Night King. The mist at the beginning calls us back to every scary movie ever and it has a great effect, as did that huge zombie giant. I wish they would have stayed a bit more on the Night King’s army, but they switched over to the Wall and the new three eyed raven. Apparently, Bran was gone for so long even the cast and crew didn’t recognize him. (Confession: There were entire seasons where I forgot about him.)
Dragonglass. We tease it early here and quickly forget it once Sansa opened her mouth. You can see the insanity that Little Finger laid in her head has taken root. Besides looking like a sullen ginger Legolas, Sansa reminds us that every ginger (red witch) has her own agenda. Never trust a day walker, even when Winter is Coming. However, her advice of Cersei being crazy and poisonous is rather spot on. If Jon heeds her warning, or if his head joins his father’s/uncle’s is yet to be seen.
What is quite plain is Cersei still hates her little brother. She is also not exactly playing with a full deck. Jaime lays out the score rather straight here. Who knew he could be the voice of reason? I guess when the show’s writers don’t have him raping his sister on their son’s coffin, he does enjoy a bit of a character arc. If he stays true to this arc–and to his sister–is yet unknown.
What isn’t unknown is their new ally. The other side of the Greyjoys (you know, the family the show did little with and sorta shoe horned in late season 6? If you don’t know what I am talking about, don’t worry–think Popeye + Jack Sparrow – charisma, and you’ll have the Greyjoys) are joining up with Cersei. One thing to notice in this scene is what Cersei is wearing. I like this look–it is warrior and queen all in one. Bets on the priceless gift–is it her brother? Maybe a dragon? Her brother riding a dragon? Also, bets on if Jaime sacrifices himself for his little brother or pulls a Darth Vader and kills Cersei whilst sacrificing himself.
Oh, chamber pots and poop humor, it seems Sam finally made it to the big leagues. A restricted area of the library sounds a bit MacGuffinesque, but I’ll let it lay for now. Tom Riddle used it and now Samwell is about to get his chance. ‘Every Winter that has ever came, has ended’. Wise words from the Arch Maester, but they are of little comfort for those of us stuck in 2017 (or Sam, as he steals the keys).
Arya rides on a pale horse and her name was, well, Arya. She runs into some Lannisters singing a campfire song. A real Camptown Lady type song. This is the episode of ‘forceful writing’. Cersei wants to kill the world–Jaime to the rescue. Little Finger hitting on Sansa–Brienne to the rescue. Arya loses her humanity–a bunch of random day player Lannisters to the rescue. The Hound asks ‘why is the lord of light bringing back a fringe character when Lady Stoneheart can’t buy a b-roll?’.
Holy crap, just when I’m about to hit this script over the head, the Hound has visions. It seems that he finally has his answer. The war against the dead is nigh and that dog is about to have his day. In another genuine act of heroism (let’s face it, the Hound can mow down armies and not flinch, his heroism comes in displaying emotion or empathy), the Hound digs graves in the tundra for people he ‘not really’ knew. The most intriguing aspect of his character is his humanity. The burial scene was touching and a strong indication of how his character grows.
Dragonstone and Dragonglass! The MacGuffin pays off! Way to go, Sam. Now all you need to do is to last long enough to tell Jon. In the meantime, you can be used as a foil to move the plot of ‘where is Ser Greyhand dude’ and ‘Hey, didn’t we have another army filling the ships of Greyjoys coming over for dinner?’. What started six seasons ago finally comes to fruition. Daenerys steps on her home land for the first time in her adult life and it is, of course, Dragonstone. Did anyone else expect a mini-Iron throne? I do like the huge chunk of stone–it’s rather a nice touch. I’m glad the area came with its own war-room so her army can plot their path. I guess those Targaryens were a rather forward thinking family (besides the incest and insanity thing).
With all of the angles lined up (sans the Sand Snakes), it seems the seventh season of the Game of Thrones is spinning quickly on its way. Who will win the game of thrones? Will Little Finger ever join up with Bran and remake Dixie Chicken? Who will be the next person on our list to die that makes us go ‘f’ this show, I’m out’? Tune in next time–same Bat Time, same Bat Channel to discover the answers to all your heart’s secret desires.
