After last class ’s incredible , explosive , massive season finale , last night ’s placid season seven premiere almost seems like a PG fantasy film … even despite it begin with bit of mass murder . But watching it tight , you’re able to see the young problem that will plague the characters this time of year , and will in all probability direct to their ruin — assuming an army of the dead does n’t get them first .
“ Dragonstone ” wo n’t go down as one of the show ’s grander season premieres , as it ’s more concerned about reestablishing where its principal characters are before stimulate into the game ’s “ final daily round , ” as it were . It ’s certainly understandable , and since we had to waitress an extra four month before the new time of year set out , it ’s probably not the unseasonable choice , either . But it ’s hard to think about the explosive ( often literally ) events of the time of year six coda and not find “ Dragonstone ” a bit too grave and prologue - y.
Which is funny , because the actual prologue of the episode — one of the show ’s few pre - credits scenes — is so full of death . Arya , now masquerading as Walder Frey himself , calls a feast and take in every exclusive Frey involve in the Red Wedding . Once they ’re all there , “ Frey ” elicit a toast to them , and their accomplishments , and how they slaughtered the Starks , and by that point dozens and dozens of Freys are dying because they ’ve all been poisoned .
So when I say the time of year seven premiere was quiet after another gig in Arya Stark ’s Westerosi Murder Tour , it should tell you precisely how smooth things were . Jon and Sansa reference the Stark bannermen . Bran and Meera are have through the Wall . Cersei and Jaime get quick for war . Sam empty chamberpots at Oldtown . Euron Greyjoy offer an alliance to Cersei , based primarily out of a shared desire to murder family appendage . And the Hound takes a near , long hard look into the Red Priest ’s fervency , and what he sees is Methedrine and death .
Even if these scenes did n’t keep an eye on the simultaneous murder of 50 masses , there ’s still a worrying undercurrent to them . Okay , Sandor getting a vision of the White Walkers and their armies crossing through the Wall where it meets the ocean — that ’s not so much an undercurrent , it ’s straight - up rapids . But more disturbingly , Jon and Sansa ’s alliance is already depart to show cracks when the grasp of Umber and Karstark are brought up . Jon desire to give them back to their families , despite the fact their sign of the zodiac betrayed the Starks and fought for Ramsey ; Sansa wants to give them as reward to family unit who were faithful . The two squabble in front of all the Lord to everyone ’s alarm , until Jon decree he ’s going to do it his path .
Sansa does not like that , although Petyr Baelish care that Sansa does n’t like it , which should tell you all you need to know about how problematic this is ( Littlefinger in reality looks aroused by seeing Sansa tell Jon he ’s make the wrong decision in front of all his bannermen ) . Even when it ’s unveil that “ Lord Umber ” and “ Lady Karstark ” are just two kids who could n’t have possibly been complicit in their parent ’ actions , it ’s clean-cut Sansa does n’t find their geezerhood or innocence relevant at all to the treatment .
It may sound like Sansa is being harsh here , and she certainly is . However , whenever a Stark makes a decision because it ’s right instead of what ’s best , it terminate up getting him kill , and Sansa is quick to cue Jon of it . “ You have to be smarter than father , ” she tells him . “ You have to be smart than Robb . ” Truer words have never been talk to a male Stark , but Jon ’s unilateral decision mean that he wo n’t be get Sansa ’s practical advice if it does n’t match his sentience of honour , which will almost sure lead him on the path his father ( uh , uncle ) and brother ( er , first cousin ) took . As Sansa showed last time of year , she ’s more than capable of acting on her own when she knows Jon would n’t approve . If they ’re already jar now , it ’s only going to get worse — much , much unsound .
Meanwhile , Cersei is so set to domesticate the Seven Kingdoms that she ’s not only uncoerced to push coincident war on all side , but friend herself with Euron Greyjoy , who we ’ve been tell will be the most atrocious soul on the entire serial — yes , even worse than Ramsay Bolton . He appear already seep reprobate spitefulness , especially when he suggests an alliance by marriage ceremony to the queen and then when she declines read he ’s conk to get her a endowment . ( The only question is whether he ’ll be lend that natural endowment back alive or stagnant . )
Marrying a homicidal psychopath like Euron is an objectively awful idea , and Cersei hump it , but she does n’t like . Now that Tommen is gone — the last actual intellect she was playing the game in the first place — all she has left is the game itself . She has the throne , but not the seven kingdoms , and she does n’t care what she has to do or who has to ache to get them , include herself . Cersei is not a well charwoman ; when Jaime remark they have n’t talk about their Logos ’s suicide , Cersei replies , “ He betrayed me ! ” Given that Cersei ’s most redeeming feature film has been her honey of her children ( her cheekbones a faithful 2d place , of course of instruction ) this staring denial of Tommen is deeply distressing . Jaime ’s unwilling to believe she ’s fall behind to him , so he assay to back her — and thus her on the face of it unwinnable state of war . And so many multitude are pass away to suffer horribly because of the emptiness inside Cersei , and the desperate , unavailing affair she ’ll do to endeavor to fulfill that void .
One thing Cersei has going for her is that she is n’t empty and fair shit - filled chamberpots all sidereal day , which set her ahead of Samwell . Having arrived in Oldtown to study at the Citadel to become a Maester and research the first White Walker encroachment , Sam has been relegated to the shittiest jobs at the Citadel , literally . It ’s the weakest plot line in the episode , because Sam has to endure a lot of heartbreak , including some from new addition Jim Broadbent as Maester Marwyn , and gaze yearningly at the subroutine library ’s limit Good Book section before he steals an elderly maester ’s key , steals some books , and discovers that Dragonstone , the ancestral menage of the Targaryens in Westeros , is sitting on a Brobdingnagian pile of Dragonglass ( the White Walkers ’ kryptonite , along with Valyrian steel ) .
But by the end of the episode , Dragonstone is under new direction . Daenerys , having finally impart Essos in last time of year ’s coda , finally step foot on Westeros , and its almost as satisfying to see the emotion with which she kneel to tough the reason , and then explore the ex - Baratheon stronghold . ( Conveniently , and somewhat goofily , after Stannis was defeated , apparently every exclusive living soul in the keep fled , so there ’s no one to disturb Dany ’s tour ) . Also satisfying : When she get into the room contain the board that ’s the jumbo map of Westeros , looks at it austerely , and ask her consultant and general , “ Shall we begin ? ” Presumably that beginning wo n’t let in shipping some unknown bastard in Winterfell an supererogatory - large helping of Dragonglass , at least for a while , but even see Dany in a Westerosi set is still exciting on its own .
For me , the most interesting element of the installment was Sandor Clegane , ex - Hound , still traveling with the Banners Without Brotherhood . The radical halt at what look to be an abandoned theatre , but it make Sandor very uncomfortable . There ’s a good reason for this , as he and Arya visit it back in time of year four , episode two . The farmer and his girl offer them shelter , but the Hound beat the man and take his silver , subsequently recite Arya they ’re going to die anyway . He was technically correct . When the group go in the cabin , the corpses of the father and fry are in the corner ; understandably starving , the Father of the Church killed his daughter to spare her the pain , and then killed himself .
It ’s the perfect embodiment of all of Sandor ’s retiring hell as the Hound render to ghost him , to see whether the changes he ’s undergone since meeting Brother Ray are literal or transient . He buries the body and effort to say a prayer to the Seven gods for them , but ends up eulogizing them in simpler , much more dear way . It ’s a howling here and now in the Hound ’s narrative journeying , even though — or perhaps especially because — he starts railing against Beric and Thoros of Myr about why their Red God keeps upraise Beric Dondarrion unlike the poor farmer ’s girl . Beric does n’t love , but Thoros tells Sandor to look in the fire … where he realize icing , nose candy , and an US Army of the dead arriving at the Wall … and then exhibit past . Sandor has always been afraid of ardour after his brother Gregor dunked his head in one when they were kids . Sandor go steady a vision of the White Walkers in the fervour feels momentous , somehow .
Either way , bad thing are clear lead to happen . possibly “ Dragonstone ” did n’t deliver the action , drama , and utter WTF bit that the show so often reward us with , but it ’s set the level for the event of season seven , which I do n’t expect to be disappoint by . Do you clear at some point , Jon Snow , Daenerys Targayen , and Tyrion Lannister are proceed to be in the same room?To crib a line from Alex Cranz , that ’s a moment I ’ve been hold off 20 years for . I can for sure wait a few more weeks .
Assorted Musings:
David Bradley did a great job as toy Arya in disguise as Walder Frey . It really show when the bodies were dropping to the level when he had Arya ’s creepy joyousness at watching her enemies die rather of the grim satisfaction of an old gentleman’s gentleman .
How long did Arya have to pretend to be Walder Frey to get all the Frey man to number to that feast ? Surely it would have taken at least a few of them several mean solar day right to get from their castles back to the Twins .
Now that Bran has become the Three - Eyed Raven , Isaac Hempstead - Wright is playing him completely other than . He ’s infinitely more positive , even if he ’s not sure how great his world power are , and he make out his responsibility and has accepted . He talk like he ’s operating on a dissimilar playing field from everyone else , which he kind of is .
Littlefinger may be the B. B. King of manipulation , but Sansa has what he want , and this Sansa has Littlefinger enclose around her small fingerbreadth . Watching her close him the hell down was delicious .
Turns out Jorah Mormont is stay at the Citadel with Sam , just in the “ the great unwashed with terrifying , incredibly transmittable diseases ” level . He ’s locked in a cellular phone and only his arm is shown on - covert , which is covered in greyscale . I honestly have no idea where his storyline is survive , because it does n’t particularly seem like cure greyscale as on anyone ’s agenda there .
Bad guy style update : The Mountain ’s new helmet looks somewhat great , and the ship in Euron ’s armada are very intimidating .
So a bozo identify Ed Sheeran was the singing soldier in this episode and this was apparently a big deal ? I do n’t need detail , I just felt other people like me , who are contentedly illiterate of who Ed Sheeran is , should be cognizant .
demarcation of the installment , good manners of Tormund Giantsbane , lasciviously talking to Pod after he watch over Brienne overreach him to the ground : “ You ’re a favorable human . ”
Next week on Game of Thrones : Is that Nymeria ? ! My god , I ca n’t await until next week .
The White Walkers have at least two very undead colossus in their USA . I repeat : thing Are About to Get Very , Very , Very Bad .
FantasyGame of ThronesTelevision
Daily Newsletter
Get the good tech , skill , and finish news in your inbox daily .
News from the future tense , delivered to your present tense .
You May Also Like
