Game of Thrones Recap 7×05: “Eastwatch”

Last week, we asked the question, “What’s Littlefinger up to?“, since, for the first time in Game of Thrones history, Littlefinger’s intentions don’t seem entirely clear. This week, we’re still going to focus on the more confusing aspect of this season’s plotline: the infamous Starkbowl.

“Starkbowl” is the term coined by the fans to refer to Arya and Sansa’s conflict in Season 7. Half the fanbase thinks it’s stupid and contrived, the other half is siding with one Stark sister or the other. Are Arya and Sansa acting out-of-character? Do they have a trick up their sleeves? Is one right and the other wrong? We’ll delve into that after recapping everything that happened in “Eastwatch”.

As usual, beware: for this post is long and full of spoilers.

Let’s recap:

(Almost) Everything That Happened in “Eastwatch”:

PHOTO: thegrumpyfish.com

• Bronn pulls Jaime out of the river. He’s very upset that Jaime almost got himself killed before giving Bronn his castle. Jaime’s not too bothered. Mostly, he’s worried about the giant effing dragon and the fact that Danaerys has three of them. At this point, he’s concerned with getting back to King’s Landing and telling Cersei how much danger they’re really in.
• Danaerys is walking a dangerous line, now. She’s never been much good at politics, even back in Mereen. In Westeros, she’s even worse. The scene at the beginning of Eastwatch is eerie. Danaerys gives the Lannister men an ultimatum: “bend the knee…or refuse and die”. Lord Tarly and his son, Dickon Tarly, refuse to bow. She has Drogon burn them both alive in a scene that’s frighteningly similar to the historical deaths of Rickard and Brandon Stark (Ned’s family, another father-son duo), who were burned alive with wildfire by the Mad King in his throne room. Tyrion tries to counsel mercy, but Dany’s having none of it. Is she turning into the “Mad Queen”?

• Back at King’s Landing, Jaime breezes by Qyburn to see Cersei. He tells her Olenna is the one who killed Joffrey. At first, Cersei doesn’t believe him. When it finally sinks in, she’s just angry that Jaime gave Olenna a quick death. The rift between Jaime and Cersei has seemed to grow with each passing moment, and this episode is no exception.
• Jon touches Drogon. This is the second time in the series that someone who isn’t Dany has been able to touch one of her dragons (the first was Tyrion). This is further confirmation of R+L=J. Jon is a Targaryen, and his relationship with Dany’s dragons proves it.
• Jorah returns to Danaerys, gray-scale free. She accepts him back into her friendzone – ahem – service.

• Bran wargs into a murder of crows to keep an eye on the Army of the Dead. He sees the Night’s King at Eastwatch by the Sea: one of the few remaining castles along the Wall. The Night’s King is dangerously close to crossing the Wall into Westeros – the urgency is more real now than it has ever been. Bran sends ravens to the Archmaester of Oldtown, telling them that the Army of the Dead is coming. Sam overhears and tries to add his testimony, but none of the maesters will listen to him.
• Gilly is reading one night while Sam is distracted, frustrated that none of the Maesters will believe him. In passing, she uncovers that Rhaegar Targaryen annulled his marriage to Elia Martell, and married another, unspecified woman. Sam interrupts her before she can finish the thought. He’s incredibly angry and frustrated. He doesn’t want to be a Maester anymore. He takes Gilly, steals all the important books in Oldtown, and leaves in the dead of night to find Jon. This discovery seems inconsequential, but it’s incredibly important. Jon is the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. Since Rhaegar annulled his marriage to Elia Martell before running off with Lyanna, it means that Jon is not a bastard, and is, in fact, the trueborn heir to the Iron Throne. His claim to the Throne is stronger than Danaerys’.

PHOTO: parhlo.com

• Jon, Danaerys, Varys, and Tyrion concoct a plan at Dragonstone to capture a Wight and bring it to Cersei to convince her that the army of the dead is real. Tyrion will go south, smuggled into King’s Landing by Davos to arrange the meeting with Jaime. Jon and Jorah will go North of the Wall with a band of Freefolk to capture the Wight.
• Back at Winterfell, the Northern Lords aren’t happy with their situation. They’re annoyed that Jon has left Winterfell for so long, and don’t seem happy that he’s left Sansa in charge. Sansa’s juggling the politics as best she can, but Arya isn’t making it easy for her. She seems to be under the impression that Sansa’s being too soft on the Northern lords and questions Sansa’s loyalty to Jon. More on that later.
• Davos and Tyrion make it to King’s Landing. While Tyrion meets with a very angry Jaime, Davos goes to Fleabottom to find Gendry – who is, apparently, alive and well and ready for a fight. Tyrion convinces Jaime to arrange a meeting between Danaerys and Cersei. Davos brings Tyrion and Gendry back North to Jon.
• Jaime takes Danaerys’ terms of armistice to Cersei. Cersei’s less than pleased that Jaime has met with their “traitor brother”. She tells Jaime to never betray her again in the sort of voice that implies she’ll kill him if he does. Cersei also tells Jaime that she’s pregnant with their child. This might be a ploy to get Jaime on her side and ensure his loyalty, or it might be true. It’s too early to tell.
• Littlefinger plants a raven scroll for Arya to find in order to further divide the Stark sisters.
• Jon forms a merry band of misfits that all hate each other, including Gendry, Jorah, The Hound, Thoros of Myr, Beric Dondarrion, Tormund Giantsbane, and some unnamed wildlings. The group goes beyond the wall to capture a Wight.

Now, about the Stark sisters and that mysterious raven scroll…

Starkbowl 2017

PHOTO: The Verge

What the hell is going on?

Are Arya and Sansa acting out of character? Who’s in the right, here? What’s Littlefinger planning? What was on that raven scroll? Is Arya going to kill Sansa? Is Sansa going to betray Jon? So many questions!

Let’s focus on that raven scroll. It’s clear from the episode that Littlefinger knows Arya is following him and going through his things. He decides to use this to his advantage by planting a scroll in his room for her to find, and making a big deal out of ensuring she hears the whole, “Lady Stark thanks you for your service” thing. Why?

That scroll is the raven scroll Sansa sent to Robb in Season 1, asking him to swear fealty to Joffrey. Cersei forced her to write it. From Arya’s perspective, it looks as if Sansa and Littlefinger are in cahoots, and that Sansa had Littlefinger find this scroll and hide it in order to preserve her reputation with the Northern Lords. Littlefinger knows that Arya is dangerous. He’s probably hoping that the two sisters will keep fighting, creating chaos that he can use to take control of Winterfell, because as we all know: “Chaos is a ladder”.

Many people have complained, saying that Arya and Sansa aren’t stupid enough to be played like this. They think the Stark girls are acting out of character. I agree. In my opinion, I think there are two possible explanations for what’s going on:

Littlefinger is Being Played

The conversations between Arya and Sansa do seem slightly out of character. They also seem rather loud, as if they’re meant for someone else’s ears. It’s possible that Arya and Sansa are letting Littlefinger think he’s controlling the situation, keeping him complacent so the Knights of the Eyrie stay in Winterfell, loyal to Sansa, until an opportunity arises to get Littlefinger out of the picture.

The Sisters Aren’t Actually Out of Character At All

Both Sansa and Arya have been through hell. The trouble is, neither can understand where the other is coming from. On top of that, they’ve always hated each other and they’ve never really known each other that well. The two have spent years apart. We can’t expect them to magically trust each other once they’re reunited in Winterfell. These two are bickering just like they’ve always done. The only difference between Season 1 and Season 7 is that one sister is a savvy politician and the other is a revenge-bent murderer. If this is what’s going on, and if they are being played by Littlefinger, hopefully they’ll see sense soon.

What do you think is going on between the Stark sisters? Did you catch that Jon is the rightful heir to the Iron Throne? Let us know in the comments!

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