This seems to be setting up some kind of Mad Queen turn - a twist some fans have been predicting for several seasons now - which might necessitate Jon killing her to save the realm, but that feels like a misdirect, especially since it's being telegraphed so heavily.ĭespite her sometimes questionable decision-making, Daenerys has been cognizant of the history of madness in her family and the impact of her father's violence since that pointed conversation with Barristan Selmy in Season 5, so it seems far more likely that she might be forced to reexamine the lengths she's gone to in pursuit of power (and whether it's been worth it) when faced with someone who theoretically has a stronger claim than her. (Sibling incest is obviously frowned upon throughout the realm, but marrying cousins seems par for the course among many of the great houses, so aunt and nephew probably isn't the ickiest combination to be faced with.) Quick theory time: It's worth noting that the show has been emphasizing Daenerys' unpredictability and more extreme tendencies for a while now, between the way she executed Randyll and Dickon Tarly and the way other characters have been perceiving her choices of late (particularly Tyrion, but also Sam and Sansa here). It's also not a shock that he's more concerned about how Dany might react to the news than about any incesty implications. His leadership roles have generally been thrust upon him whether he wants them or not, so it's not a shock that he seems to have little interest in the Iron Throne. Jon has never had any real desire to rule. It's no surprise that Jon finds out the truth about his lineage in the first episode, although his immediate response - that it's "treason" to suggest he's the rightful heir instead of Dany - isn't the reaction we might've expected him to have when faced with that information. Someone needs to start trusting Jon's instincts after everything he's been through. Here's hoping that the remaining Starks all get on the same page before the Night King rocks up to their door. (The men in the Stark family certainly don't seem to learn from past mistakes as quickly as the ladies.) The Northerners are somewhat justified in mistrusting a Targaryen, given what Dany's father did to Jon's uncle and grandfather not so long ago, but the show has already spent far too much time pitting Sansa and Jon (and Sansa and Arya) against each other over the past couple of seasons just to heighten the tension.
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Meanwhile, the Northerners all seem pretty salty after naming yet another King in the North who looks content to throw away all of his power and strategy as soon as he meets a gorgeous foreign woman. Tyrion, Varys, and Davos think a wedding is the best course of action, because that's generally been every "lonely old man's" default plan in the Seven Kingdoms when it comes to forging a lasting alliance.
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R+L= Treason? As expected after last season's cliffhanger ending, much of this episode focuses on Jon and Daenerys' newly-cemented status as Westeros' most attractive power couple, and how everyone around them doesn't quite know how to feel about it.
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It's entirely possible that the next five episodes will be a roller coaster of death, destruction, and drama that won't let us catch our breath, and in that way, it feels reminiscent of the Season 6 opener, " The Red Woman." We're setting the table for a larger feast to come here, and while there are plenty of tantalizing morsels in this hour, it doesn't quite add up to a completely satisfying meal after almost two years of GOT deprivation - but let's face it, it's still better than most TV shows ever get.
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There's certainly the sense that this premiere is the calm before the storm. Plus, Sansa and Arya's mistrust of Daenerys plays a lot like conflict for conflict's sake (much like the friction between Sansa and Jon did) when all of our heroes are aware that they currently have much bigger priorities than worrying about who's bending the knee to whom. There's still evidence of the narrative corner-cutting that proved so divisive in Season 7, where it seems like showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss are so concerned with getting their characters from A to B, the logic of their journey becomes secondary (Theon's rescue of Yara without breaking a sweat seems like a total rush job).