History Recap / GameOfThronesS7E2Stormborn

** Tyrion's line to Jon Snow "All dwarves are bastards in their fathers' eyes" shows back up in the raven he sends to Jon, since he knows it will prove to Jon that Tyrion did write it himself.

** Once again, an arch-maester declares a patient a lost cause, only for his enterprising assistant/rival to refuse to give up and opts for a DangerousForbiddenTechnique to save them.

** While gathering material for his own book Archmaester Ebrose references both Maesters Faull and Ch'vyalthan the first one for his stylized but inaccurate writing that Maester Aemon had ridiculed once to Sam, and the second for accurate if boring writings that Tyrion had read when preparing for the Battle of the Blackwater with Bronn.

* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Arya has been away from Westeros for a while and as such comes to know far later than everyone that the Boltons are dead and that her brother Jon Snow is now King in the North.

** Ellaria once again insists that she is justified murdering Lannisters to avenge Oberyn and then blames Tyrion for Oberyn's death. Leaving aside the InsaneTrollLogic of that, if there is anyone who actually avenged Oberyn, it was Tyrion (who murdered his father, who in turn had employed Oberyn's murderer and started that cycle), not Ellaria, who has until now murdered people who had nothing to do with that, and since extended to killing her own in-laws and nephews.

* AdaptationInducedPlotHole: On a character level, Varys's motivations for backing Viserys runs into a serious LogicBomb, as Daenerys points out. He served Aerys who was mad and cruel, then served Robert Baratheon who wasn't despotic, just lazy. Then, for reasons that even Varys can't adequately defend, he decided to destabilize a peaceful government by giving support to Viserys who was vicious and cruel (and never made an effort to hide it). In the novels, Varys is merely using Viserys for his own ends[[note]]Varys actually intends for the AdaptedOut Aegon VI, the supposed missing lost prince whom he trained to rule and serve as a perfect prince, to take the throne, and both he and Illyrio planned all along to throw Viserys under the bus and expected Daenerys to die, and to have her marry Aegon after she hatched her dragons[[/note]], but his motivations for supporting Viserys don't make any rational sense on the show, and Varys changes the subject instead of addressing it.

* ArmorPiercingResponse: Sansa is furious at Jon when he decides to leave the North to meet Daenerys, saying that he's abandoning his people and home, but Jon ensures her he's leaving the North in good hands. When Sansa asks who, Jon answers it's her, explaining that they're siblings and she's the only Stark in Winterfell. This leaves Sansa speechless and she accepts Jon's decision.

* AtTheCrossroads: Arya is heading for Kings Landing to kill Cersei when she encounters Hot Pie at the Inn at the Crossroads. He tells her that her brother Jon Snow has retaken Winterfell. Should she pick South and revenge, or North and her family? Arya goes North.

** Not unjustly, Daenerys correctly notes Varys's track record in "conspir[ing] to crown" new kings when he dislikes the current ones (noting how he behaved throughout the reigns of Aerys II, Robert, Joffrey and Tommen). Varys, however, insists that he's LoyalToThePosition and the institutions of Kingdom and will serve the ruler who upholds the same, and that he doesn't betray for personal advancement, security, or benefit, but because he really does believe in the greater good.
** The Lords of the North believe that no Lannister can be trusted, even a "good" one like Tyrion. Jon and Sansa disagree, but Sansa is worried that the letter has come from an impostor, and Jon can't risk dying again.

* IDidWhatIHadToDo: How Varys defends himself to Dany when she questions his loyalty, since he's served and betrayed multiple other kings, noting that he only did so because he felt he was serving the greater good. Dany eventually accepts this, but insists that Varys inform her if she's failing her duties, and should he attempt to undermine her while in her service, she'll burn him alive.

* NotSoDifferentRemark: When Varys calls out Melisandre for serving the deposed Stannis, Dany shuts him up by reminding that today is officially Forgiving FormerRegimePersonnel Day, reminding Varys on how he got chewed out for serving multiple kings and betraying them.

** Dany gives a long-deserved one to Varys, calling out his poorly motivated plans to serve different Kings and insisting on his trustworthiness when his betrayals are not well motivated at all, and initially selling her off to the Dothraki solely as coin to prop up the patently unworthy Viserys, and then going along with Robert's orders to send someone to assassinate her.
** He shoots one right back at her, defending himself by noting that he was born a slave and was using all the abilities and skill the world gave him to help the poor and that he only serves government in so far as it helps the common people, and so long as Dany does that, he will serve her loyally. Dany then admits he has a point but points out that instead of betraying her like the other kings Varys has served, he simply speak his mind to her first before undermining her.

* RewardedAsATraitorDeserves: Daenerys seems almost-keen to do this to Varys (after [[BaitTheDog initially "thanking" him]] for arranging the alliance with Dorne and the Reach, no less), launching into a tirade on his reputation for plotting against the kings he serve, trying to sell her off to the Dothraki and then sending someone to assassinate her on Robert's orders. Varys, as noted in TheReasonYouSuckSpeech above, makes the case for why [[WellIntentionedExtremist he is motivated by a higher purpose for doing these things]] and not mere petty politicking (so to say), plus [[DidntSeeThatComing even he can't see or anticipate everything]].

* HalfTruth:
** Queen Cersei's speech to the Westerosi nobles mentions Dany's brutal reputation and her atrocities against the nobles of Essos. While largely true, she leaves out a lot of context, namely that those nobles were ''slavers'' (who had crucified an equal number of slave children), in order to increase the fear factor among her own people.
** Varys, during Daenerys's interview, insists that Robert ordered her assassination, but he tellingly forgets to mention that Robert only did so because of ''his'' intelligence and insistence, his suborning of Jorah Mormont, and more importantly that Robert on his deathbed rescinded that order of assassination and when Ned informed Varys to call it off, he only muttered apologetically that he couldn't.

** Little more lighthearted one here; ever since the ship teasing between Grey Worm and Missandei began, characters and audience alike have vocally wondered how they could consummate it given Grey Worm's status as a eunuch, including speculation as to whether or not Grey Worm still has any equipment[[note]]The books make it explicit that no, Unsullied are completely gelded, but the show still hasn't given a straight answer[[/note]]. As it turns out the solution is rather simple being that oral sex is a thing that exists.

** Jon Snow was never a stickler for norms as Lord Commander (treating with the Wildlings against everyone's prejudices). Now he's willing to go further and treat with a Targaryen and a Lannister, historical enemies of House Stark, for the sake of the greater good. He points out that he and Sansa both know Tyrion to be a kind and reasonable man, and while neither of them know Daenaerys, they need to try and gain her as an ally against the Night King's army.

* SinsOfOurFathers: Cersei in the South, and Sansa and the rest of Jon's bannermen in the North, automatically associate Daenerys with her father the Mad King; the Northern lords are particularly apprehensive, since Aerys II cruelly executed Rickard and Brandon Stark. Just like with the Umber and Karstark families, Jon is willing to look past Daenery being the daughter of Aerys.

* CoitusEnsues: The sex scene between Grey Worm and Missandei takes quite a bit of time but isn't very necessary to show. It had been heavily foreshadowed with their mutual attraction beforehand at least.

** When Tyrin objects to getting innocent civilians involved in the assault on King's Landing, Ellaria says that, in war, it's unavoidable, and if he doesn't like it he can scurry off into hiding. When Euron's fleet invades Yara's, Ellaria [[DirtyCoward does just that]].

* HoistByTheirOwnPetard: Two of the Sand Snakes are killed with their own WeaponOfChoice -- Obara on her own spear and Nym strangled with her own whip. Euron leaves [[DeadGuyOnDisplay their corpses displayed this way]] on the prow of Yara's destroyed flagship.

* AnAxToGrind: Euron's weapon of choice is a twin-handed boarding axe that he wields to lethal effect.

* IncomingHam: Euron's entrance to the battle rivals that of a Disney Villain -- it has him [[LaughingMad laughing maniacally]] while [[AnAxToGrind wielding an enormous axe]] and crashing his gangplank onto Yara's ship in the middle of a storm, [[CruelAndUnusualDeath crushing some unfortunate bastard beneath it]].

At '''Dragonstone''', a storm is raging against the rocks and the castle at night. Daenerys, Tyrion, Varys, and Missandei are in the room of the Painted Table. Tyrion notes that it was on such a night years ago that Daenerys came into the world, and this is the reason she is known as Daenerys Stormborn. Varys remembers that night and says it was such a heavy rain that the dogs were barking at King's Landing. Daenerys laments that she wishes she could remember that night, saying that Dragonstone doesn't really feel like home to her. Tyrion assures that she won't be there for long. Daenerys then confronts Varys and interviews him about his loyalties. Grey Worm then informs her that Lady Melisandre has come to pay court. She informs Dany about the Prophecy of ''The Prince Who Was Promised'' which could refer to either her or the King in the North, Jon Snow. Melisandre urges her to summon Jon Snow and Tyrion tells Dany that he has met Jon -- he likes Jon, trusts him, and explains that the Lannisters murdered Jon's father and brother so Jon has every reason to be against Cersei Lannister as she does. Dany is curious about the New King in the North and asks Tyrion to summon him at once, to pay court, and bend the knee.

At '''Winterfell''', Jon, Davos, and Sansa receive Tyrion's letter, which is far more tactfully written. Sansa is doubtful that the letter is authentic. However, Jon -- who developed a [[OddFriendship friendship]] with Tyrion in Season 1 -- reveals that the letter’s last line, "All dwarves are bastards in their father’s eyes," is something Tyrion said to him the night they met. Jon asks for Sansa’s opinion and Sansa explains Tyrion was kind to her and is not like the other Lannisters but she is still leery that the situation is not safe for Jon. While Davos agrees, he points out that the three dragons mentioned in the letter can kill wights.

* BodyHorror: Jorah's greyscale infection has utterly ruined his torso and lower body. And as bad as the infections are, Sam having to cut the infected skin off to treat him is even more ugly on the eyes.

-->'''Varys''': I had a choice, Your Grace. Serve Robert Baratheon or face the headsman's axe.

* LaserGuidedKarma: Ellaria and Tyene at least are about to be delivered as a 'gift' to the woman whose daughter they murdered in cold blood. And any situation where '''Cersei''' is the sympathetic one has to be all kinds of messed up from the get-go.

** The fact that Daenerys, despite speaking High Valyrian, doesn't realize that its word for "prince" is gender-neutral. A few initial reviews thought this might be an AdaptationInducedPlotHole -- actually, in the books, her own great-great-uncle Maester Aemon knew of the prophecy for ''decades'', and he knows High Valyrian (possibly better than she does, as a career scholar). On hearing about Daenerys and how she hatched live dragons again, however, he laments that in all that time, it simply never occurred to him that "prince" in High Valyrian can also refer to a woman. So if even Aemon didn't realize this for years, it's no stretch that Daenerys wouldn't realize this the ''first'' time she heard about the prophecy. The TV show's staff linguist was asked about this and confirmed via his Tumblr that he saw no contradiction, and used the example that it didn't occur to Aemon in the books either. He also brought up the example that ''many'' people who speak English as their mother tongue [[Series/DoctorWho assume that words like "doctor"]] or "surgeon" automatically refer to a man.
** The boarding gangplank Euron is standing on, in real life, is known as a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corvus_(boarding_device) Corvus]], which is Latin for "crow", due to the spike(or in this case, spikes/teeth) on the bottom resembling the beak of a bird. In the books, he's nicknamed "Crow's Eye". [[StealthPun The Crow's Eye is above the crow's beak]].

** Nymeria Sand also has a brief one as Euron overpowers her, realising she's ''seriously'' overestimated her abilities against him, just seconds before he gets Nymeria's whip around her throat and starts choking her.

* RewardedAsATraitorDeserves: Daenerys seems almost-keen to do this to Varys (after [[BaitTheDog initially "thanking" him]] for arranging the alliance with Dorne and the Reach, no less), launching into a tirade on his reputation for plotting against the kings he serve, trying to sell her off to the Dothraki and then sending someone to assassinate her on Robert's orders. Varys, as noted in TheReasonYouSuckSpeech above, makes the case for why [[WellIntentionedExtremist he is animated by a higher purpose for doing these things]] and not mere petty politicking (so to say), plus [[DidntSeeThatComing even he can't see or anticipate everything]].