Game of Thrones Season 7 Episode 5 "Eastwatch" Review

Had to yell bullshit as soon as the episode started, because I see no way in which Bronn would have been able to swim himself and Jamie across that river and I also can’t really believe that Daenerys didn’t have her soldiers retrieve the man who just tried to murder her. But putting that aside, episode 5 was phenomenal.

Bronn and Jamie continue to have their witty banter that’s extremely entertaining, and I’m glad both of them made it out unburnt.

Not really digging this dark side of Dany. On one side, she did give the Lannister/Tarly forces a clear choice; bend the knee or die. But I’m siding with Tyrion, as he was trying to be her voice of reason, not to go overboard with the cruelty. I get it though, she came into this season with a massive army, fleet, and 3 dragons and since then she’s suffered some great losses. She’s always placed herself on a lower playing field because she’s not willing to be as cruel as Cersei or her father, so now she’s flexing. I just think she needs to tread carefully moving forward, or she may be headed towards Stannis’ fate.

But man, seeing Randyll and Dickon get burnt to ashes by Drogon was pretty rough. I didn’t love either of their characters, and I actually thought Randyll was a huge dick by the way he treated Sam last season. But they didn’t deserve to be executed in that way, but that’s the game they’re playing.

Jamie gets back to Cersei to tell her of the devastation their forces just suffered and Cersei is certain they can recover. Jamie tells her that the Dothraki and her dragons are something they can’t possibly hope to fight, but the kicker was when Jamie tells her that Olenna was the one who killed Joffrey, not Tyrion. The look on her face as she goes from denial to understanding the logic of the situation. Priceless.

Daenerys gets back to Dragonstone on Drogon’s back and lands right in front of Jon. As he approaches, Jon takes off his glove and Drogon allows him to touch his face. As if there was any more question whether Jon was a Targaryen, we can see that Drogon senses it. And Dany’s face shows her surprise as the fact that Drogon hasn’t swallowed Jon up right then and there.

Jon and Daenerys chat a little about how the dragons are like children to her, and how she just killed countless men in battle. Their ideologies are clearly different, but I think their hearts are in the right place. She brings up the line from Sir Davos from episode 2, about Jon getting a knife through the heart. It seems like he’s about to tell her the truth, when the Dothraki interrupt the conversation.

Behind them, the newly healed Jorah! I was so happy to see him back, free of greyscale, back at Daenerys’ side. That hug was such a feel-good moment on screen. This episode was rather void of action, but it made up for it in terms of how fast the story was moving, and quite frankly all the fan service. Which I’m totally fine with because it’s been an intense couple of episodes. It’s these small reunions and match up of characters that keep the show extremely exciting and fun to watch, without having to have crazy action scenes on screen.

We see Bran seemingly worg into multiple ravens, which he flies from Winterfell, past Eastwatch by the Sea, then north of the wall. It was beautifully shot, from an aerial perspective, where we see the vast frozen landscape. And then, the army of the dead. We finally get to see them, after the tease from the first episode of the season, and they are rolling deep. The ravens approach the Night King and he gives his classic evil glare that seems to force Bran out of the worg. Out of breath and scared, he immediately requests ravens to be sent out. Also, we finally see some sort of emotion coming from Bran, even if it is only fear. I was getting kind of bored with his emotionless scenes.

We get to see most of the old men, including the archmaester, being condescending to Sam at the Citadel, and not taking Bran’s warning seriously. Sam tries to convince them otherwise, but they continue to brush him off.

Varys and Tyrion have a good one on one, where Tyrion tries consoling himself about Daenerys’ actions and Varys shares his similar experiences when he served her father the Mad King. And we get see that Varys truly never changes, as he read what Bran had sent to Jon regarding the white walkers.

It’s a shame that Jon had to find out that Arya and Bran are alive and at Winterfell through a raven, because I would have loved to have seen his natural reaction at seeing them alive in person. The reunion will still be great to see on screen, at least between Arya and Jon.

So around the map table we have Jorah, Jon, Tyrion, Daenerys, and Davos all trying to figure out the next step. Jon is ready to leave after receiving this raven from Bran, and Tyrion comes up with the idea of bringing a whyte to Kings Landing, as the only way Cersei would actually believe them about the White Walkers. Jorah and Jon are on board to go North of the wall to capture one, while Davos agrees to smuggle Tyrion to King’s Landing to meet with Jamie, who will then convince Cersei. I know, it’s a lot going on, but it’s playing so fantastically on screen I can barely handle it.

The happy Stark sister reunion was very short lived, as they’re already at each other throats. Arya is very skeptical of Sansa’s intentions and loyalties, and Sansa seems to still be rather resentful of Arya. They both have their flaws but I do think they’re both loyal to Jon. But if I had to choose, I’d go with Arya without a second’s hesitation.

Tyrion and Davos arrive at Kings Landing. I mean, this show’s story is flying by. Characters are getting from one place to another from scene to scene, and I love it. Davos claims to have his own business to attend to in Flea Bottom, while Tyrion meets with Jamie. And what better way to have them come together, then by Bronn’s help. Bronn tricks Jamie into training underground where the dragon skeletons rest, when he was actually reuniting the two brothers for a secret meeting. The pain on Jamie’s face was beautifully acted as he’s torn about Tyrion. He even told Tyrion what he had told Bronn seasons ago, that if he ever saw Tyrion again, he’d cut him in half. Jamie now knows he didn’t kill his son, but he definitely killed their father, and that’s something Jamie can’t easily forgive.

Once again, I called it, and Gendry’s back baby! I knew he’d be back this season, after 4 long seasons of him being missing from the narrative. But the way they brought him back was genius. Davos formed a strong bond with him back in season 3, and he was the one that saved his life. So what better business could he have in visiting Flea Bottom than to recruit Gendry? Gendry did not hesitate in leaving either, and just like that, Gendry, Davos, and Tyrion are headed back to Dragonstone, after killing two foolish Lannister patrols. Pretty epic that Gendry’s weapon of choice is the battle hammer, just like his father used to fight Rhaegar.

So Cersei is pregnant? Um, ok? I kind of don’t believe her, it may just be a ploy to keep Jamie on the ropes. Jamie tells her about his meeting with Tyrion, which she already knew about. She also plans on telling everyone that Jamie is the father. How times have changed. And Cersei is scheming, by actually agreeing to meet with Daenerys. But what choice does she have, other than being roasted alive? I can’t wait to see her plans unfold.

Gendry and Jon’s meeting and conversation were great. I love how straight up Gendry was with him and I really enjoyed the dynamic between the two. Lighthearted and genuine, two bastards of two powerful men, who were best friends. Or at least one them is a bastard?

Jorah and Daenerys say farewell once again, but she also says goodbye to Jon, and man can you tell there’s something there. Also, I like the light jealous tension between Jorah and Jon. It’s not overt, but it’s there.

One of the biggest reveals in this show was just glanced over in this episode and I’m really freaking out about it. Gilly asks Sam for the definition of annulment, and then mentions that “Raggar” (Rhaegar) had his marriage annulled and then secretly got married in Dorne. It was so easy to miss, but knowing this, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to deduce that this means Jon Snow is in fact not a bastard. What he is is the true heir to the Iron Throne, with more right to it than Daenerys herself. BAM. But God knows he doesn’t want that title, so let’s see how this plays out. Oh, and Sam left the Citadel with a bunch of stolen scrolls. That’s going to be of some importance in the coming episodes.

I just want Littlefinger to get his throat slit already. Arya is used to dealing with people much dumber than her, and she’s never gone up against someone the likes of Littlefinger. That man is the definition of a snake, and he’s smart as hell. He leads Arya right into his trap, where he planted a raven message that Sansa was coerced into sending back in season 1 by Cersei. But Arya doesn’t know this, and it’s going to cause some Stark drama for sure. Bran just needs to tell them everything and get Littlefinger out of the equation before someone else dies.

Jon, Gendry, Davos, and Jorah arrive at Eastwatch where Tormund has been running the wall. After some classic Tormund shit-talking, he leads them down to the cells, where the Hound and Brotherhood are being held. And just like that, the best A-Team possible has just been assembled to go beyond the wall. The episode ends with them venturing past the gate, and holy shit the chills I got. Which can only be surpassed by the insane, action-packed preview for next week. This season has been too good, and my heart breaks thinking about the fact that there’s only 2 episodes left.