This week’s episode of Game of Thrones, “Eastwatch” is chock full of plot developments. Yet for me, it felt a little flat compared to previous episodes in the season. So much information is given to us in a short time that the pacing just feels a little rushed.
The episode starts almost immediately where the last episode ended. Bronn pulls Jaime out of the pond that they jumped into to avoid the Drogon’s fire. The two sit and contemplate the destruction made by a single dragon.
Tyrion walks through the wreckage of the battle which is covered in ash. You can see the sight makes him uncomfortable, whether from the brutality of the fire or the fact the fallen enemy was once his house isn’t made clear.
The Lannister army survivors are gathered together and Daenerys offers them their life if they bend the knee. Randyll Tarly and his son Dickon Tarly refuse, despite the fact Randyll Tarly once fought on the same side as the Targaryen against Robert Baratheon. They are both executed by dragon’s fire, against Tyrion’s advice. The rest of the survivors pledge themselves to Daenerys.
The Lannisters reunite
Jaime returns to Kingslanding to tell Cersi that they can not win a war against Daenerys. He also informs her that Olenna was the one who killed Joffrey. Cersi’s madness comes through a little more. She regrets listening to Jaime, a bad omen for future events. If she no longer listens to Jaime, who will she listen to?
Cersi also informs Jaime that she would rather die fighting than die after surrendering.
Bronn, later on, tricks Jaime into meeting Tyrion who smuggled himself into Kingslanding to offer an armistice to Cersi from Daenerys. Jon Snow has received a raven from Bran informing him that the Night King’s army is on the march. They believe that a truce can be held if they are able to prove the existence and threat of white walkers, by capturing one and bringing it to Kingslanding.
This works out quite well for Cersi and you can tell that she’s going to take this time to find new ways to plot and scheme and get herself back on the upper hand.
The Starks cope with being reunited
This episode we really see the clash between Sansa and Arya. Arya is upset at seeing how Sansa runs Winterfell in Jon’s absence. She feels that Sansa might have more ambitious goals and enjoys ruling Winterfell more than she should.
Sansa explains that you need to be diplomatic and promote unity. You can’t just go killing off people that don’t agree with you. Arya, however, is still distrustful and follows Littlefinger around for a while. He seems
Arya, however, is still distrustful and follows Littlefinger around for a while. He seems to be making shady deals and is delivered a letter to his room to which he replies “Lady Stark thanks you for your service.” Arya then picks the lock to his room and searches for the letter, which turns out to be one from earlier in the series that Cersi forced Sansa to write in which she swears loyalty to King Joffrey.
All the really super amazing parts of the episode
Number 1, we get to see Davos be a super cool smuggler. That man is smooth. Also, his “Last time I was here, you killed my son with wildfire” line to Tyrion was a burn on par with Drogon’s breath.
Davos is on fire with his quips this episode, as we later see him in Flea Bottom reuniting with Grendry. In a fourth-wall break sort of way casually brings up “I thought you might still be rowing.” a clear nod to the Gendry rowing memes that have been going around since we last saw Gendry in season 3.
We briefly see Sam Tarly going over the old scripts he was told to re-write. He’s angry and frustrated with the Maestors lack of action. He completely ignores Gilly who is reading through some of the old parchment and casually mentions that a Maestor gave Rhaegar Targaryen an annulment and secretly married him to someone else. She isn’t able to finish that as Sam interrupts her and runs off. However, for everyone else, this basically confirms that Jon Snow is the legitimate heir to the Targaryen bloodline.
The episode ends with a super team up in the wall heading off to hunt white walkers. The Super team being Jon Snow, Tormund, the Hound, Gendry and Jorah. I hope there will be a lot of banter ahead.