GoT 7.1: Dragonstone

Game of Thrones
Macall B. Polay / Courtesy of HBO
Game of Thrones
Macall B. Polay / Courtesy of HBO

GoT 7.1: Dragonstone

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If there’s one thing to learn about staying alive in Westeros, it’s never go to a party, ever. The Season 7 premiere of Game of Thrones begins with a dinner party toast — and a perfect welcoming back for fans who are expecting a ton of medieval, stunt-queen action to go down. 

Game of Thrones wasted little time in “Dragonstone” to show where all of the characters are on the map. (And giant maps appear to be all the rage in Westeros.) So before you get caught staring into a fireplace, here’s Tricia, Greta and Peter’s takeaways from this episode. And feel free to join the conversation by using the hashtag #GOTNerdcaps or call us at 312-948-4687. 

What do you see when you look deeply into a fire?

“A NAP!”

Greta Johnsen, Alaska enthusiast

“A time travel storyline with Bran. I want time travel.”

Tricia Bobeda, decaffeinated and unbanked

“Maesters, pooping.”

Peter Sagal, collapsible bike owner


On Arya getting into the Frey

Peter: I couldn’t help but think about what Arya had to do to pull that off. So she kills Walder Frey, she hides the body, she takes his face, and that, somehow through magic, gives her the voice and the size of the actor playing Walder Frey. 

And then he/she invites the entire Frey family. They come. She gets the wine. She poisons the wine. She arranges all of this. All by her lonesome for a period of less than two weeks. That’s pretty impressive stuff for an indeterminately aged teenager. 

Greta: No kidding. And then she gets to hang out with Ed Sheeran. 

Peter: Yes, as a reward. I don’t know anything about Ed Sheeran, but isn’t he popular with adolescent girls? 

Greta: I’m too old to find him popular. Tricia? 

Tricia: Maisie Williams, turns out, is a huge fan, and so that was kind of a part of why he was there. It was a little treat for Maisie Williams. 

(Helen Sloan/Courtesy of HBO)

On the Hound’s burning passion for fashion

Tricia: Now he gets to see things in the fire. 

Peter: Which is weird. Remember, Clegane is terrified of fire because he was burned when he was a young man. 

Tricia: “Of course I ended up with a bunch of fire worshipers.” 

Peter: There was a lot of self-aware conversation. Like the conversation about the man bun. Who are you fooling, bald guy? 

Greta: Didn’t he call it a “top knot”? I don’t think he actually said “man bun.” 

Peter: He didn’t say man bun, but we know what he said. We know that “top knot” is Westerosi for “man bun.” 

(Helen Sloan/Courtesy of HBO)

Listener voicemail

I was wondering how Dragonstone was so deserted. I’m sure Stannis took everyone with him when he left, but why did no one else come along and take advantage of an empty castle that was apparently unlocked?

Tricia: I do think that — although they could have put it on Airbnb or something and there could be some people there — Dragonstone has a vantage point from its windows that would let you see an armada and dragons coming toward you from the sea. So if there were squatters or anyone left in Dragonstone, I would be hiding or gone by the time the ships and dragons actually got to me.