New Game of Thrones “Stormborn” Images Hint at Questions of Trust
Game of Thrones‘ season 7 premiere, “Dragonstone,” set the table in a major way. It gave us Arya’s quest towards King’s Landing, stopping off at House Frey to put an end to Walder Frey’s entire lineage. It supplied some major tension within King’s Landing between Cersei and Jaime, as well as some tart repartee between Jon Snow and Sansa in Winterfell over how best to prepare for the coming war. We caught up with the Hound (still grumpy, but far more soulful) and Sam Tarly (at the Citadel cleaning bedpans AND finding the source of dragonglass), and finally, we watched as Dany made it home to Westeros, to the historical stronghold of the Targyens, Dragonstone.
From a new set of images that HBO has released for the season’s second episode, “Stormborn,” we see plans being set in motion and allies, some secure, some tenuous, coming together to face the coming war. As is always a question when it comes to forging alliances in Westeros; who can you really trust?
When Sansa and Jon were arguing in Winterfell, one of the things they argued about was Cersei. Sansa was trying to get Jon to be less like Ned and Robb Stark, and more like…Cersei Lannister. Jon was taken aback, but Sansa calmly said she’d learned a lot from the new Queen of Westeros, while Jon lamented that it sounded like she admired her. The question being raised by savvy GOT watchers is this; was Sansa really testing Jon and disagreeing with him, or, was she only pretending to disagree with Jon in order to throw Littlefinger off the scent. Every time she countered Jon in their meeting with the leaders of the North, Littlefinger smirked, as there’s nothing he likes more than internal strife as it means he’s got wiggle room to make a move. Plus, his stated goal is to ascend to the Iron Throne himself, with Sansas as his Queen. As if Sansa would ever be his second-in-command.
Our featured image, above, shows Jon and Davos on horseback, with Jon looking up (possibly at Sansa) as it appears they’re about to head out from Winterfell. Here’s Littlefinger trying to get a word in with Jon Snow, and a shot of Sansa, looking baleful but determined.
Episode 62 (season 7, episode 2), debut 7/23/17: Kit Harington, Aiden Gillen. Photo: Helen Sloan/courtesy of HBO
Episode 62 (season 7, episode 2), debut 7/23/17: Sophie Turner. Photo: Helen Sloan/courtesy of HBO
Does this shot place Arya closer to King’s Landing?
Episode 62 (season 7, episode 2), debut 7/23/17: Maisie Williams. Photo: Helen Sloan/courtesy of HBO
Here’s Daenerys in full plot mode at Dragonstone with her confederates, including Tyrion, her hand, and Yara Greyjoy as the leader of her fleet. But look who else is there—Ellaria Sand, queen mother of the Sand Snakes, who loathes the Lannister’s as much as anyone in the Seven Kingdoms.
Episode 62 (season 7, episode 2), debut 7/23/17: Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Gemma Whelan, Indira Varma. Photo: Helen Sloan/courtesy of HBO
Finally, here’s Sam Tarly and Archmaester Marwyn. Recall that in the premiere, Marwyn told Sam he believed him about the White Walkers, but then he rattled off numerous times in the past when people thought the world was going to end, and it didn’t. Might Sam finally convince him of the importance of getting news of the dragonglass back to Jon, and help with his research?
Episode 62 (season 7, episode 2), debut 7/23/17: John Bradley, Jim Broadbent. Photo: Helen Sloan/courtesy of HBO
Featured image: Episode 62 (season 7, episode 2), debut 7/23/17: Liam Cunningham, Kit Harington. Photo: Helen Sloan/courtesy of HBO