Jon and Davos enter the throne room at Dragonstone. Missandei announces Daenerys with a comically long list of titles and accomplishments. Davos responds gruffly that this is Jon Snow and that he is King in the North. Pointedly referring to Jon as a Lord and not a King, Daenerys invites and then orders Jon to bend the knee and accept her as suzerain.
Apparently quite excited by successful revenge Cersei finds her brother and expresses her intent to do that thing that men and women do. Jaime is not really up for that but Cersei knows what he likes. She overcomes his unspoken objections. Later on there is a knock on the royal bedchamber. Jaime wants to hide in order to keep up appearances but Cersei is way beyond caring about conforming to social conventions like no public confirmation of first degree incest. She answers the door.
A lady in waiting announces that the representative from the Iron Bank of Braavos has arrived. Later during the meeting Cersei dispenses with the banker's worries about her position by reminding him that (1) the Lannisters always pay their debts and (2) Daenerys, even with dragons, is a poor bet for a businessman. Daenerys has destroyed much of the overseas slave trade in which the Iron Bank invested and sees herself as a revolutionary. Revolutionaries aren't big on keeping the status quo or repaying banks.
The Archmaester looks over Jorah and pronounces him free of infection. Jorah doesn't rat out Sam. Jorah says he just started feeling better. The Archmaester says that Jorah can leave. The Archmaester wants to talk to Sam later, though. Jorah tells Sam thanks and shakes Sam's hand. Jorah is going back to his old used to be but never was, Daenerys.
But Tyrion, having been forced to create sewers as an insult by his father Tywin, knows a back way into Casterly Rock. We see Grey Worm and team take this hidden path inside, open the gates and then lead a rout of the Lannister forces. But something is wrong. It was easy. Way too easy. Grey Worm demands to know from a dying Lannister soldier where is everyone else. Then Grey Worm looks up to see that the Greyjoy fleet is burning his ships. It was a sacrifice play. Now Grey Worm is stranded in hostile territory with no quick way back to his Queen.
The Queen of Thorns asks if the poison is painful and when Jaime demurs, drinks it down all at once. But before she goes she wants to make sure that Jaime and Cersei know that she, Olenna Tyrell, killed their son Joffrey. She didn't know that the poison would be so horrible as she hadn't seen it before but she's not sorry about that either. Not one bit. She is very happy to let Jaime know this. Very happy indeed.
What I liked
- The Queen of Thorns' ending scene. She went out like a Queen. No fear. Snarky to the end.
- Finally a hint at Jon's resurrection being of interest to someone. Again that would be a HUGE rallying point in the North and likely beyond. The King who defeated Death? Are you kidding me?
- Bran showing that for good or bad he's not the same person who left Winterfell
- Jon refusing to back down even as he's recognizing that yup, going south to treat with someone who demands your fealty on pain of death isn't super smart.
- Dragons flying over Jon, who after all has a better claim to the Iron Throne than Daenerys does.
- Davos telling it like it is.
- At this point will Cersei or Jaime care that it wasn't Tyrion who killed Joffrey. Probably not.
What I didn't like
- Tyrion being 0-2 with clever little plans. He was always smarter than Jaime and Cersei. What happened? I'm not saying that he can't make mistakes but it seems as if he and Cersei have switched personalities.
- The battles at Highgarden and Casterly Rock felt antiseptic and rushed. I look forward to reading how they happen (if they happen) in the yet to be released books. I didn't feel that there was much at stake.
- No Ghost
- Littlefinger just hanging around. We know that Sansa is a weak spot for him. But we also know that he's not overly sentimental. He seems out of place. Maybe we'll see what he's up to next week.
- I would have liked to see a Melisandre-Jon-Davos confrontation