The Hound got a lot of screen time in the first episode of "Game of Thrones" season 7. In the premiere, Clegane is traveling north to reach The Wall with Thoros of Myr and Beric Dondarrion. Along the way, he chances upon a house with two skeletons inside. Clegane and the Brotherhood Without Banners stop in the house to warm themselves up, and it's clear that the Hound knew the people who used to live there.
Who were they?
The man and his daughter's skeletons belong to the farmers we saw in "Breaker of Chains", back in "GOT" Season 4. In that episode, The Hound is traveling with Arya to deliver the young Stark in the hands of her aunt, Lysa Arryn.
Along the way, Clegane and Arya come across the father and daughter's land and ask to stay for shelter. The farmer is a kind and pious man who is against the Frey's betrayal of the Starks.
The farmer, who lives there with his daughter, offers Clegane a job of helping with farm work and protection and the Hound initially agrees. However, shortly after, Clegane beats the man and steals his silver.
Arya doesn't like the Hound's behavior but Clegane answers her that those persons would die anyway, so it's not a big deal. In the first episode of this season, the Hound finds the corpses of the farmers. He was right: they didn't survive the winter. But he was likely right because he robbed them.
The season 4 scene with Arya and the Hound
Below you can watch a video of one of the most relevant scenes featuring Sandor Clegane, Arya, and the farmers.
It's interesting to note that the other character involved in the scene, Arya Stark, in this episode speaks with a young soldier (we didn't have to wait long for Ed Sheeran's cameo!) who remarks the importance of being kind to strangers.
It seems like a thematic connection between Arya and the Hound's storylines.
Are they going to meet again? We really don't know, but they're actually not so far away from one, so who knows?
The Hound face the consequences of his actions
This episode clearly indicates that the Hound's travel to the north is also a spiritual one.
Clegane is more human than ever during the burial when is facing the consequences of his cruel actions. As David Weiss recently said, Sandor Clegane "shows you changes that he’s undergone as a human being. Four seasons ago, he wouldn’t have cared about burying the bodies of people he killed..."
Don't forget: "Game of Thrones" season 7 episode 2 will air on July 23, on HBO. The next episode's title is: "Stormborn".
