We've learned to dread episode nine of any Game of Thrones season, mainly because it's usually when some horror occurs that makes us question why we even watch the show (and this week's episode certainly had that moment...) although it did also end on such a triumphant note we kind of wanted to stand up and start slow clapping.
While we had some good filler content this week, with Jon successfully getting the Wildlings past the wall, Arya seeing her old foe Meryn Trant again, and Jamie rapping up what seems to have been the most pointless story yet in the series out in Dorne - this week's episode was really only about two people - a Princess and a Queen.
First up, that utterly horrendous scene with Stannis' daughter - seriously, think it's time someone had an intervention with Stannis and this Red Lady chick. You just can't be going around burning people at the stake willy nilly, especially your own adorable child, even her crazy eyes mom knew that in the end.
Right up until those final heart wrenching screams, we were sure Ser Davos was going to ride in and save his surrogate daughter, but nope, this is Game of Thrones, where even innocent children can die for no reason. Although one uncomfortable truth is that Melisandre's magic hasworked in the past, she killed Stannis' bro with a damn shadow for crying out loud, but surely a few leeches would have been grand with young Shireen too? Like what they did with that other young fella that was hanging around with Arya for a while (where is he these days by the way?)
Either way, what this appalling move has ultimately done has made Stannis now an utterly unredeemable character. There was a time when we even briefly rooted for this Barotheon brother, how could we not when he arrived in to save Jon and the lads in that epic Battle of Castle Black last season?(Nobody expects the Stannis Inquisition) But nope, folks, Stannis has gone to the dark side now and let his thirst for power cloud all his better judgement.
This brings us to those final crucial minutes of this episode where we found herself out in Meereen watching what looked like a deleted scene from 'Gladiator'. We were half expecting Russell Crowe to emerge with a lion or two in tow. However, it was Lord Friendzone that was the key warrior in this ring as he took out his fellow fighters, as well as a masked assassin that nobody had spotted who was clearly on his way to kill Daenerys.
And then..... all hell broke lose. The Queen and her entourage were under attack from the ever growing army that is the Sons of the Harpy. Exits were blocked, the unsullied were being made mincemeat of left, right and centre and it genuinely looked like two of our favourite characters were once more about to meet their maker in an episode nine of Game of Thrones.
Until... Drogon!! He was always our favourite dragon.
He emerged from the skies intent on saving his mother, proceeding to make ash of those attacking her. And then, a hugely pivotal moment happened in Seven Kingdoms history, Daenarys became the first Targaryean in well over a century to fly a dragon.
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And off she popped, leaving Tyrion and the rest of us gobsmacked. (Anyone else a little worried about what's going to happen to them by the way?)
This also bodes well for last week's review too whereby the three dragons will be flown into battle with the remaining Targaryeans.... hey, it could happen.
This week's mad hatter theory for you? Well it refers back to Arya's storyline and her death wish against Ser Meryn Trant. For those that couldn't quite place why she hated him so much last night, he was that nasty piece of work that used to help King Joffrey be a d*ck, but on a personal note for Arya, he was the one that killed her sword fighting teacher Syrio Forel... or did he??
Yep, I'm holding on pretty strong to a theory that this guy did not in fact die. Last we saw of him he was left in a room with Trant as him and his felllow army folk came to cease Arya in King's Landing. However we never actually seen this fight occur, and The Hound even poked fun at Arya's teacher in season four saying that Trant was a poor fighter, and that anyone could beat him... although he was just holding a wooden sword when he faced Trant.
But why wouldn't we have been shown this scene? It's not like Game of Thrones has ever held back in the past from showing us a bloody death or two. And what purpose could his survival possibly have? Well, he could get Arya to get that Needle of hers out from under the rocks for a start and out of that mad house of faces or whatever it is.
So after all that, what do we think this last episode of the season will hold for us? We'd imagine we will have to head back to that house of horrors in Winterfell to see how Sansa is faring, and of course same goes for Cersei locked up in King's Landing.
We have this foreboding feeling too that they are about to rip a central character from us as while many have died this season, all of the main characters are still truckin' on. For now...
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What did you make of this week's episode? Any thoughts on where the finale will end up?
