he previous week’s cliff hanger-that-wasn’t saw Jaime sinking to his death after Bronn rescued him from Drogon’s fire attack. "I have to tell Cersei," sputtered Jaime a bit redundantly Bronn, meanwhile, had an important pronouncement of his own. Tangling with dragons was where his partnership with Jaime ended.
"I'm not here to murder...all I want to destroy is the wheel that has rolled over the rich and poor," said Daenerys, having recently murdered the entire Lannister army. "Refuse or die," the Mother of Dragons added helpfully, prompting what remained of Cersei's forces to fall to their knees. Two notable exceptions were Randyll Tarly and his son Dickon. One temperature-raising puff from Drogon later and they were no longer for this world – elevating the unsuspecting Sam to the position of Lord Tarly.
"We fight and die or we submit and die...I know my choice," said Cersei , whose resolve to stand firm on the face of the Targaryen threat was, if anything, reinforced as Jaime debriefed her about Drogon’s destructive capabilities. Oh and did she mention she was pregnant with Jaime’s child? He was understandably overcome. Cersei, too, appeared to be in the grip of powerful emotions as she later countenanced a temporary alliance with the Mother of dragons.
His greyscale cured, Ser Jorah was magically transported to Dragonstone where he shared a platonic hug with Daenerys. The alleged chemistry between the King in the North and the Queen of the South has yet to convincingly manifest on screen. Nonetheless, he was visibly displeased at the appearance of a potential rival.
It was possible an army of the dead was marching south towards the Seven Kingdoms, allowed Archmaester Ebrose upon receipt of Bran's urgent missive from Winterfell. Sensibly Sam still in the dark about his father and brother’s transformation into human fireworks opted to leave Oldtown.
The Hand of the Queen hasn't covered himself in glory, with one cunning plan after another coming unstuck. Undeterred, he had another helpful suggestion: Jon Snow would kidnap a White Walker and present it to Cersei as proof of the threat posed by the Night King.
Sansa's softly-softly style of rule clashed with Arya's kill now, ask questions later stance, bad enough that Arya accused her sister of lusting for power. What a monster Sansa had become. By the end of the hour, Arya’s paranoia was out of control as she uncovered the letter Sansa had been forced to write while a prisoner of Cersei, in which she urged the North to bend the knee. The document had been planted by Littlefinger, never more Littlefinger-ish than when driving a wedge between sisters.
King Robert Baratheon’s surviving heir was last seen rowing into obscurity in season three. With time on his hands as Tyrion chinwagged with Jaime, Ser Davos this week tracked Gendry down in Fleabottom, where he was back grumpily tending his blacksmith's forge. During his spell away he had acquired an impressive warhammer and was soon trading blokey jibes with Jon Snow as they set off to kidnap a Walker. Jon and Gendry’s banter-filled introduction veered worryingly close to Game of Thrones fan-fiction. However, with the King in the North and Daenerys still failing to click as a potential couple, let us appreciate this true bromance while it lasts.
