Flights of Fancy: Game of Thrones S7E3 Recap
The faster pace of this season has been a bit frustrating, but we can all be thankful that we didn’t have to waste an episode on Jon brooding on a boat. Instead, we get him brooding on Dragonstone along with the show’s long awaited rendezvous between himself and Daenerys. The two are launched into a debate where no side can win because they’re arguing about two separate issues. Daenerys has one thing on her mind, and that’s conquering Westeros. She is fighting to convince Jon to bend the knee and join her conquest, or face the consequences of being her enemy. Jon could not care less about who sits The Iron Throne, and is only there to convince those he desperately needs to join him, against an enemy they don’t believe in. This brings up Tyrion’s question that if Jon doesn’t care who is Queen then why doesn’t he just bend the knee? He doesn’t know much about Daenerys, but what he does know is that the Northmen he has fought hard to unite have no desire to join her. If he takes the knee he risks being forced to fight a war he considers trivial , or worse, all of his men abandoning him.
Okay, let’s address the spider in the room. Lord Varys. What is you doing baby? You are the master of whispers. You constantly brag about your far-reaching network of little birds. AND YET, not a single birdie caught a glimpse of 10,000 Greyjoy ships in the blackwater? Seems like that would be a big scoop from the Royal keep all the way down to Flea bottom and yet, not a single song of the Greyjoy’s presence? It would have been a very useful tidbit for Daenerys and her war council before sending the S.S Unbent Unbowed Unbroken out on the 14 seas. Maybe they could have packed a dragon if they’d known. But that’s yesterday’s paper. Let’s focus on this week’s debacle. An entire Army of Lannister men move from King’s Landing to Highgarden and not a single goddamn song? An entire Army! Your birds missed an entire Army and 10,000 ships in a 2-week span. What are you good for at this point Varys? Besides overtly sipping Hatorade whenever a Red Priestess is present and letting Danny know when bad things have happened after they’ve happened. Sure there’s plenty of blame to go around Camp Targaryen, but, Varys, your trade is knowledge and right now, your stock couldn’t be lower.
After having some time to brood atop Dragonstone and receive counsel from counselors, Danny and Jon reconvene. Eventually, when Daenerys’s need for Westerosi allies becomes an issue they reach a settlement. She will allow Jon to mine as much dragonglass as he wants (something that is currently worthless to her) in order to work towards some common ground where they can be allies. At this moment Jon asks,
“So you believe me then, about The Night King, and The Army of the Dead?”
Daenerys replies,
“You’d better get to work, Jon Snow.”
This isn’t the answer he wanted, but if someone is helping you reach your goal, does it matter if they don’t believe in it?
After suffering two stunning defeats in a row it may be time to readjust our vegas odds for who will win the Two-Queen war. Is there a formal name for this war yet? If not, then Two-Queen War™ it is. And yes, you can literally bet on this on Bovada.com if you want. We’ve been keeping our own, more accurate, book. To begin the season, we had the odds set at Daenerys -300 and Cersei +500, In other words, if you bet 300 dollars on Daenerys to win the Two-Queen War™, you would win 100 dollars. Taking into account the decimation of the Tyrell Army, the capture of the Dornish leader, the eradication of Yara’s fleet, and the relocation of the Unsullied, I have Danny at only a slight favorite (-120). Cersei’s supplies needs are satisfied after the conquest of Highgarden, her enemies to the south defeated, and complete control of the 14 Seas, Cersei is now nearly at Even money (+105) to win it all. Daenerys maintains a slight advantage due to her Dothraki, Dragons, and a potential alliance with the potential Prince who was Promised. Odds will be updated weekly. Venmo over your bets.
Theon is alive and rescued by one of the few surviving ships.
As expected when given the opportunity, Sansa is taking her leadership role in full stride, delegating tasks and demonstrating the knowledge she’s gained from her northern roots. Little Finger is never far from Sansa’s ear. Seizing the moment, he gives her a long winded lecture about thinking beyond her current battle and not trusting anyone. Sansa, who has repeatedly scolded Jon for being too much like Ned, must take her own advice and not make the same mistake as her father of trusting Little Finger.
We were also treated to another Stark reunion this week, however,this one felt much less much less sentimental than Jon and Sansa’s reunion last season. Sansa begins to talk to her long lost little brother but it is clear the person she grew up with is no longer there. Her beloved brother no longer sees himself as Bran, he is the Three-Eyed Raven. He can’t waste time on anything that doesn’t involve stopping the Army of the Dead. This includes becoming the Lord of Winterfell. This also includes being kind to his sister apparently. Bran is existing across so many planes of time and space that he perceives his family members feelings as trivial. This is evident when Bran flexes his Three-Eyed Raven abilities by artfully describing the night Sansa was viciously raped by Ramsey following their wedding. Bran could have picked any number of events to depict to Sansa to display his abilities but he chose that night. This truly speaks to Bran’s detachment to his former self and his full fledged commitment in accepting his role as the Three-Eyed Raven.
There’s a feel good moment in Oldtown when Sam has officially cured Jorah of his greyscale that was previously a death sentence. Imagine how fucked it would’ve been if he had half his body peeled off and it didn’t even work? We like Jorah though and Daenerys desperately needs a military mind by her side, so this a win for her, as well as Sam who is no longer on bedpan duty. Is scribing dozens of dusty books that much better? Yes. It’s much better than cleaning old man shit.
Euron struts his horse through the streets of King’s Landing with his captured women in tow. The scene sparks flashbacks of Cersei’s walk of atonement as the civilians make it apparent that they are always open for someone getting publicly shamed and tortured. He saves Yara for himself while gifting Ellaria and Tyene to Cersei. The Queen is impressed taking on him and his Navy to join forces. Euron’s experiencing a steady winning streak and once again takes this opportunity to prod at Jaime. Jaime is usually excellent at verbal sparring, but freezes up whenever anyone attacks his sister. The three of them together is not a stable dynamic and Euron’s stock is constantly rising, threatening a divide. He’s made his face known throughout King’s Landing, parading prisoners in the streets, and stoking the crowd in the Throne Room.
Down in the dungeons, Cersei is acting on the fantasy she’s been dreaming up since the murder of her daughter. She is as brutal as ever, forcing Ellaria and Tyene to listen and relive the memory of their worst tragedies. Cersei is ruthless in her revenge, always taking an eye for an eye one step further. Planting a kiss of death on Tyene, she uses a poison aptly named, A Long Farewell. The euphoria Cersei experiences at the expense of her enemies pain is terrifying and with her children all dead, it’s the main thing that keeps her going.
The only thing keeping Jaime going is the love for his sister, and will do anything to please her. His sacking of Highgarden and killing of Olenna, he hopes will keep him by her side and hold off Euron from getting any closer. When talking with Olenna before her death, Jaime learns valuable information about Joffrey’s death. Olenna tries to talk sense into Jaime about how evil his sister is and the destruction that she will bring upon the realm.It doesn’t take her long to realize that it’s a lost cause. She switches course to deliver one final punch,
“I’d hate to die like your son. Clawing at my neck, foam and bile spilling from my mouth, eyes blood red, skin purple. Must have been horrible for you as a Kingsguard, as a father. It was horrible enough for me, a shocking scene. Not at all how I intended”
This will impact Jaime more than Cersei, who will most likely remain firm on her hatred for Tyrion. Cersei has hated Tyrion since his birth and nothing will change that. Jaime on the other hand, has only recently turned against him after being the only Lannister to ever defend him. Tyrion still stands with their enemy, but this new information could be a small divide that whittles away Jaime’s diehard support for his sister.
The show has shifted into a higher gear, propelling us forward on a collision course of the various intermingling story lines. Cersei and Daenerys have officially initiated their war, and while that’s going on we are sure to soon be reminded of what the real one is in The North.
