Game of Thrones Season 7, Episode 2, Stormborn Review: A Taste of War

Episode 2 of “Game of Thrones” Season 7 takes things up a notch with a taste of war coming to our screens. In today’s episode, Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) receives a very unexpected visitor in the form of Melisandre, the Red Woman, Jon (Kit Harington) faces a revolt and a conflict in the North that goes against his will to seek help from the Mother of Dragons, Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) plans the invasion of Westeros, while Yara and Euron Greyjoy faces a sea battle with their Ironborn uncle, Euron.

War In The Seas Between The Greyjoys

It’s been an amazing opening for “Game of Thrones” this season, with each scene fleshing out into one larger narrative. Today, episode 2 made us test our patience as it ultimately ended literally in flames. Euron has finally come for his niece and nephew, seemingly wanting to get them as a gift for Cersei. A smash and grab raid ensued, Theon and Yara held up fort and ships collided with each other, with the offensive side spewing out great balls of fire towards Yara’s fleet. In the end, the Greyjoy kids’ fleet was exterminated, Yara and Ellaria was taken hostage, Sand Snakes died (one impaled on a spear while one was left hanging at the ship’s hull), and Theon ran away after failing to save his sister and being triggered with Euron’s soldiers cutting off pieces from Yara’s remaining men. All in all, the thrill of watching some sort of a war preview gave us what “Game of Thrones” is always good at—medieval action.

Gemma Whelan as Yara Greyjoy in Game of Thrones. Photo by Helen Sloan/HBO

For one thing, Euron’s entrance was a pretty impressive one. You won’t really expect him to strike so soon, but given how Cersei’s whiff is more urgent for a Queen-hungry Euron, this seems to be what he was aiming for right after sailing from Westeros. One moment Yara was cuddling and being sexy with Ellaria, the next Euron bombards Yara’s ship with fire balls and hosts some sort of a hostile takeover.

Taking his motive into consideration, one would think that Euron is a petty “Game of Thrones” villain. He has no ulterior motive, no desire for the Throne, and certainly no underlying depth to his character. He just wants to kill, pillage and burn. And if he can do all three at once, then he’d be overjoyed.

The only question is, will Yara and Ellaria die at the hands of Euron, or will they be delivered straight to Westores to suffer the Lannister’s wrath?

A Surprise Visitor At Dragonstone

Dany’s return to her birthplace wasn’t quite the glorious and joyous moment that she was hoping. Inside the castle, all she ever did was sit and watch the rain. Where are her Targaryen followers? Surely they’re still around? How can she be swept back to power without them?

Dany had a noble idea in mind for the conquest of Westeros—thanks to Tyrion Lannister. While plotting the next move for her invasion, Tyrion told her that people are counting on her, and she needs to be a beacon of hope and not some sort of a Mad King spin-off. Dany agreed and said that she didn’t want to be a Queen of Ashes, unlike her father. For a split second, Dany doubted Varys’ loyalty. The Eunuch was a loyal Robert Baratheon supporter who in turn plotted against him and turned his back on the house entirely.

Carice van Houten as Melisandre in Game of Thrones. Photo via HBO

“My loyalty is with the people who are afflicted by those in power,” says Varys, making his stance firm but open to Dany’s trust. She then made him swear that if ever she messes up, Varys would tell it to her in her face and not turn back and plot against her. Dany then swore that if ever Varys turns, she’d burn him alive—to which the Master of Whisperers expected nothing less.

A surprise visitor then came. And just as when fans thought that after being banished by Jon Snow, she wouldn’t have any appearance in the new season of “Game of Thrones.” But so we thought. Melisandre came marching in asking for an audience with Daenerys. She was there at the prodding of the Lord of Light (aka the Great God of Failed Plot Devices) and said that Dany and Jon Snow has “a great role to play” for the coming war. It’s a low-key hint at Jon and Dany’s “established” connection towards the end of season 6. “If he does rule the north, he’ll make an excellent ally,” said Tyrion. Dany seems to think this is a good idea too, and so she sends a raven to Jon. Which then leads us to…

A Possible Jon Snow-Daenerys Targaryen Alliance?

The first question is: will Jon bend the knee to the Mother of Dragons (or more subtly, his aunt)? Jon laid out all his cards when he met with the Lords of the North, and all of them disagreed with his choice to meet with Dany. Ser Davos offered up an alternative perspective by saying that Dany’s Dragons can also destroy the White Walkers. In the end, Jon stood his ground and set sail for Dragonstone, leaving Sansa in charge of the North.

Iain Glen as Ser Jorah Mormont in Game of Thrones. Photo by Helen Sloan/HBO

Jorah And The Greyscale: Will Sam Cure Him?

After last week’s disgusting montage of bedpan disposals and soup servings, we’re taken back to the Citadel where Sam has another round of disgusting, greyscale-related tasks. After learning about Ser Jorah’s true identity, Sam made it a point to look for a cure for the fallen Knight. After researching about an advanced cure for the greyscale, Sam made Jorah chomp on leather while he happily scrapped off the greyscale from Jorah’s skin. After a series of disgusting shots of pus-filled cuts of flesh, the scene ends with a smash cut to a shot of someone chomping on a pie using a fork. It’s one of this season most disgusting scenes, but one can help but think: was the cure effective? Will Jorah finally be able to return to his Queen?

Arya’s Reunion With Nymeria

“Jon Snow came down from Castle Black with a Wildling army and won the Battle of the Bastards – he’s King in the North now,” says Arya’s pie-addicted friend. Upon learning of the shocking news, Arya finally decided to put Operation Kill Them All on hold and set out for Winterfell.

Maisie Williams as Arya Stark in Game of Thrones. Photo by Helen Sloan/HBO

We are then treated to a somewhat tearful reunion between Arya and her Direwolf, Nymeria. As soon as Nymeria realized that it was indeed Arya, she was then able to convince her pack to refrain from ripping her into pieces. Sadly, the Direwolf refused Arya’s plea for her to come with to Winterfell (seriously, that “we’re coming home to Winterfell” line made us all tear up). So far, this is one of the presumably many heartwarming moments of “Game of Thrones” Season 7.

Watch a preview of next week’s “Game of Thrones” Season 7, Episode 3: The Queen’s Justice below: