Here come Game of Thrones spoilers. Watch out!

If you know me you probably know that I love Game of Thrones to some extent. I mean, it’s, like, totally my favorite show on television. OHmigosh.

For some reason the long gap between seasons caused the hype to wear off a bit for me. But the episode started and I was immediately back into Gamma Throns mode.

What a great cold (ha, winter is here) open. Arya got to really drive home her revenge and sulk in it for a while as the poison had its effect. What better way to kill a bunch of Freys than with some deception and dirty back-stabbing (though this time not quite literally), and in the sanctity of their own hall as a bonus. Arya’s got little left to lose, so it is fitting that she has embraced her cutthroat side so much.

Let’s contrast that with the post-credits scene where Arya finds herself amongst a bunch of Lannister dudes camping out for the night. Honestly, wasn’t a big fan of the Ed Sheeran cameo. I’m sure Ed’s a good boy and all, but in-your-face superstar cameos like that don’t really complement an immersive show like Gaymuvthrones very well. His face was all up in the camera a bit too much for my liking; would have much preferred a cameo like Will Champion’s during the Red Wedding if they felt the need to do one. No big deal though.

They were all very nice boys, whom Arya was clearly considering slaughtering. But hey maybe not?

Also, Arya’s going on a Cersei-killing mission so I’m guessing she will either get derailed or will be trekking there for the entirety of the season. Otherwise, Cersei will be dead before the season can even climax. woops

Next we’re in King’s Landing where Cersei is literally on top of the world. Her son killed himself because of how heartless she was in murdering anyone he even remotely cared about, so her response is to be even more heartless by not caring enough to mourn. Hey fair enough, she’s got business to do. Who can blame her? Maybe everyone, and definitely maybe Jaime. I’m sure their minor clash on the whole “son killed himself” thing won’t come back into play later in the season at all!

Euron Greyjoy is back, but with a whole new personality because why not. Personally I probably prefer the hard man we had last season over this wackier version of him, but of course I’ll have to see more of him to know for sure. I’ve never read the books, so I don’t know which is more true to the original character, so I’ll refrain from too much judgment. For now he just looks like a bit of a subdued Floki (Vikings). Looks like he wants to get it in with Cersei, though I distinctly remember him saying last season that he was going to give Daenerys his “big cock.” Different personality I guess.

He also said he is going to bring Cersei a gift. Impossible to know, really, but I was thinking that Tyrion’s head might make for a good Cersei gift. Or maybe his big cock?

Up in Winterfell, Jon and Sansa exchange some disagreements. I’m hoping they aren’t brewing an on-going Jon-Sansa rivalry for this season. Also Lyanna Mormont continues being the best character in the show.

Littlefinger continues to exist, while more importantly Tormund creeps in closer to Brienne.

Hey, Bran is at Castle Black now! Epic.

Meanwhile Samwell freaking Tarley is living a riveting life at The Citadel, clearly full of all of the splendor he expected. He finds out about a huge cache of Dragonstone dragonglass and intends to write to Jon about it. Which is an interesting point to stop on. Think about when Jon and Sam were last together. Sam doesn’t even know that Jon died and came back, so he’ll likely be sending this information to Castle Black. Remember how Bran just showed up there in this episode? Maybe there’s something to that, I don’t know, just a crazy thought.

A quick Jorah cameo shows that maybe he’s not in tip-top shape, but I hope he gets well soon. He’s been such a good boy. I ship Daeneryah so hard.

The Hound comes in for likely my favorite part of the premiere. A nice throwback to Season 4 which shows just how much character development The Hound has gone through. I love The Hound’s conflict with the consequences of his actions. His resistance to the idea of “divine justice” is so poignant and powerful because it is so real. It’s a thought process that I’m sure so many of us have gone through. I know it’s one that I think of a lot: If there is a higher power, if there is such a thing as divine justice, then why are people like The Hound and Thoros alive when so many better people like the man and child he killed are dead? It’s such an important and meaningful point to bring up, and I’m glad to see it implemented so prominently in this fantastical show. The difference between me having these kinds of questions and The Hound having these kinds of questions is that The Hound is actually faced with walking proof of a higher power, in the form of Beric Dondarrion.

The episode ends in Dragonstone with Daenerys & co. for a sweet silent and dramatic sequence. Some really gorgeous shots in there!

All in all, I enjoyed the premiere episode of Season 7 for sure. It laid the groundwork for a lot to happen this season, and very few characters were left out. I especially look forward to seeing what route The Hound’s story takes, as well as Arya’s and Jaime’s. Heck, everywhere has room for some potentially awesome developments.

Let me know your thoughts and maybe I’ll do regular GoT episode reviews, and I can respond to your comments then! This is a bit of a trial run if you will. thnx