Daenerys Targaryen might have laid waste to the Lannister forces last week, but with fire and blood comes lots of doom and gloom. And based on the photos released by HBO for next week’s Game of Thrones, titled “Eastwatch,” we’re going to get plenty of it.
So let’s be like Jaime and do a deep dive to see if we can find something useful, and try to learn from all the things they didn’t show us.
First up are Tyrion and Daenerys, who seem to be standing triumphant after the Battle of Blackwater rush, though neither looks particularly happy after their victory.
From the preview for next week’s episode we know Daenerys demands the defeated soldiers bend the knee or die, so this fits in with that dire offer. But if she doesn’t seem happy, this photo of a miserable Tyrion shows just how difficult this carnage was for him personally.
We have no idea if he saw Jaime saved from Drogon’s flames by Bronn at the last second, but this does not look like a man who thinks his brother survived.
At some point he and Daenerys are going to make it back to Dragonstone (another remarkably quick travel for the season), where a lot of the other pictures come from this week. We’re getting another powwow between the Mother of Dragons and the King in the North this week, one that Jon will apparently arrive at with some purpose. Based on his warm clothing he looks like he might be ready to head back home.
Whatever he has to say it doesn’t look like it thrills Daenerys, who looks worried here.
Based on what we know about Jon’s general outlook on life his glum facade could mean impending death, certain destruction, or he’s hungry. But she definitely seems concerned by what he has to say. (Likely Jon has heard about Bran’s reports of the Night King heading towards Eastwatch along the Wall, hence the episode’s title.)
They are far from the only people at Dragonstone worried though, as we see Varys sitting at the map table of Westeros.
At least we get one smile in this batch, and it comes while Varys has a drink with his old friend in front of the Dragonstone throne. These two don’t want Westeros to burn, so might they be talking about what Daenerys just did? I’d need a drink after that too.
The last two photos bring us back to the mainland, where we see Cersei looking contemplative in her private quarters. Considering Tyrion will make it all the way back from Blackwater Rush to Dragonstone she will have certainly heard what happened to her brother and army.
And after a week off, Sam and his studies in Oldtown will return with Gilly. With Jorah gone and Sam’s amateur dermatology career on hold, what might he find out in those old books about the Night King?
This brings us to the most glaring omission from these pictures, more than a lack of Jaime and Bronn or of Winterfell and the Stark children, it’s the missing photos of Eastwatch we can’t help but notice. For an episode named after the Night’s Watch castle currently being manned by Tormund and the wildlings, there’s nary a glimpse of it to be found.
Last week threw an unexpected, massive battle at us featuring a dragon. Could we be in for an equally big, but far icier surprise this week?
We don’t know but we’ll be (east)watching for sure.
What do you make of these photos? Tell us in the comments below.
Images: HBO
