GoT Season 7, Episode 7: The Dragon and The Wolf
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GoT Season 7, Episode 7: The Dragon and The Wolf
So, here we are, at the inevitable end to Season 7. After the ludicrous exploits of Beyond the Wall, we’re in more mild mannered territory this week. As is tradition, this finale is mainly a case of tying off the loose ends we have left in the season, before setting us up tantalisingly for next season’s opener (or potentially leaving us on a painful cliff-hanger).
We open in something of an unexpected manner; The Unsullied are parked up outside King’s Landing, appearing ready to besiege it. Given that the last time we saw them, they were stranded at Casterley Rock, with most of Westeros between them and Dany. In these hostile times, simply walking across the Seven Kingdoms didn’t really seem like a feasible option, but here they are, lined up and grumpy.
As Jaime and Bron prepare to man the walls, all the while lamenting about the requirements of a cock, a familiar noise echoes over the horizon; the Dothraki, riding to meet their comrades at the capital. Yet instead of instant slaughter, all remains peaceful. Why? Because this is not the time for fighting, this is a chance for talking. Yes, Dany has brought all her might to King’s Landing, not to wage war, but as a display of her power- she could sack the capital, but is choosing not to for now.
With the combined might of Dany’s forces waiting outside the walls, her leaders are walking to The Dragonpit. Meeting them en route is Bron and the Lannister forces, who obligingly chaperone them to the former playpen to everyone’s favourite flying reptiles. Now, at last, we are treated to a reunion between Bron and Tyrion, one which is perfect for the scenario and almost good enough to make up for the fact we were short changed of it a few weeks previously. It’s not just Tyrion and Bron who are reacquainting today though, they are smattered across the groups. I suppose, with so many characters having travelled such great distances in their journeys, it’s easy to have forgotten how many of their paths have interlaced at one point or another, but we have Tyrion and Pod, and a slightly more tense fair with Brienne and The Hound. It’s this last one that is the most compelling though, as the pair share tales of Arya’s adventures since departing, through which we learn just how much The Hound has developed privately since last he saw her.
Once our assembled players from team Dany have taken their places in the pit, Cersei and her gang rock up, come on, were we really expecting Cersei to just sit and wait for them to arrive? In lieu of proper reunions now, we have shared glances, thick with emotion. Brienne (again) and Jaime, Theon and Euron. Until the Clegane brothers are brought together. As The House squared up against his part-man part-zombie brother, there was a whole lot of me that was hoping we’d finally get to see Cleganebowl. But that wouldn’t be in keeping with our motives for being here, so we are instead treated to a fantastic speech from The Hound to what remains of The Mountain, ending with a comment about them both knowing how the elder will die. Is this something that The Hound has seen in the flames, or is this a less subtle nod to a Cleganebowl to come next season?
The final player to arrive is Dany, who descends upon Drogon, with Rhaegal fling high above. As she takes her seat, her boys rise to perches, watching ominously over all below them. Cersei’s response to Dany’s arrival is the most Cersei response possible. Most would be awestruck by the arrival of two dragons (which doesn’t go un-noticed, Cersei knows one is missing), but not this queen. Oh no, she but quips that Dany is late. You may be able to make a grand entrance, but you aren’t immune to being taken down a peg or two.
With everyone in place, Tyrion can begin his plea to put the infighting to one side and team up to fight the army of the dead. His initial attempt is shouted down quickly by a cynical Euron, who is armed with little more than scepticism and insults. Tyrion, armed with evidence though, stands his ground, finishing his piece, before The Hound appears with a crate holding the wight. As he kicks the it over, freeing the creature inside the fear amongst those in the know is palpable. As it charges for Cersei, it is obvious that she feels it too.
While Jon (who is looking pretty sharp for someone who has only just thawed out) and the The Hound go about destroying the wight it is clear they have done their job. Well enough it would seem for Euron to turn tail and run back to the Iron Islands. Well enough for Cersei to concede that a truce is the right idea. On one condition; that Jon bends his knee [it’s been something of a theme this season]. Yet, having done so for Dany only last episode, Jon refuses, effectively ending and chance of a truce. As Cersei leaves, things look bleak. Despite this bleakness, Brienne is determined to try, calling to Jaime to see sense, in a sequence similar to that shared between Jon and Tormund last week. Yet, unlike last week, it doesn’t look like Brienne has been successful. I have to add that I loved Qyburn’s reaction to the wight, one of scientific adoration. Perhaps, despite his many, many twisted failings, it is he who will identify a way to finish of the dead, once and for all.
With negotiations having failed, Tyrion takes it upon himself to convince Cersei to pledge the Lannister forces to the army of the living. As a wise man once said though, the only difference between bravery and stupidity is success*. The sequence between the two is beautiful. Everything is laid bare between the two of them, their hatred for one another, their shared responsibilities for the events which have unfolded, their desire to keep living. Tyrion calls on her to kill him if she so desires, almost goading her to either show him some affection or finish him off. As he realises he will be allowed to leave the room of his own volition, Tyrion makes another realisation, Cersei is pregnant. It is this realisation that makes her concede to help in the war for life. Personally, I found this of particular interest. It was easy to write Cersei’s pregnancy off as a lie when she had only tole Jaime, but for Tyrion to realise it on his own is surely an underlining of this as fact. What might this mean for Cersei then? Well, I still don’t think she will see her child born. Whether the child itself makes in into the Seven Kingdoms remains to be seen (I doubt it though), but I am ever more convinced that the child will be Cersei’s end. Anyhow, alliances secured, our armies disperse to begin their plans.
As folk prepare to disperse and head north, Jon is called back by Theon. He needs help from Jon, both physically and emotionally. Theon finally exposes everything about himself to Jon, how he has always had an internal conflict between being a Greyjoy or a Stark, a conflict which has driven everything he has done. It’s nice to finally see him reveal this, especially that this conflict is the whole reason that Theon has been shattered into a million pieces. It’s apt that he’s having this conversation with Jon, who himself is about to have a similar conflict, when he learns of his heritage. Jon forgives Theon of his crimes (crimes he was prepared to kill him for earlier this season), telling him he is both a Greyjoy and a Stark. There’s a palpable shift in Theon’s disposition upon hearing this, a weight is lifted and he can be himself. But Jon can’t go with Theon to save Yara, that’s something he’ll have to do alone.
Well, not entirely alone, there’s still the few Ironborn who initially deliver Theon to Dany. But they are set on running away, hiding out the winter on the islands, raping and pillaging their way through them. Theon doesn’t allow this, standing his ground, even as their leader bears down upon him. I was half expecting Theon to crumble here, but Jon has stirred something inside him again. Theon stands his ground. He takes the beating. And something switches inside him here, he can take this. He’s been through so much already that there’s almost no physical pain anyone can inflict upon him will be worse than something he’s not already survived. As he cottons on to this, it gives him power, power which he hasn’t has since before he first went back to the Iron Islands. As he beats down his opponent, he rises again as a hero and a leader. Theon is finally on his way to redemption and can now set sail to save Yara.
Away from the capital, the only other action is in Winterfell. Here, Sansa has received word that Jon has sworn himself t Dany. She confides her irritation of this to Littlefinger, who’s grip over her seems to tighten with every word spoken. Again, he works to drive a wedge between the Sansa and Arya, looking to convince Sansa to have her younger sister executed, so he can rule by her side (through her like a puppet master might be more accurate though). Sansa seems to be reverting ever closer to the girl we saw in early seasons and is almost too easily manipulated here. Surely, she isn’t this easy to play? But then Sansa calls for guards to take Arya to the grand hall and all seems lost for both sisters and with them, the Stark family. It looks like Littlefinger has won.
Yet, as Arya is taken into the hall, all doesn’t seem right. Something is untoward. Perhaps it is a feeling instilled in me from the Red Wedding, but this many soldiers in a hall always feels like it’ll end in a bloodbath. As Sansa read through Arya’s crimes, everything sured up inside me; this wasn’t Arya’s trial at all, it was a trap for Littlefinger. As Sansa’s list of crimes finished, I was proven right, with her accusing Littlefinger. For perhaps the first time ever, he is taken aback, clearly he isn’t used to being caught in traps, let alone his own ones. And as suddenly as that, everything he has schemed for all this time begins to unravel, like a woollen jumper beneath the angry claws of a hungry kitten.
What Sansa presents might be simple accusations, with her only real witnesses being herself and her creepy, all-seeing brother, but it is more than enough in Westeros. Backed into a corner, Lord Baelish tries to do what he does best and talk his way out of this. All to deaf ears. His attempts to flee are equally rebuffed, leaving him two options: the currently outlawed trial by combat and facing his crimes. He was never going to pick combat, no matter the scenario, but admitting his guilt wasn’t going to happen either. Instead, he reveals his true self, whimpering and crying, begging for mercy, all while Sansa recites his exact crimes and their consequences to him. His lies have been uncovered and his guilt has been laid bare. The most dangerous man in Westeros has been disarmed and stripped of his armour. As he drops to his knees, begging for mercy, amidst claims of love for Sansa, it is Arya who finally exacts justice, aptly slicing his throat with the Catspaw dagger. It is the most Littlefinger death that Littlefinger could have had. Blood pours from his throat as he still attempts to talk his way out of his plight, reminiscent of the blood which his words have spilled. As the camera pulls away, he finally collapses, no longer the swaggering con artist he thought himself to be, but the pathetic runt which he always was.
Enemy number one publicly dispatched, there are but a few threads left to tie in Winterfell. Our Stark sisters discuss their respective parts in the preceding execution, each accepting that while they might never be best of friends, they now love and respect one another and are happy to work together. And then, our final missing piece, Sam. He simply arrives at Bran’s room and smears his own personal charm all over his brief scene. Instead of being bemused by Bran’s revelation that the is The Three-Eyed Raven, he simply admits that he doesn’t know what that is. Though this may be a brief scene, it is probably the most important one in the season (at least regarding the overarching plot). Bran reveals to Sam [I’m not sure why he’s waited for Sam to arrive bore telling anyone] Jon’s heritage, that he is Rhaegar and Lyanna’s bastard. At least, this is the truth that Bran knows. Sam has the final part of this particular puzzle, he knows that Jon is a legitimate Targaryen. Clearly, the book Gilly was reading was one Sam himself had transcribed and he did remember the key information. In what has to be the most rewarding vision Bran has had since we found out Jon’s lineage we get to see Rhaegar and Lyanna’s wedding, proving that Jon is the true heir to the iron throne. I loved this, but I do wonder why Bran hadn’t simply gone looking through the archives previously to see if there had been a wedding, clearly he only looks at the moments involving his family members getting some.
Now, finally, the final one of the threads we’ve all wanted to tie off has been knotted up in the exact way we wanted. And yet, it wasn’t the best news given the timing of the reveal.
Because, as Bran is narrating this grand bit of information, what we are seeing is something else we’ve wanted to happen all season; Jon and Dany bumping uglies. While we all knew it was going to be a little bit incesty, we were all pretty much okay with it. Bran narrating how they’re related over the top of it all made it a bit worse though. To add to the weirdness, Tyrion is clearly aware of what’s going on and doesn’t look too thrilled. Why though? He can’t hear the voice-over. Did he fancy Dany? Or Jon? Or perhaps he simply knows that this isn’t a sensible idea and that love (especially Stark love) doesn’t often end well in Westeros. With war on its way, it’s probably not the best of plans, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
While Jon and Dany are heading to Westeros (occupying themselves however they choose), Jaime is preparing the Lannister troops to head north. Except, he’s missed the memo. Cersei is double crossing humanity. She has no intention of a truce. Instead, she is going to wait for the war up north to finish and kill what remains herself. How? With the Golden Company. They were eluded to earlier this season and they are on their way from Essos now. Euron didn’t really flee in fear, instead he went to be Cersei’s personal taxi service.
But Jaime doesn’t take this news in good grace. For him, this is the final straw. Perhaps his conversation with Brienne did find it’s spot before after all. Jaime has broken too many vows, stabbed too many people in the back already and he intends to redeem himself now. Turning his back on allies is one thing, but on humanity is something else entirely. Cersei won’t allow Jaime to leave and even gives The Mountain a nod when Jaime tells her to have him killed for treason. But she is all bluster and doesn’t follow through with it, as Jaime and his balls of steel, march promptly from King’s Landing, ready for a long ride north. As he takes one last look at the city something falls on Jaime, snow. For the first time in Game of Thrones the weather has turned on King’s Landing. Winter has come.
Before the finale began my wonderful wife asked me how I thought it would finish. I thought the dead would take down the wall and the dragon would probably be involved. I might not have been spot on with the details, but I was bloody close. As Tormund looks out over the wilderness, you just know what’s coming. You can taste it. As the dead stream from the treeline, there’s a sense of inevitability. When the Night King comes to the wall aboard his dragon we all know what’s coming. It’s going down. The wall may have stood for 8,000 years, but for how many of those have there been undead dragons? None I’d imagine, or it wouldn’t have lasted that long. As the dead march through the gaping maw left in the wall there are but three questions left: how long before they end up at Winterfell, have Tormund and Berric survived (I expect so, they’re not just going to be smushed by an overhyped ice sculpture) and, how long do we have to wait until the next season? If you believe everything you read, then it’s going to be two years until new episodes come our way. The wait last time damn near killed me, so this isn’t going to be a fun wait at all.
We open in something of an unexpected manner; The Unsullied are parked up outside King’s Landing, appearing ready to besiege it. Given that the last time we saw them, they were stranded at Casterley Rock, with most of Westeros between them and Dany. In these hostile times, simply walking across the Seven Kingdoms didn’t really seem like a feasible option, but here they are, lined up and grumpy.
Once our assembled players from team Dany have taken their places in the pit, Cersei and her gang rock up, come on, were we really expecting Cersei to just sit and wait for them to arrive? In lieu of proper reunions now, we have shared glances, thick with emotion. Brienne (again) and Jaime, Theon and Euron. Until the Clegane brothers are brought together. As The House squared up against his part-man part-zombie brother, there was a whole lot of me that was hoping we’d finally get to see Cleganebowl. But that wouldn’t be in keeping with our motives for being here, so we are instead treated to a fantastic speech from The Hound to what remains of The Mountain, ending with a comment about them both knowing how the elder will die. Is this something that The Hound has seen in the flames, or is this a less subtle nod to a Cleganebowl to come next season?
The final player to arrive is Dany, who descends upon Drogon, with Rhaegal fling high above. As she takes her seat, her boys rise to perches, watching ominously over all below them. Cersei’s response to Dany’s arrival is the most Cersei response possible. Most would be awestruck by the arrival of two dragons (which doesn’t go un-noticed, Cersei knows one is missing), but not this queen. Oh no, she but quips that Dany is late. You may be able to make a grand entrance, but you aren’t immune to being taken down a peg or two.
With everyone in place, Tyrion can begin his plea to put the infighting to one side and team up to fight the army of the dead. His initial attempt is shouted down quickly by a cynical Euron, who is armed with little more than scepticism and insults. Tyrion, armed with evidence though, stands his ground, finishing his piece, before The Hound appears with a crate holding the wight. As he kicks the it over, freeing the creature inside the fear amongst those in the know is palpable. As it charges for Cersei, it is obvious that she feels it too.
As folk prepare to disperse and head north, Jon is called back by Theon. He needs help from Jon, both physically and emotionally. Theon finally exposes everything about himself to Jon, how he has always had an internal conflict between being a Greyjoy or a Stark, a conflict which has driven everything he has done. It’s nice to finally see him reveal this, especially that this conflict is the whole reason that Theon has been shattered into a million pieces. It’s apt that he’s having this conversation with Jon, who himself is about to have a similar conflict, when he learns of his heritage. Jon forgives Theon of his crimes (crimes he was prepared to kill him for earlier this season), telling him he is both a Greyjoy and a Stark. There’s a palpable shift in Theon’s disposition upon hearing this, a weight is lifted and he can be himself. But Jon can’t go with Theon to save Yara, that’s something he’ll have to do alone.
Well, not entirely alone, there’s still the few Ironborn who initially deliver Theon to Dany. But they are set on running away, hiding out the winter on the islands, raping and pillaging their way through them. Theon doesn’t allow this, standing his ground, even as their leader bears down upon him. I was half expecting Theon to crumble here, but Jon has stirred something inside him again. Theon stands his ground. He takes the beating. And something switches inside him here, he can take this. He’s been through so much already that there’s almost no physical pain anyone can inflict upon him will be worse than something he’s not already survived. As he cottons on to this, it gives him power, power which he hasn’t has since before he first went back to the Iron Islands. As he beats down his opponent, he rises again as a hero and a leader. Theon is finally on his way to redemption and can now set sail to save Yara.
Away from the capital, the only other action is in Winterfell. Here, Sansa has received word that Jon has sworn himself t Dany. She confides her irritation of this to Littlefinger, who’s grip over her seems to tighten with every word spoken. Again, he works to drive a wedge between the Sansa and Arya, looking to convince Sansa to have her younger sister executed, so he can rule by her side (through her like a puppet master might be more accurate though). Sansa seems to be reverting ever closer to the girl we saw in early seasons and is almost too easily manipulated here. Surely, she isn’t this easy to play? But then Sansa calls for guards to take Arya to the grand hall and all seems lost for both sisters and with them, the Stark family. It looks like Littlefinger has won.
What Sansa presents might be simple accusations, with her only real witnesses being herself and her creepy, all-seeing brother, but it is more than enough in Westeros. Backed into a corner, Lord Baelish tries to do what he does best and talk his way out of this. All to deaf ears. His attempts to flee are equally rebuffed, leaving him two options: the currently outlawed trial by combat and facing his crimes. He was never going to pick combat, no matter the scenario, but admitting his guilt wasn’t going to happen either. Instead, he reveals his true self, whimpering and crying, begging for mercy, all while Sansa recites his exact crimes and their consequences to him. His lies have been uncovered and his guilt has been laid bare. The most dangerous man in Westeros has been disarmed and stripped of his armour. As he drops to his knees, begging for mercy, amidst claims of love for Sansa, it is Arya who finally exacts justice, aptly slicing his throat with the Catspaw dagger. It is the most Littlefinger death that Littlefinger could have had. Blood pours from his throat as he still attempts to talk his way out of his plight, reminiscent of the blood which his words have spilled. As the camera pulls away, he finally collapses, no longer the swaggering con artist he thought himself to be, but the pathetic runt which he always was.
Because, as Bran is narrating this grand bit of information, what we are seeing is something else we’ve wanted to happen all season; Jon and Dany bumping uglies. While we all knew it was going to be a little bit incesty, we were all pretty much okay with it. Bran narrating how they’re related over the top of it all made it a bit worse though. To add to the weirdness, Tyrion is clearly aware of what’s going on and doesn’t look too thrilled. Why though? He can’t hear the voice-over. Did he fancy Dany? Or Jon? Or perhaps he simply knows that this isn’t a sensible idea and that love (especially Stark love) doesn’t often end well in Westeros. With war on its way, it’s probably not the best of plans, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
But Jaime doesn’t take this news in good grace. For him, this is the final straw. Perhaps his conversation with Brienne did find it’s spot before after all. Jaime has broken too many vows, stabbed too many people in the back already and he intends to redeem himself now. Turning his back on allies is one thing, but on humanity is something else entirely. Cersei won’t allow Jaime to leave and even gives The Mountain a nod when Jaime tells her to have him killed for treason. But she is all bluster and doesn’t follow through with it, as Jaime and his balls of steel, march promptly from King’s Landing, ready for a long ride north. As he takes one last look at the city something falls on Jaime, snow. For the first time in Game of Thrones the weather has turned on King’s Landing. Winter has come.
Until next time, valar mughulis.
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