In the week since Game of Thrones Season 5 Episode 6 scandalized viewers with an unexpected rape scene, critics of the show have called for a boycott, while Thrones enthusiasts have continued to insist that the show is no more shocking than it’s ever been.
Of course, all of this is unlikely to change the way showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff approach their source material, and while last night’s installment was completed several months before the latest GoT controversy, it serves as a reminder that Westeros will forever remain a bloody and brutal place.
Watch Game of Thrones Season 5 Episode 7 OnlineWe begin with a reminder of Jon Snow’s big risk (Taking a ride with some Wildlings? What could go wrong!), and the surprisingly affecting death of Aemon Targaryen. ("I dreamed I was old." All the feels.)
Aemon’s was the rare peaceful demise on GoT, but it signaled the start of some serious trouble for Sam. More on that later.
Speaking of sad, horrible things, Sansa’s marriage to Ramsay is going about as horrifically as everyone expected.
When your best chance for a rescue is Theon/Reek, you know you’re in dire straits, and the eldest Stark daughter’s hope is snuffed out like a candle when the former Greyjoy heir proves predictably unable to defy his new master.
Many fans were skeptical when Weiss and Benioff made the decision to have Sansa marry Ramsay (In George R.R. Martin’s books, one of Sansa’s friends served as Ramsay’s bride/victim.) but regardless of one’s feelings about Sansa’s suffering, the stakes have certainly been raised, and the action at Winterfell has proven to be this season’s most white-knuckle storyline.
Meanwhile, Stannis – the only real threat to Ramsay’s cruel reign in the North – is doing some suffering of his own.
In addition to the difficulties brought about by the impending winter (Finally!), his side-piece/advisor is counseling him to sacrifice his own daughter in order to ensure victory over the Boltons.
Not even king yet, and the man is already being already being forced to make Solomon-esque judgment calls!
Back at the Wall, Gilly receives the inevitable unwanted attention from some Brothers of the Night’s Watch and Sam once again proves his worth. This time, he’s rewarded handsomely. Does anyone in the Watch take that celibacy vow seriously?
Game of Thrones: Season 5 Episode 7 Photos
VIEW GALLERYSpeaking of unexpected badasses, we’re then treated to another classic Tyrion moment as he whups the ass of an overzealous slaver.
With that, he and Jorah are finally off to Meereen to take their turn in the fighting pits. Sounds like fun!
Speaking of Meereen, the Khaleesi is soon to marry Hizdar, but she’s still banging Daario, and it seems that she’s once again feeling the burden of being queen as her lover reminds her that "all rulers are either butchers or meat."
Of course, in Dany’s case it’s butchers or meat horribly charred by dragon’s breath.
At least one authority figure remains perfectly comfortable with his power, as the High Sparrow squares off with Olenna Tyrell in King’s Landing without a care for her threats or her considerable clout.
Meanwhile, Tommen continues to wear his crown as awkwardly as ever, as he pines for his imprisoned wife. He still can’t figure out how to regain his diminishing power, but he’s gained the strength to face off his mother’s eternally cocked eyebrow. Cersei’s tears reveal it’s not just her power that she hopes to protect with her wicked maneuvering.
Unfortunately for the Queen Mum, Lady Tyrell still has a valuable ally in Lord Baelish, who uses his knowledge of the Queen Mother’s past dalliances to deliver an epic comeuppance, as well as one of the most satisfying scenes in GoT history.
Down in Dorne, Cersei’s brother/baby daddy is less effective in his argument with Myrcella, while compelling Tyene Sand in her tete-a-tete with Bronn. Poison and boobs are apparently quite the combination.
Daenerys is about as thrilled with Meereenese fighting pits as everyone (with the exception of Hizdar) would’ve expected. She’s even less thrilled by the sight of Jorah Mormont.
We don’t get to see Dany’s reaction to the "gift" of Tyrion Lannister, but the audience has been waiting for this moment since season one.
While we’ll have to wait a week to see our first real convo between the Mother of Dragons and the Only Likable Lannister, the epsiode ends on a supremely satisfying note as Cersei is tossed in the dungeon by the same religious zealots she empowered.
Will she finally get what’s been coming to her for five seasons? Will two fan favorites join forces to claim the Iron Throne once and for all? Watch Game of Thrones online to find out!
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