1) Dracarys!
In case you were wondering who saved Jaime’s ass from a certain fiery death, it was Bronn – not for the first time we’ll add.
Aside from saving Tyrion during a trial by combat at the Eyrie and firing the arrow which destroyed Stannis’ fleet at Blackwater, Bronn has fought alongside and protected Jaime during their campaigns in Dorne and the Riverlands.
Although he would never admit it, Bronn also showed that he’s loyal to more than just gold. In this episode, he offered to cover Jaime’s retreat, he ditched the gold and ran to use the scorpion crossbow and then jumped in front of dragon fire to save his friend.
2) The Field of Fire
Last week, we mentioned Torrhen Stark and Aegon Targaryen’s conquest of Westeros, but this episode featured another blistering throwback to one of Aegon’s most pivotal victories, The Field of Fire.
Essentially, that was a massive battle that involved Loren I Lannister, King of the Rock, fighting alongside Mern IX Gardener, King of the Reach against the Targaryen forces.
Aegon and his sisters took to the air on their dragons, Balerion, Meraxes, and Vhagar. The dragons burned the fields on all sides and killed 4,000 men of the combined Lannister and Gardener army.
The swords of the defeated kings were later forged into Aegon the Conqueror’s Iron Throne. This victory was a key reason why Torrhen Stark decided to bend the knee because he knew that victory was impossible.
A foreshadow of Dany’s campaign in Westeros?
3) Robert’s right.
During a previous discussion with Cersei, Robert Baratheon once said “”Only a fool would meet the Dothraki in an open field.”
He may be dead but he’s bloody right!
0:14 in the clip below.
Clip via – ExploreWesteros
4) The Spoils of War are safe
The main reason why Dany and the Dothraki decided to kick ass was to exact revenge after defeat at Highgarden and on the seas, but if they were hoping to intercept the gold that Jaime stole from Highgarden to fund the Lannister’s debts to the Iron Bank then they’re out of luck.
You might have missed Randyll Tarly say it, but the gold was safely transported behind the walls of King’s Landing. before Dany’s assault.
Even if you heard it, it’s worth reiterating how important this point is because Cersei has already informed the Iron Bank of her plans to expand the Lannister army and navy.
Now that the gold is secure, expect the Lannister forces to grow.
"All the gold is safely through the gates of King's Landing" – Randyll Tarly … some of us were under the impression the gold never made it
— Sy’d Rather Not (@SyGoFlyy) August 7, 2017
5) The ladder
An obvious point, but one that some people might not remember.
When Bran and Littlefinger were talking at Winterfell, it’s clear that the Three-Eyed Raven was sussing out Lord Baelish’s intentions and motivations. The fact that Bran shocked Littlefinger by quoting one of his most famous speeches is an indication that the best schemer in Westeros is on borrowed time.
Due to his newfound powers, Bran instantly knew about this magnificent monologue that Littlefinger said to Varys.
We’ve a feeling that Littlefinger’s secrets, lies and deception won’t remain hidden for long. That dagger is as important as we previously expected.
6) Meera Reed is rightfully pissed
Aside from the fact that her father, Howland Reed, is the only other person that has managed to keep the secret of Jon Snow’s true parentage hidden from the rest of the world, Meera’s contributions deserved so much more recognition than Bran’s customary cold shoulder.
She and her brother, Jojen, were the first people that helped Bran discover his greenseer gifts. They also sacrificed everything to bring him to the original Three-Eyed Raven and along the way, Meera has killed wights and a White Walker to protect Bran. In fact, she’s one of the very few characters to kill both creatures in the series.
She also had to watch as Hodor was tragically killed.
She deserved better.
Dick move Bran. Dick move. Meera was your ride or die chick. #GameOfThones pic.twitter.com/h2DH84bz6W
— I. A. Melton 💁🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤷🏽♀️ (@ijamelton) August 7, 2017
7) The symbols are back
With Jon and Dany in the Dragonstone cave, we got a glimpse at the ominous symbols that have been prevalent throughout the show. In fact, they even appeared in the very first episode when the rangers of the Night’s Watch discovered a camp of Wildlings that were butchered and mutilated.
Speaking about these patterns, the creators of Game of Thrones, Benioff and Weiss said that “they’re supposed to be something very evocative of the thousands of years that have passed. It’s something that’s relevant to the current story-line because it’s about how these two disparate peoples united to fight the common enemy. One of the things we learn is that the White Walkers didn’t come up with these cave paintings, they dragged them from their creators – the Children of the Forest. These are patterns that have mystical significance – we’re not certain what they mean – but spiral patterns are important in a lot of different cultures, it would make sense that they’re important in ours also.”
8) Dany’s good heart
This is the exact look that Ser Davos noticed Jon giving Dany.
Did you spot that little glance?
9) Fight for your people
Did anyone else spot this similarity between Jon and Dany? In the Battle of the Bastards, Jon told Ramsay that there was no need for a battle, he was willing to fight and die for his people in a one-on-one situation.
Daenerys immediately felt the same after learning that she lost her allies in Highgarden and Dorne.
10) Stannis has taught Davos well
Jon: “How many men do we have; 10000? less?”
Davos: “Fewer”
It appears that Stannis’ love of grammar has shaped the Onion Knight’s way of thinking.
Take a look at this throwback.
Davos dropping the grammar knowledge! Stannis would be proud! #GameofThrones pic.twitter.com/nw536pXGng
— Winter is Coming (@WiCnet) August 7, 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0wj38qTtFU
Clip via – Dmitry Särkland
11) Arya and the Winterfell guards.
Ok, Sansa needs better guards but this situation was a familiar one for Arya as she arrived at Winterfell.
After all, she previously met a similar type of resistance when she tried to enter King’s Landing in the first season.
“My father is Hand of the King. I’m not a boy, I’m Arya Stark of Winterfell. And if you lay a hand on me, my father will have both your heads on spikes. Now, are you going to let me by, or do I have to smack you on the ear to help with your hearing?”, she said.
Arya was always a badass in the face of authority.
12) Bronn vs Drogon
There was an element of The Hobbit in that scene as Bronn’s solitary arrow tried to take down Drogon, but we also couldn’t help but think of Chief Brody in Jaws as he looked into the eyes of the beast.
Aside from this, there was a glorious tracking shot which followed Bronn throughout the fiery chaos – exactly like the scene involving Jon at the Battle of the Bastards.
13) The looks
Sansa’s face when she saw Arya fighting in Winterfell was a mix of pride and absolute terror. On the other hand, Podrick looked at Arya like some lovesick puppy.
Elsewhere, Littlefinger had the demeanor of a man that knows he’s skating on wafer-thin ice – especially after seeing how easily Arya can dispatch death.
Her lingering look was telling.
Arya after making eye contact with Littlefinger tonight #GameOfThrones pic.twitter.com/U58l1eu4DY
— Yoshiioko (@adrianisawank) August 7, 2017
Still though, the most important moment was the one below. We’ve waited ages for this meeting and it’s clear that Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) and Arya (Maisie Williams) had a blast filming it.
There’s also a nice little throwback to Arya’s training with her original teacher, Syrio Forel.
14) Arya’s moves
Aside from nonchalantly holding her sword (Needle) behind her back, Arya also displayed two superb feats of athleticism.
After being booted in the chest, she spun around and regained her footwork with catlike speed – just like ‘The Waif’ did during their sparring with the Faceless Men.
Also, watch her superb slight of hand as she switches the dagger to her opposite hand (1:07) in order to get the drop on Brienne.
So quick that you would miss it.
THIS SCENE SAVED MY LIFE #GameOfThrones #gots7 pic.twitter.com/jQ3A9jMFZA
— jinny (@jinisreign) August 7, 2017
15) Your people can’t fight
Regarding Tyrion, we already heard Dany say that “maybe you’re more loyal to your family than me” during their heated words on Dragonstone and it’s clear that the youngest Lannister still holds a huge amount of love for Jaime.
After hearing that “your people can’t fight”, Tyrion’s face as he starred over burnt corpses, death and destruction somehow managed to convey more complexity and emotion than 50 pages of dialogue.
Peter Dinklage was utterly brilliant during that moment when he said “flee you idiot, you fucking idiot.”
16) Drogon is down
Cersei has shown her hand and we now know that dragons are vulnerable to Qyburn’s scorpion crossbow.
Last week, we were warned that it only takes on arrow to kill Dany so surely she will invest in some armour?
It’s also worth noting that there were more VFX shots of dragons in this episode than the entirety of Season 6. Regarding that epic battle, 20 stuntmen were lit on fire for one particular shot, that’s a record for any TV show.
A word of appreciation for this. THIS.
THIS!
Where HBO spent their money (wisely) and its so beautiful! 😭😭😭😭😭#GameOfThrones @GameOfThrones pic.twitter.com/j1wCfRmzQR
— Snow 'Caraxes' Byrd (@SnowByrdN7) August 7, 2017
Even Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa) absolutely lost his shit during that amazing battle.
17) Ed’s dead
Plenty of people hope that Ed Sheeran has now met a fiery death in Game of Thrones. We agree.
https://twitter.com/NicoleOConor/status/894499061604241408
https://twitter.com/SandersPaisley/status/894477928976846848
An added bonus Ed Sheeran is probably dead now.
— Alan Starzinski (@Alanstarzinski) August 7, 2017
Images via Reddit
