Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Last night’s all-new episode of Game of Thrones, “Stormborn,” brought the proverbial thunder. (Yes, I’m cringing at that pun, too.) Still, we got to see a series of collisions that fans have been waiting years for. I’m talking about Greyjoys versus Greyjoys, Melisandre meeting the “princess that was promised,” and Arya and Nymeria. Wait. Was that Nymeria? Or was it?
But I don’t need to tell you! You were there! You watched the episode (as soon as it was able to buffer on your HBO Go or HBO Now account). You’ve probably watched the episode again already and developed your own ideas about making Hot Pie the next Food Network Star. You are a Game of Thrones pro which means not much escaped you during last night’s big premiere…or did it?
Did you catch that Sam’s little brother had been recast? Or that everyone’s favorite little Sand Snake got a new hairdo? Or why Grey Worm and Missandei’s little goodbye romp was so…different? OR DID YOU FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THAT ARYA/WOLF SCENE? Don’t worry! We got you covered. Here are five things you may have missed from last night’s episode of Game of Thrones.
Note: you may have missed them, but you also might have totally caught them.
So was that Nymeria?
At the very beginning of Game of Thrones, each Stark child was given one direwolf pup to raise as a pet. As of today, only two are still alive: Jon’s albino direwolf Ghost (whom we’ve seen pop up from time to time, though he’s been a little aloof in recent seasons) and Nymeria. Nymeria was Arya’s direwolf pup and was put in dire danger in Season 1, Episode 2, when she attacked a cruel (and, quite frankly, asking for it) Joffrey. Robert Baratheon declared that both Sansa’s and Arya’s direwolves needed to be killed because they were too dangerous. Sansa’s pup Lady was unfairly killed and Arya let Nymeria loose into the night…never to be seen again.
UNTIL LAST NIGHT.
Now, I know that Arya’s final words to the hulking direwolf we met last night — “That’s not you.” — seem to suggest that was not Nymeria. However, in HBO Now and HBO Go’s post-credits episode breakdown, showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss confirm that it was good old Nymeria. The line, “That’s not you,” is a reference to another Season One scene wherein Arya asserts that being a lady in a castle, married to a knight, pumping out baby Starklings isn’t her. The idea is that at first Arya recognizes Nymeria and wants the wild she-wolf to be her pet once more. She wants to saunter back home to Winterfell with this feral beast…but that’s not Nymeria. Nymeria is too wild for that now.
The question is if that means Arya is too wild to go home. Her journey this season seems to be about the push and pull she feels between her wild murdergirl persona and her loyalty to the Stark name. Hmm…we shall see!
There's a New Dickon In Town
Tonight also saw the return of Samwell Tarly’s awfuly stern dad, genius commander Randyll Tarly, and his strapping little brother Dickon. No, not Rickon. Though, Jaime got it confused, too. Dickon.
If Dickon looked a little different to you, it’s probably because he was recast this season. Last year, UnREAL heartthrob Freddie Stroma played Sam’s hottie of an older brother. This season Black Sails alum Tom Hopper (aka Billy Bones) takes up the brooding mantle. Both versions are hot and kind of dim.
One Unsullied Got A Little...Sullied
After season after season of exchanging longing looks from afar, Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) and Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson) finally did it! By “it,” I mean they finally admitted the breadth and scope of their romantic feelings for one another. Oh, and by “it,” I also mean they finally stripped down and got down and dirty with it.
Grey Worm is a member of the Unsullied, which means he was castrated as a boy to help keep him in line as a slave. However, we know from past seasons that doesn’t mean the Unsullied are robots. The Sons of the Harpy were able to prey upon these guys when they visited prostitutes in Meereen to literally just cuddle.
Grey Worm did not want to just cuddle with Missandei, though. Grey Worm wanted to make love to his sweetheart before shipping off to war. So when the two of them stripped down and got to it, we got to see him slink down to perform oral sex — from an angle that gave us Missandei’s perspective, to boot. It was maybe the most romantic sex scene the show has given us since Jon and Ygritte frolicked in that cave? (Which, also, oddly featured male-on-female oral sex?? That’s a weird coincidence.) Maybe??
Also: Grey Worm’s farewell felt a little bit like they’re setting up the character for a big death scene this season. Just keep your eye on that.
It's Casterly Rock - NOT CASTLE ROCK - And There's Going to Be A Rumble There
Last night’s episode ended with a sensational sea battle wherein Euron Greyjoy surprised Yara Greyjoy’s fleet. Not only did he manage to wipe out two Sand Snakes, and Theon’s final shread of pride, but he also took out half of Daenerys’s army. Her battle plan split her forces into the Westerosi troops headed to King’s Landing (and now headed to the bottom of the sea), and her own Dothraki troops and Unsullied armies headed for the Lannister home base of Casterly Rock.
Yes, it’s “CASTERLY ROCK,” not “Castle Rock.” (I see you, Google Trends!)
Anyway, if that name sounds familiar and yet not, it’s probably because it’s the last great house of Westeros we have not visited. Nevertheless, we’ve heard the name dropped numerous times over the course of the series. In the books, the castle is built upon a massive gold mine and it overlooks the harbor town of Lannisport. (So the Lannisters got rich because they were literally born on top of a gold mine and within a stone’s throw of a vibrant sea port. Life’s not fair, guys.)
The prevalent fan theory is that Tyrion is going to use his inside knowledge of the castle’s defenses to help Daenerys’s forces breach the city. However, things aren’t looking so good right now for Team Targaryen. It looks like forces are turning against them.
One, last night we were introduced to a massive dragon-killing crossbow. Qyburn commissioned it for Cersei’s army. It also looks like Jaime will succeed in bringing Randyll Tarly to the Lannister cause. Finally, someone on the fringes was spotted reading a History of the Lannister family. That is, it was on the top of Samwell Tarly’s required reading list. Think there’s something important in there for the week’s ahead? (Possibly not, but it was a choice the show made, okay?)
The Littlest Sexy Sand Snake Got A New 'Do
Thanks to Euron Greyjoy, we may have finally seen the Sand Snakes‘ final stand. These characters were fan favorites in the books, but their appearance on the show has been met with…mixed reviews.
Speaking of their appearances… While Obara Sand (the one with the spear) and Nymeria Sand (the one with a whip) have both manager to stay firmly on brand with regards to their appearances, the youngest of the three, Tyene, got a makeover. Tyene is still being played by Rosabell Laurenti Sellers, but she’s grown her pixie cut out into a becoming bob.
That said, don’t expect Tyene to rock the ‘do for much longer. If next week’s previews are to be believed, Euron will be returning to King’s Landing in triumph and historically triumphs — like the one the Romans would put on — include parading the victors through the capital streets in chains before they are publicly executed or kept as prisoners for the remainder of their lives. Since Euron kept Ellaria Sand and her beloved daughter alive, one can’t help but feel that he’s bringing Myrcella Lannister’s killer (and her daughter) back to Cersei as a “precious gift.” Do you think Cersei will spare them? (I don’t think Cersei will spare them.)
Oh, and if you want to know more about Rosabell Laurenti Sellers, here’s a cheat sheet to where you may have seen her before.
