In the shortest season yet, Game of Thrones is over after 7 episodes with the “The Dragon and the Wolf”. It’s been recorded as the most watched episode in the series. It’s been one of the most satisfying episodes of the series. The Game of Thrones season finale answers a lot of questions and sets up for the final season pretty well.
The episode starts with the Unsullied army stood outside Kingslanding in perfect formation. I actually forgot how large that part of Daenerys’ army was. We get some great Bronn/Jaime banter and a new favourite quote for me “Maybe it really is all cocks in the end.” Enter the Dothraki army on their horses and you can see why Jaime is freaking out over fighting Daenerys.
Finally, everyone starts heading to the meeting point, an old arena. It’s nostalgic team reunion 2.0 – this time with Brienne/Hound, Tyrion/Podrick. The Hound and Brienne bond over their parental love for Arya. It’s nice he holds no bad feelings to the woman who punched him off a cliff that one time. Cersei is plotting as always, ordering the Moutain who to kill in which order if things go wrong.
In the Arena, everyone sits and waits for Daenerys, who does her signature entrance of flying in on her dragon. There’s a small moment of heartbreak when you notice she only has two dragons. The meeting of Cersei and Daenerys actually goes a lot more subdued than I was expecting.
Only Euron Greyjoy really kicks things off by belittling Tyrion as he makes his opening speech, a calculated move considering how everyone knows how much Cersei loathes Tyrion. His confidence disappears however when they are all confronted with the capture white walker. Or is it? Euron departs from the meeting claiming he’ll sail back to the Iron Islands since the undead can’t swim.
Things seem to go really well. The white walker has successfully scared the creeps out of Cersei who accepts the truce on the condition that Jon Snow, King of the North, does not pick a side. Sure sucks he bent the knee to Daenerys last episode then… And that he’s a Stark who upholds his honour. Things go to pot and Tyrion has to chase after his sister to try and salvage the situation.
The dumb brothers
Tyrion and Jaime meet outside Cersei’s room. It’s touching to see the brothers reunite, even if it’s to jokingly say goodbye since they both think they’re going to die pretty soon. I’m really digging the whole family bonding theme this entire episode had.
Cersei and Tyrion’s meeting goes as well as you might expect. A shouting match, each blaming the other, Cersei ordering The Mountain to kill Tyrion. Only that doesn’t happen. Tyrion notices that Cersei is pregnant, a move I’m pretty sure is calculated on Cersei’s part and whatever deal they do behind closed doors (in this case off camera) is probably going to cause conflict for Tyrion in the future.
Cersei’s party returns to the arena and she agrees to the Truce, no questions asked. Back at the castle, Jaime is in full captain mode and already making plans with on how to march up to Winterfell to help the team effort against global cooling. Cersei laughs at him and informs him that there will be no troops and no truce.
The whole Cersei/Jaime exchange is intense, emotional and really character defining. Jaime has been doing everything for Cersei and defending her actions, but this new order goes directly against his honour and word. He’s also shocked by her scheming with Euron Greyjoy and not telling him. Is that seeded from jealousy?
The exchange reaches a climax after Cersei humiliates Jaime’s intelligence and basically informing him he’s just a pretty boy face for her. Jaime proceeds to leave but Cersei threatens to have the Mountain kill him too. He calls her bluff, but something has definitely broken between the two of them. She’s just lost the last person who truly loves her. Jaime’s character development in this show has been amazing and this scene was really beautiful for that.
Theon’s redemption
Theon’s storyline picks back up. He approaches Jon in the Dragonstone throne room and talks about his identity crisis as a Greyjoy and a Stark. Alfi Allen’s entire performance of Theon has been one of the best on the show I think.
There’s a wonderful exchange between Theon and Jon over the identity thing, with Jon claiming he is both a Greyjoy and a Stark. I’m sure this will come back up when Jon discovers his own heritage.
Theon then goes down to the waters to stop the last of the loyal Greyjoys from leaving. He wants to save their true leader Yara. Harrag seems to have taken the de facto leader role and ridicule’s Theon’s own cowardice. The two brawl, with Theon being knocked down consistently.
However, for the first time, he doesn’t give up. He fights back, despite clearly being the weaker of the two. He somehow manages to knock Harrag out and the Greyjoys all shout out for Yara. Good job Theon, you’re a good person deep down.
A dishonourable man dies an honourable death.
Back at Winterfell Littlefinger is playing his tricks with Sansa. It seems her mistrust of Arya has taken root and everything is going according to his plan. Arya is called up to the meeting hall which is filled with soldiers.
Arya stands in the middle in front of the head table where Sansa and Bran are sat.“You stand accused of murder. You stand accused of treason,” Sansa announces,“How do you answer these charges—Lord Baelish?”
Baelish who is stood at the side widens his eyes in disbelief. The declaration is such a fantastic moment and his reaction is priceless. The smirk on Arya’s face as she tells him “My sister asked you a question” is also priceless.
Littlefinger starts to defend himself but Sansa holds her own against him. He becomes increasingly desperate and the scene is played out so well. He can’t wiggle out of it with manipulation or cunning. The three Stark siblings work together to show him he’s lost – legitimately.
Even after Arya cleanly slits his throat with his own knife he is trying to salvage his life somehow. But don’t think this will be the last we see of his face…
Besides an amazingly well-executed death, no pun intended, my favourite part of this scene is the show between Sansa and Arya. The season has built up this idea that they dislike and mistrust each other, but in the end, their bond as sisters and their love for their father pulls through.
Three Cheers for incest
Let’s not forget about Sam Tarly who makes it back to Winterfell where he meets Bran. He somehow manages to be the first person to ask him what he means by “I’m the Three Eyed Raven”. Now we know that Bran’s powers are limited to only being able to see the past and the present, but not the future. He also has to know which moment he wants to see.
Sam and Bran are going to be a great team up. Bran is basically Google, and Sam knows the right questions to be submitting into the search engine. Proof this will be amazing? Because in one scene they work together to confirm that Jon Snow is in fact called Aegon Targaryen and that he is the true heir to the Iron Throne.
Shame they weren’t able to tell him before he bangs his Aunt Daenery’s on a boat.