‘Game Of Thrones’: 9 Incredible Details You May Have Missed From Season 7, Episode 5

Game of Thrones‘ latest episode, “Eastwatch” may not feel as satisfying as last week’s triumphant “Spoils of War,” but it certainly gives fans a lot to chew on.

In contrast to some of the slow and meandering plotlines of seasons past, this season feels fast-paced and jam-packed. Scenes from Sunday’s Season 7, Episode 5 also make many references to earlier seasons and may require those who aren’t caught up to start binge-watching from the beginning.

Attention: This post has spoilers.

Nine small things from Game of Thrones‘ “East Watch” you may not have noticed.

9. Gendry’s back and may have a special role to play. Davos has brought Gendry back after hiding him from Melisandre, and already he’s saved Tyrion from capture and won over John Snow. But he’s not just a long-lost half-brother to the Starks, he also may be among the few people in the world skilled in forging Valyrian Steel. IndieWire notes he’s a skilled blacksmith who spent a decade working for Tobho Mott, a master who fashioned Brienne’s Oath Keeper and Jaime’s Widow’s Wail from Ned Stark’s massive blade.

Bustle also reminds us Game of Thrones fans of shipped Gendry and Arya, who became close friends while traveling North. In a rare moment of tenderness, Arya even begged Gendry not to leave with Melisandre and to come to Winterfell with her instead.

“I can be your family,” she declared. But he refused, saying at Winterfell she wouldn’t be family, she’d always be “Milady.”

Now that we know Gendry’s father was a king, they’re on a more even playing field.

8. Jaime and Tyrion Lannister may not really be brothers. When Tyrion met with Jaime, he mentioned how much their father Tywin Lannister had always hated him. There may be a reason for that beyond their mother Joanna dying while giving birth to him. The Independent reminds Game of Thrones fans of a longstanding fan theory that Tyrion is actually a Targaryen. In George R.R. Martin’s book, A Dance with Dragons, Joanna had an ongoing affair with Aerys Targaryen, the Mad King. Tyrion was born around nine months after the last time she would have seen him: At a tourney in honor of the 10th year of Aerys’ reign. This would also explain why Tyrion was able to free Drogon’s brothers from their chains in Season 6, Episode 2 without getting torched. Also, there’s that prophecy of the three dragon riders. We know Daenerys Targaryen is the first one and Jon Snow is likely the second. Could Tyrion be the third?

7. Gilly dropped a huge bombshell and Sam Tarly missed it. Sam’s normally a smart guy who’s caring and respectful towards women, but this time he blew it. While poring over a manuscript, she asked, “What’s an annulment?” Gilly then explained, “Maynard [a former Maester] says here that he issued an annulment for a Prince ‘Raggar’ [she didn’t know how to pronounce ‘Rhaegar’] and remarried him to someone else at the same time in a secret ceremony in Dorne. Is that a common thing in the South or …”

Sam then cut her short to fume over the way those boring Maesters were treating him. He then decided to pack up the family and leave the Citadel. Meanwhile, Gilly unknowingly discovered Rhaegar Targaryen did not kidnap Lyanna Stark and rape her: They were legally married. Furthermore, their son Jon Snow is no bastard, but heir to the Iron Throne. Of course, they would need Bran Stark or Meera’s father Howland Reed — who was at the Tower of Joy with Ned Stark — to connect knowledge of the marriage to Jon’s parentage.

6. Speaking of Sam, he’s now the Lord of Horn Hill. Sam was right to pack up his family and leave the Citadel, given how the Maesters treated him. They even shared a good laugh behind closed doors over their failure to tell him his father and his brother had died. Sam’s father Randyll Tarly held him in low regard, preferring his more knightly brother Dickon. Now they’ve both have been incinerated by Drogon and Sam is their only male heir. Normally, that would mean he becomes Lord Tarly, though he may choose to leave his sister Talla in charge of the estate.

5. Is Cersei pregnant, or is she lying? While she seemed happy about it, Time wrote fans responded with a “collective ‘ew'” and many said they believe Cersei was lying. Although Game of Thrones doesn’t give her age, Olenna Tyrell told Tywin Lannister “her change [menopause] will be upon her before long” when he proposed marrying Cersei to her son Loras. Faking a pregnancy could also bring Jaime closer to her, as she clearly saw his meeting with Tyrion as a betrayal and worries his faith in her is wavering. But if she is pregnant, it could backfire. Every time she tries to avoid the dire fates prophesized for her, she makes them come true. Call it wishful thinking, but many fans say Cersei won’t make it to the end of the series. And if Daenerys becomes evil as discussed below, Game of Thrones won’t need Cersei to play the role of top antagonist.

4. Jon Snow’s special moment with Drogon was even more special than you might think. Drogon didn’t just take a liking to Jon Snow, he purred and nuzzled up to him like a cat while an astonished Daenerys looked on. Game of Thrones fans have known about Jon Snow’s parents since last season, when Bran saw Lyanna Stark hand her newborn baby to her brother Ned before she died. But, as Mashable notes, this moment was Jon and Daenerys’ first clue that he may be a Targaryen.

3. What’s in Arya’s scroll? Arya thought she was being clever when she spied on Littlefinger and found the scroll he’d hidden. But he set up the whole thing, and what’s on the scroll is bound to drive a wedge between the Stark sisters. As Inquisitr reported earlier, Sansa wrote home in Season 1 asking her brother Robb to surrender to King Joffrey. Of course, she was forced to do it, but Arya is not the forgiving type.

“Robb, I write to you with a heavy heart. Our good king Robert is dead, killed from wounds he took in a boar hunt. Father has been charged with treason. He conspired with Robert’s brothers against my beloved Joffrey and tried to steal his throne. The Lannisters are treating me very well and provide me with every comfort. I beg you: come to King’s Landing, swear fealty to King Joffrey, and prevent any strife between the great houses of Lannister and Stark.”

You may recall the sisters weren’t on good terms when they were separated. Sansa mooned over Joffrey and admired Cersei while Arya saw through them from the start.

2. Is Daenerys driving Varys to drink? We all know Tyrion’s a lush. But Varys normally imbibes in a more restrained manner, if at all. On Sunday night that went out the window as he appeared to quaff his wine at the same pace as Tyrion. In Game of Thrones‘ early days, Varys came across as a cold, calculating schemer like Littlefinger. In more recent episodes, he seemed more like an idealist who truly believes in Daenerys. When she questioned his loyalty in Season 7, Episode 2, Varys even gave a moving speech about how he chose her as his queen because he believes in her. But in “Eastwatch,” he seemed worried that she’s becoming more like Aerys, the Mad King. Some say Daenerys had to be tough and keep her word when she had Drogon burn Randyll and Dickon Tarly alive, but Varys and Tyrion found it disturbing. She made Varys swear, “If you ever think I’m failing the people, you won’t conspire behind my back. You’ll look me in the eye as you’ve done today and tell me I’m failing.” That day may come sooner than we’d hoped.

1. The mountain shown in the preview looks strangely familiar. Those who lingered long enough to watch the preview for Season 7, Episode 6 may have noticed an arrowhead-shaped mountain at the 10-second mark as Jon Snow and company go in search of the White Walkers. RKRagan certainly did and posted on the Reddit of Ice and Fire.

“This is the mountain the Hound saw in his vision and that they see next week. It’s the other side of the same mountain where the White Walkers were first created by the Children of the Forest.”

Sure enough, in the Season 7 premiere, Gregor Clegane saw a vision in the flames. Despite his fear of fire and contempt for religion, he did as Thoros of Myr asked, peered into the fireplace and told him what he saw.

“There’s a mountain. Looks like an arrowhead. The dead are marching past. Thousands of them.”

And then there’s the scene in Season 6, Episode 5 when the Three-Eyed Raven takes Bran to see the Children of the Forest create the first White Walker. In the background, you can catch a fleeting glimpse of the same mountain with its distinctive arrowhead shape, only it’s summer and covered in green. In this post-show Inside the Episode discussion, you can catch a brief glimpse of it in footage that starts at the 2:52 mark.

[Featured Image by Macall B. Polay/HBO]