In an episode that didn’t see much action but plenty of set-up, Episode 7 has certainly made me pumped for the next instalment as it looks to be all out war once again both at Winterfell and at Riverrun. If I were the commonfolk, I’d give both a widebirth. That’s what 6 seasons of conflict have taught me about these two locations, stay away.
The surprise this time out was the return of a character that most, including myself, thought dead. Sticking to the hard and fast rule that if you don’t see a character die on screen they can always return (a rule that Game of Thrones doesn’t have to follow at all if you take the recently resurrected Jon Snow into consideration), Sandor Clegane (Rory McCann) once more filled our screens in all his charred glory. A ‘Broken Man’ struggling to come to terms with being bested by a girl, he now lives in a small displaced community lead by a septon of the Seven played by Ian McShane. When the group is distrubed by followers from the Brotherhood without Banners we all kind of knew that the violence Ian McShane was trying to get the Hound to forget would soon be back on their doorstep with the clash of religions bubbling. It did and Ian McShane exited Game of Thrones after starring for just one episode. That was pretty disappointing as initial rumours had pegged the actor as being Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbaek) and when that was proved to be false I still held on to hope that he would be Victarion instead.
Jon Snow (Kit Harington), Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) and the Onion Knight (Liam Cunningham) spent the whole episode gathering their forces which consists of a bunch of Wildlings and 62 of the best Mormonts. Jon wants to march on Winterfell too soon and Sansa, in a bid to help, has sent a Raven to a house she hopes is an ally. With her history of really puting her foot in it with the Stark family, including getting her father killed, I cannot see this going well. I think that the house will warn the Bolton’s and it will be a massacre…again. Even if not, it is being hinted at that Jon Snow does not have enough men but this could be setting up the Knights of the Vale coming to their aid at the last moment. I can’t imagine for a moment that Sansa’s warning to Little Finger will have him scurrying away.
Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldou) had a humbling episode having been stripped of his rank as Lord Commander and now donnig his much more subtle Lannister armour. He had a pretty sad engagement with the Blackfish (Clive Russell), the Tully Uncle of Catelyn Stark, who has retaken his home from the Frey’s. He now sits within it’s amost impenatrable walls with 2 years worth of supplies and a Lannister/Frey army at his door. I don’t like Jaime’s evolution as a person as much in the show as I do in the books. He is yet to see Cersei (Lena Headey) for what she is and has not become his own man yet in my eyes. In the book Jaime is a great example of a character who you should hate but can’t bring yourself to. At his core he is good and is only corrupted by love and circumstance. Once he breaks his bonds with Cersei he really does set out to make the world a better place. We have only seen a glimpse of that so far.
Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg) puts into motion a plan to return to High Garden, if she makes it out of the city, and the theory that Margaery (Natalie Dormer) is just playing a part for the High Sparrow with her pious routine is confirmed as she secretly hands her grandmother a rose. What is she planning and is Tommen (Dean Charles Chapman) in on it? Probably not, that boy is clueless. Arya (Maisie Williams) was tracked down by the Waif as she was ready to return home but her is hoping she will recover from her wounds (that look pretty fatal). What are your thoughts on this Episode? Tweet your feelings @CelebrityCutout.
