Jon and Daenerys' meeting wasn't quite the rosy, diplomatic interaction that fans may have been hoping for - and the episode was better for it. Unsurprisingly, Daenerys asked Jon to pledge his allegiance to her immediately, while Jon had a simpler, but perhaps more manic-sounding request; help him defeat the White Walkers.
Daenerys, showing a worrisome hubris that seemed to render her deaf to the threats at hand, gave Jon an unwanted spiel about her right to the throne. But after some wise words from Tyrion, Daenerys agreed to let Jon mine the Dragonglass - meaning the threat of the White Walkers may be less desperate than it has appeared to be.
Game of Thrones could have taken a crowd-pleasing road with Daenerys' arrival in Westeros, but they've stayed true to form by complicating things further for the mother of dragons. Which brings us to...
Cersei, a certified tyrant
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Cersei is relishing being queen, having the time of her life wreaking havoc on her enemies. She left Ellaria trapped in a dungeon (indefinitely, according to this EW interview) as revenge for her daughter's death, and Yara remains in Euron's clutches. She also cleverly preempted the Unsullied's attempt to take Casterly Rock, saving the Lannister army from defeat by sending them to Highgarden to defeat House Tyrell and grab some of that gold Cersei so desperately needs. Some thoughts;
• Who knew economics could be so interesting in a show like this? I relished Cersei's scene with the Bravos debt collector; it allowed Lena Headey to deliver more of the poison-tongued dialogue we've grown to love over previous seasons.
• Euron Greyjoy is being set up as this season's villain, but I'm not an advocate for the weird psychosexual direction they're taking it. Thrones has already felt the heat for its unnecessarily graphic depictions of rape via Ramsay Bolton's cruelty, and I don't think we need another unhinged man with a raging libido.
• The Lannister win at Highgarden meant a sad end for one of the show's best characters - or did it? Lady Olenna appeared to submit to her death by drinking Jamie's poison, but I just don't trust this show enough - if a death is not shown on screen, did that character actually die?
via GIPHY
Anyway, up in the north...
A long-overdue Stark reunion
This was another crossing of paths that we've been waiting for since season one, and it felt like taking a deep breath - similar to Sansa and Jon's reunion last season. When Sansa was alerted someone had showed up at Winterfell, it seemed the Stark sisters were about to be reunited - but rather, it was Bran who came knocking.
However, this presented a new challenge; Bran's talk of being the three-eyed raven had Sansa bewildered, and an attempt to talk it out beneath that magic tree provided fruitless. Maybe Arya will show up soon and help make sense of his mystical musings.
via GIPHY
Sidenote - Sansa is killing it this season, and it's about time. I've been a Sansa fan from day one (don't you dare try tell me she hasn't always been one of the strongest characters on this show) but to see her making more intelligent calls than her brother - leather in the armour, preparing food supplies for the long term - is deeply satisfying. A true queen.
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*Game of Thrones airs Mondays at 1pm and again at 8.30pm on SoHo, and is available on NEON.
