With this being the second to last of the season, I had high expectations considering the competition of season's past. We have experienced Ned being beheaded, the Red Wedding, and my personal favorite of the episode 9's, the Battle of the Bastards. I stayed away from social media and YouTube due to the episode leak earlier last week, so I truly did not know what was about to take place. My brother warned me on Friday that the episode was epic(yes, he is one of those shits that watched it early), and he sounded super happy when he told me. He did not, however, tell his sister that she needed to call a shrink Monday morning. Thanks brother!! Our conversation on Monday was a very colorful one(haha). So, grab your box of tissues, and let's review.
*Photo Courtesy Of: HBO
*Photo Courtesy Of: HBO
The hound picks up a rock and throws it at the wights. The rock knocks off part of one of their faces and The Hound makes fun of it. He picks up a larger rock and chucks it toward the same one he just hit. It falls short and skids across the ice and stops right at the wight's feet. The wight looks down at the rock and realizes that it can cross the lake now that it has frozen back over. He starts walking in the men's direction, sword dragging on the ice.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
The men again form a circle, ready to fight. The walkers come in, closer now. All hell breaks loose. The men go to town with their various weapons. Aerial shots show that they have no chance to defeat them themselves. Finally, Jon yells for them to fall back. They start to, and Tormund almost gets taken into the water, but The Hound saves him right before he gets drug in.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
They are fighting them off and taking turns dragging their wight captive further from the fighting herd. Then, there is a super slow mo of the men fighting and each one making weird lingering eye contact with Jon. It was the most "romanticized" battle porn I have ever seen as the slow mo lasted a little too long for me. I thought this part was so stupid and cheesy, and I don't usually think that about this series. Then, Jon sees all the wights coming from the other direction too. He has the look of defeat when he sees a light that makes him duck for cover. Fire comes from the sky just in time. Again, this part, even though right on time, was so damn cheesy. Didn't they just duplicate the same exact "from the behind rescue", like the Battle of the Bastards? (enter very sarcastic clap here) This is what it must have felt like to the men that were forced to watch the movie Titanic with their girlfriends. We all knew how it was going to end, but just how cheesy can we make it this time?
Dany flies over head. The three dragons go to work burning up the wights and melting the ice on the lake at the same time. Dany sees Jon and comes in to land by him and the others. Dany reaches out her hand for Jon to climb up but a wight grabs his attention from behind and he starts fighting them off. Jorah, Tormund, The Hound who is carrying the wight, and Beric all climb aboard Drogon.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
The Night King then takes his ice spear from one of the four horsemen, who oddly enough is wearing a man bun like Thoros, and walks in the direction of Vicerion flying over head. He Heisman throws his spear at the dragon and it hits him, making him fly downward, in flames, bleeding profusely. The screeching from the beast, gets everyone's attention and are now looking up at the sight. Drogon screeches out in angst as he sees his brother is severely wounded and going down in flames.
Viserion crashes into the ice, finally stopping, his eyes close, then he sinks into the water. The camera pans across everyone's face, finally resting on Dany, who has a look of disbelief and heartache. Drogon cries out again over the loss of Viserion. Jon fights off two more wights, when he makes eye contact with the Night King. He has another spear in his hand and Jon realizes where he is headed, toward Drogon. He tells Dany to go. He runs toward the dragon and some wights tackle him, crashing him through the ice and into the freezing water. Dany sees this from above and sees nothing but bubbles coming from where he fell in.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
She knows she has to takeoff or she was going to lose Drogon too. The dragon takes off into the air, and the Night King throws his ice spear. Drogon turns just at the right moment and it misses him by a hair, but Jorah almost falls off. Tormund catches him and they all are on the way back to Eastwatch, except Jon.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
The Night King and crew all back off and head the other way. Jon pops out of the water, clearly freezing. He pulls himself out, and gets his breath for a second. He gets up and starts walking, very stiffly, then faces the wights. I almost thought he had been turned into a wight himself by the way he was walking.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
As if we didn't already see this coming, Benjen arrives on horseback, again, just in time, toting his little fireball weapon, taking out wights. Benjen jumps off his horse as soon as he gets close enough to Jon. He shows Jon his face so he will know it is him and trust him. He hurls Jon onto the horse and tells him to ride for the pass. Jon tells him to come with him and Benjen tells him there is no time, even though there obviously is. He slaps the horse and says to go as he takes off toward the wights and gets taken down by them, while Jon gets away. Bye bye Benjen. Too bad they never touched on Cold Hands. Another FUBAR from the writers. That made that scene, again, fall short and empty for me. I did not care that Benjen died because I didn't have anything invested in him from not starting out reading the books first. I knew of the importance to end his story line, but I would have cared more, had we known more about him like the books reveal.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
The Hound is carrying the wight hostage to the boat with Beric and Tormund. Tormund nods at The Hound who put the wight in the boat and is about to leave. Beric tells him that hopefully they will meet again. The Hound says he hopes not. They smile. Tormund and Beric look up at a flying Drogon as he is screeching.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
Dany is looking out from a watch tower. She is obviously not doing well from the events that have just taken place. She is looking as if she is waiting for Jon to come running toward The Wall. Jorah tells her it is time to go and she says she needs a bit longer. He turns and leaves her and she looks out one last time and turns to follow Jorah. Then one horn blasts and she returns to the lookout. There is a horse that comes running. She knows who it is.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
Davos is peeling the frozen clothes off Jon's body and Dany is standing in the doorway, watching. She sees the scars all over his chest, obvious stab wounds. She has confirmed it, he was stabbed by his own men. He is not awake and everyone is scrambling about, wanting to help him. She looks on, stunned as they cover him up.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
Sansa enters Arya's room and is looking through her stuff to find that letter. She walks past a table that has Catspaw on it. She comes across a bag and opens it to discover two faces in there, one being Walder Frey's. She looks at them, horrified, as Arya speaks up from behind her.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
She says, "Not what you're looking for?" Sansa stands and spins to face her. She immediately states that she has a bunch of men there that are loyal to her. Arya points out that they aren't there right now. Sansa demands to know what the faces are and where they came from. Arya tells her she got them training in Braavos to be a Faceless Man. She tells Sansa of the Game of Faces and that she would like to play with her. She tells her to come up with a lie about herself and get her to believe her. She tells Sansa if she can fool her, then she will win, if she catches her lie, she loses. Arya asks her what she thinks about Jon being King of the North and Sansa tells her she doesn't want to play, and asks about the faces again. Arya asks her if she wants to do the asking but warns that the it didn't end up too well for the last person who did so. Sansa still wants to know about the faces. Arya explains that they both used to want to be other people when they were younger. She says that Sansa wanted to sit on the iron throne next to a handsome king and she herself wanted to be a Knight and go off to battle like her father. She states that they live in a world where girls don't get to decide what they get to be and neither of them have got to be what they wanted. She says that she can do it now with the faces. She says she can become whoever she wants now, even Sansa, if she wants. She gets closer with Catspaw in hand and hands it to her. Then turns and walks out, leaving a very startled Sansa behind. I am a little confused about this exchange, only because Arya is obviously threatening and intimidating Sansa, but hands her Catspaw. Why? Is she telling Sansa to kill herself so she can have her face? Is she telling her to kill Litlefinger? I knew she was in the room the minute Sansa walked past the table with the dagger sitting on it. Arya isn't going to leave that thing just sitting there. Again, I think next week we will be saying goodbye to one of these two ladies. I really hope it is Sansa.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
Next, we see Dany's boat. Jon is waking up and focuses in on Dany, who is sitting at his bedside. She looks brokenhearted. Jon immediately says he is sorry and wishes he could take it back. She tells him not to be sorry and that she is glad that she got to see it because now she knows. She says she would not have believed it had she not gone herself. She vows to help him fight the Night King because of it. She wants to avenge her child. Jon says, "Thank you Dany."
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
She laughs in surprise and says that she cannot remember the last person to call her that. Then remembers it was Viserys and says that people in her past who called her that are no longer here, he may want to rethink it. He says, "Well, how about my Queen?" He says he would bend the knee, and looks at himself like he can't. She asks about those that swore allegiance to him and he replies that they will all see her for what she is. She is touched and humbled and says she hopes she deserves it and he confirms that she does. They are holding hands, gross. She tells him to get some rest. I think we will see some fireworks between these two in the next episode, unless Bran is able to send a raven to that boat to tell him to back off his aunt. I find the whole thing hypocritical after the incestuous relationship between Jaime and Cersei has caused most of the drama in the show. Not to mention, this is a mere copycat to Luke and Leia Skywalker. Come up with your own shit George! We have been groomed to find J & C disgusting, but are expected to accept it from Jon and Dany????? GTFOH! Cersei and Jaime's dirty little secret has cost more lives and bodily injury to be able to count. The War of the Five Kings was caused by it. It is actually making me want to join #teamlannister and not at all care what happens to Jon and Dany. I think the writers are doing a horrible disservice and if this was GRRM's master plan all along, then he is far more sick and twisted than I ever imagined. ESPECIALLY after having the audacity to make book fans wait over twenty years to find out what is up. Yes, over TWENTY(that's 20) years to find out that Jon and Dany are just as sick and Cersei and Jamie. Thanks!! I will go the rest of my life knowing that they don't care about these characters as much as the fans do and it is all about shock value at this point. I would rather have 8 seasons with 20 episodes of good content, than the last 2 seasons having only 13 episodes, so they can do more of their precious CGI battle porn, while the writers rush the story to the end, just to disappoint most of us anyway. Assholes. Anyone else reading between these lines? It is about the money, not the story, fans who actually pay for HBO, or the characters. Rant over for now.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
The wights are hauling huge chains out of the water and we know what is about to take place. Viserion comes out of the water, breaking the ice as he does. The Night King get's off his horse and walks toward the dead dragon, freshly pulled from the lake. He kneels before the dragon's massive head and puts his hand on his snout. The dragon opens his eye and it is blue. The episode ends. Wow, we didn't see that coming...... enter sarcasm here, please. I will also go ahead and ask what millions of people have also asked, where in the hell did the wights get these humongous chains from? How did they get the chains around Viserion to pull him out of the water if they themselves just sink to the bottom in it? I am personally pissed about this whole scene. Not because the major plot leak that was exposed in March actually came out to be true, but because GRRM lied, boldfaced, when he was asked about it. He was asked point blank if one of these dragons was going to be turned and he said no, that he wrote a separate book about an ice dragon, and to read that if they want that. Way to sell out for HBO, Georgy. He needs to keep in mind that people have been waiting for his slow ass to finish these books, and that this problem is no one else's fault but his own. He should be able to answer questions about his own material honestly, especially since the entire plot was already spoiled. Now he just looks like an asshole, which he will always be in my mind for taking so long anyway. All he is doing is plucking actual events in history, placing them in a magical land, set in medieval times. It shouldn't have been that hard to finish this series. There are millions of stories from history he could have copied from and ended this thing properly by now, instead of being an embarrassment to the writing world. It is pretty hard, in my mind, to claim writers block when all you have done is steal stories from actual history anyway. I wish I could take twenty years to finish something and still get paid for it..... Again, he is an asshole. Second rant over. Sorry.
My overall review of this episode is not very nice, and in fact, I pretty much hated the entire episode, with the exception of Jon, Jorah, and Longclaw. I think a lot of fans are agreeing with me, because I actually did watch some other reviews before posting my hateful feelings, which is also why it took me so long to get this one finished. I decided to not play it nice like when I have been disappointed in the past with this show. I usually don't watch other reviews before posting my own so my judgement won't be clouded, but I was curious if I was just being butt hurt over the plot leak, GRRM's lies and deceit, and the fact that I hate being forced to buy into incest between two characters I actually like, only after being groomed the exact opposite way for six years prior. I haven't been irritated with a show like this in a very long time. I will be thinking of canceling my HBO subscription and stealing it like everyone else if they don't wrap this thing up with some class and dignity next week. Seriously. The episode airs on 8/27, just in time to cancel and not pay another $14.99 on September 1st to people that would rather disappoint me than make me happy, all while making me wait over a year + for the last and very short albeit rushed season. They will still get their CGI budget covered, but will not use my $14.99 to do so. Shame on you HBO. This episode was awful. We deserved better content, less pyrotechnics.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
Let me know what you think! Did you totally disagree with me and like the episode? Please tell me why in the comments. I don't understand how anyone would think this is good, I am truly curious! Thanks for stopping by and again, sorry for the delay on this one!
XOXO
Gina Murrell
Mother of horrible episode reviews, Breaker of lying writers, Truth teller of shameful multi million dollar conglomerates, Khaleesi of future HBO stealing, and The Unhinged.
The very 1st part of the first scene, we are being drawn over the painted table so you can see it up close. It looks to me that it is not the pretty blue color that it was last week.
*Photo Courtesy Of: HBO
When we come to the very North of the painted table, we fade to Jon and crew trudging through snow covered mountains and valleys. There are nine men total in the picture below, but others have shown up to twelve men. They did a poor job of showing everyone that went on the journey with them. Jon asks Gendry if he is alright and Tormund wants to know if he has ever been North before. Gendry remarks that he has never seen snow before.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
Tormund says he loves it, and that the air is way better in the North than the South. Jon tells him he has never been South. Tormund says he has been to Winterfell. Jon says that is in the North. Tormund looks as if he disagrees and grunts. Tormund gives them advice and tells them to keep moving to keep warm. Tormund goes to the side with Jon and tells him that Gendry doesn't look too smart. Jon states he is a good fighter. Tormund inquires about the dragon queen and Jon explains the situation. Tormund tells him he spent too much time with the free folk to bend a knee, but says that Mance refused and to look at how many of his men died for his pride.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
Thoros and Beric are walking alongside Gendry now and Thoros asks him if he is still mad at them. Gendry states they sold him to a Witch. Thoros corrects him and says Priestess. Gendry is bitter because he wanted to join them and they sold him instead. He complains that she wanted to kill him.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
The Hound interrupts and tells him to stop "whinging". He points to Beric and says he has been killed six times and you don't hear him complaining as The Hound walks forward, leaving them to ponder that. Beric follows him with a big grin on his face. Gendry and Thoros follow.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
Jon and Jorah are talking about Lord Commander Mormont. Jorah tells him he deserved a better son. He asks Jon if he was with him in the end. Jon tells him no, but they did avenge him. Jon says Ned was the most honorable man he ever met. He says he still died on the executioners block. Jorah says that Jon's father wanted him on the block. Jon says he is glad he did not catch him. Jorah agrees and smiles.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
He pulls Jorah away from the other men walking, and takes Longclaw off his waist. I think a lot of fans have been waiting for this moment. I don't see it as a huge moment, like finding out who Jon's parents are, but it was important to be addressed. He explains that Jorah's father gave it to him, and changed the bear to a wolf, but it is his family's sword nonetheless. He hands Jorah Longclaw. He explains that he is sure that Lord Commander Mormont probably did not think his son would ever return to Westeros, but that that he is back. Jorah takes a good look at the sword, knowing it from memory.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
He looks at Jon and tells him that his father gave it to him for a reason. Jon says he isn't Commaner Mormont's son. Jorah explains that he brought shame on his house and that he broke his father's heart. He says that he forfeited his right to claim that sword as he hands it back.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
He tells him it will serve his future house and children well and walks on. this was a very touching moment for me. Iain Glen does such a fantastic job at playing Jorah. I think if any other person on the planet had played the role of Jorah, I would not like him as much as I do. I know the fans have been wanting this to be acknowledged at some point, should Jon and Jorah meet. Thank you HBO! At least they gave us one thing we wanted in this episode!
Back at Winterfell, Arya is overlooking the courtyard that she used to sneak and do target practice when she was little. Sansa approaches and Arya tells her a story of when she was a little girl. She had sneaked and used Bran's bow to do some target practice when no one was looking. She said she must have shot the same arrow 20-50 times before she hit the bullseye. She heard a clap from above and there was their father standing there smiling. He had been watching her the entire time. She realized that he wasn't mad that she was shooting Bran's bow as she expected. Arya said that she realized that she wasn't wrong for breaking the rules, because the rules themselves were wrong.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
She said she knew this is what she was meant to do. She says their father knew it too. She says that now he is dead and it is because of the Lannisters, and Sansa. Sansa looks at her in disbelief at what she is saying, almost as if she heard her wrong. Arya begins unrolling the message written by Sansa in Season 1. She begins reading it, and Sansa stops her, saying she doesn't have to read it, she remembers what it says.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
Arya continues anyway, walking now. Sansa is at her heels. Sansa claims they forced her to do it. Arya asks her if they tortured her and made her. Sansa said that she was a child. Arya spats back stating she was also a child and would not have betrayed her family. She also says she would have let them kill her before she let them kill her family. She says she saw her the day they took father up to the block and she was standing up there in her pretty dress, with her hair in a fancy style next to her beloved Joffrey. Sansa says she didn't realize she was there. Arya tells her where she was, next to the Baelor statue. Sansa asks her if she did anything to stop it since she was there as well. Arya tells her that she did not betray her family. Sansa tells her that she should be on her knees thanking her.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
She says that Jon lost the Battle of the Bastards and the Knights of the Vale came for her and won the battle for him, all while Arya was off seeing the world. Arya corrects her and says she was training. Sansa tells her that while she was "training" she was suffering things she could never imagine. She wants to know what Arya will do with the letter. Arya says she doesn't know. She accuses Sansa of being scared. Sansa tells her that Cersei would be so happy if she knew they were fighting. Arya asks her what all the men who are standing behind her would feel if they saw the letter. She inquires about Lady Mormont being younger than Sansa at that time and asks if she thinks that the letter would be acceptable because Sansa was a child. Arya accuses her of being angry and that anger makes people do unfortunate things. Arya says fear also makes people do unfortunate things, but that she'll go with anger. This is not going to end well for one of these ladies. I think we are going to lose one of them next week. I am hoping is is Sansa, but with the way the rest of this episode turned out, the writers seem to have it out for the fans, so they will probably take Arya away from us just to be dicks. But, I am not bitter..............
*Photo Courtesy Of: HBO
The Hound and Tormund go into a hilarious back and forth about The Hound hating gingers and Tormund being in love with Brienne of Tarth, figuring out that they both know her, but think of her in very different ways. Tormund says he has red hair because he is kissed by fire, just like The Hound's face. Tormund tells him he doesn't think he was born mean because The Hound has sad eyes. The Hound asks him how he has lived this long and Tormund replies with "Cause I'm good at killing people." I love these two guys. You can tell that they would never hang out under any other circumstances, but that they at least have a mutual respect for one another due to the cause.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
Jon and Beric are walking side by side and Beric tells Jon that he looks nothing like his father and that he must look like his mother. Can someone just please tell him already? With as much time as we have spent at Winterfell watching Arya and Sansa's cat fight, we could at least visit with the boring Bran flake and see him rolling his eyes back or something......
*Photo Courtesy Of: HBO
Beric tells him how he knew his father. He asks Jon about the Red Woman bringing him back and tells him how Thoros has brought him back 6 times. Jon tells him the Lord of Light never spoke to him and he has no idea what he wants from him. Beric tells him he has spent a lot fo time thinking the same, but he does know that the enemy always wins, but they still need to fight him. He said he is fighting for the people who can't fight for themselves. Jon repeats the Night's Watch oath about protecting all of men or whatever, and he says that those words might have to be good enough. Then they come before a huge mountain top shaped like an arrowhead, and The Hound tells them that this is the one he saw in the fire. He says they are getting close. They continue in the direction of the mountain.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
Beric tells him how he knew his father. He asks Jon about the Red Woman bringing him back and tells him how Thoros has brought him back 6 times. Jon tells him the Lord of Light never spoke to him and he has no idea what he wants from him. Beric tells him he has spent a lot fo time thinking the same, but he does know that the enemy always wins, but they still need to fight him. He said he is fighting for the people who can't fight for themselves. Jon repeats the Night's Watch oath about protecting all of men or whatever, and he says that those words might have to be good enough. Then they come before a huge mountain top shaped like an arrowhead, and The Hound tells them that this is the one he saw in the fire. He says they are getting close. They continue in the direction of the mountain.
Dany and Tyrion are in the room with the painted table. You can now see the blue paint on it. It is weird that when she was not in the room, it did not have any and now when she is in the room, you can clearly see it. Very weird. It may have just been the light hitting it, but I feel like it means something.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
Anyway, Dany tells Tyrion what she likes about him. She says she likes that he is not a hero. She said heroes go off and do stupid things, and get themselves killed. She lists off , Drogo, Jorah, Darrio, and Jon Snow. Tyrion stops her and jabs her a little, teasing her about the mention of Jon in that list. She is blushing a little as she looks at him. He tells her all them men she listed fell in love with her. She claims that Jon is not in love with her. Tyrion teases again and says he is sure the looks of longing across a room are because he wants a military alliance with her. Dany says that Jon is too little to be with her. She sees the look of hurt on Tyrions face at the mention of Jon being too little. She apologizes and says she didn't mean it like that. He says that he supposes Jon is small as far as heroes are concerned. Dany sits down and says that she supposes she will get to meet his sister if things go as planned, although she would rather murder Dany. Tyrion confirms, but telling her that she would actually torture Daenarys, then murder her. He says there is no one that trusts Cersei less than him. He says that they will go to the capital with two strong armies and three dragons. He tells her that they will send a message that they will burn the city to the ground should something happen to Dany. Dany says she is probably trying to figure out how to lay a trap.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
Tyrion says yes and that she is also trying to figure out what type of trap Daenerys is planning as well. Dany asks Tyrion if they are laying any traps. Tyrion says he doesn't think it would be a good trust builder, by instilling fear. Tyrion says that putting fear in people will only get you so far, and Dany tells him that it got Aegon the Conqueror pretty far. Tyrion agrees but reminds her of wanting to break the wheel. He tells Dany that he promised Jamie that he would keep Dany from doing anything impulsive. She wants an example of when she has been. He tells her that she was impulsive when she executed the Tarly's. The conversation takes a turn for the worse as she disagrees. She accuses him of siding with his family. He admits that he is and that she should always see her enemy's side so you know how to fight them and beat them. He wants to know how to make sure the wheel stays broken after she is gone, obviously hinting at not having any heirs to follow her. She gets angry, almost offended that he is asking about her succession. It seems to be a sore subject for her as Tyrion states that even she, herself, has said she cannot have more children.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
He is defending, stating that he saw thousands of arrows fly at her and one wrong move and one could have hit her heart. He said they need to be careful. She accuses him of thinking too much about her death, for losing Dorne and Highgarden, and tells him she will only discuss her succession after she has the crown. She storms out. A lot of times she acts like a spoiled brat. Tyrion really is looking out for her. I think she will be the one to die in the end and Jon will on the iron throne because of it. I look for Dany to die in childbirth with Jon's incest dragon/wolf baby. It takes a lot for me to say it, because behind Tyrion, Dany is my favorite character and I have been rooting for her since season 1. If her and Jon are going to hook up, then I am fine with her dying. It may be harsh, but if the writers want to ruin something, they may as well hit the nail in the coffin when they do it! But again...... I'm not bitter.
Anyway, Dany tells Tyrion what she likes about him. She says she likes that he is not a hero. She said heroes go off and do stupid things, and get themselves killed. She lists off , Drogo, Jorah, Darrio, and Jon Snow. Tyrion stops her and jabs her a little, teasing her about the mention of Jon in that list. She is blushing a little as she looks at him. He tells her all them men she listed fell in love with her. She claims that Jon is not in love with her. Tyrion teases again and says he is sure the looks of longing across a room are because he wants a military alliance with her. Dany says that Jon is too little to be with her. She sees the look of hurt on Tyrions face at the mention of Jon being too little. She apologizes and says she didn't mean it like that. He says that he supposes Jon is small as far as heroes are concerned. Dany sits down and says that she supposes she will get to meet his sister if things go as planned, although she would rather murder Dany. Tyrion confirms, but telling her that she would actually torture Daenarys, then murder her. He says there is no one that trusts Cersei less than him. He says that they will go to the capital with two strong armies and three dragons. He tells her that they will send a message that they will burn the city to the ground should something happen to Dany. Dany says she is probably trying to figure out how to lay a trap.
Tyrion says yes and that she is also trying to figure out what type of trap Daenerys is planning as well. Dany asks Tyrion if they are laying any traps. Tyrion says he doesn't think it would be a good trust builder, by instilling fear. Tyrion says that putting fear in people will only get you so far, and Dany tells him that it got Aegon the Conqueror pretty far. Tyrion agrees but reminds her of wanting to break the wheel. He tells Dany that he promised Jamie that he would keep Dany from doing anything impulsive. She wants an example of when she has been. He tells her that she was impulsive when she executed the Tarly's. The conversation takes a turn for the worse as she disagrees. She accuses him of siding with his family. He admits that he is and that she should always see her enemy's side so you know how to fight them and beat them. He wants to know how to make sure the wheel stays broken after she is gone, obviously hinting at not having any heirs to follow her. She gets angry, almost offended that he is asking about her succession. It seems to be a sore subject for her as Tyrion states that even she, herself, has said she cannot have more children.
He is defending, stating that he saw thousands of arrows fly at her and one wrong move and one could have hit her heart. He said they need to be careful. She accuses him of thinking too much about her death, for losing Dorne and Highgarden, and tells him she will only discuss her succession after she has the crown. She storms out. A lot of times she acts like a spoiled brat. Tyrion really is looking out for her. I think she will be the one to die in the end and Jon will on the iron throne because of it. I look for Dany to die in childbirth with Jon's incest dragon/wolf baby. It takes a lot for me to say it, because behind Tyrion, Dany is my favorite character and I have been rooting for her since season 1. If her and Jon are going to hook up, then I am fine with her dying. It may be harsh, but if the writers want to ruin something, they may as well hit the nail in the coffin when they do it! But again...... I'm not bitter.
Jon and crew are now walking through a horrid snow storm. They see a huge figure off in the distance and try to make it out. One of them states it is a bear, a huge bear actually. We see it closer now and then Gendry asks if bears have blue eyes. Then, it takes off running at the crew member who takes off running back toward the crew.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
They can't really see anything because the storm is so bad and the bear comes out of nowhere and kills the man, leaving only a blood stain and his weapon behind. The rest of the guys no longer see the bear and form a circle facing outward. The bear jumps in the circle, attacking one of the men. The bear attacks Thoros, trowing him like a rag doll.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
Beric and one of his men light their swords up and set the bear on fire, as the bear walks toward The Hound, who just stares at it terrified. It goes to attack The Hound and Thoros steps in with his flaming sword. The bear is biting on the sword and is the only thing stopping it from biting Thoros. Tormund tries to help, but gets kicked back pretty hard.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
The bear gets the sword away and gets a hold of Thoros, mauling his chest. Jorah comes in with is dragon glass dagger and kills the bear, stabbing it in the head. I believe this was hugely symbolic since Jorah's house sigil is also a bear. It may not be foreshadowing anything, or it could mean that Jorah is also going to meet an untimely end. Thoros is hurt pretty badly, his chest mangled. Beric cauterizes the wound with his flaming sword since there would be no time to get him back to Eastwatch. He is able to get up and continue walking with the rest of the group. The bear was able to take out several of the guys that were with them. The rest look on into the unknown storm ahead.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
They can't really see anything because the storm is so bad and the bear comes out of nowhere and kills the man, leaving only a blood stain and his weapon behind. The rest of the guys no longer see the bear and form a circle facing outward. The bear jumps in the circle, attacking one of the men. The bear attacks Thoros, trowing him like a rag doll.
Beric and one of his men light their swords up and set the bear on fire, as the bear walks toward The Hound, who just stares at it terrified. It goes to attack The Hound and Thoros steps in with his flaming sword. The bear is biting on the sword and is the only thing stopping it from biting Thoros. Tormund tries to help, but gets kicked back pretty hard.
The bear gets the sword away and gets a hold of Thoros, mauling his chest. Jorah comes in with is dragon glass dagger and kills the bear, stabbing it in the head. I believe this was hugely symbolic since Jorah's house sigil is also a bear. It may not be foreshadowing anything, or it could mean that Jorah is also going to meet an untimely end. Thoros is hurt pretty badly, his chest mangled. Beric cauterizes the wound with his flaming sword since there would be no time to get him back to Eastwatch. He is able to get up and continue walking with the rest of the group. The bear was able to take out several of the guys that were with them. The rest look on into the unknown storm ahead.
Littlefinger is with Sansa in her bedroom. She is half whispering, asking him where Arya could have got that letter from. Littlefinger plays dumb. She tells him of her worry, the men that are fighting for her finding out about it. She says they turned their backs on Jon, then made him King of the North, and are now turning their backs on him again. Sansa asks him how to trust men like that. Littlefinger says that Arya is not like that and she would not betray her family. Sansa tells him that she doesn't know what Arya is like, she doesn't know her anymore. Littlefinger brings up Brienne and says that she would intercede before she would let Sansa or Arya hurt each other. Sansa agrees with that. The way Sansa is talking to Littlefinger, it seems like she trusts him. She is confiding pretty much everything to him and asking his advice. Wasn't it just a few weeks ago, before Arya's return, that she seemed to have somewhat of a handle on him?
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
Jorah is walking alongside Thoros and speaks of a battle where Jorah laid witness. Thoros says he doesn't remember being at the battle. Jorah says he thought he was the bravest man there, and Thoros corrects him and says he was just the drunkest. Jorah assists him with his canteen of alcohol and they keep walking.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
Tormund hears something over a small cliff and he and Jon peep over to see some wights following a White Walker. Jon is curious to know where the rest of them are. Tormund doesn't want to wait around to find out.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
The White Walker comes upon their old campfire that was still burning and he starts to look around for the culprits. That's when the rag tag crew charge from behind with a surprise attack. They are all going to town, Jon fighting the Walker of course. He chops it in half with Longclaw, shattering it into pieces as he does. As he does this, the rest of the wights fighting the other men, simply fall to the ground in piles of bones in front of them.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
They all look around as if they can't believe what they just witnessed. One wight happens to still be alive. They circle him, and The Hound tackles him to the ground and wrestles to hold him, the wight screeching, what seems to be for help at the top of his lungs. Next thing you know, the ground begins to rumble. The snow starts falling. Jon realizes what is about to take place and he grabs Gendry and tells him to go back to Eastwatch, send a raven to Dany, and to hurry. Gendry doesn't want to leave him, but Jon tells him he is the fastest out of all of them. He starts to go and Tormund takes his hammer and tells him he will be faster without it. Gendry takes off running, in what I can only describe as Steven Seagal style.
Tormund hears something over a small cliff and he and Jon peep over to see some wights following a White Walker. Jon is curious to know where the rest of them are. Tormund doesn't want to wait around to find out.
The White Walker comes upon their old campfire that was still burning and he starts to look around for the culprits. That's when the rag tag crew charge from behind with a surprise attack. They are all going to town, Jon fighting the Walker of course. He chops it in half with Longclaw, shattering it into pieces as he does. As he does this, the rest of the wights fighting the other men, simply fall to the ground in piles of bones in front of them.
They all look around as if they can't believe what they just witnessed. One wight happens to still be alive. They circle him, and The Hound tackles him to the ground and wrestles to hold him, the wight screeching, what seems to be for help at the top of his lungs. Next thing you know, the ground begins to rumble. The snow starts falling. Jon realizes what is about to take place and he grabs Gendry and tells him to go back to Eastwatch, send a raven to Dany, and to hurry. Gendry doesn't want to leave him, but Jon tells him he is the fastest out of all of them. He starts to go and Tormund takes his hammer and tells him he will be faster without it. Gendry takes off running, in what I can only describe as Steven Seagal style.
The rest of the guys get the wight tied up and take off running out of there. They come to a frozen lake but the ice is cracking below their feet. They don't have a choice but to make a break for it because they turn around and there are a wights coming from behind. They surround the frozen lake quicker than they can out run them. They come to a rock sticking out of the lake big enough for them to form a circle on. They still have their prisoner. The wights try to come in for the kill but the weight of them causes the ice to give and a lot of them go right in and sink.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
The guys have no choice but to stay there. Gendry is still running and finally sees The Wall. He heads for it. Pan back to the crew with the wight. It is freezing and dark. The men are shivering and trying to keep their eyes open. Back to Gendry. He falls about 50 yards from the gate, which quickly opens. Davos comes running out with the other men that did not go North. Gendry is trying to breath and makes out that they need to send a raven.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
The guys have no choice but to stay there. Gendry is still running and finally sees The Wall. He heads for it. Pan back to the crew with the wight. It is freezing and dark. The men are shivering and trying to keep their eyes open. Back to Gendry. He falls about 50 yards from the gate, which quickly opens. Davos comes running out with the other men that did not go North. Gendry is trying to breath and makes out that they need to send a raven.
It is now daylight and the men are all asleep, still formed in a circle. The wight is still making racket and The Hound kicks it. He screams and several growls and screeches go through the crowd of wights. Beric looks down at Thoros and kneels to check on him and realizes that he has passed away throughout the night. He is obviously upset and The Hound kneels down as Beric covers his face with a blanket.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
The Hound tells Beric that he has heard that this is the best way to go, meaning in his sleep. The Hound picks up Thoros's canteen and takes a drink. Beric begins a prayer over Thoros and The Hound attempts to take another swig, but Jon snatches it out of his hand before he does. Jon says they need to burn the body and dumps the liquor onto Thoros. Beric lights his sword and sets Thoros ablaze with the ever so popular phrase "The night is dark and full of terrors". Jorah and Jon walk off for a little sidebar conversation. Jorah says that they will all freeze soon. He points out to Jon that the wights all fell when the Walker went down.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
Jon says that maybe the Walker is the one that turned them. Jorah suggests they go after the Walkers, so maybe they would stand a chance. Jon says that they have to get the wight back and their only chance is waiting for Dany. Beric comes over and says there is another way. He points with his sword up the mountain ahead, and there stands the Night King and his four horsemen. He says to kill him because he turned them all. Jon tells Beric that he doesn't understand, but Beric claims that the Lord of Light did not bring him and Jon back to freeze to death. The Hound tells him to be careful since he lost his Priest and he is on his last life. Beric says that whatever is the Lord of Light's will, he is fine with. The Hound states that every Lord he has ever known has been a C U Next Tuesday, and why should the Lord of Light be any different. Very funny.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
The Hound tells Beric that he has heard that this is the best way to go, meaning in his sleep. The Hound picks up Thoros's canteen and takes a drink. Beric begins a prayer over Thoros and The Hound attempts to take another swig, but Jon snatches it out of his hand before he does. Jon says they need to burn the body and dumps the liquor onto Thoros. Beric lights his sword and sets Thoros ablaze with the ever so popular phrase "The night is dark and full of terrors". Jorah and Jon walk off for a little sidebar conversation. Jorah says that they will all freeze soon. He points out to Jon that the wights all fell when the Walker went down.
Jon says that maybe the Walker is the one that turned them. Jorah suggests they go after the Walkers, so maybe they would stand a chance. Jon says that they have to get the wight back and their only chance is waiting for Dany. Beric comes over and says there is another way. He points with his sword up the mountain ahead, and there stands the Night King and his four horsemen. He says to kill him because he turned them all. Jon tells Beric that he doesn't understand, but Beric claims that the Lord of Light did not bring him and Jon back to freeze to death. The Hound tells him to be careful since he lost his Priest and he is on his last life. Beric says that whatever is the Lord of Light's will, he is fine with. The Hound states that every Lord he has ever known has been a C U Next Tuesday, and why should the Lord of Light be any different. Very funny.
Sansa receives an invitation to Kings Landing from Cersei. She tells Brienne that she must go in her place because she cannot leave Winterfell. She says she will not step foot in Kings Landing while Cersei Lannister is Queen. Brienne tries to talk her out of sending her. She lets Sansa know her fear of leaving her alone with Littlefinger. Sansa tells her she has many guards there if she needs one of them. She tells Brienne she is not a little girl anymore and to leave now so she can make it on time in the harsh cold. Since Littlefinger mentioned that Brienne would not allow either sister to hurt one another, I am wondering why Sansa thought it would be a stellar idea to send Brienne awa, unless her plan is to kill Arya. I know that Littlefinger wants Brienne gone so he can further drive a wedge between the sisters, alienating the very weak minded Sansa even further. My hope is that she didn't just send Brienne to her death. Cersei is jealous of her if you remember their little exchange back in season 4.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
Dany and Tyrion are heading to her dragons who are laying out on a cliff. He is trying to talk her out of risking her life to go help. She tells him that she listened to him when she said do nothing before and she is not doing that again. She takes off with all three of the dragons.
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
The hound picks up a rock and throws it at the wights. The rock knocks off part of one of their faces and The Hound makes fun of it. He picks up a larger rock and chucks it toward the same one he just hit. It falls short and skids across the ice and stops right at the wight's feet. The wight looks down at the rock and realizes that it can cross the lake now that it has frozen back over. He starts walking in the men's direction, sword dragging on the ice.
The men again form a circle, ready to fight. The walkers come in, closer now. All hell breaks loose. The men go to town with their various weapons. Aerial shots show that they have no chance to defeat them themselves. Finally, Jon yells for them to fall back. They start to, and Tormund almost gets taken into the water, but The Hound saves him right before he gets drug in.
They are fighting them off and taking turns dragging their wight captive further from the fighting herd. Then, there is a super slow mo of the men fighting and each one making weird lingering eye contact with Jon. It was the most "romanticized" battle porn I have ever seen as the slow mo lasted a little too long for me. I thought this part was so stupid and cheesy, and I don't usually think that about this series. Then, Jon sees all the wights coming from the other direction too. He has the look of defeat when he sees a light that makes him duck for cover. Fire comes from the sky just in time. Again, this part, even though right on time, was so damn cheesy. Didn't they just duplicate the same exact "from the behind rescue", like the Battle of the Bastards? (enter very sarcastic clap here) This is what it must have felt like to the men that were forced to watch the movie Titanic with their girlfriends. We all knew how it was going to end, but just how cheesy can we make it this time?
*Photos Courtesy Of: HBO
The Night King then takes his ice spear from one of the four horsemen, who oddly enough is wearing a man bun like Thoros, and walks in the direction of Vicerion flying over head. He Heisman throws his spear at the dragon and it hits him, making him fly downward, in flames, bleeding profusely. The screeching from the beast, gets everyone's attention and are now looking up at the sight. Drogon screeches out in angst as he sees his brother is severely wounded and going down in flames.
Viserion crashes into the ice, finally stopping, his eyes close, then he sinks into the water. The camera pans across everyone's face, finally resting on Dany, who has a look of disbelief and heartache. Drogon cries out again over the loss of Viserion. Jon fights off two more wights, when he makes eye contact with the Night King. He has another spear in his hand and Jon realizes where he is headed, toward Drogon. He tells Dany to go. He runs toward the dragon and some wights tackle him, crashing him through the ice and into the freezing water. Dany sees this from above and sees nothing but bubbles coming from where he fell in.
She knows she has to takeoff or she was going to lose Drogon too. The dragon takes off into the air, and the Night King throws his ice spear. Drogon turns just at the right moment and it misses him by a hair, but Jorah almost falls off. Tormund catches him and they all are on the way back to Eastwatch, except Jon.
The Night King and crew all back off and head the other way. Jon pops out of the water, clearly freezing. He pulls himself out, and gets his breath for a second. He gets up and starts walking, very stiffly, then faces the wights. I almost thought he had been turned into a wight himself by the way he was walking.
As if we didn't already see this coming, Benjen arrives on horseback, again, just in time, toting his little fireball weapon, taking out wights. Benjen jumps off his horse as soon as he gets close enough to Jon. He shows Jon his face so he will know it is him and trust him. He hurls Jon onto the horse and tells him to ride for the pass. Jon tells him to come with him and Benjen tells him there is no time, even though there obviously is. He slaps the horse and says to go as he takes off toward the wights and gets taken down by them, while Jon gets away. Bye bye Benjen. Too bad they never touched on Cold Hands. Another FUBAR from the writers. That made that scene, again, fall short and empty for me. I did not care that Benjen died because I didn't have anything invested in him from not starting out reading the books first. I knew of the importance to end his story line, but I would have cared more, had we known more about him like the books reveal.
The Hound is carrying the wight hostage to the boat with Beric and Tormund. Tormund nods at The Hound who put the wight in the boat and is about to leave. Beric tells him that hopefully they will meet again. The Hound says he hopes not. They smile. Tormund and Beric look up at a flying Drogon as he is screeching.
Dany is looking out from a watch tower. She is obviously not doing well from the events that have just taken place. She is looking as if she is waiting for Jon to come running toward The Wall. Jorah tells her it is time to go and she says she needs a bit longer. He turns and leaves her and she looks out one last time and turns to follow Jorah. Then one horn blasts and she returns to the lookout. There is a horse that comes running. She knows who it is.
Davos is peeling the frozen clothes off Jon's body and Dany is standing in the doorway, watching. She sees the scars all over his chest, obvious stab wounds. She has confirmed it, he was stabbed by his own men. He is not awake and everyone is scrambling about, wanting to help him. She looks on, stunned as they cover him up.
Sansa enters Arya's room and is looking through her stuff to find that letter. She walks past a table that has Catspaw on it. She comes across a bag and opens it to discover two faces in there, one being Walder Frey's. She looks at them, horrified, as Arya speaks up from behind her.
She says, "Not what you're looking for?" Sansa stands and spins to face her. She immediately states that she has a bunch of men there that are loyal to her. Arya points out that they aren't there right now. Sansa demands to know what the faces are and where they came from. Arya tells her she got them training in Braavos to be a Faceless Man. She tells Sansa of the Game of Faces and that she would like to play with her. She tells her to come up with a lie about herself and get her to believe her. She tells Sansa if she can fool her, then she will win, if she catches her lie, she loses. Arya asks her what she thinks about Jon being King of the North and Sansa tells her she doesn't want to play, and asks about the faces again. Arya asks her if she wants to do the asking but warns that the it didn't end up too well for the last person who did so. Sansa still wants to know about the faces. Arya explains that they both used to want to be other people when they were younger. She says that Sansa wanted to sit on the iron throne next to a handsome king and she herself wanted to be a Knight and go off to battle like her father. She states that they live in a world where girls don't get to decide what they get to be and neither of them have got to be what they wanted. She says that she can do it now with the faces. She says she can become whoever she wants now, even Sansa, if she wants. She gets closer with Catspaw in hand and hands it to her. Then turns and walks out, leaving a very startled Sansa behind. I am a little confused about this exchange, only because Arya is obviously threatening and intimidating Sansa, but hands her Catspaw. Why? Is she telling Sansa to kill herself so she can have her face? Is she telling her to kill Litlefinger? I knew she was in the room the minute Sansa walked past the table with the dagger sitting on it. Arya isn't going to leave that thing just sitting there. Again, I think next week we will be saying goodbye to one of these two ladies. I really hope it is Sansa.
Next, we see Dany's boat. Jon is waking up and focuses in on Dany, who is sitting at his bedside. She looks brokenhearted. Jon immediately says he is sorry and wishes he could take it back. She tells him not to be sorry and that she is glad that she got to see it because now she knows. She says she would not have believed it had she not gone herself. She vows to help him fight the Night King because of it. She wants to avenge her child. Jon says, "Thank you Dany."
She laughs in surprise and says that she cannot remember the last person to call her that. Then remembers it was Viserys and says that people in her past who called her that are no longer here, he may want to rethink it. He says, "Well, how about my Queen?" He says he would bend the knee, and looks at himself like he can't. She asks about those that swore allegiance to him and he replies that they will all see her for what she is. She is touched and humbled and says she hopes she deserves it and he confirms that she does. They are holding hands, gross. She tells him to get some rest. I think we will see some fireworks between these two in the next episode, unless Bran is able to send a raven to that boat to tell him to back off his aunt. I find the whole thing hypocritical after the incestuous relationship between Jaime and Cersei has caused most of the drama in the show. Not to mention, this is a mere copycat to Luke and Leia Skywalker. Come up with your own shit George! We have been groomed to find J & C disgusting, but are expected to accept it from Jon and Dany????? GTFOH! Cersei and Jaime's dirty little secret has cost more lives and bodily injury to be able to count. The War of the Five Kings was caused by it. It is actually making me want to join #teamlannister and not at all care what happens to Jon and Dany. I think the writers are doing a horrible disservice and if this was GRRM's master plan all along, then he is far more sick and twisted than I ever imagined. ESPECIALLY after having the audacity to make book fans wait over twenty years to find out what is up. Yes, over TWENTY(that's 20) years to find out that Jon and Dany are just as sick and Cersei and Jamie. Thanks!! I will go the rest of my life knowing that they don't care about these characters as much as the fans do and it is all about shock value at this point. I would rather have 8 seasons with 20 episodes of good content, than the last 2 seasons having only 13 episodes, so they can do more of their precious CGI battle porn, while the writers rush the story to the end, just to disappoint most of us anyway. Assholes. Anyone else reading between these lines? It is about the money, not the story, fans who actually pay for HBO, or the characters. Rant over for now.
The wights are hauling huge chains out of the water and we know what is about to take place. Viserion comes out of the water, breaking the ice as he does. The Night King get's off his horse and walks toward the dead dragon, freshly pulled from the lake. He kneels before the dragon's massive head and puts his hand on his snout. The dragon opens his eye and it is blue. The episode ends. Wow, we didn't see that coming...... enter sarcasm here, please. I will also go ahead and ask what millions of people have also asked, where in the hell did the wights get these humongous chains from? How did they get the chains around Viserion to pull him out of the water if they themselves just sink to the bottom in it? I am personally pissed about this whole scene. Not because the major plot leak that was exposed in March actually came out to be true, but because GRRM lied, boldfaced, when he was asked about it. He was asked point blank if one of these dragons was going to be turned and he said no, that he wrote a separate book about an ice dragon, and to read that if they want that. Way to sell out for HBO, Georgy. He needs to keep in mind that people have been waiting for his slow ass to finish these books, and that this problem is no one else's fault but his own. He should be able to answer questions about his own material honestly, especially since the entire plot was already spoiled. Now he just looks like an asshole, which he will always be in my mind for taking so long anyway. All he is doing is plucking actual events in history, placing them in a magical land, set in medieval times. It shouldn't have been that hard to finish this series. There are millions of stories from history he could have copied from and ended this thing properly by now, instead of being an embarrassment to the writing world. It is pretty hard, in my mind, to claim writers block when all you have done is steal stories from actual history anyway. I wish I could take twenty years to finish something and still get paid for it..... Again, he is an asshole. Second rant over. Sorry.
My overall review of this episode is not very nice, and in fact, I pretty much hated the entire episode, with the exception of Jon, Jorah, and Longclaw. I think a lot of fans are agreeing with me, because I actually did watch some other reviews before posting my hateful feelings, which is also why it took me so long to get this one finished. I decided to not play it nice like when I have been disappointed in the past with this show. I usually don't watch other reviews before posting my own so my judgement won't be clouded, but I was curious if I was just being butt hurt over the plot leak, GRRM's lies and deceit, and the fact that I hate being forced to buy into incest between two characters I actually like, only after being groomed the exact opposite way for six years prior. I haven't been irritated with a show like this in a very long time. I will be thinking of canceling my HBO subscription and stealing it like everyone else if they don't wrap this thing up with some class and dignity next week. Seriously. The episode airs on 8/27, just in time to cancel and not pay another $14.99 on September 1st to people that would rather disappoint me than make me happy, all while making me wait over a year + for the last and very short albeit rushed season. They will still get their CGI budget covered, but will not use my $14.99 to do so. Shame on you HBO. This episode was awful. We deserved better content, less pyrotechnics.
Let me know what you think! Did you totally disagree with me and like the episode? Please tell me why in the comments. I don't understand how anyone would think this is good, I am truly curious! Thanks for stopping by and again, sorry for the delay on this one!
XOXO
Gina Murrell
Mother of horrible episode reviews, Breaker of lying writers, Truth teller of shameful multi million dollar conglomerates, Khaleesi of future HBO stealing, and The Unhinged.
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