Game of Thrones Episode 1 Recap: None Of The Sheep Are Safe

Every season of Game of Thrones has it’s own distinctive flavor that separates it from the rest. Season 2 was maneuvering and deception. Season 5 was about the frustration of defeat. Season 3 was bloody chaos. And so on and so forth.

Now that we’re in Season 7, far ahead of the books, with all the obvious ascendancy plot lines now spoken for and set up for action (Cersei is in charge at Kings Landing, Dany is in Westeros, Jon is head of the Stark family, Arya is a killer, ect.), Season 7 of Game of Thrones is going to be marked by unpredictability and uncertainty. It took 60 hours of TV but the chess board is now fully set. The pieces are in the places they’ve seemed inevitable to be in for so long. And now, as Dany closes the episode with, shall we begin?

The high point of episode 1 was in the beginning, with the Arya slaughter of the Frey lineage. The most badass character on TV wiping out an entire family in one stroke with a dope monologue is like watching a Lebron chasedown block or a Tom Brady 50-yard spiral: It’s not really surprising to see but that doesn’t make it any less awesome. To be graced with the rare Game of Thrones cold open scene (I believe only the 3^rd the show’s ever had?) was a clear message by the writers: Arya might have been a little bit of an awkward piece to the show without much relevance to the overall plot the past few seasons, but that’s about to change (hopefully with no more forced, pointless Ed Sheeran cameos that completely distracted from what should’ve been a nice detour scene about how not everyone in Westeros is completely indecent and makes you VERY AWARE THAT YOU’RE WATCHING A FICTIONAL TV SHOW in a drama that prides itself on blending realism and fantasy enough to be a completely immersive viewing experience…and I love Ed Sheeran and his music).

Elsewhere with the Starks, the dynamic between Jon and Sansa was revealed. There tension and battle for the political leadership in Winterfell is inevitable, they weren’t particularly close as kids and have almost exactly opposite strengths and weaknesses. Sansa’s political acumen is sharp having learned from the best, and she’s right about Stark men being mostly stupid about strategic matters (Jon trying to save Rickon despite her warning about Ramsay at the Battle of Bastards is a perfect example). However, Jon is also right about it being critical about the need for them to have the appearance of a united front and not undermine his leadership, especially when he’s a bastard who let the North’s eternal enemy (wildlings) south of the Wall for the first time ever to fight an enemy that the vast majority of people he rules has no proof exists. Like most fights between man and woman, there’s a middle ground to be had.

Unfortunately that snake Littlefinger is the exact type of person to purposefully drive a wedge between the two to create a little bit of chaos he can climb like a ladder, and based on how his eyes lit up at their spat, he’s planning on it. Baelish is the chief threat to the Stark power structure right now, it’s just yet to be seen how. Of course, Petyr could be blind to the fact that Sansa is fast becoming his intellectual equal, and that she holds a power over him in a way no one else does through his love/lust for her resemblance to her mother. Then again, Baelish has spent his entire life besting people who seemingly have a ton of power over him.

Jon does have some help from a friend coming however, and it’s from everyone’s favorite pledge at Sigma Maester, Samwell Tarly! Pretty impressive to see an infected arm knock over a bowl of gruel and it was only the third most unsettling thing we saw in that plotline in an episode. Look, I get it with people hating the Sam scenes. He’s mostly cleaning out bowls of old man poop and sometimes watching him can feel like we’re doing pretty much the same thing. But things like Sam’s relevation about dragonglass on Dragonstone, thus laying the groundwork for a potential Jon-Dany alliance that everyone and their mother sees coming, is critical. Having the Arch Maester say verbatim “The Wall has stood through it all!” which it pretty much a blinking sign saying “IT’S COMING DOWN AND PROBABLY THIS SEASON FOLKS” is critical. He’ll show us a lot about the White Walkers through his fancy book learnin’, which is critical. I know it sucks but it has to be done. Like looking at turds in steel pots, apparently.

And to finish up the Northern action, the Sandor Clegane redemption tour is in full swing. Since his rescue of Sansa we’ve known that the Hound isn’t completely the Monster that he wants everyone to think he is. Of course he did horrific things (here’s the youtube link to the scene that should clear up the origins of the dead farmer and daughter) but he lives in a horrific time in a horrific place. He wants to be a good person and contribute some good, and just like him staring into the fire and revealing what he saw, I think he’s earnest in his intentions. The thing with redemption tours, however, is that they go both ways. Yes Sandor wants to be good. But he has to see some good in the world and people in it to make it worth fighting for. The priest, the farmer, all of those were good people who’s come across, and all those people are dead. That’s the world Sandor knows and lesson’s he’s learned. Maybe before this is all over, he’ll be the final person he sees paying the ultimate price for being a good person.

Finally, Cersei is exactly what we all thought she’d be this episode: Stone cold crazy. Three things kept Cersei grounded and from flying completely off the handle seasons 1 through 6-her father, her children, her relationship with Jaime. Two of those three things have been taken by death. One of those is hanging by a thread. And trust me, we can expect to see it snap sooner rather than later (yes Jaime should be afraid of Cersei. She also would do well to be afraid of him. Wouldn’t be the first insane despot he’s shoved a sword through the back of).

Euron, who now dresses like a douchey New York City kid who moves to London on his parents money after failing out of art school apparently, might be the only person more nuts than she is. And now he has her full blessing to do whatever, and in a life of death a Lannister is going to do WHATEVER it takes to win, to curry her favor. He’s going to bring her a gift. What gift? Tyrion, the person she hates more than anyone? Gendry, the last blood of the Baratheons? Something else? Who knows. But it has to be good. Which means the battle for is going to be fierce and bloody. I think that’s more than enough to get everyone tuning in for next week.

That’s it for this week’s recap because I’m making a concerted effort this year not to put enough words to make your eyes bleed. Two pieces of housekeeping:

-I’m going to be doing another weekly blog in addition to the recap. It’ll be a mailbag and send me questions on Twitter @CharlieWisco my DMs are open or CharlieWisco@AOL.com. Please try to keep the questions to what happened in the episodes specifically and not 1000 Reddit theories about the Cleganebowl or other general stuff.

-Also the podcast with me and Many Snacks God, the Clem Report, is back! We’re off of ZCast and have now gotten into video blogs on Youtube and they’ll be live after every show. There’s a live chat room where we can answer your questions or you can just watch them later at the bottom of each blog if you prefer. I’ve never done a vlog before (shoutout to Frank Fleming and old school KFC Radio) so am learning on the fly and would love any and all constructive criticism (fyi: “I hate your stupid round face with big eyebrows” and “your voice is annoying” isn’t constructive criticism). I know I got a little overly excited this week and was getting some names and facts mixed up. I’ll work on it to try to get you the best show possible, because I heart and appreciate you guys who read/watch/listen/interact with the Thrones recap very much. Like last year, it’ll be me and Clem every week with a rotating guest. Last night it was Trent. Follow me on Twitter. Enjoy it below and see you all next week. Follow me on Twitter @CharlieWisco and valar morghulis.