WhiteStumbler

Something like that, but, after adjusting my caffeine level, I see a flaw - The NK used the mark he put on Bran to find the 3ER cave. If he needed the 3ER to stop the cycle and "pull the thorn from his paw", why kill the Max von Sydow version of the 3ER without a second glance? Why would it have to be the Bran version of the 3ER who ends the cycle, and not the original version? Also, as a former human, wouldn't he understand that the best way to get help (rather than inducing flight) might not be to send a swarm of undead zombonis chasing after your potential helper? Hmmm...

I rewatched some of the episode last night - Sansa's point about how they were going to feed everyone at Winterfell reminded me of this quote from Gen. Robert H. Barrow, USMC: "Amateurs talk about tactics, but professionals study logistics."

Great discussion, all. I have a thought that I can't really articulate right now, but it might be a proto-spitball... I also think the Children of the Forest-created first WW and the Night King are the same. Maybe somehow all of this destruction and death by the NK is to get Bran/3ER to undo what the CotF did all those years ago. He might be like a lion with a splinter in his paw that he can't pull out, but instead of a splinter, it is a dragonglass shard in his heart. Now the NK has become a rage-filled shambling frosty apocalypse, all because he can't get someone to help. This is why the NK keeps recreating the spiral pattern in body parts (horses at the Fist of the First Men, hands and arms surrounding little Ned Umber in S8E1) that we saw in standing stones around the tree where the CotF first created him. We also saw that spiral pattern etched on the wall (supposedly by the CotF) where Jon & Co. were mining all the dragonglass on Dragonstone. Or something. I'm not sure if this makes sense. Maybe I need more (probably less) coffee.

Outstanding recap! Tormund's obvious crush on Brienne has been a shaft of comic gold in a dark story. It makes me think of this bit of dialogue from S4E09 (The Watchers on The Wall): Tormund: That was a night to remember. Of course, I'd had a good bit to drink. (chuckles) Her fangs were sharp, but she knew how to use them. And she was nice and soft down below. No, she was no ordinary beast. Many is the man who- Ygritte: I know you never fucked a bear. You know you never fucked a bear. Right now I don't want to think about the bear you never fucked. I think it was to cauterize the wound, not because of anything else. In the flames, of course! /s It seems weird that this little chink in the WW armor wasn't foreshadowed before - for instance, why not have some of the zombonis at Hardhome fall when Jon kills the WW? It is annoying that A Show knows where it is going and yet passes up opportunities to show us what is going on, so that A Show is forced to throw in some retcon dialogue to paper it over. Like with the stonemen - never showed up in any dialogue until just before Jorah and Tyrion were attacked by them. Grrrrrr...

Sixth. Sam tells AegJon (Eggy is good too) "You're the true king. Aegon Targaryen, Sixth of His Name, Protector of the Realm, all of it." So there were 5 prior Targaryen kings named Aegon, the first being The Conqueror. One of the most recent (5th of his name I am pretty sure) was Maester Aemon's brother, who ruled "when I had refused the Throne". The Mad King followed. The book that Tyrion gives to Joffrey for his wedding gift is "'The Lives of Four Kings.' Grand Maester Kaeth's history of the reigns of Daeron the Young Dragon, Baelor the Blessed, Aegon the Unworthy, and Daeron the Good." Not sure if Aegon the Unworthy was Maester Aemon's brother or not. Shireen also mentions another Targaryen named Aegon to her father (but doesn't mention if he was named King or not) - Stannis: What are you reading? Shireen: "The Dance of Dragons." Stannis: What's it about? Shireen: It's the story of the fight between Rhaenyra Targaryen and her half-brother Aegon for control over the Seven Kingdoms. Both of them thought they belonged on the Iron Throne. When people started declaring for one of them or the other, their fight divided the kingdoms in two. Brothers fought brothers, dragons fought dragons. By the time it was over, thousands were dead. And it was a disaster for the Targaryens as well. They never truly recovered. There was at least one Prince Aegon - Jon's half brother who was killed by The Mountain was also named Aegon. In the BwoB cave, Thoros said "House Clegane was built upon dead children. I saw them lay Prince Aegon and Princess Rhaenys before the Iron Throne." The only time The Mountain would have killed Tararyen children was at the sack of KL just after Jaime killed the Mad King. So Jon's father / Dany's brother had two children named Aegon, but I can't figure out who came first and if Jon was named Aegon as a tribute to his dead half-brother, or if Raegar just really, really liked the name Aegon. Maybe he was the Westeros = of George Foreman, who famously gave all his male kids the same name? Can't wait to see Dany's reaction when she hears that someone else is "rightful king of the Andals and the First Men." Uh oh.

I don't think anyone ever mentioned it again. It was crawling around the sewers of KL when the Sept blew up.

The only instance where Arya and Tywin discuss dragons (or that Arya mentions the word dragon, as far as I can recall) is this exchange... Tywin: Yes, dragons happened. Harrenhal was built to withstand an attack from the land. A million men could have marched on these walls and a million men would have been repelled. But an attack from the air with dragon fire-- mm. Harren and all his sons roasted alive within these walls. Aegon Targaryen changed the rules. That's why every child alive still knows his name Aegon. Arya: And his sisters. Tywin: Mm? Arya: It wasn't just Aegon riding his dragon. It was Rhaenys and Visenya, too. Tywin: Correct. A student of history, are you? Arya: Rhaenys rode Meraxes. Visenya rode Vhagar. Tywin: I'm sure I knew that when I was a boy. Arya: Visenya Targaryen was a great warrior. She had a Valyrian steel sword she called Dark Sister. Tywin: Hmm. She's a heroine of yours, I take it? Aren't most girls more interested in the pretty maidens from the songs? Jonquil with the flowers in her hair? Arya: Most girls are idiots.

I remember the conversation between Arya and Tywin where she described how Aegon and his sisters Rhaenys and Visenya rode dragons into battle, but I don't remember any explicit desire on her part to ride a dragon. Given Arya's expression at seeing a dragon over Winterfell, though...

On re-watch, I was amazed I missed the woman Jaime once described as "a humorless mute" and "a giant towheaded plank". 😀

Hey hey, the gangs all here - but who are we still missing? A Show has contracted to a core of characters and 3-4 significant locations, but there are still some loose ends. In descending order of importance: Ghost: Last Seen: S8E2 - YAY! Prior to That: At Castle Black? I am pretty sure he was absent from the Battle of the Bastards, and I don't remember him in any of the search for allies or camp scenes leading up to BotB. Nymeria: Last Seen: Retreating into the woods with her wolf pack, after Arya said "that's not you" (she wasn't going to join Arya on her trip back to Winterfell). Gilly and Little Sam: Last Seen: S8E2 - YAY! Prior to That: Leaving Old Town with Sam for the journey to Winterfell. I assume they are at Winterfell with Sam, but we just haven't seen them yet. Meera Reed: Last Seen: Leaving Bran and Winterfell, saying "I don't want to leave you, but when-- when they come, I need to be with my family." Melisandre, the Red Woman: Last Seen: Leaving Dragonstone for Volantis, telling Varys "Oh, I will return, dear Spider. One last time. I have to die in this strange country. Just like you." She might be the link between Dany's exploits in Essos and the battle between the Armies of the Dead and the Living. I would love to see her return to Westeros with an army of freed slaves and Red Priests and Priestesses, perhaps with Kinvara, the High Priestess of the Red Temple in Volantis. Kinvara told Tyrion and Varys "Daenerys has been sent to lead the people against the darkness in this war, and in the great war still to come." Daario: Last Seen: Getting dumped by Dany in Meereen. Also a possible link between the current battle and Dany's time in Essos. Jaquen H'ghar: Last Seen: Telling Arya "finally, a girl is No One", before Arya leaves the House of B&W to return to Westeros. Edmure Tully: Last Seen: At the end of S6, Walder Frey says that "Edmure is back in a cell." No idea of his fate since Arya wiped out House Frey. Robin Arryn: Last Seen: Pledging "(Sansa is) my cousin… We should help her" back in S6E04. Hot Pie: Last Seen: At an inn, making food. When Arya tells him to "try not to get killed", he responds "Ah, I won't. I'm like you, Arry. (sniff) I'm a survivor." Anguy (the Brotherhood archer): Last Seen: At the Brotherhood cave, just as Arya ran (and was then captured by The Hound). He wasn't at the Hound / Beric / Thoros reunion where they hung the three renegade members of The Brotherhood in S6E08. Salladhor Saan: Last Seen: In a hot tub in Braavos with some prostitutes, telling jokes and being recruited by Davos to ferry Stannis and his hired mercenaries to attack the Wildlings north of The Wall. Hill Tribes: Last Seen: With Tyrion in KL, before they were paid off "quite handsomely" to return home to the hills outside The Vale by Tywin. Anyone else I am missing?

If Bran can warg into Hodor, I see no reason why he couldn't warg into Ghost, assuming Ghost is within visual range. I don't know that wolves are the best for gathering intel, though - Bran seems to be doing just fine with ravens. I never had that impression. All I saw was a loyal direwolf laying beneath his dead masters cooling board. If Jon can warg into Ghost, why hasn't he mentioned it to anybody else? What are the chances Bran wargs a dragon before the end? o_0

Outstanding! All of the above is why Dany should spare Jaime. And welcome back! I didn't get the sense that Jon was "claiming" anything, more that he wanted to appear brave in front of Dany and thought he would give riding a dragon a try. Jon seems much more a reactive rather than a strategic thinker. I do think that there might be a very necessary reason for this scene early on in the show - to demonstrate that Jon can ride a dragon (an actual dragon, people! Get your minds out of the Kings Landing gutters!!). Thinking that this will be significant rather soon. Beric has always fought with a flaming sword. It appeared to be blood-activated in the fight against The Hound in the BwoB cave. In every scene that we have seen Beric's Flaming Sword, he sort of runs his hand along the blade prior to it bursting into flame. On rewatch, I see that Thoros and Beric both had a flaming sword in the fight against the zomboni polar bear - it was the first time we had seen Thoros fight, and the first time we saw two flaming swords at once! Thoros died during the first night on the island in the middle of the frozen lake, and during the zomboni attack (thanks, Clegane!) only Beric has a flaming sword. Also, I re-watched the Jon & Dany Arrival at Winterfell scene again, and Brienne is in the reception line, though she didn't have any lines in the episode.

Outside of King Robert's chambers back in S1E04: Jory: We've met before, you know. Jaime: Have we? Strange, I've forgotten. Jory: The siege of Pyke. We fought side by side one afternoon. Jaime: Ah. That's where you got your scar? Jory: Aye. Jaime: Oh. Jory: One of the Greyjoys nearly took my eye. Jaime: Vicious sons of whores. Jory: They like their bloodshed. Jaime: They stopped liking it at the end. That was a proper battle. Do you remember Thoros of Myr charging through the breach? Jory: With his burning sword? I'll remember that ‘till the day I die. S3E05: Jorah: It was a bitch of a siege. Barristan: Mm, you were first through the breach at Pyke? Jorah: The second. Thoros of Myr went in alone, waving that flaming sword of his. Barristan: (chuckles) Thoros of Myr. Bloody madman. S7E06: Jorah: Something I've always wanted to know. Thoros: Alright. Jorah: How drunk were you when you charged through the breach on Pyke? Thoros: If I’m being honest, I don't remember charging through the breach. Some of the lads told me about it the next morning. Sounded like a good scrap. Jorah: Aye. It was a proper scrap. The Ironborn thought you were some kind of god. The way you were waving that flaming sword. I thought you were the bravest man I ever saw. Thoros: Just the drunkest. Yet it is Beric who wields a flaming sword, not Thoros (that I recall). All this talk of flaming swords reminds me of our introduction to Mel back in the first episode of Season 2: Melisandre: ...In the ancient books, it's written that a warrior will draw a burning sword from the fire. And that sword shall be Lightbringer. Stannis Baratheon, warrior of light, your sword awaits you. Lord, cast your light upon us! For the night is dark and full of terrors. All: For the night is dark and full of terror.

Re-watched the credits. The Wall, Last Hearth (with a bunch of tiles flipping over to icy blue in a path from the Wall Breach to Last Hearth), then Winterfell (with a much more robust looking weirwood tree - maybe because Bran is there?), then KL (with the map-floored courtyard that Cersei had painted clearly visible) were the places I could see. I am going to guess that the tiles flipping to blue will track the Night King's progress south. Assuming Jaime survives long. The man defenestrated Bran, so the Starks want him dead, and killed the father of the Dragon Queen, a man he swore to protect. My guess is that Bran will speak up for Jaime by pointing out the million residents of KL that were saved by his actions when the Mad King wanted to "burn them all." ETA: Just remembered that Jorah once fought for the Golden Company before pledging his sword to Viserys. I wonder if Jorah knows the leader of the Golden Company, Captain Strickland?

At that S1E1 royal visit to Winterfell, there were Starks, Lannisters, a Baratheon, and a secret Targaryen bastard. At this one there were Starks, Targaryens, a Lannister, and a secret Baratheon bastard. As they said on True Detective, "Time is a flat circle..." I also think that there is some significance to the way the credits show us the layout of the respective castles. I have a feeling that this battle to "bring the dawn" (as the prophecy that Mel quoted said) is going to be won by the closest of shaves. Random thoughts: LOVED the look on Arya's face when dragons flew over The North and she saw one for the first time. Everyone else was cowering and shrieking, but she was like "me want yes please". I think Sansa might have had two of the best lines of the night - referring to the wedding that killed off Joffrey: "It had it's moments", and her retort to Tyrion believing that Cersei would send her army to fight alongside the Stark / Targaryen forces: "I used to think you were the cleverest man alive." I think that Cersei's response to Urine boasting about how he would "I'm going to put a prince in your belly" was genuine pain. She looked distressed, and her hands instinctively went to her abdomen - I think that she lost the child. Not super crazy about Jon and Dany flying the dragons off for a make-out romp near a icy waterfall. Seems a bit frivolous, but it looked pretty good. I liked how Dany's line "We could stay a thousand years, no one would find us" was a distant echo of Ygritte's response to kissing Jon in another snowy environment with falling water "Let's not go back. Let's stay here a while longer. I don't ever want to leave this cave, Jon Snow." Gendry's first "as you wish, milady" to Arya was super cute. Why didn't Dany at least express some human emotion to Sam over executing his father and younger brother? "I'm sorry for your loss". "I regret that I was forced to deal with them so harshly". Something! It seems unlikely that Edd, Tormund, and Beric all make it to Winterfell, but stranger things have happened. I keep waiting for someone to say: An army of dead men, in divisions each led by a zombified Craster incest baby, is coming to kill us all. WHERE WAS GHOST?

HA! Nice one. Though to be fair to Dany, she didn't know that Jon was actually Aegon (AegJon?) Targaryen when they got cozy on the Love Boat to White Harbor, so we don't know that it is a preference per se.

Outstanding recap! Thanks for that. Loved the way Drogon, hurt but not badly hurt,, lands next to the scorpion and SMASHES it with his tail.

Not really speculation, but I have been thinking about the similarities between Cersei and Dany... Both lost their mothers at a young age. Both lost their fathers violently, and he was killed by someone close. Both had troubled relationships with a brother. Both wanted and /or allowed another to try to kill that brother. Both were married off to powerful leaders without regard to their wishes. Both leaned on their status of mother of someone / something. Both of their most potent guardians came to life in unconventional ways. Both of their lives have been shaped by a witch's prophecy. Both have extricated themselves from extremely difficult situations by burning their enemies alive in a culturally significant structure. Both have imprisoned people who cross them, dooming those people to a horrible fate. Both claim that they will rain down ruin on their enemies and take what is theirs. Any other areas where their circles overlap in a Venn diagram?

The witch told Cersei she would have 3 children. Cersei may have lied to Catelyn Stark about her "little black-haired beauty", and she could be lying now. Or prophecy is BS. Dany was told she wouldn't have children, but I am fairly certain that Jon + Dany = baby.

100% sure we never saw the Dragonstone throne room. That place was very cool. How could Tyrion be a Targaryen? Better question - why would Tyrion be a Targ? What could it serve?

Dammit! I didn't see this before posting my own S6 recap. Bwahahaha! I didn't see the point , either. Nice! Let it be so!! This is SO great! THANKS!

Baby Sam for the Iron Throne!

I still think the execution of Jon by his NW brothers was terribly manipulative, but it is a nice loophole for Jon to escape the NW while still remaining ‘honorable”. At the Wall: Ghost’s mournful howls are a haunting opening to the season. Davos discovers Jon’s dead corpse, and Edd releases Ghost. Thorn leads a meeting of the Nights Watch and blames Jon for his own death, saying “he forced a terrible choice upon us”. Edd is sent to rally the Free Folk to save the NW men who remain loyal to Jon, though this doesn’t make a lot of sense without a living Jon, which happens later. One of the NW loyalists says “It's a sad fucking statement if Dolorous Edd is our only chance.” We learn that Melisandre is old beyond old. Castle Black is taken (with little resistance) by Edd and the Wildlings (my next band name) and Jon’s assassins are put into cells. Davos convinced Mel to try to bring Jon back with magic. She gives him a pre-resurrection spa treatment night, but everyone gives up before… it works! Mel asks “after you died, where did you go? What did you see?” but Jon, as usual, knows nothing. Mel then says “the Lord let you come back for a reason. Stannis was not the prince who was promised, but someone has to be.” Jon sees Edd again: Edd: Your eyes are still brown. Is that still you in there? Jon: I think so. Hold off on burning my body for now. Edd: (laughs) That's funny. (pause) You sure that's still you in there? Jon executes the NW traitors as his last act as Lord Commander and a member of the Nights Watch. Thorne says “I fought, I lost. Now I rest. But you, Lord Snow, you'll be fighting their battles forever.” Watching Jon and Sansa reunite STILL made me tear up. Sansa meets Littlefinger in the remains of Molestown, asking him “did you know about Ramsay? If you didn't know, you're an idiot. If you did know, you're my enemy.” Slimyfinger drops the intel that the Blackfish has reformed the Tully armies and retaken Riverrun. Sansa sends Brienne to ask the Blackfish to support her claim, then Jon, Sansa, Davos, the Red Woman, and Tormund leave Castle Black, leaving Dolorous Edd in charge. Jon then asks the Wildlings to fight with him against the Boltons, saying “You shouldn't have to come to Winterfell with me. I shouldn't be asking you. It's not the deal we made. I need you with me if we're going to beat them, and we need to beat them if you're going to survive.” Wun Wun says “Snow”, and the other Wildlings go along - no kneeling, just a handshake. Sansa, Davos, and Jon meet with Lyanna Mormont of Bear Island. Davos turns the tide, saying “there's no hiding from this. We have to fight (the dead) and we need to do it together.” She commits 62 men to the Stark cause. They have less success with the current Lord Glover, who refuses his support, saying “House Stark is dead.” Beyond the Wall: Bran and Max von Sydow as the 3 Eyed Raven visit a happy, peaceful, Bolton-free Winterfell and see a young Ned, his sister Lyanna, and Willis (the future Hodor). Bran in a vision watches the Children of the Forest create the first White Walker by pushing a piece of dragonglass into his heart. When Bran awakes and confronts one of the Children, she states “We were at war... our sacred trees cut down. We needed to defend ourselves.” I wonder if the “sacred trees” were weirwood trees? I also wonder why are the CotF helping Bran, who also has the blood of the First Men (their mortal enemies) in his veins? Bran returns alone to the tree where the first WW was created, but now it is frozen and the army of the dead stands in their cold ranks. The Night King touches Bran on the arm and he wakes up, yelling “he saw me!” At this point when I first watched it, I remember thinking that Bran’s “mark” would allow the Night King and the Army of the Dead to break thru The Wall. WRONG. The Night King and the army of the dead come for Bran at the Root Dude cave. Meera kills a White Walker, Summer dies defending Bran who is in a trance with the 3 Eyed Raven, watching his father (as a kid) at Winterfell getting ready to leave for The Vale. The NK kills the 3ER, who dissolves into black ribbons in Bran’s vision. What appears to be the last of the Children of the Forest sacrifices herself to buy them time. Willis / Young Hodor has a fit in Bran’s vision, while Hodor is killed by zombonies as he holds the door and Meera drags Bran into the night. She continues to drag him thru a dark forest, while his visions show a rewatch of the entire series in a few seconds. They are tracked by the Army of the Dead, but are rescued by a masked horseman. This figure turns out to be Only Partly Undead Benjen! He was stabbed by a White Walker and left to turn, but was found by one of the Children, who stopped the Walkers magic by plunging a shard of dragonglass into his heart. Benjen tells Bran that the Night King will find his way to the realms of men, and that Bran must be waiting for him when he does. Benjen takes his leave of Bran and Meera, saying he cannot cross The Wall. Bran has a vision at the castle he visited before (where the Kingsguard who fought with two swords at once was stabbed in the back by Howland Reed), and sees Young Ned rush up the stairs to find his dying sister and a newborn Baby Jon, and Lyanna implores Ned “if Robert finds out, he'll-- you know he will. You have to protect him. Promise me, Ned, promise me.” At Winterfell: Sansa and Reek are nearly captured by Bolton soldiers, but are rescued by Brienne and Pod (who kills his first man since saving Tyrion’s life by killing a Kingsguard at the Battle of Blackwater). Reek takes another step towards being Theon as he kills a Bolton soldier, and Sansa accepts Brienne as her sworn sword (tears). Ramsay kills Roose (with a Karstark watching) before having his stepmother and half-brother torn to pieces by dogs because he “wanted to be an only child”. Reek/Theon tells Sansa he is going home. Lord Umber brings Ramsay Rickon and Osha (and Shaggydog’s head) to Ramsay. Ramsay kills Osha. This guy is just the f*cking WORST. He then sends a letter to Jon, telling him “Winterfell is mine, bastard, come and see.” As a bonus, he reveals that he holds Rickon captive and threatens Sansa with gang rape. The Stark / Wildling army camps at the same place that Stannis had camped previously. On the eve of battle, Davos finds a charred stag, the same one he carved for Shireen Baratheon. Jon asks Mel not to bring him back if he falls in battle. There is a HUGE battle. Rickon is killed by Ramsay, Tormund kills Umber by tearing out his throat with his teeth, the Stark / Wildling forces are nearly obliterated, but the Knights of the Vale arrive (Sansa was seen writing a letter earlier - must have been to Littlefinger) and save the day. Wun Wun batters down the gate at Winterfell where Ramsay has retreated but dies in the courtyard. Jon batters Ramsay nearly to death, and the Bolton banners fall to the ground and the Stark banners take their place. That night, Sansa releases Ramsay’s own hounds to eat him alive. Davos accuses Mel of murder, and Jon banishes her from The North, saying she will be hanged if she returns. Jon cedes their parents’ old chamber to Sansa, saying that she is the Lady of Winterfell. Sansa tells Jon a white raven has arrived from the Citadel, heralding the arrival of Winter. Littlefinger tells Sansa of his vision, “a picture of me on the Iron Throne and you by my side.” Jon is declared The King in the North. Littlefinger looks slimy. At Kings Landing: Jaime is rowed into the harbor at Kings Landing, and Cersei sees Myrcella’s body under a golden shroud. Tommen apologizes to his mother for not preventing her walk of shame, saying (in a nice foreshadowing of Cersei’s later actions) “I should have executed all of them. I should have pulled down the Sept onto the High Sparrow's head before I let them do that to you, as you would have for me.” Cersei plans to use FrankenMountain as her champion in her upcoming trial for incest and adultery. I think I finally have an idea of the High Sparrow’s end game: become the power behind the throne as Tywin was, since “no one is wiser than the Gods”. The High Sparrow tells Margaery his back-story and she got to see Loras, who looked terrible, telling him to “stay strong… you’re the future of our family.” His is in a Reek-like state, wanting only to “make it stop”. After being rebuffed from other Small Council meetings, Cersie and Jaime present Kevan Lannister and the Queen of Thorns with a plan: have the Tyrell army enter the city and return Queen Margaery to crown custody. Margaery meets with Tommen and tells him she was “only good at seeming good” and that “the Gods have a plan for all of us”. Per the plan, the Tyrell army marches into the city and interrupts Margaery’s Walk of Atonement (Mance is particularly ridiculous, saying “Madness has overtaken this city and grasped in its claws my children, but now we must drive it back under the rocks whence it came. Madness has had its day!”). The High Sparrow calls it off, saying that Margaery has already atoned by “bringing another into the light of the Seven”. Tommen walks out flanked by 4 Kingsguards who sport new armor, featuring a seven-pointed star. Jaime and the Queen of Thorns got outflanked. Tommen then kicks Jaime out of the Kingsguard and sends him to the River Lands to support the Freys. Cersei tells Jaime to take back Riverrun, saying “We've always been together. We'll always be together. We're the only two people in the world.” The High Sparrow makes a thinly veiled threat against the Queen of Thorns to Margaery. The two Tyrells meet, and Margaery tells her grandmother to “go home!” before slipping Olenna a note with a rose on it. Cersei and the Queen of Thorns meet, and Olenna tells her “Our two ancient houses face collapse because of you and your stupidity.” Olenna then drops one of the biggest burs in GoT history, asking “I wonder if you're the worst person I've ever met. At a certain age, it's hard to recall. But the truly vile do stand out through the years.” Olenna then asks Cersei “What'll you do, then? You have no support. Not anymore. Your brother's gone. The High Sparrow saw to that. The rest of your family have abandoned you. The people despise you. You're surrounded by enemies, thousands of them. You're going to kill them all by yourself?” and it is a nice bit of foreshadowing for the end of the season. Tommen outlaws trial-by-combat throughout the Seven Kingdoms, and Cersei queries Qyburn about an “old rumor” asking “was it just a rumor or something more?” to which Qyburn replies “More. Much more.” Loras Tyrell’s trial starts in the Sept of Baelor. When brought out, he confesses and has a 7 pointed star carved in his forehead, as the other Faith Militant do. Tommen is prevented from going to the Sept by FrankenMountain, Lancel is sent to retrieve Cersei, but is led beneath the Sept by a little bird before being stabbed. Pycell is lured to Qyburn, who apologizes to him before the little birds stab Pycell to death, saying “whatever your faults, you do not deserve to die alone in such a cold, dark place. But sometimes, before we can usher in the new, the old must be put to rest.” Lancel tries to crawl and extinguish the candles sitting in pools of wildfire (with hundreds of casks of the stuff nearby), but is too late. The Sept explodes, killing Lancel, Loras, Margaery, the High Sparrow, Mace Tyrell, Kevan Lannister and hundreds of others. When Tommen sees the smoking crater where the Sept stood and realizes that his Queen is among the casualties, he takes his crown off and walks off a high balcony. Cersei has Septa Unella strapped to a table where she is raped by FrankenMountain, before learning of the fate of her son. She orders his body burned, and the ashes buried where the Sept once stood, since Tommen “should be with his grandfather, his brother, his sister.” Jaime arrives with the Lannister army and sees the smoking ruin where the Sept once stood. He looks horrified. Later, with Jaime looking on, Qyburn declares her “Cersei of the House Lannister First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms.” In Dorne: The ruler of Dorne and his son were killed. Did anybody care? Anybody? Bueller? At the end of the season, Olenna (in mourning black) meets with Ellaria and the Sand Snakes, who offer Olenna her heart’s desire - justice and vengeance. Varys walks in and intones “Fire and blood”. In Mereen: Tyrion and Varys go for a walk, and Tyrion terrifies a beggar woman, who thinks that he is trying to buy her baby so that he can eat it. They see a Red Priest preaching and he exhorts the former slaves to take up the flame for their own salvation. Cut to: Dany’s fleet in flames. Perhaps not what the priest intended. Tyrion meets the chained dragons with a joke - “I’m here to help… don’t eat the help” and I SWEAR the dragons laugh before he frees them. Tyrion tries to negotiate with the slavers of Yunkai, Astapor and Volantis, attempting to get them to cut off their support for the Sons of the Harpy. Kinvara, the High Priestess of the Lord of Light, meets with Tyrion and Varys and promises to spread word about Dany being the “one who was promised. From the fire she was reborn to remake the world.” She promises to spread the word that Dany has been sent to “lead the people against the darkness in this war and in the great war still to come.” I really hope that somehow Daario and the freed slaves of Slavers Bay are in Season 8. The city is calmer, but Tyrion has little luck enlisting Missandei and Grey Worm in drinking. The slavers attack Mereen with catapult ships hurling fire bombs, but Dany shows up on Drogon, the Dothraki show up, and the other two dragons bust out of captivity to help out. “Dracarys!” Dany meets with Yara after the battle, and agrees to her offer of ships in return for independence for the Iron Islands, provided that the Ironborn stop raiding and reaving. Dany and Daario break up, and Dany names Tyrion to be her Hand of the Queen. The season ends with Dany’s fleet sailing west (FINALLY), with three dragons overhead. On the Great Grass Sea: Jorah and Dario discover that Dany has been captured by a Dothraki horde, for ‘not idly does the ring of Danaerys Stormborn fall’ (LOTR joke). Jorah gets the quote of Episode 1, saying “I’ve been all over the world. There’s no escaping men like us.” Daario is still one smitten kitten, saying “I hope I do (grow old). I want to see what the world looks like when she's done conquering it.” Dany meets the new Khal and is told she will live out her days with the other widows of dead Khals in Vaes Dothrak. The woman running the show was there when Dany ate the horse heart in S1. Dany tells the gathered Khals “you are small men. None of you are fit to lead the Dothraki. But I am. So I will.” She starts singing the Talking Heads classic Burning Down the House before emerging from the inferno unburnt. Love that she did all of this with very little outside help, and that she came up with a plan that didn’t involve dragons. Dany sends Jorah off to find a cure for his greyscale. From the back of an even bigger Drogon, Dany rallies the Dothraki to cross the sea and kill the men in their iron suits. In Braavos: A Bitch comes to beat on a blind Arya. Arya is taken in again by the Faceless Men and attains the pinnacle of Faceless Assassin Warrior Ninja training before she is given her sight back. Arya continues her FAWN training and hears the backstory for the first Faceless Men, and that Braavos was essentially founded by slaves from the mines of Valeria as a murder-for-hire city, and banking became a sideline. She gets a redemption assassination assignment - Lady Crane, an actress. Arya then watches a reenactment of S1 thru S3 onstage. She then sees a reenactment of Joffrey’s death and laughs, but is moved by a soliloquy by Lady Crane as Cersei lamenting the loss of her son. Arya poisons the rum, then knocks it from Lady Cran’s hands before it can kill. A Bitch sees this and reports to Jaqen H'ghar, who gives A Bitch permission to kill Arya. Arya retrieves Needle from its hiding place. She negotiates passage to Westeros and inexplicably does some sightseeing, only to be shanked by A Bitch. Arya seeks medical help from Lady Crane, who is killed by A Bitch while Arya flees out a window and thru the streets (her stab wounds must have healed VERY quickly!). Arya leads A Bitch to a dark place and cuts the candle, plunging the room into darkness. Arya puts the face of A Bitch in the Hall of Faces and Jaqen tells her she is now truly ready to join the Faceless Men, but Arya says that she is Arya Stark of Winterfell, and that she is going home. At the Iron Islands: Balon the Damp gets tossed off of a rope bridge by Urine, a brother we have never heard of (that I recall) and who speaks in cyphers. Balon has a burial at sea in what looks like a lobster trap. Theon-lite returns to the Iron Islands and told Yara how sorry he is, saying “you should rule… let me help you.” He takes another step away from Reekdom by supporting Yara for Queen, but the Salt Throne goes to their uncle Urine. He orders the Ironborn to build a great fleet, and that he will use it to seduce the Dragon Queen. In the South: Sam, Gilly, and Little Sam arrive at his father’s Castle of Horn Hill, where they try to pass Little Sam off as Sam’s son, and Gilly off as not-a-Wildling. The Tarley clan have an awkward dinner where Randall uncovers that Gilly is in fact a Wildling and points to the family Valerian sword Hearts Bane, saying Sam “will never wield that sword.” That night, Sam leaves with his new family and the sword, and they head to Old Town. Once there, the Receptionmaester gives them a frosty greeting, and says that women and children are not allowed in The Citadel. In the River Lands: Walder tells his sons to recapture Riverrun by forcing the Blackfish to yield by using Edmure as leverage. After establishing a proper siege and getting Edmure better living conditions, Jaime meets with the Blackfish, who throws some viscous shade of his own - “Bargaining with oathbreakers is like building on quicksand.” Brienne and Pod reunite with Jaime and Bronn. Brienne is allowed to enter Riverrun to plead Sansa’s cause, but the Blackfish refuses. Jaime then uses Edmure to get the garrison to open the gate. Brienne and Pod escape, but the Blackfish is killed (off-screen). Walder Frey gloats about his victory to Jaime, saying that they are both “kingslayers”. Jaime, disgusted, leaves. Later, a servant serves Walder a pie that contains his two sons. The servant peels off her face revealing Arya, who says “The last thing you're ever going to see is a Stark smiling down at you as you die” and then slits Walder’s throat. Somewhere (near The Vale?): In a cold opening, we see that The Hound LIVES! He is told by some sort of preacher (Ian McShane) that the gods have plans for him, but the Hound objects, asking “if the gods are real, why haven't they punished me?”, and gets the reply “they have.” Members of the Lord of Light-worshipping Brotherhood kill all the villagers and hang McShane, and The Hound stalks off with an axe. He uses it to kill a few members of the Brotherhood before meeting again with Thoros and Beric, who are about to hang three of their own Brotherhood members for killing the villagers. The Hound convinces them to let him kill two of the three. The Hound then seems to fall in with the Brotherhood after Beric tells him “good and bad, young and old, the things we're fighting will destroy them all alike. You can still help a lot more than you've harmed, Clegane. It's not too late for you.”

Still hoping to have a recap of S6 to post later this week. Time has craaaawwwwlllleeed for the last year and a half, now it is flying. Little to no chance of recapping S7, but that is much fresher.

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