7x01 Dragonstone review thread (spoilers)
Jul 17, 2017 7:01:05 GMT
kingeomer, day dreamer, and 8 more like this
Post by DaveyJoe on Jul 17, 2017 7:01:05 GMT
This thread contains spoilers for season 7x01 but spoilers for future episodes are not allowed.
So we start with a cold open, something that's only happened two other times that I can recall. We're all a bit thrown when the episode opens up with Walder Frey proposing a toast to his great house. This is an interesting way to start the season, but I think savvy viewers will pick up on the entire twist of this scene immediately, which is fine. My question is how the whole faceless man mask thing works. I can only assume Arya cut off Walder's face and wore it, but when she stands up and proposes a toast, she looks like a stocky old man, but we know Arya is a short, petite woman with small shoulders. What causes the illusion of Arya possessing an old man's frame? Just slapping the face of Walder Frey on Arya Stark's body would look comical, and completely unconvincing, so there must be something more to it? Will they explain, or hope we don't think too much about it? I hope it's the former, or that they drop this plot device immediately or it's going to start feeling like Scooby Doo unmasking scenes the next time it happens.
Like we're gonna see the twist coming a mile away and
Well maybe not.
The opening theme song plays and it's good to have the show back. So good. We got Dragonstone and Oldtown and I for one am excited about the new directions the show is taking us this year. The opening scene is a dark blue wasteland with an encroaching purple cloud racing towards the horizon. I want to believe it's Prince and his posse serving up pancakes and basketball, but an ominous silhouette on horseback tells me that it's the Night King. HBO Now's streaming is pretty stellar, and much sharper, with greater color vibrancy than HBO Go by far, but god damn there is some vicious color banding in this sequence, and I wonder if it will be on the bluray. Anyway, we have an army of the dead walking towards the camera in the season premiere, and that's pretty exciting, but we've seen it all before. Zombies in the snow marching towards the camera, this scene has been played out repeatedly since season two, and my balls are as blue as the white walkers' at this point, can we get on wi- HOLY SHIT THAT'S AN UNDEAD GIANT THE GAME HAS CHANGED SON.
Dolorous Edd and the remaining four members of the Night's Watch greet Bran and Meera. When asked for proof of their identity Bran says some spooky psychic shit like that convinces everybody that he's a noble heir and not a harbinger of doom that's been marked by the Night King. So they're rushed into the protection of the Night's Watch and its five remaining men. If the phrase wasn't copyrighted by Disney, I'm sure Edd would've said "I've got a bad feeling about this" before turning away from the camera.
Yes there were multiple hints that the wall will come down but I'm sure Edd has got this.
We jump next to Jon Snow's meeting of Northern Lords and Ladies that kind of feels like it picked up right after the KING OF THE NORTH moment from last season. Jon tells his subjects to look for records of Dragonglass, which will be the most valuable commodity of the future, just after fire, food, and reddit karma. There's an awkward moment between Lord Glover and Lady Mormont when Jon commands that both men and women of all ages be trained in the art of combat. Lady Mormont promptly puts Glover in his place. She's one of the most badass characters in the show, but at just eleven years of age, her enemies could manipulate her with a 20 pack of Chicken McNuggets, I pray this show never gets that dark.
Season 6 had some very confusing decisions specifically with the relationship between Sansa Stark and Jon Snow. There were several plot-hinging moments that made little sense unless they were developed in subsequent seasons as a family rift of sorts. Suffice to say, we're all watching Sansa Stark very closely and how she chooses to apply her learned skills of the Game in the Northern politics and the wars to come. Some of the most compelling moments of the premiere are born from this conflict between Sansa and Jon who immediately have differences of opinion on how to handle the lands of the Karstarks and Umbers. Sansa provides compelling reasons why they should show no mercy to the heirs of the traitors. The Northern lords show some support but they're clearly confused by clapping at somebody with a vagina. Luckily Jon Snow stands up and reminds everybody of how many people he's killed and that he has a penis, go back and watch, one dude awkwardly claps immediately when Jon starts talking. Then he parades the kids out to draw swords and swear oaths in an adorable but kind of creepy display that you might see at the last fundraising event before an election.
Surprise surprise, 10 year old Alys and Ned are supportive of Jon who promises not to murder them in exchange for infinite support.
And of course Littlefinger is watching all of this subtle bickering play out with great interest. It's fascinating to me that as important moments of power dynamics shift, Littlefinger is silent, but studious. He never addresses large crowds or gives great speeches, he's always watching powerful people struggle to conduct themselves in public moments of turmoil. But he's got plenty of advice to give to people once they're alone. It's an interesting dynamic. I think there was foreshadowing to a rift between Sansa and Jon, and Petyr himself planted that seed as far back as 6x05 when he said "your half-brother." What's interesting is that Jon can lead men of different backgrounds and larger stature, but he can't get his own sister to trust him. And part of that falls on him. He can't shake the fact that he was an outcast, he ate dinner at a different table than Sansa. And through his accomplishments, he's a bit skeptical of her judgment because she had a promised position of respect. The kindest thing Sansa and Jon can muster towards each other is that Jon isn't Joffrey. It's a funny line, but there's no love among these siblings. Cersei and Jaime have more love for each other, and that's a scary thought.
And we finally see Queen Cersei standing upon a freshly painted map of Westeros on the floor of the Red Keep. This is some fantastic symbolic imagery that reminds me both of Len Riefenstahl and Charlie Chaplin's the Great Dictator. To see Cersei literally walk across Westeros as she discusses with her brother how to maintain her stranglehold of it is one of the best visual gags the show's ever done. I also like the fleeting implication that Jaime should fear Cersei in her current state of power. She's not wrong, but the scene were she explains the precarious rule of the Lannisters is significantly smacking of paranoia. We can't help but think of the Mad King in his own defensive state of mind. Jaime reminds her of how vulnerable they are, especially that their children are dead and their family has no heir.
Jaime is defensive but Cersei reminds him of their current status
And this show is so messed up, that I found myself thinking "you guys aren't too old, have some more children! Things are complicated, but you still love each other. <3" and then Cersei reveals her plan of inviting Euron Greyjoy to the fold. She says that Euron is looking for a queen and you can see the heartbreak and jealous in Jaime's eyes. I felt sad and wanted him to run to his sister and fix their relationship. I was disgusted that my knee jerk reaction was to hope these twins could repair their incestuous relationship. Then Euron Greyjoy showed up looking like the lead singer of 30 Seconds to Yi Yi. He gives a half-hearted proposal to Cersei, but he seems more infatuated with Jaime. All with a not-so-subtle reminder that the Jaime/Cersei thing is King's Landing worst kept secret, as Euron has both of his hands. Cersei declines and Jaime looks elated and I as a viewer and very confused by my relief of this. Either way, Euron is sure to be back, promising a gift. But all I can think about is that I'm pissed that all the dudes in Westeros have better haircuts than me. I know the work of clippers when I see them, but Westeros doesn't have electricity yet, WTF?
Okay here's where it gets interesting. We get to Oldtown where Sam is training to be a Maester, and with his knowledge and access to ancient information, it could be one of the most game changing elements of season seven. If you aren't fucking hyped for this story line, you're a freaking moron!
(Sam cleans up shit for a four minute poop stew montage)
Okay, I was wrong about that one.
John Bradley opens his season 7 script
I complained last year that they killed off too many villains. But season 7 wasted no time introducing Ed Sheeran into my favorite show to plunge me into an existential nightmare I was not prepared for.
A frozen wasteland of hell saves us from the previous bizarre couple of scenes and I couldn't be more grateful. Season six did a shitty job (re)introducing characters like Sandor Clegane and Euron Greyjoy but them letting them disappear completely without closure or even the slightest hint of why they were introduced into the endgame of the show. Despite all of that I was thrilled to see Sandor get significant development in the season premiere. My favorite character could be considered supporting or even tertiary(to cunts) but he's one of the most well developed characters in the entire series. Seeing him seek shelter and warmth in the home of peasants that he victimized is difficult, and compelling. But I can't help feel cognizant of the redemption arc they are setting Sandor up from the very beginning of season 7. He peers into the fire and sees a Mountain. I blasted my airhorn toward the heavens, but I'm worried that they'll simply let Sandor die at the culmination of his revenge against his brother.
I'm both excited and nervous about the endgame of my favorite character. What's clear is that Sandor is learning to overcome his fear of fire. When I heard digging noises as the Brotherhood slept, I wondered if the peasants would rise up and attack the living as vengeful skeletons. What I saw instead was a broken man digging graves for the innocent people he had wronged, and lump grew heavy in my throat. For all of the scary zombie and triumphant dragon scenes this show has given us, I cherish the moments of tragedy and reflection it still gives us from time to time. I was expecting an action scene but I got something much more moving and challenging. This brief moment was beautiful. Even as the winds of winter howl closer, there's still time for two silhouettes to honor the memory of the lost. Two of the most cynical men of the series embrace hope in the snow.
Sam and Gilly pore through the ancient books that Sam pirated and find evidence that Dragonstone has valuable materials for fighting the White Walkers. He immediately pens a letter because Jon has to know this ASAP. I can only guess that this information would take several weeks to travel across Westeros, but Jon will probably be unfurling this scroll next Sunday. Which is fine, I'm just glad this story-line has stopped showing us bowls full of diarrhea, like, what did we do to deserve that? I know Ned's death and the Red Wedding were challenging, but the poop montage was just uncalled for. Anyway, Jorah Mormont our favorite greyscale friend who was tasked to find a cure for his affliction, and who insisted on banishment for fear of afflicting others, makes a nice cameo by GRABBING SAMWELL TARLY BY HIS ARM and asking him about Dany.
Speaking of Dany, she finally arrives on Dragonstone, which looks a thousand times less gloomy than all of the Stannis scenes here from season 2 and 3. She kneels down to run her fingers through the moist sand, which is kind of nice and slightly different from all of the sand in the desert regions she spent the last six seasons conquering. The squad stops at the badass Dragonstone gate and the music swells as two Unsullied push the gate open(?). The entire island is abandoned. I don't want to pick nits but if Stannis brought along every servant and cook and intern I'm starting to understand why he lost in season five. Anyway, now that Dany's walking through it, Dragonstone is like one of the most badass places in the show. She triumphantly enters a spectacular throne room that apparently was eschewed by Stannis in favor of a La-Z-Boy by the beach.
This is good stuff and the premier was very entertaining, and I can't wait for episode two!
So we start with a cold open, something that's only happened two other times that I can recall. We're all a bit thrown when the episode opens up with Walder Frey proposing a toast to his great house. This is an interesting way to start the season, but I think savvy viewers will pick up on the entire twist of this scene immediately, which is fine. My question is how the whole faceless man mask thing works. I can only assume Arya cut off Walder's face and wore it, but when she stands up and proposes a toast, she looks like a stocky old man, but we know Arya is a short, petite woman with small shoulders. What causes the illusion of Arya possessing an old man's frame? Just slapping the face of Walder Frey on Arya Stark's body would look comical, and completely unconvincing, so there must be something more to it? Will they explain, or hope we don't think too much about it? I hope it's the former, or that they drop this plot device immediately or it's going to start feeling like Scooby Doo unmasking scenes the next time it happens.
Like we're gonna see the twist coming a mile away and
Well maybe not.
The opening theme song plays and it's good to have the show back. So good. We got Dragonstone and Oldtown and I for one am excited about the new directions the show is taking us this year. The opening scene is a dark blue wasteland with an encroaching purple cloud racing towards the horizon. I want to believe it's Prince and his posse serving up pancakes and basketball, but an ominous silhouette on horseback tells me that it's the Night King. HBO Now's streaming is pretty stellar, and much sharper, with greater color vibrancy than HBO Go by far, but god damn there is some vicious color banding in this sequence, and I wonder if it will be on the bluray. Anyway, we have an army of the dead walking towards the camera in the season premiere, and that's pretty exciting, but we've seen it all before. Zombies in the snow marching towards the camera, this scene has been played out repeatedly since season two, and my balls are as blue as the white walkers' at this point, can we get on wi- HOLY SHIT THAT'S AN UNDEAD GIANT THE GAME HAS CHANGED SON.
Dolorous Edd and the remaining four members of the Night's Watch greet Bran and Meera. When asked for proof of their identity Bran says some spooky psychic shit like that convinces everybody that he's a noble heir and not a harbinger of doom that's been marked by the Night King. So they're rushed into the protection of the Night's Watch and its five remaining men. If the phrase wasn't copyrighted by Disney, I'm sure Edd would've said "I've got a bad feeling about this" before turning away from the camera.
Yes there were multiple hints that the wall will come down but I'm sure Edd has got this.
We jump next to Jon Snow's meeting of Northern Lords and Ladies that kind of feels like it picked up right after the KING OF THE NORTH moment from last season. Jon tells his subjects to look for records of Dragonglass, which will be the most valuable commodity of the future, just after fire, food, and reddit karma. There's an awkward moment between Lord Glover and Lady Mormont when Jon commands that both men and women of all ages be trained in the art of combat. Lady Mormont promptly puts Glover in his place. She's one of the most badass characters in the show, but at just eleven years of age, her enemies could manipulate her with a 20 pack of Chicken McNuggets, I pray this show never gets that dark.
Season 6 had some very confusing decisions specifically with the relationship between Sansa Stark and Jon Snow. There were several plot-hinging moments that made little sense unless they were developed in subsequent seasons as a family rift of sorts. Suffice to say, we're all watching Sansa Stark very closely and how she chooses to apply her learned skills of the Game in the Northern politics and the wars to come. Some of the most compelling moments of the premiere are born from this conflict between Sansa and Jon who immediately have differences of opinion on how to handle the lands of the Karstarks and Umbers. Sansa provides compelling reasons why they should show no mercy to the heirs of the traitors. The Northern lords show some support but they're clearly confused by clapping at somebody with a vagina. Luckily Jon Snow stands up and reminds everybody of how many people he's killed and that he has a penis, go back and watch, one dude awkwardly claps immediately when Jon starts talking. Then he parades the kids out to draw swords and swear oaths in an adorable but kind of creepy display that you might see at the last fundraising event before an election.
Surprise surprise, 10 year old Alys and Ned are supportive of Jon who promises not to murder them in exchange for infinite support.
And of course Littlefinger is watching all of this subtle bickering play out with great interest. It's fascinating to me that as important moments of power dynamics shift, Littlefinger is silent, but studious. He never addresses large crowds or gives great speeches, he's always watching powerful people struggle to conduct themselves in public moments of turmoil. But he's got plenty of advice to give to people once they're alone. It's an interesting dynamic. I think there was foreshadowing to a rift between Sansa and Jon, and Petyr himself planted that seed as far back as 6x05 when he said "your half-brother." What's interesting is that Jon can lead men of different backgrounds and larger stature, but he can't get his own sister to trust him. And part of that falls on him. He can't shake the fact that he was an outcast, he ate dinner at a different table than Sansa. And through his accomplishments, he's a bit skeptical of her judgment because she had a promised position of respect. The kindest thing Sansa and Jon can muster towards each other is that Jon isn't Joffrey. It's a funny line, but there's no love among these siblings. Cersei and Jaime have more love for each other, and that's a scary thought.
And we finally see Queen Cersei standing upon a freshly painted map of Westeros on the floor of the Red Keep. This is some fantastic symbolic imagery that reminds me both of Len Riefenstahl and Charlie Chaplin's the Great Dictator. To see Cersei literally walk across Westeros as she discusses with her brother how to maintain her stranglehold of it is one of the best visual gags the show's ever done. I also like the fleeting implication that Jaime should fear Cersei in her current state of power. She's not wrong, but the scene were she explains the precarious rule of the Lannisters is significantly smacking of paranoia. We can't help but think of the Mad King in his own defensive state of mind. Jaime reminds her of how vulnerable they are, especially that their children are dead and their family has no heir.
Jaime is defensive but Cersei reminds him of their current status
And this show is so messed up, that I found myself thinking "you guys aren't too old, have some more children! Things are complicated, but you still love each other. <3" and then Cersei reveals her plan of inviting Euron Greyjoy to the fold. She says that Euron is looking for a queen and you can see the heartbreak and jealous in Jaime's eyes. I felt sad and wanted him to run to his sister and fix their relationship. I was disgusted that my knee jerk reaction was to hope these twins could repair their incestuous relationship. Then Euron Greyjoy showed up looking like the lead singer of 30 Seconds to Yi Yi. He gives a half-hearted proposal to Cersei, but he seems more infatuated with Jaime. All with a not-so-subtle reminder that the Jaime/Cersei thing is King's Landing worst kept secret, as Euron has both of his hands. Cersei declines and Jaime looks elated and I as a viewer and very confused by my relief of this. Either way, Euron is sure to be back, promising a gift. But all I can think about is that I'm pissed that all the dudes in Westeros have better haircuts than me. I know the work of clippers when I see them, but Westeros doesn't have electricity yet, WTF?
Okay here's where it gets interesting. We get to Oldtown where Sam is training to be a Maester, and with his knowledge and access to ancient information, it could be one of the most game changing elements of season seven. If you aren't fucking hyped for this story line, you're a freaking moron!
(Sam cleans up shit for a four minute poop stew montage)
Okay, I was wrong about that one.
John Bradley opens his season 7 script
I complained last year that they killed off too many villains. But season 7 wasted no time introducing Ed Sheeran into my favorite show to plunge me into an existential nightmare I was not prepared for.
A frozen wasteland of hell saves us from the previous bizarre couple of scenes and I couldn't be more grateful. Season six did a shitty job (re)introducing characters like Sandor Clegane and Euron Greyjoy but them letting them disappear completely without closure or even the slightest hint of why they were introduced into the endgame of the show. Despite all of that I was thrilled to see Sandor get significant development in the season premiere. My favorite character could be considered supporting or even tertiary(to cunts) but he's one of the most well developed characters in the entire series. Seeing him seek shelter and warmth in the home of peasants that he victimized is difficult, and compelling. But I can't help feel cognizant of the redemption arc they are setting Sandor up from the very beginning of season 7. He peers into the fire and sees a Mountain. I blasted my airhorn toward the heavens, but I'm worried that they'll simply let Sandor die at the culmination of his revenge against his brother.
I'm both excited and nervous about the endgame of my favorite character. What's clear is that Sandor is learning to overcome his fear of fire. When I heard digging noises as the Brotherhood slept, I wondered if the peasants would rise up and attack the living as vengeful skeletons. What I saw instead was a broken man digging graves for the innocent people he had wronged, and lump grew heavy in my throat. For all of the scary zombie and triumphant dragon scenes this show has given us, I cherish the moments of tragedy and reflection it still gives us from time to time. I was expecting an action scene but I got something much more moving and challenging. This brief moment was beautiful. Even as the winds of winter howl closer, there's still time for two silhouettes to honor the memory of the lost. Two of the most cynical men of the series embrace hope in the snow.
Sam and Gilly pore through the ancient books that Sam pirated and find evidence that Dragonstone has valuable materials for fighting the White Walkers. He immediately pens a letter because Jon has to know this ASAP. I can only guess that this information would take several weeks to travel across Westeros, but Jon will probably be unfurling this scroll next Sunday. Which is fine, I'm just glad this story-line has stopped showing us bowls full of diarrhea, like, what did we do to deserve that? I know Ned's death and the Red Wedding were challenging, but the poop montage was just uncalled for. Anyway, Jorah Mormont our favorite greyscale friend who was tasked to find a cure for his affliction, and who insisted on banishment for fear of afflicting others, makes a nice cameo by GRABBING SAMWELL TARLY BY HIS ARM and asking him about Dany.
Speaking of Dany, she finally arrives on Dragonstone, which looks a thousand times less gloomy than all of the Stannis scenes here from season 2 and 3. She kneels down to run her fingers through the moist sand, which is kind of nice and slightly different from all of the sand in the desert regions she spent the last six seasons conquering. The squad stops at the badass Dragonstone gate and the music swells as two Unsullied push the gate open(?). The entire island is abandoned. I don't want to pick nits but if Stannis brought along every servant and cook and intern I'm starting to understand why he lost in season five. Anyway, now that Dany's walking through it, Dragonstone is like one of the most badass places in the show. She triumphantly enters a spectacular throne room that apparently was eschewed by Stannis in favor of a La-Z-Boy by the beach.
This is good stuff and the premier was very entertaining, and I can't wait for episode two!
