Game of Thrones 7.01: Dragonstone
David Benioff and D. B. Weiss
Jeremy Podeswa
After a longer than anticipated wait for the
premiere of the penultimate season, the shortened seventh season begins with an
episode that sets the stage for a number of important developments. There is still the sense that the
storytelling is a bit accelerated, if only to convey the sense that the endgame
is upon us, but that urgency is appreciated.
With so little material left until the end, every minute matters that
much more!
Arya Takes Names: The episode begins
with Arya continuing her vengeance against the Freys, and it definitely gets
the season off to quite a start. If
there was any doubt that Arya was going into dark territory last season, that
ought to be settled at this point. It’s
also a strong statement for the season as a whole; entire Houses can be wiped
out in a matter of moments. No one is
holding back anymore.
While a later scene seems included to give Ed
Sheeran a nice little cameo, it serves another purpose. Arya has spent the past few years developing a
mentality of suspicion and violence that it is shocking to her for anyone to
show such quick kindness. She’s not
going to regain the measure of humanity she has lost overnight, but encounters
like this could serve to remind her why she’s fighting, beyond simple
revenge. (On the other hand, this is Game of Thrones, so this could turn on
its head in a terrible way in the next episode!)
Winter Arrives in the North: Meera and Bran arrive
at the Wall with visions of the growing and nearing army of White Walkers,
which puts the pressure on the newly minted King of the North. Jon is beginning to show some promising signs
of leadership skills, but as anticipated, Sansa is being less than cordial in
her disagreements with him. On the one
hand, he needs someone to challenge his thinking, to keep him honest and force
him to consider his options. On the
other hand, Sansa is being rather confrontational about it. It’s great to see Sansa throwing her weight
around, and even using the lessons she’s been forced to learn, but she’s far
from subtle.
But Sansa does have a point: he may understand
the dynamics of the North fairly well (and certainly in a more nuanced manner
than Sansa), but she understands the South all too intimately. She’s right to be worried and to consider the
needs of allies to the South, especially those commanded by Littlefinger, if
only as a buffer to prevent the Lannisters from causing trouble. If nothing else, it plants another seed for
an alliance between Jon and Daenerys, since she can definitely gather other
allies to keep the Lannisters nice and distracted.
The Last of the Lannisters: If it seemed like
Cersei was losing her grip on reality, it’s fairly well confirmed when Jamie
outlines all the reasons she ought to be worried and Cersei wants nothing of
his logic and insight. Between the two
of them, they deliver the audience a nice set of reminders that King’s Landing
is literally surrounded by enemies. And
so, of course, Cersei looks elsewhere for allies, and the obvious (and
obnoxious) option of House Greyjoy arrives just in time. Euron needs to die horribly, and how better
than as a prelude to whatever the Lannisters have coming to them?
The Hound’s Redemption: Well, the Hound may
not be getting a redemptive arc, per se, but he is getting the chance to play
an larger and ironic part in the scheme of things. Not only is it good to see the dangling
thread of the Brotherhood Without Banners getting a purpose, but sending them
to the same location as Tormund’s band of wildlings sets the stage for a major
battle between the White Walkers and at least some of the followers of the Lord
of Light.
Sam Learns a Thing or Two: One small stretch of
comedy comes in the disgusting tasks of Sam Tarly, who is clearly at the bottom
of the totem pole in Oldtown. Despite
delivering the most dire of warnings, much of what he says is ignored or
minimized. Even so, he manages to find a
key plot point or two: not only is Daenerys about to take custody of a huge
mound of dragonglass (thus making her an important ally for Jon for several
reasons), but also Jorah Mormont, whose condition is worsening. Both of these items are sure to factor into
the narrative soon.
Dany Comes Home: The end of the episode delivers a sequence that is light on action, but deeply satisfying, as Daenerys Stormborn finally returns to Dragonstone. The sight of dragons flying over the castle once again stirs Dany deeply, and much of what happens is communicated without dialogue, simply letting the visuals and the score sell the moment. By the time Dany stands at the end of the map of Westeros, uttering “Shall we begin?”, the audience already knows that the turning point has truly arrived. This is truly the beginning of the end for the saga.
- The stage is quickly being set for big moments in the near future
- We’re finally getting some of the plot turns we’ve been wanting for a long time now
- If Euron is supposed to be the new character everyone wants dead, I hope it happens soon