Villordsutch reviews Game of Thrones Season 7 Episode 1 – ‘Dragonstone’…
Written – David Benioff & D.B. Weiss
Directed – Jeremy Podeswa
Ayra Stark – “Winter came for House Frey”.
It’s been a long wait for the return of Game of Thrones. Daenerys has been rowing across the Narrow Sea now for so long, she must be seriously considering renaming this stretch of water. As we left the feuding families of Westeros and beyond it was quite clear that they would all soon be butting heads.
At the close of Season 6 we witnessed Arya Stark deliver her revenge for the bloody Red Wedding upon the vile Lord Walder Frey, by first feeding him his sons and then slitting his throat. So it came as a surprise to see the traitorous Lord stood very much alive at the head of the hall surrounded by nearly every Frey possible, toasting their past deeds. Rapidly it becomes apparent that Lord Frey has become another addition to the Many-Faced God, as the numerous men around the hall begin to vomit blood and fall to the floor. Arya then removes the face of the man she had previously murdered, leaving a message with Lord Frey’s former wife, “The North remembers”.
This episode is about pieces on the board; it is echoed so with both Cersei and Daenerys having room-sized maps of Westeros at their disposal. The Queen of the Dragons at the newly reclaimed Dragonstone and Cersei now has the map of her wanted kingdom painted upon the floor of a courtyard. It’s here we see that this twisted relationship of love – between brother and sister – is rapidly vanishing and Jaime is none too happy that her quest for power is continuing to draw his sister into madness. The madness that gained him the unwanted moniker from saving King’s Landing and numerous thousands many years past.
Further North Jon and Sansa are trading words openly, on decisions to be made relating to former Houses who abandoned the Starks for the Bolton’s. All the while quietly – in the background – Littlefinger looks on as the King of the North and the possible Queen of the North show a brief division in choices made.
Meanwhile Sam who is now the general dogsbody within Citadel is becoming frustrated that he holds knowledge to defeating the White Walkers, as he himself has slayed one with a shard of Dragonglass, yet the Maesters have him serving meals, stacking books and slopping out the chamber pots. It’s only after a conversation with Archmaester Ebrose in regards to the restricted area of the library does Sam decide he cannot wait anymore so he pilfers the keys and ‘loans’ a cluster of books. It’s within one of these restricted books he discovers where the new King of the North can find a large quantity of Dragonglass – the problem is the Queen of the Dragons has currently begun to air out the many rooms above it.
Here’s a bit of a pickle. I’m a) over the moon that Game of Thrones has returned but b) a wee bit disappointed that ‘Dragonstone’ was so hum-drum. I don’t know whether I’d built myself up, or I’ve been caught up on the hype-wave for the past couple of weeks, but I sat down ready for a great episode of Game of Thrones and I came away thinking, ‘Well it was okay’.
There were some nice pieces in this opening episode; for a start I adore Jim Broadbent and I could watch this man act all day, so instantly that wins a point. Seeing the Hound’s guilt strike him as the cottage appears in the darkness was quite powerful too. Also not forgetting the real Queen of the North, Lyanna Mormont, who can put a room full of Lords in their place with a couple of sentences a stare, but these are limited number of bonus points for this episode.
However, the rest of the episode ticks and slides on by gradually, without causing much fuss or interest. Then come the closing minutes they even throw in a cameo from scruffy-haired guitarist Ed Sheeran. Which I’ll be honest, the only thing lacking to really emphasise that Ed was in the scene was a giant neon sign. We’ve had a number of bands invited in, but never have they had their mugs six inches from the screen.
SEE ALSO: Top 5 moments from Game of Thrones – “Dragonstone”
‘Dragonstone’ really wasn’t the best opener to Game of Thrones we’ve ever witnessed. Given the build-up surrounding the return, I’ll be honest that as a watcher from Season 1, Episode 1 I feel slightly disappointed.
Rating: 6/10
Originally published July 18, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
