This third-last episode(!) was a recovery from the intensity of the previous episode, and a stage-setter for the next. A ton of significant things happened.
The survivors say goodbye to the fallen for the last time. (I’m still wondering why Sam is alive.)
Arya turns down Gendry’s proposal — newly crowned Lord of Storm’s End by Dany — so whoever ships Arya/Gendry ever since they met are probably terribly disappointed. But it was clear Arya was going to do that — she has always been a free spirit. 🙁 She rides down South, encountering the Hound along the way, each with personal missions of their own. (Cleganebowl next ep?)
Tormund toasts Jon raucously while Dany looks on, feeling out-of-place, beside her even more out-of-place coffee that HBO later digitally removed quietly (but not before making fun of themselves, and the internet making fun of them).
We find out that Brienne is still a virgin. And then she loses said virginity to Jaime. And then Jaime decides to stay with her in the North, and we thought they had a chance of happiness; but Jaime changes his mind after two seconds, goes back to his hateful sister, and breaks Brienne’s heart. All this in a single episode! Jaime/Brienne shippers — of whom I’m one of them — were definitely buffeted by an emotional whirlwind! (So did Tormund, but he recovered quickly.)
(Podrick drank when Tyrion said “You’re a virgin” during that “Never Have I” drinking game! So he’s still a virgin? Then his sex god prowess in Season 3 was all a myth? Or did the whores refuse payment because he literally didn’t sleep with them? Or did they refuse payment because he was nice to them and did the pleasuring instead of the other way round? So many questions, but ones that I’m fine with being unanswered. There are way more important things to focus on in the last two episodes.)
Dany begs Jon not to reveal his parentage to Sansa and Arya, but Jon feels honour-bound to. It’s this same naivete that got him killed in Season 5, when he thought the Night’s Watch would accept the Wildlings for the greater good, not realising that some enmities are too deep to bear. Will he get killed this time too? Only two more weeks till we find out, but shit’s hitting the fan, with Sansa blurting out the secret — just like Dany knew would happen — to Tyrion, which means Varys knows, and it’s not a secret anymore, it’s information. And he doesn’t like the direction Dany is going.
I don’t get Varys though. He served a ton of mad kings for years, but Dany veers down that path a little and he’s ready to commit treason? I think he’ll die for it, since Melisande made allusions to his death last season.
Jon says goodbye to Tormund, Sam and Gilly, who’s expecting. He asks Tormund to bring Ghost back over the Wall too. Will we meet them again?
Dany and her army are carefree on their way to Dragonstone, when out of the blue, Rhaegal is killed by Qyburn’s scorpion! It’s an ambush by Euron Greyjoy and his ships! Dany is furious and flies towards them, while Euron aims at Drogon, but she turns at the last second and flies away in defeat. I was hoping she would reach them quicker to burn their fleets but I guess she accepted she was outmatched. Euron lives another day to be smug. He decimates their ships, and the meager number of Unsullied and Dothraki left wash up on shore, but Greyworm can’t find Missandei.
Turns out Euron has captured her. Cersei is claiming Jaime’s child as his. She’s letting people into the Red Keep so Dany has to go through the civilians before she gets to Cersei’s army.
Standoff between Cersei and all her forces, and Dany’s tiny remnant. I’m shocked at how little Unsullied and Dothraki are left! I also completely expected Cersei to push Missandei off the platform to her death.
Tyrion and Qyburn have a talk, but when they get nowhere, Tyrion is fed up and walks closer to Cersei. For sentimental reasons, again, she doesn’t kill him on the spot. He tries to appeal to her better nature, but she has none, as we know. She doesn’t push Missandei off the platform, but the Mountain cuts off her head, which is more brutal. (Poor Greyworm! They’ll never go to the beaches of Naath again. ?) Dany, having lost the last of her trusted advisors who has been with her from her early days, turns back with vengeance on her face.
Next episode will be the showdown between Dany and Cersei. Which also means that the season finale will probably be the showdown between Dany and Jon’s loyalists. Maybe Dany will turn mad and kill everyone, leaving King’s Landing a desolate waste and her sitting on the Iron Throne alone, ruling nobody.
(I just noticed that both Dany and Cersei have green eyes. Whose green eyes will Arya shut?)
