Season 8-Episode 01

Episode 68: Winterfell

“You gave up your crown to save your people, would she do the same?”

Major Plot Points: Daenerys arrives in Winterfell.  Sansa lets everyone know how dumb they are.  Arya rekindles an old flame.  Jon finds out he has even more dad issues than he thought. Jaime meets an old friend.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. For the first time in the show, we see the town outside of Winterfell, aptly known as Winter town.  It’s hard to tell in the show, but most people in the area actually live in the farms and fields outside of Winterfell, since the actual keep could not hold a large population.  During summer, the town is mostly empty, then when winter comes, the people all move back to Winter town and set up camps and houses.
2. When Sansa left Tyrion, it was clearly established that they were still legally married.  It was never officially annulled, and this was brought up a handful of times by both of them in POV chapters.  The show never really brought it up, and Sansa was married to Ramsey without a second thought.  When her and Tyrion meet up here, it is still technically as husband and wife.
3. Harry Strickland, the leader of the Golden Company, is the great-grandson of an unnamed general who died in a Blackfyre Rebellion.  He is recruited by Jon Connington on behalf of Aegon Targaryen (not Jon Snow, Rhaegar’s other son who may be a fake) and invades the Stormlands in Westeros late in the series.  He is reluctant to fight and appears quite cowardly.  Either way, he doesn’t fight for Cersei.
4. A dragon will only take one rider in its lifetime, unless that rider dies. When Jon rides Rhaegal, that means no one else will ever ride him.  Also, it is said only someone with Targaryen blood can tame and ride a dragon.  These points are hugely significant but neither Jon nor Daenerys seem to know them.  It is very fitting that Jon rides the dragon named after his true father. 
5. If Jon has his heritage revealed in a similar way, it would be very hard to prove this claim.  Why would anyone believe Sam’s reading or Bran’s visions?

Other Points to Notice

1. Right off the bat we are treated to a new opening theme.  We see a more intimate look into both Winterfell, and King’s Landing. We also see on the ring different depictions of scenes from the show.  They are hard to make out, but I believe one shows a flayed man holding a wolf head, which of course describes the Red Wedding.
2. The first scene mirrors one of the first scenes of the show’s pilot.  We see a queen and her army entering Winterfell, as a young boy climbs up high to get a closer look.  Robert Baratheon’s theme music even plays.
3. Tyrion calls Dany’s army “the greatest army the North has ever seen.” This is very similar to when the late Mance Rayder once claimed to light “the greatest fire the North has ever seen.”  Hopefully it works out better for this crew.
4. Arya does the same running hug to Jon that she did back in Season 1.  This is the most real emotion we have seen from her since Robb died.  It’s pretty sad to think about how she has to lie to Jon about how many people she’s killed. 
5. I wonder what Cersei’s motive for sleeping with Euron is.  Maybe to make it seem like her new pregnancy is not from her brother?
6. We hear the whores Bronn is with talk about a ginger Lannister soldier named Eddie who had his eyelids melted off.  Ed Sheeran’s character was a ginger soldier named Eddie.  This is the showrunners apologizing to us.
7. If it wasn’t obvious, the crossbow given to Bronn by Qyburn is the same one Tyrion used to kill Tywin in Season 4.
8. If you are wondering why it was so easy for Theon and company to rescue Yara, remember one key fact about Euron Greyjoy.  His entire crew is composed of mutes.  This strategy has some serious downfalls.
9. Such a heart warming moment between the Hound and Arya. He even calls her an icy little bitch. Love those two.  Also the weapon Gendry makes her is going to be sick.  My guess is a quarterstaff with dragonglass on one end, the valyrian steel dagger on the other.  And it can come apart into 2 separate weapons.
10. I absolutely hate the scene with Jorah, Dany, and Sam.  It’s a great scene, but fuck does Daenerys come off psychopathic.  Sam is justifiably distraught about finding out his father died, and Dany just stands there.  Sam is the one that has to ask for privacy, and Daenerys tells him about his brother so coldly.  I feel more and more strongly that she will end up being the villain.  For those wondering why Sam was so upset about his awful dad dying, John Bradley, the actor who plays him, said he based his performance on studies that children grieve even harder for parents they had bad relationships with.  This is because they die and you feel like so much was unresolved and unsaid.
11. Another incredible Sam scene when he tells Jon about his real father.  First, you notice Jon by Ned’s statue, then when he finds out, he walks right in front of Lyanna’s statue, his real mother.  Sam also brings up an incredible point about Daenerys that Jon needed to hear.  Unfortunately, I doubt she would ever give up her crown, since to her it’s become all she really cares about at this point. 
12. When Tormund is standing in front of Ned Umber’s corpse, you can see the eyes turn blue before he screams.  I found that even better than the jump scare.
13. Jaime’s entrance into Winterfell could not have gone worse.  Looking forward to his conversation with Bran.

Stray Observations:

1. What does Bran mean when he says he is almost a man?
2. Hilarious that lil Lord Umber was hiding behind a large man.
3. We never really see the agreement Tyrion and Cersei came to last season.  Sansa finds it obvious that Cersei isn’t coming to help them, and it is weird Tyrion isn’t suspicious.  Maybe he knows something.
4. Good to see Yara isn’t a mute.  Euron is growing soft.
5. No way Bronn kills Jaime or Tyrion right?
6. Man, they are foreshadowing Daenerys running to Pyke.  I expect a devastating loss against the Night King this season.
7. There is a strong possibility that Tyrion is in love with Daenerys, which explains his upset look when he sees them about to bang in season 7.  This, coupled with his weird decisions around Cersei, and the face he makes when he sees Jon riding Rhaegal, give fuel to the theories about Tyrion betraying Jon.
8. Lol at Bran “waiting for an old friend.”  Poor Jaime.
9. In the end, I hope Jon understands why Ned kept his real father a secret.  In a way, it actually was the most noble thing Ned ever did.
10. Every single point Sansa made this episode was correct. The dragon’s food consumption, Cersei’s betrayal, and Jon’s true motives for siding with Dany. People should probably listen to her.
11. Guys. Where the fuck is Ghost? Remember him?

RIP: Lord Ned Umber.  Poor lil guy.