BEST MOMENTS
4. Tormund crushes on Brienne
Probably the most continuous (and satisfying) bit of fan-service the show has been providing recently is the awkwardly cute desire that Tormund expresses for Brienne. Fans who ship the two of them (and who doesn’t?) can’t get enough of Tormund’s hungry looks and Brienne’s faltering response.
Although the two did not see each other in this episode, Tormund couldn’t help gush about his crush – and who better to do so with than the Hound, since she nearly killed him at the end of season 4. The Hound doesn’t seem too thrilled about Tormund’s taste in women, but then again he doesn’t seem too pleased about very much, to begin with.
3. Dragons save the day
Even though they came at the most predictably convenient moment, Daenerys and her three dragons showing up beyond the Wall to burn the walkers to cinders was totally epic. The visual effects were breath-taking as the scene brought the two worlds of ice and fire together.
2. Jon & “Dany”
For all of their pride and stubbornness, Jon and Daenerys have finally reached a point where they can see each other for who they really are: equals. When Daenerys looks over the Wall, she is lamenting the loss of Viseron of course, but she’s also waiting for Jon to return. When he does, they share an incredibly tender moment aboard the ship.
While the feelings may be too intense for Dany right now (hence why she pulled her hand away), she still definitely has them. And good news on both sides: Jon has finally bent the knee (albeit figuratively) and Daenerys has vowed to help in the fight against the army of the dead.
1. The Night King turns Viserion
There is almost nothing more tragic than a dragon being killed, and Viserion getting skewered by the Night King’s ice spear was a terrible way to go. However, pulling the dead dragon from beneath the ice and converting it into another undead follower of the White Walkers is a brilliant move, and a game changer in the war that is about to unfold.
WORST MOMENTS
4. Gendry leaves almost immediately
We had our moment of celebration in last week’s “Eastwatch”. After waiting for so long for Gendry to re-enter the fray, having him run away without his Warhammer at the first sign of trouble was a huge disappointment.
It’s hard to say what was more bothersome: how anticlimactic that was, or how the timing made absolutely no sense in terms of how long it took him to run back to the wall and for word to reach Daenerys.
3. Death of Thoros
Thoros’ death was totally anti-climactic. He died from the cold. But wasn’t he a Red Priest? Melisandre is one too, and she’s always going on about how the Lord of Light’s fire is always burning within her so that she is never cold. On top of that, only disposable lookalike extras died out of the remaining human characters, which was pretty predictable and kind of lame.
2. Benjen shows up, then dies
There was almost no reason for Benjen to show up when he did, and even less for him to stay behind when he could have easily ridden with Jon Snow on the same horse. We got to see him for maybe thirty seconds before the wights overtook him. Instead of touching, it came off as convenient and random.
1. Arya & Sansa’s petty arguments
Starks are FINALLY back in Winterfell, but instead of celebrating, the two sisters are at each other’s throats. They absolutely refuse to hear each other out. Sansa comes off as petty and childish, Arya comes off as unreasonable and creepy, and both come off as ignorant.
Meanwhile, Petyr Baelish has the run of the place – Sansa even confides in him. Then sends the most loyal character ever – Brienne of Tarth – far away. Unless it turns out that the girls are playing Littlefinger for a fool (which their private scenes don’t exactly support), this whole storyline is just frustrating and the characters aren’t making any sense.
