“Game of Thrones” Season 7 is off to a fantastic start.
After Episode 1, “Dragonstone,” set a ratings record for the HBO series, Episode 2, “Stormborn,” pumped up the hype to maximum levels on Sunday night. Not only did showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss tease the highly anticipated meetup of Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and Daenerys (Emilia Clarke), they gave viewers close to an hour of women dominating in Westeros ― and that’s always a welcome sight.
The statue of Ned Stark (Sean Bean) in the crypts of Winterfell stands as a symbol of the now extinct patriarchy of Westeros. Gone are the father figures; women reign supreme in almost every kingdom.
As Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg) says, “I’ve known a great number of clever men. I’ve outlived them all. You know why? I ignored them.”
In the episode, Dany holds a strategy meeting with Yara (Gemma Whelan), Ellaria (Indira Varma) and Olenna, resulting in an epic speech by the Tyrell matriarch. Although Tyrion’s (Peter Dinklage) plan of attack seems to be the end goal for Dany, Olenna throws in her two cents and clearly gets under Khaleesi’s skin. Will she use Olenna’s wisdom to her advantage? If she’s smart, yes. These two could be the new power couple in Westeros.
Speaking of power couples, did everyone enjoy witnessing Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) finally get together with Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson)? (And you thought eunuchs couldn’t get it done!) If this scene doesn’t signify men bowing down to women, we don’t know what does.
Also, that Yara and Ellaria kiss. We totally saw it coming, but, man, was their flirtation a total delight.
Still, by the end of the episode, Yara and Ellaria end up in Euron’s (Pilou Asbæk) hands, and most of the Sand Snakes die. There’s pretty much no doubt Euron will be “gifting” the ladies to Cersei (Lena Headey), which can’t be a good thing ― especially when she’s firing off a dragon-killing bolt launcher ― but we hope they make it out alive.
Shall we get to the good stuff, though? Let’s talk about that one former lady-in-waiting who has somehow survived six seasons despite enduring the most horrendous of circumstances.
Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) is without a doubt the woman to watch on “Game of Thrones.” As we mentioned before, she’s poised to have more power than ever before ― and we can’t wait to watch her journey. In Episode 2, as Jon leaves for Dragonstone to meet Dany face to face, he names Sansa acting queen in the North, which means she can now rule and make decisions for her kingdom. Also, with her sister Arya (Maisie Williams) on her way to Winterfell, the Stark ladies are truly set to be in control. Catelyn (Michelle Fairley) would be so proud.
“The reality is Jon is the military man, and the sexism exists where he believes that [a man should be in charge]. And in reality, Sansa is a really wonderful politician, and he doesn’t recognize it enough to appreciate it,” Turner told Entertainment Weekly of her character’s Season 7 arc. “It’s difficult because military-wise, she doesn’t know anything. And she’s kind of butting in on that respect. And he, on the other end, is trying to be more of a politician, and he doesn’t know as much as she does. If they could just learn to collaborate.”
Well, it appears Jon and Sansa have learned from each other and will, hopefully, work with their siblings Arya and Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) to defeat the enemy no one is ready for: the White Walkers.
All we know is that with women like Sansa, Cersei and Dany in charge, Westeros is on fire.
Before You Go
