Okay, so after the epic episode that is “The Long Night”, Game of Thrones is setting up for another great war but with this episode, the showrunners seem to want you to reassess your loyalties and figure out who the real villain of the tale is. I may touch on some spoilers so tread carefully if you haven’t seen the episode yet.

Synopsis: The combined forces of Daenerys and Jon pay tribute to the heroes of Winterfell and light a funeral pyre in their honor. They heave a sigh of relief that they survived and prepare yet again for the final war against Cersei Lannister. Dany begins to feel insecure and cracks in her steely resolve begin to show when Jon insists on telling his sisters his true parentage. Meanwhile, Cersei unleashes her own counterattack with dire consequences.

Again, some spoilers ahead. 

Coming off such a big episode really takes its toll on “The Last of the Starks,” where it seemed that the show was simply getting rid of the most of its CGI expenses in one fell sweep. After surviving the ice dragon, Rhaegal is unceremoniously felled by Euron Grejoy’s giant arrow. Jon also asks Tormund to take Ghost with him beyond the wall where he will be happier with just a nod as a goodbye. Take note that both of Jon’s beast protectors were eliminated in this episode alone so I don’t really know what this means for the King of the North. (I don’t care if he bent the knee)

I loved the family powow among the four remaining Starks. I loved that Arya and Sansa were trying to protect their family and Jon even though he believed he was in charge. Oh, poor Jon Snow. He really does know nothing. But at least he did something right in confiding to his sisters his epic secret. They’ll know what to do with it. I also liked the reunion of the Hound and Arya as they traveled to King’s Landing together to settle their beef with their sworn enemies.

The script seemed solid enough but if you’ve hung out in forums and discussion boards in the past two years or so, some arguments will seem familiar to you. Like whether a marriage will work between Jon and Dany given the incest (Targaryens don’t care about that sort of thing — really?) Or Lord Varys saying that perhaps the Iron Throne should belong to someone who does not want it. Its been going on for a while now and perhaps, scriptwriters should not make it so obvious where they got their ideas from. At times, it seemed like the characters were speaking in codes, as if to hint their fate in the final two episodes.

Dany’s character has been slipping downhill ever since she crossed the Narrow Sea but no episode perfectly underscored just how much until now. It felt like the showrunners wanted to magnify all her flaws all in one go — the pathetic attempt at buying the loyalty of Storms End, her hotheadedness and her penchant to throw back the things that she has done for the north, her willingness to kill innocent people in King’s Landing just to unseat Cersei from the throne.

Even the fact that she tried to emotionally blackmail Jon into keeping their secret so that her claim will not be challenged — and the gall to make him choose sides between his family and her? Wow, very queenly, she is.

I still have hopes for Jon’s character to come through in the end though. I doubt that he will survive until the last episode or if he stays within the Seven Kingdoms at all is he lives through it but that boy is most definitely a Stark. Ned Stark raised him to be just as honorable as he was but look where it got him. Hopefully, this trait serves Jon a far better fate than his father/uncle.

I also have faith in the character evolution of Jamie Lannister and that he will not let it all go to waste because of Cersei. I am hoping for something big for the Kingslayer. Perhaps, he could become a Queenslayer? The existence of the baby also seems like a tall tale at this point. Could this push Jamie to the edge?

Cersei didn’t do much this episode, but you have got to admit that she executed the perfect battle plan. Her father would be proud. She’s pretty consistent as the evil queen and far more experienced in the ways of war than Daenerys was, especially in the south. And with her quiet countenance for this entire episode, I would not be surprised if she pulls another Sept of Baelor stunt.

I will try to refrain from theorizing what happens next but at this point, I’m hoping the Stark girls have a contingency plan to save their brother, and at least the north from the showdown of the two madwomen.

Check out the next episode trailer below:

PS I love Sansa’s bitch face.