Game of Thrones – The Last of the Starks

By: Paige Zinaman

It’s a somber moment as the episode starts as we watch Daenerys (Emilia Clarke), Sansa (Sophie Turner), Jon (Kit Harington) and the rest of Winterfell gather to mourn those who had fallen during The Battle of Winterfell. Sansa pays her respects to Theon (Alfie Allen) and places the  Stark emblem with him as Daenerys, who is mourning the loss of Jorah (Iain Glen), walks up to where he is laying and whispers something into his ear. They both return to stand with everyone else as Jon gives a speech about how these men and women did not die in vain but died as heroes so each generation will remember who they are and what they fought for. Jon, Sansa, Arya (Maisie Williams), Daenerys, Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson) and Samwell (John Bradley) each walk up to the wooden racks and placed torches underneath as they watched on.

Later that night everyone gathers for a celebrations of winning the battle. Gendry (Joe Dempsie) speaks with Sandor (Rory McCann) about Arya and how he wants to thank her, Sandor says the wrong thing causing Gendry to get up and walk away from the table. As Gendry is leaving Daenerys stops him and beckons him towards her table and states some of the things that happened with her family and his father. She asks him who the Lord of Storms End is since Gendry’s father and brothers are gone. and when asked if anyone knows who is Lord of Storms End no one can answer. She then proceeds to tell Gendry that he is in fact Lord of Storms End because that is what she has made him. Everyone stands up to toast to Gendry’s new fate as the party continues. Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) knows exactly why Daenerys named Gendry as a Lord and tells her that Storms End will forever be on her side. Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) share a moment as her tells her that now is a time to drink. Tyrion and Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) talk about how Bran is the last true son a Ned Stark and therefore Lord of Winterfell. When Tyrion realizes that Bran doesn’t want to be Lord of anything it is then that Bran tells him that he lives mostly in the past.

Jon, Sansa and Tormund (Kristofer Hivju) are drinking when Tormund tells Jon to drink another one to celebrate. Jon says vomiting is not celebrating, which Tormund and Sansa laugh off. Tormund offers a toast to Daenerys to which Daenerys stands with a toast to Arya, “The hero of Winterfell.” This causes everyone in to stand and cheer for Arya. Tormund downs his drink as everyone watches except Jon and Daenerys who were staring at each other, which did not go unnoticed by Sansa who got up and left the table after watching them. As people were chattering Jaime, Brienne, Tyrion and Podrick (Daniel Portman) are playing Tyrion’s version of 20 questions. As they were chatting and having fun Tyrion asks about virginity. This causes Brienne to leave the table. Tormund and Jon are still drinking as Tormund goes off on how Jon cannot die and keeps fighting, which leads onto Tormund asking who climbs onto a dragon – a madman or a King. Hearing this causes Daenerys to fake a smile at Jon and keep to herself even though it’s clear she is not okay and leaves the hall.

Outside of the celebration Gendry is heading away when an arrow is suddenly flying by him. He stops and sees Arya standing there. Gendry tells Arya about Daenerys giving him the title of Lord and he starts freaking out telling her he doesn’t know how to do anything. Then, he proceeds to tell Arya that he loves her and proposes to her. She kisses him and tells him that she’s never been been a lady and that he’ll make a great ruler and any lady will be happy to have him. Jaime arrives to Brienne’s room with two cups and some alcohol telling him that she didn’t drink in the game when Tyrion pointed out she was a virgin. Jaime and Brienne chat before they share an inmate night. Daenerys finds Jon alone and asks if he’s drunk to which he tells her that he’s only slightly drunk. He tells Daenerys that he didn’t know Jorah well but he knows that if he had to choose a way to die that it would be protecting her. Daenerys tells Jon that Jorah loved her and that she couldn’t love him back the way he wanted and tells Jon that she couldn’t love Jorah the way she loves him. They start kissing and as it begins to heat up Jon snaps out of his drunken haze and pulls away from Daenerys. They talk about how she tries to forget for a while and that for a little bit that night she did until she saw how the people of Winterfell looked at Jon and how no one there looks at her that way. Jon tries to ease Daenerys fears of no one knowing who he is. she begs Jon to swear Bran and Sam to secrecy and for them to tell no one. Jon tells Daenerys that he has to tell Sansa and Arya. He says to Daenerys he has to tell them the truth to which she asks at the cost of the truth destroying them. Jon tells her that she is his Queen and they are his family and that they can live together. Daenerys tells him that they can and that she just told him how they can and leaves.

The next morning everyone gathers around to go over their plans to go after Cersei (Lena Headey). Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) tells them that once the people see what they’ve done for them and that they saved them they’d understand. Daenerys tells her that they won’t believe a word they say because Cersei will twist everything to make them believe her and that they will hit her hard. Tyrion intervenes and reminds Daenerys that the plan is to get to Cersei without damaging Kings Landing. Varys (Conleth Hill) explains that Cersei is losing allies by the minute and how people are willing to fight along side Daenerys. She tells Varys that it doesn’t matter how many people Cersei has but that as long as she sits on the Iron Throne she can call herself Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and that they need the capital. Tyrion and Jon try to tell Daenerys of another way to go about getting to Cersei. Daenerys agrees to their plan only to have Sansa tell them that their men are exhausted and would do better if they could rest. Daenerys is clearly upset by this and tells Sansa that she came to the North to fight along side them with a great cost to her armies and herself and now that it’s time to repay her they won’t deliver on it. Jon stops before it could go any further telling Daenerys that their men will fight for their Queen.

Arya and Sansa pull Jon outside to talk privately about how they don’t trust his Queen. Jon, clearly frustrated, tells them that if they only trust the people they grew up with they will never make allies. Arya says that it’s alright because it’s just them the last of the Starks. This leads Jon to confess that he’s not really a Stark to which both Sansa and Arya dispute saying he’s as much their brother not half or anything else. Jon looks to Bran who tells him that it’s his choice to tell Sansa and Arya. He makes them swear to never tell another soul. Sansa questions how she can keep a secret if she doesn’t know what it is to which Jon says because they are family. Finally once they both swear to secrecy Jon looks to Bran and asks him to tell them. Tyrion talks to Jaime about him choosing to stay in Winterfell with Brienne. They are interrupted by Bronn (Jerome Flynn) arriving in Winterfell with the crossbow with him informing them that it’s to take them out. Tyrion reminds Bronn of a deal they made a while ago, agreeing to pay double what Cersei paid to kill him. Tyrion gives him his word that he’ll get High Garden and with that Bronn leaves with the message of don’t die. Tyrion talks with Sansa as they watch Daenerys leave with her dragons while Tyrion points out that Daenerys loves Jon and that he won’t be coming back as often. He states that he’d feel better knowing Sansa will be Lady of the North and on good terms with Daenerys. Sansa tells Tyrion that she doesn’t want Jon to go to the capital and that the Starks don’t have good history being there to which Tyrion tells her that Jon once told him that he’s not a Stark.

Tormund and Jon talk about leaving and how Tormund and his people are going home because they need room to wonder about. Jon asks Tormund to take Ghost with him because the North is no place fore a direwolf. Sam and Gilly (Hannah Murray) tell Jon that they are expecting another child and that if it’s a boy they’d love to name him after him. Jon replies that he hopes it’s a girl. As Jon walks away he and Ghost make eye contact before Jon proceeds to ride off. Grey Worm and Missandei, along with Varys and Tyrion, are on ships heading to Kings Landing. Varys and Tyrion talk about knowing the truth about Jon. Varys tells Tyrion that they need to find a way to get Jon to be King of the North because he worries about Daenerys’ state of mind. Tyrion dismisses everything as their boats arrive and Daenerys and her dragons arrive in Kings Landing. Upon arrival arrows are shot at Drago, hitting him and causing him to crash into the seas below. Soon Euron (Pilou Asbæk) starts shooting at their boats. Everyone falls into the water and soon meet land only to find that Missandei is missing.

Cersei and Qyburn (Anton Lesser) discuss how their people truly believed Daenerys was coming for them and that Cersei and her army protected them and offered them safety inside the gates. Varys tells Daenerys that he promised to look her in the eye and tell her when he felt like she was making a mistake and that now is that time. He pleads with her to not become what she so badly fought to overcome and show the people that she’s different. Tyrion offers another way to try and tells her to speak with Cersei and tell her to surrender. He wants her to show the people of Kings Landing who will truly be at fault. Varys asks Tyrion who’d make a better ruler Jon or Daenerys which Tyrion tells him that they are talking about treason. Tyrion, once again, brings up his earlier proposal about Jon and Daenerys ruling together as King and Queen which Varys dismisses, once again saying that Jon who is of both Stark and Targaryen Jon may be the only one who can rule fairly. Varys tells Tyrion that he will act on the behalf of those who can’t no matter what the cost. Brienne and Sansa talk about the word she received about Drago and Cersei which leads to Jaime overhearing. He is informed of what Cersei had done. Before he walks away Sansa tells Jaime she always wanted to be there when they executed his sister and now it seems like she won’t get the chance. Later that night Jaime slips out of bed and prepares to leave as Brienne walks out finding that he’s going to go be with Cersei. She begs and pleads with him to stay with her because he is better than his sister. Jaime leaves Brienne standing outside as he rides off towards Kings Landing. As day approaches Daenerys and her army, including Grey Worm and Tyrion, arrive to the castle’s gate to find it armed with archers and Missandei standing in the front. Qyburn meets Tyrion half way as they discuss how each 1ueen wants the other to surrender or suffer Missandei’s death. Tyrion gets nowhere with Qyburn and pleads to Cersei, telling her to think of her child instead of her people. This goes nowhere as she leans over to Missandei to ask if she has any last words that she should say them now…Missandei looks Daenerys straight in the eyes and yells, “Dracarys” before ultimately losing her life in front of Grey Worm and Daeneyrs, who at this point is very angry.