Thundercats are GO!

Pretty self explanatory: Gendry returns to Dragonstone! And it looks like Benioff and Weiss will write more than 2 eps the last seasons.

Oh man. This episode was like waiting for a Dance of Dragons to come out, and being super excited, and then actually reading it.

My guess about what Euron is going to get for Cersei is the Dragonhorn. I could be way off, of course, but that was my thought at the end of the scene.

I'll give it a 7 out of 10. There were quite a few uninspired scenes where they just couldn't quite get the chemistry right. They felt forced. The Hound/Beric/Thoros scenes were great. Sansa was pretty terrific, although she has a lot to learn. And the opening Walder scene was fun. Arya's "dead eyes" look is getting sort of old though. Sam's little pouring/retching montage was too much. Jorah was the best surprise for me. I wasn't sure when his sweaty v-neck was going to show up again. There are some fun scenarios playing through my head about which direction they might go next.

I gave it a 5. Goods and bads, typical set up opener.

Likes:
Winter came for House Frey, Arya does a good Walder voice impersonation.
Jon laying down the law, and Sansa not giving into LF
Tormund likes to get pegged
Great opening shot of the Army of the Dead
All of the Hound and the Brotherhood, your topknot doesnt hide that you are bald, lol

Sam w Arch Maester

Jorah hand

Dislikes
Cerseis maproom and her scene w Jaime
Urine, he looked like the Pulp Fiction Gimp, far too cocky imo. Just felt it was a bad scene.

Sams poop montage.  Terrible.

Danys homecoming was lame.  No conflict, no one there to defy her.  

Arya and the teenage Lannisters at the campfire.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

-- Edited by Rygar on Monday 17th of July 2017 11:49:00 AM

Had to edit post.

I dont rate an episode by quantifying the good and the bad.  To me it was an average episode overall.  

-- Edited by Rygar on Monday 17th of July 2017 11:55:09 AM

I'm not sure how the scene of Dany's arrival could've been improved. I really don't think it needed an action scene, with the Unsullied butchering Stannis' soldiers who were left behind or pirates/bandits/whatever who had accommodated themselves.
Would it be cool? Maybe? But I think it would've been pointless regardless.
An abandoned castle just lying there unoccupied makes no *realistic* sense, but it's a tv show nonetheless. If we are going to argue that, I'd say the fact the Lannisters are able to keep and maintain an army makes even less sense, considering their beef with the Iron Bank and how Highgarden took its resources away. Wasn't Highgarden paying for everything not too many seasons ago because the Crown was broke? Didn't Stannis have a bad time trying to get soldiers because he was out of coins? But alas, Lannisters have either a magical army that doesn't need money to be fed, armed and such, or they got a pile of money from somewhere else.

The cold open was a bit fan-servicey, but I don't see it as a bad thing. For me it did a few interesting things, basically Arya can use the face of anyone she kills, that should be a quite fun and that she tries to avoid hurting innocent women.

When Bran went past the wall, did he even check if the Nights King mark was still on him? He is gonna ruin everything again isn't he? I did love his vision, Wight Giants, hoo boy!

To me Jon and Sansa's antagonism doesn't feel unnatural. While the show did not show us much ( if any of their past relationship). The books said that Sansa shared her mothers coldness toward Jon. She undermines him because A: She is a rightful Stark and was passed over, and B she simply sees him as a bastard brother and not a commander or king. And she is right when she said: "Father and Robb made stupid mistakes and lost their heads." They followed their hearts and honor and paid the price and Jon loves doing the same.

Cersei's new maproom was a nice way to show how completely screwed she is, surrounded by enemies by all sides. I like Euron, more a sociopath than a psycho like Ramsay, his swagger cracks me up, tho I doubt he will be a nuisance for long.

As an editor I loved Samwell's "shitjob" montage, one of the loudest laughs of the night for me. I like Jim Broadbendt as the Archmaester , but his "the wall always stood past it all" is pointed. It makes sense tho, its Chekhov's wall now.

While I can see how Arya's scene with the soldiers can be seen as pointless. It showed that not all Lannister soldiers are sadistic killers, and the fact they are all young, shows that the Lannisters are running low on experienced fighting men and are now filling their ranks with conscripted boys. Still, she should have killed that shit Ed Sheeran, he sucks ass.

Interesting, the hound who hates fire and avoids it as much as possible, can see in the flames. Poetic, and I liked the callback to his scene with the farmer and his little girl, and how much he has grown as a character. Rory has been a treasure in this role.

I thought Dany's homecoming was beautiful, just cinematic shots and music. It would been ruined to me if there was some kinda halfassed battle or dialog. As for the Stannis bit, Stannis hated Dragonstone, he considered it an insult when he was given that island instead of Storms End. When he went to the wall he never intended to go back, he would not even go back to the wall after getting stuck in the snow on his way to Winterfell. Even if he did leave a small garrison there, he has been dead for almost a year, they would have left long ago. Also why would Dany cry when she got there? She was an infant when she left, do you cry when you go by the hospital where you were born?

She noted the sigificance of the occasion, but the fact she turned to maproom after only glancing at the throne says that Dragonstone is only a pitstop for now.

As far as season premieres go, this one of the better ones, 8/10.

While not a big Dany fan by any means, I was touched by her homecoming. There did not need to be words or battle for wee me. I'm easily amused. Liked Sam, Gilly and wee Sam at the Citidel - is that golden thing hanging from the ceiling in the library the same one we see in the opening credits or is it a fig newton of my imagination?

Look I get it, Jaime says Dragonstone was deserted, they dont have the army to leave KL undefended, etc. You cant change my perspective. It was just anti climatic for me. It didnt bring on any feels. It could have been better.

It didn´t suck! Go figure . 

I enjoyed Sandor and the Brotherhood´s scenes the most. 

- Why you always in such a foul mood, Clegane?

- Experience

I didn´t care about Drangonstone scene because I know she will always suck and I guess they giving up the directing with her. Let her be pretty and silent.

I did like Jon and Sansa too and she said he is fit to rule, I think she likes him but she honestly saying she can really help him and also telling "don´t be such an ass like our brother and father". Also, she looked so pretty, right?

Good episode. Not sure how Sansa is supposed to wear the mantle of sisters doing it for themselves because she sure gives bad advice. Unless, of course, the Karstarks or whoever kill Jon in the next few episodes. Anyway, my favorite scenes were where Arya sat down with the Lannister soldiers for some rabbit and Clegane Cleganing in the ruined farmstead accomplishing in two scenes what GURM was barely able to do in an entire (half) book (AFFC).

First watch, on cellphone, in Chicago... OMG JIM FUCKING BROADBENT
Second watch, last night with OLS.... Maybe that's not Jim Broadbent, someone would have said something by now.
Credits: THAT FUCKING WAS JIM FUCKING BROADBENT WHY DIDN'T SOMEONE SAY SOMETHING BEFORE HAND OR ANYONE FREAK OUT ABOUT IT?

Who was Jim Broadbent?