S07.E04: The Spoils of War

[jellysalmon]

I really enjoyed this episode right up until the last few seconds.   Everything about Bronn saving Jaime doesn't work for me. It doesn't ring true for Bronn's selfish character.  It doesn't make sense logistically (where did all that water come from?) and it is an anti-climactic way to end the episode. I mean I like show Jaime ok (he's no book Jaime) but if he either: 

1. Threw the lance at Dany and missed (left handed throw) then was killed by dragon fire. 

Or 

2. Gotten to her but hesitates and then is killed by dragon fire. 

edit: 3rd outlandish option: doesn't burn because he is secret Targaryen! 

Would have been a grand way to go out. 

It really felt like the show pulled it's punches by not having a major character go down after so much destruction. 

 

Also, let's send Bronn to fight the white walkers.  His plot armor will let him take down the Night King. 

Edited August 7, 2017 by jellysalmon

[Uncle JUICE]

7 minutes ago, nodorothyparker said:

 

But I realize the whole point of the cave scene was to make a hard sell for Jon and Dany's nonexistent chemistry and ability to project it.

This is a MAJOR problem if they're going to ship these two. Like red flag problem. 

[Drogo]

2 minutes ago, jellysalmon said:

I really enjoyed this episode right up until the last few seconds.   Everything about Bronn saving Jaime doesn't work for me. It doesn't ring true for Bronn's selfish character.  It doesn't make sense logistically (where did all that water come from?) and it is an anti-climactic way to end the episode.

I don't think it was Bronn, I think it was one of Dany's (Dothraki, most likely.)

But if it was Bronn, I think it's a calculated move to convince her he can be trusted (because he risked his life to help her keep a great asset/bargaining chip.)   They made it pretty clear in this episode that Jaime stills thinks of him/treats him like a sellsword from Whatever Shit Place he's from- and Bronn's not blind to it.

[Uncle JUICE]

7 minutes ago, Lady Iris said:

I just loved hearing Sansa saying how happy Jon's gonna be when he sees Arya. And those hugs between the sisters, my heart just melted.

 

Yeah...except normally when someone on GOT says something like that, they never see each other again. Sadness!

[JustCrazy]

That was EPIC.  I don't think I've ever enjoyed a battle scene so much.  Drogon was amazing to watch and such a badass.  Missandei is THE most beautiful woman on the show.  She was stunning in her black pants.  She has very good screen presence. Am I fan girling much? ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[SeanC]

1 hour ago, huahaha said:

I'm surprised how many people wish that Dany would just nuke Cersei and be done with it. The whole plot is based on the War of the Roses. What would we be watching for the rest of the season if the Lancasters/Lannisters just fucked off and died?

If the show wants to keep her around longer, they need a credible plot to do so.

Quote

Cersei's victories have actually been well-plotted and earned, in my opinion. Highgarden has always been known for its wealth, not its fighters.

That is blatantly not true.  The Reach is the heart of chivalry in Westeros.  The Tyrells have as much skill at arms as any house.  Loras was supposed to be one of the great knights of Westeros.

Quote

Book Euron has nearly supernatural abilities, so I'm not surprised he's ruling the seas.

Book Euron being the relevant term. Show Euron is just a dude.

[JustCrazy]

10 hours ago, WatchrTina said:

The Greek Chorus is a time-honored dramatic tradition.  And in a way Tyrion stands in for us the viewers --or at least for me  -- in that I wanted Dany's forces to win the battle but I didn't want Jaime to die.

I thought it was a poignant moment.  He was watching his brother, whom he loves, fighting against the queen he loves.  

[nodorothyparker]

I assumed it was Bronn who pulled the last minute save, but on rewatch you guys are right that it's impossible to definitively make out.

Bronn is one of the big question marks left for me.  I know they originally subbed him in to Jaime's storyline for Illyn Payne because of a combination of being a fan favorite, his book character being largely offscreen after Tyrion's trial, and the Illyn Payne actor not being able to come back.  But I think it's actually worked out very well that with the Lannister brothers on opposing sides, he's worked for both and knows each of them very well, and obviously likes and dislikes things about each of them.  Neither is in a position to offer him a big payday at the moment, which we know is generally his primary motivator, and he's not one to be swayed by high minded words or ideals on either side.   I'm interested to see where he lands in this.  Plus, he got to shoot at and wound a dragon and lived.  How many men get to say that?

[Knuckles]

The big moments in this episode were great...but I really enjoyed the smaller ones. For example,Jon striding up to a waterlogged Theon, and restraining himself from killing him on the spot. Nice touch...Theon pulling himself together and walking towards Jon, despite his fear of Jon taking his revenge. 

I hope Meera is not gone for good...her resemblance to Jon has always been striking, while she looked nothing like Jojen, I have always wondered if there were two babies born to Lyanna..wtith Ned taking Jon, and Howland Reed taking Meera. I did hope the two would meet. 

I had no idea who to root for in that battle...glad to see the Lannister forces finally get theirs...but seeing men reduced to ashes was horrifying. On the other hand, the Dothraki were themselves terrifying, and unleashing them on the people of Westeros is not endear anyone to Danaerys. Did anyone else wonder about the Dothraki comment to Tyrion, that the Westerosi "are shit fighters". Maybe the Dothraki, among them some Khals or would-be Khals nurture their own ambitions. Just a thought.

[Drogo]

15 minutes ago, SeanC said:

That is blatantly not true.  The Reach is the heart of chivalry in Westeros.  The Tyrells have as much skill at arms as any house.  Loras was supposed to be one of the great knights of Westeros.

When Jaime confronted Olenna at Highgarden, she seemed to disagree with this sentiment.

OT:  And now the rains weep over our halls. Did we fight well?

JL: As well as can be expected.

OT: It was never really our forte. Golden roses, indeed!

[WatchrTina]

8 hours ago, Raachel2008 said:

I can't believe that just now Dany realized that Tyrion wants to win the war, but doesn't want her full force on the Lannisters.

 

8 hours ago, Raachel2008 said:

"What have I done?" - Tyrion watching the Lannister troops being decimated.

I don't think I can agree with either of those interpretations.  I think Tyrion's giving the Unsullied the information about the secret back-door into Casterly Rock demonstrates clearly where his loyalties lie and the extant to which he will go to serve her.  Dany's accusation was unjust and unworthy of her.  It shows she's not perfect and that how badly this string of losses has demoralized her. Tyrion's reaction to watching the battle was, I think, the natural horror at seeing the dragons in combat for the first time -- seeing men burned alive is horrible even if they ARE on the "other" side and in Tyrion's case the men of the "other" side are wearing his family's colors.  And then he spotted Jaime and he can't help but not want to watch his only brother burned alive.

[jeansheridan]

11 hours ago, RedheadZombie said:

When he made light of an old woman's death (although I've never forgiven Olenna for setting up Sansa), I really turned sour on the character. 

I think that was Bronn's way to get Jaime to talk. Twice now Jaime has been invited to open up (Olenna & Bronn). Bronn is a good listener. And he is reasonably loyal. His first instinct was for Jaime to get out of there and to safety. 

Bronn is out example of a poor man rising. A commoner perspective from the Lannister side.

These battles work for me when I can identify people I care about. I care about Dany, Jaime, and Bronn. And the dragon. So this was exciting. 

Tyrion rightfully looked ashamed. Those are his people in another life he protected. And the Dothraki are killing machines more like the army of the dead. Dany's two armies reflect her conflicted character so well.

[SeanC]

5 minutes ago, Drogo said:

When Jaime confronted Olenna at Highgarden, she seemed to disagree with this sentiment.

Yes, which is the show's out-of-nowhere and absurd attempt to justify the plot gift to the Lannisters. The idea that the Tyrells aren't skilled at arms has no prior canonical basis.

[anamika]

David and Dan calling Jaime a principled character ?!!!! Like what?!! ?

[huahaha]

3 minutes ago, SeanC said:

Yes, which is the show's out-of-nowhere and absurd attempt to justify the plot gift to the Lannisters. The idea that the Tyrells aren't skilled at arms has no prior canonical basis.

Catelyn calls them the "knights of summer" for a reason.

[Drogo]

My fondest memory of the Tyrell forces begins at around 42 seconds.

[SeanC]

2 minutes ago, huahaha said:

Catelyn calls them the "knights of summer" for a reason.

She was referring to Renly's young supporters who hadn't yet seen war.

[GrailKing]

3 hours ago, anamika said:

When it comes to Sansa, it's really hard to tell what's going on with the character. Poor acting does not help.

https://heavy.com/entertainment/2017/08/game-of-thrones-s07e04-sansas-expression-watching-brienne-arya-explained/

This was the same problem last season as well. Sophie Turner needs to do a better job at conveying whatever it is she is supposed to feel. Or we will have 10 pages of discussion as to whether she is annoyed, jealous, proud, delighted, amazed, shocked, worried or angry - those are all the emotions people here think she was expressing when seeing Arya interact with Brienne. 

According to this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X17pjukf8rA

Sansa is worried because Arya nearly beat a warrior like Brienne and is good at killing people. Why she should be worried about that, I have no idea. Does she think Arya is going to come after her?

I think, it's a combination, of pride, worry, concern, add to the mix running the North and LF just being around.

Her side looks at him tells me she knows he's planning, and she needs to get rid of him, but in a way the Vale will stay and not leave.

From the entertainment article, seems most fall into one of the three mentioned above, and in there comment section at least one person has no clue.

Sansa's smart, she has a reference source or two and she will consult those sources.

[Knuckles]

I'm guessing that Grey Worm and the Unsullied are still under siege at Casterly Rock. Enron has burned Dany's fleet, and they have no easy way out. Exactly how Varys is getting his info on the battle there is not clear...no one seems to be using ravens, and after his long absence and Qyburn gathering up the "little birds", Varys's network should be down. But, he is still getting his info. 

Dany needs to ride Drogon to attack Euron, or she might lose her Unsullied. 

[jeansheridan]

11 hours ago, magdalene said:

Poor Meera, this is what she gets for carrying Bran through all this danger. 

If she had been given a bag of gold like Bronn, is that better? Meera is a awesome person, but a foot soldier in a larger conflict. Not all heroes get rewarded. Plus it did emphasize that Bran as Bran is gone for now. His weirdness is upsetting but I guess not totally out of the blue. 

I am rooting for Meera and Podrick to meet up and have happy round faced babies.

[Hanahope]

Now that Bran gave Arya the VS dagger, you gotta wonder who/what she'll kill with it.  Certainly I expect at some point, she'll use it against a white walker, but she's gotta be using her faceless man skill again to kill someone.  The question is, who will it be, and will it be under the guise of some annonymous servant again (or soldier), or someone we know?  And what was LF doing in giving the dagger to Bran in the first place?  I kindof like that Bran in no uncertain words told LF he was full of shit by repeating back a phrase to him that LF knows Bran shouldn't have known about.  But what and when will Bran actually give Sansa and/or Arya info they can use, or do we have to wait for Jon Snow to return (which I hope is soon, I so much want to see his reunion with Arya)?

Great battle scene at the end.  It didn't look like Drogon was seriously hurt, just initially shocked at being hit.  I know Jamie isn't dead yet, but I bet he has to lose that heavy gold hand to resurface.

While I think Dany will help Jon Snow out before he "bends the knee", I think she feels she has to do some significant damage, more than what we saw, to Cersei before she commits to going north.

I guess we're going to see the Golden Company.  I'm pretty sure Dany encountered or used them in the books, but I can't recall if she did in the show.

[WatchrTina]

7 hours ago, Constantinople said:

Any idea as to why Littlefinger gave Bran the Valaryian steel dagger other than so Bran will recognize it in some upcoming vision?

I think he just wanted to ingratiate himself with Bran by reminding him how much he LOOOOVED Bran's mother and also to remind Bran that he still has an as-yet-unknown rich enemy that they (Bran & Balish) could make common cause against. I think he intended to fan the flames of a desire for vengeance in Bran's heart because that will add to the chaos and "chaos is a ladder."  That's also why he was so shocked.  It wasn't just that Bran's quoted his own word back to him (words he was not present to hear) but also that Bran correctly is correctly interpreting his intentions.  Later, Sansa is confused by the gift and can't understand why Balish would give it without asking something in return but I think Bran knew exactly what he was up to -- which shows that RainBran does have some useful skills.

[SimoneS]

9 hours ago, spottedreptile said:

I loved the battle for its drama and emotion; but it was mixed tactically. According to Hollywood, cavalry charges can always break up infantry squares, because Hollywood horses are always willing to impale themselves on lances and crash through barriers of sharp points. In real life this doesn't happen. Horses will break each side and shy away from the squares and no horse is stupid enough to commit suicide on a row of spears. The idea of Dany using Drogon (artillery) to break up the square was good, and once a square is broken you can then use your cavalry to smash the infantry sideways. But I suppose it always looks good to have a cavalry charge a la Gandalf.

It was definitely Hollywood's version of the cavalry charge. Historically, the Mongols were much shrewder military tacticians and would never sacrifice the horses that they loved by riding into a wall of shields so recklessly. The Mongols would have used their arrows and gunpowder to weaken the Lannister line and scatter them before riding in and picking them off. Also, Mongol horses had armor made of thick leather and metal all over them including their foreheads and necks which made them far less vulnerable to lance or arrow attacks. However, Hollywood is going for reality and probably doesn't look as good on screen. 

ETA: The Mongols also wore armor made out of thick leather and/or metal. I am amazed at how Dothraki don't wear some type of armor.

Edited August 7, 2017 by SimoneS

[mac123x]

1 hour ago, Uncle JUICE said:

Can someone please paint a picture wherein Jaime survives the water (difficult already to imagine: he's covered in armor and has one hand, provided he took off the one that has to weight like six pounds) and gets to return to King's Landing?

In universe?  I'm having a hard time seeing it too.  Out of universe, it's easy -- the writers will just ignore the "how" and have Jaime lying unconscious on the land downstream somewhere.  Same way armies and navies move about the world as the plot dictates.  Since this is the season of call-backs, he'll probably wind up on the same rocky outcropping that Davos was on in Season 3.

[Bats27]

Honestly Dany probably didn't even need her dragon. The terrain, plus the layout of the Lannister formations, both played right into the Dothraki style of fighting. They would have broken through even without Drogon (that just made it easier).

 

There's a reason why the Mongols (whom the Dothraki are clearly based on) were nigh unbeatable in battle (even against armored knights) on the open plains/fields.

[Hana Chan]

Was it my imagination or was that one of the shortest episodes? 50 minutes? You'd think that with such a limited number of episodes left to wrap things up that they'd make use of every second available.

And except for a few moments, this episode left me a bit underwhelmed. Not that it wasn't good, but it's not going to be on my list of top ten that I'll want to revisit. The first half of the ep was a bit dull and except for Arya's return to Winterfell, a bit repetitive. Jon tries to convince Dany that the real threat is the WW, she goes right back to "bend the knee". Dany's people keep forgetting that Jon is a king and should be addressed as such. Cersi wants to conquer everyone, Jamie is a fucked up mess and Littlefinger is a creep and trying to play all angles. Rinse and repeat.

Arya's reunion with her siblings did bring a smile to my face, but it's so clear that the three last Starks are deeply damaged from their experiences. And they recognize this fact. Sansa recognizing the bond between Jon and Arya was gratifying, but Bran... I get that they are cutting all the superfluous characters as expediently as possible, but how he treated Meera was damn cold. After all she endured and sacrificed for him... she was right that the Bran we all knew died in that cave. 

As for the battle... it wasn't Blackwater or Bastard Bowl, but it was a decent and exciting battle sequence. I enjoyed seeing the Dothraki fighting the way they're supposed to and making short work of the Lannister forces. And it did reveal that while the dragons are extremely formidable in battle (watching Drogon turning men into ash was pretty thrilling), they're not invincible. They can be wounded or killed and once the dragon was on the ground, Dany was extremely vulnerable. Now that she's not really listening to Tyrion or even Varas, she is in danger of going over the edge and hampering the opportunities for the Targ restoration.

[GrailKing]

3 hours ago, TarotQueen said:

My take on this is that LF is just recycling an old trick here, trying to instigate a new Stark/Lannister confrontation because that's in his interests.  It worked with Cat and Tyrion the first time right?  The 'someone very rich' was just so heavy handed on his part that I thought he had to intend to single someone out, and this is what I got from it.

Apologies if someone else has gotten there first in the five pages between the quoted post above and where this one will end up ...

As he said to Sansa, everything you see has happened before; yet he's out of his realm in the North and he either fails to see or is arrogant enough to try the same game on 3 young Starks that have each seen his game play before.

Bran- Dr. Manhatten

Arya - super Ninja and face changer

Sansa - Who can't wield swords, or armies; " But, has her mind just like LF has "

He's so screwed, hopefully he takes no one ( NOT ARYA ) with him. Hope he dies in front of the Heart Tree.

[jeansheridan]

10 hours ago, Alapaki said:

So why in the world allow her Dothraki to lead and get entangled with the enemy

We chatted about this after the ep. The Dothraki have gone months without a battle and that's what they like to do. They needed to taste blood. It was a morale booster for them.

[YaddaYadda]

1 hour ago, Uncle JUICE said:

Do we think Littlefinger understands Bran can basically see through ALL of his schemery? Because that's the sort of unease I see in his reactions. 

Watching LF's face crumble like that was so satisfying. He's no longer ahead of the game. I love that his blatant attempt at manipulating Bran backfired like that. He probably gave Bran the one clue he needed to sort the information out.

Why would they tell LF anything about Bran's visions though? 

[Amarsir]

8 hours ago, Raachel2008 said:

I loved Brienne and Arya sparring, but how could tiny Arya recover from a kick on the chest from 7 feet tall Brienne so fast? She wasn't even wearing an armor, just a leather vest.

The same way she did a triathalon after being stabbed?

[Uncle JUICE]

Just now, YaddaYadda said:

Watching LF's face crumble like that was so satisfying. He's no longer ahead of the game. I love that his blatant attempt at manipulating Bran backfired like that. He probably gave Bran the one clue he needed to sort the information out.

Why would they tell LF anything about Bran's visions though? 

I don't think there's any reason for anyone to be like "So, Petyr, did Bran tell you about his visions?" or anything like that, you're right, of course. I was just wondering if LF had sort of put together something that Bran might have insight of which LF is unaware: he didn't say chaos is a ladder to anyone but Tywin (who adroitly pointed out that he's probably not the first to say it). I'm hoping Bran's visions are LF's downfall, I guess, because I hate the Bran storyline AND I hate LF. 

14 minutes ago, mac123x said:

In universe?  I'm having a hard time seeing it too.  Out of universe, it's easy -- the writers will just ignore the "how" and have Jaime lying unconscious on the land downstream somewhere.  Same way armies and navies move about the world as the plot dictates.  Since this is the season of call-backs, he'll probably wind up on the same rocky outcropping that Davos was on in Season 3.

You're probably right (though the show made it look like he was in at least 20 feet of water and heading in the wrong direction, quickly. And I'm going to need an explanation that his armor was specially designed to be put on and taken off quickly with one hand, and not by a squire, for some reason, if he surfaces without it on. 

[Tikichick]

12 hours ago, stagmania said:

Very solid episode (but too short!). The opening of that battle with Dany riding in on Drogon and the Dothraki horse riders was something else. Just fucking cool. Also great that they showed us neither Bronn nor Jaime could really win head on against a Dothraki. And Tyrion being there made absolutely no sense. He came along to stand on a hill and make sad faces?

I think Dany should chill on the "bend the knee" stuff with Jon. The North will follow her if she actually shows up and fights for them and wins. Girl needs to earn it, especially given that Jon has a front row seat to her making a lot of bad calls against Cersei. 

Absolutely loved the Arya/Brienne scene. A bit of much needed fun, and I loved Sansa and Littlefinger watching and reacting. Her probably wondering what the hell her sister's been getting up to, and him recognizing that Arya is a threat.  

The problem with Sansa being the main Stark getting to do all the reunion scenes is that she wasn't close to any of her siblings, so they don't really resonate much. The reunion with Jon was still the most affecting to me, but that was because it was the first, not because of their relationship. I'm holding out hope that Arya/Jon, if it ever comes, will be the one that inspires real feeling. 

I felt much better about the Arya/Sansa reunion when Arya took the initiative to give Sansa a hug after they spoke a bit.  My heart sunk when initially Sansa hugged Arya and it wasn't mutual or became mutual.  When Arya subsequently hugged her I knew a girl was indeed Arya Stark.

Arya sincerely rattled Brienne when they were sparring.  Brienne began to forget herself and really started to engage when she kicked Arya in the chest to take her down.  Once Arya was on the ground Brienne's head began to clear again and she really started to absorb the skills she was seeing displayed.  Littlefinger distinctly clocked Arya's explanation of the source of her training.  IMO he knew what it meant, even if Brienne and everyone else had no clue. 

I am afraid Sansa's precise words regarding Jon's likely reaction to reuniting with Arya carried real meaning.

[mac123x]

Reading the multiple interpretations of "How is Sansa reacting to Arya's training with Brienne?" in this thread, I'm reminded of the MST3K episode where they were trying to answer the question "What emotion is Kathy Ireland trying to convey here?".  And the answer, every time, was "dull surprise".

 

Seriously, I could not get a read from Sophie Turner's affectless face during that scene.  It didn't help that Littlefinger was smirking and side-eyeing her the whole time.  I really want his character gone, soonish.

 

42 minutes ago, Knuckles said:

The big moments in this episode were great...but I really enjoyed the smaller ones. For example,Jon striding up to a waterlogged Theon, and restraining himself from killing him on the spot. Nice touch.

My reaction:  "Oh, SHIT, they haven't seen each other  since Theon captured Winterfell, Jon's gonna cut off his head.  Oh, right, the Dothraki have his sword right now.  Theon's going to get a mouthful of Jon's fist then."

Edited August 7, 2017 by mac123x

[GrailKing]

3 hours ago, IntrovertGal said:

I usually like Bronn but could have killed him when he hurt Drogon. Not cool, Bronn!

 

I think it's funny, ( I like Bronn, don't trust him though )no one wants Bronn to kill a dragon, but he's on the other side and it's his life or Drogon's .

I be firing anything I could to kill that WMD.

And be around another day to provide witty one liners for the fans; Dragons ain't funny, they dangerous.

[GrailKing]

Just now, doram said:

Realistically and to be true to his character Bronn would have switched sides before putting himself in the line of dragon fire. That's why his plot armour is so irritating. He already had one - a highly developed sense of Looking Out for Number One.

waiting for him to go team who eva is winning more.

[DarkRaichu]

3 minutes ago, GrailKing said:

waiting for him to go team who eva is winning more.

Team who eva can pay him more :D

[Uncle JUICE]

6 minutes ago, doram said:

Realistically and to be true to his character Bronn would have switched sides before putting himself in the line of dragon fire. That's why his plot armour is so irritating. He already had one - a highly developed sense of Looking Out for Number One.

Couldn't agree more. They even set up the potential of him telling Jaime to go fuck himself with the ballista idea earlier, when he was complaining about not getting paid, and it just seemed way, way out of Bronn's character to go on what's really a suicide mission with an EXCEPTIONALLY low probability of success for Jaime's sake. 

[GrailKing]

1 hour ago, Haleth said:

Jaime's dip in the surprisingly deep pond (river?)-- to survive he will have to shed the Lannister accouterment, literally stripping himself of his identity.  Lots of symbolism there.  Will his baptism turn him against Cersei once and for all?

I'm wondering if we get his cave dream from the books.

[Enigma X]

When Brienne and Arya were jousting, what I saw in Sansa's eyes in the realization that Arya is a killer and has changed. I don't mean this in a judgmental way. I just think the whole "list" thing was becoming more and more real to Sansa and that her little sister is the real deal. I honestly think she was experiencing regret, fear, and sadness for Arya all at once.

[DarkRaichu]

9 hours ago, Raachel2008 said:

I loved Brienne and Arya sparring, but how could tiny Arya recover from a kick on the chest from 7 feet tall Brienne so fast? She wasn't even wearing an armor, just a leather vest.

She took a second to breath.  Getting her chest and stomach hit mercilessly everyday by the Waif has got to give her some resistance to pain.  

[GrailKing]

1 hour ago, YaddaYadda said:

Bran/Meera. Meera is the female character who is consistently forgotten, I find, because she's not controversial. Meera is such an unsung hero and deserves all the praise in the world. Would have been nice for her to have a scene with Sansa where a Stark would thank her for bringing Bran home, and a change of clothes. 

This !

Sansa is most likely to appreciate what Meera did, Bran and Arya show it with the small folk, Sansa seems to connect with people whom have tortured souls or in emotional turmoil.

Not having Sansa, appreciate what Meera did, or not having her view Lady's grave is ( no matter her changes ) out of Character and D & D should have exploited that .

[Constantinople]

But Lady Olenna chose to betray her queen and support the Targaryen girl

I'm amazed Jaime was able to say that with a straight face.

[Tikichick]

12 hours ago, benteen said:

Wow!  What an amazing episode!  This is one of the benefits of not knowing what is going on.

I can see why the CGI fighting looked weak last week...they were saving it for this week.  Really awesome to see Dany using the dragon like the weapon it is and roasting Lannisters alive.  It was great to see the Dothraki finally in action.  Pretty dramatic scene at the end but that CANNOT be the end of Jaime.  Even if I don't like what they've done to him.

Ah, Bronn...definitely missed you, buddy.  The Dickon scene was a cheap laugh but I thought it was funny.

Reunions aplenty!  Definitely think they handled the Sansa and Arya reunion well and getting to see all three of the Starks together was amazing.  Nice to see Arya and Brienne interact too and I liked Brienne not getting upset with Pod calling her a lady.  And for good measure, we even get Jon and Theon's reunion (saw a picture of that last year).

I'm glad to see Littlefinger get unsettled by something supernatural (I do wish Lady Stoneheart would confront and kill him in the books) but Bran, fuck you for that good-bye to Meera.  She deserved a lot better.  Don't know if she would have left Bran though.  At the very least, I think she'd bring her family back up to defend the North.

Good stuff on the Jon and Dany front.

Littlefinger seems keenly attuned to all things magical and supernatural, extremely so.  Notably our first glimpse of him this episode is up on the balcony, observing that Arya has returned and the three Starks are headed out to the godswood.  He has no lines, yet in a sense we get some "dialogue" all the same -- the very close squawk of a raven.

He didn't seem confused at all about Bran's chaos is a ladder comment.  I read surprise to hear it on his face, but not any wonder about what it meant.  He was absolutely cued in on Arya's fighting abilities -- and most particularly her answer about the source of her training.

[GrailKing]

1 hour ago, Drogo said:

I don't think it was Bronn, I think it was one of Dany's (Dothraki, most likely.)

But if it was Bronn, I think it's a calculated move to convince her he can be trusted (because he risked his life to help her keep a great asset/bargaining chip.)   They made it pretty clear in this episode that Jaime stills thinks of him/treats him like a sellsword from Whatever Shit Place he's from- and Bronn's not blind to it.

close up and slow mo shows fingerless gloves, so it seems like Bronn.

[anamika]

52 minutes ago, GrailKing said:

I think, it's a combination, of pride, worry, concern, add to the mix running the North and LF just being around.

You got all that from this?

 

52 minutes ago, GrailKing said:

Her side looks at him tells me she knows he's planning, and she needs to get rid of him, but in a way the Vale will stay and not leave.

She can already do that. Just get Royce (Who hates LF) on her side and get rid of LF. But it looks like she does not want to get rid of LF. She is walking around with him discussing all her plans for WF, letting him have conversations with Bran and generally given him free reign to do whatever he wants in WF. She knows he's a manipulative, evil man but apparently she gives no fucks about that.

Sansa has all the power now. Not LF. She can get rid of him in a minute if she wants. The fact that he is walking around plotting and that she is letting him do so is just downright hilarious. And we are supposed to think that she is some genius game player.

[Tikichick]

12 hours ago, stagmania said:

What a sad end to her sad arc. #JusticeForMeera

It played to me like Drogon was fine, just totally caught off guard by the spear. Probably the first time he's ever been hurt.

It was Bronn, right? He dove to knock him into the water when he saw Drogon was about to blow.

Seems clear they're gonna go there.

Unless it becomes victim to lack of screentime available, I don't think we've seen the end of one Ms. Reed.  Isn't her home near East Watch?  She would recognize Hodor and Summer if she saw them again.  Her father also happens to be significantly in possession of a rather important piece of news.

I agree that it was Bronn who saved Jamie, and that we are headed for a love connection -- which I find a boring choice for this saga.

[Drogo]

6 minutes ago, GrailKing said:

fingerless gloves

Dothraki are wearing fingerless gloves, too, though I admit I haven't slow-mo'd it.

[GrailKing]

5 minutes ago, anamika said:

You got all that from this?

 

She can already do that. Just get Royce (Who hates LF) on her side and get rid of LF. But it looks like she does not want to get rid of LF. She is walking around with him discussing all her plans for WF, letting him have conversations with Bran and generally given him free reign to do whatever he wants in WF. She knows he's a manipulative, evil man but apparently she gives no fucks about that.

Sansa has all the power now. Not LF. She can get rid of him in a minute if she wants. The fact that he is walking around plotting and that she is letting him do so is just downright hilarious. And we are supposed to think that she is some genius game player.

You and I will probably never agree on her.

I trust my perception of her over yours, doesn't make you wrong, doesn't make me right it's how it is.

She'll go to Royce when she has what she needs, proof beyond doubt and a way to explain her lie at the Eyrie that makes Royce believe her.

She has the GOOGLE of Westeros, and I'm sure she's going to tap into him.

I said up thread or another thread, they need to at least show her with Royce without LF there, so if stuff is done off screen it be somewhat plausible.

[Tikichick]

12 hours ago, anamika said:

Yeah, but she did not look alarmed, shocked or in awe. She looked angry, annoyed or jealous - with some side glances at LF - as if she was nervous that LF would catch onto her jealousy. At least that's what the acting conveyed to me.

Yeah, she was definitely not pleased that Brienne was swearing her services to Arya as well.

Interesting.  I didn't see any of that.  To me she seemed a bit stunned to see her tomboy little sister has become a serious force to be reckoned with, able to hold her own in battle with Brienne.  IMO she was checking Littlefinger's reaction to what they were watching, wondering if he was taking note of the fact that she and Arya have the sworn services of Brienne -- and that Arya not only didn't need Brienne but could match her, and both are unwaveringly committed to Sansa.

[DarkRaichu]

2 hours ago, Miles said:

How in the hell is the water right at the shore, where a horse can still gallop through, like 10 meters deep all of a sudden?

The same magical water that allowed Euron to travel from KL to CR faster than Unsullied from Dragonstone to CR :D :D :D

 

Great episode:
- I loved Arya doing Waterdance vs Brienne.  Did anyone else get flashback of Syrio (Arya's dancing instructor) from season 1, especially the way Arya tapped Brienne's weak points with Needle?
- Something might have been in my eyes when watching the reunion of the sisters and brother
- Jon has NO chemistry with Dany.  Seriously, he had more chemistry with Missandei and they barely shared a few words :P
- Dragon vs Lannisters. Bronn has been very reluctant in doing whatever Jaime said.  He almost did not want to go and shoot that ballista/scorpion...  I think Bronn will switch sides the moment he sees Tyrion
- Dany did not even show her full power yet, she still has TWO dragons / WMD in reserve :P
- Bran / 3ER was a dick to everyone
- I hope the reason Sansa left abruptly after Arya vs Brienne sparring was she wanted to yell "OH YEAH" without being seen by LF.  She has Bran's knowledge and Arya's fighting skill to use against LF
- So the gold was secured in Red Keep but the food was still in the convoy to be destroyed by Drogon.  With no food to plunder (the surrounding farms are already emptied by the LAnnisters), I want to know if she is going to press attack on KL or go to CR to help the Unsullied
- Dickon?  I had the same reaction as Bronn when he was introduced 2 weeks ago :D
- Lannisters could not fight?? Shut up random Dothraki guy,  I did not see Dothrakis do any better vs dragons!!!