I don’t know about you but I felt that this episode crawled by despite being packed with important plot points. This was a “positioning” episode. Move the characters around as fast as possible to set up the homestretch of the final three episodes. In the aftermath of the Lannister beatdown, Daenerys showed she still has a little Targaryen left in her. Pour one down for House Tyrell, they fell as fast as they rose (pun intended). As noble as they were, dying for the cause they begrudgingly supported, this was ultimately about writing and fleshing out Dany’s changing character. We’ve come to know her as the champion of morality in a rather amoral fantasy universe. However it appears burning POWs isn’t beneath her character anymore. Out of all the characters in Game of Thrones, Dany has changed the most from the first season. Going from a scared, innocent young girl to a badass dragon queen. However, that transition is beginning to test the allegiances of Tyrion and Varys.

As we have seen from season 6, the show is condensing plot lines which is moving the action along at a much faster pace. In one episode, we saw Tyrion go to King’s Landing where Sir Davos picked up our old friend Gendry (we knew he wasn’t finished yet) and brought him back to team up with Jon Snow. Gendry with his hammer and Jon Snow like Ned and Robert Baratheon back in the old days. Ready to kick White Walker ass[i]. Then not 15 minutes later in the episode they meet up with Beric Dondarrion, the Hound and the wily crew of light believers who, I forget why they were going North? Cause the Hound had a vision? But alas the Westerosi A-Team has been born with the challenge of grabbing a dead soldier to deliver to Cersei. Which brings me to Cersei.

I was hoping that this season would bring us the Cersei v Daenerys throwdown and while it is still possible, it is now looking far less likely. Cersei is at least capable of acknowledging that she can’t beat Daenerys mano y mano and has resigned herself to coming up with an alternative way to dispatch her enemies. And she is going to be even more vicious now because she’s got a plus one. As we all know Cersei will do anything for her children.

This brings up an interesting problem however because the only fighting force she has left is Euron Greyjoy. And the only reason he is taking orders is because he wants to put a ring on it. Sounds to me like either Euron is about to hit free agency. Or the baby actually belongs to Euron Greyjoy. I know. But how else would Cersei truly get Euron’s ongoing loyalty? And if she was pregnant, of course she would tell Jamie it’s his cause if it wasn’t, he would leave. He’s already feeling a little uneasy with this whole arrangement where he fights dragons on behalf of a vindictive power-hungry tyrant who lest we forget, murdered thousands of innocent people by blowing up a church.

I will admit that I was wrong about Sam and Jorah Mormont teaming up and being interesting finally. After a couple of episodes they are separate once again. Mormont signed up for the winter season of the walking dead (seriously I feel like that show only takes place in warm weather. Doesn’t it get cold eventually in Georgia) while I haven’t the slightest idea what Sam is doing. As far as I can tell he snagged a bunch of random scrolls and is going where exactly? What if those scrolls don’t have anything at all related to white walkers. Are you just going to come back, return them, and then check a different set of scrolls out? Don’t keep them too long Sam, those Citadel late fees stack up quick.

I’ve been saying for four straight articles now. Littlefinger is trouble. I admit I didn’t fully understand what that note was about that Littlefinger hid specifically for Arya to find. I did some research and the prevailing theory is that note was written by Sansa back in season 1 when Ned Stark was being held captive. The note was the letter Sansa wrote pledging her loyalty to King Joffrey in an effort to save her father. Also remember, Littlefinger was the one who suggested she be given the opportunity to do so. At the time, I would assume it was just to prevent Sansa from meeting an ill-fated and early exit. The point is that Littlefinger knows that three Starks and a Snow are much harder to control and predict then one. Trying to sow discord amongst the Stark family plays to his interests. But what is his end game? To isolate Sansa? He knows that Sansa is getting wise to his games, so he may be turning his attention to manipulating the people around her in an effort to pressure her to the point where she will need to guarantee his loyalty. My other guess is that Baelish and Cersei will start scheming together if it is advantageous enough for both. Honestly, they deserve each other.

So for me, the most exciting part of this episode was actually the short preview after the credits of the next episode, where the A-Team goes up against a zombie horde. That. Will. Be. Dope. And it also means we need to start taking bets on which main character is going to die next. Someone is going to get zombified in this next episode. Mormont can’t sale all around the earth looking for a cure, get cured, and then an episode later die to then get turned into a White Walker private. I don’t see that happening. The Hound can’t die because he still needs to fight the Mountain. We need to see that. Jon Snow isn’t going to die because he already died once. You can only pull that nonsense twice with a major character. So my bet is on Dondarrion. He hasn’t served much of a role as a character up to this point yet he’s been continually revived for some reason. My guess is he somehow holds off an army of dead men so the rest can escape and he goes out in a literal blaze of glory. The other potential factor is what about Benjen Stark? He came in and saved Bran, then stayed north of the wall to continue to fight. If he were to return to the show, this would be the time.

[i] Side note: Jon Snow just got finished mining dragonglass which is crucial to the defense of the wall and well, actually killing White Walkers. So why is Gendry, perhaps the best smith in King’s Landing, going north of the wall on a suicide mission instead of making dragonglass weapons? You know nothing, Jon Snow.