Review: Game of Thrones — Winterfell

It’s a throwback. Remember this? Remember that?

This is it, guys. We’ve officially got 5 episodes left. Forgive me if this review is poorly written, my body is recovering from an intense netball game and my body is recovering from *ahem* GAME OF THRONES BEING BACKKKK and I’m up at 2am this morning because I can’t sleep. I’m also incredibly rusty at this shit, but, oh my god, I couldn’t contain my excitement the moment those fresh-as-a-daisy credits kicked into gear. SO, much like Bran, let’s get rollin’ into the episode because it’s the shortest of the season and it also felt the smallest.

“Winterfell” is a throwback episode of sorts. It’s also a very good episode that — and I’ve said this year after year, but not this time — doesn’t really do a lot of table setting. Instead, there’s a lot of callbacks to the very first episode of the series, and while you might have been stomping your feet that nothing was happening you’ve got to remember that this might be the last time we see these characters together in happy(ish) circumstances.

The episode opens on the Stark (hehe?) and Targaryens (hehe) marching into Winterfell to prepare for the incoming frosty feet of the White Walkers. What’s interesting out of their arrival is its rather deep connection to Arya Stark. The audience is treated to the viewpoint of a young child sprinting to watch the arrival of Greatest Army of All Time™ in an almost identical fashion to Arya’s watching of the Baratheon’s in episode one. It’s a fun little moment that reminds us that perhaps the end is closer (it is) than it is.

However, it runs deeper than that and it’s because Arya has crossed paths with almost every major character; her glances at Gendry, Jon, The Hound are all reminders of how Arya might be the most well traveled character the show has. It’s also an important showing of how far character has progressed over the course of the last 8 years.

Let’s stay on Arya, because the episode is kind of an Arya episode feat. Friends. She has two significant sequences after the arrival of the Greatest Army of All Time™. The first is her interaction with Gendry and The Hound. Remember, she left The Hound for dead four seasons ago — which she’s reminded of — but there’s a level of admiration between the pair as they share a few venomous one-liners with one another before parting ways.

It’s a relatively quick bit, but any longer would have degraded their character beats more than anything. Her give and go with Gendry is also a nice little reunion that speaks a lot of their relationship but also shows us Arya’s humanity isn’t all lost. Those two went through a lot together during season 2 and 3 and it’s nice to see Gendry smile when Arya shits on him a little.

Arya catches up with Jon in the Godswood and the ensuing sequence between the two is fraught with two things: a sense of comfort, but also a sense of tension. Why? Arya’s humanity is shown at her genuine happiness seeing Jon again, yet she’s not afraid to drop a little spice when reminding him that protecting his family is important. Her words are painted in two ways: “Remember, we’re Starks,” but also, “I’ll fuckin’ kill you if you step right instead of left, bitch.” BUT, is it really Jon’s family? Instead of saying maybe, I’ll just say, “No, it’s not lol”.

The moment Dany arrives in Winterfell, she’s not treated to a warm (hehe) welcome by the northerners. Jon tells her that they don’t take kindly to foreigners, but they push on. From here, even inside the castle walls she’s still treated just the same by the northern lords.

It’s not at all surprising that this was going to happen. Dany has done an exceptional job of enroaching Westeros, but the Starks and Co. were expecting Jon to take the lead on defending Winterfell and their homes, not Dany, not a Targaryen. Lyanna Mormont is, naturally, the one to voice that displeasure which leads Tyrion to fan the flames by mentioning that, uh, the Lannisters are on the way!

So, yeah, it’s not great. Despite the happy reunion and coalescing of our major characters, it seems that no-one, really, is happy. Goddamn it, why can’t we just have more happy stuff. That tension in the Winterfell halls is broken a while later when the episode pairs Dany and Jon off for some fucking time in the snow.

Dany and Jon’s moments on the dragons is really spectacular to watch. It’s a terrific sequence that allows Jon to ride a dragon — confirming that he’s a Targ — but have him connect with Dany more deeply. As weird as it is, and as spoiler-free as I can be, their relationship this season is going to be critical when it comes to the closing curtains on Game of Thrones — link is at the bottom of the article where I discuss it on the podcast — but after all that flying and proving of Jon’s parentage we’re treated to, perhaps, the cringiest line the show has thrown at us in recent memory, “So KeEp YoUr qUeEn WaRm”.

Speaking of Jon’s heritage, I want to talk about what I think might have been my favourite moment of the episode — Samwell Tarly meeting Dany. I’m not even talking about how it leads to Sam spilling the beans to Jon about his true parentage, but, instead, how I think a lot of people forgot (like me) that Dany executed his father and his brother — the Loot Train episode, “The Spoils of War” — last season. It’s an underrated scene because it starts off innocently with Jorah telling Dany that Sam was the only one who would help him from turning into a burnt pizza, and Dany offering him a significant reward. It’s also a fun moment that reminds of the hi-jinks that Sam has gotten up to over the years.

However, this scene is important for a variety of reasons: it forces Sam to tell Jon about his parentage — something he’s been withholding and, thankfully, not held onto for too long — and it shows us that Dany’s virtuous run to the throne has “it’s because of war” casualties. Her nobility has been questioned here and there, but, for the most part her executions haven’t really been connected so heavily to characters we love.

This whole thing is sold by and made even more powerful by John Bradley’s stunning reaction from hearing about his father’s death — remember his awful relationship with him — to hearing about his brother’s execution — one of the only people who believed him.

Holy fuck, I’m so far into this review and the episode was so short, but I absolutely want to discuss how fucking crazy Beric and Tormund’s arrival at Last Hearth was. A scene rife with tension, I was certain — still am — that they would perish at the hands of the Walkers, but instead we’re treated to a throwback (drink!) of the Night King’s renaissance artwork on the walls of Last Hearth — home of the Umbers. For those playing at home, the Umbers are the family that had the kid run off early on in the episode.

Beric and Tormund sneak around in preparation for a battle, but instead come across Dolorous Edd and his friends who, like them, have also been sneaking around in preparation for a battle. The group form up in the Umber’s hall where they see Ned Umber — head of the House — pinned to the wall, presumably dead.

EXCEPT HE’S FUCKING NOT and is secretly turned. He LUNGES at Tormund but thankfully Beric Bae stabs him with his lightsaber and the resulting scream and writhing on the wall is one of the more disturbing moments the show has put out over the years. It also serves to show us that the White Walkers are very, very close. Pay attention to the opening credit sequence, people!

I have a sneaky suspicion that this episode will go on as one of the more underrated episodes of the show’s run. I also think it’s an episode that deserves re-watching before next week because we need to cherish the interactions we got here. The gang is assembling, but they’ll soon be scattered dead or alive in the next few weeks and — like the show — once they’re gone, they’re gone.

Some Quick Points!

• Jaime Lannister’s arrival at Winterfell and his stare off with Bran was absolutely incredible. Again, another total callback to the first episode of the series where he launched Bran out of the tower window.
• I’d totally watch a show of the three old blokes, Tyrion, Varys and Davos. Three of the spiciest men on the show.
• I don’t care for the Greyjoys. Their bit looked great, but that’s about it.
• Like Drogon, Bran likes to watch and this episode likes to show us that Bran is always watching — kinda creepily — and my favourite running joke is that no one really understands what Bran is doing. Actually, do you think Bran warged into Drogon and watched Jon and Dany have secks? hehe.
• I’VE ALWAYS HAD BLUE EYES.
• Can’t see shit this episode. It’s so dark. Am I getting old?