The premiere episode of the seventh season of "Game of Thrones" was on Sunday night. There were several moments that made the episode an epic first one in the second-to-last season of the show. Let's dive into this review and the best moments from this first episode.
The opening scene
This opening scene of the first episode was as epic as the opening scenes of season premieres on TV shows get. It begins with Walder Frey, the Lord of Riverrun addressing his family and troops for a celebration with them, although they already had a feast at the Red Wedding.
Lord Frey addresses his family about his plans for his house now that winter has come. With that, comes a toast of celebrating the house and winter. Frey goes on to say "Stand together" in this cold winter. All of Frey's family members start drinking the wine that is provided to them by maids and he goes on to say that all of the Starks were not killed during the Red Wedding. Frey watches intently as one by one the soldiers crumbles to the floor due to the poison in the wine.
After the last family member drops dead, Frey rips off the mask that disguised him as Frey and Arya Stark, a once timid girl who is now a cold blooded killer appears. She tells the maid by her side, "when people ask you what happened here tell them the North remembers.
Tell them that winter has come for House Frey." She walks past the dead bodies with a satisfied look on her face.
The opening scene of the seventh season shows how much Arya Stark has changed and what her intentions are. She does not care if you are in her way, if a house hurts her family, she will kill them. The murder of Frey's family members by poisonous wine exemplified how far of character development Arya Stark has come throughout the seasons of the show.
Ed Sheeran makes a cameo
While riding through the woods, Arya hears some singing and she encounters some soldiers from King's Landing. The man singing is none other than pop star Ed Sheeran. The Washington Post wrote that his appearance was a "little jarring." Some people did not like seeing the pop star making a cameo in the show, even though the song he was singing was promoting a new song he was coming out with.
The men ask Arya what she is doing riding in the woods and if she wants any food. She accepts their offer and eats some cooked pig. They ask her why she's going to King's Landing and she tells them she's going to kill the Queen.
The scene with Ed Sheeran shows that the creators of the show want to reach more of an audience than just the TV and Entertainment business. The show creators want to reach a musical audience with Sheeran's cameo in the woods scene with Arya Stark.
Euron Greyjoy sails to King's Landing
Cersei Lannister is in desperate need of allies. She does not have allies in the North, East or West until Euron Greyjoy arrives with a thousand ships seeking one thing: marriage to the Queen.
An alliance between Greyjoy and Queen Cersei Lannister would have the power and fleet to defeat Theon and Yara Greyjoy, Euron's nephew and niece, who exiled him after he killed their father. The queen declines his request to marry her because she does not trust him and as he is leaving, he promises the queen to never return to King's Landing until he has a gift that can help her defeat her enemies.
This scene was surprising because Cersei gave Euron Greyjoy the opportunity to marry the queen and form a powerful alliance that could not only help her defeat the Greyjoys, but also Daenerys Targaryen, the Mother Of Dragons. At the same time, this scene was not surprising because it shows the true nature of Cersei, attaining power and control in whatever way she can get it and by killing anyone who stands in her way.
Daenerys Targaryen finally comes home
After being away from home for so long, Daenerys Targaryen, the mother of dragons is finally home in Dragonstone, a fitting name for her title. Her ship lands at her home and she stares up at the castle that she and her ancestors have lived in. She touches the sand making a hand print in awe that she is finally home. As she makes her way up to the castle, nobody talks to her. Greyworm and Missandei give her the distance she needs to experience being home for the first time in a long time.
This scene exemplifies the experience of coming home for the first time in years. The memories flood in and people just want to hold on to them. This is what Daenerys is experiencing now.
It is the reason that none of her advisors are talking to her or are close to her. Tyrion, Greyworm, and Missandei want her to experience her being home by being silent and let the memories flood back. At the end of the scene, Daenerys looks at the map with Tyrion and asks, "Shall we begin?" It is a perfect ending to a scene with no dialogue.
