Violet provides a recap of Season 5 Episode 7, titled The Gift, where Sam defends Gilly, Sansa begs Theon for help, Cersei visits the High Sparrow, and Jorah and Tyrion are sold to fight in the fighting pits! Following the recap, both Violet and Josh share their thoughts about the episode.
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Episode Recap of Game of Thrones, Season 5 Episode 7: The Gift
Castle Black
Jon Snow releases Tormund and travels North of the Wall with him and a few members of the Night’s Watch to round up the remaining Wildlings. Before he leaves, he gives command of Castle Black to Ser Alliser, and Sam gives Jon the dragon glass he used to kill the White Walker.
Maester Aemon dies of old age, and Ser Alliser comments to Sam that he’s losing all his friends.
A couple of members of the Night’s Watch catch Gilly alone and begin to come on to her, but Sam walks in and tells them to leave her alone. They fight, and Sam gets beaten down. However, he gets back up and seems confident that he can challenge them. Just then, Ghost, Jon’s direwolf, comes in and scares the men away. Gilly cleans Sam’s wounds, then kisses him, then climbs on top of him, and they do a lot more than kiss.
Winterfell
Sansa begs Theon to help her. Ramsay keeps her locked in her room all day, and comes to abuse her every night. She gives him a candle to light and put in the highest window of the broken tower to signal her friends in the North to help her, and Theon reluctantly agrees. However, he goes to Ramsay instead. Meanwhile, Brienne is watching from afar.
While on a walk with Ramsay, Sansa points out that if his stepmother has a boy, he’ll have a stronger claim since he’ll be true born. Ramsay tells Sansa that bastards can rise high in the world, and informs her that Jon Snow is the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. Ramsay then brings Sansa to see the flayed body of the Northern woman who gave her the candle.
The Road to Winterfell
Stannis’s army is not faring well in the snowstorm. Davos advises him to go back to Castle Black to ride out the storm, but Stannis refuses. Melisandre assures Stannis that he will be the victor against the Boltons, but says that sometimes sacrifices must be made, insinuating that he must sacrifice his daughter. Stannis tells Melisandre to get out.
Dorne
Myrcella is brought to see Jaime. When Jaime tells her that he’s bringing her home, she says she’s staying.
Meanwhile, Bronn and the Sand Snakes are being held in separate cells. Bronn insults one of the women, who takes the opportunity to disrobe. Bronn begins to die from the poison that was on her knife, but she gives him the antidote when he tells her she is the most beautiful woman in the world.
Meereen
As they lay in bed together, Daario seems a bit jealous of Daenerys’s decision to wed Hizdahr, though she assures him that it’s merely a political move. He suggests that she marry him instead, but she says she can’t. Daario also tells her on the day of the Great Games, she should gather all the great masters and slaughter them all. Daenerys says she’s a Queen, not a butcher, but Daario replies that all rulers are either butchers or meat.
The Road to Meereen
Jorah and Tyrion are sold to a man who operates a fighting pit. They are brought to the fighting pit, where several men suit up in armor to fight each other, while Jorah and Tyrion await their turn with other men. However, Daenerys and Hizdahr have stopped by, as it is tradition for Meereen’s ruler to visit lower fighting pits. Jorah realizes that Daenerys is there, so he suits up, goes out there and kills all the men. When Jorah steps forth and removes his helmet, Daenerys orders him out of her sight. However, Jorah tells her that he has brought her a gift, and just then, Tyrion steps out and introduces himself as the gift.
King’s Landing
Lady Olenna pays a visit to the High Sparrow, but to her disappointment, he doesn’t bend to her will. Later, Lady Olenna meets up with Littlefinger at his ransacked brothel. He tells her that he has a gift for her: a handsome young man.
Tommen is upset that he is unable to help Margaery. Cersei says she’ll talk to the High Sparrow on his behalf to try to free Margaery and Loras.
Cersei visits Margaery in her cell, and Margaery knows that Cersei is behind this. Cersei then goes to talk with the High Sparrow about Loras and Margaery’s trial. The High Sparrow says that he will be one of the judges. He also reveals that Lancel has confessed all of his sins, and has told them much about Cersei. The High Sparrow then has Cersei locked in a cell.
Violet’s Thoughts on Season 5 Episode 7 of Game of Thrones: The Gift
What an interesting, eventful episode! There were so many parts that made me be like “YES!” but there were also some sad parts as well. I’ll admit, I was almost in tears as Maester Aemon was on his deathbed. Ser Alliser is unfortunately right though, with Jon Snow having left, and Maester Aemon having died, Sam is all alone at Castle Black, with no one to defend him. I had suspected that the show was going to cut out and change up Sam’s storyline, and now with Maester Aemon’s death taking place at Castle Black, that pretty much confirms my suspicions. I guess they could try to get to it somehow later, but right now, it doesn’t look like it. I’m not sure what will happen next at Castle Black, but at least Ghost is still around, luckily for Sam. But even with Sam not knowing Ghost was there, he was still willing to stand up for Gilly and protect her, even though he knew it probably meant taking another beating.
Another “YES!” moment was when Cersei got locked up by the High Sparrow! It’s about time she got what was coming to her. Lancel has a whole lot of dirt on her. It had seemed that the High Sparrow was letting Cersei manipulate him into getting what she wanted, when really it was the other way around. But what’s Tommen going to do now that he has no one to speak for him?
I find myself not very interested in the Dorne storyline. Jaime has come to rescue Myrcella and take her home, but she doesn’t want to go. Now what? What’s to come of Bronn and the Sand Snakes down in the cells? I also wasn’t very interested in the Dorne storyline in the books, so hopefully something interesting will happen here.
Ugh, Theon, or Reek, why’d you have to go tattling on Sansa to Ramsay? I really thought he was going to light the candle, and in fact thought he had gone up to the tower the first time I watched the episode. I was confused about how Ramsay found out and why he was already sitting up in the tower waiting for him, or whether he actually betrayed Sansa. But the second time around, it was clear what happened. It’s also upsetting to learn how Ramsay has been treating Sansa. At least we don’t have to witness the physicality of it anymore. The situation seems hopeless as of now, and I’m just waiting for Brienne to ride in and do something.
Then finally, we get our Jorah/Dany reunion! It went about how I expected it to, with her abhorring the sight of him. And then when he called her “Khaleesi,” ahhhh, it made me nostalgic for seasons past. It’s been awhile since anyone’s called her that. I am wondering how she will react to his “gift” of Tyrion, though. Obviously, it’s not going to heal all wounds and make her forgive him on the spot or anything, but my question is, will she really even care at all? Also, how soon until the greyscale overtakes Jorah? I’m guessing it’ll be right around the time that Dany decides to reconcile with him. That is, unless he finds a cure.
Things are starting to amp up on Game of Thrones, which suggests that these last 3 episodes are going to be good ones!
Josh’s Thoughts: Game of Thrones, Season 5 Episode 7: The Gift
COMING SOON
Game of Thrones, Season 5 Episode 8: Hardhome
Scenes from the next episode of Game of Thrones, titled Hardhome:
