Winter Is Here! Game Of Thrones Season 7 Episode 1: 'Dragonstone'
July 16, 2017

Warning: Spoilers for last night's episode.

The seventh season began Sunday night on HBO as the massive George R.R. Martin saga begins heading towards the home stretch with seven episodes this season and six in 2018.

After the finale of season 6, Jon Snow became the King of the North, Dany is sailing towards Westeros and Cersei took out many of her enemies in one fell swoop using wild fire, episode one of season seven begins at that point and for the most part is an exposition episode.

And I liked it. (This is not a full recap, but does contain spoilers.)

Watching Arya connect with a group of young soldiers (including Ed Sheeran) after she's just wiped out the entire Walder Frey clan was very cool.

Normally when soldiers from King's Landing meet up with women in GOT, it's not a happy time, but these soldiers were like a bunch of millennials at a sports bar.

After sizing them up, Arya sees she can dispatch them easily but instead shares their food and wine. When she's asked why she's going to King's Landing, Arya responds,"To kill the queen." After a beat, all the soldiers burst out in laughter, including Arya.

It was a sweet moment to see Arya actually smile like the teenager she actually is.

In one of the longer sequences, "The Hound" comes across a family that he helped wipe out while traveling with Beric Dondarrion's men and is swept up with guilt.

He was pissing and moaning about f*cking fire-worshipers, but after Thoros lights a fire in the house they take refuge in, the Hound actually sees images in the flames which dictate their next move forward. He sees a castle near the Wall and the dead are overrunning it.

Beric asks, "Do you believe me now, Clegane? Do you believe we're here for a reason?"

It was very effective. I do hope Arya somehow finds her way back to Sandor Clegane.

Jon and Sansa have a spat about how to defend the North and if they should forgive those that betrayed House Stark in front of everybody with Petyr Baelish looking on with a shit eating grin.

Tormund is still hitting on Brienne.

In King's Landing, Jaime Lannister pines for allies and suddenly Euron Greyjoy shows up with his massive fleet of ships and proposes marriage to Cersei. She declines of course, but he vows to bring her a very special gift to woo her with. Watch yourself Tyrion.

Bran and Meera make it to the Wall and Dolorous Edd lets them in.

GOT spends a lot of time around Samwell Tarly cleaning chamber pots in Oldtown, but he finds out there's a massive cache of dragon-glass beneath Dragonstone that can help Jon fight the White Walkers.

And what do you know, Dany finally makes it back to Westeros with her three dragons and lands on the beach of Dragonstone.

After checking out her new war room at Stannis' old digs, she says, "Shall we begin?"

End credits and the crowd freaks out!

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