Directed By: Jeremy Podeswa / Written By: David Benioff & D. B. Weiss

Original Airdate: July 16, 2017

While the army of the dead continue to march towards the Wall, Bran Stark has a vision of their journey as he himself arrives at Castle Black. Meanwhile, after murdering Walder Frey at the Twins, Arya Stark reminds the rest of House Frey that "the North remembers.” In King’s Landing, Euron Greyjoy arrives and urges an alliance with Queen Cersei Lannister, who has lost support of the majority of Westeros. In Oldtown, Samwell Tarly settles into his training as a maester at the Citadel. At Winterfell, Jon Snow and Sansa Stark have a disagreement when trying to organise the Northern defenses for the coming war. Meanwhile, Daenerys Targaryen, alongside Tyrion Lannister and her forces, arrive in Westeros to her ancestral home of Dragonstone.

main cast

the wall

Beyond the Wall, a column of White Walkers riding undead horses lead a horde of wights as they continue their march through a severe snowstorm towards the Wall, in their attempt to breach into the Seven Kingdoms. Their numbers now include at least three undead giants. Meanwhile, an exhausted Meera Reed reaches the gate beneath Castle Black, home of the Night’s Watch. Bran Stark comes out of his vision just as the gate opens and they are both greeted by the acting Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, Eddison Tollett, as well as several armed Black Brothers. Eddison asks the newcomers if they are wildlings, as Meera then introduces Bran and herself to him. When Eddison asks them to verify their identities, Bran cryptically responds by recalling Eddison from his visions that have shown him the conflict at the Fist of the First Men, as well as the massacre that took place at the village of Hardhome. Bran also notes Eddison’s encounter with the army of the dead. Eddison decides to bring the pair inside, glancing nervously at the increasingly hostile lands beyond the Wall.

the riverlands

At the Twins, after killing Lord Walder Frey, Arya Stark uses his face to impersonate him while holding a celebratory feast. “Lord Frey” presides over the feast and has summoned every member of House Frey who took part in the gruesome Red Wedding massacre under the pretext of revealing his future plans. Walder orders the servants to serve them wine from the Arbor but harshly tells his latest wife Kitty Frey that he is not wasting any wine on "a damn woman.” He then thanks his family for helping him to slaughter the Starks and backhandedly compliments his brood for the violent deaths of King Robb Stark, his wife Talisa Maegyr, their unborn child, and Lady Catelyn Stark, much to the nervous laughter of his family. However, when the Freys quickly begin to choke and cough up blood as result of the poisoned wine, Walder chides them for not killing all the Starks. Arya as Walder then remarks, "Leave one wolf alive, and the sheep are never safe," as his family members die around him. Lord Frey then reveals himself as a disguised  Arya, who has exacted vengeance on those who arranged the massacre of her mother and brother at the Red Wedding. Arya spares Lord Walder's wife, as well as the female servants, informing them: "The North remembers. Tell them winter came for House Frey."

Afterwards, and now having acquired a horse, Arya is riding south when she stumbles upon a small convoy of Lannister soldiers who sit by a campfire. Their purpose is to maintain law and order after learning of the latest massacre to take place at the Twins. The kind soldiers offer to share their dinner with her. When the soldiers then ask Arya if she is riding south, she informs them that she is traveling to King's Landing. Though she previously informed Jaqen H’ghar, upon her departure from Braavos, that she was going home to Winterfell, Arya still has her kill list to complete before returning home. Arya learns from the Lannister men that the Great Sept of Baelor, where her father Lord Eddard Stark was executed, has been destroyed and that the Red Keep has been essentially sealed. When she asks about their adventures, the soldiers admit that they are homesick and once they left home they wished to return to their families. A young soldier offers Arya blackberry wine while his brother in arms asks her why “a nice girl on her own” is traveling to the capital. Arya firmly asserts to them that she is going to kill Queen Cersei Lannister. However, quickly assuming that she is joking, they all burst out laughing. Arya smiles and laughs along with them.

Elsewhere in the Riverlands, Sandor Clegane is riding north with the Brotherhood Without Banners through thick snow. Thoros of Myr comments on the storm, to which Sandor takes the opportunity to mock the Red Priest, as usual. Thoros then calls the Hound a “grouchy, old bear,” asking him why he’s always in a foul mood after Sandor rejects his offer of rum to stay warm. Sandor and the Brotherhood then come across a seemingly abandoned farmhouse, which Sandor recognizes as the farmhouse he and Arya stayed at a few years earlier after being invited in by a farmer and his young daughter, Sally, who he ended up robbing. Ser Beric Dondarrion, however, dismisses Sandor's unease and orders that they set up camp for the night. As the group moves inside to see if anyone is staying at the farmhouse, Sandor and Beric discover the long dead bodies of both the farmer and his daughter huddled up together. It appears that the father has killed his daughter and himself so that they would not have to starve to death during winter. Later on, during dinner, the Hound recalls seeing Ser Beric at the tournament at King's Landing. He wonders aloud why Beric keeps getting resurrected, as Beric confides that he does not know what the Lord of Light wants from him, knowing only that he is wanted alive. Sandor, calling Beric a “dumb cunt,” then remarks that he does not believe in divine justice, citing the horrific fate of the farmer’s daughter. Crouched next to the fire, Thoros then instructs Clegane to look into the flames of the hearth. Despite protesting that it was his luck to get stuck "with a bunch of fire worshipers," Sandor approaches the hearth. At first, he can only see burning logs but Thoros insists for him to continue looking. Then to his own shock, he eventually is able to see the Night’s Watch fortress Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, though he only knows it to be a castle where the Wall meets the ocean. As he continues to stare into the flames, Clegane can also envision a mountain that is “shaped like an arrowhead” with the dead marching beyond it : “thousands of them”. Ser Beric then asks a shaken Sandor if he now believes that they are here for a reason. Late in the evening, while everyone is sleeping, Sandor goes outside and starts digging graves for the father and daughter. Thoros overhears his exit and goes outside to join Clegane, correctly assuming that he knew the man and the young girl. Thoros then assists the Hound with the digging. Once placing the bodies in the grave, Sandor then attempts to recite a prayer for them, but forgets the wording of the Faith of the Seven. Before going back inside the farmhouse, Clegane apologizes out loud for their deaths, declaring that they both deserved better.

king’s landing

Meanwhile, in King’s Landing, Queen Cersei Lannister stands in the middle of a giant map of Westeros that she is having painted on the floor in the atrium of her new quarters. Ser Jaime Lannister arrives, who has not spoken to his sister since his return due to his anger over the death of their son Tommen Baratheon. Cersei informs Jaime that their estranged brother,  Tyrion Lannister, has recently returned to Westeros as the Hand of the Queen to Daenerys Targaryen at the head of a large armada. Jaime thinks their latest threat in maintaining the throne will land her forces at the fortress of Dragonstone. He informs that the last living Targaryen is likely to be drawn to her birthplace and the castle has been unoccupied since Stannis Baratheon abandoned it before his death. Jaime also notes that the deep water around the ancestral Targaryen island will allow Daenerys fleet to make anchor. Cersei notes that they have enemies in the south, west and north: Dorne, the Tyrells and the Starks, respectively. While Cersei has dreams of ushering in a long dynasty, Jaime inists to Cersei that they are losing the war, and with all their children dead, and with the deaths of their uncle Kevan and cousin Lancel in the Sept explosion, there is no Lannister line to inherit the throne. Jaime urges that they need allies and reports that House Frey has been exterminated. Cersei vaguely reminds him that she has been listening to their late father Tywin’s counsel for the past forty years and has learned some things.

Afterwards, a large Ironborn fleet bearing the sigil of House Greyjoy sails into King's Landing. Cersei informs Jaime that she is planning to forge an alliance with Euron Greyjoy. Ser Jaime criticizes her decision and points out that the Greyjoys are oath breakers and "bitter killers." In the throne room, Jaime and Cersei host Euron. Seeking revenge against his niece and nephew  Yara and Theon Greyjoy for running away with part of his fleet, Euron proposes that they join forces to murder their enemies, including their brother Tyrion. When Jaime questions Euron's legitimacy and trustworthiness, Euron talks about the Greyjoy Rebellion and praises Jaime's swordsmanship, while subtly inferring to Cersei Jaime's loss of a hand makes him inadequate for the wars ahead. Euron adds that he went into exile because of the Greyjoy Rebellion and has returned a feared and experienced pirate captain, and boasts that the Iron Fleet is the greatest fleet that Westeros has ever seen and a military asset that would let the Lannisters reclaim control of the seas. Euron proposes to marry Cersei to seal a marriage pact. Cersei declines due to Euron's history of oath-breaking and his recent role in murdering his brother Balon Greyjoy. Neither fazed or disappointed, Euron promises that when he returns to King's Landing, he will deliver his "finest gift" to Cersei.

winterfell

At Winterfell, the new King in the North, Jon Snow, organizes the defense against the Night King and his army. Jon asks that all maesters start searching for dragonglass, stressing it is now more valuable than gold due to its effectiveness against the White Walkers. Jon also requests that Tormund Giantsbane and his people man Eastwatch-by-the-Sea and orders for all able-bodied men and women in the kingdom to be trained in combat. While Lord Robett Glover balks at the idea of arming his young granddaughter, young Lyanna Mormont gives her assurance that every girl on Bear Island will be trained alongside the boys. Jon notes if the Wall is breached the castles of Last Hearth and Karhold will be the first affected. Lord Yohn Royce of the Vale opines that the castles should be demolished as they supported House Bolton, but Sansa Stark interjects that the children committed no crimes and urges Jon to instead strip the Umbers and Karstarks of their castles as punishment for turning against the Starks. However, Jon advocates forgiveness and summons Ned Umber  and Alys Karstark - both of whom played no part in their father's betrayals. He asks them to reaffirm their loyalty as they kneel before Jon.

In private, Jon chides Sansa for questioning his decision-making in front of the lords. He tells Sansa that while she is his sister and she can question his decisions, doing so in public undermines his position with the lords. When Sansa responds that the late King Joffrey did not tolerate dissent, Jon assures her that he is not Joffrey. Sansa tells Jon that she knows he is nothing like Joffrey and assures Jon that he is good at leadership, but she wants him to be wiser than their deceased father and brother. Maester Wolkan then delivers a message from the newly-crowned Queen Cersei: though she is apparently not opposed to House Stark reclaiming the North from House Bolton, she demands that they submit to her authority. Afterwards,  Brienne of Tarth and Podrick Payne spar with swords as Sansa and Lord Baelish watch from above. Sansa dismisses Littlefinger’s attempt to get under her skin by stating that she is safe at Winterfell and has Brienne as her sworn shield. Brienne joins Sansa and Baelish in the gallery and after Petyr departs Brienne asks Sansa why he is still at Winterfell. Sansa replies that the Knights of the Vale helped to turn the tide during the Battle of the Bastards. Sansa then assures Brienne that she is aware of Littlefinger’s intentions.

oldtown

Meanwhile, at the Citadel in Oldtown, Samwell Tarly is assigned with menial work under the Order of Maesters. His duties include serving the maesters' meals, emptying their chamber pots and shelving books in the vast library. While browsing through the library, Samwell curiously stares at a book behind a locked gate in the restricted section. Afterwards, Samwell assists Archmaester Ebrose during an autopsy for Maester Weyland. As Samwell weighs the organs on a scale, Ebrose suspects that Weyland had died from liver failure due to intemperate drinking. Samwell then asks the Archmaester if he has read his proposition and asks for permission to read the restricted section, eager to further assist the coming threat against the White Walkers. The Archmaester responds that maesters are naturally critical, however, he accepts Samwell's claim because the stories about the Long Night are corroborated in a number of sources. The Archmaester reminds Samwell that maesters are the guardians of knowledge and history. Still, Ebrose believes that the Wall will not fall because it has stood for a millennia. He then tells Samwell to finish his job. Later that evening, Samwell steals a sleeping maester's key and enters the forbidden section.

Later on, while Samwell studies in his quarters, while Gilly plays with Little Sam. She eventually asks Samwell about the book he is studying, named “The Legends of the Long Night”. Sam notes to Gilly that the book mentions the fact that the Targaryens were unaware the First Men had used dragonglass against the White Walkers centuries ago. He then discovers a drawn map of the island of Dragonstone and recalls a previous conversation with Stannis Baratheon, who had informed that dragonglass could be found on Dragonstone. The book then reveals that there is a veritable mountain of obsidian just outside the island’s castle. With this discovery, Samwell excitedly prepares a letter to Jon Snow relaying the information. The following day, during his assigned tasks, Samwell gathers empty bowls from the cells of the Citadel sanitarium. As he reaches out to collect a bowl from the open frame of the cell, Samwell is suddenly confronted by a shadowy figure whose arm is almost completely covered in greyscale. The figure asks if the “dragon queen” Daenerys has arrived in Westeros yet. Samwell sputters, dropping the bowl, insisting that he does not know, as the figure then withdraws his arm and back into his cell.

dragonstone

Queen Daenerys Targaryen and Tyrion Lannister finally arrive at Dragonstone after a long voyage across the Narrow Sea, alongside Lord Varys, Missandei, Grey Worm and her united armada. The volcanic island of Dragonstone is Daenerys’ birthplace, as well as the location of the eponymous castle and ancestral seat of House Targaryen. As Drogon, Viserion and Rhaegal circle over the castle, Daenerys kneels down and places her hand on the sand, touching Westerosi land for the first time she can remember having been exiled by . She and her entourage then climb the steps to the castle where they silently then enter the unguarded main gates and deserted courtyard. When they enter the castle itself, Daenerys briefly studies the fiery stag on one of Stannis Baratheon’s old banners, as he used to occupy the castle before his death. After a moment, Daenerys rips the banner down with a firm tug before entering the throne room and gazes upon the Targaryen throne itself, hewn from volcanic rock. Daenerys and Tyrion stride right past the throne and they enter the Chamber of the Painted Table, the war council room. Surveying the discarded markers from Stannis' last use of the table, Queen Daenerys wastes no time, as she turns to Tyrion and remarks "Shall we begin?"

*Episode descriptions from GOT Wiki