OnScreen Recap: Game of Thrones The Queen's Justice
Brittany Strelluf
The following contains spoilers for season 7 episode 3 of Game of Thrones.
Jon Snow and Ser Davos arrive in Dragonstone. It was fantastic to see Jon and Tyrion back together. Tyrion’s wit and Jon’s genuine nature complement each other beautifully. Melisandre looks on and is joined by the Spider. Melisandre, is for all intents and purposes, hiding from Jon Snow and Ser Davos. She plans on going to Volantis and is advised to never return. It is worth mentioning that Varys deeply detests magic, as it was a sorcerer who harmed him brutally as a boy. Melisandre creepily claims that both she and Varys will die in this foreign land.
In the war room Dany wants to ride her dragons out to the remaining Greyjoy fleet and burn them. Tyrion has planned out an invasion of Casterly Rock. Tyrion ran the sewers in Casterly Rock and uses a secret passage he created to invade the fortress. All appears to be successful until Grey Worm looks out beyond the castle walls to see a fleet of Greyjoy ships waiting for them.
Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen finally meet face to face. This is a meeting fans of the show have waited for the entire length of the show and fans of the book have waited two decades for. The Khaleesi demands blind allegiance. Daenerys comes less as a strong queen and more like a petulant child in these scenes. She asks not to be judged for her father’s sins, but then asks that Jon live up to his ancestors past oaths. Jon calls her out on her hypocrisy. Snow tells Dany about the White Walkers and the Others. The audience knows that Jon is Dany’s nephew and one would argue that he has a stronger claim to the throne. It will be interesting when this information becomes known. The Onion Knight passionately defends his king in his wonderful Davos way. Jon shows respect but refuses to bend the knee to her.
Tyrion is vital in creating the beginnings of an alliance meeting the two separately. On a cliff at Dragonstone, Jon and Tyrion meet and speak privately. Tyrion confesses that he believes Jon is telling the truth about the Night King. He suggests that Jon speak to those in the castle who follow the Silver Queen and ask why they have chosen to do so. In the next scene Tyrion persuades Dany to allow Jon to mine the obsidian he needs to fight the Wights. In a much more amicable meeting, Jon and Daenerys come to an agreement about the dragonglass he needs and a tentative alliance begins to blossom.
Sansa is in charge of Winterfell and is proving to be a strong leader. Bran arrives at the castle, and is reunited with his sister. He has fully and completely become the Three Eyed Raven. He echoes the words that Littlefinger said about having eyes and ears everywhere. He also creepily reminds Sansa of her forced marriage and multiple rapes she endured by Ramsay Bolton. Apparently, all the knowledge in the world didn’t teach Bran anything about subtly.
Cersei meets with the Iron Bank and we discover that the queen plans to pay the debts by taking over Highgarden. An army marches on Highgarden lead by Jaime, Lord Tarly, and Bronn. Jaime meets Lady Olenna and pours them a drink. Lady Olenna speaks what viewers know, Jaime loves Cersei and follows her out of that love. Hopefully, Jaime will remember all of the character development that he has undergone the last few seasons and Cersei won’t be the end of him. Olenna calls Cersei a monster, which is the same word used to describe Joffrey. Jaime poisons a glass of wine and offers it to her. With nothing left to lose, Lady Olenna downs the poison and then confesses to Jaime that she is the one who killed his son Joffrey. This death is the first one that is really painful for viewers, and The Queen of Thorns will undoubtedly be missed.
Euron drags his niece Yara, Ellaria and Tyene through the streets of King’s Landing. This scene parallels Cersei’s walk of shame in a previous season. Euron delivers his prisoners to Cersei and Cersei promises to marry him. Cersei has the Dornish captives in chains in a dungeon. Cersei confronts her daughter’s murderer and poisons Tyene with the the Long Farewell, the same poison Ellaria used to kill Myrcella. Ellaria will have to watch her daughter die slowly and painfully just out of her reach. Indira Varma gave an exceptional performance in this scene. Even if you didn’t like this character, you felt her agony and terror in this scene.
Back at the Citadel, Jorah Mormont is released from quarantine as he was declared free of his greyscale infection. He has elected to return to Daenerys. Samwell has saved Jorah from a horrible fate. The Maester gives a Sam a kind word and gives him new orders to recopy old manuscripts. On the sea, Theon is fished out of the water and unceremoniously dumped in front of the other Ironborn where he confesses that Yara was taken by Euron. It is clear that he is disgraced in the eyes of his kind.
The title and the theme go hand in hand with one another this week. Cersei doles out justice for her daughter’s murder. Daenerys seeks her throne, which she views as justice. Lady Olenna dies, but in her last breath, reveals that she had already won. Sansa is showing that she is an intelligent leader.