At long last we the episode has finally arrived where we got to see the big meeting of Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen, and to be frank, it was a little anti-climactic. The big star of the episode in all honestly was really Cersei, the Queen who the title seems to be referring to, as her cunning and style are what really drives the episode. Even though some may call this one of the slower episodes of the season, I think there was still plenty going on, and lots to be excited about, even if one of the bigger meet ups felt a little underwhelming.
Let’s start with Sam’s story, which was simple enough, basically, his Maester teacher checked Jorah for signs of the greyscale, proclaimed the man cured, then demanded that Sam visits his office later, fully aware of what happened. Jorah prepares to head out and thanks Sam for everything, even shaking his hand in an ominous moment (are we SURE the man in cured?), and we are left saddened that Sam is not going with Jorah, as we grow tired of the Citadel. And when we think maybe Sam will get chucked out for helping Jorah, the Maester in charge rebukes Sam but also tells him he should be proud for the skill shown in performing that procedure on Jorah, and he will be allowed to stay. He also gives him an odd pile of old, moldy scrolls to re-transcribe, which I suspect might turn out to be very important, which is why he tasks Sam with looking them over.
At Winterfell, Littlefinger tries to make himself seem important by coaching Sansa on the need to see everything, anticipate every situation, and always be planning for all possible scenarios, right before Bran comes home to the shock of all, including Littlegfinger, who ironically enough did not see that twist coming. Sansa is overjoyed to see her little brother, but Bran is a changed man, as he is now the Three-Eyed Raven, and seems far too aloof at being reunited with his sister (though to be fair, Sansa was no one’s favorite sister). In the godswood, he tries to tell her what he is now, and his example of his prescience is him telling her details about her awful wedding night, which freaks out Sansa, making her leave her little brother alone in the sanctuary.
At King’s Landing, Cersei is visited by the banker from Braavos, who reminds her of the amount the crown owes them, a debt that is even more precarious now that the Lannisters no longer have the backing of House Tyrell. Cersei reminds her that the Lannisters always pay their debts, and also that he would be better backing her because Dany cost Braavos money in Slaver’s Bay (they were invested in the slave trade) and Jon Snow could care less about their money, and for now it seems like the man from Braavos is going to stick around and support Cersei. Euron returns with Yara, Ellaria, and the final Sandsnake, and after a triumphant march through the city, presents his gifts for Queen Cersei, who promises her hand in marriage once the war is over. She takes Ellaria and her daughter down to the dungeons, and gives the Sandsnake the same kiss of death Ellaria gave Myrcella, and then leaves, so Ellaria can watch her own daughter die. Flush with her successes, Cersei goes to Jamie’s quarters where they sleep together, being so bold as to not even care about hiding it from the servant who visits, which is astounding to Jamie.
And now for the heart of the matter, the Dany and Jon story. Jon and Davos arrive at Dragonstone and are greeted warmly by Tyrion, right before they are led to the first meeting with Dany, which does not go well. Dany does not believe Jon’s warning right away about the White Walkers and is appalled that he will not bend the knee when his ancestors swore allegiance in perpetuity to her family. The meeting is broken up when news of Euron’s fleet destroying the ships going to Dorne arrives, and Jon is basically asked to wait, though he cannot leave the island as they have taken his boat. Meanwhile, Varys questions Melissandre on why she is not present for the meeting, and she confesses she would be a problem since Davos hates her, and says she is leaving for Essos, but will return as she, same as Varys, is destined to die in Westeros. Jon and Tyrion talk next in Tyrion’s favorite brooding spot (he laments that Jon looks better brooding there than he ever does), and Tyrion advises Jon that while he believes him about the Walkers, it is a lot to ask Dany to drop everything and fight that kind of war on his word alone. 
He instead asks what small things they could do to help Jon, and Jon asks Dany and Tyrion for access to the dragon-glass stockpile, which Tyrion convinces Dany to give to Jon. Tyrion reminds her that they need allies, especially with Yara and Ellaria captured, and that this small act could lead to a bigger alliance in the future. Dany and Jon talk once more, and she says she will help him mine the dragon glass.
Meanwhile, Greyworm and his men arrive at Casterly Rock, using an ingenious secret passageway that Tyrion created years ago to storm the castle and take it, only to find the majority of Lannister forces have fled, and Euron’s fleet in the water, destroying the ships that brought them across Westeros. The Lannister army meanwhile has gone to Highgarden, to take the lands of the Tyrells and all of their gold, to put down their rebellion and satisfy their debt to Braavos. The episode ends with a final conversation between Jamie and Lady Olenna as she is captured. He informs her that Cersei knew Tyrion would go after Casterly Rock, and while he would have defended it. Cersei knew taking Highgarden was more important, especially since Dany’s forces would not be able to hold Casterly Rock long with their ships destroyed. Olenna asks how she will die, and Jamie says he argued for a quick and easy death for her and pours a small bit of poison into a wine glass for her to consume. Olenna eagerly drinks her cup, then proceeds into one of the greatest death monologues the show has ever done. She tells Jamie that she is glad this poison is painless, as she does not want to die like Joffrey. She announces that she, not Tyrion as Jamie and Cersei had thought for so long, killed Joffrey, and she was proud to do it, and she wants Jamie to tell Cersei, giving Olenna the final word in their tortuous relationship. Even as she dies, Olenna strikes one last time at the Lannisters, and the information she gives might be enough to drive a wedge between Jamie and Cersei, as Jamie still loves Tyrion, and knowing his little brother did not kill their son might be enough to get him to spare his brother, even if Cersei continues to hate the dwarf.
GAME OF THEORIES:
- No Arya this week, but I’m sure we’ll see her back at Winterfell with her siblings soon enough, and I really hope she calls out Bran for being so weird, as well as expels Littlefinger from the Castle, threatening his life if he does not leave. That’s my hope at least.
- I think the Braavos banker has no faith in Cersei, and will turn on her as soon as the time is right. The Lannisters have been in debt for 6 seasons and only cried “A Lannister always paid their debts” instead of actually following suit, which is sure to infuriate those bankers. My other theory is, if Arya does not get to Winterfell soon, perhaps she has disguised herself as that banker and is now waiting for the opportune moment to kill Cersei…
- Feeling a definite rom-com vibe from Dany and Jon, two stubborn kids, from different sides of the block, stubborn, yet two sides of the same coin – could easily see them go in the romantic direction with that set-up.
- Dany very clearly heard Davos speak about Jon taking a dagger to the heart and dying, I want to know what that means to her, and whether she will recognize something in Jon because of it. Maybe see a similarity to how she “died” for her people when she went into the flames? Maybe this is what will convince her Jon is worthy of riding a dragon?
- Melissandre specifically says “I brought Fire and Ice together.” This is no coincidence. The name of the book series is ‘A Song Of Ice and Fire,” is this confirmation that Dany and Jon are definitely getting together to save the day, maybe even will survive to the end?
- I really want Sam to get out of the Citadel – maybe he’ll read something immensely important on one of those scrolls that he has to deliver to Dany and/or Jon personally?
- I also want to point out that Sir Davos also has good reason to hate Tyrion, as the wildfire released at the Battle of the Blackwater did kill Davos’s sons. Of course, the man might just chalk up what happened to the heat of battle and all that, but he might be harboring a revenge plot as well toward the dwarf. In the books at least, the deaths of his sons still eat away at him.
Not a huge action episode, though the samplings we got were decent enough, but that Olenna scene at the end, and having a lot of scenes with Dany, Jon and Tyrion made up for any negatives in the episode in my opinion. I just hope that Dany and Jon get along better and start sharing more information soon, especially about his heritage, so they can realize they should be on the same side before it is too late. And Dany definitely needs to jump on the offensive and do something strong before Cersei whittles away her whole army, because so far, Dany has no major victories, while Cersei has 2 clear ones. See you back here next week for episode 4!
