Game of Thrones Review: New Partnerships Are “Stormborn”

Daenerys Targaryen was born on the eve of a great storm, which is why she is known as “Daenerys Stormborn”. Tonight, a different kind of storm came. Daenerys Stormborn encountered the first major obstacle of her inevitable rise to power in Westeros. But, as the Targaryen fleet was attacked by Euron Greyjoy, Game of Thrones showed us all that while we enjoy the good guys getting victory after victory, this is still Game of Thrones. And people will die.

“Stormborn” was mostly about what’s to come, except for that phenomenal battle at the end of the episode. It largely waffled back and forth on whether certain meetings would happen, like Arya returning to Winterfell, or Jon Snow and Daenerys meeting for the first time. Game of Thrones is the best table-setter there is, though, because they set everything up with such flair and excitement. The anticipation for these two stories has been absolutely massive, and the writing steered the story directly in conjunction with that anticipation.

Of course, “Stormborn” was also about bringing things full circle (or at least starting too). A few of my favorite scenes of Season 1, for instance, are those between Jon Snow and Tyrion. These men are two misfits and you could tell even then that their relationship was important, and that came to fruition in this episode. Arya reunited with both Hot Pie and Nymeria (albeit briefly), both of which helped her find her way. Furthermore, the scene between Jon and Petyr Baelish (first of its kind) was in the Stark Family crypt with a statue in Ned’s likeness. The more references there are to Ned and Robb Stark on this show, the happier fans become knowing that Season 1 and beyond were laying the groundwork for what is happening now.

All of this is very exciting, but I have to commend the creators on the ambush by Euron Greyjoy. Things have been going pretty well for the good guys on Game of Thrones lately, but it IS still Game of Thrones, and “all men must die”. So Euron’s overtaking of his niece and her partners from Dorne was not only epic, it was a welcome reminder that there is still a long road and a tough war to be fought before the good guys (meaning Dany and Jon and Tyrion, of course) can achieve victory.

A few other thoughts;

• Am I the only one who noticed the pretty clear parallels (or lack thereof) between all of the characters missing genitalia? Grey Worm and Varys were both validated in strange but satisfying ways, while Theon seemed to be on an opposite path. Still, I can’t help but wonder if these three, who are all on the same side in the war, are going to be learning things from each other.
• I love the moral fiber of Samwell Tarly. He’s one of the best characters on this show. He needs to live forever.
• The best part about Jon Snow and Tyrion’s correspondence is the inclusion of the “bastard/dwarf” line from Season one. What an incredible moment.
• Probably the only thing that bothers me in this whole show is how some people find things out incredibly fast and other people never find out anything. Like if Jon Snow already got Tyrion’s raven, how come no one from Castle Black wrote about Bran?

Overall, this episode was both epic and advanced the plot considerably. Game of Thrones is as exciting as ever, and the more things come full circle, the more long time fans will respond.

What did you guys think? Did you enjoy the episode? Let us know!

Game of Thrones airs Sundays at 9/8c on HBO