Author page: Efrain Neri

Last night’s season finale of Game of Thrones titled “The Dragon and the Wolf” left viewers with their jaws on the floor.

It could be considered one of the best season finales yet, especially since it had so much content in a short period of time (even though the run time was about 80 minutes).

These were the most memorable moments we witnessed from the episode.

A Little Present

As promised by Jaime, Daenerys’ gang was given safe passage through King’s Landing and were to meet with one another in a section of the kingdom called Dragonpit.

Reunion after reunion followed, some of which were more unpleasant than the rest. Tyrion was reunited with Bronn and Podrick, while both Clegane brothers stood toe to toe.

However, these reunions were meant only to show how time has passed by since we last saw these characters together.

The real reason why they were gathered was for a truce to be settled between the two rivals in order for them to face their greatest enemy, the Army of the Dead.

As Jon and Tyrion did their best to convince Cersei about the real enemy, it was the Wight that finally did the trick.

When it was released, it made its way to Cersei, almost attacking her but it was stopped by the Hound. Jon was able to show them exactly how it could be killed and it was enough to make Cersei agree to a standstill.

However, there were certain things that she asked for before agreeing to the truce; one of which was that Jon was to return to the North and play no part in the war.

Seeing as how stubborn and loyal Jon is, Cersei quickly left and decided against the truce. It wasn’t until Tyrion stepped up to talk with his sister in order to get her to agree, which she ultimately does.

She even let her pregnancy slip to Tyrion. Unfortunately, it appears as Cersei is lying and has no intentions to aid the North in the war against the Dead.

Cersei confesses to Jaime that this was the best way to get rid of an enemy, whichever enemy that may be. She even noticed that one dragon was missing.

Jaime, true to his word, is in shock that Cersei will not help and decides to leave all together. Does this mean that Jaime will help Daenerys’ group and more importantly, fulfill the prophecy?

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RIP Littlefinger

It was about f*cking time! And yet, I can’t believe it happened. Petyr Baelish, aka Littlefinger, was finally executed for all the treachery and treason that he committed.

However, at one point, it seemed as though he was a step closer to achieving what he planned, which was to eliminate a Stark from Winterfell, namely Arya.

As he spoke to Sansa about possible reasons why Arya was back in Winterfell and how much of a threat she posed, it looked as though his plans were going exactly as he hoped.

When Arya was escorted to a hall, which was filled with soldiers, it looked as though she was ready to face her doom. However, the twist came when Sansa directed her accusations at Littlefinger.

His entire past was poured out. From the time that he killed their aunt, Lysa, to the time that he conspired to kill Jon Arryn, and his involvement with Cersei and Joffrey, everything was out on the table.

It was all thanks to Bran, who we can guess, saw what happened the day that Ned was betrayed and Littlefinger, holding a knife to his throat, muttered the words, “I did warn you not to trust me.”

The knife that was used to try and kill Bran was also his knife, even though he accused Tyrion at the time. Littlefinger, trying his best to convince Sansa that he was innocent, was brought down to his knees and begged for forgiveness.

However, the deed was done by none other than Arya as she slit his throat. And that’s the story of Lord Petyr Baelish, aka Littlefinger. Peace homie.

Two Targaryens in Bed

Sam is back! The last time we saw him was when he was leaving the Citadel with little Sam and Gilly. It seems as though he has returned for good this time at Winterfell, where he believes he will be more useful to Jon.

When he speaks with Bran, they talk about Jon’s birth and his real parents. However, Bran has him mistaken for a Sand, which is what all bastards that are born in Dorne are named. It’s Sam that connects the pieces for him when he recalls transcribing a High Septon’s diary.

In it, the Septon annulled Rhaegar’s marriage to Elia and secretly wed Rhaegar and Lyanna. In order to make sure this was true, Bran goes into a vision and witnesses his aunt being married to the Targaryen. He realizes that Robert’s rebellion was “built on a lie.” Jon’s real name is revealed to be Aegon Targaryen.

While Bran narrates the story, Jon decides to pay Daenerys a visit in her cabin. No words are spoken but we know what happens (wink, wink).

It is confirmed that Jon is the heir to the throne. Kind of weird that he’s doing it with his aunt but I guess what happens in the family, stays in the family?

The Night Dragon?

As Beric, Tormund and his men guard Eastwatch, he notices a figure come out of the woods.

It’s one of the White Walkers on a horse. Soon, more figures are revealed and the men blow their horn to warn each other about the threat that’s coming for them.

However, it is too late when we notice what used to be Viserion being controlled by the Night King. The dragon wastes no time and burns the Wall down until a passage is made for the army.

Defenseless, Tormund decides to fall back but the damage is done. Now, the Army of the Dead is in the North and it’s only a matter of time before they make their way to Winterfell and possibly, King’s Landing.

Here’s to hoping this season comes back asap cause this cliff hanger was more than we could handle.

Worst of all, there will only be six episodes in the last season.

Death is not uncommon in this show. At this point, we’re expected to lose a character here and there without warning.

To this day, I’m often reminded of what Jaqen H’ghar told Arya Stark back in season 6. “Does death only come for the wicked, and leave the decent behind?”

Well, Game of Thrones, you did it again.

You found a way to break our hearts and not give two f*cks.

Episode 6 titled “Beyond the Wall” aired last night and if you haven’t watched it, it’s best you don’t. ‘Cause it’s a tearjerker.

When Will Tyrion Stop Taking L’s

Things between Tyrion and Daenerys are shaky. Though Tyrion has good intentions, his actions haven’t proved to be what was expected of him as Hand of the Queen.

Daenerys accuses Tyrion of pondering on her death too much, which is understandable since she has been tempting death on several occasions, most recently at the Reach.

However, Tyrion hasn’t had too many victories by playing it safe, which Dany quickly reminds him with Dorne and Casterly Rock.

When a raven is sent to Dragonstone from Eastwatch that implores for her help, Dany does not wait for Tyrion’s counsel. She is very impulsive, which could be either good or bad. Time will only tell.

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Sisterly Love

Speaking about complicated relations, it seems as though Sansa and Arya are at the point that they are making threats at each other. In last week’s episode, Arya discovered a scroll that Littlefinger cleverly planted that contained some crucial information.

The content of the letter was revealed to be the same one that Sansa wrote in season 1 when she pleaded for her late brother, Robb Stark, to come to King’s Landing and pledge his allegiance to the king, who at the time was Joffrey.

Arya shows her anger towards Sansa for having betrayed the family. However, Sansa questions Arya on her whereabouts when she saw their father, Ned Stark, being executed. It seems as though everything is going according to Littlefinger’s plans.

When asked about how Arya found the scroll, Littlefinger simply says he doesn’t know but assures Sansa that if anything happens, Brienne will intercede.

When Sansa goes through Arya’s belongings, she finds the faces that Arya has been using. She confronts Arya about them but Arya refuses to answer; instead, she tells her that by using these faces, she can look into their minds.

As she makes her way to Sansa, she picks up the dagger and wonders out loud what kind of thoughts race through Sansa’s mind and what it would feel like if she wore her face. The big question is where is Bran?

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And Then There Were Five

Last week’s episode ended on a cliffhanger, with Jon Snow and his men beginning their journey past the Wall.

Their task was probably one of their most difficult yet: find a soldier from the Army of the Dead, capture it, and bring it to King’s Landing. They knew the same thing we knew: someone was not going to return.

The beginning of the episode showed each member of the pack have their own moment with each other, whether it was heartfelt or just plain hilarious.

Jon spoke with Jorah Mormont about their deceased fathers, Gendry scolded the Brotherhood Without Banners for betraying him, and the most hilarious conversation took place between the Hound and Tormund about intimate relations and Brienne of f*cking Tarth.

In a way, it was GoT’s way of teasing us by thinking everyone was going to make it out alive.

Having been used to intense snowstorms, Tormund was the first to notice what seemed to be a bear not too far away. However, as the bear got closer, they realized it was one of the monsters created by the White Walkers.

Fighting it proved to be difficult, especially since it was basically a zombie. It took out a few men before it focused on the Hound.

However, it was Thoros that interceded and was bitten by the beast. The other members were able to kill the bear but the damage was done. Cauterizing the wound was the only way of saving Thoros.

Along the way, they were able to find a group of soldiers being led by a White Walker. Jon was able to defeat it but it was too late. As they took their prisoner, an avalanche of soldiers could be seen from a distance making their way to the group.

Jon knew that they were going to need all the help they could get so he ordered Gendry to run back to the Wall and send a raven to Daenerys. Like Forrest Gump, Gendry did as he was told and made it to the Wall and delivered the message.

Jon and the others made their way to an elevated platform where they were able to stay safe since most of what surrounded them was thin ice that broke as soon as the soldiers attempted to chase after them.

The next morning, the group woke up to find that Thoros, our favorite man with the topknot, passed away in his sleep. They burned his body and began to contemplate on what their next move should be.

While taunting the army by throwing rocks at them, the Hound allowed one to slip, revealing that the floor was frozen solid. A great battle between the living and the dead began and a few casualties occurred.

As Jon took a look at the remaining men that consisted of Jorah, Beric, the Hound, and Tormund, he thought all hope was lost.

However, it was Daenerys who came to the rescue, along with her three dragons. As it turned out, their fire was enough to defeat a portion of the army.

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RIP Viserion… or nah?

Yeah, we didn’t see it coming either. As they were ready to escape, the Night King was able to take a shot at Viserion with an ice spear.

The impact was so great that the dragon fell into the ice and its body drowned into the cold water. Noticing that the Night King was ready to attack another dragon, Jon yelled at Daenerys to leave before getting dragged into the water.

Leaving him for dead, Daenerys and the others were able to escape safely. Though he was able to make it back to the surface, Jon looked as though he was marked for death since the dead noticed his body.

As Jon bravely stood in one spot, he noticed a man on a horse fighting off the soldiers. It turned out to be his uncle, Benjen. However, their reunion was cut short when Benjen mounted Jon on the horse and had him escape by himself.

Jon watched as the dead killed his uncle.

After finally witnessing the Army of the Dead, Daenerys agrees to help Jon. In return, Jon finally swears his allegiance to Dany.

However, what they don’t know is that the lifeless body of Viserion will now be used by the Night King as his soldiers were able to pull the dragon back to the surface. He was able to resurrect the dragon and now, the game has changed.

Only one episode left and I can’t say I’m ready. Jesus, take the wheel.

At this point, there’s really no turning back.

Game of Thrones really likes fucking with our emotions and to be honest, I think we love that rush that we get after finishing an episode, whether it ends on a good note or bad.

With that being said, episode 5 titled “Eastwatch” can be described as the calm before the storm.

And I don’t think we’re ready for what the last two episodes have in store for us. The sad truth about all of this is that we’re definitely going to see a lot of people die. That’s a given.

Daenerys ain’t taking shit

Last week’s episode had us on our deathbeds. After watching the destruction that Drogon and the Dothraki caused to the Lannister army, last night’s episode showed the aftermath of that battle.

And it seems like Tyrion isn’t too fond about Daenerys’ actions. However, Dany is only acting as the queen that she is meant to be.

She even showed mercy to the defeated soldiers as long as they bent the knee. However, what really shocked us was when she ordered her dragon to roast both Randyll and Dickon (lol) Tarly alive.

The problem was not only how cruel their deaths were; they are the father and brother of Samwell Tarly, who just left his training to become a maester in order to return home (presumably).

Even Archmaester Ebrose didn’t have the stomach to tell Sam that both his father and brother were executed. One can only imagine what his reaction will be and if it will affect his relationship with Jon, who has become close to Dany.

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A Shitload of Reunions

From Jorah reuniting with Dany, Davos reuniting with Gendry, Gendry meeting Jon, and Jon reuniting with Tormund, this episode really hit us in the feels.

As Daenerys commanded, Jorah found a cure for greyscale and is now back to serve his queen. However, their reunion was short lived as he chose to help by going with Jon to Eastwatch.

Jorah even got to speak to Tyrion for a little while, recalling the time when they were bought as slaves.

While smuggling Tyrion into King’s Landing, Davos makes a quick appearance at Flea Bottom and reunites with Gendry, who we last saw in Season 3.

Davos comes to warn Gendry about staying in Flea Bottom, but to his surprise, Gendry decides to go with him without a single question and join the fight in the North.

As touching as all the other reunions went, Tyrion and Jaime’s didn’t go so well. Thinking he was going to train with Bronn in the dungeons, Jaime was not expecting to find Tyrion waiting for him.

The only reason Tyrion is there in the first place is to try to convince Jaime into talking with Cersei about possibly meeting with Dany in order to fight the common enemy: the Army of the Dead. Tyrion proposes possible armistice.

The only thing Tyrion needs is to bring proof of this army.

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The Worst Plan Ever

After receiving a raven from Bran concerning the Army of the Dead, Jon decides that it is time go home.

In order to convince everyone that the Army of the Dead and the White Walkers are real, Tyrion comes up with the idea of bringing one of the dead to Cersei in order to gain her help.

Since no one believes those who have seen the army, Jon decides to be the one in charge in going past the Wall and complete the task.

This is problematic, not only because of the dangers they will face but also because he is the King in the North. Jorah also decides to help kidnap one of these soldiers.

As king, Jon’s place is supposed to be in Winterfell, not with the Night’s Watch, especially as he is no longer part of them.

This gets worse when the lords of the North rally together and speak up about the idea of having Sansa as their leader instead of putting their trust in Jon.

The only one that has a problem with this is Arya, who understands that they should be backing up Jon, not plotting against him.

She even senses that Sansa is secretly open to the idea of taking Jon’s place. What will raise the tension between them is Littlefinger and his scheming.

Though the details of the scroll that Petyr received were not revealed, it seems as though his plan is to deceive Arya into thinking that Sansa is her enemy. Like I said before, Littlefinger needs to die asap!

When they finally make their way to Eastwatch, Jon meets with Tormund and discusses his plans. Even Tormund, a Wildling, knows that his plan is suicidal but he gives in eventually. Tormund reveals to Jon about another group that were trespassing.

They go to the cells and meet with the Brotherhood Without Banners. Their plan is similar to Jon’s and they all agree to go past the gate and retrieve a soldier of the army as mentioned.

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A New Lannister?

As if reunions weren’t enough, it seems as though Cersei may be adding a new addition to the family.

After Jaime tells her about his encounter with Tyrion, Cersei is not opposed to meeting with Dany as she wants to take the opportunity to measure up her enemy and find any weakness. Cersei’s relationship with Jaime has been a little off, especially since she allowed Jaime to encounter Tyrion.

She’s also worried about Jaime’s servitude and his doubts on winning the war. However, she breaks the news to Jaime that she is pregnant and that any enemy that they may have now, whether living or dead, needs to be taken care of for the sake of her family and her future kid.

There are only TWO more episodes left in the series and they are said to be past the usual hour run time. As the momentum keeps building episode by episode, I’m not sure who will come out alive by the end of the show.

Like I said, it’s too late to turn back now.

Four down, three to go. Last night’s episode of Game of Thrones titled “The Spoils of War” aired and we have to admit, the title itself is nothing but ironic.

I think it’s safe to say that a lot of us weren’t keen on waiting till Sunday and decided to watch it early, thanks to hackers and of course, the internet.

The episode was leaked online. Those that viewed it recognized that there was a red star on the corner of the screen, which meant that it was the Indian television version of the show that was leaked.

Star India, a media and entertainment company owned by 21st Century Fox, reported on Friday that it was the source of the leaked episode.

Investigations are still ongoing on how the episode actually found its way on to the internet but we’re not here to complain.

Guess who’s back?

After last week’s emotional and downright weird reunion between Sansa and Bran, another member of the Stark family has rejoined the others at Winterfell: Arya Stark, portrayed by Maisie Williams.

After meeting with her siblings, Sansa and Bran, who’s still being emo af, it seems as though Arya feels like she’s finally back home. With a little sparring session with Brienne of Tarth, it’s safe to say that Arya’s training has paid off.

However, one person might not be so lucky. If you recall, Petyr Baelish, aka Littlefinger, may be in trouble with Arya because of an interaction with the late Tywin Lannister way back in the day.

In a private conversation, which Arya paid close attention to as she was Lord Tywin’s cupbearer in disguise, both men talk about Renly Baratheon’s death and the possibility of joining both Lannister and Tyrell families to defeat Stannis Baratheon and Robb Stark.

This piece of information might be the downfall of Littlefinger, which is something a lot of us have been waiting to see from the very start. Even the Valyrian dagger spells doom for Littlefinger.

Another notable reunion was Jon and Theon at Dragonstone. And the awkwardness continues. Tremendously pissed because of Theon’s betrayal, Jon decides not to kill Theon only because he saved Sansa from Winterfell when Ramsay Bolton was in charge.

Theon needs Dany and Jon’s help on getting his sister back from the clutches of Euron.

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Jon and Dany?

We’re still waiting on Jon to bend that knee, however, it seems Daenerys and Jon are finally seeing eye to eye on mining dragonglass.

At one point, they even get a little too close. While in the caves, Jon shows her paintings on the walls describing how the first men and the children of the forest once united against a common enemy: the White Walkers.

That doesn’t stop Dany from asking for Jon’s help in defeating Cersei.

When Dany finds out that their victory in Casterly Rock was all a diversion, she goes on a rampage against Tyrion for possibly conspiring to save his brother and costing them a victory that was much needed. “Enough with the clever plans.”

Daenerys turns to Jon for advice. Though she is set on using her dragons to take the kingdom, Jon tells her that it’s best to not follow in the footsteps of those that have destroyed cities.

Pressured by all the things that are going on and equally frustrated, Dany makes up her mind.

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Coming in hot

And obviously, the ending of this episode was the best part. After successfully defeating the armies at Highgarden, Jaime and Bronn are finding their way back to King’s Landing, along with the gold for the Iron Bank.

However, their victory is cut short when Daenerys decides to make an appearance and f*ck all their shit up. What would’ve made this scene even better would’ve been commentary by Jim Ross. I think the clear cut winner in this episode was Drogon.

Outta nowhere, the Dothraki seem to have the advantage, especially since they’re proven and ruthless warriors. Basically, the Lannister army is doomed. And then, Drogon just demolishes everything in his path.

“Qyburn’s scorpion” seemed like it was effective in taking down Drogon, but it only injured him. Bronn was tasked to operate the weapon but it wasn’t enough. We’ll have to wait until next week to see if he made it out alive after saving Jaime.

I think we were all muttering the same words Tyrion spoke while witnessing his brother charge at Dany while she was pulling out the spear from Drogon.

“You fucking idiot” was exactly what was going on in our minds when we saw the f*ckery that Jaime was about to do.

Maybe we might even get a second leaked episode. Might as well leak the rest.

It’s bad enough that the characters of Game of Thrones have to deal with White Walkers, the Army of the Dead, and dragons. But now, they’re facing something even worse: hackers, according to Entertainment Weekly.

HBO recently confirmed that the company “experienced a cyber incident, which resulted in the compromise of proprietary information”.

An investigation is underway and HBO is working with “outside cyber security firms” to deal with this issue.

So far, an upcoming episode of Ballers and Room 104 have already appeared online and Game of Thrones was not exempt from this hack. Though no future episodes have been leaked, it seems as though a script for next week’s episode has been released.

On Sunday, an anonymous email sent to reporters stated the following:

“Hi to all mankind. The greatest leak of cyber space era is happening. What’s its name? Oh I forget to tell. Its HBO and Game of Thrones……!!!!!! You are lucky to be the first pioneers to witness and download the leak. Enjoy it & spread the words. Whoever spreads well, we will have an interview with him. HBO is falling.”

Reports of hacks have been in the news as of late. Disney was recently threatened with an early release of Pirates of the Caribbean 5. Netflix was also targeted in April with leaks of the new season of Orange is the New Black.

Though HBO’s hack is not as severe as the massive Sony email hack back in 2014, it does sound alarms. An estimate of 1.5 terabytes were claimed to have been stolen. Sony experienced an estimate of 100 terabytes, making it the biggest Hollywood hack in history.

It is not the first time HBO has experienced hacks. Back in Season 5 of Game of Thrones, the first 4 episodes leaked online before the show’s premiere. In the same year, clips were also leaked that even showed *spoiler* Jon Snow’s (Kit Harrington) death.

This is an ongoing investigation and more developments will be released soon. As they say, “the night is dark and full of terrors.”