A Potpourri of Vestiges Review
By Murtaza Ali Khan
I just finished watching 'The Spoils of War', the Episode #4 of Game of Thrones, Season 7 and before I share my views I must flash the mandatory SPOILER ALERT!
Read: my review of Game of Thrones, Season 7, Episode 3
The Lannisters it appears seem to be underestimating Daenerys Stormborn’s might all this time and so when she finally goes on the charge they are completely caught off guard. One of the reasons why the episode is so great is because of the 3Ds: Dothraki, Dany and Drogon. More on that later.
By Murtaza Ali Khan
I just finished watching 'The Spoils of War', the Episode #4 of Game of Thrones, Season 7 and before I share my views I must flash the mandatory SPOILER ALERT!
Read: my review of Game of Thrones, Season 7, Episode 3
I would like to begin by saying that 'The Spoils of War' is the most
explosive GoT episode since Season 5's 'Hardhome'. There are many
reasons why I say this and I will come to them one by one. Remember this season
is going to have just seven episodes as opposed to the usual ten and so the
fourth episode is the one that's expected to be the middle episode. Now the
first three episodes were a mere setup for the mini-climax of sorts that the fourth
episode provides. Dany has been waiting in Dragonstone for too long even as Euron Greyjoy's
fleet as well as the Lannister army continues to wreak havoc on her allies. Even the
Unsullied's conquest of Casterly Rock has been nullified thanks some smart
maneuvering by Jamie and Cersei. Daenerys' restlessness has been growing and
the Mother of Dragons finally decides to up the ante. The Spoils of War, among
other things, is about Dany finally announcing her arrival in Westeros. And it’s
the path of belligerence that she is forced to choose.
The Lannisters it appears seem to be underestimating Daenerys Stormborn’s might all this time and so when she finally goes on the charge they are completely caught off guard. One of the reasons why the episode is so great is because of the 3Ds: Dothraki, Dany and Drogon. More on that later.
Another triumph of The Spoils of War is Arya’s return to
Winterfell. To watch her take on Brienne with her Needle is nothing short of
breathtaking. Remember, it was Brienne who had beaten up the Hound and so it’s
just remarkable to think how powerful Arya has really become. Not to mention
her skills as a faceless assassin. The Stark siblings are all united at
Winterfell (except Jon… that is if we still count him as a Stark) finally but
alas Bran is now the omniscient Three Eyed Raven. Littlefinger learns it the
hard way when he tries to win over Bran’s trust. “Chaos is a ladder,” Bran
tells him. Littlefinger is obviously stunned to hear his own words from Bran’s
mouth. But Littlefinger is not the only one whom he startles.
Read: my review of Game of Thrones, Season 7, Episode 2
Read: my review of Game of Thrones, Season 7, Episode 2
The Spoils of War begins with the return of a lovable character,
Bronn. He is more like the crippled Jamie’s good hand now. Jamie knows this fully
well and so he pays him handsomely well just as one would expect from a
Lannister. The good thing about Bronn and Jamie is the banter and I have been
dearly missing it. More on Jamie and Bronn later.
In Dragonstone, Jon Snow has discovered the reserves of
dragonglass and he is already feeling so obliged (and possibly smitten) to Dany that he might as well
bend his knee before leaving for Winterfell. Jon, however, has been behaving a
bit strangely of late. Earlier he had attacked a helpless Petyr Baelish and now
he intimidates an already intimidated Theon Greyjoy. Varys too looks pretty
intimidated these days. Just like Grey Worm had looked before leaving for
Castery Rock. No Country for D***less Men!
Early on in the first season King Robert had expressed his fears
of facing the Dothraki in an open field. Ned Stark had told him that the
Dothraki can never cross the Narrow Sea. But all that has changed with the
Khaleesi leading the Dothraki instead of the Khals. The Spoils of War is all
about what King Robert had feared. Dothraki finally proved that no Westerosi
Knight can actually hold them for too long. Jamie and Lord Tarly and their men
just had no answer to the Dothraki ambush. The ambush was further bolstered by
an aerial attack launched by Dany herself, riding on the back of the mighty
Drogon. What a sight it was to see her command Drogon as the opponent army kept
running for cover. But Jamie who is ever so courageous just doesn’t know when
to quit and so he asks Bronn to slay Drogon using the special crossbow
designed by Qyburn. After a couple of near misses, Bronn finally hits his target
as Drogon and Khalessi both come down flying. In the meantime, Tyrion Lannister
is watching all this from a distance. He seems more worried about Jamie then he
ever does about Dany. As they say, blood runs thicker than water. “Flee, you
idiot!” he murmurs with a worried look when he sees Jamie charge towards Dany
with a spear while riding his horse. Dany meanwhile is busy attending to the
injured Drogon as Jamie charges in her direction. But just as Jamie is about to
hit her, the mighty Drogon temporarily overcomes its pain to shield the Mother
of Dragons, unleashing its fury on the poor Jamie. And just when it seems that
Jamie is going to be roasted alive by the dragon fire, Bronn pulls him out of
danger (yet again proving his worth and also proving that he is much more than
just a Sellsword). Both of them fall into the nearby river with their heavy
armor pulling them downwards as the end credits begin to roll.
The manner in which the episode ends has left Jamie’s fate
undecided. Given the weight of his armor he seems to have a very little chance
of surviving. But surely a character like Jamie cannot die like this. Perhaps, Jamie
will somehow manage to get rid of his heavy armor and swim upwards. Maybe, Tyrion
will convince Danny to spare his dear brother’s life. This is going to be a
great test of Tyrion’s loyality. If Jamie comes out of this alive we can surely
say that he would never ever underestimate Daenerys’ might again. He may even
want to convince Cersei to hand over the Iron Throne to its rightful heir if that’s the case. Also,
one wonders how Sansa and Littlefinger, who were watching her fight Brienne,
would react to Arya’s deft skills with the Needle which would certainly have
alarmed them both. Speaking of Littlefinger, he is really lucky to be not on
Arya’s list. It remains to be seen what kind of a role he is left to play in
the GoT saga. Also, one wonders if Jon would choose to bend his knee to Dany or
not?
The Spoils of War has answered so many questions but in turned
has posed many more. Hopefully we will have the answers before the season
ends. For now, here’s the Episode 5 preview:
Readers, please feel free to share your opinion by leaving your comments. As always your valuable thoughts are highly appreciated!
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