Game of Thrones- S7: Let the bodies hit the floor (Spoilers)

[Colt Ward]

I actually thought he was doing a excellent job, he is bringing Dani & Jon together and if Bran ever gets word to Jon he is Dani's half-uncle that is going to get WAY more interesting.  I am actually surprised Tyrion has not yet suggested a marriage to unite Starks & Targaryons.

So far Cersei has-

lost control of Casterly Rock
lost the Freys & Riverlands
taken losses to the Lannister army
brought the Iron Isles (not one of the seven kingdoms!) & fleet on her side
checkmated Dorne
taken out the last of the Tyrells (cause . . . they all dead in the Seven Kingdoms, we do not know of the Second Sons)
paid off the Iron Bank of the Bravosi (engaged in a 2 front war)
a plan for fighting dragons- it will be expensive

Dani has-
lost her most of her fleet
lost ruler of Dorne- neutral if not favoring Cersei, depends on what Sand Snakes did
lost ruler of High Garden (good to see Bronn!)
Lost a portion of her Unsullied which are trapped in Casterly Rock

Jon has-
gathered the North to prepare for winter
still allied with Aviary/Littlefinger
left Sansa in charge of the North, which will be a great move in hindsight as she becomes a great leader in her own right
gained the 3-Eyed Raven
Garrisoning the Wall

I am not sure Cersei still has any more control than over two and a half of the Kingdoms as Jaime quipped.  Jon sort of has two . . . the Riverlands would be a question mark due to his ties, figure its the half he splits with Cersei.  Dani?  She lost the two Kingdoms she has- though 1 is neutral now and 1 is occupied- and the capital of what was a political power.

[Kojak]

My prediction: that giant dragon-killing crossbow may or may not be used to kill one or more Dany's dragons, but it will be used to kill the Mountain.

[Dragon Cat]

I reckon Tyrion knows better than to suggest marriage between two people that really don't trust each other (though they seemed to be reaching an understanding as the episode went on)

I loved Jon's reaction to seeing the Dragon for the first time it was like "I've seen the dead come back to life, I've fought them, but what the **** was that?"

I felt sorry for Tyrion that his one great battle plan was scuppered by the arrival of the Iron Isle fleet - kinda surprised that Dani didn't send at least one of the Dragons as fire support.

Going forward I see that Bran doesn't totally trust Sansa he see's what she's been through though it's a bit jumbled in his head.  His reference to her wedding dress which was supposed to be something beautiful is far darker because of what happened to her with the Boltons.  Which most likely brings Sansa to remember Little Finger's position in that little deal.

I can see Sansa playing at being the ruler she could be making Little Finger think he has a way of ridding himself of Jon and having Sansa as leader.  Little Finger playing a card he has and Sansa betraying him proving her loyalty to Jon.

With Jon being brought back to life previously I wonder if his future is actually to be the future Night King ruling beyond the wall.

It's Melisandre's comment she brought fire and ice together that got me.  Dani is the fire, Jon is the Ice - Fire and Ice the balance of the Game of Thrones

[Colt Ward]

A king or queen's marriage is a matter of state, its not about love but dynasty.  Tyrion is doing the statesman dance, getting them to meet each other and balance.  Its the historical loop . . . Dani will rule the 7 kingdoms 'married' to two men who are of the Targaryon bloodline.  Jon is one, he will command one of the other dragons.  In the books we know another is out there, but the show left them off and instead has hinted that the Mad King raped Tywin's wife before Tyrion was born.

[Liam's Ghost]

In the books we know another is out there, but the show left them off and instead has hinted that the Mad King raped Tywin's wife before Tyrion was born.

The hints are there in the book as well. There's reference to the mad king joking about it, and it's also mentioned that Tyrion's hair is far paler than his siblings (obviously not in the case of the TV series). Maybe something about one of his eyes being different colored? There is speculation that the third "targaryen" shown in the book is a red herring.

Don't know if I agree with it, though.

[Colt Ward]

Yeah, the books make the hints too but since they consolidate characters in the show I do not expect them to produce another option than Tyrion.

[Nav_Alpha]

My prediction: that giant dragon-killing crossbow may or may not be used to kill one or more Dany's dragons, but it will be used to kill the Mountain.

I.... I want to see that.

Meanwhile, at what point is Jamie going to abandon his lady love and queen? He looked suitably shaken by the end of his conversation at High Garden and he's got to realise what kind of monster she is.
Will he betray her or is he in until the bitter end? My prediction is that he'll stay with her, only to kill her in much the same way as he murdered the Mad King: in the throne room as they cackle about one last suicidal plot that will kill both friend and foe.

[Øystein]

Meanwhile, at what point is Jamie going to abandon his lady love and queen? He looked suitably shaken by the end of his conversation at High Garden and he's got to realise what kind of monster she is.

The "shakeness" is because he wanted to run a cetain old grandmother through with his sword, and chop her into tiny little pieces and feed them one at a time to a pig after she told him she ordered Joffrey's death.

[Kidd]

@TDC - Tyrion's battle plan failing is just the usual head-fake we get from GOT; when things are going well expect a couple dozen spanners in the works.

@Dragoncat - Daenerys' problem is a lack of dragonriders; she can't deploy them separately as the dragons only listen to her, and even so she can't use them too often because she has to be fighting personally, and she herself is much more vulnerable.

I expected the Highgarden army to fail as they are said in the books to be the weakest fighters in Westeros despite being the most numerous, but didn't expect TPK :D I wanted Jaime to break and run Olenna through after she taunted him, only for her to smirk at him as if to say "gotcha!"

The issue of the 3-headed dragon is going to be resolved differently in the TV show I think. We only have 2 candidates in the show, Daenerys and Jon, with zero setup for the Tyrion angle in the previous 6 seasons. In the books there's young Griff aka Aegon who's doing well in the snippets we've seen, plus who knows who else GRRM might introduce.

The 3-headed dragon prophecy might also mean that Daenerys is the first dragonrider ever to control 3 dragons at once, leaving out any other Targaryens...

...or we'll all be completely fooled once again, let's see :D

[I am Belch II]

It was a good episode. Dany had a bad day, and Cersei didn't have a great day either. Jon did get a win but didn't lose either. I don't blame him for not bending a knee. He had another King come up to him thinking he should be on the throne  and lost a lot of army to believe in that cause.

I was just upset no Arya in the show.

[Tai Dai Cultist]

Team Lannister had an episode like this coming.  No way would the whole season be Dany losing all the time forever.

Still, it was a great day to be rooting for Jaime.



I did totally expect to see him die at the end of that charge, too.  But despite that... actually BECAUSE of that, I'm pretty sure he'll survive his cliffhanger at the end of the episode.  If they were gonna kill him, he woulda just died then and there.   Besides, GoT doesn't *really* have a credo of "anyone can die anytime".  It's just been better at hiding who has plot armor than most franchises.  After 6.5 seasons, we know who has the plot armor by now.  Jaime (and Cersei) don't have great odds of surviving the entire series, but their odds of surviving the season at least are pretty damn good.  No way Jaime's gonna fail to survive the cliffhanger when he's got so much unfinished business with Cersei (and potentially her murder to commit) now.  If all that momentum was a head fake, he coulda just died on the field of battle.

Edit: I totes forgot to mention how much I loved the Stannis, King of Grammar call-back this episode.

[Colt Ward]

Jaime has started building a power-base with the disillusioned . . . he has had Bronn at his side, and now you know that for sure b/c he left his gold to get to the caster . . . and braved dragon-fire to save Jaime.  He reached out to the Tarly heir and has been doing some networking.  When the time comes, he will kill Cersei, bend the knee to Dani and go home to Casterly Rock.  Which is IF he is taken and kept as prisoner by Dani though I expect Tyrion to have to do some fast talking since he is the Kingslayer.

It was also neat to see Dragon 'Close AIr Support' for her ground troops . . . I do wonder which dragon chooses Jon Snow, which the preview seemed to hint at afterwards. They are preparing Dani to learn that Jon was not Eddard's kid (bastard discussion), but his sister's . . . through Raegar. She elevated Jon by asking his advice even if he does not bend the knee and followed it by striking a military target without civilian casualties as he was suggesting.  This battle was also good training for the dragons for when they face the army of the dead.

The North . . . is in trouble.  The Night King is going to push at the wildlings at Eastwatch by the Sea, and what happens then . . . does Dani end up fighting a two front war?

[marauder648]

I still think that this is gonna happen.

Jamie kills Cersi who by the end has gone completely off the rails but in a cold, calculating kind of insane way rather than a Mad King BURN THEM ALL! fashion. 
And then a Wild Arya appears and basically does the full "Hello, my name is Inego Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die." and offs Jamie.

Or knowing GRRM who is a troll we get this ending.

X ascends to the Iron Throne and yay 'good' end.  Music swells and fade to black.
Then in white text "X Died of cancer 6 months later."  Roll credits.

Or if he wants riots in the street.  Do a Dallas

*fade to black, then, go to YOUNG Bran who wakes up, looks up at his father (Ned) and goes "I just had the strangest dream...."
You'd hear the howls of outrage and anger from orbit.

[I am Belch II]

Such a great battle.
I was hoping for a Dragon to go down. I don't think Jamie is dead, he will be picked up buy someone and used as a prisoner for a exchange. Finally Dany did something under her own power and did something right. Used the Dragon the way it should of been used, attack and as air support. Control the high ground or air in that case.
Jon was just there in the episode, he supports any side that would help him in the North, and Dany is that person.
Yet again Arya is proving how bad ass she really is. Was able to hold her own against the Mountain called Breanne of Tarth. I love that line when she said "No one"!!!

[Sharpnel]

Arya did seem a little cocky in that scene with Brienne. Right up until she got the big boot to the chest. One wonders when Arya is going to kill Littlefinger (who will be added to her list once Bran tells her about his vision regarding their father's death). Littlefinger needs to go, he gives me that me that creepy sexual predator vibe.

[marauder648]

Arya did seem a little cocky in that scene with Brienne. Right up until she got the big boot to the chest. One wonders when Arya is going to kill Littlefinger (who will be added to her list once Bran tells her about his vision regarding their father's death). Littlefinger needs to go, he gives me that me that creepy sexual predator vibe.

The whole thing about Littlefinger is that he does NOTHING, and has to do NOTHING but just glance at people and smile ever so slightly in a "Just as planned..." kind of way.  He does everything by doing nothing, whilst having a face that is in dire need of a good punching.
He's wonderfully sinister and creepy.

[Sharpnel]

Aidan Gillen is pretty good actor. I've seen him in quite a few things thanks to BBC America and Hulu.

[marauder648]

Also the sword fight between Arya and Brienne was SUPERB.

[Dragon Cat]

Arya did seem a little cocky in that scene with Brienne. Right up until she got the big boot to the chest. One wonders when Arya is going to kill Littlefinger (who will be added to her list once Bran tells her about his vision regarding their father's death). Littlefinger needs to go, he gives me that me that creepy sexual predator vibe.

When I saw Bran speaking to Littlefinger and then the way the Arya looked at Littlefinger I wondered just how long it would take for her to add him to her list.  Loved Sansa's reaction to Arya's list being real.

Overall a great episode the above worked well and Danni turning to John for advice showing that even though he annoys her at refusing to bend a knee she's trusting him more and more.

Drogon's moment was awesome showing the power facing the Lannister's while Bronn and Jamie both had their 'hero' moments which was cool

[Kidd]

That battle was absolutely superb. Dothraki screamers, breaching the shield wall with dragonfire, instant-ashed Lannisters, Bronn's Bard moment... all of it was amazing!

[Nav_Alpha]

And THAT'S how you utilise danger close air support.
So, my reading is Bron and Jamie surviving that battle? What next? How does the Dragon Queen use them?

[Sharpnel]

How does the Dragon Queen use them?

Assuming that she has found them, give Jaime to Jon and let him do what he sees fit.

[Kidd]

I like how the insane battle tactics (jumping, hacking, etc.) of the Dothraki "screamers" were depicted. Fairly certain that Bronn and Jaime will survive and be captured, if only for the drama of being reunited with Tyrion... on opposite sides ::)

I also bet that the dragon arrows are poisoned. It's the smart thing to do. It's the Qyburn thing to do.

[I am Belch II]

I think Jamie and maybe Bronn will be used as Prisoner Transfer leverage, for who ever Cersei gets. Jamie for Yara. Not a fair trade if you ask me.

[Dragon Cat]

At the same time Jamie is a proven commander he stuck with his troops even when they were in a hopeless position same with Bronn.  Jon will want them alive along with the Lannister army if he's ever got a hope of turning back the white walkers.

[Trajan Helmer]

I think Euron is the prophesied Valonqar.  He's the little brother in a different family but the prophecy, as I recall, doesn't mean Cersei's killer has to be from her family. 

Regardless, the writing is a pale shadow of what it was prior to Season 5.  Oh, GRRM! Rescue us from D&D!

[Natasha Kerensky]

When I saw Bran speaking to Littlefinger and then the way the Arya looked at Littlefinger I wondered just how long it would take for her to add him to her list.

From Arya's look, I actually wondered if Littlefinger was already on her list and went online to check.  Obviously not, but had me fooled for a minute.

In the creators' comments after the credits, Benioff or Weiss state that there is chemistry between Dany and Jon in the dragonglass/Children of the Forest cave.  So it appears they're gonna hook up.

My 2-bit prediction based on other comments that the series' end will be bittersweet... Dany and Jon have a Targaryen child but both die (fighting Walkers or whatever), and the series closes with Tyrion ruling from the Iron Throne as hand/regent in the child's name (if he's not a third Targaryen) or as the last adult Targaryen (if he is).

FWIW...

[Colt Ward]

I think Euron is the prophesied Valonqar.  He's the little brother in a different family but the prophecy, as I recall, doesn't mean Cersei's killer has to be from her family. 

Nah . . . Jaime is the little brother, which is why I have said over the years he will be the one killing her.  Particularly if Tyrion is her half brother.

As for the writing . . . yeah, they are saying the Black Cell's scene with the Sand Snakes was a rip off of a part in one of the earlier books- not sure if was the Starks or someone else.  One thing Martin avoided was being somewhat formulaic since anyone could die . . . not sure they can avoid that on their own- I mean look at Gray Worm's send off or Jon meeting Theon again.

[Kidd]

Its kind of reminescent of how Rickon and Brandon Stark (Eddard's father and brother) died - Rickon was burned with wildfire in front of Brandon, who strangled himself with a noose trying to reach him. I was kind of uh hoping for this one actually, as a nod to the books (no not really cause both Tyene and Ellaria are hot ;D )

Other than that, no one I can remember in the books has died like that, either face-to-face while chained or with poison delivered with a kiss.

[Colt Ward]

Yeah, I walked through while the wife was streaming some of her summary show and it was showing pencil art of the Mad King's killing- though Eddard's father was actually roasted in his armor IIRC.

The kiss is actually just a redo of how Marsela died . . . but unless I forget, she has not in the books- lost her Kings Guard and an ear, but not dead (yet).