lordofpinecrest-blog

[lordofpinecrest-blog]

SEASON 8 EPISODE 6 THE FINAL THE IRON THRONE

In this Lord’s opinion, it was going to be impossible to please everyone with the last episode of what is arguably the greatest show ever on TV. Plots had to closed and we needed to see what the future would bring. So in the end, I really liked it. Not the action of the last two weeks, but it brought the closure we needed. It all started with the Starks, and it all ended with the Starks. Back to the basics-family and trust and hard choices that had to be made to do what was right. And while I did not predict Bran be the King, I did predict the Iron Throne being melted and Drogon flying away.  And for those who didn’t like the final episode, as Ser Carl said to me-What did you want? Tell us. So let’s get to it.

We start with Tyrion, as he walks in silence taking in the total destruction of what was formerly his beloved city, Kings Landing. Bodies burned, buildings in rubble and ashes tumbling to the ground. In the visions, I think all of us mistook what we thought was snow, for what we now know is ash. A different type of Winter has besieged the capital. Behind him, also in silence, are Jon Snow and the Onion Knight. Tyrion finally saying he is going on alone, with the Onion Knight saying it wasn’t safe. Tyrion knew he had to go alone to search for his brother and sister.

Back on the streets, we see that the Queen is Mad. Grey Worm is set to execute prisoners on their knees on his Queen’s orders. A repeat stare down from last week between Jon and Grey Worm until Ser Davos wisely tells Jon to retreat and to speak to the Queen. I recall Ned Stark and Jaime Lannister in a similar scene in Season One.

Three things. First, As Jon walked away, I thought he and Grey Worm would come to blows later on and that Jon would kill him. I was wrong. Second, when Rob Stark was King of the North, some of his men killed Lannister prisoners and Rob actually killed one of his own men as punishment.  One of the results of that event was Roose Bolton turning against Rob and conspiring with Tywin Lannister which led to the Red Wedding. Third, it did reinforce our feelings that Danny was mad.

And as expected, the Imp goes down to find his fallen brother and sister and weeps over their dead bodies. Digging them out to see their faces. I guess we had to see them to prove that they were dead. As Tyrion bangs the bricks in frustration, was he more frustrated with Cersei’s hubris for failing to surrender or was he more upset with himself for failing to see that Daenerys was mad? Either way, he knows he has betrayed her Grace for the last time.

Next we see Jon, with head down, walking toward the steps of what is left of the Red Keep. He is  surrounded by the Dothraki and Unsullied armies and not looking so sure of himself. We see the Targaryen banner flying high. Arya is there too. Last last time we saw her we  thought she left on a white horse. Could she be back to kill our Queen? As Jon climbs the steps, it looks like there could be that confrontation with Grey Worm, as they engage in another stare down. That is avoided as the Mother of Dragons arrives on the back of the mighty Drogon. As Her Grace comes out,  the cameras make it look like she has wings!! I give them an A+++ for great cinematography.

As The Mother of Dragons begins her speech,  we know who she is and isn’t. She starts her speech by shouting to her troops “Blood of my Blood.” What does that mean? To me, it means that Daenerys is a foreign invader. She does not consider the heritage of what, over centuries, it meant to be a Targaryen in Westeros. And her troops stomp their spears in approval. Sort of savagery and she eats it up. She names Grey Worm commander of all her forces, Master of War. But why need a Master of War after she won? The answer comes quickly. She is not done but is consumed with power. She believes she is the Great Liberator. They have liberated Kings Landing from the grip of a tyrant. But they will not lay down their swords until they have liberated all the people of the world. And next came the words that I believe helped seal her fate—From Winterfell to Dorne. After that would come the rest of world to break the Wheel. Isn’t that how every despot thinks of him or herself?

Tyrion comes out and joins Jon in looking totally terrified as to what could come next. And Danny does look consumed with mad power. Great facial expression on her face. As Danny looks down at the Imp the lines were fantastic. “You freed your brother. You committed treason” To which Tyrion replies “I freed my brother. And you slaughtered a city.”  As Tyrion abdicates his position as Hand of the Queen, Daenerys hesitated. She could have burned him as she did  Lord Varys. But I saw a hint of regret and feelings in her eyes as she just ordered him taken away.  Danny stares at Jon-was she looking for his approval as to what she had done? I say yes.

And what followed next was what the Game of Thrones was all about from the beginning. The Stark family. Sure they were almost wiped out and down on their knees. But look what Arya says to Jon when Jon says Daenerys is everyone’s Queen. “Try telling  Sansa. She (meaning Danny) knows who you are; who you really are. You will always be a threat to her.” And finally, from a true assassin, “ I know a killer when I see one.” Chilling words. Nobody could disagree with that assessment. Family has to come first.

Next we have Jon visiting the Imp in jail. To me, it reminded me of Season One when Lord Varys visited Ned Stark in his cell. And as Tyrion takes confession, he says that he would do it again, that he chose his fate, that Kings Landing didn’t. What was behind that? Was he saying his reasoning  for following Daenerys was right, but that the result wrong? A bit strange. And how foolish did Jon look when he said the war was over? HELLO? I guess he missed Danny’s speech to her armies as the Imp had to remind him of what it meant. The Mad Queen will continue to wage war until, in her mind, she liberates all the people of the world. And as they argue the rights and wrongs of what the The Mother of Dragons did and what the Lannisters had done, the overwhelming question came to light again “Would you have done it?” Like last week, Jon doesn’t answer but we know his answer is no.  Tyrion goes on with one the best speeches and explanations the show has ever done. When Jon asks what does it matter what I do, Tyrion replies “It matters more than anything.” He then goes through Her Graces history of killing evil men to liberate the innocent. And that each time, they cheered her and she grew more powerful and more sure that what she was doing was good and right. She believes her destiny is to build a better world.  And who wouldn’t kill everyone in their way to achieve that noble goal?  Tyrion, tearfully, admits his love  for Danny. He believed in her with all his heart, and that “love is more powerful than reason.” But then Jon replies “Love is the death of duty.” Which was a quote from Maester Aemon from the Wall. For those of you who don’t know, Amon was a Targaryen who became a Maester and served in the Citadel. He was offered the Iron Throne, but declined in favor of his younger brother, Aegon V, who was the father of the Mad Kind.  Things might have been different if Aemon had accepted the Iron Throne. But is amazing how they tie everything together. And that leads to Tyrion’s reply “Sometimes duty is the death of love.” Jon is the shield that protects the realms of men, always tries to do the right thing. “Do you think I am the last man she will execute? Who is more dangerous than the rightful heir to the Iron Throne?”(Did he warg with Arya to say that??) Tyrion, in the space of a few minutes, has explained the Mother of Dragons perfectly and given the most thoughtful and best speech over the Eight Seasons. But was it Tyrion’s last line “What about your sisters. Do you see them bending the knee?”  And that while Sansa doesn’t get to choose, Jon does and it has to be NOW! And as Jon walks out, we learn that Tyrion’s and Arya’s speech have sealed Daenerys’ fate.  For Jon must do his duty, despite his love for Danny. This scene, which lasted 9 minutes, may be one of the longest one on one scenes over the Eight Seasons. The dialog was brilliant! So stop complaining my loyal subjects.

Jon is on his way to meet Daenerys when Drogon rises out of the ashes. Drogon senses a Targaryen coming, but does he sense something much more? Or did Drogon just let Jon pass because he was a Targaryen? Could Bran have warged into Drogon to give him safe passage? Food for thought.

Think how the next scene develops. Daenerys Stormborn Targaryen, Mother of Dragons, sees the Iron Throne, but SHE NEVER GOES TO SIT ON IT! She turned away from the ultimate prize to face her lover and rival. And while Danny cheerfully gives a brief history lesson of the formation of the Iron Throne, Jon takes away that smile with the accusation of Her Grace giving the order to execute Lannister prisoners. In a way, Daenerys was right that Cersei was using the innocent as a weapon against her, to weaken her. So in her mind, her actions, as horrible as they may have been, were justified. Many agree. Jon begs Danny to have mercy, but her vision of mercy is far different from John’s. And then the tell tale line. Danny is going to build a good world.  Jon “How do you know it is good.” Daenerys “Because I know what is good.” That is the line of every mad despot who has ever been in power. You can see it in her eyes.  Jon “and what about all the other people who think they know what is good.” Danny’s reply is what the fear is “They don’t get to choose.” As she says they will do it together, break the Wheel together, the last word our Mother of Dragons hears is Jon saying “You are my queen, now and always.” And then WOW WOW. Jon stabs and kills The Mother of Dragons as their lips are locked in a final kiss.

What happened next, I partially predicted. Drogon comes to the side of his fallen Mother. He senses her death. I also think he senses Jon’s love for his mother. It sounds as if his first moans are ones of grief. Then he growls in anguish and then anger. He faces Jon with flames rising in his throat. But he turns and unleashes his flames elsewhere, finally melting the Iron Throne. He then carries his Mother and flies away. Drogon, the breaker of chains. To where? Back to his home as I predicted he would. I thought this was a GREAT scene. Jon had to make the ultimate choice, to kill his lover and do his duty. How magnificent was it to see Drogon just fly away?  Drogon knew it was right to melt the Iron Throne and go home. For those that did not like it, tell me: did you think Daenerys should die? If not why? And if so, by somebody other than Jon? I think they got it right. Before Drogon demurred to Jon and flew away, did you think Drogon was going to burn him and would Jon be flame retardant? That might have been a good scene before Drogon left. And where did Drogon go? Must guess Valyria as that is where the dragon started. But I don’t think so, as that is where the Doom occurred.  I think he went back to where he was born, the only place he felt at home.

Next we have Tyrion contemplating what he must think are last minutes of his life as Grey Worm leads him out of his cell.  Tyrion is led out from to the Dragon Pit where somehow, all the Lords of Westeros have arrived to sit judgement. The problem is that until seeing Jon with his beard, we did not know how much time had past, but it does appear that weeks have past. They are there to pass sentence of Tyrian. And who was there? Front and center, are the Starks-Arya, Sansa and Bran. Sorry Ser Lane, looks as if Rickon did die. We also have Ser Davos, Gendry, Brienne of Tarth, Edmure Tully, some Dornish Prince, a more gown up, if you call it that, Robin Arryn and the ever irritable Asha Greyjoy. The most powerful group in Westeros. Good thing Drogon didn’t come back to toast them in revenge!! Some criticize the inclusion of people of lesser stature, but who was left???

Sansa asks Grey Worm where Jon is as they were both supposed to be brought before the council. Grey Worm, in complete defiance says “We will decide what to do with our prisoners.” Grey Worm, after all this time, with his master dead,  has joined the ranks of choosing. And as Sansa and Grey Worm go back and forth to jockey to see who is the most powerful, Asha take Grey Worm’s side as the Iron Throne are not so quick to forgive. She wants the Unsullied to execute Jon. But not to be undone, Arya jumps all over her “Say another word about killing my brother and I will cut your throat.” Family; Jon is still her brother. The voice of reason, as always, is the Onion Knight. Enough with the killing. Grey Worm, who is not totally wrong, says they don’t need payment, they need justice. After all, to Grey Worm, Daenerys freed him and his people and Jon is a Queenslayer.

Tyrion to Grey Worm-it is not for you to decide to which Grey Worm replies “You are not hear to speak. Everyone has heard enough words from you. “ Tyrian the wise, agrees and adds “and nobody is any better for it.” Hard words for him to say as he has misjudged so many which, unfortunately, resulted in great death and destruction. The problem is that Jon’s fate is for the King or Queen to decide, but as Ser Royce pointed out, they don’t have one.

Thus began the process to choose a new King or Queen. Edmure babbles on until Sansa “politely” says please sit. She knows he is a fool. Next up we have Sam, who proposes that the people have a say in it. The others laugh and make fun of him. Asked, the Imp says he doesn’t want the crown. Instead, Tyrion says it should be Bran the Broken. And why? Because stories unite people, nothing is more powerful than a good story as nothing can stop them. Think back to season one, the stories Nan told a young Bran. And who better to tell those stories than Bran? He is our memory, the keeper of all the stories. And isn’t that why the Nigh King wanted Bran dead? Another magnificent speech by Tyrion. Did Sansa show her true colors when she “objected” to Bran becoming King? I think she did! But in the end, they all agree that the King should be chosen not by birth, but by a vote of the Noble Houses. As they vote Ban King, he says “Why do you think I came all this way?” The wheel that Daenerys broke, is now put back together in a different way. So in the end, it was Bran’s purpose and destiny to become King. All say “aye” except Sansa. She loves her litter brother, and thinks he will be a good King. But says the North will remain an independent kingdom, she will not bend the knee to him. And as his first decision as King, Bran  nods his head and Bran the Broken, the First of His Name, becomes King of the Six Kingdoms. Bran’s second action is to appoint Tyrion as the Hand of the King to fix all the mistakes he has made.

Then we Jon, with a weeks old beard and looking tired. Tyrion tells him that to avoid a war, King Bran is sending him back to rejoin the Nights Watch. I liked Jon’s reaction “there is still a Night’s Watch?” Good question since the purpose of the Night’s Watch is gone. And in another poignant moment, Jon asked Tyrion if it was right what he did, to which Tyrion says “What we did.” And when Jon says it doesn’t feel right, Tyrion looks him in the eye and says “Ask me again in 10 years.” This time the Imp hopes he has backed the right horse. They end the scene with Jon saying “I don’t expect we will be seeing each other again” to which our little Hero says “I wouldn’t be so sure.” Great ending to their scenes together. And didn’t Tormund say something similar to that to Jon last week? I think he did.

As Jon leaves, his eyes lock with Grey Worm’s hatred stare. Grey Worm and the Unsullied are headed to the Isle of Naath, which is an island in the Summer Sea and the home of Missandei. The island of butterflies. Maybe Grey Worm will find his peace there.

But then he is met by his FAMILY. Sansa, saying it was the only way and can he forgive her. He forgives her as she freed the North. And when Sansa says the North lost their King, Jon says they got the best they can ask for, the daughter of Ned Stark who can speak for him. They embrace in big and real hug.

Next in line is Arya, always Jon’s favorite. Arya tells them she is going to a place nobody knows-west of Westeros, where all the maps stopped. She still has Needle, and they embrace as well. Tear jerker!!

And finally Bran. Jon bends the knee and says “I am sorry I wasn’t there when you needed me.” To which Bran replies “You were exactly where you were supposed to be.” The Tree Eyed Raven speaks as Jon sails away to his destiny with the Starks looking on.

I am going to fast forward a bit. We see Brienne write in the White Book where each member of the King’s Guard has a page to detail his deeds. Brienne is finishing Jaime’s page and writes he died protecting the Queen. Nice twist leaving out the bad. In the books, it is the responsibility of the Lord Commander of the Kings Guard to update the entries in the White Book. Does that mean she is now Lord Commander of the Kings Guard? Presumably so.

Not going to spend too much time on the Small Council. It was funny how Tyrion re-arranged the chairs. Was it a political comment on our times how those in the military want the most from the  treasury while other, more meaningful people, want it for things like clean water?

And then there is Sam with the Song of Ice and Fire. The history of the world since the death of King Robert. But Tyrion is not in the book. For those of us who read the prequals, it is fitting. For as Tyrion says, he might have been mentioned less than favorably. Some had surmised that the entire show was a look back through Sam’s eyes, like the show Lost, that it had already happened. So much for that theory. What was curious was the reference to Drogon. In an early Season, there was a reference in the Small Council to the reappearance of dragons. They scoffed at it. But now they know Drogon is out there and maybe Bran can warg into him. Maybe he will need Drogon to return to hold the peace.

North to the Wall, or what is left of it. The horn blows signaling Jon’s return. The gate opens and we first see Tormund. And then scenes cut to Arya and Sansa. Each looking to complete their journey. I loved the way they went back and forth.

Sansa, declared Queen of the North, Queen of the North!

Arya walking on a ship to sail to nowhere on a ship with a Direwolf curved into the bow

And Jon walking amongst people who care and look up to him. And YES!! The reunion with GHOST!! They smile at one another as Ghost gives him the lick!  Jon and Tormund, led by Ghost, and followed by “his people” leave the Wall and head north. For you see, Jon is home and king again, this time King Beyond the Wall. The end!!

Again, I know many of you and some, if not all critics, didn’t like ending or the final season but I did. Watch it again to see what you missed. The last episode came full circle and answered many of our questions. We found out what the Wheel was and how it could be fixed. We saw an end to a tyrant who didn’t know she was a tyrant and would have kept the killing.  We saw Tyrion complete his circle, now for third time being the Hand, with the promise that he has learned from his mistakes. And such Emmy winning dialog on his part. We discovered that Bran knew all along where he would end up-King of the Six Kingdoms. Sansa filled her destiny by becoming the opposite of what she started out to be, Queen of the Six Kingdoms. Arya fulfilled her destiny by doing what she always wanted to do-explore and not be subject to anybody.

And finally it ends with Jon Snow, Fire and Ice. When Tyrion told Jon his fate, I think Tyrion knew is wasn’t a punishment. Where else could Jon go? And wasn’t the Wall and that part of the North his home? Jon, back with GHOST was special as they rode off into the woods with the knowledge that the Starks reign supreme! Fantastic fade out.

Just an FYI-choosing a picture to accompany my blog isn’t always easy. So this time I chose two, I hope you approve.

So there it is. My last blog for the Game of Thrones. It has been an honor and pleasure to write this and I hope you enjoyed my endless and much too long tales as much as I did writing them. But now, My Watch is Over.

GEROS ILAS!

The Lord of Pinecrest

[lordofpinecrest-blog]

SEASON 8 EPISODE 5 BELLS

In my opinion, Episode 5 was a great one and one of the best ever. Drogon was all WOW! Some of the best televisions cinematography ever. How fitting was it that on Mother’s Day, that we saw the Mother of Dragons get her revenge for the death of her two children? And then we saw the other mother die as she wept in her lover’s arms? Happy Mother’s Day to them!!

We began with what the Game of Thrones always gets back to: treachery. The Spider talking to Jon Snow, saying “every time a Targaryen is born, the Gods flip a coin.” Do you remember Cersei saying that to Tyrion back in Season 2? The reference is to children born from adultery. But Varys is talking treason and Jon will have nothing to do with it. Was Jon being just loyal or just being naive again? And I guess I was wrong about Sansa as she clearly broke her oath to Jon as it does appear that Sansa told the Imp who Jon really was. But could he have been lying to Daenerys? Still not sure. Our Queen uses the word “TRUST” with Tyrian, and we know that never works out.

Did anyone see Tyrion turning on Lord Varys” I didn’t. As it turns out, Tyrion is the clever one. Good bye old friend” are the Master of Whispers last words before Drogon toasts him. How cool did Drogon look when we first saw him behind his mother? And so the madness begins. Or perhaps, it already had. I thought Daenerys started to lose control when she found out Sansa broke her oath to Jon and told Tyrion who Jon really was. The Mother of Dragons feeling alone with fear as her only weapon. This despite Jon saying he loved her and wanted no part of the Iron Throne.  One thing is for sure, Danny looks like she has aged 10 years over the last few weeks. Hey Jon,  a little TLC might have saved the day! But Jon never seems to get it right.

In Dragonstone, Daenerys looks as if she is already sitting on the Iron Throne as she rejects Tyrion’s plea for mercy. She points out quite correctly, that Cersei equates mercy with weakness. I agree with that 100%. Tyrion begs the Queen to hold off the attack if the bells are rung in King’s Landing, and we see Daenerys nod a “yes” to Greyworm. Did you think when she nodded, it was a yes to call off the attack or a “yes” to go full Dracarys? Love the way the show does the double meanings,

More news. Danny tells the Imp that Jamie was captured trying to get to Cersei. And then a threat that may come back to haunt us “The next time you fail me, will be the last time you fail me.” And we know that Tyrion helped Jamie escape. Will that come back to haunt him? How can it not.

People are pouring into King’s Landing. Troops assembling for the attack. The Hound and Arya riding to King’s Landing.  And to know one’s surprise, family wins out again as Tyrion saves his brother. And for those who thought Jamie still had some good in him, what did you think when he echoed his sisters’ feelings, that he didn’t’ care for the millions who were going to die, whether innocents or not? Tyrion tells Jamie how he can escape with Cersei to Pintos and begs him to do sp. Tyrion, despite all that Cersei has done to him, Tyrion still loves her as she is family. A tear jerker goodbye but a genuine one for these brothers. And when Tyrion tells Jamie to ring the bells, we know that he took Daenerys’s nod as a good sign. OOPS!

Next-BATTLE STATIONS! RED ALERT! Euron readying the Iron Fleet with his men loading the dragon catapults. Thousands of innocents running for “safety” behind the walls of King’s Landing, and two not so innocent, the Hound and Arya. And wasn’t the commander of the Golden Company an IDIOT for having his troops line up outside the gates? What was he thinking? That the better dressed army would win!

And then we have our first look at Cersei. This time dressed in red-cold as ice as she stares out as thousands are trapped when the gates are ordered closed. One of the soldiers feels a breeze as dust blows by and Euron feels it to. He shields his eyes and looks high into the sky. At first he smiles when he spots Drogon. But not for long uUnlike his siblings, Drogon has a TRUSTED pilot flying him as The Mother of Dragons skillfully dodges the incoming bolts. And then Drogon is launched in a full DRACARYS attack mode. First Daenerys burns the Iron Fleet and then she toast the Scorpions dragon killing machines outside the walls of King’s Landing. The Golden Army knows something smells afoot and the next thing we see are the gates of King’s Landing exploding in fire as Drogon continues with his carnage. The commander runs but cannot escape the galloping Dothraki army. How fitting was it that Grey Worm was the one who put him down? The Lannister army is no match against them and Drogon as the Mother of Dragons shows no mercy.

Cersei watches on, same cold face as her city burns. Doesn’t seem to care. But her brother does as we walks through the death. Cersei cannot accept defeat, even when Qyburn tells her the Iron Fleet is burning and that all the Scorpions have been destroyed. And despite Her Grace’s claim that her troops will die for her, they see what they are up against and they drop their swords and surrender. As Jamie runs to join his sister, Tyrion is looking and hoping for the bells to be rung. A brief standoff and the bells rings. Battle over-right? Nope.

Next we see the shadow of Drogon’s wings flying over King’s Landing. Do you remember back in Season 2 when Daenerys saw that vision when she was in the House of the Undying? She also saw King’s Landing reduced to ashes. Prophecy coming true. Despite the bells, our Mother of Dragons goes full Mad Queen and literally burns them all. Innocents and armies alike. And then Grey Worm does the same. And  now we know what the “nod” really meant. Not mercy, just killing. Grey Worm is getting his revenge as he is just as unhinged as Danny. Meanwhile, Tyrion can only look on in shock. Even Jon is shaken as he kills on his own soldiers to save an innocent woman.

And what looks like the same spot where Tyrion sailed away from King’s Landing, Euron washes up and fights Jamie. I didn’t think much of the fight between Euron and Jamie, but I guess it was fitting for the Kingslayer to kill another “king.” And while dying, Euron smiles as he thinks he killed Jamie Lannister. But Euron should have known,  what is dead can never die.

All the while, The Mother of Dragons turns her attention to the Red Keep as she has Drogon slowly torch it. I think she wanted to keep Her Grace alive to see all her people die. And as Qyburn finally convinces a crying Cersei to retreat for safety, did you notice that Drogon’s fire was setting off wild fire in King’s Landing? So who is to say that Cersei wasn’t planning the same thing for her people? After all, I don’t think she was crying for her dead people; she was crying only because she lost. Next we have the Hound with Arya standing on the Lannister map. The Red Keep is all but gone, but the Hound has some wisdom left in him when he convinces Arya to leave and to save her life. He has known revenge all his life and tells her to “Look at me. Do want to be like me?” And what a reply “Sandor, thank you.” as they go their separate ways. Touching end to their relationship. The Hound is off to face his brother. I did like that in the end, the Mountain refused to obey his Queen and killed Qyburn, swatting him away like the mosquito that he was. As for the Glegane Bowl itself, it was just okay.  As the Hound said, the Mountain just wouldn’t die. We see the Mountain start to gauge out the Hound’s eyes in the same way he did to the Red Viper. But the Mountain gets a second life;  he stabs his brother in the head, but still can’t kill him. So what does he do? He lock a hold of him as he pushes himself and the Mountain off the ledge as they plunged to their deaths in fire. The way they dies, in fire, was a very symbolic way for them to die and it fit perfectly.

And while this was going on, what was going through Arya’s mind as she ties to leave the city? She knows what a monster the Dragon Queen become.

Did anybody besides me think that when Jamie showed up by Cersei’s side that he was dead and that it was Arya ready to kill Cersei? I really thought that. But no, this brother and sister also die in each others’ arms. Cersei crying she doesn’t want their baby to die, that she doesn’t want to die. And Jamie, with his last breath, repeating what Cersei said to Jaime seasons ago “Nothing matters but us.” A fitting last line as the rest of the Red Keep crushes down on them. Some don’t think they died, but I do.

We end with Arya covered in blood and ash.  Silence as nobody around her is alive. She stares a burned mother and child Only to spot a white horse-could it have been Tywin Lannister’s horse? She touches the horse  gently and then rides out of a completely destroyed King’s Landing. No words. But where is she going?

Again, I thought it was a terrific episode. The dragon scenes were amazing. And while I was in full dragon mode, could anybody have been in a dinosaur mode and watched a Raptor? NO WAY! And just like earlier in the Season, a lot of it came down to relationships. This time, many really ended. But what of the living? What will be Jon’s relationship with Daenerys?  What about Tyrion, who in the words of Bruce Springsteen, looked out over his city in ruins. Does the Imp realize he backed the wrong person to sit on the Iron Throne? Could he become a Queen Slayer as his brother was a King Slayer? Or will it be another kill for Arya? Have we seen the last of Sansa? Hope not. Some say Daenerys was right to do what she did, that she was driven to it by her foes? Do you agree?

Well only one episode left and we still do not know who will sit on the Iron Throne. Most think the Jon as Aegon Targaryen will become the King. But to do so, he will need help from others as Danny seems to be in full control. And she still has Drogon. Or will somebody kill Drogon? Doesn’t that have to happen to end the reign of Daenerys? I think so. Lot’s to think about as we are around the stretch and headed for the finish line.

Let me know what you think.

The Lord of Pinecrest

[lordofpinecrest-blog]

SEASON 8 EPISODE 4 THE LAST OF THE STARKS

While most of Episode 4 may have had a slow pace, the end was packed with action. This time, I will even throw in some book references. Relationships dominated the episode. Filled with good byes, which may or may not last. The episode started where we left oft last week, the end of the Battle of Winterfell and the Long Night. The sun has risen, and our leading survivors are mourning the ones closest to them. week. First we see Daenerys mourning Jorah, followed by Sansa and Theon. Sansa pins Theon with the Stark sigil, a true sign that she accepted Theon as a Stark. As Daenerys and Sansa walk back to the living, we see the sadness in the eyes of the living. The camera pans  out wide angled to show the thousands that died. As we come back to the living, we see a tattered Ghost is prominent in camera angle. The camera stops on him and it is good to see that he survived. But why did the camera focus on Ghost? Was it for the fans or something more?

Before setting afire to the dead, Jon gives a rousing speech. The key phrase was that they “put aside their differences to fight together and to die together.” That is how they won. But will they stay on that path to defeat Cersei? Doesn’t look good, but I get ahead of myself. The leaders come out with torches to set the Viking like pilings on fire. Here we see Arya by Beric,  Sam by Edd and Jon by Lyanna. Before going on, some theorized that last week the Night King was not killed and nor were the White Walkers destroyed. If that were true, these dead could have awakened, which they didn’t. So let’s end that theory. After last week’s killings, I thought it was a fitting beginning and a good emotional tribute to the dead.

What is death without a Wake Northern style? If I recall correctly, the last time we had that big of a party in the Great Hall of Winterfell was in Season One when Robert Baratheon came to town. And now we see Jamie and Tyrion back there celebrating. One of the biggest differences from Season One was that Catelyn Stark refused to let Jon join in. Outside and brooding, Tyrion said of Jon being a bastard “Wear it like armor and it can never be used to hurt you.” Did the Imp know something? More on that later.

I am not going to go into all that happened at the Wake. Lot’s of eating and drinking. But from the start, our Queen did not look like celebrating. But Danny did show she could be a clever leader when she crowned Gendry “Lord of Storms End.”  That made the Northerners happy as they raise their cups to him. The only scowl comes, of course, from the Hound! As the scene moves along, we see some happy and some not. Jaime, Tyrion, Brienne and Pod playing a drinking game which eventually leads to Jamie bedding Brienne. All to the chagrin of Tormund. And at this time, we think Jamie has come full circle. And we have another quip from Tyrion “we may have defeated them but we still have us to contend with.” How true was that!

Tyrion also says that Bran is the only living true born son of Ned Stark to which Bran does not immediately reply. Ser Lane Abraham thinks Rickon Stark is still alive. Could that have been a hint? Stranger things have happened.

Tormund raves on about Jon about how Jon rode a dragon-and who would to that- a madman or a King? And while the Mother of Dragons  looked upset as the Northerners rallied around Jon, it was no accident that behind her on camera was Lord Varys. Why? I believe the Spider always knew the Jon was the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and that Jon is the rightful King of the Seven Kingdoms. I will get to that later-book spoiler!

Sansa with the Hound was a good one. After all, had Sansa left King’s Landing with the Hound, she would not have become what she has. Sansa is longer a little bird. Best line was when the Hound asked Sansa how she killed Ramsey and she said “hounds.” First true laugh from the Hound and a good one. One more thing. The Hound said there is only one thing that will make him happy. Any doubt that thing is killing the Mountain? Nope.

Poor Gendry. Proposes to Arya and gets turned down. As Arya declines, she repeats a line from Season One where she basically said to her father “I am not a lady, I never have been. That is not me” Do you remember where she said almost the same thing? Last Season to Nymeria, when Arya wanted Nymeria to come back with her to Winterfell and stop running wild.  Nymeria turned away and Arya said “That’s not you.” Both have to be free to run and in many ways, both are the same. Could that line also mean we will see Nymeria again? Hope so.

Later we see the strife beginning to swell between Jon and Daenerys. Even though they love each other, they cannot recapture that love. Danny wants Jon to keep his heritage a secret as she is afraid the North will rally around him and crown him King.  Don’t you think she is right? I do. Jon, as naive as ever, thinks that by bending the knee, and declaring Daenerys Queen, that the North will follow her. Danny, to her credit, knows better. But Jon says he cannot keep the secret from Sansa and Arya, his family. Jon and Danny do not leave happy campers. Is Jon ready to be king? He military strategy is poor at best, and he is naive. So why would he be a good king? Because of his heritage? And while in the end, Jon may sit on the Iron Throne, I don’t think he has what it takes to actually win the Game of Thrones. Agree?

Question: When Her Grace says that after she sits on the Iron Throne, no men will live in fear, do you believe her? After all, she does show signs of being the Mad Queen. Or she is just trying to convince herself that she is not like her father?

In the War Room, we see how devastated the combined armies are. Daenerys wants to strike fast, but Sansa says to wait while the troops heal. Jon overrules Sansa and sides with the Dragon Queen. That leads to Arya and Sansa calling Jon out for not taking the family side. In the Gods wood, and after Jon make Sansa and Arya swear to keep what they are about to learn a secret,  Bran tells them that Jon is really Aegon Targaryen. Okay a few things. First, did Jon have Bran tell Sansa and Arya the truth because he was afraid they might not have believed it if Jon told them? Certainly possible. And do Sansa and Arya keep the secret? More on that later.

Question: When Her Grace says that after she sits on the Iron Throne, no men will live in fear, do you believe her? After all, she does show signs of being the Mad Queen. Or she is just trying to convince herself that she is not like her father?

In some ways, the next scene defies reality. How the hell did Bronn get through all the guards and into the chambers where Jamie and Tyrion were? As predicted, Tyrion offers Bronn more than Cersei, so Bronn switched sides. Plus he thinks Cersei will not win. But what may be important is the way Jamie insulted Bronn. And even though Bronn left, I think those two could meet again.

That is followed by the Hound and Arya riding off to fulfill their destinies. Both have unfinished business. The Hound to kill the Mountain and Arya Cersei. Neither one plans on coming back to Winterfell. Does that mean Arya dies?? I don’t think so. Does the Hound die?  My prediction is he dies after killing the Mountain. I wish we had more quick scenes with these two as their back and forth is always spirited. And Arya made the Hound laugh again!! Both Drogon and Rhaegal are healed and fly to the delight of their mother. Armies marching south. The Imp trying to convince Sansa to trust Daenerys. Was there ever a truer line than when Sansa said “The men of my family do not do well in the Capital.” To which Tyrion replies “As Jon once told me, he is not a Stark.” Jon said that to Tyrion in the same scene from Season One that I referenced above. And when Sansa turns away looking distressed, the Imp asks Sansa if she is okay. The scene cuts away leading some to think that Sansa told Tyrion who Jon really was.  I don’t think so because Sansa is a pure Stark. Sansa made a promise to keep a secret just as her father did with his sister.  So in my opinion, Sansa would never betray a promise given to a Stark, which Jon is. More on that later.

And then some goodbyes for Jon. First with Tormund, who says Jon has the real North in him. Jon wants to deny it, but he does. Why do I think we will see Tormund again?   And then Sam. That are besties!  Gilly is pregnant and we know that this child will come into play in the future.  And while it was hard for me to accept that Jon would leave Ghost behind, Ghost does belong in the North. But that would never happen in the books as they were part of each other. But again, the show does not give any time to that special bond. And as Jon rides off, how sad did Ghost look? Have we seen the last of Ghost or will he warg with Nymeria to help save the day? Just my fantasy. SIGH!

At sea with the Targaryen fleet. We see the conversation between the Spider and Tyrion. Both know that Jon is Aegon Targaryen, And while only a few know that now, the Master of Whispers knows the news will spread and both realize the consequences of that. And as they discuss it, we get the feeling  that Varys thinks Jon is better suited to sit on the Iron Throne. Tyrion not so much. Fascinating discussion until all hell breaks out. Should we disqualify Daenerys like Maximum Security over a little thing like heritage?

But before we get to that hell, the question comes up, how did Varys and Tyrion know that Jon was not Ned’s bastard son and really Aegon Targaryen? As I said before, some think Sansa spilled the beans, but I don’t think so as she would ever have broken her promise. So let’s start with Varys. He knows everything. Even while serving King Robert, he was always loyal to the Targaryens. When the Spider first came to Westeros, he served as the Mad King’s Master of Whispers, and he would have heard things and figured them out. As for Tyrion, like Sam, he is a reader and who is to say he didn’t read what Sam did? And when he saw Jon ride a dragon, he put 2 and 2 together and confirmed it in his mind. Makes sense to me.

And here is where the books may come back to play, at least to some degree.  In the fifth book, “A Dance with Dragons,” we learned that Varys had Rhaegar's infant son, Aegon, swapped with a lowborn baby and smuggled to Essos to be raised in hiding by Rhaegar's friend Jon Connington, who was exiled by the Mad King for failing to defeat Robert. So when the Red Viper, Oberyn Martell, battles the Mountain, he thinks that the Mountain had killed his sister’s two infant children. But in the book, we learn he had not. As A Dance with Dragons continues, we learn that Aegon has been tutored to be a kind and learned person like his father and is being raised to sit on the Iron Throne.  And guess who else learns this secret in the books? Tyrion. So maybe the show is throwing us a curve ball with Jon being Aegon and Danny being a little mad. And while we readers of the books always thought Jon’s parents were Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen, he could not have been named Aegon because Rhaegar already had a son named. Plus Rhaegar and Lyanna did not know that the infant Rhaegar was supposedly killed. So maybe the show names Jon Aegon to peak the curiosity of those who read the books. Book readers, what do you think?

Euron Greyjoy has set a trap for the Targaryen fleet and shockingly, shoots  Rhaegal out of the sky. Jon’s beloved dragon dies as he falls into the sea. DAMN and DAMN. Was that scene as shocking to you as it was to me? Daenerys is force to retreat on Drogon but Euron’s navy destroys Danny’s fleet. This is the second time Euron has done this. Is there a spy in Danny’s camp or was it just simple to figure out as Daenerys was sailing to Dragonstone?  Any idiot could have figured that out! And while I was not surprised that another dragon died, I did not see it coming here and it sucked!! And here is a question: The weapons that were shooting at the dragons were all on the front of Euron’s ships. Why didn’t Daenerys fly and circle back and burn them all from behind?? The Maginot Line. I told you Yara should have burned Euron’s ship before she escaped. Another thought also came to mind. When was the last time we saw Drogon breath fire? It was before his battle with Viserion. And even here, we did not see Drogon fire up. Could he be hurt more than we know? Remember the scene where Danny was worried Drogon was eating enough. Maybe he hasn’t recharged. Rest in peace Rhaegal.

This all leads us closer to the next war. As we see, with the death of her second child, Daenerys is ready to use Drogon and her army to lay waste to King’s Landing. Varys and Tyrion object to this. They must see the Mad King in the Mother of Dragons. I am sure they both know that that the Mad King was saying “Burn them all.”  But Daenerys thinks it is her destiny to rid the world of tyrants so she is determined to kill Cersei and take the Iron Throne. So who is the tyrant? Both? And once again, we have Tyrion and Varys discussing who will make the better ruler. Jon is the Aegon from the book. A Stark mother and Targaryen father. FIRE AND ICE! And just as Varys told Ned Stark, he serves the realm and will do what is best for it. Great scene and dialog. And next, another twist and defining moment. Sansa talking to Brienne when Jamie encounters them. Brienne  tells Jamie what happened to Daenerys’ fleet and that “ I always wanted to be there when they executed your sister. Seems I won’t get that chance.” At that point, the real Jamie re-emerges.  He is about to get on his horse and leave when Brienne tells him he is not like his sister. She begs Jamie to stay. But no. Jamie tell Brienne what he had done for his sister and that he would still do anything for Cersei. That he is a hateful person like his sister. Certainly, we could see Jamie burning them all for Cersei. As Jamie rides off, I yelled at Brienne “KILL HIM!!” Anybody else do that?  What will Jamie’s reaction be when he gets to King’s Landing and encounters Euron? That will be interesting. Certainly, both cannot coexist with each other. Maybe that is where Bronn comes back in. I say yes-what do you think?

And next we see a Cersei who is just as determined. She has her walls, lined with archers. And the dragon catapults. She is confident she will win, and why not? After all, in most of the skirmishes against team Daenerys, Cersei has out smarted her. Examples of this are the two times Euron Greyjoy’s fleet took them by surprise or when she emptied Casterly Rock before the Unsullied attacked. In both cases, she wiped out Targaryen allies. First the Dornish and then the Tyrells.

Tyrion and Qyburn volley their peace talks, to no avail. But then Tyrion gives it one last try. Talk about stares, especially the look of hate Cersei gave to her brother. Tyrion plays the mother card, which looks to have an effect on Her Grace. Ser Jeffrey Littman said some fans  raised the question of how Tyrion knew Cersei was pregnant. The answer is last season, he guessed it and even told Cersei that before he left King’s Landing. And that raises the question-will Euron figure it out and what will his reaction be? I smell blood.

Cersei’s motherly emotions do not last for long. She leans over to Missandre and like on death row, asks her to say her last words. To which Missandei shouts “DRACARYS.” Dragon fire in High Valyrian. At which point, like her son Joffrey, not thinking of all the consequences, she orders the Mountain to chop off Missandei’s head Ned Stark style.

We end with stares and faces. Tyrion’s face showing the despair of what is to come. Cersei’s face  all contempt. And we leave with Daenerys’ face, contorted in hatred. The MAD QUEEN ready to rain dragon fire down on King’s Landing.

But again, who is the Mad Queen? Daenerys is willing to burn down King’s Landing and kill all its citizens to rid the world of Cersei and sit on the Iron Throne. Cersei, on the other hand, has already used wildfire to burn down the Red Keep and certainly would be willing to do it again. And while some believe that the Mad King was referring to himself when he said “Burn them all” many, including me, believe it was a reference to somebody else. Why not Cersei? In one of Bran’s visions he sees the Mad Kind say this, but did that mean that King Aerys was going to burn King’s Landing? Or when Bran warged into Aerys did he inadvertently reveal the White Walkers to the Mad King which mad him go mad and shout “Burn them all?” My money is on that and that either Daenerys or Cersei, or both, will be killed to prevent the burning of them all.

And what about the title “The Last of the Starks?” Jon, while not a Stark by name, is still a Stark and Danny could be pregnant. And if Arya gave birth to Gendry’s child, could you envision Gendry sitting on the Iron Throne with a Stark heir? What if Sansa and Tyrion re-marry and have a child? And if Ser Lane is right, Rickon is still alive. Under any scenario, I do not see Bran as the last Stark. What do you guys think?

We now have only two episodes left. Who will win and who will die playing the Game of Thrones? I have my thoughts but will save them for next week.

The blog is late because I just returned from NYC where Prince Louis and Princess Laura gave birth to Jacob Dean Littman, the First of his Name. The writing is dedicated to Jacob, who, after all, could be a future Lord of Pinecrest!!!

The Lord of Pinecrest.

[lordofpinecrest-blog]

SEASON 3 EPISODE 3 The Long Night

It was a Long Night, but in the end, a great one.  Overwhelmed by the fighting, especially the dragon duels. Not as many characters died as I thought would, but there are 3 episodes to go so I presume many more will perish. Because the battle occurred at night, the darkness made some of the scenes hard to follow.  But I was glued to my TV. Wish I had 4K!

The Long Night begins in almost total darkness at Winterfell. Sam, with his hands shaking, is being handed dragon glass. So prophetic that the episode starts with the man who killed a White Walker and discovered the power of dragon glass. Brave as he was, only a fool would not be frightened. A worried Tyrion looks on as Bran is wheeled out to the Godswood. With the exception of Donald Trump, all presidents tend to age in office and show it. That is how Tyrion looks to me, as if he takes al the world’s burdens on his shoulders. That is why, in the end,  Jorah respected him.

Then at the top of the walls of Winterfell. Our two heroines, Sansa and Arya, looking grim into the darkness, and it is DARK. Outside the walls, the armies preparing for battle. Dothraki on their horses, the Unsullied and Brienne with her troops, with Poderick and Jamie by her side. The Hound and Gentry coming to the front; Sam and Edd. Nobody spoke until then-8 minutes in before a word was uttered. Added to the smell of death. And we see a spectacular view of Winterfell against the night sky. Rebuilt as the bastion of the North.  Whose strategy was it to put so many troops outside the walls? Fire that person!!

And while the horses are nervous, we see GHOST. Looked bigger than last week (Yea) and next to Jorah. Both ready for the battle to come as they look into total darkness. Jon and Daenerys also looking out at the top of Winterfell. They are nervous for what is to come,  but no sign of love between them. Not feeling good about them.

The Onion Knight sees something coming in the darkness. The Wights about to attack? No it is Melisandre as she rides in and says to Jorah “Do you speak their tongue?” She is referring to the Dothraki. Ten minutes in and the first meaningful dialog. What other show could do that. As an aside, how did the Red Priestess ride her horse by the Army of the Dead? And watching a second time, I noticed the first look she gave to Jorah. The nod of death to come? And we see GHOST again!!

Melisandre tells Jorah to instruct the Dothraki to lift their swords, which they do. She then puts her hand around a sword  and after some Lord of Light gibberish, WHOOSH! They all light up like Beric’s sword.  When the swords light up, it was the first WOW scene of the night. We knew the episode was going to be special. Did anyone notice that even GHOST flinched? Come on, amazing. And the view from the top of Winterfell with Arya and Sansa looking on, followed by the Onion Knight, Brienne, Jamie and Jorah. Amazing cinematography. Award winning! Did you notice who the first to smile was? Poor Edd. Thank you Goggle as I learned what Melisandre said was “Lord of Light, cast your light upon us! Lord of Light, defend us! For the night is dark and full of terrors!" How did we ever live without Goggle?

As Melisandre rides towards Winterfell, it his the one who hated her the most, Ser Davos, who says “Open the gates.” Never thought we would hear that from him. Inside the gates, they encounter each other, eyes locked, Davos’ filled with hate for what the Red Priestess did to Shireen. But before the Onion Knight can pounce, Melisandre tell him that there is no need for him to execute her as she will be dead before the dawn. And as Melisandre climbs up the stairs, she locks eyes with Arya. This scene was not an action one, but a WOW. Such great acting and complexity. So much tension in the air I could feel it breathing out of my TV.

Now the battle finally begins as the Dothraki advance with the main theme of GoT playing in the background. We are now 13 minutes in. A sea of light on horses as Jon and Danny look at the charge atop Winterfell. Catapults launching fire and Jorah and GHOST leading the charge. Chills were running down my spine.

Somebody yells “Cease Fire” and as an anxious Jamie, Hound, Beric, Sam, Edd, Tormund  and others look on, all the lights in Georgia are extinguished. Screams are replaced by silence and darkness. We know bad shit has happened-15 minutes in.

Out of the darkness and silence, we hear horses approaching. The first one we see is Jorah. And more dialogue: Jon to Danny “The Night King is here.” Danny’s reply “The dead are already here.” 17 minutes in and less than 10 complete sentences.

The troops are ready and in battle formation as Grey Worm lowers his helmet. We can hear something coming and it is an overwhelming force–The Army of the Dead as they plow through troops. At this point, it is hard to see who lives and dies. Brienne gives the order to attack and she and Jamie lead the left flank. As men are being slaughtered, flames erupt from the sky as the Mother of Dragons has arrived riding Drogon, burning Wights in their path. She is joined by Jon on Rhaegal and it appears the battle may turn as Jamie, Sam, Sansa and Arya  look on  in amazement. Another WOW scene. Agree?

Bummer, bad weather. Clouds, wind and snow. Been there on a plane, and now we know not so good for dragons either. Jon, who doesn’t have the hours it takes in the USA to become a head pilot, is having a lot of trouble flying his 737 Max. Arya gives Sansa a dagger and tells her to get down to the crypt. Sansa, who has never wielded a weapon says she doesn’t know how to use it, to which Arya replies, “Stick it with the pointed end.” While I am sure the line rang a bell, it came from Season 1 when Jon gave Arya Needle. Like the show Lost, past seasons come back in a big way.

Outside the walls, the dragons are magnificent, breathing fire and repulsing the Army of the Dead.  A furious  battle rages on, and it is hard to tell who is being killed. Brienne, Jamie and the Hound getting their money’s worth. Even Sam until he is down until Edd saves him and says “Sam get up” right before he dies. Was it an Umber that killed Edd? Back in Season 3, when Jon befriended Sam and Edd, and Sam was always being knocked down, Edd told Sam to get up. So again, a line from the past. Amazing. 23 minutes in.

From the sky, we see how enormous the Army of the Dead is. Brienne and others scream out “pull back” as the good guys are on the run. The amazing Lyanna Mormont, who was in the middle of the battle, yells out “Open the Gates” and the good guys flood in. Grey Worm, ever the loyal soldier, commands “protect the retreat.” He was Hodor “Hold the door.”

The screen goes totally black and then we see Danny and Jon, lost in the clouds on their dragons, desperately trying to save the night. On the ground, slaughter as the Army of the Dead advances. A Wight is about to kill the Hound, when Arya kills it with her archery skill. Flash back to season one in Winterfell, when Bran couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn. Arya did and it pissed Bran off. Not anymore!

A full retreat is on and the Army of the Dead is closer, but are stopped by the trenches the good guys built. Ser Davos and others yell out to light the trench, but there is no fire as the dragons can’t see through the clouds. A  Doppler radar weather forecast would have helped. Then Melisandre comes to the rescue again and with her magic chant, she  lights the trenches afire. It looks like the  fire leaps out of her. Even the Red Priestess looks shocked. Add it to the WOW scenes.

The dragons clear the clouds and fire bomb the Wights again. We are winning!! The Army of the Dead is motionless. But the Hound, who is terrified of fire, retreats. 32 minutes in.

Down in the crypt. Clever lines. Tyrion to Sansa “Maybe we should have stayed married” to which Sansa replies “You were the best of them.” Are they still technically married? Food for thought. And was a foreboding omen when Sansa said that Daenerys would lead to divided loyalties? Not just with them, but Cersei?

At Godswood,  Bran tells Theon he is where he belongs-home. Nice touch  but Bran has to go now and naturally Theon asks where, and Bran eyes go all Warg. Off go the ravens into the clouds where they find the Night King. Where did the ravens come from??  36 minutes in and counting!

The Night King directs the Wights to move forward and to the horror of Ser Davos and Arya, the Maginot Line falls and the Wights begin pouring in. The cry goes out to “man the walls” which is the same command given by the Night’s Watch at the WALL. Some of the best action follows. All of our heros are fighting valiantly, but there are too many soldiers in the Army of the Dead as they keep climbing the walls of Winterfell. The Hound frozen in terror. Arya like Wonder Woman cutting down the enemy. Think back to Season 1 and Arya’s fencing teacher, Syrio Forel. She learned well.

But the tide has turned. Even Arya is now in trouble. With the Hound still paralyzed from fear, Beric implores the Hound that they need him. Ever so witty, the Hound says they cannot beat death, but when Beric points to Arya and says tell her that, a hero gets over his fears and springs to life and goes to help Arya. But sadly, a Giant has become part of the Army of the Dead and when Lyanna attacks the Giant, she dies, but not before killing the Giant. She was so brave and will be missed. 44 minuted in and so emotionally draining.

Jon and Daenerys, finally being good pilots, fly Drogon and Rhaegal above the clouds. And then the WOW of WOWS. Out of the sky comes Viserion breathing blue fire. And I mean a WOW. Top 10 scene of all time. Did you notice only Viserion was spitting fire??  Viserion disappears and that leaves Jon and Danny wondering where the dragon went.

Back on earth, Arya is running through the halls of Winterfell trying to save her life. The Army of the Dead has overwhelmed Winterfell, and even down in the Crypt the humans can hear their savage cries. The battle rages above, as men scream to open the door. Then silence and again the screen goes black. Back again, with an undead about to kill Arya when the Hound and Beric, with his fire sword, rush in to save our heroine. Which they do, but it costs Beric his final life.

But who is there? None other than Melisandre. Arya stares up at her in total disdain as the Red Priestess says “The lord brought him back for a purpose. Now that purpose has been served.” As events unfold, the purpose was to save Arya. The back and forth continues, and it was great dialog, most of which I won’t repeat except “What do we say to the God of Death”? “Not today.” As Arya runs off, we know she will no die today. For those that do not remember, Arya and Melisandre did meet early on. I won’t detail that unless somebody asks. 56 minutes in.

Back to the air and dueling dragons. WOW again as Viserion continue to spew out blue fire and destruction on Winterfell. Jon and Rhaegal are on his tail, while on the ground, Theon does his best to protect Bran. But the dragon duel dominates the screen. T-Rex’s fighting it out. And while hard to follow, when it looked like Viserion and the Night King may win, the Mother of Dragons appears and as I saw it, knocked the Night King off Viserion and we see the NK falling into space. Rhaegal is hurt and he and Jon also comes down. Only Daenerys is still flying on Drogon. To me, an A+ scene. An hour in.

What follows next is an A+++.  Danny on Drogon, finds the Night King on the ground and commands “Dracarys.” Drogon, in Godzilla fashion, utterly torches the Night King. Jon stumbles into the scene, and WOW! Fire doesn’t phase the Night King. Could he be part Targaryen? Part Stark? Fire and Ice? And when the fire clears and we see the NK, it reminded me of the last scene in Season 1 when Danny emerged from the fire. The Night King smiles at his victory, but before he can kill Drogon, his Mother smartly flies out of harms way,

That leaves Jon and the Night King to go man to man. Jon runs at the NK who turns to face him. I thought this was going to be the ultimate gladiator battle. But it turns out that the Night King is a coward. He does his thing and raises the fallen armies. Smug bastard thinks he has won. Damn I wanted to see that fight!

Inside Winterfell, the dead are also rising. Not good. Lyanna, Edd and the Dothraki come back as part of the Army of the Dead. The other White Walkers, the generals,  advance into Winterfell. To speed things up (HAHA) I am going to skip the genocide in the Crypt. But as that is happening, somehow Theon is still alive and saving Bran.

Next, like in the Battle of the Bastards, Jon is surrounded by the enemy, but this time his love saves him as Drogon torches the Undead. He is Godzilla!! But with so many Wights on him like ants, Drogon has to go airborne to shake them off, and we do see them falling to the ground. But that does leave her Grace unprotected. And then Jorah saves her life. 1:06 into the episode.

More gladiator fights. Again, reminded me of the Battle of the Bastards as our heros fought on and on. In the Crypt, they all look at each other as if death is upon them. Theon and Jorah are champions of battle. As is Jon, who is looking for the Night King as he did for Ramsey. And Viserion keeps on destroying. And Bran sits there doing nothing!

The Night King enters Winterfell with his generals. 1:11 in.

And then another WOW! As the Night King enters the Godswood and stares at Theon and Bran, Bran tells Theon he is a good man and thank you. The kiss of death, but the ultimate redemption for Bran. Not sure what Theon was thinking when he charged the Night King, but it was certain death.

Up top, Jon is fighting and Viserion is trying to kill him. Jorah and Danny are swinging swords, but eventually, Jorah dies ending the Mormont tree about 1:16 in.

As Jon tries to get up, the Night King and Bran lock eyes, only feet apart. I so wanted the NK to talk and explain who he was and what it was all about. Didn’t you? But the stare down was great! And as the Night King is reaching for his sword to kill Bran, one of his generals looks to the side, distracted by something. It is Arya and as many predicted, she kills the Night King and all his army disintegrates. WOW!! Arya is Wonder Woman! Even Viserion goes puff! 1:18 in.

And then we see the cost of war. The death and destruction. So overwhelming.

As Daenerys cries over a dead Jorah, her son Drogon lands and spreads his wings to protect her. FAMILY.

And then the ending, another WOW!! Melisandre, wonders off into the snow, and gets older and older. Ashes to ashes as she dies as she predicted. The end: 1:22

A tribute to some of those we lost tonight.

Lyanna:  To me Lyanna Mormont death was the saddest. While small in size, she was so big in stature. Died fighting, but in a horrible way. Was a bit surprised she died.

Edd: Lord Commander. Part of the great trio with Jon and Sam.  

Theon: I think we all know he was going to die. He and the his Iron men were so out matched by the White Walkers.  While brave, charging the Night King with a weapon made of Valerian Steel or Dragon Glass meant instant death. We all knew that, so why wasn’t Bran guarded by Jon?

Melisandre: A few seasons ago, she predicted her death so hers came as no surprise. But her prayer to the Lord of Light which ignited the fires was very cool. This time her fire kept the Army of the Dead with more Wights then could be counted  at bay for a while and helped save lives. Partial redemption for the way she used fire to kill Shireen and others at Dragonstone. The way she died was, walking off into the snow, aging and then ashes was one of the best scenes from the episode.

Beric: I thought he was going to die. The scene in the halls of Winterfell as he, Arya and the Hound were fighting Wights  was fitting as the three of them were fighting together. Remember, Arya and the Hound were captured by Beric and his band back in Season 3. This time, Beric bravely saves Arya and the Hound and dies for the last time.

Viserion: We knew he would die, but I thought Bran would have had more to do with that. No warging.  

Jorah: Didn’t see him dying. Big loss for the Mother of Dragons.

Night King: Had to cheer on who finally killed him. But it was a bit abrupt.

While there is so much more I could add, this was a GREAT episode. Visually and acting. It brought so many prior scenes and lines back into focus. Genius.  Besties go to Melisandre and Arya.

Now that the White Walkers have been defeated, what next? It was interesting that we saw Ghost so can my direwolf hopes hold up?

How healthy are the dragons and will both survive?

Does Bran still have a roll?

And how will love and family play out?

I know this was long and my watch has ended for the night. I know I left a lot out, but wanted to post before the sun rises again.

The Lord of Pinecrest

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SEASON 8 EPISODE 2 A KNIGHT OF SEVEN KINGDOMS

At first, I was a little disappointed with Episode 2, but after watching it again, the episode grew  on me and the disappointment disappeared. I guess I just want more action and the battles to begin.  But crucial things did happened. More reunions and lots of scenes centered around people pondering their upcoming deaths. I think a better name for he episode would have been  “The things you do for love.” Agree?

The episode started strong. Jamie before the “high” council with Daenerys and Sansa ready to kill him. And why not? The King Slayer killed Danny’s father and Jamie betrayed Sansa’s father. This resulted in the death of Sansa’s parents, her two  brothers and her suffering at the hands of Joffrey and Ramsey.  I thought Jamie’s reply was strong and he did tell them some valuable information: Cersei lied and  no Lannister troops are coming, she has 20,000 sell swords from the Golden Company and Euron Greyjoy’s fleet. During the scene, Bran says “the things we do for love” which is a recurring theme in the episode. Obviously, Bran was  referring to Jamie pushing Bran off the tower for his love of Cersei, but also so much more. How many key events were driven by love? As the episode continues, we see many of those.

Brienne comes to Jamie’s aide and convinces the others to let the King Slayer live and help them. Interesting that Her Grace turned to Jon and asked what the “Warden of the North” thought. Did Danny do that to appease the North, appease Sansa or out of love? Always the cool one, Jon said they need as many men as they can get. Lots of intense stares. Later in the episode, Jamie pledges himself to serve under  Brienne’s command and to protect the left flank. Jamie does know military strategy-will that help them survive?

We also have Daenerys looking to strip Tyrion of his “Hand of the Queen” status. Later, Jorah Mormont comes to his defense. Danny sends Tyrion down to the crypts. Does that mean he and all the others sent down there for safety with survive? Can’t see that happening. What we do see is the continued rise of the importance of Jorah Mormont.  The Queen trusts him and Sam gives Jorah Heartsbane, his family’s Valerian steel sword. Remember, Jon has Longclaw, the Valerian steel sword which Jorah’s father gave him. One has to think that each sword will play a key role in the battle to come.

After the sparks last week, Arya and Gendry consummate whatever their relationship is. Before that, Gendry tells Arya what the Red Priestess  wanted with him, that he is Robert Baratheon’s bastard son and has King’s blood. Could this result in Arya becoming  pregnant and the only heir to Ned Stark?  That  child could make a claim to the Iron Throne!

Along the way,  we have Jamie coming out to apologize to Bran in the Godswood. I think this scene was one of the high lights of the episode.   Both have changed.  If Jamie hadn’t pushed Bran out the window, Bran would still be Bran and Jamie his old ruthless. Bran tells Jamie that he is no longer Bran and “not angry at anybody.” But to me the key line was when Jamie asked Bran why he didn’t rat him out, Bran said “You wouldn’t be able to help us in this fight if I let them murder you first.” Jamie then asks what about afterwards, to which Bran says “How do you know there will be an afterwards?” WOW. What the F–? First, since Bran has seen into the future, we have to presume that Jamie helps in the fight. Does Jamie  save Brienne or kill Cersei? Does he lead the attack on the Golden Company? But what about the line “how do you know there will be an afterwards?” Is that a reference to Jamie dying or the Night King winning? How much of the future does Bran know? What do you think?

Interesting side note. When Jamie and Tyrion get together and Jamie asks the Imp how the Northerners  feel about their new Queen, Tyrian replies they remember what happened the last time the Targaryens brought dragons north. That is fake news as Aegon the Conqueror did not bring his dragons north. The King of the North, Torrhen Stark, headed south with his army and when he saw the destruction from the Field of Fire, he bent his knee to Aegon at the banks of the Trident. Don’t they think some of us know that? No fact checker?

What is also interesting is that Tyrian is so sure that Daenerys is different from her father. Is she? We have seen her fits of rage and Tyrian’s mistakes. So can we TRUST his judgment on this one? And then there was his comment that at least Cersei doesn’t get to kill him. Such intrigue with Bronn heading north. The writers love doing that to us!

What did you make of the private meeting between Sansa and Daenerys? It seemed as if they were about to come to an understanding of TRUST until Sansa asked Her Grace what will happen what happen to the North after she wins the Iron Throne? After all, the North declared its independence and doesn’t want to be ruled by outsiders. True that! Did you see the look in Danny’s eyes and her contorted face as she withdrew her hand from Sansa’s? Her face became one of a Mad Queen full of lust for power! After Sansa says men do stupid things for love, Danny was clever by replying that maybe Jon manipulated her into coming North and that she did it for love. After all, the things you do for love.  Of course, at this time, neither Sansa or the Mother Dragons know that Jon is really Fire and Ice. Just as later in the episode, the conversation is interrupted and the question left unanswered.

What was with the girl with the grayscale? She reminded the Onion Knight of Shireen Baratheon. Remember, the Red Princess burned Shireen alive as a sacrifice to change Stannis’ fate. Didn’t work back then. Does the arrival of this young girl mean that the Red Princess is not far behind? Could be.

Later in the episode, we learn the military strategy which they think will help defeat the Army of the Dead. One big difference is that this time, Sansa is involved. And then finally,  Bran explains it all and why it has come down to this. To win, the Night King must fall. But he must expose himself, and we will do so  as he is coming for Bran. The Night King wants the endless night and to erase our world. To do this, he has to kill  Bran because Bran has the memory of all that has happened. Found that fascinating. I guess the Citadel and all its books are not enough! The Night King knows where Bran is because when Bran screwed up, it resulted in Bran carrying the Night King’s mark. So the solution? Lure him into the open into the Godswood. Okay, but Theon and the Iron Borne as Bran’s protector? Not  true born Starks??? Get the irony? LOL! Bran nods his approval-he knows something. But what? And in this scene, we see that Jon is acting strangely towards  Daenerys, because he knows the truth of who he is. Always have to watch the side glances.

Question: with so many references to the Crypt being safe-how can it be? Can’t TRUST that conclusion.

And then out of the blue we have a Ghost sighting. The appearance of Ghost did nothing for me. First, he way too small for a direwolf and looks like a regular dog. And he didn’t do anything. So why bother? Just to keep us direwolf fans happy? Most of us who read the books agree that the show has wasted the true value of the direwolves.

Then we have the death watch. Everybody getting together in groups telling stories, drinking.  As Ser Brad Roller  texted me “We’re going to die tomorrow, what should be do with our last few hours?” Good chummy scenes, but I won’t go into them as each of you can make out what you think of them. In my opinion, the best one was Jamie ���knighting” Brienne.

Before I get to the scene with Daenerys and Jon, I need to talk about the song which is making all the social media posts. Pod sings “Jenny’s Song” which highlights “Jenny would dance with her ghosts. The ones she has lost and the ones she had found. The one who had loved her the most.” The song’s origin is in a pre-quell about Duncan Targaryen who gave up the Iron Throne for his true love, Jenny. And of course, we see so many characters who have found and lost love, and after the battle, many loved ones will be lost. So the song fits. It also begs the question: Will Daenerys give up the Iron Throne for love? Will Jon?  I don’t think Danny can do it.

Now on to the scene where Jon tells The Mother of Dragons his real name and who he really is. In the  Crypt, in front of his mother’s statute, Jon tells Daenerys that Rhaegar did not rape Lyanna. The truth is that Rhaegar loved and married Lyanna and gave birth to Jon. That is real name is Aegon Targaryen. Rather than believe and be  happy to learn that her father is not a rapist, Danny reacts in the opposite as she does not want to believe it. Look at her face and expression when she says between gritted teeth “If it were true, it would make you the last male heir to House Targaryen. You would have a claim to the Iron Throne.’ Not the rightful claim, just “a” claim. All that Daenerys has worked for all her life, could go down the drain. She is clearly upset but  before we hear  Jon’s  reply, the scene is interrupted by horns blowing. Both go outside and we know they see the Army of the Dead arriving. But as they look out, they nod to each other and leave together, presumably to get their dragons. So were more words exchanged on the way out that we didn’t hear. They do appear to be on the same page. I  say yes, and all is good between them. After all, the episode was about love. If not, look out for Mad Queen!

And then we see it. The Army of the Dead with its commanders up front has arrived. But no Night King. He must be flying above on Viserion looking for Bran.

I want to bring another thing up. When Daenerys describes her brother, she says that everyone told her that Rhaegar was decent and kind. She clearly could never  understand how that image of Rhaegar could jive with him having raped Lyanna. Doesn’t that remind you of how Jon couldn’t understand how Ned Stark,  the most honorable man in the world, fathered a bastard child and lied to him all his life? To me, The parallel is striking. In a different world, Rhaegar and Ned could have been good friends.

So again, after a second viewing,  a very good episode. But it looks like the reunions and comforting words are over. The Army of the Dead has arrived. How long can Winterfell hold on? Looks pretty dire inside its walls. Not much to eat and nerves strained. Who will crack first

So next week, GAME ON and I will see you on the battle field!!

The Lord of Pinecrest.

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Season Eight Episode One “Winterfell”

The first episode of Season 8 did not disappoint. Centered around the title “Winterfell” it could easily have been titled “Reunions.” While there were no battles and no sighting of the Night King, it was filled with hints of things to come. And plenty of reunions.

We even have a new opening with a Gap in the Wall, ice approaching the Last Heart, a frozen Winterfell and King’s Landing. Gone are many of the other castles and sigils. Not important any more.

As we should, we begin in Winterfell with a boy running and climbing a tree to get a glimpse of an army and leaders approaching. He climbs a tree and we see that it is Daenerys, all dressed in white with Jon by her side, dressed in his wolf coat.  To me, this was a marvelous “repeat” of the first episode ever when Bran climbs the castle to get a look at Robert Baratheon and Cersei and their procession approaching Winterfell. But there are subtle differences. Snow on the ground and this time, Arya is watching with a smile in anticipation of reuniting with Jon. In the first episode, she could care less. And as more people approach the castle, we see the reaction through Arya’s eyes. The Hound-puzzlement as she is not sure what to feel; Gendry-joy. We also see the looks the Northerners give Danny and her troops-distrust. A great study of how the eyes tell it all.

Then come the dragons fly over. Again, we need to focus on the peoples reactions to them. The Northerners are scarred while Danny’s people don’t even react. The Mother of Dragons smiles in confidence. Arya smiles in wonderment while Sansa seems nervous. This is followed by the first of many reunions. Jon reuniting with Bran for the first time. Big hug and smile from the big guy. But when Jon says to Bran that he is a man, Jon is taken aback when Bran says “almost.” I think Jon took this to mean that Bran was saying this because he is a cripple,   not realizing that Bran was referring to becoming the Three Eyed Raven. And there was the “eye” exchange between Bran and Daenerys. What was each thinking? How much has Bran seen of Danny’s future? A bit tense as Jon introduces Daenerys as the “Queen” and Sansa says, with some reservations, that Winterfell is hers. You could see the other Northerners do not like this. Again, all in the eyes.

But enough pleasantries, as Bran gets right to the point. The Night King now has one of the dragons, the Wall has fallen, the Army of the Dead is marching South. Good bye to any good news or jokes. The Mother of Dragons smile turns to shock as she realizes what has become of Viserion. Inside the Great Hall, Sansa, sitting next to Jon and Danny, is calling all the Stark’s banner men into Winterfell. But we see them start to turn against Jon for abdicating his position as King of the North. And  when Lyanna Mormont says to Jon do you even have a title anymore? How cool was it that they set that up for what was to come at the end? Marvelous!  And while Jon defends his decision, even smooth tongued Tyrion cannot win them over. What will happen when the North discovers that a Lannister has once more betrayed the North and that the Lannister army is not coming? Will they turn on the Imp? Best line was when questions arose how they intend to feed the armies and what dragons eat, to which the Mother of Dragons replied “Whatever they want.” Classic!

Next we see a clue to how the war may be won-Gendry arrives from Dragonstone with lots of wagons filled with dragon glass. We eventually learn that he knows how to forge them into weapons. I think we all predicted that would happen.

This is followed by another reunion-Tyrion and Sansa. Such a timid “hello” from Tyrion as their eyes meet. The back and forth was terrific. Tyrion telling Sansa that many had underestimated her, and most of them are dead now. Sansa, who clearly understands that that Cersei has no intention of sending her army to the North, tells the Imp that she used to believe that Tyrion was the cleverest man she ever met. Once again, Sansa’s judgment was right and Tyrion’s wrong. Where will that lead us? If everyone has underestimated her, could she be the one to eventually sit on the Iron Throne? We end this scene with Bran staring at Tyrion. One of many Bran stares. Again, the faces said it all, as both looked worried.

Jon alone in Godswood at Winterfell staring at a tree face which has tears of blood. Whose blood was Jon thinking about? I think Ned’s. Arya sneaks up on him and finally, two people really happy about a reunion. For the first time, real hugs and smiles. Jon happy that Arya still has Needle and Jon shows her Longclaw and lets Arya hold it. At that point, I thought to myself that it was a foreboding that Arya will swing a sword made of Valyrian Steel. I think I am right. But things turn serious when the talk turns to Sansa and Jon’s queen. Jon, like Tyrion, underestimates Sansa and that is underscored when Arya tells Jon that Sansa is the smartest person she has ever met. But is there more there? Sansa and Arya are defending their family and Jon says he is too. To which Arya replies “don’t forget that.” Is Arya afraid that Jon will be too swayed by Daenerys? I say no because as we have learned, to the Starks, FAMILY is everything. And Jon’s status is the same as he it always was: half Stark.

Off we go to King’s landing.  Cersei thinks it is good that the dead have broken through the Wall and we see the arrival of Euron’s Greyjoy’s fleet.  We learn that Euron has arrived with 20,000 sell swords of the Golden Company. But alas, no elephants. Could that have been Daario Naharis’ doing? Has to be important and it may lead to their defeat especially since Her Grace says she really wanted those elephants. The only thing I can make of Cersei’s tryst with Euron is that she can deny her baby is Jamie’s. Agree?

Skipping ahead in the scene, another reunion. While Euron is distracted, Theon leads the way to Asha’s escape from Euron. This reunion is the smashing of heads, but it works with Asha and Theon.  Asha intends to take back the Iron Islands as it is a safe place to retreat from the dead. She gives Theon permission to go North and fight with the Starks. Theon, like Jon, has two families. Family hug at the end. Did anyone besides me find it strange that Asha and her troops didn’t destroy Silence which is Euron’s longship and others in the fleet? Stupid!

Next,  Bronn who in a Tyrion like scene, is interrupted by Qyburn who says Cersei wants to make things right by giving Bronn the gold he has earned. Yea right Cersei doing a kind thing! But Bronn is know fool and knows that there is a catch-one that involves killing somebody that the Queen cannot order her soldiers to do. Qyburn gives Bronn a cross bow and the targets are Tyrian and Jamie. That same cross bow was used by Tyrian to kill his father, thus the “poetic justice.” And what “other” plans does Cersei have for the Targaryen girl? My prediction is that Cersei will be killed by that cross bow? Yea or nay on this one? And one more thing. While Joffrey was the most hated character, it there anybody more creepy than Qyburn? Yuck!

Back at Winterfell, troops are arriving by the hoards, including House Karstark. But the Onion Knight is worried because as he says, the Northerners and Free Folk don’t trust outsiders as he tells the always solemn Tyrion that trust has to be earned. Remember that word “TRUST” as it has permeated all seasons. Ser Davos’ solution is for Daenerys and Jon to wed. And for the first time, the Imp doesn’t seem bothered by this. Of course, the Spider has to add, nothing lasts. After all, everyone thought the Wall would last forever.

As for Daenerys, she wants Sansa to respect her and doesn’t care if Sansa doesn’t like her. But it almost sounded like a threat when Danny told Jon “I am her queen.” Jon looked taken aback as Sansa is FAMILY. We then find out the dragons are not eating enough. This could be huge in the war to come as we need the dragons at full strength and not weakened by not having enough food. Too bad they can’t feed on the army of the Golden Company! And then one of the moments which we have been waiting for, Jon rides Rhaegal, and what a beautiful ride it was. The looks of amazement on the faces of the Imp, Lord Varys and Ser Davos told it all. The scenery was majestic and Jon took to riding a dragon very quickly. If only he knew at that time that he was half Targaryen. Was it me or did it seem like the dragon was smiling at him?

Next comes another reunion. This time Gendry,  Arya and the Hound.  First, Gendry gives the Hound an axe made of dragon glass. I predict that is what the Hound uses to kill the Mountain. Afer all, the Mountain is “dead” and dragon glass can kill the dead, again. And Arya has a special request for Gendry. To make a spear with the tip being the Valyrian Steel from the dagger which in some mays, started this mess and which Arya used to kill Littlefinger. Was there a spark between Arya and Gendry and could another romance be in the air? And how true were Arya’s words that Gendry doesn’t know who she is? After all, she has many faces!

Bad news. House Glover will not join the Starks. That leads to an argument between Jon and Sansa, mostly over Daenerys. But we leave with an unanswered question: Did Jon bend the knee to save the North or because he loves Danny? What do you think?

Daenerys wants to reward Sam for saving Jorah, but it turns ugly when Daenerys has to tell Sam she is responsible for the death of his father and brother. Sam exits in tears and the first one he sees is Bran. Can you believe it-another reunion. Could they both see some of the Mad King in the Mother of Dragons? Bran tells Sam he is the one who must tell Jon the truth about his heritage because Jon trusts Sam more than anybody, even though he is not family. What’s up with that? Could it be that Bran thinks that Jon will be more loyal to the Targaryen side than the Starks? I say no way.

And then another scene we have all been waiting for with the game changing reunion between Sam and Jon. Jon is down in the Crypt of Winterfell sort of glaring at Ned. If only he knew what was about to hit him! Sam stumbles in and they are all hugs and smiles until the subject turns to Daenerys killing Sam’s father and brother. Would Jon have done that or spared them? The question isn’t answered but at that moment the scene takes off. ZOOM! Jon says he gave up his crown and is no longer King of the North. Sam’s reply to Jon is at first confusing, as he tells Jon he has always been king.  When Jon scoffs at this, Sam says not King of the North but of the bloody Seven Kingdoms. Jon wheels around and Sam let’s it out. Jon is not a bastard;  his mother is Lyanna Stark and his father is Rhaegar Targaryen. Jon’s real name is Aegon Targaryen, the true heir to the Iron Throne. Jon is bewildered because Ned Stark was the most honorable person he ever met so how could Ned have lied to him all his life? Sam explains the Ned did it to keep his promise to his sister and protect Jon who is Aegon Targaryen, Sixth of Name, protector of the Realm.

Jon doesn’t know what to do as Daenerys is his Queen. And Sam delivers the clincher: Jon gave up his crown to save the Kingdom-will Danny do the same? If not, what will Jon do? As an aside, in the books, after Aegon the First died, there were rivalries within the Targaryen family for the Iron Throne. That led to battles between factions, including riders fighting each other with dragons. Could that be in the cards? We assume that Drogon and Rhaelgal will fight Viserion. But maybe Drogon and Rhaelgal fight as well. And with Drogon being larger, Vegas has Drogon as the favorite. Size matters-LOL!

Now we have real trouble. Tormund and Beric arrive at the ruins of Last Hearth, but no little Lord Umber or anyone else is there. Both looked spooked as they hear footsteps and then they are reunited with Edd and others from the Night Watch. Tormund finally added some comedy with his funny line about always having blue eyes.  But that turns somber when they discover a message from the Night King. Young Ned Umber is stung up with limbs arranged around him in the same patterns as we have seen in many episodes before. The Night King is on the march! Little Umber wakes up screaming with blue eyes and Beric torches him. Ser Shaun sent me a text on what the pattern means, but it seems nobody knows. All we know for sure is that it was first created by the Children of the Forrest and adopted by the Night King. So just maybe, it holds a secret on how to destroy him.

Last but not least, a bearded Jaime arrives at Winterfell after his long journey from King’s Landing. That leads to the last reunion, as his and Bran’s eyes lock. What is Bran thinking? Could he be saying to himself that but for Jamie pushing him off the castle, he would not have become the Three Eyed Raven and instead a prince? Or but for that, the wars would never have started and his father would be still alive and the Wall still standing? To me, yes on the first one, but no on the second one as what was meant to be already happened.

Okay, what did everyone think?  I counted 8 reunions and all had meaning. While no “action” I think it laid the predicate of all that is coming in the final season.

Ser Daniel has a theory that the Night King is Rhaegar Targaryen. I pointed out to him that there has been only one Night King and has been there since the Children of the Forrest created him. Who says there have been many Night Kings. Who is right??

I tried to keep this shorter, but you know me. Until next week!

The Lord of Pinecrest

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GAME OF THRONES PREQUEL

I want to thank my “fans” who contacted me and were disappointed that I did not comment on the Game of Thrones Prequel. So here we go-all under one page!

While we wait in frustration for the final season of Game of Thrones, and for those of us who have read the books, book 6, Winds of Winter, last week, there was good news from HBO and George R.R. Martin. According to the release, Martin has approved an HBO spinoff which is a prequel. But it is not Robert’s Rebellion or even the rise of the Targaryens to power. This one will be thousands of years in the past. How do we know this?

Martin said that while HBO will keep “Game of Thrones” as the title, he would have preferred “The Long Night.” What is the “Long Night?” In Season One, one of the stories Old Nan told to Bran was about the Long Night. As we learn throughout the show, Bran and his siblings have never experienced a true Winter, which is one reason that Ned always warns them the Winter is Coming. So Nan tells Bran “Thousands of years ago, there came a night that lasted a generation. Kings froze to death in their castles, same as the shepherds in their huts; and women smothered their babies rather than see them starve, and wept, and felt the tears freeze on their cheeks... In that darkness the White Walkers came for the first time. They swept through cities and kingdoms, riding their dead horses, hunting with their packs of pale spiders big as hounds.”

So it I predict we will see the rise of the White Walkers. Hopefully, we will see how the First Men came to Westeros and invaded the land occupied by the Children of the Forest. That led to a war between them, which the Children were losing. To turn the tide, as revealed in Season 6, Episode 5, the Children created the White Walkers who original purpose was to protect the Children from the First Men. But things did not go as planned as Dr. Malcolm predicted in Jurassic Park.

At first, the White Walkers were under the mind control of the Children of the Forrest, but then they broke free. Sound familiar? Same thing happens in Westworld with the Hosts as they break free from the mind control of the humans. When the White Walkers broke free, they  killed everyone in their path and started the Long Night. That led to the Pact as it is called, between the Children of the Forrest and the First Men. They allied in the War of the Dawn and defeated the White Walkers and drove them far North. That defeat ended the Long Night.  With the win, the Wall was built to make sure the White Walkers could never go South again. To ensure this, the Wall was infused with magic and that magic did propel all attempts by the White Walkers to go South. In addition, the Night’s Watch was born to defend the Wall. But as we now know, that plan is going “South” as the Chaos Theory rears its ugly head again!

So that is the story of the Long Night. We know Winter and darkness are upon us. So how much will we see? Maybe all the way from the invasion of the First Men, the rise and fall of the White Walkers and the building of the Wall. That would be fun. That could be one season or several. Just have to wait and see. One thing is for sure, more writing for me. :)

Any thoughts?

Eric, Lord of Pinecrest

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SEASON 7 EPISODE 7 SEASON FINALE THE DRAGON AND THE WOLF

Sunday night’s Game of Thrones Season 7 finale did not disappoint. It was one of the best ever, especially the last ten minutes or so. Season 1 ended with the birth of Daenerys’ dragons. Season 7 ends with the “birth” of an “ice dragon” and maybe the conception of a Fire and Ice child. Plus the collapse of the Wall. It was an hour plus episode filled with family, honor, deception and intrigue. Is also included the long anticipated death of Littlefinger. I am going to do the recap purely on a location basis without regard to when the events occurred in the episode.

KING’S LANDING

The focus of the episode was in King’s Landing so it starts there as it is the epicenter of power in Westeros. I think one of the beauties of the scenes are all the reunions between characters, many of whom had been separated by time and distance.

We start with the return of Grey Worm and the Unsullied standing outside the gates of King’s Landing. Bronn is atop the wall where he is met by Jamie. Bronn is his usual self, full of jokes, as he says he still enjoys it when they call him “my lord” to which Jamie replies “the thrill will fade.” The Kingslayer has come so far in realizing what is important. And we have our first reference to family as Jamie says that is what soldiers fight for. Family will rule the episode. Bronn telling Jamie that Jamie’s brother sided with the Dragon Queen and her castrated army.  Jamie replying sarcastically that the Imp always sided with the down trodden. As he says that, the Dothraki army arrives. As they do, Jamie looks out pensively past Euron’s fleet to see four ships arriving, as he knows his brother is one on the ships.

Out on the ships, we see Tyrion returning the same concerned stare and he goes beside Jon and Davos. Side note: While the Spider is there, he never speaks at all during the entire episode. Did anyone else find that unusual? Jon asks Tyrion how many people live in King’s Landing and the answer is over 1,000,000. While the answer is significant when Jon make his case to Cersei, there was more there. His response also shows the differences in the culture of the North and South, rural versus city. Union vs. Confederates? Ask Trump. From that comment, we go beneath the deck where the Hound makes sure the Wight is still kicking. The Wight reacts in a way that even frightens the Hound, and that says a lot.

Next we see Cersei, giving the Mountain her “Arya” kill list, in order.  As she leaves to meet Danny’s ambassadors, she says “Come Ser Gregor, let’s go meet our guests.” I point this out because she doesn’t say it to her brother and Jamie’s facial expression shows his disappointment in her. I have to say, as a character, the writers have done a great job with the growth of Jamie from a brash young knight to a deep, feeling character. The thrill of being called “sir” has faded.

Our visitors are walking toward the place of the meeting, the Dragon Pit. Missandei asks why they built it. The Dragon Pit is referenced in the books and became responsible for the demise of the dragons. As Jorah tells it, the dragons became a problem in the city as they roamed free, killing live stock and children, so the Targaryens had the Dragon Pit built (back then it had a roof) and imprisoned the dragons. Without freedom, they shrank in size and died. Think back to when the Mother of Dragons had to chain two of her dragons for the same reason, they had killed a farmer’s child and livestock and could not be controlled. It always ties in.

As they walk, they are greeted by Bronn and we see that Brienne and Pod have already arrived. Loved the way the Dothraki soldiers looked at Bronn, wanting to cut his head off. And then we start to have the reunions.  Tyrion and Pod. Tyrion and Bronn. Tyrion and the Hound. The Hound and Brienne, who have a short conversation that was marvelous. Brienne almost apologizing for trying to kill the Hound, explaining she was only trying to protect Arya. The Hound “me and you both,” which was an acknowledgment of his good side. When Brienne goes on to tell the Hound that Arya is alive and that the only ones who need protection are the ones who get in Arya’s way we actually see a smile on the Hound’s face and he chuckles. I believe it is the first time we actually have seen the Hound smile. Later the reunions continue with Brienne and Jamie and finally Tyrion and Cersei. Did I leave any out?

Into the Dragon Pit they go with the melancholy music in the background. The group looks worried and tense. Bronn says to Pod they should go for a drink while the fancy people talk. We didn’t see Bronn again: could he have switched sides? But somebody is missing: Daenerys.

Her Grace enters with the Mountain, Qyburn, Euron and Jamie. Brienne and Jamie make subtle eye contact which is followed by the not so subtle stares between Cersei and Tyrion and then Euron and Theon. So much tension in the air!!

As the Cersei group goes to sit down, we have the next stares and “reunion.” Sandor Glegane and Gregor Clegane. The Hound approaches and the Mountain goes out to “greet” him and after a few lines, Sandor says “You know who is coming for you. You’ve always known.” How creepy were the Mountain’s eyes? Red, dead and no blinking. Looks like we will get a Clegane Bowl next year!!

A very agitated Cersei wants to know where Daenerys is and the tensions keep rising. Then we hear dragons screeching and Danny makes an Academy Awards red carpet entrance. She lands Drogon in on the outside of the Dragon Pit as Euron looks on in amazement, and Cersei in worry. Remember, neither one has ever seen a live dragon. Drogon being there is important. Go back several seasons to The Mother of Dragons’ vision in the House of the Undead. In that vision, we saw the shadow of a dragon flying over a “healthy” King’s Landing and this confirms that part of the vision. More on this later.

Euron tries to bate our dignitaries, and when Tyrion looks as if he might take the bait,  he looks at Jamie who shakes his head not to do it. While other things are staged, Jamie’s repulsion for Euron is real. Jamie says Euron should sit down. Looked like Cersei agreed, but now we know it was an act.

Jon gives a speech like he gave to the Wildings at Hardome before they decided to join in the fight against the Army of the Dead. We don’t like each other, never will,  but we have to join forces. Cersei still thinks it is a joke and then she and Daenerys go after it-real hate there. Had to laugh when Cersei called Daenerys a would be usurper. Really?? The Imp has to intercede and then the Hound brings the crate out. The Hound methodically removes the bolts from the crate, and after hesitating out of obvious fear, he kicks open the crate to release the White.

Freeze frame!!  Out comes the White, screeching as it rushes Cerise. Thirty or so seconds of great TV!!  If the Hound had not held on to the chain, the White would have killed Her Grace and ended all our problems. And why didn’t the dead Mountain step in front of her? Just saying. The looks of pure fright on Cersei’s and Jamie’s faces were chilling. As Sandor pulls on the chain, Gregor and Jamie finally protect Cersei as the Hound proceeds to chop the White to demonstrate what it really is-undead. Qyburn, who was kicked out of the Citadel for experimenting on the dead, is naturally curious so he picks up the chopped off hand to examine. Was this a throw in or could it be important next year?

Cersei does look physically moved, but was she? Jamie is clearly worried about an Army of the Dead of at least 100,000 marching South. But then Euron says he is fleeing back to the Iron Islands, which we all should have known that was BS as he is no coward. But how did he know  Whites could not swim and how had he already have hatched a plot with Cersei to sale his fleet to Eos to bring back the Golden Company? Still leaves the possibility that there is a spy in the Dragon Queen’s ranks.

Much to everyone’s relief, Cersei seems to realize the gravity of the True War, but she adds the condition that Jon, as King of the North, must pledge to stay in the North and not fight the Lannisters. She acknowledges  that Ned Stark’s son would be true to his word.  Even though he is not really Ned Stark’s son, Jon has his values. Jon cannot do as Cersei asks because he is true to his word and has pledged himself to Queen Daenerys. Deal off!! I thought Danny was going to let him off the hook, as she had said last week pride can lead to the deaths of so many. But she didn’t. Question: If Jon had said yes, what then?? How could Cersei have backed out? What was her back up plan? Any ideas?

As Jamie walks off in disgust, he lectures Brienne about loyalty to which she replies “Fuck Loyalty!” as it goes beyond Houses and honors and oaths. Go girl. Flashback–didn’t the Hound say that in an earlier episode? She implores him to talk to the Queen, but tell her what he asks? We know he did because he is worried and has a sense of what is right. Maybe she have give the speech to Jon!!

What transpires next is the start of some really good Tyrion acting. Why couldn’t Jon learn to lie, just a little bit? Tyrion marches off to see his sister alone, to try and convince her to change her mind. Loved the juxtaposition with the Mountain as the Imp strained to look up at him. Watching it again, I noticed the Mountain did not look down. I mention this because the only time the Mountain did look and react was with the Hound. Tyrion encounters Jamie, who says he talked “at” Cersei but tried and failed to change her mind. I liked the Imp’s line as to who the bigger idiot is and Jamie’s reply, “I guess we should say goodbye, one idiot to another.” Jamie has a look of real concern as he has always loved Tyrion. And you can also see Jamie’s disdain for the Mountain.

So in goes the little brother to have a heart to heart talk with his big sister like so many of us have had, well sort of. Cersei is also at the top of her game as she is sitting at Tywin’s desk and tries to belittle the Imp, even calls him a little man. Get it, belittle? Back and forth they go, like two prize fighters. Tyrion trying to reason, Cersei all venom. The Imp finally asks if Her Grace-- since she blames him for the deaths of her children and the downfall of their family, why not end it all and kill him right there? Not what I would have said to a person I had just described  as the most murderous woman in the world. Cersei looks up at the Mountain, and Tyrion goes on baiting Cersei.  “If it weren’t for me, you would have a mother. If it weren’t for me, you would have a father. If it weren’t for me, you would have two beautiful children...” He turns to the Mountain and in tears says “DO IT!” Her Grace sighs and looks away, she can’t seem to do it while looking at her brother. Tyrian needs a drink and then two. He goes on to explain why he backs the Mother of Dragons. The great conversation continues as Cersei says she doesn’t care about controlling her impulses or making the world a better place. She only wants to protect the family. Referring to the White, She says “I know what it is; I know what it means” and that the only thing that matters is protecting her family. And when Tyrion offers wine to Cersei, she declines and that is when the Imp realizes his sister is pregnant. Her Grace brings up Euron, which we now know she was lying about Euron. Again, how did she know about the Army of the Dead? A spy? Given the dialog, it worth re-watching.  One more thing: Why didn’t Cersei kill Tyrion? Was it because Daenerys had her troops and dragons there and Her Grace knew she would lose? Some love for her brother? I say the first.

We are sent back to the Dragon Pit. Did you realize that what Jon picked up was a fossil from one of the last dragons? So small. Danny laments about how they enslaved the dragons and that when they grew small, her ancestors grew small. They were not extraordinary without the extraordinary dragons. I think she was being a bit unfair as some of the Targaryens were great leaders. Others, that relied on pure fear, were brittle and horrible. And when Jon gets close to the Mother of Dragons and says you are not like everyone else and your family hasn’t seen its end, I thought he was going to kiss her!  Jon becomes the smart  one when he debunks Danny’s thinking that she can’t have children by saying “did it occur to you that she may not have been a reliable source of information?” Fake news! You know something Jon Snow. We can see in the way she looked back at Jon, romance in the air.

At this time, Tyrion comes out alone, but is quickly followed by Cersei and her boys. Seems as if Her Grace has had a change of heart. She pledges that she will send her armies North to fight along side Danny and Jon in the Great War. Have to admit, Cersei was convincing as she fooled me! Did she fool you guys?

Next we see Jamie in the “map” room instructing his lords on the plans to march North, as he realizes time is of the essence. Did you notice it had starting to snow there? I think at the end of the last book, snow had started to fall in King’s Landing. Of course, Cersei is oblivious to the snow as Her Grace questions what Jamie is doing and insults him by saying “I always knew you were the stupidest Lannister” How unfair as certainly Lancel could take that crown. Cersei reveals what her plan was all along. Have the Dragon Queen and the King of the North slug it out. Hopefully they win with depleted forces. Meanwhile, Euron has sailed to Eos to bring back the Golden Company. But Jamie protests-he gave his word; that the war is not just about noble houses. Brienne really rubbed off on him. But Cersei calls it betrayal and treason. She echos Sansa’s words–she listened and learned and says “no one walks away from me.” Jamie is going to keep his pledge and march North, but the Mountain gets in his way. Jamie says “give the order then.” Cersei nods her head yes, but again, couldn’t pull the trigger. Her last line to her brother is “I told you nobody walks away from me.” But then Jamie does just that. And we see him ride off alone. Where is going? I presume North as he pledged. And he covered up his hand. It that because he now detests what gold stands for-the Lannisters and is he symbolically separating himself from Cersei?  This time, I think it as was love that kept Cersei from killing Jamie.

WINTERFELL

It is now snowing harder as we see a raven flying to deliver a message.  Sansa and Littlefinger with Sansa holding a scroll in Jon’s handwriting saying he pledged his loyalty to Daenerys Targaryen,  Sansa is clearly not happy with this news and Baelish tries to take advantage of this. Jon can be unnamed as King in the North. But Sansa says Arya would never go for that and would kill anyone who betrayed her family. Littlefinger really should have listened to that warning. He tries to put a wedge between the Stark sisters. But what of his line “I never trust godly persons?” Hard to say what the authors think about religion. Baelish says “Sometimes when I try to understand a person’s motives, I play a little game. I assume the worst.” He pushes Sansa into saying that Arya would kill her-but why? To become Lady of Winterfell–something that Sansa knows her sister never wanted. At this point in time,  is Sansa on to Littlefinger’s game? I think yes.

Later we see Sansa, outside in the snow, where she and Jon had stood. She commands that Arya be brought to the Great Hall. There were several tells here. Bran is in the Great Hall,  and thinking back, it could only have been for one reason. Second tell, Arya arrives with both Needle and the Dagger. Sansa and Arya go at it a bit, but Sansa says she must do what honor demands, defend her family from those who would harm and betray them. At this point, we should all have known where it was going. Sansa announces the charges: murder and treason and then says the accused is Lord Baelish. To be sure, we knew this was coming, but it pulled off so well.  Don’t you think Sansa pulled if so Cersei like? Arya is smiling but Littlefinger’s smirk is gone. When Baelish says he is confused, Sansa buries him with a great prosecutor questioning. Which charge confuses you? The murder of Lady Arryn? Treason against her family? Littlefinger tries to defend himself, saying none of them were there to see it. But Bran has seen Littlefinger’s dirty deeds and says Baelish put a knife to Ned’s throat and said “I did warn  you not to trust me.” It was nice to see Baelish grovel on his knees and Sansa throws his words back on him.  And we knew the commander of the Knight’s Vale, Yohn Royce, hated Littlefinger and wouldn’t support him. As he is crying and begging for his life, Arya slits his throat with the Dagger. He dies the same way Cat died.

In the end, it was very satisfying. I think most of us thought Littlefinger was going to die this season, and in the end, they pulled it off in fine style. I guess the question is when did Sansa realize the truth? Obviously, she met with Bran and Arya and Bran laid it all out. But without Bran, could she have pegged him? I think so. Slow learner, but a quick study! And as Ser Abraham said “He who lives by the Dagger,  dies by the Dagger!” Did anybody mind that Sansa passed the death sentence (although she never said it) but Arya did the execution? I for one did not and thought it played out the way it should.

Next, Sam arrives back at Winterfell and tells Sam he is now the One Eyed Raven. Sam gives him the same look everyone else does-what the F– does that mean? Bran tries to explain and asks Sam why he came to Winterfell. Sam came to help Jon who Bran says is on his way back to Winterfell. Unexpected comedy when Sam asks if he saw that in a vision; nope a raven brought the message. Bran FINALLY tells somebody that Jon needs to know the truth about his parentage and he tells Sam who they are. A little banter on what Jon’s name would be as a bastard born in Dorne, but Sam tells Bran about the annulment. I guess he does listen to Gilly after all! Sam asks Bran if that is something he can see, and now we know Bran takes requests as Bran travels back in time to see Lyanna and Rhaegar’s wedding, which confirms that Jon has the rightful claim to the Iron Throne. And we learn that Jon’s real name is Aegon, who of course, was the fist Targaryen to rule the Seven Kingdoms. Just saying.

It took a long time to get there, but we finally did. How will Jon react to the news? Will he follow his own advise as he gave to Theon? Not make a choice between being a Targaryen and Stark? Of course he will.

DRAGONSTONE

The good guys are back at Dragonstone, planning strategy. Jorah advises for Danny to fly to Winterfell, but Jon thinks it would be better to sale together as allies. Good thing Daenerys followed Jon’s advice!! And we can see that she really does TRUST Jon. And I mean it this time! I won’t spend much time on the Jon/Theon meeting, except what Jon said near the end after Theon agonizes over having to make a choice of Greyjoy versus Stark. Jon says “You don’t need to choose. You’re a Greyjoy and you’re a Stark.” I think that will come into play when Jon learns he is a Stark and a Targaryen. And then Theon “mans” up, beats the crap out of another Iron Island sailor, earns back the respect of his men and sales off to rescue Yara. I put “mans” up in quotes as he wins the fight because he has no balls and thus the knees to his groin didn’t buckle him in pain.

It ends with a scene we all anticipated. Jon and Daenerys finally connect and making love. I  predict a baby was conceived. Tyrion looked worried. Why? I will offer some thoughts below.

THE WALL OR WHAT IS LEFT OF IT

It is a cool scene the way it was filmed. The Army of the Dead, stopped before the Wall. They cannot go any further. Then the Night King swoops in riding Viserion. We don’t hear him say dracarys but Viserion breaths some sort of blue fire and down goes the wall in a great spectacle. And then the Army of the dead slowly marches south. It looked like an endless army. Did you happen to notice the weather behind them? So dark and full of snow. Frightening. I hope Tormund made it out alive.  We have never heard the Night King talk, but I think he can. Agree?  We weren’t sure if the Wall was going to come down. But for me, the way they did it made it okay. What about you guys?

Yesterday, I got some thoughtful questions from Princess Jacklyn which I really appreciated. Send more everyone! She asked:

Why did Tyrion look sad / upset at the end of the episode when John went to Dany's room on the boat?

One of two possibilities. First, he is in love with Daenerys. Seems as if all the guys are! Second, he may not be upset at them making love, but worried about them. Romance has not worked out very well in the Game of Thrones, and especially with the  Great War to come.  One far fetched one is that after learning that his sister is pregnant, he will switch sides to defend his family and he is torn by that. Remember Jon’s speech to Theon about balancing two sides.

Do you think Cersei is really pregnant?

At first I didn’t, but now I do. She didn’t drink the wine and I think we are headed to both her and Daenerys being pregnant.

Why didn't Jaime head north with Bronn?  Do you think Cersei will have Bronn kill Jaime?

I actually thought of the first point. After the first scene, we didn’t see Bronn. Maybe he left with Pod and switched sides. I don’t think Cersei would trust Bronn to go after Jamie. Bronn would rat her out.

Do you think Tyrion believes his sister will actually send troops North?

I actually do, especially with Jamie pledging that he would. Shows how good she is-or bad!!

The battle of fire and ice will ultimately be between the ice dragon vs. the fire dragons.  Which do you think is more powerful?

The real dragons are more powerful, they have minds and feelings of their own and are like real family which is so important. I am not sure if you noticed, but Viserion had wholes in his wings. Even though it has blue eyes, it is a White and they are very vulnerable. Plus if Bran can break the connection between the Night King and Viserion, it will die.

RECAP

Some of you have told me that this year’s episode were disappointing and that even the finale was a bit disappointing. Let me start with this episode. I thought it was a great way to end the season. Littlefinger-gone. The Wall-gone. Jamie leaving Cersei. Jon and Danny finally hooking up. The Starks on the same page. And finally, when Jon gets back he will know the truth of who he really is. But wait, looking at Jon, doesn’t he already know who he is?

The title “Dragon and Wolf” obviously has two meanings. Jon and the Dragon Queen. But Jon is not pure wolf, he is a mut. Who was pure wolf? Lyanna Stark  of course. So it is also her and Rhaegar. But, and this is big but, only Jon is both fire and ice which is the real title to the books.

The season had a lot of predictable events, whether it  was Danny and Jon hooking up, the Wall coming down and many others. But as we go into the final season, some food for thought. Some may be crazy, but what the hell.

Who is going to kill the Night King? Jon-who in many ways gave the Night King the power to bring down the Wall by needing to be rescued? He could pass the sentence and be the executioner. Arya is another logical choice. Could it be Jorah in his last dying act? What about the Kingslayer in his last heroic act to keep an oath? How will the Night King be killed? We know it has to be either Valerian steel or dragon glass or a combination of them. Could that be the Dagger?  Will Qyburn, who is so obsessed with the dead, help or will he become a White before he dies? Maybe he becomes a good guy and helps Sam. Stranger things have happened. And could Gendry forge the weapon that brings the Night King down or have we seen the last of him?

Throughout the season and in the finale, we saw the importance of family, honor and loyalty, but not at the expense of humanity. This led to the revival of the Starks and the division of the Lannisters.  We saw this  in Jamie as he abandoned his sister. Will he be the one who kills her? We presume that the prophesy will be fulfilled and she will die at the hands of her younger brother.

I now believe that Cersei is pregnant. I also think that Daenerys will have a bun in the oven. Crazy thought: their kids marry and we actually get peace! Too crazy?  

Why no Ghost? I missed him :(

Jon’s real name is Aegon. Interestingly, in the books, Aegon is the name of Rhaegar’s son by Ellia Martel. In the books, that Aegon was being groomed by the Spider and others to sit on the Iron Throne. Some thought he was a fake Aegon.

What did we think of the Spider this year? Could he be a spy?  It was strange that he was silent the whole last episode. Something must be up.

Which characters evolved the most? Sansa? Arya? Jamie? The Hound?

Where was Bronn at the end? He was glad to see Tyrion before going off to have a drink with Pod. Cannot be a coincidence.

Prophecies. We need to separate fake news from real news. The witch Duur’s prophesy that Danny cannot have children-fake news. Witch Maggy’s prophesy about Cersei-real news. Then there is the Dragon Queen in the House of the Undead. She sees her dragon flying over King’s Landing-confirmed. But she also saw a destroyed King’s Landing. Wild thought: The Night King was a Stark, but not Bran. Instead of marching to Winterfell, he marches to King’s Landing and it gets destroyed. Too off the rails?

More fake news. The pictures on line of Bran and the Night King wearing the same sigil around their necks was photo shopped. Oh well!

How many of you noticed the holes in Viserion’s wings? He should be more vulnerable than the other dragons. Speaking of dragons, will they survive? Not sure but the Dragon Queen thinks she needs them to be an extraordinary leader, but Jon says no. I hate to say it, but I think all the dragons die next year. But wait-they leave eggs behind!!

It looks like we will see the Clegane Bowl everyone wanted to see this year. Ser Lane Abraham was uncertain what the Hound was referring to when he told the Mountain that the Mountain always knew who was coming for him. I thought it was clear–after the fire incident, Sandor was always coming for Gregor.

Who had the better lines? The Hound or Bronn? In a photo finish, I  go with the Hound.

So who wins in the end? As Cersei said, you either win or die in the Game of Thrones. Let’s have some fun.  Email us your predications for next year as to who will live and die and how it ends up. Start at fun dialog.

Wow, this was long. Ser Tadd Schwartz thinks I am obsessed with this. But he is a Gator so I take it as a compliment. I enjoy doing it. And while some of them are long, I hope all of my lords and ladies appreciate it as it does take a lot of time.

My watch is done for this year. It has been an honor! And honor matters on GoT. :)

Eric, the Lord of Pinecrest

[lordofpinecrest-blog]

SEASON 7 EPISODE 6 BEYOND THE WALL

Heartbreaker. I could just say that and end it.  But on we must go and it was an event full episode and through it all, it continues to be about relationships. Also, look back at the opening of the episode, we have the war room at Dragonstone and we see the Vale of Arryn. That is where it all started. Had John Arryn not died, King Robert does not ride North, Ned never comes South to be the Hand of the King, and all that happened that led us to the War of the Five Kings never happened. One small event leads to so many others.

NORTH OF THE WALL

North of the Wall, the Magnificent Seven are trying to capture and bring back a Wight, which is member of the army of the dead. Does it really make sense that they could do it -seven against an army?

Tormund asks Jon, how many people died for Mance’s pride Tormund asks Jon? Pride may be the epicenter of this episode and we have heard that line before. I think the beauty of the episode was how the Seven were changed pairings. Each pair had a unique connection in the past which they had to get through; they had to understand what brought them there and how their pasts intersected. Gendry and the Brotherhood. Gendry wanted to join the Brotherhood, but the Brotherhood needed money to fight so it sold him. Jon and Jorah, as Jon admired Jorah’s father; Jorah not willing to take Long Claw as he let his father down. So he gives it back to Jon and says “May it serve you well and your children well.” Hopefully, that will be true. They also share a bond that both their fathers, so honorable, died in betrayal. We also had Jon and Beric-sharing the bond of both being back from the dead. Jon and Gendry talking about fathers, even though unbeknown to either one, Gendry’s father killed Jon’s real father.  The Hound and Tormund discussing Brienne and how the Hound’s face got burned. They dislike each other, but this talk bonds them and later that bond leads them to save each other’s lives. Jorah’s father, who is hated by Tormund but revered by Jon. And throughout it all, you had to love the Hound’s sense of humor. The point being that each character describes how their lives led them to this place and time. Great dialog throughout. You need to watch it again to get the true depth of these interactions. And almost lost is Beric’s comment to Jon-you don’t look like your father. And we know why. And remember, Ned sent Beric to hunt down the Mountain, the Mountain killed him and that is when Thoros brought him back to life for the first time. And while Beric says he is serving the Lord of Light, Jon asks why he (Jon) would serve a Lord that has never spoken to him? In the end, religion takes a side step as they fight for the living who cannot protect themselves, which leads Jon to repeat part of the oath of the Knight’s Watch “I am the shield that guards the realm of men.”  So many interconnections.

The snow gets blinding and out from it springs what I guess we would call a Wight Polar Bear. Why a bear? Tormund had said he would do anything to keep warm, anything will do and in what I think was Season Two, he boasted to Ygritte about having sex with a bear.  As I pointed out before, in the books, they mention huge animals and giants as being part of the Army of the Dead. And there were always rumors of an Ice Dragon. Takes a while, but they finally manage to kill the bear. Not sure why Jon’s Valyrian steel sword didn’t kill it right away. And what about the fire swords? Didn’t they bring dragon glass? And despite the ferociousness of the bear, only Thoros is hurt.

Later, they come upon the mountain the Hound saw in the fire. A White Walker leads a battalion of the Dead Army, but they go down when Jon disintegrates a White Walker with Long Claw. So we know that if you cut down the head, the rest will fall. So if the breathing can kill the Knight King, presumably his army is gone for good. And in the process, they capture a soldier of the Army of the Dead. Looking good so far.

WINTERFELL

At Winterfell, Arya is telling touching story of her childhood, shooting arrows, knowing it was wrong but when her father clapped, she knew the rules were wrong. She goes on to say that the Lannisters killed their father with Sansa’s help. I don’t know about you, but I am getting a little tired of Arya’s attitude. She won’t listen to Sansa or try to understand what Sansa went through. She acts as if she was the only one who suffered. But don’t we all agree that Sansa suffered so much more? Arya with her veiled threat to expose Sansa’s writing is playing into Littlefinger’s plan. Isn’t Arya supposed to know when people are lying? If so, why doesn’t she understand that Sansa is telling the truth about the letter? And Littlefinger is magnificently manipulating the split between Sansa and Arya.  Baelish tricks Sansa into believing that as long as Brienne is in Winterfell, she cannot deal with Arya. Sansa does send Brienne to King’s Landing to be her emissary, which really made little sense. But Sansa is afraid of Arya and showed it when she searched her room. Arya comes clean on what she went through and who she is.  Given all their family values, does anyone really believe Sansa would kill Arya or vice versa? And where is Bran? He knows how evil Littlefinger is. In the end, I cannot see the Stark sisters not uniting against the true common enemy.  One more thing. What faces were in Arya’s bag? That will most likely come into play next season. DRAGONSTONE

Tyrion and Daenerys. Danny is obviously worried about Jon as she tells the Imp she like him because he is not a hero as heros do stupid things and die. Tyrian wants to look to the future. To change the Wheel. But isn’t Her Grace right when she questions what war was won without deceit and mass murder. And the Imp was right that ruling by fear is brittle. He advises her not to do anything impulsive, which she denies she has. But we all know she is impulsive and that is a weakness on her part.  Through it all, does she TRUST Tyrion as much as she says? Deep down I would say yes. Question: how has the Imp gone from somebody so clever and smart to being outdone at every turn this season?

I know that it is out of sequence, but did Daenerys act compulsively when she decided to help Jon North of the Wall with her dragons? Tyrion advises against it, as he talks about her vulnerability and that she cannot be replaced as there is no plan for succession. Danny isn’t worried about that right now, as she cannot abandon those who are loyal to her. Was it out of her emotions for Jon and was she right? Tyrion is really worried about who will follow her, and because Her Grace believes she can no longer have children, she angrily avoids it. But what proof do we have that she cannot have another child? The word of a witch? How many believe, as I do, that she will bare an heir.

THE BATTLE BEYOND THE WALL

The whole season, this is what we have been waiting for. The battle between the Night King and Jon Snow. With the horde of the Army of the Dead coming at them, the Knight King and his Four Horsemen look down at the battle. Their expressions never change as they appear to have only two feelings for humans, disgust and hate. The Magnificent Seven are clearly over whelmed and are trapped on some sort of rocky ledge. But the ice breaks and as we know, from Hardome, the Army of the Dead hates water. Not sure why. So the ice cracks and they “die.” But our gang is stranded, so Gendry runs like the wind and barely makes it back to the Wall with the message to send a raven to get help from Daenerys.

Jorah is right when he says they will all freeze or the ice will, meaning certain death. Jon thinks that the only hope is Danny, but Beric is right, there is another. Kill the Night King as it all started with him. I will get to some interesting theories later. The Hound tortures a Wight by throwing a rock at it, but the second one comes up short and the ice doesn’t crack. Oh shit as the Wight realizes it and starts to advance. Do the Wights realize this on their own or does the Knight King see it? The soldiers have shown no independent way of thinking, so if they can, that makes it even worse. But I sense it all has to do with the Night King. The scene was a little Walking Dead, Battle of the Bastards and Hardome rolled into one. What I liked is how each man had each other’s back. All survive except for Thoros, who has run out of lives. When all seemed lost for Jon and his men, Daenerys and her dragons came to the rescue burning tons of the walking dead and the fire burned and melted the ice. Just like the Knights of the Vale. The visual effects and music rated an A+. Stunning and beautiful to watch. Drogon lands and Danny sticks her hand down to help Jon up, but he won’t abandon his men and turns to fight. Honor to the end. The tide was turning and then we all went from hope to utter devastation and heart break. The Night King, with an arm stronger than Dan Marino, throws a spear which hits Viserion and brings him down. I am sure like me, you were in a state of shock as the mighty dragon went down steaming blood and smoke and screaming in agony. Some have asked me what the spear was made of, and I don’t know. Possibly dragon glass or just pure ice rock. But is was so sad to see him go down in pain as he slipped beneath the water. Jon knows the danger that the Night King possesses and yells for Her Grace to go before he can kill another dragon. So they are forced to leave Jon behind and ride back to the Wall. Jon fights but eventually slips into the water and appears to drown. Later, we see him rise. Has he risen from the dead again? He pulls himself out of the water with Long Claw, and that has to be significant. Jon is doomed again, until Uncle Benjen saves the day. And while nobody knows what the Lord of Light has planned, he brought back Jon, Beric and Benjen for a purpose. So it would appear that Benjen’s purpose was to save both Bran and Jon. But now his watch is done, or so it appears because remember, what is dead can never die.

And on a lone horseback, Jon makes it back to the Wall as an anxious Dragon Queen looks on. We have seen that before as well.

But of course something ominous happened. The Army of the Dead, with chains, rose Viserion from the water, the Night King touched him and his eyes turned blue. He is now part of the Night King’s army. So scary and still, felt so sad for the dragon.

Back at the Wall, Jon is brought in to recuperate. Later we see him with Daenerys and she sees the scar on his chest and knows the sacrifices he is willing to make. Jon’s first words were how sorry he was, that he wishes he could take it back and never gone. But as grief struck Her Grace, she knew it was right and that she had to see for her own eyes, the real danger and enemy. Crying, she says the dragons are her children and the only children she will ever have. She asks him if he understands. Did she ask that to tell him that if they get married, they will produce no heirs?? Why tell Jon that unless she wants him to have children and have his children continue to rule. Remember, Iron Claw sort of saved him and brings in what Jorah told him. Daenerys vows that together they will kill the Nights King and in her mind, you can see it as vengeance for her lost child. Jon calls her Danny, as her brother (Jon's father) used to and says he will bend the knee. When she eventually slips her hand out of his, is it sadness as she believes she cannot bare his children? I say yes.

RECAP

I know I left a lot out, but I wanted to keep it shorter. Some thoughts:

In the books, there were references to ice dragons so while it was a dreadful turn of events, I guess book readers could have guessed it. This alters the theory that Tyrion would ride a dragon. Now it looks as if the Night King will ride Viserion, with Daenerys riding Drogon and Jon riding Rhaelgal, which is named after his father.

So the bad guys have an air force. And the Night King is smart.  How will that effect things to come? Will Viserion breath blue fire and could that harm the Wall? In the books, dragons fight each other. Hopefully, our two will win. There is also talk that Bran could warg into Viserion, but I doubt it. As he gets stronger, maybe he will break the spell that the Nigh King has over Viserion and that will turn the tide. Another interesting thought is that the Night King was a Stark and that Bran is him. Crazy right?

And what of our star crossed lovers, Jon and Danny? Will they produce an heir? We all hope so.

Will Sansa and Arya figure out who their real enemy is? They have to.

And finally, next week in King’s Landing. Can’t wait for those fireworks.

Until next week, a heart broken Lord of Pinecrest over the death of Viserion.

[lordofpinecrest-blog]

GAME OF THRONES SEASON 7 EPISODE   EASTWATCH BY THE SEA

SOMEWHERE NEAR THE TRIDENT

As we thought, Bronn saved Jamie as they pop up out of the water on the other side of the lake. A little weak that non of Daenerys’ troops are looking for them. As we know, without a body, there is no death on GoT. Bronn asks Jamie what he was trying to do, and Jamie’s answer was a good one “to end the war.” Told you he wanted to be a Queenslayer. But of course he doesn’t know about the real war, at least not yet. Had to love Bronn, Jamie doesn’t get to die until he gets his castle and nobody but him can kill Jamie until he gets his castle. Question: of all the men in Westeros, other than Bronn, who would you rather have protecting your back?  As Jamie looks over the smoke that used to be his army, it reminded me of him and Bronn returning to King’s Landing and  watching the smoke from the burned out Sept. Both at the hands of a Queen. And last, when the Kingslayer told Bronn he had to warn Cersei of the dragons and Bronn said he might as was well jump back in the water, wasn’t he commenting on how Cersei would be his kiss of death just as Olenna warned him?

Staying in the area, we see Tyrion surveying the destruction in the battlefield. Was it just me, or was it meant to look like a battle out of the civil war? Wasn’t that how Tyrion must have felt as it was Lannister men that were slaughtered? The defeated are taken before the Mother of Dragons and Dragon looks fully recovered as he bellows out a T-Rex like roar. Danny tells what is left of the Tyrell and Lannister army that Cersei has lied to them and that she is not there to burn their homes, cities and murder them all. All she wants is to destroy the Wheel which has rolled over the rich and poor only to benefit the Cersei’s of the world. She offers mercy and a choice. Bend the knee to her, and live;  if not, die. With Drogon roaring again, most do. But a few don’t and they are led by  Randyll Tarly. Daenerys politely asks Lord Tarly to step forward and he says he won’t bend the knee because he already has a queen. Tyrion chides on him on this as he tries to convince Randyll that the Imp’s sister hasn’t been his queen long and that his allegiances are “flexible.” The key line was “There are no easy choices in war.” Isn’t what we learned last week as The Mother of Dragon unleashed Drogon? Randyll is a proud man, and is willing to die for honor and Daenerys respects that. A little Ned Stark in him. The Imp offers a reasonable solution, send the soldiers to the Wall, and Randyll goes Ned Stark stupid and says Danny cannot send him to the Wall as she is not his Queen. IDIOT! And then Dickon says he won’t bend the knee either. And despite his father asking him not to, he won’t. In the end, The Mother of Dragons did what she had to do, making a hard choice as she had Drogon literally smoke Randyll and Dickon. Tyrion tries to talk her out of it, but she says she gave them a choice and they took it. Like Ned, she sentenced them to die and carried  out the punishment by saying “dracarys.” She watched, but Tyrion had to look away. Not as brave as Bran was at the beginning of Season One, when Jon told Bran not to look away when Ned used Ice to behead the guy they thought was a deserter from the Night’s Watch and who was the first one to warn of the return of the White Walkers. All the rest of the men bend their knees and Daenerys walks away with her head held high.

Was she right? As Randall said there are terrible choices to be made in war. Danny gave them an honorable way out so I think she was right and had to show that once she drew the line in the sand, she would not back down. Did the Imp understand or agree? If not, will this cause a problem between them? Did you find it strange that Tyrion did not ask or seem concerned about Jamie? Did he know he was alive and help him escape?

KING’s LANDING Keeping in flow, we go from one concerned Lannister to another as miraculously, Jamie is back in King’s Landing to meet Cersei. Her Grace’s first reaction wasn’t to run and hug her brother, or show any relief or emotion that he was still alive. No, she wanted to know how many men they lost. Cersei thinks mercenaries will be enough to win, but Jamie, still stinging from what he witnessed, tells her how they cannot defeat the Dothraki as to them killing is a sport. Oh yea, and then there was the dragon and that Qyburn’s Scorpion couldn’t stop it and that she has three dragons. Of course, a better shot most likely would have killed Drogon. How cold and calculating is Cersei as she says she sits on her father’s throne, the father Jamie murdered and betrayed. Of course, the Kingslayer didn’t kill his father and the throne was never Tywin’s, although he was often called the most powerful person in the Seven Kingdoms. And did he really betray his father by releasing the Imp? No. What follows is some of the best dialog between the star crossed lovers. She asks sarcastically if they can count on Tyrion to intercede of their behalf as a way of apologizing for killing their son and father. That is when Jamie tells her that Tyrion didn’t kill Joffrey that Olenna did. Cersei scoffs back at him, as if he is gullible as she says “and you believed her?” And then Jamie goes into one of the best explanations of how the Game of Thrones works. “If you were Olenna, would you rather have seen your grand daughter marry Joffrey or Tommen? Which one would Margaery been better able to control? Which one would have made Olenna the true ruler of the Seven Kingdoms?” Did you watch Her Grace’s face throughout the scene? How it went from tight smiles to contortions? She finally realized the truth of Joffrey’s death and how Olenna had planned it all. In the Game of Thrones, you either win or you die! “So we fight and die or surrender and die. I know my choice. A soldier should know his.” We already saw the choice that Randyll Tarly made.

DRAGONSTONE

From King’s Landing, we go to Dragonstone with Jon Snow standing atop a cliff as The Mother of Dragons swoops in on Drogon. The dragon seems fully healed as it lands, walks up to Jon and roars. Jon stands his ground but is obviously scared shitless. Drogon seems to  sniff The King of the North and his roar turns into a hiss. As this is happening, Daenerys is looking down in wonderment at what is happening. Jon then takes his glove off and actually pets Drogon, who closes his eyes in soothment. WOW! Danny doesn’t know what to think of this, but they both have to wondering how Jon could do that and not be burned alive. Jon refers to the dragons as beautiful beasts and is little taken aback when Stormborn refers to them as her children. Jon says she wasn’t gone long (hard to tell the time line) but the good news is they have one less enemy then before. Jon isn’t thrilled but as Her Grace says, they can only help people from a position of strength and “sometimes strength is terrible. And then another “Ned Stark” moment. When Danny asks Jon if Davos saying taking a knife in the heart for his people was just a figure of speech, they are interrupted so  Jon does not have to answer the question. It was like that when Ned was asked about whose Jon’s mother was and he never answered it. The interruption was Jorah Mormont’s return, which we suspected.

WINTERFELL

We go from Dragons to crows. Bran has warged into hundreds of them as they fly beyond the Wall and discover the Army of the Dead advancing. And to be sure, that army is HUGE! Not sure how far they flew so we don’t know how close they are to getting to the Wall. The Night King looks up at the ravens and this disconnects Bran from them. That could be ominous as it seems to be a signal that he is stronger than Bran. To win, Bran will have to get stronger! So Bran send out a Red Alert.

THE CITADEL

The maesters are joking that a cripple has sent a raven informing them with the magical help of a three eyed raven, he has seen the Army of the Dead marching toward the Wall. They scoff at the message until Sam intercedes that he knows who sent it-Brandon Stark. At first, Sam tries to sort of “sweet talk” the maesters by saying telling them that as the wisest and most trusted men in the Kingdom, if they send out ravens telling all the lords in Westeros of the threat, the lords will send their armies to the Wall to defend Westeros. And while doing that, all the maesters could study the ancient scrolls to find a way to defeat the White Walkers forever. The Head Maester says its possible, but wants more proof as he is cautious. After all, it could be fake news! OY!

DRAGONSTONE

The Spider and the Imp take part  in a little back and forth, with Varys tapping a newly received scroll which we know was sent by Bran. Varys is upset that Daenerys burnt father and son Tarly and he compares what she did to the Mad King, and in so doing, for the first time,  he actually needed a drink!  I think it was an unfair comparison. The Tarlys led an opposition army against Her Grace and did kill the entire Tyrell army. The Mad King burned those he suspected of treason. Big difference. Varys says that Tyrion needs to find a way to make her listen so she will not become her father. Tyrion finally asks about the scroll, and whether Varys read it. How funny was it when the Spider said “It is a sealed scroll for the King of the North” and the Imp replied “What’s it say?” LOL!

They deliver the scroll to Jon and then we see him with Daenerys. Jon tells Her Grace that he didn’t know that Bran and Arya were alive, and Danny gives him sort of a loving look when he tells her. But there is bad news as Bran saw the Night King and his army marching toward East Watch and that if they make it past the Wall, they could all be done for. The King of the North says they all have to go North. But the Mother of Dragons hesitates. If she goes North, Cersei will take all the Southern lands. She is right. So Tyrian comes up with a “plan.” Jon gives a great line “I don’t think she will come to see the dead at my invitation.” Cracked me up. So Tyrion’s plan is to bring the dead to Cersei. Varys knows that the only way to convince Cersei would be to get an audience with her and show her the proof, but that sitting on the Iron Throne, Cersei will kill the emissaries just as the Mad King did. So Tyrion has another part of his plan, he will go to King’s Landing to meet with Jamie  and Davos will smuggle him in. But for the plan to work, they need a dead man, so Jorah offers to go North to get one. The North will not follow Jorah, so Jon says he has to go. When he says that, Daenerys has a look on her face and the way she swallow it was obvious to me that she is afraid to lose The King of the North. It would be an emotional loss so she says she hasn’t given Jon permission to leave. Jon rises to the occasion, and gives her back a speech of why he came and that he trusted a stranger and she needs to trust him. He reversed the cave speech on her as he has to do what is best for his people. Funny thing how they all believed what a cripple saw when the “wise” men in the Citadel didn’t.  And how did Tyrion know that Bronn and Jamie were alive?? Does that support my theory that Tyrion may have helped him escape? And why wasn’t anyone surprised that Bronn and Jamie were alive??

WINTERFELL

Looks like a bit of a rebellion may be afoot (or a “finger”) as some of the men are still unhappy that the King of the North went South. When Royce said to Sansa “The Knights of the Vale came for you” I think it was very important. They didn’t come for Lord Baelish, they came for Sansa. Remember that line. Arya is upset that Sansa did not defend  Jon, but Sansa was right when she says she had to listen. It was a bit frightening when Arya say beheading them would work. YIKES! So we have a politician and an assassin. But Arya goes on to suggest that Sansa is thinking that she doesn’t want Jon to return as she wants to be Queen of the North. Is Arya right? Arya is not happy with Sansa’ lack of loyalty to the family. Who else was in the hall when the protests were raised? None other than Littlefinger and later we see how he tries to use that to his advantage.

KING’S LANDING

Tyrion and Davos sneak into King’s Landing. Bronn, with all his usual jokes, leads Jamie to Tyrion.  The Imp says that Tywin, was going to have him executed because of what he was, and not for murder as Tywin knew Tyrion did not kill Joffrey. And what “was” Tyrion. My theory is that the Imp was the Mad King’s son and Tywin suspected that. And when Jamie says that Cersei will never bend the knee to Danny, Tyrion says Daenerys has a more important request. At that exact moment, Jamie cannot imagine what that could be, but he soon finds out.

From there, the Onion Knight  finds Gendry. And before Davos can finish the sentence, Robert’s bastard son is willing to go with him, and why not? How cool was it that he had what looked like Robert’s War Hammer. They go down to the beach where two Lannister guards stroll by. Davos bribes them to go away, but then Tyrion shows up and they recognize the Imp, who does have a big bounty on his head. They are about to cause trouble when Gendry crushes their heads with the War Hammer. He acted so quickly as he released all his pent up hate!!

Jamie meets with Cersei to presumably tell her what Tyrion said and that Danny wants a truce because an army of dead men are marching on the Seven Kingdoms and the Imp will provide proof. Her Grace, is, of course, skeptical and laughs at this. But it doesn’t end there. Cersei wants to know if Jamie will punish Bronn as she says Bronn betrayed him for setting up the meeting without him knowing. When Jamie gives her that “look,” she asks him does he really think that anything of importance happens in King’s Landing without her knowing? Cersei, still doesn’t believe in dead man, but Her Grace tells Jamie she will listen so that they can defeat the Dragon Queen and her dragons. Why? “for this” as she rubs her belly. Her Grace is implying that she is pregnant with Jamie’s child. They repeat Tywin’s phrase “The lion doe not concern itself with the opinions of the sheep.” Isn’t that what Arya was saying to Sansa? After all, Arya learned from Cersei and Tywin.

A lot when on here. But let’s cut to the chase. Cersei gets her information from Qyburn who gets it from the Spider’s former informants. But are they former sparrows of Varys or does the Spider still have a flow of information from those little sparrows? I say yes. Is Cersei really pregnant or is she using that to keep Jamie in tow and away from Bronn? On that note, will Bronn head out to join the Imp? And while Cersei smugly claims she knows everything that goes on in King’s Landing, she didn’t know about Gendr or that Tyrion was there before he left. So there are cracks in her safety net!  Let’s not forget Qyburn leaving the room before Jamie enters.  I believe that Qyburn told Cersei that Tyrion had met with Jamie through Qyburn’s sparrows. spiders. Does Qyburn have sparrows in Dragonstone or does the Spider send intelligence back to his old sparrow to be passed on?? One last thing. Cersei didn’t look that surprised about the Army of the Dead story. Why? Remember, Bran sent out ravens to everyone. I believe that Qyburn got a raven with that news and told Cersei right before Jamie walked in.

DRAGONSTONE Back at Dragonstone, the Boys are Back for Winter! The Onion Knight advises Gendry not to let on who he is, but in a funny moment, he does the opposite and introduces himself to His Grace as Robert Baratheon’s son. So cool. Didn’t their conversation remind you of when Robert met Ned at Winterfell in Episode One? They jabbed at each other about being fatter, and here they jab at being leaner and shorter; more fit for what is to come. John has Iron Claw back and it looks as if Gendry knows it is Valyrian steel. Gendry wants to go North with Jon to fight with his War Hammer. I was surprised by this as I thought they needed his blacksmith talent to turn dragon glass into weapons. Before they go, Tyrion in another emotional good bye, gives Jorah a coin that the slaver gave him, which was supposed to last a lifetime. The Imp says bring it back because the Queen needs him, but it is more than that as they are friends. Of course, that is followed by Jon saying to Daenerys that if he doesn’t return, she will not have to deal with the King of the North any more, to which Danny replies “I have grown used to him.” While it may be a tease, they certainly look at each other with crushes in their eyes. Admit it, we all want them to hook up! We have to presume that they all will not return safely, so who dies? And I hope they brought some dragon glass with them!!

THE CITADEL

Here again is where the show is so brilliant. Sam and Gilly, doing “brainless” work re-writing old scribes. Did Sam teach Gilly how to read? But what follows next was a WOW X10! Gilly asks Sam what does “annulment” mean? She is reading from an old scribe from the High Septon Magnard (never heard of him before) which says he “issued an annulment for a Prince Rhaegar and remarried him to someone else in a secret ceremony in Dorne.” Sam walks away in frustration as he doesn’t understand the implications of what Gilly told him as he has no idea Jon is Rhaegar’s son. And it didn’t help that Gilly mispronounced Rhaegar’s names.  Sam thinks they are wasting time while the White Walkers advance. So in his frustration, Sam goes into the “forbidden zone” takes some scrolls, and decides to leave. He knows where his destiny lies.

But this a WOW X10! Those of use who read the books and even Others (like the use of “Others”)  always presumed R+T=J. But I don’t think any of us ever thought that he was a legitimate son of a true marriage between Rhaegar and Lyanna. Maybe we should have, or I should have. Remember last year when a young Ned asked Arthur Dayne, the best of the Kings’ Guard, why he was at the Tower of Joy protecting Lyanna instead of being with the Mad King, Rhaegar or fighting at the Trident?  I thought it was because the Prince wanted to protect his lover. But now we know it was so much more. They were their to protect the true Princess and heir to the throne!

This means that Jon Snow is not just King of the North, but he is the true heir to the Iron Throne. How does that effect things?? Astronomically. Works for Sansa, she can be Wardeness of the North. But what about Daenerys? How will she take it as she believes she was meant to rule the Seven Kingdoms. And remember, Jon doesn’t like to rule. Making Jon a true Targaryen and not a bastard, was to me, an unexpected moment of pure brilliance on the show. And Sam leaving the Citadel means another great reunion is on the horizon.

WINTERFELL

Two cunning persons. In this corner, I give you the assassin, Arya Stark. And in this corner I give you Petra Baelish. Arya thinks she is so smart as she spies on Littlefinger and eventually breaks into his room and reads a scroll that Littlefinger hid. The scroll came from Maester Luwin’s archives. It was written by Sansa to Jon. This was back in Season One when Cersei made her write it to keep Ned alive. Sansa says Joffrey is the legitimate heir to the Iron Throne and that   Rob should come to King’s Landing to bend his knee to the Boy King. If you go into your Way Back Machine, you would see that Littlefinger was in the room standing behind Cersei. Arya puts it back, and as she leaves, Littlefinger approvingly watches. So why does Littlefinger plant the scroll? To create chaos between Arya and Sansa as Arya is a threat to him. If Arya believes Sansa betrayed their father, she could try something stupid and remember, everyone is there to protect Sansa. Shouldn’t Arya be smart enough to figure that out and that Littlefinger left it there to be discovered?? She cannot be that stupid to think that Baelish let her find the scroll so easily. Or has she been blinded by her hatred to make a stupid mistake as Ned and Rob did? Here is a cool thought. Arya and Sansa, after a heated exchange, come to realize what Petra has done. Arya face changes into Sansa and as “fake” Sansa, begins to seduce Littlefinger. Lord Baelish would certainly fall for that and then Arya kills him with the dagger. What do you think??

 EASTWATCH-BY-THE-SEA

We end at the episode’s title “Eastwatch-by-the-Sea.”  And I know I always dwell on it, but did you see Jon’s face as he saw the Wall again?  Tormund was the best. “How many queens are there?” Two. “And you need to convince the one with dragons or the one that fucks her brother?” And who wants to  join them? None other than the Hound, Beric Bondarion and Thoros. But Gendry objects-he knows they are the Brotherhood who tried to sell him to the Red Priestess, Melisandre. He says don’t trust them. TRUST? Thoros and Jorah recognize each other, not sure how or when they meant. And of course Tormund is not happy to learn that Jorah’s father is the former Lord Commander. And as Beric rambles on about the Lord of Light and fate, leave it to the Hound to say “shut your hole. Are we coming with you or not?” Love the Hound! Jon being the great leader he has become, says Beric is right, well sort of. They are all fighting for the same thing as they are all breathing. So the gang leaves to go North. The best of the WWE!! Except that Ghost is missing!! And they leave in a “white out” blizzard. One more thing. Ser Jeffrey mentioned to me that previously, the Hound protected first Sansa and then Arya. So now he will be protecting Jon. Full circle. And now that I think of it, I would rather have the Hound protecting my back then even Bronn? Agree or disagree?

Next week, we should see a confrontation with the “crew” and the Army of the Dead. Can’t wait!

Until next week,

Eric, the Lord of Pinecrest

[lordofpinecrest-blog]

GAME OF THRONES SEASON 7 EPISODE 4 THE SPOILS OF WAR

In my opinion, the ending to this episode was one of the best! What a follow up to Episode 3. So far, the best season yet. I did have one complaint. It was only about 50 minutes long. We need more!! Anyone disagree? And as usual, I intended this to be short, but here I go again. I just cannot help myself.

HIGHGARDEN

We start with the Lannister army leaving Highgarden as Jamie opens one of the wagons and hands Bronn a bag full of gold for his “fee” in helping defeat the Tyrells. The spoils of war. They banter back and forth as Bronn senses that despite the big victory, something is bothering Jamie. Of course we know from last week what it is. When Bronn tells Jamie to confess, I liked the line that he only confesses to the High Septon, which of course is gone. So no more confessions from The Kingslayer. Bronn wants more than gold, he wants a castle. In the books, he actually got one. And Jamie is certainly sullen with Bronn when he orders him to help collect the grain from any reluctant farmers. He has a heart.

KING’S LANDING

From the gold at Highgarden, we switch to Cersei and Tycho Nestoris, the representative from the Iron Bank. He is impressed with Cersei as he says he had never seen such a large debt paid in one lump sum. But the gold has not arrived in King’s Landing, it is merely on its way. He offers to help finance Her Grace’s overture to the Golden Company which has about 10,000 sellswords. They have a reputation of never breaking a contract. A couple of interesting facts. One, in the show, it is suggested that Jorah Mormont once fought for the Golden Company, although that is not in books. But think of how Jorah’s knowledge of that army of sellswords could help the Mother of Dragons. Two, who else was a sellsword? Daario of course, and he did break his contract when he switched sides to help Daenerys. So I think we will see him return. I like how the scene ended with Tycho telling Cersei that she can count on the Iron Bank’s support “as soon as the gold arrives” and Her Grace’s cold stare back. Cersei is certainly the queen of cold stares!

WINTERFELL

From a manipulating Cersei, we travel to Winterfell. There we see a Valyrian steel dagger and hear the voice of perhaps the greatest manipulator, Lord Baelish, as he says to Bran “This belongs to you.” And what BS Littlefinger spews as he says  he would have taken the knife to his heart to save Bran’s mother and will do anything to protect the Starks, all Bran has to do is ask. So what does Bran ask: “Do you know who this belonged too?”  Bran  knows that Baelish is lying when Littlefinger says no, but Littlefinger keeps prying as he needs to know what Bran knows. So he says that he cannot imagine what Bran has seen, things that most men would not believe, and to return to such chaos. Bran sleeves the dagger and looks at Baelish and says “Chaos is a ladder.” That stuns Littlefinger as he told that to Varys in private in Season One. It began “Chaos isn’t a pit. Chaos is a ladder.”

His lordship knows that Bran is a threat to expose him. They are interrupted by Meera Reed. All seeing Bran knows that she is leaving and has come to say goodbye. Quite the breakup. Bran telling her that he doesn’t need her anymore, and Meera clearly upset “That is all you have to say?” to the person who saved his life and whose brother gave his life to save Bran. But there was something that she said that could turn out to be important. She is going back home to be with her family, and her father is Howland Reed, who was with Ned at the Tower of Joy when Jon Snow was born. So presumably, he knows that truth of who Jon’s parents are. And when Meera says that Bran died in that cave, wasn’t she at least part right as Bran is now the Three Eyed Raven and almost devoid of feelings?

From a breakup, we go to another  reunion we have all been waiting for. As Meera left, did you notice that Bran turned his head as if he knew someone was coming? From the head turn we see that Arya has arrived at Winterfell. Arya hesitates and stares at her home. Did anyone think that she might change her mind and head back to kill Cersei? She arrives at the gates, but the guards do not believe that she is who she says she is. In the first season, when Arya was in the tunnels under King’s Landing, she tries to re-enter the Red Keep, and the guards there did not believe she was a Stark. She threatened them in the same way she threatened the guards here. Back then, if they didn’t let her in to the Red Keep, they would have to  answer to her father, the  Hand of the King; this time, it would be her sister, Sansa. They let her in, tell her not to move, but being the cat that Syrio Forel taught her to be, she disappeared. But Sansa knows where Arya went, to the crypt to see her father. Awkward at first, but they share a long embrace, certainly better than the one Sansa had with Bran. Did you like Sansa’s line that when Jon returns and sees her “his heart will probably stop.” Well, we know it did once already and Arya was his favorite. They talk about how they both wanted to kill Joffrey and Arya tells Sansa about her death list. Sansa laughs in sort of the same way the Lannister troops did last week. They share something in common, their stories of getting home are long and not pleasant. But as Arya says, and Sansa agrees, their stories aren’t over yet. One could argue they have only just begun.

After saying that, Arya throws herself into Sansa’ arms and this time, she hugs her sister with feelings. Isn’t that the reunion we were hoping for? As they separate, Sansa tells Arya that Bran is home too, and for the first in a very long time, Arya breaks into a genuine smile.  They both go outside to meet Bran, who is, of course, sitting by the wierwood tree. Did you notice the sound of the crows in the background? Bran can sense them coming and when Arya hugs him, he acts the same way as he did with Sansa. Bran tells Arya that he saw her at the Crossroads, and that he sees a lot of things now. For those that don’t know, the Crossroads is where the inn  where Hot Pie works and where Arya made her decision to come home. Bran says he thought she might go back to King’s Landing, so Sansa asks why, to which Bran replies because Cersei in on Arya’s list. Kind of creeps Arya out that Bran knows that, but it proves he has visions. Sansa smiles and want to know who else is on the list.  But later on, she seems troubled with Sansa’s killer abilities.

Then it gets more interesting. Bran shows his sisters the dagger and explains that Littlefinger gave it to him. You had to notice the look of disgust on Arya’s face when she learned Baelish was at Winterfell. Sansa asks why would Littlefinger give him the dagger and Bran explains it was the one meant to kill him. Arya, being observant, wants to know how a cut throat could get a Valerian steel dagger and Bran said “somebody very wealthy wanted me dead.”  Was it Baelish or Joffrey? I am now leaning toward Baelish because he loved Cat and she  never would have left Winterfell with Bran stuck in bed there. So Bran was in his way. And remember, after Summer rips out the cut throat’s throat, (nice pun, right?) Bran wakes up. No coincidence. Sansa knows that Littlefinger does not give anything away without wanting something back. Bran says it doesn’t matter, but his answer to Sansa’s question as to why it doesn’t matter, doesn’t add up. He says it is because he doesn’t want the dagger and gives it to Arya. And when he does so, something passes between them. I think it doesn’t matter because Bran “knows” that Littlefinger is going to be killed and I further think it will be by Arya with the dagger. Any thoughts on that?

As they head back into Winterfell, we hear the solemn violin music as Brienne and Pod see Arya arrive. As usual, Brienne has a hard time taking a compliment from Pod, who says she has filled her oath to Lady Stark. She does have her Valerian steel sword Oathbreaker and I am sure, it will play a role in the future. As this all happens, we see Littlefinger looking down at them, and a crow– or could it have been a raven in the background delivering a message to him as he is smiling.

DRAGONSTONE

At Dragonstone, Missandei is worried that there has been no word from the Unsullied, but Daenerys tells her not to worry and that Greyworm will come back to her to which Missandei replies, “he better.” Her Grace smiles as if Missandei said it out of her love for Greyworm, but it could have been taken as threat. He better or else…  Jon appears and he leads Daenerys into a cave. Standing at the entrance is Davos with a torch. I think this is the same cave where Davos, with his lantern, was with Melisandre. The cave was barred, which was new, and this is where Melisandre gave birth to the shadow monster that killed Renly.

The bars are gone and Jon leads Her Grace deeper into the cave and we see a massive amount of dragonglass ready to be mined. That is good news for humanity. But there is more, so much more. Deeper in the caves, there are drawings on the walls, which somehow Jon can interpret. Could Bran have implanted that information into his brain?  Her Grace is stunned by what she sees. Jon tells her the Children of the Forrest made these a long time ago, I would guess  around 10,000 years ago. Danny seems to know who the Children of the Forrest were and even says they could have been right there before the First Men.  But Jon says no, they were there together and shows her drawings deeper in the cave. And when Stormborn asks if they were fighting each other, Jon again says no, they were fighting a common enemy and we see paintings of the White Walkers. Jon actually takes Daenerys by the arm; may be small, but she usually does not allow anyone to touch her. Danny seems convinced that the White Walkers are a real enemy and says she will fight for Jon and the North, when he bends his knee. Jon says his people will not accept a Southern leader, but Daenerys says they will if their king does. Remember when Jon was trying to convince Mance Rayder, the King Beyond the Wall, to convince the Wildings to join him in the fight against the White Walkers and bend the knee. Jon said almost the identical words to Mance, “Isn’t their survival more important than your pride?” So did Jon agree? Should he? An observation: Daenerys seems to trust Jon now, and they seem to look at each other with more affection. Just saying. And could Melisandre have know about the paintings were there and by putting Jon and Danny together at Dragonstone she knew they would go into the cave and thus her mission was complete?

We don’t know if Jon bent the knee  because as the exit the cave, Tyrion was there to deliver the bad news. That while they took Casterly Rock, the Unsullied are stranded as the fleet was sunk. Tyrion wants to stick to the plan, which he thinks is right, but the Mother of Dragons is breathing fire when she says the plan has lost them Dorne, the Reach and the Iron Islands. She even calls into question the Imp’s loyalty that maybe he doesn’t want to hurt his family. Could she be right? The talk is interrupted by the dragons as Danny says enough of cute plans as she will fly her three dragons to the Red Keep and destroy her enemies who, as she correctly says, are there.  Again, showing her trust in Jon Snow, she asks him what he thinks she should do. She is at war and losing. Jon hears and looks at the two dragons flying over the sea.  He says nobody ever expected to see dragons again, (just like White Walkers). He gives an impassioned speech. Her people follow her because she has done the impossible and maybe that will help them believe she can do make other impossible things happen. Make a better world for everyone. But if she uses the dragons to burn the cities and melt  castles, she is no different from the previous leaders, just more of the same. With the two dragons screeching, the Mother of Dragons looks at them and seems to have a plan.

A few things. First, we only see Rhaegal and Viserion, and no Drogon. Why? There is always a purpose to things. Could it be the other two riders are on the beach? Did you notice that when Daenerys asked Jon for advice, his first response was “I would never presume to…” Why would the King of the North say that? Did he bend the knee?? Jon’s response is right and wise, don’t melt the castles or burn the cities. As we see later on, she understands Jon’s message. And who said you know nothing Jon Snow!!

WINTERFELL

Back at Winterfell, Brienne is still trying to teach Pod how to fight. In steps Arya who gives Brienne a real run for her money. So the two best sword fighters in Winterfell are now women! Take that you Northern men! Arya says that Brienne beat the Hound so she wants to train with her. As Sansa looks nervously down,  Littlefinger looks down with a look I could not figure out, but you could feel the wheels in his brain turning.  The two woman go at it to a draw. Brienne is very impressed so she asked who taught her to do that, and Arya replies “no one.” That of course, is a reference to her teachings at the House of Black and White and Syrio Forel, who also was from Braavos and whom some believe was also Jaqen H’ghar.

As the duel ended, we see both Sansa and Littlefinger looking down at them. Not sure what was on Sansa’s mind. Some think she was jealous of Arya’s skills, but I don’t think so. Sansa was meant to lead, and Arya to kill. Could it be that Sansa is upset because her path turned Arya into a warrior killer? And Littlefinger gives Arya a nod of approval. Do you remember the last time Arya saw Littlefinger? It was back in Season 3 at Harrenhal when Arya was serving as Tywin Lannister’s cup girl and spilled some wine. Littlefinger glanced at her with a curious look and we were never sure if he recognized her. I thought he did and he sort of confirmed it when he hinted to Sansa in a later episode that he knew she was still alive. So what was the look? I think it was: Hey girl, I recognized you at Harrenhal and didn’t rat you out to Tywin Lannister, so I can be trusted. Did I say TRUST? Should be interesting moving forward.

DRAGONSTONE

We are back at Dragonstone where when Jon says Daenerys has a big heart, Davos pokes him a little bit by saying he noticed the way he looked at her big heart-implying a little bit of crush? They encounter Missandei, who after some questioning, explains how and why she became Her Grace’s trusted advisor. In the end, wasn’t her explanation almost like the one Davos gave to Danny on how Jon became King of the North? She isn’t their queen because of Stormborn’s heritage to a king they didn’t know. She is their queen because they believe in her, Daenerys is the queen they chose. Again, just like Jon. The Onion Knight gets such great lines, as he now seems convinced Missandei can be, dare I say, TRUSTED as he says to Jon “Will you forgive me if I switch sides?”

That sweet talk is interrupted when a Greyjoy ship appears in the harbor. Can anybody just sail in? If so, as Arya said to Sansa, maybe they need better guards. Theon actually looks strong willed when he pulls his boat ashore, but then he encounters Jon Snow and looks a bit shaken. Even Davos looks confused at the way Jon grabs Theon. Maybe he doesn’t know what Theon did at Winterfell or that Jon still thinks that Theon killed Bran and Rickon. Theon wants the Queen to help her get Yara back from Euron, but Jon says the Queen is gone. HUH? Did we miss something? And when Theon asks where did she go, the scene changes and we know. One more thing I forgot to touch on last week. When Euron was dragging Yara in the streets, she didn’t say anything. Do any of you think he cut out her tongue?

Now we come to the last scene of the episode and, in my opinion, one of the best. We see Jamie and Bronn looking over the spoils of their victory. We learn from Lord Randyll Tarly that the gold is safely  in King’s Landing, which is good news. However, Jamie does not like Randyll’s suggestion they should flog their own men if they are lagging behind. Once more, showing he now has a heart. Did you see the look on the mean old bastard’s face? It was like the one Roose Bolton gave Rob Stark when Rob refused to torture and kill his prisoners. Easy to see why Sam hated his father. Bronn and Jamie encounter Randyll’s younger son Dickon, who Jamie again calls Rickon, as in Rickon Stark. What is up with that? Anyway, Jamie praises him for the way he fought at Highgarden but he senses regret. Rickon explains it was his first battle, that his family had been banner men for the Tyrells for ever and that he knew some of the men he killed, had even hunted with them. Jamie was compassionate and showed true leadership. Those men did not deserve to die, but Olenna left them no choice Olenna when she decided to side against the Queen. Remember those words.

It is then that Bronn hears something. Jaime says “what” and Bran says “listen.” It is the sound of horses and Jamie has the look of “oh shit” as he knows it is the Dothraki coming so he commands “spears and shield.” He is a true general. They form a line just as the Boltons did in the Battle of the Bastards. Randyll is barking commands while Jamie looks on in horror at what is coming at them. The Lannister and Tarly armies are vastly outnumbered as a horde of what, I am sure Jamie thinks, is a gang of savages coming at them. Bronn intelligently says Jamie needs to go back to Kings’s Landing, but Jamie won’t leave his men. Good for him. He tells Bronn they can hold them off, when IT happens. They hear and then see Drogon. As the dragon approaches, we can barely see the Mother of Dragons riding him. He is so HUGE!! Daenerys tells Drogon “dracarys” which is High Valyrian for dragon fire. Drogon goes low and a huge flume of dragon fire erupts from his throat and part of the Lannister front line is incinerated. Fire everywhere.  Eventually the Dothraki burst through the Lannister lines in almost the same way the Knight’s of the Vale did to the Bolton line. Did you see the similarity in the ways the scenes were shot?

It was a savage “battle’ but the Lannisters had no chance. Out numbered and out dragoned. Drogon’s second pass was worse then the first as he burned so many to death. Regular arrows bounce off Puff the Mighty Dragon and Drogon reigns down another burst of fire. It is then that we learn that magically, Jamie and Bronn have brought along the Dragon Slayer crossbow, which Jamie calls “Qyburn’s Scorpion.”  Jamie fights heroically and is even saved by Dickon who spears a Dothraki in the back. We also saw scenes like that in the Battle of the Bastards.  Bronn shows his prowess as a fighter and he even kills the Dothraki who was following him with an arrow from Scorpion. A bit of Kim Jong Un’s overkill mentality. But why waste an arrow? Also as the battle ensues, how come none of the Dothraki noticed   Bronn opening up the wagon that held the Scorpion? Didn’t make sense.

It is at this point that we see Tyrion looking down at the carnage. This reminded me of Sansa witnessing a different kind of brutality at the Battle of the Bastards, but the view from the high ground was so strikingly similar. Tyrion is obviously shaken by the savagery as it is men loyal to the Lannisters who are being burned to death or beheaded as it does not appear that the Dothraki are interested in taking any prisoners alive. Perhaps as Jamie had so poetically said,  they didn’t deserve to die, but war is war. Jamie also looks on in horror as  I think we see Lord Tarly go up in flames. Didn’t feel bad for him. Bronn takes a shot at Drogon but misses. As it whizzed by Danny, didn’t you think the Mother of Dragons was going to protect her child and climb higher in the sky? Even the Imp looked concerned. At least at that point, I think he was concerned about Drogon. But Danny shows her hubris and brings her dragon in low and Bronn’s second shot hits him in the shoulder. Not a kill shot, but it brings him down. And Bronn, being the luckiest man alive, somehow does not become a crispy critter.

Daenerys is heart broken as she sees her child suffering and tries to pull out the arrow. Near by, Jamie sees this and Tyrion says to himself “Flee you idiot.” Again, almost the way Sansa said “don’t” when Jon attacked Ramsey after Ramsey killed the real Rickon. As he hurdles toward Danny, he maybe thinking he can add the title “Queenslayer” to his resume. But the Mother of Dragons turns to see her would be killer coming at her when her son, Drogon, lets out a blast of fire. Somebody, and we presume it was Bronn, tackles Jamie as they both go into the water to presumably, live another day.

Ser Lane Abraham made an excellent observation. Earlier this year, The Queen of Thorns advised Daenerys to be a dragon. And Jon advised her not to melt castles or burn cities. So didn’t she follow both paths? She spared innocent citizens and only went after soldiers. She played the part of a dragon as she should. After all, war is hell.

So who won the Spoils of War? Cersei got her gold, but lost her army and maybe her lover and brother. Daenerys destroyed the troops of her Southern enemy, but in so doing, horrified Tyrion and Varys. But now Danny can use her dragons to focus on the White Walkers, so maybe the Spoils of War went to Jon.

Some on think that the arrow that struck Dragon was poisoned and will slowly kill Drogon. I don’t buy it. Besides how much poison would it take?

Do you think The Mother of Dragons went too far when she torched the enemy troops? I say no. They are enemy combatants and war is war. She didn’t toast the innocent people or their castles. Plus isn’t the way to the North much less dangerous?

Will the Iron Bank still finance Cersei’s bid to buy the services of the Golden Company? The odds have changed so it may not be a good investment.

I presume we all believe that Jamie and Bronn survived. So what is their fate? I cannot imagine Tyrion supporting any harm coming to either one of them. And how will seeing Daenerys going nuclear effect him?

Finally, what of Winterfell and the Starks? Will Arya kill Littlefinger? Admit it, we all hope so. And will Jon be heading North to Winterfell to learn his true heritage? From the previews, it seems so.

And when will we see the Night’s King and his army marching toward the Wall?

Anyone want to share their thougts?

Sorry for another long one. Until next week,

Eric, the Lord

[lordofpinecrest-blog]

SEASON 7 EPISODE 3 THE QUEEN’S JUSTICE

Another great episode! The dialogs between Daenerys Stormborn Targaryen and Jon Snow were some of the best ever, especially as those discussions progressed. And we certainly saw what the title “The Queen’s Justice” was all about. So much talking without action so you know what that means–this will be long! So let’s get to it.

DRAGONSTONE

We begin with the arrival of Jon Snow and Ser Davos arriving at Dragonstone. They arrive in a dinky boat, so maybe that is the way to avoid Euron and his fleet. They are met by Tyrion, Missandei and a few Dothraki soldiers. You knew from the way they greeted each other that the Imp and Bastard still shared a weird bond. Tyrion “The bastard of Winterfell” John “The dwarf of Casterly Rock.” They smile and shake hands as they remind each other of the last time they saw each other atop the Wall. Real male bonding! Davos is introduced and then the Imp introduces Missandei as the Queen’s “most trusted advisor” Remember how I always talk about the word “Trust.” Back to that later. Jon agrees to hand over his weapons in a show of good faith, but it was smart. After all, what could he and few men do with them? But he did part with Longclaw which is made of Valyrian steel. He better get it back as he will certainly need it. Did you notice Tyrion’s slight nod? Happened a lot in this episode.

Davos asks Missandei where she was born because he cannot place the accent. She does say the island of Naath and the Onion Knight says it is the Isle of Butterflies, which is true. So it wasn’t a trick question, but he seemed to look at Missandei with some suspicion. And haven’t we all come to trust in Davos’ judgment of people?  

So it is off to meet the Queen, the Wonderful Queen of Oz. But didn’t you love the lines as Tyrion and Jon are walking up the long path as they discuss Sansa. Tyrion “She’s much smarter than she lets on.” John “She’s starting to let on.” Yes she is!! And when they are discussing how Stark men do not fare well when traveling South, Jon says he is not a Stark and that is when a dragon flies close over him ala Tom Cruise in Top Gun. No coincidence in the timing as Jon is part Targaryen. And the look on his face was priceless. In fact, The facial expressions throughout the show add to what makes it so great.

We cut to Melisandre looking down at them as Varys joins her by his side. He wondered why she wasn’t down there meeting Snow, especially after she was the one who encouraged Her Grace to summon Jon. But she said she has done her part by bringing “Ice and Fire” together, which  I think this is the first time that phrase is mentioned. Varys’ lines are masterful, how once a commoner tastes power, he won’t give it up-- like a lion who has tasted man and nothing is so sweet again. WOW! And who are the lions? The Lannisters! In an episode  show of some  confessions, Melisandre admits to her horrible mistakes and says she is off to Volantis, which is a city in Essos where we believe she was born. But Varys goes farther and tells her not to return as she would not be safe. Not sure why or where he was coming from, but he knows something. So when the Red Priestess replies “Oh I will return dear Spider” as she and Varys must both die in this strange country. First, she addresses him as the Spider and her prediction that Varys will die there must have some meaning. Maybe she knows something about Varys and Varys does look spooked as it appears he looks out at a  ship taking her away. But I couldn’t see the sigil on that ship. Did anybody recognize it?

And then we have one of the moments we all have been waiting for: the meeting between Daenerys and Jon Snow, both introduced with their titles of Queen and King, although Danny’s is so long! Davos is so loyal as he chides the Queen when she refers to Jon as only a “lord.” A history lesson ensues about Torrhen Stark being the last true King of the North who bent his knee to Aegon the Conqueror and swore his loyalty to house Targaryen in perpetuity Of course Jon pointed out that the Mad King had murdered a bunch of Starks so the deal was off.

So who was Torrhen and why is he mentioned? I didn’t know who he was, so I did some research and it may prove valuable. Aegon had already conquered much of the South with his dragons and his sisters, Rhaenys and Visenya, both of whom he married. So Jamie and Cersei have some precedent if they were to marry. All the Southern lords had bent their knees after the destruction of Harrenhal and the Field of Fire. Torrhen marched South (and we know how that usually turns out for the Starks) with about 30,000 men and was in the Riverlands. When he reached the Trident, he was faced with a Aegon having 45,000 men and 3 dragons. Being smarter than Ned and Rob, he chose not to have his men devastated in battle and wisely chose to bend the knee. As a result, he became known as “The King Who Knelt” but he was appointed Warden of the South and Lord of Winterfell. Don’t’ we agree that it was a good deal at the time? And one more interesting fact: Because Torrhen reached the deal, no Stark swords were charred by Aegon’s dragon and as such, there are no Stark swords in the Iron Throne. I like the side story because Jon knows what it is like to face overwhelming odds, but also knows he can win. Also, Rorrhen’s bending of the knee took place at the Trident, where Robert Baratheon defeated Rhaegar Targaryen. Coincidence??

Daenerys gives an impassioned speech and then asks Jon for forgiveness for her father’s crimes.  Jon agrees that she is not responsible for those crimes, but will not bend the knee. And as they go back and forth, both looking at Tyrion as they do, Jon correctly states that Stormborn has not stormed King’s Landing because she doesn’t want to see thousands of innocent people die. What great insight. As Sansa said last episode, he is good at this. And when Jon says she is better than Cersei, we see the first smile on her face. But just as it appears things may be  warming up, Danny thinks Jon has insulted her by refusing to call her queen, not bending the knee and calling her a child. Thank goodness the Imp can also be an interpreter as he clarifies the statement a bit. But Her Grace still calls him the enemy as she does not believe his story of the Army of the Dead and the Night King.

While I will not repeat it line for line, you have to agree that Daenerys’ speech back to Jon as she descended down from her throne towards him was one of the best we have heard and seen. She goes through her history. But it is worth noting that she wonders if Jon’s presumptive father knew that King Robert had sent assassins to kill her when she was a baby girl in her crib. Ned didn’t and know it was Ned, who later on, told Robert to stop his plan to have her assassinated. But in her powerful voice, she goes on to say  “I was born to rule the Seven Kingdoms and I will” Why? Not because she believed in gods or myths, but faith in herself. WOW!! And buried in the speech is Daenerys’ line that she had been betrayed before. Hold that thought.

And once again, it is the Onion Knight, the commoner,  who has the great comeback. He goes trough all that Jon has accomplished and how he became King of the North. Not because of any birthright, hell he is a bastard, but because the people of the North believe in him. I have to give Davos an A++!! Danny is soaking it in, not yet persuaded, but listening as true leader should; reserving judgment. Of course, he almost slipped that Jon had given his life for his people. Not sure why Jon stopped him on that. Maybe because it would add to the craziness of how it all sounds?

Tyrion tries to make peace, after all what is the harm in bending the knee, takes no time. But Jon is not Torrhen and reacts defiantly. Why would he do that? After all, he doesn’t know her and her claim to the throne rests on her deposed father’s claim his is founded on the trust of his people.  Jon does call her “Your Grace” which is respectful. Danny says that is fair but that he is in open rebellion. She is about to say more when she is interrupted by the Spider bringing in a message which we know is the defeat of the Sand Snakes and Euron’s destruction of that part of her fleet. Had she not been interrupted, would she have broken the Rules of Hospitality and killed Jon? She may leaned toward it, but I think the Imp would have stopped her. But the scene does end on another great line. Jon “Am I your prisoner?” Danny “Not yet.” Chills.

Varys gives Stormborn the bad news, the Iron Born and Dornish allies were ambushed by Euron. All dead or captured. And when Daenerys asks “all of them?” we cut to Theon being pulled out of the water as the other Greyjoys look down at him in disgrace for not dying in battle. Will Theon come back to help? I say yes and in fact, I think he will end up saving his sister.

KING’S LANDING

We go from Theon to a grandstanding and victorious Euron with Yara, Ellaria and Tyene in tow. As he parades toward the Red Keep, we see the King’s Landing citizens reacting as they have so many time before, throwing things in glee at the defeated. A true Roman mob if there ever was one. Euron saying “This is the life...Look at them, cheering for a Greyjoy.” And the mob calls his captives “whores.” Didn’t they shout that at Cersei? And then Euron rides his horse into the throne room. Who does he think he is, Tywin Lannister??   He presents his gifts to Cersei, and in doing so, he taunts Jamie as he says “I give you what no other man could give-justice.” Now, Euron believes he has earned the right to marry the Queen, andhe  thinks he is getting that reward, as Her Grace tells Euron he will get what his heart desires, but only after the war is won. Euron did not seem pleased with that and turned away with what looked like disgust as I am sure he saw no sense of gratitude on Cersei’s face. How long can Cersei keep toying with Euron? She has no intention of marrying him. And while both Jamie and Euron are right about the mob, that they will turn on anybody,  Euron keeps poking and taunting (see below as to what happens when you taunt) the lion, and we know that soon, Jamie will have had enough and fight back. Can’t wait for that.

Next we have the Queen’s Justice. With both Ellaria and Tyene in chains, Her Grace poisons Tyene with the same poison Ellaria used on Myrcella and sentenced Ellaria to watch as her daughter died from the poison and rotted away. And Cersei poetically sealed it with a kiss! Okay, we all know how cruel Cersei is. But didn’t Ellaria deserve to be punished for killing Myrcella who was a young innocent girl? She blames the Lannisters for the death of Oberyn at the hands of the Mountain,  but that was a fair fight and the Red Viper would have won if he hadn’t taunted his opponent. So in a way, it was justice, just a very warped justice. And yes I know that the Mountain killed Oberyn’s sister, but that is not what motivated Ellaria to kill Cersei’s daughter.

We go from the cruelness of Her Grace to he making love to Jamie. At first he resists her temptations, but then gives in. When they wake in the morning, he does look affectionately at Cersei, but not the way he used to. And when a hand maiden knocks on the door, when Jamie says don’t, Cersei says she is the Queen and will do as she pleases. But history in King’s Landing may not be on her side. And clearly Jamie’s love for her is not what it used to be. I smell trouble there.

Next we see Cersei with Tycho Nestoris, the representative from the Iron Bank. To be sure, the back and forth was good, with Cersei saying how the destruction of the Sept of Baelor was a tragic accident and Nestoris replying sometimes tragedies are necessary to restore order and rational leadership. Her Grace showed her negotiation skills and was right when she said the Iron Bank  investing on things that it thinks will pay off, is by any name, a bet. That was the best line here, as was Nesoris’ statement that Euron was loyal “for now.” But Cersei says give her a day to pay off the debt. Seemed absurd, but she pulled it off. In the books, as least when they ended, the Iron Bank did not lend the Lannisters more money. And for him to say or hint that Cersei brings “rational leadership” defies logic. This is a departure from the books that to me, just doesn’t make cents or sense!!

DRAGONSTONE

A brooding King of the North and a brooding Imp. Ever the sense of humor, Tyrion says Jon is even better at brooding. As they talk, Jon’s frustration is apparent and he gets emotional as he can’t understand why nobody is reacting to the threat of the White Walkers and Night King and says to Tyrion that he probably doesn’t believe him. But Tyrion surprises him when he says he does believe him as he says “I trust the eyes of an honest man more than what everyone knows.” Great insight and wisdom. That is why we have come to trust in Tyrion. He sees things where others do not. Jon is afraid he is a fool and made the same mistake his father made by going South. So again Tyrion chimes in with his wise words “Children are not their fathers, lucky for all of us.” He is of course referring to his father and The Mad King. But Jon is looking for an answer to his question of how to gets Daenerys to believe him and help the North. As only Tyrion can, he explains to the King of the North that while Danny may be a foreign invader, she protects people from monsters, just as Jon does. That is why she came here, but it is not a reasonable thing to ask for Stormborn to travel North to fight an enemy she hasn’t seen on the word of a man she doesn’t know after only one meeting. Very reasonable thinking. After Jon says that maybe he is just another Northern fool, the Imp wants to know if there is something he can do to help.

So Tyrian meets with Daenerys and they discuss dragon glass. First, did you notice that Danny referred to Jon as King of the North and not just Jon Snow? I found that to be very telling. Stormborn is not convinced about the existence of the White Walkers, but she is always willing to listen, which can “trump” those that don’t. Okay, had to get that in. And then Tyrion says he wishes Snow was wrong, as he goes back to his old ways when he says a wise man once said “that you should never believe a thing simply because you want to believe it.” And when Daenerys calls him out as to who that wise man was, the Imp says he doesn’t remember. Danny lets him slide even though she knows the Imp is telling a white lie when he says he would never do that to her. But if he is willing to tell a white lie, he is capable of much more?

History lesson: When did Tyrion first use this ruse? Last year,  with Grey Worm and Missandei, he says “A wise man once said that true history of the world is the history of great conversations in elegant rooms.”  While the room was not elegant, the words spoken next may very well lead to history and the alliance that will save them all. Tyrion knows Danny needs allies so why not allow Jon to mine dragon glass which is worthless to them? It will help gain an ally and trust. But Daenerys picked up on Ser Davos’ statement about Snow taking a knife to the heart for his people. The Imp dismissed it, but from the look in Daenerys’s eyes, she has not. Score one for Danny over the Imp.

Next, Jon walks down and meets Daenerys outside as she watches her dragons flying overhead. No truer words than when Jon says they are amazing to see. We can already see that Danny has softened her attitude as she explains to Jon that she named two of the dragons after her dead brothers and that she knows Jon lost two brothers as well. And we see how Daenerys has taken the Imp’s counsel when she says people thought that “dragons were gone forever but here they are and perhaps we should all be examining what we thing we know.” Jon realizes Danny has been talking to Tyrion and may start to believe him. But the best and most honest line was after they talked about the Imp loving to talk;  Daenerys says people enjoy what they are good at, and Jon replied “I don’t.” And then two strong willed leaders, talk it out. Yes, Stormborn will not let Cersei remain on the Iron Throne and Jon expected nothing less. But she will let Jon mine and armor the dragon stone. And when Jon says you believe me know, Daenerys gave almost the perfect reply “You better to get work Jon Snow.” What would have been the perfect reply?? Of course what Ygritte always said to him “You know nothing Jon Snow.” And as Jon thanks her and walks away, Daenerys looks up at him-with what look? You decide, but it counted.

WINTERFELL

We start with an overview of Winterfell as they are obviously bringing in food and grain to store for the Winter. Sansa gets an assessment that they only have enough food to last a year so they have to gather more as Winterfell is the best place to defend no matter where the theat comes from. And her plan to store grain is forward thinking, if the attack comes from the South. Certainly, if the Lannisters were to attack and try to lay siege, Winterfell would withstand the siege just as the Russians did against Napoleon and Hitler. But while Winterfell could hold off and win against the South, it couldn’t against the Army of the Dead. So she is half right. So in chimes Lord Baelish who is so creepy just lurking in the background. Littlefinger claims he knows Cersei better than she does, but Sansa says he doesn’t. But listen carefully to his advice. Don’t fight in the North or the South. Fight every battle everywhere always in your mind. Everyone is your enemy, everyone is your friend. Every possible series of events is happening all at once.” And if you think that way, everything that happens you will have seen before. A WOW speech from Littlefinger and one we have missed for a long time. But what does he mean? Is he referring to himself who said he was a friend of Ned Stark only to become his enemy? Or even to Sansa?

As Sansa is absorbing this, a messenger tells her to come to the gate. And in comes Bran. Had to put a tear in everyone’s eye when Sansa sees her little brother for the first time in years. Which was sadder? Sansa’s tears as she hugged Bran or Bran not hugging her back with no emotion in his eyes. I get it that Bran is a Three Eyed Raven, and is out to save the world, but that doesn’t mean he lost all his emotions. To me, this didn’t cut it. Next Sansa is talking to Bran out by the Weirood tree. It was like a scene from Netflix’s Stranger Things. Sansa says she wishes Jon was there and in a monotone voice, Bran says he needs to speak to him. And when Sansa says that Bran is Lord of Winterfell, he says he can’t be and that he can’t be anything as he is the Three Eyed Raven. Well isn’t that something? You know, out to save the world? Sansa of course doesn’t understand, after all, who would. So Sansa asks Bran to try to explain for her, and he does try so maybe there is some feelings left inside him. He says “I can see everything. Everything that has ever happened to everyone. Everything that is happening right now. But it is all fragments, he needs to piece it together to see better. That when the Long Night comes again he needs to be ready and rather than look at Sansa, he turns to look at the face carved into the Weirood tree. To prove what he was saying, he tells Sansa that he is sorry for what happened to her, what happened in her home but that she looked beautiful in the snow on her wedding night. That shakes Sansa to the core. But as she walks away what is the look on her face? Not sure, but isn’t what Bran told her what Littlefinger said to her? Every possible series of events is happening all at once,  And if you think that way, everything that happens you will have seen before.  Creepy!! And with Bran saying he cannot be Lord of Winterfell, that further cements Sansa’s standing.

THE CITADEL

Sam has cured Jorah. I think Jorah will reunite with Daenerys and help her as her armies need a good commander. Plus he knows the ins and outs of Westeros’ geography and he is a Notherner, a Mormont. And when he tells Sam that perhaps our paths will cross again, count on it. Sam, while praised is then “punished” by having to re-write old scrolls. We all know that Sam will find something important in those scrolls and  that Sam will discover a way to fight the White Walkers.

DRAGONSTONE

Daenerys wants to take her dragons and go hunt and burn Euron’s fleet. She is talked out of it by her war council. Were they right and who was there?

CASTERLY ROCK

Casterly Rock was an impressive sight to see. And as some predicted, Tyrion, being the low man in his father’s eyes, built the sewers and knew a secret way in. So the Unsullied sacked the city, but as Grey Worm observed, there were far too few Lannister troops there. And when he asked where they are, we see Euron’s flagship  and that Euron’s navy has set the remainder of Danny’s Greyjoy fleet on fire and sunk it. How did Euron know they would be there? And are the Unsullied marooned at Casterly Rock?

HIGHGARDEN

We know that the bulk of the Lannister army was  with Jamie marching on Highgarden along with the Tully army. And who is beside him? None other than Bronn. Olenna looks down on the advancing troop and knows she cannot win. We don’t see the battle, but we know that the Tyrells were crushed. I know that Jamie had the numbers, but from history, one would have thought that the Tyrells, with the castle and its walls, would have put up a better fight.  And with the victory, we see the Lannister troops loading up the gold to pay back the Iron Bank. Just as as Cersei promised, a Lannister always pay her debts. Olenna is waiting in her chambers when Jamie arrives and is ready for her death sentence. Jamie bows his head in respect and tells her he learned lessons from failure and took his army where the Unsullied were not, just as Rob Stark had done at Whispering Wood. A fascinating conversation then takes place. The Queen of Thorns admits that she did unspeakable things to protect her family and ordered others to do so. Never lost sleep over them because they were necessary to protect House Tyrell. But then she goes on to say how her failure was she couldn’t imagine how far Cersei would go. That the lack of imagination was her ultimate downfall and that she would not have regretted doing what Cersei did. She tells Jamie that he knows Cersei is a monster, but isn’t Olenna a monster too? Yes, she is. And Jamie is right, if the Lannisters wins, and there is peace, nobody will remember how she did it. To the victors go the spoils and the winners and their atrocities are buried in history. The Queen of Thorns warns the King Slayer that his sister will be the end of him and he replies “possibly.” Of course, that is the opposite of the witch Maggy’s prophesy that Cersei will die at the hands of her younger brother. And although twins, Cersei was born first making Jamie a younger brother. Olenna asks how it will happen, i.e., how she will die and Jamie tells her the horrible deaths Cersei wanted to inflict upon her but Jamie talked her out of it. So he does it mercifully, with a quick, non painful poison. But before she goes, the Queen of Thrones makes sure she exits on top. She tells Jaime that is was her that killed Joffrey, although she wasn’t familiar with the poison and didn’t know how painful and awful Joffrey death would be. On my part, I don’t believe her as I think she knew exactly how it would kill the Boy King. “Tell Cersei, I want her to know it was me.” The look on Jamie’s face. A little shaken but no overt reaction. But what does this mean? Jamie now knows that Tyrion is innocent of this son’s death. How will that news effect Her Grace? I say it won’t, but it will The King Slayer. And one last thing. Prior to this, I think we all thought how smart and clever Olenna was. We admired her during her conversations with Tywin. But in this scene, she says to Jamie that she was surprised that Tywin never came to take their gold when the Lannister mines went dry. To me, that shows The Queen of Thorns never understood the Game of Thrones. Tywin never instigated wars and he would never have attacked a House loyal to the Throne. Plus, the Tyrell’s banner men would not have abandoned House Tyrell under those circumstances and thus Tywin would have lost. Agreed?

RECAP

So much happened. Let’s look at the big picture. When we started on this adventure, there were many great houses in Westeros. But how many are left? The  Tyrells have joined the Freys, Baratheons, Boltons and House Martell. Unless Cersei or Jamie have another child, the Lannister line is coming to end. And Daenerys says she is the last Targaryen. So who is left? The underdog Starks!!  And yes the Tarlys and Tulleys are still around, but they do not compare to the Starks.

How did Euron know again where Danny’s fleet would be? Is Jamie so smart that he knows his brother so well, or is there a spy in Stormborn’s ranks? If so, who could it be? There are only three possibilities. Tyrion who is Lannister and loves his brother. But he hates Cersei too much and he can be beheaded for his failures so I say no. Varys? We never know with him and his realm is not the Seven Kingdoms. Or what about  Missandei, who Tyrion describes  as the Queen’s “most trusted advisor? What do we really know about her? Not much. Just saying.

Will Jamie tell Cersei that Tyrion did not kill Joffrey or keep it to himself for now? I don’t think he will tell her right away. And will Cersei become overconfident with her victories? How long can she put off Euron? And how long before Jamie and Euron come to blows? Will that split Jamie and Cersei? Was it a mistake not to kill Ellaria as others have escaped from chains? And where is Yara? And in the end, while we like Olenna, she was her own monster as well.

At Winterfell, Sansa is growing in power and confidence. Littlefinger is still lurking there, and Bran has to figure things out. What will happen when Arya arrives? That should prove interesting.

That leaves us with Jon and Daenerys. So fascinating as the two of them know they need each other, but don’t trust each other, at least not yet. Will Danny find out how Jon rose from the dead? Will Jon tame a dragon?  And when will each of them learn of Jon’s true heritage as that will form a true bond between them. (I predict not until next year-what do you think?) Jon has to convince Stormborn to believe not just that White Walkers exist, but in HIM. And we did have the scene where  the dragons, Jon and Daenerys were all in one scene. Again, no coincidence. And of all the leaders, aren’t  they the only ones who know the value of forgiveness?

In the previews, it appeared as though Daenerys was riding her dragon, Drogon. If so, can’t wait to see how that goes! And there was also a dagger which looked like the one that was used to try to kill Bran. I believe Littlefinger has it so the plot may thicken there.

Another long one, but it deserved it. Until next week,

Eric, the Lord of Pinecrest

[lordofpinecrest-blog]

SEASON 7 EPISODE 2 STORMBORN

Not sure how most of you felt about the episode, but I thought is was great as it went to the depth of the characters and intrigue. While until the end, there was not much action, there sure was a lot going on. What was great again was how they went from one scene to the next, seamlessly with the connections and undercurrents. To me, except for the ending, the thrust of the episode was all about relationships, whether old ones, new ones, and how they would forge moving forward. Who can be trusted? Remember that word “TRUST?”  We also had heterosexual sex, lesbian sex and lost of eunuchs. So let us begin. Still trying to figure out how to write this one, but I am going to start by location and how each character played a roll. I tried to keep it shorter this week, but once again, watching the episode three time made it impossible. Sorry!!

DRAGONSTONE

We start with a violent thunderstorm at Dragonstone. Tyrion tells Daenerys that it was a night like this that she came into the world, and Varys says he remembers that night, thus the name “Daenerys Stormborn.” What follows is a great dialog between Varys and the Mother of Dragons. I don’t know about you, but I have missed the Spider’s soliloquies. The Queen says if Viserys III, her sadistic brother, had arrived with the three dragons and an army at his back, he would have already invaded King’s Landing. But Tyrion says that Danny doesn’t want to be Queen of the Ashes, and she agrees. The tension in the air rivals the bolts of lighting flashing in the background as Daenerys reminds Varys of those he previously supported and turned on. But how great is the Spider when gets on a role? Not backing down, he tells the Queen  that there were few rulers in history as cruel as the Mad King, and that while Robert was an improvement, he was basically incompetent so he turned on him as well. But as Daenerys keeps pushing, Varys has to admit that he sent the assassins who plotted to kill her. Tyrion tries to come to his rescue, but as Danny points out, how can he be trusted when he turned on all his previous rulers. And then Varys shows us why he is vital-he is the type of servant the realm needs. “Incompetence should not be rewarded with blind loyalty.” A lesson we are learning today!! And when he describes his childhood, the camera pans to Grey Worm and Missandei, both of whom had similar up bringings. Varys goes on to say he will support Daenerys because he believes in her and they make a pact–if Varys believes that the Mother of Dragons is failing the people, he will not conspire against her, but tell her to her face. Done deal!! I also loved Tyrion’s facial expressions during the scene. And don’t forget, in Season 1, when Varys visited Ned Stark while Ned was imprisoned, when Ned asked the Spider who he served, his reply was “The realm my Lord. Someone must.” Consistent if nothing else.

Next, a “surprise” visitor, none other than Melisandre who comes in speaking High Valyrian. For the first time I remember,  Varys puts his foot in his mouth when he says the Red Priestess backed a wrong king, Stannis. But forgiveness is in the air as Danny doesn’t hold that against Melisandre. When asked what the Lord of Light wants from her, Melisandre says she can help as she believes in the Prince who can help win the new War for the Dawn. The original Battle of the Dawn  took place about 8,000 years ago, led to the defeat of the White Walkers and the building of the Wall. Stormborn seems to know her history and what this means, but says she cannot be the one as she is not a prince. But good thing there was a linguist there, as Missandei says the actual interpretation is gender neutral. So modern!! But then we get to the great stuff. Yes, the Red Priestess believes Daenerys has a role to play in bring the Dawn, but so does the King of the North, Jon Snow. And so it begins, the path toward a meeting we have all been waiting for. And how good was it when Tyrion piped in, vouching for Jon and saying what a good judge of character he is-obviously referring to his judgment of Danny. Missandei says Daenerys should summon the King of the North, but did you pay close attention to how Stormborn did it? She told Tyrion to send a raven North to tell Jon that “his Queen invites him to Dragonstone...” and with cold eyes, to bend his knee. Tyrion didn’t like that part. Forgetting about the “bend the knee” crap, the KEY was the word “invite” and not “order.”  More on “invite” later.

WINTERFELL

We go from the mentioning of Jon Snow right to Winterfell. Children being taught the art of war. The raven has arrived from Daenerys with the “invitation” for  Jon to come to Dragonstone. Sansa thinks it may be a trap and not  written by the Imp. She has learned so much and to be cautious. But Jon knows it is from the Imp because it contains the line about Snow being a bastard. That line comes from Season 1 when they first met. King Robert and the Lannisters had traveled to Winterfell where Robert requested that Ned become Hand of the King. There was the grand feast, but Jon, being a bastard, was not invited. Outside, Tyrion met Jon and the following ensued as Tyrion said “Let me give you some counsel, bastard.  Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armor yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.” To which Jon replied “What do you know about being a bastard?” to which Tyrion replies “All dwarfs are bastards in their father's eyes.” At that time, we had not yet come to love the Imp as a character, but this may have started that. And while off episode, the next lines also helped fuel the theory that Tywin may not be the Imp’s father. Jon asks Tyrion “You are your mother's true born son of Lannister” to which the Imp replies “Am I? Do tell my lord father. My mother died birthing me, and he's never been sure.” So he could be like Jon, half Targaryen.   with her “invitation” to Jon. We see that it is written by Tyrian but Sansa thinks it could be a trap. But Jon knows otherwise as Tyrion ends the note with a quote he said to Jon in Season 1 “All dwarf’s are bastards in their father’s eyes.” That came after they first met and it went like this: “Let me give you some counsel, bastard.  Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armor yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.” To which Jon replied “What do you know about being a bastard?” and then the line “All dwarfs are bastards in their father's eyes.” And while off episode, the next lines also fuel the theory that Tywin may not be the Imp’s father. Jon asks Tyrion “You are your mother's trueborn son of Lannister” to which the Imp replies “Am I? Do tell my lord father. My mother died birthing me, and he's never been sure.” From that line, the theory of the Imp, like Jon, being half Targaryen. And as mentioned, Tyrion also went to the Wall where he had further discussions with Jon.

I guess my digressions are  why my posts are so long, so back to the episode. Jon does ask Sansa her opinion, which I believe is significant, but while Sansa doesn’t fear Tyrion, she is afraid it is too risky. Can’t blame her. Ser Davos is intrigued because he remembers that Jon said fire kills White Walkers so the dragons would be helpful. Did you notice what Tyrion left out of the message? Bend the Knee. He knew The King of the North could never agree to that.

KING’S LANDING

Cut to King’s Landing with Cersei on the Iron Throne. In an anti foreigner  Trump like speech, she goes off the rails on both Daenerys and Olenna Tyrell. But she has too if she is going to win so it is a good strategy. As she has often said, live or die. To do so, she must convince Randyll Tarly, who is Sam’s father, to join her. The Tarlys have been banner men of the Tyrells, but Her Grace has made it clear that the Queen of Thrones is now an evil traitor who sides with the foreigners. But it is Jamie, not Cersei, who does the convincing. He first praises him as the only one to defeat Robert Barathean in battle, which is true, and promises Randyll to make him is ranking general if he swears his oath to the Queen. But Randyll is not so easily convinced to turn against House Tyrell, as he says “I'm a Tarly. That name means something. We're not oathbreakers, we're not schemers. We don't stab our rivals in the back, or cut their throats at weddings. I swore an oath to House Tyrell." He is clearly not pleased with a King Slayer or the Red Wedding. But Jamie can be a charmer. Olenna is broken and she brought those foreign savages, the Dothraki, and the debased eunuchs to their shores. And he promises him he can be Warden of the South. Nothing like a good bribe to convince somebody to join your cabinet. Jamie winning the day over Cersei have implications for the future? How cannot it not?

OLD TOWN

The Great Maester and Sam are with Jorah Mormont. The greyscale has spread so much that the GM doesn’t think it can be cured. It is in this scene that Sam discovers that Jorah is the son of his former Lord Commander and you can tell from the look on his face that this moved him.

KING’S LANDING

Back at King’s Landing, we have Qyburn and Cersei in the cellars of the Red Keep where the old dragon skulls from the Targaryen reign are kept. They walk to the great and mighty skull of Balerion, also known as the Black Dread, who was the dragon Aegon rode when he conquered  the Seven Kingdoms. He was the largest and most feared dragon of all time. Qyburn says while powerful, dragons are not invincible and to prove it, he has designed a powerful cross bow like weapon to shoot the dragons and he has Cersei pull the trigger as the arrow punches a hole in a rotting skull. A couple of things. First, Qyburn seems to imply the Balerion died from an attack, but the Black Dread was over 200 years old and died of old age. And while Drogon was wounded by spears and arrows, he was younger and much smaller at that time, his scales were not as thick and he couldn’t fly as high as he can now. Third, when Cersei pulled the trigger on the cross bow and then put on her sadistic smile, it reminded me of when Joffrey did the same killing the prostitute Ros, who was delivered to Joffrey by Littlefinger. Remember that?

DRAGONSTONE

War council, dominated by women. Yara, the Sand Snakes, both the  daughters and their mother, Ellaria Sand are trying to convince Daenerys to invade King’s Landing with their navy, army and dragons. Yara is right, the city will fall within a day, but at what price? The Imp says tens of thousand will die. Ellaria basically calls Tyrian a wimp, but Tyrion holds his ground, saying they don’t poison little girls here, a reference to his sweet innocent niece, Myrcella. Remember, it was the Imp who made the deal to send Myrcella to Dorne for what he thought was her safety. Good thing Melisandre wasn’t in the room to discuss the death of young girls!! After Stormborn says she is not there to be Queen of the Ashes, Olenna chimes in with a speech about her grand daughter, Margaery,  is now ashes and that the people won’t obey Danny  unless they fear her. But led by the Imp, Danny has a plan. King’s Landing will be laid siege by the Dornish  and  Tyrell armies. The Dorne army will be ferried to King’s Landing by Yara’s Iron Island fleet. No Dothraki as the use of foreigners would help convince others to support Cersei. At the same time, the Unsullied will attack Casterly Rock,  the Lannister’s stronghold and seat of the true power in Westeros.  The “girls” reluctantly agree. But then Olenna has a private meeting with Daenerys, you know, Trump and Putin like; just kidding. Olenna is not thrilled with the plan or with the Imp and she says “He’s a clever man, your Hand. I’ve known a great many clever men. I’ve outlived them all. Do you know why? I ignored them. The Lords of Westeros are sheep. Are you a sheep? No. You’re a dragon. Be a dragon.” From what we know, it is never a good thing to predict outliving somebody in the Game of Thrones.

Was it a good, solid  plan or were the girls right? History teaches us that laying siege to a city in winter is never a good idea. And while the Tyrells are not used to winter, the Dornes are farther south and really not used to cold weather. Was Tyrion more concerned about innocent people dying or about his brother being in King’s Landing and thus dying there? After all, as Ellaria said, it is war and the Lannisters were at their weakest. Did the Imp blink?

We go on to the love scene between Grey Worm and Missandei. Touching. But is the point that woman are stronger than men because a woman can melt even the strongest man? Let’s hear from you girls!

THE CITADEL

This jump to this scene wasn’t as good. Back at the Citadel, Sam tries to cure Jorah. Is he being disloyal by disobeying orders from the Maesters or showing loyalty to the Night’s Watch and Sam’s  former Lord Commander? I say the latter. The scene was very gruesome as Sam carved away the diseased skin off Jorah’s body. If it works, I think we will see Jorah play a key role in protecting his Queen.

ARYA

We go immediately from the gruesome scene of Sam carving Jorah to Arya meeting Hot Pie and carving into one of his delicious creations. How great was it to see Hot Pie after all these years? Hot Pie asked what happened to her, and Arya eyes looked dead. She tells Hot Pie she is headed to King’s Landing when HP drops the bomb-John Snow is alive and King of the North! But curiously, no mention of Sansa.  He tells Arya that Jon won the “Battle of the Bastards” and that the Ramseys are dead. Who knew the battle already had a real name in the Seven Kingdoms! So now Arya changes her mind and decides to go North. Ned always taught her the value of family. Hot Pie’s departing words were, “I am a survivor.” I hope that his prophecy does not come to haunt him as he a lovable guy.  

I know this scene does not immediately follow, but I wanted to stick with Arya. Any complaints? If so, off with your head! While resting by her  campfire, her horse begins to get startled and Arya grows tense. And for the first time in a long time, we can see fear in her eyes. She draws out Needle and we see a pack of wolves circling running around in the woods. The wolves surround her, growling and bearing their teeth, but they don’t attack her or her horse. Then Arya senses something behind her. She turns and we see a HUGE, and I mean HUGE wolf. It is Nymeria!!! They both recogonize each other, but I think Nymeria knew it was Arya when she approached her  and when the wolves were circling.  Arya tells the Direwolf she is going home and asks her to come with her. But Nymeria turns away with her army of wolves. And a very sad Arya, says, and I know it was hard to hear, “It’s not you.” Being commanded back into civilization and under Arya’s command is not just what Nymeria can do or is.

A couple of things. In the books, Arya dreamed of Nymeria and warged with her and that is why I think Nymeria knew it was Arya. I never understood why the show downplayed the warging and the magic connected with it as it was so important in the books. Also in the books, the direwolves communicated with each other. And for the first time, we see how a direwolf should size wise look. HUGE. Ser Lane Abraham speculates that  Shaggy Dog may still be alive because the head Ramsey had as proof that he had Rickon was too small. In fact, it should have been much bigger. Will Nymeria play a role in the future? The directors are fearful, that unlike the dragons, a direwolf does not look real enough and they are expensive. But I have to say, Nymeria looked pretty real. What role could she play? When Arya asked her to come with her, Nymeria turned away. She is in many ways, a powerful queen of a large army. And what has that army been doing? Ravaging Stark enemies. So could Nymeria do that if the Lannister’s marshal forces to march North? Or protect Arya as she heads North to Winterfell?

As for Arya, as Ser Brad Roller Pointed out, her departing line to Nymeria “That’s no me” was the same thing she told her father in Season One when Ned said she could be a princess. So Arya is off to Winterfell and I think she will help Sansa fend off Littlefinger. As with Jon, Sansa did not have a good relationship with Arya, but that will change. Many have asked whether Arya knows whether  Littlefinger betrayed her father. She may suspect it, but does not know for sure. But she may encounter somebody that does and who may tell her: The Hound.

WINTERFELL

As Arya decides to go North, we naturally go back to Winterfell. Another raven has arrived, this from Sam telling Jon of the mountain of dragon glass that sits under Dragonstone. Jon tells his banner men of that message and the one from Daenerys. He tells them he plans on accepting Tyrion’s invitation to go Dragonstone to meet Daenerys.  Sansa is STUNNED! All the banner man are against Jon leaving, including Lyanna Mormont. With an impassioned speech, where he reminds everyone that, unlike him, they have never seen the Army of the Dead and that they cannot defeat them alone; they need allies. To protect his beloved North, he is willing to take the risk of going to Dragonstone. And in a show of true leadership, he appoints Sansa as “Queen of the North.” What made this scene even greater was the camera panning to other faces. Sansa, giving  a nod that she deserved it and truly accepted what Jon said. Brienne smiling in approvement. And Littlefinger, with his smirkish smile, happy as well.

Down in the crypts there is short confrontation. As Jon looks on at Ned, Lord Baelish says to give Tyrion his best. He then goes on to say that he was sorry that Ned died–even though he set him up. But he goes on to say he loves Sansa and then Jon threatens him. But Littlefinger only smiles.  Then Jon rides off with the Onion Knight and some others. I thought Pod would be joining them as he was Tyrion’s squire. Wouldn’t that have made sense? The scene ends with the worried stare of Sansa as Jon rides off and Lord Baelish staring up at her. Littlefinger is obviously plotting to become the King of the North and more.

Many have raised the issue of “trust” and whether Danny will turn on Jon. But I don’t believe The Mother of Dragons can do that when Jon first arrives. Tyrion invited him and the Imp does abide by the Rules of Hospitality. So he will be safe, at least for now. Anyone disagree?

GREYJOY FLEET

In the episode, we went from Arya and Nymeria,  to the Greyjoy fleet sailing to Dorne to get their troops and then sail to King’s Landing. We have the scene with Yara and Ellaria and the teasing of Theon. Arya says that Theon will be her protector. All of them are so confident. But then all hell breaks lose. Euron’s fleet has somehow discovered them. He has a strong force and after fierce combat, he smashes his foes, killing both of Ellaria’s children and capturing both Yara and Ellaria. So now we know Ellaria was the gift Euron promised Cersei. But for some reason, he chooses not to kill Yara. Could that come back to haunt him? We see Euron as a fierce fighter with a crazy look about him. I mean really crazy, We also see Theon not protecting his sister and jumping overboard. His thoughts went back to Reek and the torture he suffered. Did you notice that when Ellaria said “kill me already” that Euron’s men said nothing but merely shook their heads no. That is because, as we know from the books, Euron’s  ship is named the “Silence” and he had all the tongues of his crew ripped out. Theon sees that happening, so he abandons ship.

Two questions. First, we know the Dornes use poison. Euron was stabbed by the Sand Snakes. Could his days be dying from poison? And if poisoned, will  Cersei have Qyburn save him? I say no.

Second, how did Euron know where Yara’s fleet was? It is a big sea. There must be a spy. The internet was full of guesses, including Olenna. That theory on the Queen of Thorns was if the Dorne’s couldn’t get to King’s Landing, the Mother of Dragons would be forced to use her Dragon’s to wipe out King’s Landing. Plus Olenna wants to keep her troops in High Garden to protect against an attack. While anything is possible, I think it is more likely that Euron had a spy from the Iron Islands on Yara’s fleet. And how disappointing is it that the Spider no longer seems to be the one with all the spies?

One last thing. Remember when I asked who was right-Tyrion or the “girls?” If Daenerys had sided with the Yara, the Sand Snakes and Olenna, most of  her soldiers would have been on Yara’s fleet. While they would have had more troops to fight Euron’s men, the result would have most likely been the same–a sounding defeat and the loss of the Dragon Queen’s army. So maybe it is good to listen to a clever man, especially  if the clever man is Tyrion. Agreed?

RECAP

So much went on again with the characters filling the screen. The table cloth is now down  as we continue to set the table.  I am now more starved for next week than last week.

I was debating on what picture to use. I usually relate it to the title of the episode. And given this weeks title “Stormborn” I thought of Daenerys or a violent thunderstorm. But as I am sure Prince Louis guessed, I had to go with Nymeria!! Just love the Direwolves.

Common all my humble servants. Email comments and let’s start a real discussion!!

One more thing. A special shout out to a good client and better friend, Paul Feldman. He is new to the blog but realized that getting this done was more important then getting the legal work done today. Now that is a person who knows how to prioritize!!!

As for any typos, I am Your Grace!!

Until next week,

Eric, the Lord of Pinecrest

[lordofpinecrest-blog]

SEASON 7 EPISODE 1 DRAGONSTONE

The first episode of each season of Game of Thrones tends to be more a table setter for what is going to transpire the rest of the season. I know many did not like it, but you need to watch it more than once to appreciate it. While devoid of battles, I think Episode One did a fantastic job of wetting our appetites for what is to come.

ARYA STARK

We have two scenes with Arya. It opens with, in my opinion, the best opening yet. We are the at the Twins, with Walder Frey presiding over a dinner with, as he says he “gathered every Frey who means a damn thing and to tell his plan for this great house now that Winter has come.” At first it looked like a flashback, but it got strange as Walder was bragging about how brave his men are (as opposed to Jamie’s view of them last season) and how they killed the Starks at the Red Wedding,  killed a pregnant woman (Robb Stark’s wife) and a mother of five (Cat Stark.) Not what we would call brave acts. And also his statement that Winter has come. That never came up with him before. That is when it became apparent to me and my guest, Lord James Doddo, who guessed it first, that it was not Walder but Arya in a magical disguise. He nods to the servants to serve them all not just wine, but the best wine. It was also noteworthy that he didn’t drink any wine and told the girl next to him “not you.” A moment later we know why, the wine the Freys were drinking was poisoned. And just as Sansa did to Ramsey Bolton,  in one swift moment, the House of Frey was dead and its name will disappear forever. Didn’t Arya have the greatest lines? Leave one wolf alive, and the sheep are never safe! And then in a speech reminiscent of the one Tyrian gave in Meereen to the surviving master after Grey Worm killed the other two, “When people ask you what happened here, tell them the North Remembers. That Winter came for House Frey.” As she is leaving the hall where the Red Wedding took place, the Starks are avenged and we see a smile coming to her face. Again, just as Sansa did,  she walked away with that little smile after the dogs ripped Ramsey to death. Amazing how the two sisters have so much in common when in the beginning, they were such opposites.

Sticking with Arya, later in the episode we see her again. I think most of us presumed that from the Twins she would head north to Winterfell, but we discover otherwise. She is somewhere in the Riverlands heading south when we encounters a group of Lannister soldiers singing a song which included the lines “Hands of gold are always cold but a woman’s hands are always warm.” Whose hands we gold? The Lannisters! They invite her to eat with them-so un Lannister like!! That is because they are not Lannisters, just regular guys who got drafted into the Lannister army and who have a clear disdain for the Lannisters and King’s Landing. And when they asked what a nice girl like Arya was doing all alone and going to King’s Landing, she said to “kill the queen.” They laughed as if it was a joke, but  we know it isn’t. I just hope she leaves without killing them!

One more thing. In the coming attractions we see a snarling Direwolf. Could that be Nymeria and could Arya reunite with her long lost Direwolf in the Riverlands? Or could she meet up with the Hound? Either would be great but as you know, I always side with a Direwolf! And if Arya makes it to King’s Landing and confronts Cersei, what body will she shape into? Any guesses?

NORTH OF THE WALL AND THE WALL

We go from Arya’s life  storm to real one. A blizzard north of the Wall, too hazy to see what it is in until they get closer. It is the Night King advancing with his White Walker, the undead army.  And how scary is it that the army includes 3 giants?? How close are they to the Wall?? We will see, but it must be close.

Then we see Brand and Meera Reed finally arriving at the Wall where he is let inside by members of the Night’s Watch and its presumptive commander, Edd Tollett. Spoiler alert: The Wall did not crash down, at least not yet. But they do so only after Bran gives his warning “We have seen the army of the dead. We have seen the Night King. He is coming for us, all of us.” So chilly especially with dooming music playing.  

THE NORTH AND WINTERFELL

We stayed in the North and moved onto Winterfell. Jon is imploring everyone to hunt for dragon glass which as he knows, can kill White Walkers. Some balk at the silly idea of using women to help, but once again his support comes from the mouth of babes, Lyanna Mormont, who carries the day with another great speech. GO GIRL!

But the more serious issue is how to treat those who supported the Boltons against the Starks. Jon is willing to forgive and move forward, but Sansa wants vengeance and their properties forfeited to those who remained loyal to the Starks. Can’t blame her after all she went through. In the end, Jon has the younger Umber and Karstark bend their knees to him and they pledge him their loyalty. Who was right? Here, I think it was Jon because he knows they will need everyone and everything to fight the White Walkers. And who was smiling in the back as they argued? None other than Littlefinger. I thought the back and forth between Sansa and Jon when they were alone outside was very revealing. Sansa acknowledges that Jon is a good and respected leader but he has to be smarter. Smarter than Rob and Ned, both of whom died from stupid mistakes. And when Jon asks if he should be smarter by listening to Sansa, I loved her reply “Would that be so terrible?”

Their conversation is interrupted when they are advised that a raven has arrived from King’s Landing with Cersei’s demand–come to King’s Landing, bend the knee or suffer the fate of all traders. Let’s see-how did going to King’s Landing work out for the other Starks who went there? Not so well. Sansa’s reaction is a bit puzzling. She tells Jon that he has been so consumed with the enemy to the North that he has forgotten about the one in the South. Of course, Jon is right because he has seen the Knight King and his army and that the Lannisters have never ventured that far North. But Sansa is right, she knows Cersei, just as she knew Ramsey and that Cersei will never stop until she destroys and kills her enemies. Jon then says to Sansa that you almost sound like she admires her, Sansa replies “I’ve learned a great deal from her.” And so she has, in a good way. You either win or die in the Game of Thrones. Did you see the look in Sansa’s eyes?? If not, go back and look again.

KINGS LANDING

The beauty of the show is that from Sansa’s and Jon’s discussion of Cersei, we go right to King’s Landing. Cersei pacing over a map with Jamie looking on. Cersei asks what could be a foretelling question “Are you afraid to me?” To which Jamie replies “Should I be?” Here is the point-she doesn’t reply but changes the subject to tell him the Daenerys has named Tyrion Daenerys’ Hand of the Queen. I guess just like now, there are no secrets there! Did somebody hack Stormborn’s email?? She goes on to belittles Jamie, for loving his  brother whom he set free and who killed her father and according to her, their son.  Jamie correctly predicts that Daenerys will land in Dragonstone,  that they have enemies everywhere and are surrounded. And for those who were disappointed in the episode, the dialog here was some of the best with Cersei showing all she is. Win or die. And if they win, a dynasty for a 1,000 years. And as Jamie recoils saying all their children are dead so who is the dynasty for-Cersei makes it clear-for them, but really her. And weren’t you stunned when Jamie confronted the Queen about Tommen’s suicide when she said that her own son betrayed her!! Wow!! I thought Jaime’s was going to implode. Jamie says they cannot win without a strong ally to which the cunning Cersei says “Do you think I listened to father for 40 years and didn’t learn anything?” What is up her sleeve?

No surprise,  we learn right away. Euron Greyjoy and his Iron Fleet. We see Euron’s mighty navy which is huge arrive in King’s Landing.  Jamie is critical of Cersei’s decision to “invite” the Greyjoys as he looks at them like the Freys-treacherous lowlife. He does have a point. The Greyjoys did not take sides in Robert’s Rebellion and sat out the war. Years later, Balon Greyjoy proclaimed himself King of the Iron Islands and had early victories, including burning the Lannister navy. But King Robert had superior forces. The Crown’s navy was led by Stannis and they smashed the Greyjoy navy. On the ground. Ned Stark led the troops and he was joined by Robert as well as Gregor Clegane and Barrister Selmy. When they won, Theon Greyjoy became a ward of the Starks. Just a little history lesson.

And what did Euron come for? Cersei says a queen. Remember last year when Yara told Daenerys that Euron was coming to marry her so she would be his queen and her priceless reaction? Euron’s pitch is that all of each family’s  traitorous members are aligned with the Dragon Queen and that combined, they could murder them together. Not bad reasoning. And the meeting with Euron, Cersei and Jamie is fascinating.  Jamie points out the treachery of Euron burning the Lannister fleet and then how he was there to defeat the Greyjoys. Interesting point is that I could not find any reference to Jamie being there. But Euron, trying to get on Jamie’s good side, marvels at Jamie’s skill as a warrior as he sliced through the enemy. But then Jamie says but they were Greyjoys,  Euron doesn’t care. Could he be as evil as Joffrey? What does Euron want? To marry the queen which we have heard before. But he mocks Jamie as he is there with two good hands. Does anyone think it is a good idea to piss Jamie off? I don’t. Cersei denies the proposal because DUH-Euron is not trust worthy as he murdered his own brother. Touche when Euron says you should try it--most likely referring to Tyrion but Jamie is standing right there and again, look at his face. So how does Euron think he can win the Queen over? By returning with a “priceless” gift. What is that gift? Many have speculated that it is a dragon. But I say in his mind, the only priceless gift Cersei could want is Tyrion. And what if Euron is about to capture Tyrion? My theory is that Tyrion will escape by riding one of the dragons!! What do my squires think of that theory?

THE CITADEL

For me, they wasted a lot of time and could have been wrapped up in a few minutes. Do we really care that Sam has to do the worst chores? So a few things. One of the Grand Maesters believes Sam about the White Walkers but says throughout history, at the lowest point, people think it is it the end. Like World War One–the war to end all wars. But somehow, life goes on and impliedly, good prevails. Sam breaks into the forbidden area and make a discovery we should have all predicted–that a mountain of dragon glass is buried beneath Dragonstone. Was I right in my preview that Sam could be the key to defeating the White Walkers?? Give out a shout to the Lord of Pinecrest!!! He also says he has to tell Jon. Does this lead to the  meeting we have been waiting for?? Jon and Daenerys? Fire and Ice!

We also find out that Jorah Mormont is a “prisoner” there as his arm reaches out and asks Sam if Daenerys Stormborn has come there. Remember, the Dragon Queen sent him out to look for a cure.

BACK AT WINTERFELL

Sansa and Lord Baelish. Littlefinger has come out of the shadows and showing his true colors again. The key to this scene is when Brienne says to Sansa, “he wants something” to which Sansa replies “I know exactly what he wants.” My interpretation: That is what she learned from Cersei. Again, GO GIRL!!

THE HOUND

Again, while interesting, a little bit too much time. Did everyone recognize that the farm where the father and daughter died in each other arms was the one where the Hound, over Arya’s objection, stole their horse? The Hound shows real remorse, and along with Jamie, has any other character come this far from apparent evil to good? I liked the conversation with Thoros. After all, if his God is so all powerful, why the f____ doesn’t he just say what he wants? Same question all religions have. The Hound correctly points out that there is no divine justice and then looks into the flames the same way Stannis did at the direction of the Red Priestess. And what does the Hound see? The Wall and the White Walkers marching on the Wall. But there is also a subtle comment-he sees a mountain. Could that be his brother the Mountain?? And what do we make of the Lord of Light? This is the same God that guided Melisandre to burn Shireen Baratheon at the stake.  Is the Lord of Light a “good” God with followers just misinterpreting what he says? Sound familiar??

DRAGONSTONE

Daenerys and her fleet finally arrive at Dragonstone. She is breathing hard at the sight of coming home after all these years and her dragons fly to where their ancestors reigned the skies for centuries. Looked beautiful as Tyrian and the Spider looked on. She is overwhelmed as she implants her hand print in the sand. She is home. And how powerful did Dragonstone look? She walks through the castle, takes down Stannis’ sigil and sees what is left of her ancestors’ throne. She then goes to the war room where Stannis plotted with the Red Priestess his war on the five kings.   Tyrion look on as she says “Shall we begin?” Meaning the war to retake the Seven Kingdoms.

RECAP

While it might not appear that a lot happened, in fact it did. The table has been set. Who is hungry for next week? I am starved.

Please email any comments as the more input I get, the better I feel. And you certainly do not want to make me angry!

Until next week,

Eric, the Lord of Pinecrest

[lordofpinecrest-blog]

SEASON 7 PREMIER

SEASON 7 PREVIEW

I am sure everybody is excited about Sunday’s premier of season 7 of The Game of Thrones. Several of you have asked me to do a review and to speculate as to what to expect for the season. At the end of last season, we had Daenerys with Tyrion by her side,  along with her dragons and armies sailing to Westeros.

In the North, we had Jon Snow crowned King of the North while his “sister” watched on. Littlefinger was also there lurking in the background.

Speaking of Starks, Arya, a full fledged face shifter and assassin, put an end to the miserable Walder Frey and presumably is heading to Winterfell. Bran was also heading that way.

In Kings Landing, Cersei has blown up most of those threatening her, but in doing so lost her last remaining child and made the Tyrells her bitter enemy. We also see Jamie taking in the damage that has been done.

Further South, in Dorne, we have  Olenna Tyrell with the Sand Snakes. That creates a formidable alliance and remember, Dorne was a Targaryen ally.

And don’t forget Sam Tully arriving in the Citadel and gawking at all the books in the library.

And we had the white raven arriving at Winterfell, with Sansa and Jon acknowledging-WINTER IS COMING!

Of course a lot more happened and you can read my last post for a full review.

So what is coming this year? We have the trailer which gives us some hints. But overall, I think that because we are drawing closer to the end, there will not be the complexity of new characters and plot lines that we had in the past. It will come down to the last major houses fighting for supremacy and the true war against the White Walkers.

THE NORTH

In the North, Jon has been proclaimed King of the North. But will he hold that title? Littlefinger is determined to unseat him and have Sansa take his place. Why? Because he controls the Vale and its powerful  army led by the Knights of the Vale. If he could sway Sansa, he would be a major force. Lord Baelish loves Sansa and wants to sit on the Iron Throne.

With that happen? I say no. First, Sansa has grown too smart and strong to be fooled by Littlefinger. Second, as a Stark, she is too loyal to her family. And third, I think that Bran will arrive and tell her and Jon the truth-that Jon’s mother was Lyanna Stark and his father was Rheagar Targaryen and how important he is in the fight against the White Walkers. And if Arya joins the “fray” then we will have a full Stark reunion. This does leave a question: Would Bran become Lord of Winterfell as the eldest son of Ned?

In the previews, it appears that Bran has crossed back south of the Wall and we see Jon going into battle north of the Wall. We also see Ser Davos warning where the real war is. Lot’s going on here.

Dragonstone and the Mother of Dragons

In the preview, we know that Daenerys has arrived at Dragonstone which is where the Targaryens first settled after leaving the Valyrian peninsula before the Doom and then conquered the Seven Kingdoms. She is really home as this is where she was born during a fierce storm. Thus the name, Daenerys Stormborn.

And with her are the Unsullied, a Dothraki army and three dragons. We only see Drogon in the preview, but he is HUGE. She also has her trusted aids, including Tyrion and Yara Greyjoy. Why are these all important?

First, the dragons speak for themselves. Hard to combat them.

Second, Tyrion. In the previews, it appears that the Unsullied are in a battle against the Lannister army. And the battle appears to be at the Lannister stronghold, Casterly Rock. Side note: Casterly Rock is often mentioned in the books, but no chapters take place there. But we know it is fortress carved out of rock and high over the Sunset Sea and thought to be impenetrable.  So assuming a battle takes place there-who would know how to get into Casterly Rock and around its defenses? Tyrion!!

In the previews, we also see what appears to be a sea battle between ships led by Euron Greyjoy and Daenerys navy. Besides dragons, who would best know how to defeat Euron? Yara!

King’s Landing

Of course, we see Cersei on the Iron Throne and Jamie is there. But her problem is-who are her allies? The Tarly’s are still aligned with the Lannisters and Randyll Tarly, Sam’s father, maybe the most skilled general left alive. But after the way he treated Sam, we are all rooting against him. But if Littlefinger is cast away by Sansa, could he ally himself the Lannisters?? Of course he could. After all, he sees himself sitting on the Iron Throne.

Dorne

The show has not had as much of Dorne as in the books. But the Dornes are formidable and now are aligned with the Tyrells, who still have a strong army. And does anybody seriously want  Olenna as an enemy? And remember, Dorne was also allied with the Targaryens.

Then we have subplots that should and hopefully come forward. As some of you may recall, when a young Cersei sneaked into a forest where she met Maggie the witch. When she met with the witch, Maggie prophesized three things. One, Cersie  would marry a king and become queen. She married Robert and became queen. Two, the king would have 20 children but Cersei would have three, all of whom would die before her. True again as we know Robert had many  bastard children and Cersei had three kids, all of whom are now dead. The third prophecy may be the most interesting. Maggie tell Cersei that she will be cast down by another younger and more beautiful queen. Obviously, Cersei thought that was Margaery Tyrell and thus her hatred for her. But I believe the witch was referring to Daenerys, who is younger, beautiful and has the army and dragons behind her to bring down Cersei.

But since we know the real war is at the Wall, how can the White Walkers be defeated? Things to think about.

The head of the White Walkers, the Night King, touched Bran. Does that mean that when Bran crosses the Wall, its magic will disappear and that the Wall will crumble? Does Bran know the secret to defeating the White Walkers? Will he warg into all the Starks and remaining direwolves?

Speaking of direwolves, could we see the return of Arya’s direwolf, Nymeria? In the books, there are stories of a pack of hundreds of wolves near Riverrun led by a she-wolf of monstrous size. Also in the books, Ghost has seen Nymeria with a hundred grey cousins and Arya has seen her as well. That could spell trouble for any Lannister ally.

Could we see the battle of the Gleganes? The Mountain vs. the Hound? I would rather pay for that than Mayweather vs. McGregor!

To win, Daenerys will have to join forces with the Starks. And who is “Fire and Ice” if not Jon Snow? But how will she learn he can be an ally? I say Tyrion, who may know Jon’s true heritage.

And don’t forget Sam. I think in all the books in the Citadel, he will learn the history of the last war against the White Walkers and how to defeat them.

I can’t leave without going back to the dragons. To tame and control a dragon, a person has to ride it.  We have seen Daenerys ride Drogon. But what of Rhaelgal and Viseron? Jon Snow, being part Targaryen, is one logical answer. I offer up that the third rider will be the Imp. Many believe that like Jon Snow, Tyrion was a bastard;  that his mother was Tywin Lannister’s wife, but his father was the Mad King. If true, that cements all three together in the great war. And something else cements them together--all three of their mothers died in childbirth. Can’t be a coincidence.

So put on your warm coats, turn on the heat as WINTER IS COMING!!

Please feel free to email me with any questions or comments as I enjoy the feedback.

Until my first post after the preview,

Eric, The Lord of Pinecrest

[lordofpinecrest-blog]

SEASON 6 EPISODE 10 FINAL EPISODE WINDS OF WINTER

I thought it was a fantastic final episode and the consensus is best ever! The music in the background throughout the episode was terrific. Many think the episode should win an Emmy for the score and I agree. Last week the total number of deaths far exceeded this week’s total, but it was who died this week and that made it a wow episode. We lost about ten characters who played key roles in this season and the last few seasons. Some we cared about and some, good riddance! Here is the short list: Margaery Tyrell and her brother Loras and father Mace. The High Sparrow and Lancel Lannister and lots of other Sparrows. Down went Kevan Lannister and Grand Master Pycelle. Interestingly, in the books both were killed by Lord Varys.  And we lost another Lannister, poor little Tommen. Three Freys bit the dust with Walder and two sons going down. Interestingly nobody died in the North or Meereen. At least not physically.

KINGS LANDING

So let’s begin in King’s Landing. We see Cersei looking from the Red Keep over at the Sept of Baelor. She is dressed magnificently in black dress.  If this was a red carpet event everyone would have been asking her who the designer was. Next we see Tommen dressing for the trials and the Margaery and the High Septon. Tommen’s servant places his crown on his head and he looks out with a solemn look on his face. What was also stunning was no music or dialogue. And each “costume” reflected the person. The High Septon in his burlap like bag, Margaery dressing for her beauty and Tommen trying to be regal. Cersei, all power. The slow pace as it will all lead to the O.J. like trial of the century we have been waiting for.

We move on to the Sept of Baelor as the Seven judges, Sparrows and others enter for the trial. We see a filthy, broken, and shaking Loras being led out of his cell. As the High Sparrow walks so piously in, he glances over at Margaery and they share a look. Margaery looks confident, but her father does not. Even Kevan looks uncomfortable, and why shouldn’t he? They have given power to a bunch of fanatics.

It is time for His Grace to go to the trial, and he is royally dressed. His mother is putting on her being, and the music is very light.

From beauty to ugliness, Pycelle is getting dressed, having just finished with a whore whom he doesn’t even pay. Such a vile man who claims to be so righteous. As he leaving, one of Qyburn’s little birds whispers something in his ear. Whatever it was, it got Pycelle’s interest so it had to be very self serving.

Back to the Sept, Loras is led in and he says there will be no need for a trial as he freely confesses to his crimes. When the High Sparrow asks which crimes, Loras replies all of them-but he doesn’t confess to being with his sister. So he saved some honor in my book. And what was his crime??? Being different?? That is what  SHAME really is!! His punishment is that he is stripped of his name, rank and properties. And when after being asked, Loras says that he will fight to defend the Faith against heretics. The Sparrow smiles as only a fanatic can. After all, it is okay to fight as long as they are on his side. and is then branded. Mace wants to help his son, but Margaery says “faith is the way.” The way to what??

Now it is the Lannisters time to go. Again, we have the slow  piano in the background.  Tommen says he is ready but the Mountain blocks his way, and even touches him. We all know that the Mountain is loyal to Cersei, but isn’t his first duty to the King? With that we know something is up. Cersei is not going!

Margaery correctly tells His Sparrow that he mutilated Loras and that he had given his word to her, which explains her look when he entered the Sept. His Birdship says he kept his word, but clearly his version of the truth is warped by his faith. What a surprise!  It is only then that they all realize that the Queen Mother never left the Red Keep. We see Cersei pouring a glass of fine red wine, rich as the blood which is about to be shed. The High Septon orders Lancel to go to the Red Keep and show her the way. REALLY?? Don’t they remember what happened last time there with the Mountain? Margaery, who is the only one who really played the Game of Thrones well, is clearly worried and suspicious. But we see His Sparrow is full of confidence and then we switch back to the Queen Mother whose face shares that same look of confidence. The High Sparrow is so judgmental and puritanical. Told you to watch out for that over confidence.

As Lancel and two other Sparrows leave the Sept, a child is running down the steps and for some reason Lancel is suspicious of the little guy. Why? Not so smart.

As the piano plays slowly we see that one child has led Pycelle into a dark cold room where Qyburn is waiting for him. At the same time we see the other child, with a torch in hand,  running from Lancel far underground. Back to Qyburn who says it pains him as Pycelle does not deserve to die in alone and such a cold place. SURE HE DOES! And he goes on to say that sometimes before we usher in the new, the old must be put to rest. The changing of the guard we saw last week. Now we have violin music as the children repeatedly stab and kill the old man. Quick note: In the books, Lord Varys kills both Kevan and Pycelle. He apologizes to Kevan for having to kill him, but not to Pycelle, so I am not sure why they added it to the killing of Pycelle, who was clearly despicable.  I am sure nobody shed any tears on that death.

Stupid Lancel has lost track of the little boy and that ends up getting him stabbed him from which he cannot walk. He looks down the tunnel and what he sees something that frightens him, but hey, why worry since he has the Faith to protect him. By now, we know what it is.

Again with eerie, soft  music playing we return to see Cersei looking over at the Great Sept. No expression on her face. Margaery starts looking around and realizes something is up. His Piousness doesn’t think so as he is so blinded by his faith. Great line by Margaery “Forget about the bloody Gods!” It is about time somebody told the truth! She correctly points out that Her Grace’s understands what her absence means and doesn’t intend to suffer the consequences. Margaery flat out states the trial can wait and they all need to leave. The High Sparrow scoffs at that idea as he has put too much faith in his God.

Next, we cut over to Lancel crawling to what we see is the green wildfire. And what was the timing mechanism? Small child like candles.  Little Lannister tries to crawl to put out the candles but he cannot get there before BOOM!  We see the image from Bran’s dream as the wildfire ignites destroying the Baelor’s Sept and all who are in it. How wild was it to see the High Septon exploded in green like something out of Ghostbusters? Right before the end, did a hint of doubt enter his Holiness’ mind?  I think it did. Then the huge bell falling to the ground and Cersei looking over so satisfied and with a smile. I guess she was thinking all her enemies are dead and that the bell tolled the last time for them! And before I move on, take a look at Bran and his dream. We now know that in his dreams, Bran can see both the past and the future.

We cut to Tommen as he sees the carnage. Did you notice that  Mountain leaving his chambers? Depending on your state of mind, the next scene was either enjoyable or not so much. Cersei water boarding the tied up Septa Unella. “CONFESS” that she enjoyed beating and starving her. That the Septa didn’t do it because she cared about Her Grace’s atonement, but because she liked it. The idiot Septa is ready to meet her Gods, but no such luck. She doesn’t understand how Cersei’s mind works in the Game of Thrones. Sort of like Ramsey’s did. No short and easy death, instead she gets the Mountain. Where was her God when she needed it most? As Cersei says “Your Gods have forsaken you; this is your God now’ Could it get any worse? And as the Septa’s face turns to horror and she screams, Cersei in her beautiful empress dress repeats the magic word “Shame.”  Talk about pay back! My only complaint was why waste good wine?  

A servant then tells Tommen the bad news that Margaery and the others died at the Sept and our boy King takes off his crown and  jumps out his window and dies. In a way, I suppose it was supposed to haunt Cersei in a Bran like way. I for one, didn’t like this as I thought it was weak. I thought Tommen would die but either at the hands of his mother or an enemy. I presume the point was to bring Cersei to her knees and low point. Tommen got that one wrong too!

Besides the music, the way they went so fluidly from scene to scene was masterful. A full 20 minutes all worth it. Cersei appearing to get what she wanted, but at what cost? In this way, wasn’t she Ramsey like and just as bad? And now that the Faith Militant is gone will the Lord of Light come to King’s Landing and be the savior? Remember, man is always looking for something greater.

THE TWINS

At a dinner at the Twins, we here Walder Frey giving a toast to the Lannisters and Freys and their new alliance. A pretty serving girl makes eyes on Jamie, but he shows no interest. Walder comes to sit next to Jamie and he tells Jamie that  Edmure is back in his cell. The Kingslayer is not happy with that and mocks Frey. Walder thinks they fear him but Jamie says what they fear are the Lannisters and he walks away. And as he does, he asks why do we need you? The answer is coming. KINGS LANDING Back at King’s Landing, Cersei asks Qyburn to show her Tommen’s body. With little emotion, she says to burn him and bury the ashes where the Sept once stood. Cold as ice. But we will see more coldness as the episode progresses. Was the  witch Maggy’s prophecy completed as all of Cersei’s children died before she did? But what of the rest of the prophesy? That Cersei would become queen (which we see at the end) but that she will be cast down by a younger and more beautiful queen who will take all she held dear. Many thought that was Margaery, but I propose that the prophesy has not been closed as it is Daenerys who will be the one to end Her Grace’s reign. Agree?

CITADEL

Later on we see Sam and Gilly and Little Sam arrive at Old City where Sam enters the Citadel. A man buried in his book finally looks up. Seems as if their email system is down as nobody in the Citadel has gotten the current events as to what has been going on at Castle Black. In the end, Sam is led into a huge library and I mean huge. Will he learn the secrets of how the White Walkers were defeated the last time? Dragon Stone and Valyrian Steel? Magic?

WINTERFELL

As the music changes, we see a white raven flying toward Winterfell. Jon and Melisandre trade stories of early family life when Davos makes her tell the truth of Shireen’s death. Was it mercy that Jon showed when he expelled her rather than killing her? And did you see the look on the Red Priestess’ face when the Onion Knight said her lord was evil for ordering her to burn a child? She still didn’t get it. She said she was wrong, but doesn’t accept responsibility for her crime. And with the Great War still to come, she says she can help. Does Jon believe her? Where is she going as she has no reply to Davos and rides off alone and in silence.  Another woman alone.

Jon and Sansa share a conversation in the cold. After Jon asks, Sansa says only a fool would trust Littlefinger. Sansa apologizes for not telling Jon about the Knights of the Vale and Jon says “we need to trust each other.” TRUST!! They have so many enemies now and he kisses her head. Somber music. Sansa then tells Jon a white raven arrived and that “Winter is Here!” They smile at each other as the snow falls harder. Winter is Coming as Jon reminds Sansa that “father” always promised it. And Sansa now accepts him as a Stark. Both have come a long way. And they look as though they trust each other. Felt good.

DORN

In Dorn, a new alliance is forged. Olenna makes a deal with the Sand Snakes. She already knows that her family was killed by Cersei as I guess the news travels fast in the South. And what does Olenna want: VENGEANCE. And then a third person joins the mix: Lord Varys who says “Fire and blood” which can only be a reference to the Targaryens. He travel quick. So we presume he was always going to seek allegiance with the Dorns who were allies of the Targaryens. But could he have known of the plot in King’s Landing? Why not as I am sure he still had little birds there.

MEEREEN

Off we go to Meereen. More wine as Daenerys tells Daario that he is not going to Westeros with her, despite his love fore her. Stormborn’s dress is also beautiful, but has a much softer look than Cersei’s.  Magic on screen. The reason for leaving Daario behind is that if she is going to rule in Westeros, she needs to make alliances and the best way to do that is through marriage. Notice that she said Westeros and not the Seven Kingdoms.  Daario is not happy with this decision, but it is her Order and he must obey. He even offers to be her mistress, but she will not have it. Did it  somewhat coldly and then says he will be getting her orders for the Bay of Dragons, formerly known as Slavers Bay. I like the name!

The Mother of Dragons then goes down her steps and talks with Tyrion who asks how did he take it.  So as Daario suspected, Daenerys did consult with the “dwarf” on her decision. The talk was great. Tyrion tries to console Danny on her decision. That type of sacrifice is what makes for a good ruler. Doesn’t help as Tyrion says of himself that he is terrible at consoling and she agrees that he really is. Some humor thrown in with all that is going on. Brilliant on the directors part. And after telling Her Grace that she now has everything she has ever wanted to regain the Throne, he asks Daenerys if is she is frighten, to which Danny replies yes. Tyrion says good and then  “You’re in the big game now, and the game is terrifying” YES IT IS! But then she goes on to say that what really frightens her is that she said farewell to a man she cared for and felt nothing. Tyrion continues by saying he has always been a cynic, that they were always asking him to believe in something and he saw where belief  got people. That would have been good advise for the High Sparrow.  But here he is and he believes in her! And with that, she makes him Hand of the Queen! What a combination they have become. Are they friends as well? Who would have ever thought this was possible? Makes us smile.

THE TWINS

Back at the Twins, Walder Frey, as alone as Cersei, is sipping lousy wine and we see the girl who gave Jamie the “eye” serve him  pie. But it isn’t the pie Walder was expecting. He is complaining that his sons are not there, but the girl keeps saying they are. The pies are filled with Walder’s sons, Black Walder and Lothar, who killed her mother and Rob’s wife. The girl says the son’s are here and repeats it--they are already here. At that point, we all should have figured out it was Arya. And with a stare as cold as ice, she points out that the sons are in the pie, rips off her mask and reveals herself as Arya Stark. And in a Cersei line says “My name is Arya Stark...The last thing you are ever going to see is a Stark smiling down at you as you die.” And with Needle in hand, she slits Walder’s throat in the same way Black Walder did to her mother. And with that, another Stark was smiling. Two for the price of one.

A little history is in order  on  pies filled with sons. Bran tells the story of the Rat Cook which is the subject of legends and myths in the Seven Kingdoms. According to the legend, a king once paid a visit to the Nightfort, which at that time, was the chief castle on the Wall. Due to some offense by the king, the cook killed the king's son and served his flesh in a pie to the unknowing king. The king enjoyed the pie so much he asked for a second helping. The gods cursed the cook by turning him into a fat, white rat which could only survive by feasting on its own young. He was condemned to run the halls of the Nightfort, eating his own offspring. The gods were not offended by the murder, nor even by cooking the son and feeding him to his own father, for a man has a right to vengeance. What the gods could not forgive and cursed the cook for was that he broke the laws of hospitality and protection, which are held to be sacred above all others. As Bran said "It wasn't for murder the gods cursed the Rat Cook, or for serving the King's son in a pie... he killed a guest beneath his roof... that's something the gods can't forgive." So take that Walder Frey we knew you had it coming!

WINTERFELL

Lord Baelish makes his appeal to Sansa. Did you notice the Wierwood tree and the blood red leaves dying from the snow? Red wine, blood and red leaves. Sansa prayed at this tree every day as a young child and now has she lost faith. Littlefinger gives her a speech about what he has always wanted: to sit on the Iron Throne with Sansa at his side. I believe the first part but not the second as he is so full of it. Sansa calls him out on it and puts him in his place. Again, GO GIRL. That he has declared for houses in the past but that never stopped him from serving himself. But Baelish does tell one truth “The past is gone for good.” And when he tries to bait her by saying she should rule and not the  bastard born in the South, she just walked away. Not a good line putting down Papa Stark in Winterfell.

NORTH OF THE WALL

Uncle Benjen has taken Bran and a clearly frightened Meera near the Wall. I know they are close to Castle Black because they are under what I believe to be the same Wirewood tree where Jon pledged his oath to the Night’s Watch.  Before Benjen leaves, was what he said a foreboding of a disaster waiting to happen? He reminds them that the Wall is made of much more than ice, and stands because of ancient spells and magic that were carved into its foundation. That the magic is what keeps the dead from getting past and that is why he cannot past. But he goes on to say “And while it stands, the dead cannot pass. I cannot pass.” We cannot just gloss over that statement as it implies the Wall could come crumbling down. But how? There are two theories. One is that Bran was “branded” by the Night’s King and that if he crosses the Wall, the magic protection will end as it did with the protected  Wirewood tree where the Children of the Forest and Three Eye Raven hung out. But if that was true, couldn’t Benjen sense that? I think so. A second theory comes from the books. There is mention of a “Horn of Winter” and that a blast from that horn can destroy the Wall. Its existence may only be a myth. After all, it had never been used. Mance Rayder once claimed to have it, but Jon questioned if that was true, why didn’t the wildings use it. Mance said they needed the Wall for the Winter that was coming. Hopefully if it exists, it is well hidden. THE TOWER OF JOY

Meera asks Bran if he is ready for this and he says he is the Three Eyed Raven now and has to be ready for this. Ready for what and how did Meera know? Bran wargs back in time to the Tower of Joy. And I think we finally get the confirmation  that R=L=J.  Bran’s father runs up the stairs and finds his sister, Lyanna, in a bed of blood. And just as we predicted, she had just given birth to a child. Ned leans in close to Lyanna and we can barely hear her say “his name is...” Most assume that is the name of the child, but I think it could have been the name of the father, Rhaegar Targaryen. After all, her lost words are “promise me” but before that she says he must protect the  him, meaning the child. So Lyanna had to tell Ned that Rhaegar was the father and that the son has to be protected from the future King Robert who would have killed the child of the crown prince. And while all this happens, Bran looks on and now realizes that his father never cheated on his mother, kept his honor and that Jon is his cousin. So much to take in. Ned Stark finally redeemed! And Jon, father and ice. And how about the camera work when we go from young Jon to his face in the North? AGAIN, BRILLIANT!

WINTERFELL

Back at Winterfell, one of the men announces that the  war with the Bolton’s is over and that Winter has come and they should all go home to ride it out.  But Jon warns them of what is coming and that the White Walkers will not wait out the storm. That is when Lyanna Mormont delivered her second great speech “Your son was butchered at the Red Wedding, Lord Manderly. But you refuse the call. You swore allegiance to House Stark, Lord Glover. But in their hour of greatest need, you refuse the call. And you, Lord Kerwin, your father was skinned alive by Ramsay Bolton, still, you refuse the call. But House Mormont remembers. The North remembers. We know no king but the King in the North whose name is Stark. I don’t care if he’s a bastard. Ned Stark’s blood runs through his veins. He’s my king, from this day until his last day!” Is she the best??

And with an approving smile from Sansa, Jon becomes King of the North. Still, no Ghost!! Should have been there. Didn’t that scene remind you of when Rob was declared King of the North?  Jon has gone from dead to King. Maybe Melisandre got it partly right as Jon may prove to be the one to lead the people through the Long Night.  We know he won’t make the mistake of going  South like his brother did. And what of Sansa? Many thought she was jealous of her brother, but I think she was genuinely happy that he became king and she considers him a real Stark. Plus she knows that Jon will listen to her and trust her advice. And yes, I mean TRUST as I think these two finally get that trust is needed.

Littlefinger is looking on from behind with his usual devilish smile. That smile is met by a cold stare down by ice eyes Sansa. Why would he be smiling? Could it be that he still has other plans for Sansa? Or with Rob stuck in the North, perhaps his path to the Iron Throne is smoother. Remember, he still may have an ally in the Tyrells. Weird as it sounds, the Tryrells need a male leader who can produce an heir. But there is not trust here. I wonder how much Baelish knows of what is going on to the East and South. He seems to always know.

KING’S LANDING

Next we see Jamie and Bronn approach King’s Landing where they see no Great Sept of Baelor and only a burning cloud. With pure anger on his face, Jamie and his gang take off for King’s Landing.  Jamie has clearly surmised what Cersei did. But did he know she was being crowned the Iron Queen? Well, she was dressed for the part in this episode so it should come as no surprise that she struts down on the “red carpet” (red for blood) to the Iron Throne, smile on her face, darker music and a dark Throne Room. Qyburn pronounces it is “Cersei Lannister, first of her name” who Qyburn declares to be Queen of the Andals and she sits on the Throne, no smile and again, more dark music. Jamie has arrived and they exchange glances. I thought no love there and that the love which Jamie had for her is gone. But wasn’t it just a week or so ago that Jamie said he would do anything for their love? Seems disenchanted. Maybe time with the Freys will do that to you.  Fact check: Since when does a defrocked Maester have the authority to appoint the King or Queen? What this Great Britain voting on leaving the EU? But there is no joy in Mudville. While Qyburn says “long may she reign” the people, who are obviously still in shock and distress over what just happened, solemnly repeat the phrase which they did not volunteer in joy. In all other coronations, we have seen joy, but not in this one. So how will Cersei keep the people in place? If Jamie leaves, she has no army. Who will stand by her?

Question: when Cersei looked a Jamie, was there any regret on her face? I thought there was a touch of remorse but it was overridden by her lust for power. But she is all alone. No allies, unless the snake Littlefinger comes to her side. And having no allies is not a good way to survive in the Game of Thrones.

THE NARROW SEA

We leave the lonely Queen to one surrounded by friend and trusted advisors. Daenerys has launched her mighty fleet towards Westeros. With Missandei, Varys and of course Tyrian by her side, she has the look of confidence and a smile on her face. She has a huge navy and army and best of all, three huge dragons. Watch out Westeros!!

RECAP IF POSSIBLE

So much happened but let’s do some highlights. It was a great season and it may be summed up in a change of guard.

First, what families are left with heirs? Not the Lannisters, Martells  or Tyrells.  Three of the  major families have no males. The Starks do and are the most likely to keep the family line alive. In previous episodes, Daenerys was told she could not have more children. So that leaves, by default Robert Arryn as the “highest” nobleman around. And who is his mentor? Littlefinger! With the loss these families took on, we saw the past give way to the future. Evil families are gone as well. The Boltons have disappeared and the Freys are not far behind. So I would have to say the big winner was the revival of the Starks. But then, Winter is Coming.

And as The Mother of Dragons crosses the Narrow Sea, she is looking for alliances. It appears she has one in Dorn and once The Mother of Dragons helps kill Yara’s uncles, the Iron Islands will be allies as well. But that leaves vast sections of Westeros. Will she ally and possibly marry Jon to take the North? And Sansa is a Tully so the Riverrlands may be in too! With that, wouldn’t she be unstoppable?  But Jon’s fight is against the threat beyond the Wall. And while Daenerys doesn’t seem to know about White Walkers and the Army of the Dead, Tyrion does. So maybe as her advisor he will impart that  knowledge on her.

And speaking of knowledge, there is Sam. Some described the library at the Citadel as a Dr. Who like space, bigger on the inside than the outside. Sam has killed a White Walker, knows of Dragon Glass and Valyrian steel. I have to imagine that somewhere in the books it describes how the White Walkers were defeated in the War of the Dawn. But the problem is that war, men had the Children of the Forrest and Giants as allies. We lost them.  

And what of religion? Where does it stand? The Faith is all but dead, and what of the Lord of Light? That doesn’t seem to be in Danny’s mind. But to defeat the White Walkers, magic will be needed. So who lead the day? Daenerys and her dragons? Bran and his visions? Jon and his leadership? How about all three!! So my watch is over for the year. It has been fun. Sorry for all the typos. And I am sorry for I know I left so much out of this one. I hope you all enjoyed it and spread the word-The Lord of Pinecrest will be back next year!

Eric

[lordofpinecrest-blog]

SEASON 6 EPISODE 9 BATTLE OF THE BASTARDS

With only two locations and a huge battle, I thought it would make this week’s piece easier and shorter. Wrong again! But since my watch is almost over this year, what the hell. Lots of blood and death and finally, the fitting end to Ramsey and two slave masters and a not so happy death of another Stark and a Giant. So here we go.

MEEREEN

We begin with the Slave Masters launching fiery catapults at Meereen and a somewhat nervous Tyrion trying to explain his actions to Daenerys. After all, Meereen was on the rise and “all” the people were behind her, well not quite all of them. The Imp correctly points out that the Masters cannot let Meereen succeed as the free people would have no masters.  Sort of bastards, wouldn’t you say? Stormborn’s plan, a.k.a at this point, the Mad Queen,  is to burn them all and reduce their cities to dirt. Tyrian doesn’t approve and tells Danny what the Mad King had planned for King’s Landing, with the wild fire and burning all its inhabitants. Have to give Daenerys credit as she listened to the Imp’s advice.

They go outside and meet with the same three Slave Masters that Tyrian made the deal with. The Slave Masters, in their arrogance, give their insulting terms to the Mother of Dragons, whom one of them calls a Beggar Queen. They are to leave on foot, put the Unsullied and all others back into slavery and the dragons will be slaughtered. OOPS, I guess they didn’t get the message that she returned with Drogon! They got it all wrong: the Queen is their to negotiate the Slave Masters surrender. When the Slaver says to Danny’s that her reign is over, we knew her reply would be  “my reign has just begun.” Reminds me of the Tower of Joy conversation between  Ned Stark and Arthur Dayne. First we hear, and then see, the magnificent Drogon and the Masters’ fear. So huge as he flies and then leaps down as Daenerys mounts him and flies skyward. Drogon appears to call to his brothers, and out come Viserion and Rhaegal, FREE AT LAST as they fly to meet their brother and mother. GAME ON!

Inside Meereen, the Sons of the Harpy are slaughtering its free citizens. The Imp’s peace plan has totally collapsed. Hey, where are the fanatic Priestesses and their God? Not helping and nowhere to be found. Did their God abandon them? Next we see the Dothraki army, on horseback, led by Daario, galloping toward Meereen and he  cuts off the head of the first Son of Harpy he encounters and continues his ride into the city.  Out at sea, the Mother of Dragons instructs her children to begin burning the Slave Masters’ fleet. What magnificent cinematography, the three dragons breathing fire as ships and men burn alike. Before this battle is over, we have men burned alive, men beheaded and slaughtered. Who knew it was nothing compared to what was to come?

Back on shore, Grey Worm gives a new ultimatum to those following the Slave Masters: “You men have a choice, fight and die for masters who would never die for you or go home to your families.” The soldiers hear the wisdom so they put down their weapons and run. Obviously they are smarter than those who followed Ramsey to their deaths.

Now it is Tyrion’s turn. First, he thanks the Slavers for what is left of their fleet and then he informs the Slavers that the last time they spoke, they made a pact and that they violated the pact. And that while their Queen has a forgiving nature, this act of declaring war on Meereen cannot be forgiven.  The penalty is simple: one of the Masters must die. I loved Tyrion’s line “it always seems abstract, other people are dying.” So true in war, especially today when it is air power and drones or commanders away from the battle field doing the killing. The Head Chicken tells them to kill the one who he says is a “low born” and as that person kneels on the ground, Grey Worm chops the other two heads off, jut like chickens. No expression on his face.  How many killed so far? And we are still just beginning!

Tyrion tells the survivor to go home and tell his people that he is alive only by the grace  of her majesty and tell all of them what happened in Meereen. Remind them what happened when Daenerys Stormborn Targaryen and her dragons came to Meereen. Couldn’t you see Tywin giving that type of speech when the Lannisters reigned supreme?  And in the distance,  we see all three dragons flying freely above the sea.   Even at sea, the battle has been won.

Sometime after this battle, Yara and Theon have arrived with their fleet. Anyone wonder how they got to this side of the world so fast and then to Meereen? Back then at Winterfell, Theon was a cocky dude and was making fun of the Imp’s height. Seems as though Tyrion doesn’t forgive and forget! “And how have things been going for you since then? Not so well I gather.” And while the Imp goes on to lecture Theon about growing up in a complicated life, he is no doubt talking about himself.

Daenerys finally chimes in as we learn that they the Greyjoys have brought along 100 ships for Danny to use. The dialogue was good as the Mother of Dragons asks Theon  what he wants in return for  Daenerys’ support. Is it Theon’s claim to be king of the Iron Islands? His answer surprises her as he says not his claim, but Yara’s. And when asked what’s wrong with you, Theon admits that he is not fit to lead, which Tyrion immediately agrees.  Yes, at least they agree on something!  The Mother of Dragons smiles when Yara says, that like Westeros, there has never been a Queen of the Iron Islands. That brings a smile to Danny’s face. And when Daenerys informs Yara that Tyrion has told her that Yara’s father was a terrible king, Yara has the stones to tell Daenerys that they have the same thing in common. Again-GO GIRL! Is “bad fathers” a play on words for “bastards?” We see how smart the Imp is as he notes that there are more than a 100 ships in the Iron Fleet. So where are the rest? Theon explains that his uncle  Euron is building more ships to sail to Meereen to woo Daenerys to his side. So why should the Mother of Dragons side with these two? Because Euron’s offer comes with strings, a demand of marriage. Danny somewhat playfully asks Yara is she demanding marriage,  and Yara counters, I am up for anything! All that Theon and Yara want is the Iron Islands back, and when the Imp says what if everyone demands their independence, it is Daenerys who wisely says they are asking, not demanding. Difference between slavers masters and not. Danny then gives one her famous speeches. Their fathers left the world a worst place, but they will leave it a better one.  Basically, Yara and Theon will respect her claim to the Iron Throne and stop their pirating of the Seven Kingdoms. Done deal and the “hand shake” is up on the arm---same place as the Knight King’s grasp on Bran. What does that mean?? Could there be something between these girls???

A lot went on here. Did you notice that neither Daenerys nor Tyrion reacted negatively to the news that the Stark children could still be alive? Why? We know that Tyrion has been giving Daenerys history lessons of Westeros. Could he have taught her that the Starks were not evil and in fact, honorable? After all, the Mad King killed Ned’s father and brother. And could it also be that she does not approve of killing children in the way Tywin ordered the Mountain to do? Something to think about. And somehow could Tyrion know that R+L=J? He always did treat Jon with a lot of respect.

In a previous episode, Daario told the Mother of Dragons that she was a conqueror. But here, before unleashing her dragons, Danny tried to negotiate a peaceful end to the war. She listened to the Imp, and for now, didn’t “Burn them All” and become the Mad Queen. But it was to no avail. Does this mean that negotiations are doomed to fail without a mighty army? Seems so. In the end, she dispatches justice fairly. The Slave Masters deserved what they got. Was the Mother of Dragons decision to back Yara influenced in way because Euron was a Kingslayer? Could be.  What do we make of the smiles between Daenerys and Yara?? Is this the start of something?? And let’s look at Daenerys’ willingness to share Westeros. If she re-takes the Iron Throne, she will be Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. But Yara will be Queen of the Iron Islands. Westeros is vast and may have another rising “queen” in Sansa. How will she deal with that? And of course, there are the White Walkers which she seems to know nothing about.

THE NORTH PRELUDE

We begin the prelude to the great battle with a small contingent from each side facing off. Jon tells Sansa she doesn’t have to be there, but we know even before she says it, “Yes I do.” Ramsey, as arrogant as the Slave Masters, thanks them for bringing back his wife and commands them to bend their knees to the true Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. He will even pardon them all for their treason. Anyone believe him? Of course not.  But Ramsey isn’t done as he proclaims that he is a man of mercy. I wanted Sansa to end it right there and then and kill Ramsey. Sure, it wouldn’t have been honorable, but it would have been pay back for the treachery of the Red Wedding. And wasn’t it Tywin who explained to Tyrion that the treachery at the Red Wedding resulted in the saving of thousands of lives in battle? Wouldn’t killing Ramsey have accomplished the same thing? But not the Stark way, so no dice.  

Jon concurs that there is no need for a battle as thousands of men don’t need to die. Let’s do it the old way:  mano a  mano. Sort of like Trial by Combat. Ramsey laughs at that, saying that while he isn’t sure if he can beat Jon, he knows that with the numbers in his favor, his army can. Jon must be clairvoyant as he uses words similar to Grey Worm’s   “ Will your men fight for you when they hear you won’t fight for them?” Sound reasoning and Ramsey seems a bit nervous, almost Joffrey like. So he puts it back on Jon “Will you let your little brother die because you are too proud?” And then it is Sansa’s turn to speak up “How do we know that you have him?” Ramsey, with a smirk and smile on his face,  has his sidekick throw down Shaggy Dog’s head. Ouch!  Sansa, with ice eyes that we have come to love on so many other characters stares him down and says “You are going die tomorrow Lord Bolton.” While she could have ended the conversation there, she added sarcastically a  dart “sleep well.” WOW!! Sansa rides off as Ramsey continues with his last cruel comments to Jon: they all look like fine men, that his dogs haven’t eaten in seven days, they are rabid, and he wonders what parts they will try first. Ramsey saves for last what he thinks is the most insulting line as he says to Snow “Until morning then Bastard.”  Ramsey in his sick head, thinks he has risen above that title. But does anyone believe that?

We can see Jon’s mind turning, but what is he thinking?  Being called a bastard? No, he isn’t a cry baby like King James. I think he was contemplating the upcoming battle and how many would die and that bothered him. Snow, with his war council around him, tries to predict what Bolton will  do and Davos tries to come up with a decent strategy.   Sansa sits in silence, but we know she wants to scream out. When they are alone, Sansa  rebukes Jon: he and his advisors have known Ramsey only for a brief conversation, but she knows Ramsey. Did Jon ever think that Sansa might have some insight into how to defeat Bolton? Jon sort of agrees, but says he thinks that Ramsey is OVERCONFIDENT. How many times have we heard that this year? Sansa knows Ramsey and even while Jon tries to defend his previous record, Sansa keeps saying “you don’t know him.” GO GIRL! Lot of tension between these two.

Next we see Jon’s weakness and Sansa’s strength. Jon appears to be most concerned about Rickon, and not how to win the battle. His question is “What should we do, how do we get Rickon back?” Not “how do we win the battle?” Sansa is right, Ramsey has figured out Jon’s weakness and played on Jon’s emotions. Sansa knows this and has to tell Jon that they will never get Rickon back, as he is the true heir to Winterfell and more of a danger to Ramsey than anything else. They argue as Sansa rebukes Jon by saying had he asked for her advice earlier, she would have advised not attacking until they had a larger force. That’s all the advice she has? Really? Can’t we see in the back of Sansa’s mind she is thinking of the Knights of the Vale? But still, she says nothing of this. Jon knows that  he doesn’t have enough men, but he is stubborn. They have what they have and battles have been won against greater odds. Chillingly, Sansa says she will never go back to Ramsey alive. CHILLS! Jon says he will protect her, but Sansa says “Nobody can protect me, nobody can protect anybody.” The second part is the tell. Nobody can protect anybody. Why would she say that? Could it be that she knows Jon is falling into Ramsey’s trap? She has seen everyone who swore to protect her fail.

Next we have a short but revealing scene between Tormund and Davos. Ser Seaworth says that Stannis was haunted by demons in his head, and in a funny line, Tormund asks Davos if he saw the demons. He says no, it just a manner of speaking.  But didn’t the Onion Knight see a monster come out of Melisandre at Dragon Stone?? Tormund says that his leader, Mance didn’t have demons in his skull, he didn’t torture people or listen to some Red Witch. Tormund thought that Mance was the one to lead them through the Long Night, but he was wrong just as Davos was wrong about Stannis. And when Davos says, that maybe our mistake was  believing in kings, Tormund shows his insight when he replies  “Jon Snow is not a king.” What a statement in the Game of Thrones where everyone else want to sit on a throne! And who admits mistakes until it is too late? Cersei of course.

Speaking of a witch, the Red Priestess makes a brief return. Jon goes into her tent and says she wasn’t at the War Council to which Melisandre replies “I am not a soldier.” But she is quite capable of killing! She is staring into the fire and looks down and defeated. Jon asks if she has any advice and similar to Sansa says “don’t do this.” Why would she say this if she has seen Jon retake Winterfell? She has lost her faith. Quite the contrast to the Red Priestesses who support Daenerys. But even with that loss of faith, Melisandre says that if Jon dies, and against his order, she will try to bring him back for she serves the Lord of Light and does what he commands.   Jon challenges this by saying “how do you know what he commands” and just as it is with all religions, it comes down to a matter of interpretation. No different from any other cult leader. They all accept killing in the name of their God.  And when Jon presses her as to why the Lord of Light brought him back, I found it shocking that she said she didn’t know. A long cry from when she said Snow was R’hllor.

As the Onion Knight walks in the dark, he amazingly comes upon a small stag buried in ashes at  a burnt funeral pile. Talk about finding a needle in a hay stack.  The stag belonged to Shireen and was the one Davos gave her. Now we have to presume that Davos knows the gruesome truth as to how the Princess died and who was responsible.  He stares back to the camp. It must have been a horrible feeling realizing that the man he respected and trusted, took part in the death of his own daughter. What will this mean for Melisandre? Will the Onion Knight kill her? And could Melisandre have seen her death in the flames when Jon entered her tent?  Does she accept the fact and  realize that she ordered an innocent child burned to death over an interpretation she clearly got wrong. Does she doubt her god or just herself? Who knows with fanatics!

THE BATTLE

Morning comes and it a bright and sunny day and it even looks warm. Compare this to the weather when Stannis was in camp and then routed. A sign from the heavens? Jon rides to the front of his army, with Davos, Tormund and the Giant, Wun Wun, by his side. They see the overwhelming numbers of their enemy and then we get a close up of bodies burning on Bolton’s sigils.  Seems like Ramsey is the “Mad Lord’ as he is burning bodies for show and not in the battle. Next comes Ramsey, dragging Rickon with a rope. Jon looks on in fear as Ramsey raises his sword as Rickon bows his head expecting the worst. But as Sansa said, Ramsey knows how to get under Jon’s skin, so he cuts the rope and asks Rickon if he likes games and that the sooner he runs to his brother, the sooner he will see him. This was sicker than anything Joffrey ever did, especially with the look on Ramsey’s face. And then there was the total look of terror on all those on Jon’s side. Such a maniac! Rickon runs as Jon tries to catch him on his horse. I guess Rickon never saw the movie the “In Laws” where Peter Falk instructed Alan Alda to run in a “serpentine.” Ramsey is shooting arrows at Rickon and obviously misses on purpose until the two get close. And then, an arrow finds its mark and we lose yet another Stark. We see Jon’s anger boiling over, and Tormund says to himself “don’t” as he knows Jon will rush to try to get Ramsey. Jon, losing his cool,  rushes on and the battle begins and what a battle it was!

Before continuing, while I expected a lot, even I did not expect the excellence and greatness of the cinematography that followed.

As the battle begins, Ramsey’s archers launch an assault of arrows and then he orders his cavalry to attack. Jon just stares, a sense of defeat about him, as he draws Longclaw, for what I am sure he thought was the last time. You could see the sense of dread and mistake on Jon’s face. I could hear Ygritte saying, and Sansa echoing, “You know nothing Jon Snow.” Ramsey launches more arrows, but the Onion Knight wisely tells his men not to advance as Ramsey’s arrows  kill a lot of Bolton’s own men. How poetic was it that Ramsey didn’t care if he was killing his own men? They should never have backed a man not willing to die for them.

Jon fights like a possessed man, and I mean possessed, more by the devil than God, as he slays one after another of Bolton’s men. He is being pushed by pure hatred with no thought of his own life. But even though Jon’s side inflicts more losses than they take, the numbers don’t lie and are against him. And as Jon’s yells a savage yelp, we see piles of dead bodies, too many to count. Then Davos, the Giant and Tormund and the rest of the men join the fight. On the other side, Smalljon “the traitor” Umber yells to his men “Who owns the North” and they reply “we do” and join the attack. Ramsey, however, stays in back. Something his father never would have done. Bastard! Tormund saves Jon’s life and the Giant comes running to confront the advancing Bolton army. Again, we are awe struck with the amount of dead men piling up. Staggering to watch.

The raging battle continues and the Giant points a warning, as the Bolton troops get closer and closer. They are behind their shields and using them as a wall. More carnage. Jon and his men are trapped with the Boltons on three sides and a mountain of bodies behind them. With spears sticking out between the shields, and with Ramsey smiling, the Bolton men press forward, squeezing what is left of Jon’s forces. Actually, I have to give Ramsey credit for this military strategy, which we haven’t seen before. Sansa was right in not underestimating that Bastard. And then more of Ramsey’s men attack, this time from the rear, as they climb over the mountain of dead bodies. The Giant springs into action, and manages to breach the Bolton shields and Tormund leads others in an attempt to fight their way out. But Bolton’s wall does not budge, even as Wun Wun, in true Mountain style, rips a man in two. But he is taking a terrible beating. Tormund is fighting Smalljon and that is not going well. Meanwhile, Jon has taken a terrible beating, is trapped underneath dead and dying bodies and it looks as if he may be buried alive. Even the music is somber.

With a cough similar to that of the Hound and Euron, Jon manages to rise and he looks first to the heavens and then out at the Giant, while a pleased Ramsey looks on.  All appears to be lost when a horn sounds. And with that sound, Tormund gains new confidence and slays the  traitor Umber-YES!! We then see a stunned Ramsey look out as the Knights of the Vale arrive in full force! He must be wondering where the hell they came from. We see a smiling Littlefinger with a forlorn Sansa next to him. She is mindful of the terrible loss of life that is occurring, Baelish,  not so much. The Knights of the Vale  take Bolton’s men from behind and wipe them out. And as the rout is on, Sansa is now able to smile, just a bit. Jon climbs over the bodies and with his bloody face, stares at Ramsey, who is now all but alone. Ramsey retreats to Winterfell, with Jon, Tormund and the Giant chasing after him. Sansa watches from high above-but what was she thinking as she sees the chase?

As Ramsey arrives in Winterfell, he tells his man that Jon’s army is gone and his guy replies “our army is gone.” Weren’t you surprised that Ramsey didn’t kill the dude? Bolton says they have Winterfell and that Jon doesn’t have men for a siege. But Ramsey didn’t count on a Giant’s strength to penetrate the walls of Winterfell, but then a Giant broke the gate at Castle Black. As Wun Wun batters the gate, I think it is the first time we see fear on Ramsey’s face. The Giant finally breaks the gate, and as he rushes in, he succumbs to all the arrows he has taken, and goes down. Jon’s men enter Winterfell and as Jon stands next to his friend. Ramsey fires one more arrow into Wun Wun, killing him. Sucked.

But Ramsey isn’t done yet as he tells Jon he has reconsidered one on one combat. He still thinks he can win by getting under Jon’s skin, but this time, Ramsey has underestimated Jon. For like the Hound, he is possessed and motivated by pure hatred of this man. Jon picks up a shield which stops each arrow Ramsey launches at him. Wasn’t sure what sigil was on the shield, but I thought it was Stannis’ stag. Jon is relentless and bashes away at Ramsey’s head and face with the shield and then his fists. And I mean bashing, time and time again making Ramsey’s face mush. Then we see Sansa and Jon stops as he senses she has the right to finish the job. Jon looks down over a fallen Bolton as Ali did over Foreman.  In “victory” the Bolton banners come down and the Stark banners once more rise at Winterfell. But at what price?

But we are not done. Melisandre has arrived with a more confident look as if “I told you so” that I saw Snow win back Winterfell. But off to the side, we see the Onion Knight give her a death stare as he is holding Shireen’s stag in his hands. The good weather is gone and it is snowing-Winter is Coming. Men bring in the fallen Rickon and Jon orders him buried in the crypt, next to “my  father” as Sansa looks on.

Sansa says to Jon “Where is he” and then we see the battered Ramsey, shackled in a chair in the kennels. Even bloodied, Ramsey still taunts her by saying “ Hello Sansa.” Reminded me of the scene in “Silence of Lambs” when Hannibal Lecter says “Hello Clarice.” She hits Ramsey with her icy stare as he asks if this is where he will be staying now. I guess he was relying on the Stark honor not to kill a prisoner, but Sansa is no Rob Stark. And what did Ramsey mean that she couldn’t kill him because she is part of him now? Did it mean his cruelty? Her reply was over the top “your words will disappear, your house will disappear, your name will disappear, all memory of you will disappear.” Sort of like what happened to House Reynes after Tywin wiped them out. Next we hear Ramsey’s dogs growling and as they get closer to Ramsey, Bolton says his hounds will never harm him. Somehow Sansa knew that Ramsey hadn’t fed them for seven days, she even said that he had said it himself, even though she had ridden away before he said it. I guess Jon told her. Ramsey continues by saying they are loyal beasts but Sansa is quick to reply they were but now they are starving. Do we equate his use of “beast” with slaves? False loyalty at best. The dogs sniff and lick Ramsey and he orders it to stop. But in a final episode filled with brutality, it gets even more brutal as the dogs eats Ramsey alive, tearing him apart, starting with his face. I fitting end for such an evil man. And as she walks away, we see a faint smile on Sansa’s face grow bigger.

WOW AND WOW. BEST EPISODE EVER, BAR NONE! First, we have to start with the cinematography, choreography and the music score. From close ups, wide outs, ariel shots,  slow motion and the use of so many camera angles it was the best battle scene I have ever watched. It even topped those shot for movies. And in the show, topped Blackwater and Hardhome. Not shy, the camera gets close up in the combat, especially with Jon Snow. Blow after blow, we see his face and how he views the slaughter from his personal prospective.  Dead bodies piling up as never before. The look on the combatants faces, all chilling with the melodramatic music in the background.  It depicted war as the horror that it is. And for the first time, I was happy that Ghost was not there! And we cannot forget the dragons-MAGNIFICENT!

So now, what will the future bring? Sansa looks as though she will be “Queen of the North” and will join Yara and Daenerys in that role. Funny how early on we thought Cersei could hold that title, but now, not so much. Women certainly took the lead in this episode.

But look at the North. Sure, Littlefinger is there with the Knights of the Vale, but will he stay? What is his plan? Was he a traitor to Sansa? Remember, he still has an ally in the Queen of Thorns. And as for being a traitor, who can forget what he said to Ned Stark in Season One “It is only treason if you lose.” Looks like he is winning now.

With so many dead and armies decimated, who is left to fight in the true war to come against the White Walkers? Can Sansa forgive and forget Jon for his stubbornness that cost so many lives? And will Davos kill Melisandre and if so, how does that reflect on the Lord of Light? Speaking of Sansa, did she know Littlefinger was coming with his army? If so, why didn’t she speak up? Did she realize that to win, it would take great sacrifice? A hard decision to make, one which Jon could not have done. Can she rule the North?

Back at Meereen, will Daenerys stay and rule for a while or head to the Seven Kingdoms? Will she be able to control all three dragons? And when and if she goes back to the Seven Kingdoms, will she be able to control the “Mad Queen” instincts within her?

Where in all this was Bran?? So important earlier, he has all but disappeared. How can he save men from the White Walkers?

And for the first time in a long time, religion played a minor role. This was just man being man and the evils they can instill on each other. Loyalty still played a key factor as in the end, the winners believed in their cause and leaders. Are the old ways burning away and being replaced by new ones?

Last, let us say a fond good bye to Wun Wun. He fought and died like a giant! Ser Shaun sent me a video of the dragons, Jon and the Giant and suggested that it be the picture post this week. I usually post only one picture, and at first was going to limit to just Wun Wun. But I chose two more, hope you think they are  deserving as well.

Next week is the last episode of the year. I presume it will focus on Cersei’s trial and have other good stuff. Can’t wait.

Eric, the Lord of Pinecrest