Frewns - GoT S7E5 spoilers

Old Man Rating: 8.638 / 10

Davos won this episode, with All The Best Lines. "I thought you were still rowing" was blatant fan-service and all the better for it.

I liked the first tentative rapprochement between Tyrion and Jaime, and the fact that Bronn was happy to broker that meeting. Cersei's reaction was, well, pure Cersei and (as ever) brilliantly acted by Headey - the pregnancy was a surprise (I wonder how certain she is it's his - in the books, at least, she is more liberal with her affections, but a lot less competent than show-Cersei at ruling) and I wondered if that look on Jaime's face when she said "don't betray me again" signified another crack in that relationship, at least from his side - just as a child might be binding it ever tighter. There's been speculation that Jaime will end up killing Cersei (book-readers will know the volanqar theory) but would he really kill his own unborn child?

Littlefinger *finally* has some mojo back, stirring moves against Jon in Sansa's favour. Sansa feels she is a better ruler than Jon and Arya is right that there is at least a part of her that wants to be In Charge - she has their parents' room (at Jon's insistence). I think the message was the one Sansa was forced to write when Ned lost his head asking Robb to come and bend the knee to Joffrey - what purpose Littlefinger has/had for it isn't clear to me, but maybe to act as leverage against Sansa should the need arise. Sansa and Arya will squabble some more, I think, but it does feel inevitable that they and Bran will cling to each other and that Littlefinger will die. At least he's actually doing something this episode, beyond looking creepy, pensive, creepily pensive or pensively creepy.

More hints of Mad Queen Dany (Tarly toast, anyone?) but I was put off the Dragonstone sequence - much as I enjoyed Drogon's acceptance of Jon - by the heavy hinting that Jon and Dany will end up together. As I keep saying I think this is lazy plotting not really worthy of such an otherwise complex tale.

Something else that snagged a bit, for me: why did Davos go to get Gendry? It all felt too simple at East**tch - the Magnificent Seven (presumably with the rest of the Brotherhood in tow) putting aside what should have been much deeper divisions (Gendry was sold to be murdered after all) too quickly. I liked the Gendry-Jon interplay - but Gendry never knew his Dad whereas both have a fondness for Arya and that might have been a better bonding point.

Another nit, for me: what was the purpose of giving Jorah greyscale? It didn't move any part of the plot anywhere it wasn't already going. He could just have stayed with Dany until Jon showed up and then gone north.

Jon was finally revealed as the legitimate Targaryen heir to the Iron Throne (because Rhaegar - his father - had his marriage annulled so he could marry Lyanna - his mother - making him legitimate. His claim is stronger than Dany's (and Dany is his aunt). Of course as Loras said to Renly, these things are theoretical and what matters is the size of the army that might put one on the throne; and I really don't think Jon wants it. I don't expect both of Jon and Dany to survive to the end so the problem might resolve itself; but if they do it'll be interesting to see what happens. It's still not clear how he'll learn of all this - both Bran and Sam have a piece each of the puzzle.

Where's Sam off to, and will he leave the Night's Watch (Which seems much more of an option these days) to run his ancestral home with Gilly? I liked the fact that Gilly is now a knowledge sponge. Will she become the first ever female maester? Maestress???

How on earth did Jaime survive that dunking in that armour when the puddle he fell into was so very deep? Someone said online that his posture when he fell last episode was like the posture Bran had when Jaime pushed him out of the window. I'm not sure how he got from there to Bronn hauling him out like that.

In all I thought this was a little weaker than some other episodes this season. I'm starting to get irritated by how convenient certain things are and how linearly parts are progressing. The stuff north of the Wall next episode should be spectacular, though…but this episode jarred a bit in places, it felt like set-up a lot of the time and the only really suspenseful bit was Arya breaking into Littlefinger's room.

I wonder if Jorah the Explorer will die and become the wight they bring back to persuade Dany that it's all real…

Posted By: Old Man, Aug 14, 08:07:56