Winter is Coming! But Season 7 is here now! Here’s my humble take on Episode 1 of Season 7. Of course it should go without saying, SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Riverlands
100% smug
Sing, O goddess, the anger of Arya daughter of Ned, that brought countless ills upon the Freys! The Red Wedding has been avenged in what might now call the Grey Luncheon. Arya uses her top secret assassin skills to poison nearly the entire Frey clan, avenging their murder of her mother and brother that they had committed in that very same room. More chaps named “Walder Frey” died in those few minutes than had died over the past 50 years combined. Arya, point made to the hapless survivors, moves on to continue her rampage. Later we find out Arya is old enough to drink.
The Wall
Bran Stark, last living son of Ned Stark, is finally in safe hands. He and Meera Reed have finally made it back to the Wall and the protection and safety of the Night's Watch.
The North
We see Jon, King in the North at his war council, preparing his kingdom for war. His order that every man, woman and child be trained to defend their land from invaders, whether these invaders be White Walkers or the Lannister armies. Jon and Salsa publicly clash over the fate of the estates of two traitors. Salsa sees Jon making the same mistakes her brother and father made, and attempts to steer him in the more politically expedient direction. And Jon, acting just like Rob and Ned before him, takes the more stubbornly honorable- yet politically foolish option. We shall see if this particular decision comes back to haunt- and hunt- him; whether the two young wards who swore allegiance to him stay loyal, or if they betray him just as their own father’s had only just recently betrayed the Starks.
King’s Landing
Sure enough, Euron Greyjoy has offered his services to Cersei. A very interesting proposition: he grants her control of the seas with his vast armada in return for her hand in marriage. She has asked him to prove to her that he is worth it, and off he went to do just that. The prize will need to be victory in battle against Cersei’s foes. This is probably the cause of the large naval battle we have been shown in the trailer:
Euron knows that if he brings back a victory over the Targaryan-Starks naval forces (probably lead by Admiral Davos Seaworthy himself) and Queen Cersei will reward him with ‘something’. However, Davos will be more than ready to avenge his humiliating defeat (and the deaths of his sons in that battle) at the hands of the Lannister navy at the great Battle of the Blackwater.
The two greatest sea captains in all the world: Euron vs. Davos coming soon in the Battle of Blackwater Part 2? Prepare to GET HYPE.
Somewhere in the North
The Hound and his merry gang of merry men appear to be on a one way collision with the White Walkers. And what a merry band they are. In the Hound’s fiery vision, prompted by the Lord of Light, he sees the White Walkers plan for getting past the wall: to go around it altogether near “a mountain that looks like an arrowhead.” Will the Hound Gang alert the rest of Westeros of the White Walker’s cunning plan?
Also note the subtle subplot within this scene underlying the Hound’s reluctance to walk towards the fireplace. As the Hound explained many books earlier, the deformity of his face was caused by his very own brother, the Mountain, holding his face in a fireplace as a punishment of sorts. As a result, the Hound appears to have post traumatic stress disorder related to this unpleasant experience and triggered by fireplaces. Thoros the magician making him look into the fire challenged him to face this phobia.
North of the Wall
Zombie freakin giants!
Oldtown
Sam endures a literally crappy job and runs into a now heavily grayscale-covered Ser Jorah. However he also discovers the source of the location of a massive dragonglass mine. As Dragonglass is kryptonite against the White Walkers, Sam has just performed yet another great (and unsung) act of heroism, possibly saving Westeros in the process. The location is, very coincidentally enough, in an unassumingly named place called Dragonstone. He sends a message via raven to Jon to alert him. This will then bring Jon into contact with his (still unknown to him) aunt, the Mother of Dragons. Which brings us to…
Dragonstone, Fortress Island on the Eastern Westerosi Coast
Targaryan Invasion of Westeros II: Dothraki Boogaloo
The Mother of Dragons has landed at Dragonstone, an ancestral stronghold of the Targaryans, and later the headquarters of Stannis Baratheon during the War of the Five Kings. This will be her new headquarters and beachhead in Westeros. And only a few days journey from King's Landing itself. We are treated with a great deal of the Targaryan dragon imagery. In coming episodes we’ll get to see it restored to its former glory, Targaryan red and all.
Wild Plot Twist Appeared- its Super Effective
But watch out, ladies and gentlemen. We are beginning to see the unfolding of another poetic GRRM plot twist. We had a War of the Five Kings...
And now we may very well be gearing up for a War of the Five Queens...
During this premier episode the stage has been set for the bloodletting sure to come. So get your popcorn ready because the Game of Thrones is afoot!