Winterfell
Sansa and Arya are on the balcony overlooking the Winterfell courtyard. They share memories of their father watching them and everyone else from the spot where they now stand. Arya details how she came outside after Bran's archery practice and even though she wasn't supposed to do such unladylike activities as archery, practiced until she could finally hit the bulls eye.
This makes Sansa lose her religion. Sansa scornfully says that Arya has no idea what Sansa has been through. She doesn't reference Ramsay's rape but this is pretty clearly the major event to which Sansa is referring. And Arya wouldn't have survived in King's Landing under Cersei's and Joffrey's control with routine public beatings by the Kingsguard. And by the way as far as Sansa is concerned the Starks are back in Winterfell because of Sansa. Not Robb. Not Jon. Not Bran. And definitely not Arya. The Knights of the Vale won the battle for the North. And they only came to the North because of Sansa. Sansa seems to think a bit higher of her political abilities than a fair reading of the evidence would indicate but there you go. Arya responds that no matter what she wouldn't have betrayed her family. Did the Lannisters put a sword to Sansa's throat? Because that's what Arya thinks of as a threat. If not, then no, Sansa is soft. From where Arya stands it looks like Sansa is afraid of what the Northern Lords, especially hardcore loyalists like Lyanna Mormont will think if they see that note. Lyanna is younger than Sansa was during Sansa's time at King's Landing. Sansa wants to know where Arya got the note but Arya doesn't answer. Why?
Sansa receives a note from King's Landing inviting her to come there. Sansa says she's not going. She intends to send Brienne. Brienne says that it's not safe. Sansa says aren't you Miss Bada$$? Brienne replies that no silly goose she meant that it wasn't safe for Sansa to be left alone at Winterfell with Littlefinger. At least let Brienne leave Podrick behind. Sansa has a real temper tantrum. She's tired of people questioning her authority or decisions. She feels safe in her own home and doesn't need the hired help second guessing her, thank you very much. Brienne tries again. She asks Sansa if she knows everything Littlefinger has been up to? Does she know whom Littlefinger has been talking to? Does she trust all of the Northern Lords and the Vale Army? Sansa responds that you know the longer Brienne is here talking, the worse the roads are going to get. And Sansa could have sworn she gave Brienne a direct order.
Sansa goes into Arya's room. She looks through Arya's things and finds a collection of faces. As she's looking through them she realizes that Arya is watching her. Sansa wants to know what the faces are and what they are for. Arya responds that both of the Stark daughters wanted to be other people when they were younger. The faces allow Arya to do that. Well the faces and her training in Bravoos. Arya again accuses Sansa of wanting Jon's spot. Arya suggests that the siblings play a game where Arya asks a question and Sansa answers honestly. Arya says that she can take anyone's face, maybe even Sansa's. There's a very strong horror moment vibe, made even more incongruous by the immense height difference between the two characters, as Arya approaches Sansa knife in hand. But Arya gives Sansa the knife and leaves.
Dragonstone
The Queen and her Hand discuss the upcoming planned meeting with Cersei. What about traps? Tyrion says that of course there will be traps. That's how Cersei's mind works. Tyrion doesn't trust Cersei. But he does trust his brother Jaime. And Tyrion has promises of fair play from Jaime. And there will be an army between Daenerys and anyone who intends to do her harm. Daenerys asks Tyrion well aren't we working on any counter traps. Because that's what we should be doing, isn't it?
Later Daenerys is with her dragons. She's intending to go somewhere. Tyrion advises against it. But as I wrote, at this moment when Tyrion says up Daenerys will say down. Because reasons.
Beyond the Wall
Anyway, what do seven notorious bada**es do when they're beyond the wall and engaged in a pointless suicide mission. Well they drink, exchange profane unpleasantries and try to work out their feelings about their fathers and each other. That's what they do. Tormund considers anything south of the Wall to be the South. He's happy to be up North again. He's also trying to get to know The Hound, so much so that The Hound wonders if Tormund is homosexual. Tormund replies nope. He's got a woman waiting for him, a big woman. And he intends to make a bunch of big babies with this big woman. The Hound is horrified and intrigued to realize that Tormund is referring to Brienne. Tormund talks about the days when he and Jon were on opposite sides. He talks about Mance Rayder's refusal to bend the knee as an example of pride before smarts.
Thoros dies during the night. Jon oversees the burning of the body. Jorah not so helpfully points out that they will all freeze but not before the lake refreezes and allows the wights to cross. The Night King is watching them with great interest. Beric points out in a Captain Obvious fashion that perhaps just as killing one White Walker destroyed all the wights turned by that particular White Walker, then killing the Night King will destroy the entire AOD.
Tormund goes down swinging but The Hound saves his life. Jon and crew have retreated to make their last stand on a hill. Things don't look good. Just as Jon is about to turn to the camera and say "Boy this was a dumb idea, huh?" Daenerys and her three dragons swoop from above to save the day. They immolate a good portion of the AOD, or at least the part that was threatening Jon and crew. Daenerys lands Drogon so that the men can climb aboard with their captured wight. All looks good. But just like The Joker in the Batman movie with Michael Keaton, the Night King has a plan to deal with aerial threats.
At Eastwatch Daenerys is still in shock over the death of one of her children. But she wants to wait before leaving to see if Jon made it back. Of course just as she's about to leave Jon comes back, half-dead. Jon wakes up on Daenerys' ship. She's looking at him with THAT look. She can see Jon's previous wounds from his murder by the Night's Watch. Jon says he's incredibly sorry for the loss of her dragon. Daenerys says that the dragons are her only children. She will destroy the Night King. Jon calls her Dany. When she says she doesn't like that nickname, he says then well what about my Queen. If the North doesn't like it, the North will have to get used to it. Jon is bending the knee. Jon and Danerys hold hands. The AOD pulls the carcass of Viserion from the lake. It takes a while but the Night King reanimates the dead dragon.
What I liked
- I need to visit Iceland. The locations and cinematography were just amazing in this episode. Really striking. You could enjoy this stuff with the sound off and just watch people walking.
- Tyrion trying to suggest moderation to Daenerys and receiving scorn and insults in return. Sometimes you're the dog and sometimes you're the fire hydrant.
- I thought that Tyrion's insistence on succession plan points to a Jon-Danerys marriage, although given that Tyrion advised that Daenerys let Jon die instead of rescuing him, I'm sure that Jon is not whom Tyrion had in mind, if anyone.
- News of Jon's resurrection spreading. This should be big. And if publicly known in the North, it would make things like him bending the knee or going south more palatable. If someone has beaten death that should make other people more deferential or even worshipful.
- The last stand scenes were well done even if I thought the writing didn't make sense.
- The Night King does not give a single flying Fibber McGee. If you are alive, he will kill you.
- The death of one dragon should embolden Cersei, whether or not she hears about or believes the true account of the dragon's death.
What I didn't like
- Two impossible rescues at the very last minute stretch believability. Westeros is supposed to be close to the size of South America IIRC. It's a big place. We're supposed to believe that a raven or multiple ravens got from Eastwatch to Dragonstone and that then three dragons flew from Dragonstone to a point beyond the wall in just a few hours? Supersonic dragons? It's not as if Jon and company had GPS or flare guns or tracking devices or Danerys had ever been north of the Wall and was intimately familiar with the geography. How could she have found them. I would bet good money that this will be done differently if it occurs in the books. This felt like something made up for TV because it touches the collective U.S. cultural memory of Cavalry and Indian wars (or maybe the British cultural memory of Zulu wars.) It would have made ever so much more sense for Daenerys to have come north last week.
- Although it makes sense that Arya and Sansa will perceive the world very differently, given their natures and experiences it doesn't make sense for them to act stupidly for plot reasons. As we saw last season when she refused orders from Faceless Men to kill on command, Arya is quite capable of sussing out manipulation and set ups. She should think a bit more about things. Instead of immediately falling back into sibling rivalry, given the circumstances (two dead brothers, other brother turning into a tree-wizard, dead aunt, dead mother, dead father, untold numbers of dead friends and retainers, and dead or departed wolves) you'd think the two sisters might want to compare notes and see what's what before they start bickering again. And Arya making implied threats to Sansa seems way out of character, even for Arya. Arya telling Sansa that she found the note in Littlefinger's room or has seen Littlefinger talking to Northerners changes the dynamics considerably.
- Sansa running to Littlefinger for advice when she JUST told her siblings that Littlefinger is dangerously self-interested seems well, inconsistent.
- Jon Snow bending the knee. If I were a Northern bannerman, I might throw up my hands and say what's the f***** point. Brandon and Rickon go south and are murdered. Ned goes south and is murdered. Robb goes south and is murdered. Now Jon Snow wants us to submit to the daughter of the man who murdered his grandfather and uncle? Get bent!!! Seriously the only way this makes sense is if Jon marries Daenerys and becomes King of the Seven Kingdoms. Anything less is a slap in the face to the people who fought and died to make the North independent and put Jon in charge. It's not about Jon's pride. It's about reflecting and respecting the desire of his people not to be ruled by the South again.
- Farewell Viserion. We hardly knew you. You died to make your human seem more compelling and sympathetic. And I hate that this mostly worked.
- No Ghost, though they probably would have just killed him off.
- If Bran can see all why doesn't he just tell his sisters what Littlefinger has done and what Littlefinger is up to?