Game of Thrones season 7, episode 3 recap: The Queen’s Justice

 Game of Thrones season 7 episode 3 got right down to business with the highly anticipated meeting of Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen.

Warning: spoilers ahead.

Game of Thrones season 7 episode 3 brought several pairs of characters together we’ve all been waiting to see. There was the highly anticipated meeting between Dany and Jon. The reunion of Jon and Tyrion. The unexpected reunion of Sansa and Bran. The showdown between Cersei and Ellaria. The heart-to-heart between Varys and Melissandre. And, of course, the darker, and more badass heart-to-heart between Jaime and Olenna. Here’s how it all went down:

Dragonstone

We started things off with Jon, Davos, and co. being met on the shores of Dragonstone by Tyrion, Missandei, and a few tough-looking members of Dany’s Khal guard. Tyrion and Jon had a precious but low-key, cool guy reunion on the beach, then the group took a long walk along the castle walls where Tyrion and Jon caught up. Of interest in their conversation: Tyrion asking about how his one-time wife Sansa is doing (and one of our favorite exchanges from the episode: Tyrion saying he’d always thought Sansa was smarter than she let on; Jon responding “She’s starting to let on”). The two also discussed whether Jon’s coming was a wise call, with Tyrion admitting he would have advised against it if he were Jon’s right-hand man.

We then cut to the first of several covert conversations throughout the episode set against the breathtaking backdrop of Dragonstone’s cliffs: Varys and Melissandre discussing why Melissandre wasn’t there to greet Jon Snow and his men. Melissandre made vague reference to leaving things on bad terms with the King in the North and his adviser (you know, sacrificing an innocent girl makes for an uncomfortable situation afterward). She does, however, admit she’s made some terrible mistakes.

Then we get to the moment we’ve all been waiting for: The meeting between Daenerys and Jon. The setting is classic Dany: she’s perched on an intimidating-looking throne in a cavernous hall that would make anyone nervous. Jon, however, doesn’t immediately bend the knee as Dany was expecting. Instead, the two exchange a few formal but somewhat heated words related to the cruelty of their respective fathers (or friends of their fathers in Jon’s case). Dany, classy as ever, asks for forgiveness for the crimes of her family, but stands firm that she is the rightful ruler of the seven kingdoms. She goes on to say, very regally as is her style, that she’s been through a lot of turmoil in her life—she’s been raped, sold, attempts have been made on her life, etc.—but she’s always kept her faith. Not faith in the gods. Faith in herself. The first of a few badass lady mic drops of the night.

The conversation takes a turn as Davos and Jon try to convince the Dragonstone crew that the real threat to all of them is the White Walkers and the Night King. Dany and Tyrion are skeptical but the  discussion is tabled after Varys comes in to inform Dany about Yara, Ellaria, and the other Sand Snakes’ ship being captured.

When we return to Dragonstone later in the episode, it’s Tyrion and Jon’s turn to have a chat on the scenic cliffs. They exchange a series of quotable sentiments (“You look a lot better brooding than I do,” “Children are not their fathers, luckily for all of us,” etc.) before Tyrion tries to change Jon’s mind about Dany.

We then see Tyrion taking Jon’s request for dragon glass in the fight against the White Walkers to Dany. The two also circle back to the strange statement Davos made about Jon taking a knife to the heart, but that’s overlooked quickly (we’re guessing that little detail will come back up?)

Dany gives the okay on the dragon glass (again there’s a cliff-side conversation involved) and we don’t come back to Dragonstone until later when the show is cutting between scenes of Tyrion recalling the secret sewer tunnels he constructed that will now come in handy in the taking of Casterly Rock, and the taking of Casterly Rock itself.

In what seemed a sure plan gone wrong, Casterly Rock was overtaken by Grey Worm just to be a straw man for Dany’s western conquest. With a castle not quite as unoccupied as Dragonstone during the season premiere, the Unsullied utilize Tyrion’s knowledge of the sewers beneath Casterly Rock to easily take the castle—only to realize that’s what the Lannisters wanted all along.

Grey Worm peers over the battlements to see the Greyjoy fleet, now suddenly on the other side of the Seven Kingdoms after a lengthy procession in King’s Landing. A quick return to Cersei let’s us all know that the main bulk of the Lannister army has been mobilized to take out the Tyrell threat and conquer the Reach.

King’s Landing

We return to King’s Landing along with a victorious Euron, riding his steed through the crowd of peasants, with (still alive!) Yara, Ellaria, Tyene tied up as his prisoners. Ellaria and Tyene are in fact “the gift” to Cersei many predicted after Euron mentioned it in episode 1. To be more specific, Euron tells Cersei he’s gifting her “justice for murdered daughter.”

We’re soon taken to a dungeon of sorts where Ellaria and Tyene are bound and gagged and Cersei gets rolling on an epically conniving monologue. She reminds Ellaria of Oberon’s brutal death in graphic detail and describes her own experiences as a mother to make what happens next even more painful. The unexpected pink lip gloss Cersei is wearing was unsettling and turns out it was for good reason: to repay the kiss of death Ellaria gave to Marcella, Cersei kisses Tyene, then chugs a vial of antidote. Ellaria’s punishment will be to helplessly watch her only remaining daughter die in the cell.

Cersei later hosts a visitor from the Iron Bank in Braavos, who questions whether they should be backing the Lannisters when there are debts to be paid. Cersei assured him said debts would be paid off within the fortnight.

Winterfell

Sansa seems to be rather poised as we’re introduced to her ruling the North. In one West Wing-worthy walk-and-talk, she finds faults in the best blacksmith’s armor, repositions grains for the coming winter better than the smartest maester, and even manages to respond to Littlefinger’s weird advice of battling everyone at all times with a killer “reclaiming my time” face.

But it all changes the moment Bran is back in Winterfell.

Her immediate advice to give up her power to him as the true heir of Winterfell is quickly dismissed with grand talks of the unbelievable, inexplainable, and still remarkably true (a similar storyline with Jon and Dany’s hyped meeting). Bran is a different man than the boy that left the cave of the (maybe first, though maybe not the first) Three-Eyed Raven. He has seen everything all at once, even apologizing to Sansa for the atrocities she suffered at their home. Sansa, reacting similarly to Theon when addressing long-repressed horrors, can only walk away. Bran; now all too aware of what he means to titular game in the coming days, weeks, months and years; offers to stay behind at the Weirwood tree where he can tap into the fabric of time.

The Citadel

Weirdly archaic yet seemingly modern instruments of examination are already a recurring motif for Sam’s time at the Citadel—enter archmaester Ebrose and his weird, way too bulky extendable pointer. After a careful and skeptic examination, Jorah Mormont seems to be cured of his greyscale, though heavily scarred. The forbidden talents of continuously impressive Sam Tarly are noted. (Life hack courtesy of Sam: Whenever you feel worried about how to do something impossible, just read the instructions.)

Ebrose pulls a move eerily similar to a principal over the loudspeaker exclaiming “see me in my office” and departs. After a handshake that means more symbolically than literally (Jorah couldn’t touch Dany when they parted ways), Sam and Jorah give each other what is essentially a “see you later.” That’s big in GoT terms, because when characters say they’ll meet again, they do. Sam might have advised Jorah to tell Dany to help Jon and the Night’s Watch (given Sam treated him because Jorah’s father was Lord Commander Jeor Mormont), but we guess that might have been a little too easy.

Later, Sam is given the classic double-switcheroo. First ridiculed for his aggressive and unsanctioned treatment of an infectious disease, he’s then praised for his successful practice of a nearly impossible process—the single-switcheroo. He’s then given the task of playing using the Meisner technique to become acquainted with the role of a Xenox machine—the double-switcheroo. The truly impressive feat will be if Ebrose, now aware of the full capability of Sam, gives him specific scrolls to makes copies of—a potential triple-switcheroo. Ebrose does mention the scrolls are full of paper mites, but thankfully, the show runners decided to give viewers a break on the “Sam does something disgusting and we have to watch in graphic detail”-front this episode.

Next: Game of Thrones season 7, episode 2 recap: Stormborn

Highgarden

We see Jaime, backed by Randyll and Dickon Tarly, and what might be our first sighting of Bronn this season, as they approach Highgarden. Olenna Tyrell, peering over her chamber’s balcony, sees her oncoming doom and retreats to her quarters.

Jaime then walks through the post-battle route to Lady Tyrell’s chambers. In an incredible scene that reveals the seemingly true nature of each character, Jaime offers mercy and Olenna responds with wrath. After bestowing a painless death through poison (a recurring element in this episode), Jaime is met with all of the last ruthlessness by the scorned leader (and all-around badass dragon if we’ve ever seen one) of a great house in Westeros. Jaime, rendered utterly vulnerable, can’t address Olenna’s honesty with a response. Just before carrying the weight of this revelation with him out the room, the Queen of Thorns uses her last barb to hopefully pierce Cersei, instructing Jaime to reveal Joffrey’s death was at her hand.