Between the dragon battles and the speechifying that sometimes take up large parts of Game of Thrones, “Eastwatch†set out to remind us that this show is actually about connections. Especially between siblings, sometimes between strangers, and in a world obsessed with heirs, even between fathers and sons. And so it’s connections like this that drives the narrative in “Eastwatch.†This episode was anything but a battle-episode; instead it focused heavily on developing relationships, and reminding us how characters from all over the expansive plot that is Game of Thrones are connected. It was a welcome effort, though it did fall prey to the same pacing issues that have plagued this season, and I would argue pacing has been difficult throughout much of this series (though in the opposite direction of what we’re experiencing in season seven). Still, the focus on characters was refreshing and it’s heartening to see the pieces that have been building for years finally falling together.

Let’s get into the sibling drama. As always, action at King’s Landing stays in the family, and in “Eastwatch†the tangled loyalties between brothers and sisters (and lovers) is at a peak we haven’t seen since Tyrion’s trial. There isn’t much to say about Tyrion and Jaime’s rather anticlimactic meeting, except that it did succeed in pushing the plot. However, the push and pull happening between Cersei and Jaime is something else. I’ve complained about how poorly executed Cersei’s transformation into a wholly unsympathetic villain has been, however, Jaime’s development in reaction to Cersei has been fascinating. He’s been just a step away from rejecting Cersei for sometime now, growing tired of her arrogance, and her refusal to listen to his pleas when he says they cannot win this war. And Cersei knows. Him meeting with Tyrion adds fuel to her fire. And so, naturally, she uses manipulation to keep him under her thumb. In this case, the manipulation is in the form of a not-entirely-believable pregnancy. The look on Jaime’s face when Cersei whispers in his ear “Never betray me again†makes it clear that he still understands Cersei’s madness, but that he is essentially backed into a corner. The question is whether her continued antagonism toward him (suggesting that he kill Bronn, for example), will end up canceling out the headway she’s made with the baby announcement.
In Winterfell, the Stark sisters are falling into old patterns, and Littlefinger is quick to take advantage of their weakness. It is hard to remember, but Sansa and Arya did butt heads a lot in the early days of Game of Thrones, and their time apart has in some ways forced them even further apart. Whereas Sansa has learned how to, if I may, play the game, Arya has shirked the system in favor of violence, and her suspicious nature proves too easy to manipulate for Baelish. Littlefinger has been hanging around without much to do for sometime, so to see him pull off a trick like this one was more satisfying than I expected. Arya is also incredibly frustrating, driving home the point that she doesn’t fit in with the “regular†world anymore. And consequently I am ashamed to admit, I actually cheered for Littlefinger. At least he got his groove back. But most importantly, he’s using the tense relationship between Arya and Sansa to break them.

Moving to a more complicated familial connection, and just to address the elephant in the room: It has been all but confirmed that Jon Snow is actually a bonafide Targaryen– the legitimate son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. We were moments from getting explicit confirmation from Gilly, but Samwell had to interrupt her to complain about how he doesn’t like his job (at least we can hope they took that book with with them when they left the citadel).  There have been lots of little and not-so-little references to Jon’s lineage throughout the season, and “Eastwatch†had a major one in Jon Snow meeting Drogon. In the scene, Jon slowly removes his glove and reaches out to have Drogon sniff his hand, and then gently places it on the dragons face when Drogon doesn’t lash out. The most notable part of this scene was Daenerys, at first nervous for Jon, and then watching the exchange with surprise and curiosity. It even seems like there are moments when slivers of recognition cross her face. There’s an obvious, albeit stilted, connection that has formed between Jon and Dany. To them it’s somewhere between a political alliance and a friendship, but it’s only a matter of time before the actual nature of it comes out. Above all else, it’s the connection between Jon and Daenerys that is integral to the new mission to send a team north of The Wall to capture a wight. Their alliance is the driving force of the overall shift in the series from the war for the throne to the danger to the north.

I do want to mention how disappointingly fast our ragtag Fellowship of the Ring-esque crew got to Eastwatch in this episode. We got a quick reunion between Davos and Gendry (insert rowing forever joke here), and a even quicker reunion between Dany and Jorah. I had friend mention how this episode was boring. And episode where Gendry is reintroduced, we find out Jon isn’t a bastard, and Dany and Jorah are reunited (OK, maybe not the last one) shouldn’t be boring. But we just didn’t have the time with them for it to feel worthwhile. I kind of feel robbed that we didn’t get a single scene with the crew traveling to Eastwatch. Many of the best character moments in Game of Thrones happen during travel. The only bit of this that I did enjoy was Gendry and Jon meeting and bonding over their connection—their fathers. It was brief, but funny, and also proved that maybe it isn’t the amount time, but it’s what’s done with that’s causing a lack of gravity in these major reunion or reintroduction scenes.

But regardless of underwhelming moments that came from trying to cover too much ground, “Eastwatch†succeeded in demonstrating just how critical connections are to where this story is leading us. And where it’s leading us is north. The very last thing I ever expected out of this episode was Tyrion suggesting that they capture a wight and bring it back to King’s Landing. It’s possibly the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard. But it’s also guaranteed to be the kind of traveling expedition we’ve been sorely lacking, even if not all who travel north of The Wall make it back.
Other thoughts:
- Bronn and Jaime surviving was with no excitement at all, a lot like when there was a cliffhanger when Arya got stabbed a few seasons back and was just totally fine the next episode.

- The Hound and the Brotherhood Without Banners meeting up with Jon’s team was like a who’s who of Game of Thrones. It’s weird to think of all of these characters being connected, but here we are (For example, Tormund hates Jorah’s dad! And Thoros of Myr and Jorah fought together in the Greyjoy rebellion. Who knew!)Â
- We saw almost everyone this episode, with the exception of Greyworm/Missandei, and Brienne/Podrick. Remember when we didn’t see Bran for an entire season?
Game of Thrones airs Sundays at 9/8c on HBO.
Anisha Vichare
Related posts
Classics
Kelly McCormack Talks Favorite Moments in A League of Their Own
[Warning: Mild spoilers for season 1.] Now that you’ve had a chance to watch A League of Their Own, here’s the rest of my chat with Kelly McCormack about her favorite moments of the season. Seeing the iconic Peaches uniforms for the first time wasn’t just a goosebump moment for…
John Griffin and Harold Perrineau Talk From on EPIX Season 1 Finale
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] How are we doing, #FROMily? In case you missed it this morning, the very good news is that that cliffhanger will be followed by a second season, which was gifted this morning ahead of the linear broadcast of the finale. I always legitimately appreciate when we…
Elizabeth Saunders Talks EPIX’s From
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] One of the things that makes EPIX’s From such a fun ride is the abundance of Canadian cast members. Elizabeth Saunders, who plays Donna, is a favorite from her turn on the third season of Mary Kills People [streaming on Global TV in Canada and Roku…
Corteon Moore Talks From “Broken Windows, Open Doors”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight’s episode of From had us all in our feels as we learned through flashbacks about the Sophie’s Choice Boyd had to make to save his son, and back in the present as Boyd said his piece with Ellis before heading into the woods with…
Pegah Ghafoori Talks From “All Good Things…”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode] Tonight on From, Fatima’s anniversary celebration turned into a Colony House of horrors when a misguided Kevin let his monster bae in and she promptly killed him and left the window open for her crew. While the party devolved into terror and sent everyone running,…
Shaun Majumder Talks From “Book 74”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight on EPIX’s From, Father Khatri made a bold move, kidnapping Sara instead of turning her in, and then recognizing her as a vessel for some big messages. That startling realization speaks to him on multiple levels–as a man of faith, a man trapped in…
Avery Konrad Talks About Sara’s Struggle in From “Silhouettes”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Over the course of the season so far on From, we’ve witnessed Sara’s battle against the voices telling her to to do terrible things, and tonight we saw her unravel further, threatening the Matthews and lashing out in a moment of terror with horrifying results….
Hannah Cheramy Talks From “Choosing Day”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight, on EPIX’s From, the Matthews participate in the show’s version of the sorting hat, choosing where to call home–the town or Colony House. At the end of the episode, Julie makes the decision to split from her family and instead settle in with Fatima…
Ricky He Talks From “The Way Things Are Now”
[Warning: Spoilers for episode 102 of EPIX’s From.] Epix’s new series From is two episodes in and it’s already laying the groundwork for a seriously spooky season. Tonight’s episode demonstrated the careful balance of relief and horror that the show hits, with our characters’ worst fears realized, just not when…
Catching Up with Ted Lasso and Previewing Season 2
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] The not so dirty little secret about how I approach a new series is that I sometimes make a call based on the headspace I’m in at the time. It’s been a minute since I’ve picked up a show after the first season and then binge…
What They Said: Three Revealing Conversations from Survivor’s Remorse “Closure”
WARNING: Spoilers for Survivor’s Remorse “Closure” The latest episode of Starz’s Survivor’s Remorse featured conversations that showed characters really digging deep into their thoughts, emotions and motivations.
Two Takes: The Catch “The Knock-Off”
Who can you trust? If this episode of The Catch was any indication, the answer is just about nobody. Betrayal was running rampant as Felicity (Shivani Ghai) arose from the dead to seduce-con Margot, Gretchen (Maria Thayer, Gotham, The Mindy Project) played gold-hearted Alice 2.0 before swindling Ethan, Tessa jumped…
What They Said: Top 3 Quotable Moments from Preacher “El Valero”
Both Quincannon and Jesse refuse to give up on what they each think is rightfully theirs. While Jesse is struggling to face the consequences of his actions, Quincannon has laid his past demons to rest and is hellbent on moving forward and putting Annville on the map again. Despite a…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Supergirl “Worlds Finest”
Oh, Supergirl. That ending was cold. But I can’t hate on you because the latest episode has quickly become one of my favorites.
What They Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Black Sails “XXIII”
The dialogue in “XXIII” is phenomenal. It’s always a fun ride when Black Sails carries its viewers along without giving them the chance to catch their breath. When an episode moves at this unforgiving pace, there is no chance for a breather nor is there a respite from the information…
What Lucifer Said: Favorite quotes from Supernatural “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Supernatural episodes are almost always funny but thanks to the dialogue and a certain man speaking said dialogue, I laughed a lot during “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” You know, when I wasn’t busy fearing for Sam’s life or wondering what in the world was going on with Dean and…
What They Said: The Flash, “Legends Of Today” and Arrow, “Legends Of Yesterday”
Two nights of Arrow + The Flash = what more could we ask for?! I don’t know what it is about blending these shows, but I can’t help but feel that every time they come together, they somehow become greater than the sum of their parts. And that’s saying a lot…
What they Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Graceland “Little Bo Bleep”
Shoot outs. Fake outs. And long-awaited revelations. “Little Bo Bleep” was a jam-packed episode that wrapped up some loose ends and totally frayed others. Â It finally gave us one Sarkissian in jail and pulled back the curtain on Briggs’ master plan, but it also set up Jakes for a world…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Poldark “Part 4”
“What have I told you, I don’t require my wife to crochet and sip tea, but I do require her to remember she’s not a beast of burden.†No, I’m not talking about The Rolling Stones! I have to admit though, just for a second, the lyrics popped into my…
3 Moments of Goodness from Brooklyn Nine-Nine “Johnny and Dora”
The most satisfying part of this season’s finale has to the Jake and Amy kiss. Well, they kiss three times but the last one is the best one — and it means something. The Charles and Rosa dynamic was also great. I love how she’s convinced he doesn’t know anything…