Daenerys and Jon meet. Cersei gains a new ally. Sansa receives an unexpected visitor. Sam is confronted for his actions.

Director: Mark Mylod
Writers: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
Stars: Peter Dinklage, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey

Review by Mary Cox

After seven long seasons of waiting, Daenerys’ plot has finally intersected with that of the Starks. Those who were hoping for an instant love affair between Jon and Dany must have been sorely disappointed. Some might be surprised by Daenerys’ open hostility towards Jon, but she is the Mother of Dragons after all. The need for good relations between the North and Dragonstone has obviously been increased by Daenerys’ military failures in her first foray into the Great Game, but will Jon repeat the diplomatic mistakes of Ned Stark, or will he take after his (alleged) bio-dad, Rhaegar Targaryen?

This was another episode jam-packed with dramatic deaths that highlight the differences between Jaime and Cersei Lannister. Before her death by poison, Olenna castigated Jaime for his overwhelming pussy-blindness, and forescasted his eventual downfall at the hands of Cersei. Even though it’s sad to see her go, it’s rewarding knowing that Olenna went out with a bang by confessing that she was behind Joffrey’s death at the Purple Wedding.

What’s notable here is the difference in diplomacy between the last two Lannisters in King’s Landing. Cersei’s brutal execution of Ellaria and Tyene Sand is miles apart from how Jaime handles his murder of Olenna. It seems that even though the Targaryens are back on the scene, Cersei is the one who is following in the steps of Aerys, the Mad King. As we all know, those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. As the Kingslayer, Jaime Lannister is no stranger to cutting down an out-of-control monarch, but does he have the ability to make that call when it comes to his sister wife?

******
“Mary Cox is an entertainment writer from the United States. Her hobbies include making good beer and bad decisions, watching drag queens fight on the internet, and overanalyzing everything. Mary one day hopes to be the person shouting “World Star” in the back of a Waffle House brawl video. She is currently tolerating life in Toronto. You can follow her on Twitter at @M_K_Cox”t