Game of Thrones – Queens Justice Review
Beware! The night is dark and full of terrors. And this Game of Thrones Queens Justice review has many, many spoilers!
If you haven’t seen this week’s episode……DO NOT READ ON!
This week……are you sitting comfortably? Then we shall begin….
We’re closing in on the half way point in this year’s shortened season of Game of Thrones, and that means more death and misery, and seismic political changes.
Jon Snow and Ser Davos arrive at Dragonstone
We open in Dragonstone, where Jon has gone to meet Daenerys (Emilia Clarkre). Jon (Kit Harrington), Davos (Liam Cunningham) and a few of their men land at the shore of Dragonstone. They’re welcomed by Tyrion (Peter Dinklage), Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) and some Dothraki men.
What I thought was strange about this scene was Tyrion and friends making a point of taking the weapons away from Jon. How can Jon, Davos and a couple men be any match for an army of Dothraki, Unsullied and DRAGONS. It gave me the impression that Daenerys really does see Jon as a threat.
Jon and Tyrion have a ncie exchange, some slight catch up and small talk since they last saw each other at the wall. After briefly speaking with Missandei, Davos tells Jon that Dragonstone has changed.
While walking to the castle, Tyrion asks Jon about Sansa and assures him his marriage to her was a sham and not consummated. Peter Dinklage naturally runs away with the scene, asking after Sansa “does she miss me terribly?” and passing off his own advise as ancient knowledge. We’ve missed the truly funny side of Tyrion, he’s not had enough screen time for some time and his hilarious one-liners have been missed.
Suddenly, a dragon flies overhead, shocking Jon as he watches the three dragons soar over Dragonstone.
Melisandre has brought together Fire and Ice
As Jon and co enter the castle , Melisandre (Carice Van Houten) and Lord Varys (Conleth Hill) watch from above. She won’t show her face to their visitors, even though she is the one who suggested they meet, because she was banished from the North for sacrificing Princess Shireen. “I’ve brought ice and fire together” she tells Varys. When she admits she’s heading to Volantis, Varys suggests she stay there, because she wouldn’t be safe here. She responds “I have to die in this strange country. Just like you” *insert ominous music*
Jon and Daenerys finally come face to face
The meeting of the Queen of Dragons and the King of the North was one of the longest awaited moments in the show’s history. This scene starts with one of the funniest moments in the show’s history with Missandei reeling off Daenerys’ many many titles, while Davos simply says “This is Jon Snow” it was kind of like a “Cher” moment, showing he doesn’t need all the pomp that Daenerys likes to put across, he prefers his actions to speak for themselves.
Daenerys stays true to her word, and asks him to bend his knee, and in turn she’ll name him Warden of the North. She notes similar exchange took place between their ancestors Torrhen Stark and Aegon Targaryen. But Jon won’t do it (GO JON) Instead, he asks for her help with defeating the White Walkers and the Army of the Dead “If they get past The Wall and we’re squabbling amongst ourselves, we’re finished” he tells her.
Daenerys knows something
Then Daenerys hits him with one of the greatest campaign speeches Westeros has even seen. Here’s a highlight:
“I spent my life in foreign lands. So many men have tried to kill me, I don’t remember all their names. I have been sold like a broodmare. I’ve been chained and betrayed, raped and defiled. Do you know what kept me standing through all those years in exile? Faith. Not in any gods, not in myths and legends. In myself. In Daenerys Targaryen”
Davos tries to do the same for Jon, pointing out he’s stood up for his people, made an alliance between the people of the North and the Wildlings and even take a “knife to the heart” for his people, but Jon stops him before he goes any further. Daenerys points out to Jon that by not bending the knee, he and his kingdom are open to rebellion.
Varys tells Daenerys that Euron attacked their ships
Daenerys and Jon’s tense conversation is cut short when Varys enters the room. After Jon and Davos leave, he informs Khaleesi that the Dornish and Greyjoy fleets were captured. He doesn’t know if Ellaria (Indira Varma) and the Greyjoys are alive or dead.
In the short scene to follow, we see Theon (Alfie Allen) rescued out at sea by a Greyjoy ship. He tells them he “tried” to rescue his sister, but they know he’s lying.
Euron brings his gifts to Cersei
Over in Kings Landing, Euron (Pilou Asbæk) gets his hero’s welcome after last week’s dramatic sea battle, riding into the throne room much as Tywin did back in season 2. The similarities are obvious, both were returning to claim prizes. Euron drags Yara (Gemma Whelan) Ellaria and Tyene Sand (Rosabell Laurenti Sellers) into the throne room, each chained by the neck.
He offers Ellaria and Tyene as his gift to Cersei (Lena Headey), which he promised her in the first episode of the season. In return, the Queen tells Euron he will have his hearts desire aka her hand in marriage, but only after the war is won. Cersei announces to her people that in their newly-formed alliance, Euron will lead the navy and Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) will lead the armed forces. Meanwhile Euron taunts Jaime with crude yet hilarious side comments about Cersei. As the scene ends I’m left thinking, what will happen to Yara?.
Cersei gets her revenge
If you thought Cersei was softening up, think again. The Queen finally gets her revenge on Ellaria Sand for killing her only daughter. She takes her and Tyene into a cell in King’s Landing where they’re both chained to opposite walls and gagged. Cersei torments Ellaria with memories of Oberyn’s death, and poisons Tyene with a kiss on the lips. It’s the same manner and poison (The Long Farewell) Ellaria used to kill Myrcella. But Cersei’s version is worse. She forces Ellaria to watch her daughter die slowly across from her in her cell. She even promises Ellaria that they’ll force-feed her and keep the lights on to make sure she doesn’t miss a thing. Cruel.
Cersei and Jaime back at it
Jaime and Cersei fell back into bed this week. Interesting to see that Cersei isn’t even trying to hide their relationship anyone, with one of her maids getting an eyeful of them in bed together. I’m enjoying the direction they’re taking Cersei in this year. She’s becoming over-confident, arrogant and power hungry. They’re setting her up for a fall, sure, but its progressing her character.
Also, wouldn’t that maid make a brilliant cover persona for Arya if she ever came around to kill Cersei?
The Lannisters have some debts to pay
Tycho Nestoris from the Iron Bank in Braavos arrives to inform Cersei that her debts are “considerable.” (EEEEEEEP the Bank Manager! Nearly as bad as the Tax Man) Apparently, the Lannister vaults are empty, and the wealthiest house, Tyrell, has turned on them. He tells her that the Iron Bank invests in the likeliest winner. Cersei asks him to stay at King’s Landing for a fortnight, swearing her debt will be paid in full to him by the time he returns to Braavos.
Daenerys lets Jon Snow take some Dragonglass
While we are treated to the sight of Jon brooding while staring at the ocean (someone’s preparing for their moody indie rock album cover, we see) Tyrion figured out that offering an olive branch of Dragonglass would help make Jon more conducive to a potential alliance. He then asks Daenerys if Jon and his men could mine the dragonglass on the island to turn into weapons to fight the White Walkers. Tyrion believes in him and realises letting him use this resource is a low-risk move for Daenerys. She apparently didn’t even know it was there. Before agreeing, she asks Tyrion if he knew what Davos meant when he said Jon took a knife in the heart.
Later, Daenerys meets Jon to tell him he can mine dragonglass, and she’ll provide the resources and men he’ll need. When he asks her if she believes his story about the White Walkers, she simply tells him, “You better get to work, Jon Snow.” (It doesn’t have quite the same ring as, “You know nothing, Jon Snow,” but we’ll take it.)
Sansa and Bran Stark reunite
Up at Winterfell, Sansa (Sophie Turner) is doing a great job leading on her own at Winterfell. She advises to build up the grain storage since food is scant in the North, and she tells the blacksmiths to put leather on the armour they’re making so soldiers can stay warm in the cold. Just when Littlefinger (Aiden Gillan) is giving her a pep talk about how danger is omnipresent, someone informs her that she’s needed at the gates: IT’S BRAN. She gives him a tearful embrace when she realises it’s him.
Sansa and Bran (Issac Hempstead Wright) play catchup in The Godswood. When she says she wishes Jon were here, he says, “I need to speak to him.” (Reminder: Bran knows who Jon’s real mother is. You know, just a tiny detail.) Sansa says he should be Lord of Winterfell, but Bran disagrees. He informs her that he’s the Three-Eyed Raven, though she doesn’t understand. He explains that he can see everything that’s ever happened to everyone. To prove his point, he starts recalling details about her wedding night with Ramsay. “I’m sorry for all that happened to you,” he tells her. Sansa freaks out and goes back inside.
Jorah’s greyscale is cured
Archmaester Ebrose (Jim Broadbent) inspects Jorah’s (Iain Glen) cured body and confirms his greyscale is no longer active; he is free to go. Before they part ways, Jorah tells Sam he’s headed back to Daenerys (will he never learn that she’s “Just Not That Into Him”)
The archmaester scolds Sam (John Bradley) for performing the procedure after he forbade it, but he tells him he should be proud of saving Jorah’s life. He orders Sam to make copies of the old rotting manuscripts in his office. His only reward is not being expelled from the Citadel.
The Unsullied take Casterly Rock
The Lannister soldiers at Casterly Rock know the Unsullied are coming. The walls are impregnable, but thanks to Tyrion, the Unsullied were able to sneak in using his secret passage cove and the sewage system. (Tywin Lannister used to have Tyrion in charge of the plumbing.)
The Unsullied have less army and fewer weapons, but they will fight for freedom and the person who gave it to them, Tyrion points out. The Lannisters only fight out of fear for Cersei. It seems they’ve taken the Rock, but Grey Worm looks out to sea, where Greyjoy ships are bombing their fleet. He notices that a significant amount of soldiers are missing. It turns out Jaime marched them to Highgarden.
Time Travel?
Now I get that we only have a handful of episodes left but the writers are currently having us believe that some speedy travel is afoot.
Whilst Cersei was chatting with the Bank Manager, Euron and the navy managed to circumnavigate the whole continent to Casterly Rock and destroy the Unsullied fleet, trapping them inside.
And before the Unsullied did their invading, Jaime had managed to ride clear across the continent, gather the Lannister army (and empty the city stores) and then march half way back again to invade Highgarden.
I know the show probably had to save time and budget for the inevitable upcoming Lannister v Targaryen bloodbath, and last week’s battle at sea probably sucked up a chunk of the budget, but we have two pretty major battles this week that hardly got seen at all.
Lady Olenna admits to Jaime she killed Joffrey
The Lannister army takes Highgarden, led by Jaime, Bronn (Jerome Flynn), and Randyll (James Faulkner) and Dickon Tarly (Tom Hopper). (It appears the Tarlys, who are bannermen to House Tyrell, are breaking their oath and fighting with the Lannisters instead.)
Jaime finds Lady Olenna (Diana Rigg) in the tower, and tells her he’s conquered her home. She is the only Tyrell left. Jaime admits he let the Unsullied take Casterly Rock and took the rest of his men with him—a move he learned from Robb Stark.
Before executing Olenna, Jaime and the Tyrell matriarch discuss Joffrey and Cersei. Lady Olenna has some great lines here, as she always does. She notices that Jaime is carrying Joffrey’s sword. He tells her it was named Widow’s Wail. To that she retorts, “He really was a c*nt, wasn’t he?” When the conversation turns to the Queen, she realises how much Jaime loves Cersei. “She’ll be the end of you,” she tells him. (Is this foreshadowing?)
According to Jaime, Cersei suggested beheading Olenna or flaying her alive and hanging her from the walls of King’s Landing, but Jaime talked her out of those options. Instead, he pours poison into Olenna’s wine, and she downs the whole glass willingly. She asks if there’ll be any pain, and Jaime says no, he made sure of it. “I’d hate to die like your son,” she tells him, admitting she was the one who poisoned Joffrey at his wedding.
Her last words?
“Tell Cersei. I want her to know it was me.”
This is by far the most heartbreaking death of the season (show?). Olenna who is snarky and sassy in defeat as she was throughout her appearance in the show. I’m genuinely going to miss Dame Diana Rigg.
The last few years have seen the show’s acting royalty like Charles Dance and Jonathan Pryce all get bumped off, and now passes everyone’s favourite acid-tongued grandma. She stole every scene she was in, and it’s a real shame she won’t be appearing in the show any longer and she won’t have a part in the show’s final shake up – I’d have voted her Queen any day.
Quite frankly if Prince Charles decides the top job in the British Monarchy is too much for him when the real Queen passes away, I’m all up for Dame Diana taking over.
Summary of Game of Thrones – Queens Justice
Another solid episode, by far my favourite so far. I feel I will say that again before the season is out. There are some great points mostly courtesy of Cersei and Co, and very light on the pointless filler. There was a standout performance by Olenna, and some amazing dialogue from Tyrion.
I feel we are building to a truly memorable episode, one that will make the fans scream when they are watching and rave about it at work the next say. Next week marks the mid-point of this shortened season, so hopefully things will really kick up a gear.
Things aren’t looking great for Daenerys anymore. In just three episodes she’s lost most of her navy, the Tyrells and the Dornish are out of the fight and the Unsullied are trapped half the world away in a worthless although beautiful castle.
Cersei is in ascendency. Even the dragons *sob* might not be safe, although Daenerys isn’t aware of Qyburn’s ballista superguns.
Looks like next week she will have to take her dragons out for a fight, about time to .
The Queen’s Justice was an episode that explored the devious levels both sexes will stoop for battle and revenge and explored the attitudes of those who never sit on thrones, with Euron cannily noting “they just like severed heads”. There was also the right blend of humour, drama and emotion this week. Who didn’t enjoy seeing Sansa and Bran reunited? Or finally see Daenerys and Jon in the same room and still not know they are related? Or cheering at the fleeting glimpse of Jerome Flynn’s Bronn? Maybe next week he’ll actually get to say something.
Final words…..Rest in Peace Lady Olenna Tyrell
Highlight – Lady Olenna’s final fanfare
Lowpoint – Maester Ebrose! Come on Jim give Sam a break.
Quote of the week – “To be honest I was drunk for most of it” Tyrion dropping truth. To be honest there was so much on pointe dialogue this week but I heart Tyrion and dragons don’t talk.
Game Of Thrones airs Sunday evenings on HBO in the States, with a simulcast on Sky Atlantic and Now TV in the early hours of Monday and a repeat Monday evenings at 9pm.
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