GOT - S7 - The Wolf & The Dragon

[shadowkat]

Just finished watching the GOT S7 finale...and...

OMG! That was frigging brilliant.

No wait...

That was even better than last week's episode!!!

They managed to tie up not one but two major mysteries at the same time! Plus great banter.



1. Bronn/Jamie

Bronn: Can't imagine fighting a war without a cock. What's the point?
Jamie: Maybe for the gold?
Bronn: Most blokes I know use the gold to buy women.
Jamie: Family?
Bronn: What family will you have without a cock?
Jamie: So maybe that's all it comes down to in the end, cocks?
Bronn: And your brother has pledged to the side without cocks.
Jamie: Will Tyrion always did side with the underdog.

2. Jon Snow: There is no war, but the Great War...this is not about living in harmony, this is about living.


Yeah, well, the only problem Jon, is Cersei isn't exactly sane or logical or pragmatic. Maybe he should have kidnapped Cersei and left her behind the wall? Jamie, on the other hand, you had convinced at the word Go.

They show Cersei et al the dead, and she reels back, frightened, then somehow manages to plot behind everyone's backs to get the upper hand. She'll let them fight each other, then rule over the spoils. To Cersei, the War is Lannisters vs. everyone.

Tyrion has a great scene with her and it appears he gets through, except she cons him and everyone else. Pledging they'll help. When in reality she plans on using the arm to take over their lands when they are gone and knife them in the back. Jamie discovers this when she attempts to keep him and his army from joining the fight in the North.

Cersei: You're a fool. You aren't going. Neither is our army...I lied. I'd never pledge allegiance to them. This is our opportunity...
Jamie: You do realize someone is going to win the War up there, and if it's the dead? We're dead. If it's the Dragon Queen and the North, they'll come down and get us for betraying them!
Cersei: Let them! We'll be stronger than them by then. I have elephants and the Iron Gold.
Jamie: That's in Esteros, how will it be any help?
Cersei: Euron has gone there to get it, he wants to marry the Queen!
Jamie looks at her disgust.
Cersei: IF you leave, I will have you executed for Treason!
Jamie looks like he'd like to execute Cersei.
Cersei: I will. Gregor -
Jamie: I don't believe you. (He leaves.)

But the scene where they show the dead guy or wight to Jamie, Cersei et al, does at least push Jamie to decide to fight. But Cersei's only willing to do it if Jon pledges allegiance to her or she gets something in return. Or pledges to stay in the north and leave well enough alone. It's a great scene.
So is the one where it appears Tyrion has talked Cersei into agreeing to a truce.

My one quibble is ...why would Cersei not agree to the truce? And why not send the army to fight in the North with the others for mutual survival? The characterization of Cersei has always irritated me. Kudos to Lena Headly for making the character palatable.

Other major quibble? When did she have time to plot with the terrified Euron who fled back to the Iron Isles?

Jon needs to send Ayra to King's Landing to assassinate Cersei.


3. Sansa: Bring my sister to me.
Me: Damn, LF is the bad guy you nitwit.
Ayra: Are you certain about this?
Sansa: Yes, we must do this for honor's sake. (Bran is sitting beside her)
Me: The Stark kids have become creepy.
Ayra: Very well. Bring it.
LF is grinning ear to ear in the corner.
ME: Fraking hell.
Sansa (looking stonily at Ayra): You are accused of treason and murder against this family. How do you plead, Lord Baelish?
Me: Whoa. So did not see that one coming. Neither did Lord Baelish apparently. I'm guessing we've been in his point of view? This explains so much.
Baelish: Wait? What??? You don't want to do this!!
Sansa: You stand accused of killing Lysa Arryan, pushing her out of the moon room..did you not do this?
Baelish: I did it to protect you.
Sansa: And plotting with Lysa to poison Jon Arryan. Then you sent a letter to our parents framing the Lannisters for it, so that you could pit the Starks against the Lannisters..do you deny this?
And you held a knife on our father and betrayed him -
Baelish: You have no proof, no one was there...
Bran: You held the knife to his throat and said that he was a fool for trusting you. (He repeats exactly what had happened chapter and verse. Apparently Bran has been watching GOT)
Me: What about the dagger -
Ayra: And this dagger was not Lord Tyrion's but yours, you plotted to kill Bran...and convinced everyone it was Tyrion..
Baelish: But I loved you Sansa, I did it for you!
Sansa: You loved me enough to betray me? To sell me to the Boultons?

Sansa orders Ayra to execute Lord Baelish. So does this mean Ayra gets to take his face?

Loved that. Finally. And from the three people who suffered the most due to his machinations.
Although they are rather creepy.

4. Is Jon Snow the true heir to the Iron Throne?

Bran tells Samwell about Jon being Rhaegar and Lyanna Stark's son, so his last name should be Sand not Snow. No, says Samwell, they were married. Rhaegar had annulled his previous marriage to marry Lyanna. Meanwhile Jon and Dany are making love. Whoops. Complications. Although that was a hot sex scene. And I'm rather past the incest issue at this point, Jamie and Cersei sort of pushed me past that...also in Westeros, apparently there' s precedent.

Could they not have found a more attractive actor to play Rhaegar in the flashback?? Still loved that.


5. Down comes the wall...as predicted by the dragon. I'm not sure if Tormund died or not? I spent most of the bit, saying, "No, don't kill Tormund!" Although I've no clue how he could have survived.

Tormund - sees dragon :RUN!
ME: Yep.

And an army of dead invades Westeros, as snow finally falls on Kings Landing.

Fun episode, lots set up for next season.




[Oh, finished Wynonna Earp S1 -- highly recommend. Will review tomorrow.

Comments

[shadowkat]

But why would Bran tell her? Assuming Jaime even gets there or meets up with them? Bran right now is knee deep again in the 3 Eyed Raven, and may well...be communing with the Night King. It made sense Bran would tell about LF, but....it's reaching for Jamie. I can't see him being in their vicinity, so much as with the armed forces.

I guess I can see how they could do it...but it would be difficult to orchestrate. The problem with GOT is the plot is almost too convoluted.

[mefisto]

There is no good reason for Bran to tell anyone, unless he harbors a grudge and I don't think he does. In fact, I think both he and Jon would pardon Jaime if it came to that, because Jaime is willing to fight the WW. But I'm not sure Arya would accept it.

[shadowkat]

Bran only reveals information when he thinks it's necessary and he waits a long time to do it. After all, he pretty much knew about Jon being Lyanna Stark and Rheagar's son but waited until Sam showed up to reveal to Sam, wisely not revealing it to the others. And he revealed the information to Sansa and Ayra, probably because they asked.

He doesn't care what happened. He's the 3 Eyed Raven. But he knew LF was a problem, so revealed. Also, there's an assumption he can reveal it --- he goes into trances.

No, I think Jamie will die another way. Or for another reason. The writer's already punished him for pushing Bran out the window, by chopping off his sword hand. Just as Theon has already been punished for burning the two boys and betraying Rob. There's no reason to kill him for that.

[mefisto]

I agree that it's unlikely to be revealed. I still think it takes guts for Jaime to head for Winterfell with that in the background.

[shadowkat]

Do we know if that is where he's headed? And is he going alone? It wasn't clear. But agreed, it takes guts. There's a reason he remains a favorite. ;-) Also if he goes, he may be able to warn the others regarding Cersei's plans...assuming he does.

I've read a lot of criticism of Tyrion coming up with the doomed plan to convince Cersei and not seeing through it...except, people are assuming Tyrion is omniscient (which no, that would be Bran), and knows what Cersei did or that she'd never go along with it. All he knows of her is pre-Tywin's death and that she hated him and wanted him dead. He clearly cared for her children and her on some level. Also there's an assumption she's steps ahead of everyone..except for Sansa, but here's the thing both Sansa and Cersei are still focused on the here and now, the Game of Thrones...they don't see the threat coming down. And one walking dead guy isn't enough to scare them. They don't think like people who are on the battle-field. Tyrion and Jamie lead the battles for Cersei, Cersei, herself, has never done so.

I think there's a tendency for a viewer to forget that the characters don't know as much as they do. Forgetting these characters perceptions are far more limited.

[mefisto]

The fact that Jaime can now warn the North about Cersei's betrayal is one of the things that puzzles me about why she drove him away. I mean sure, her basic strategy is "alienate every human being on earth and I'll win". But I can't see any gain for her on this unless there's some plan with Tyrion that I don't get (pair Jaime with Dany?). My spidey sense is tingling, but I can't put a finger on it.

I never had any problem with Tyrion's plan for the wight, but plenty of people did. I completely agree that there's a tendency to confuse what we the viewers know with what the characters know.