Dragonstone (Game Of Thrones Episode)
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"Dragonstone" is the first episode of the seventh season of
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
's
medieval fantasy Historical fantasy is a category of fantasy and genre of historical fiction that incorporates fantastic elements (such as magic (fantasy), magic) into a more "realistic" narrative. There is much crossover with other subgenres of fantasy; those c ...
television series ''
Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy Drama (film and television), drama television series created by David Benioff and for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of high fantasy novels by ...
'', and the 61st overall. The seventh
season premiere A season premiere is the first episode of a new season of a returning television show. In the United States, many season premieres are aired in the fall time or, for mid-season replacements, either in the spring or late winter. In countries su ...
, the episode was written by series creators
David Benioff David Friedman (; born September 25, 1970), known professionally as David Benioff (), is an American novelist, screenwriter, and producer. Along with his collaborator D. B. Weiss, he is best known for co-creating ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–201 ...
and
D. B. Weiss Daniel Brett Weiss (; born April 23, 1971) is an American screenwriter and television producer. Along with his collaborator David Benioff, he is best-known for co-creating ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), the HBO adaptation of George R. R. Mart ...
, and directed by
Jeremy Podeswa Jeremy Podeswa (born 1962) is a Canadian film and television director. He is best known for directing the films '' The Five Senses'' (1999) and '' Fugitive Pieces'' (2007). He has also worked as director on the television shows '' Six Feet Unde ...
. It first aired on July 16, 2017. The episode's main plot focuses on
Daenerys Targaryen Daenerys Targaryen ( ) is a fictional character in the series of epic fantasy novels ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' by American author George R. R. Martin. She is a prominent point-of-view character, and is one of the series' most popular charact ...
's homecoming to Westeros at Dragonstone with her vast forces, and Cersei and
Jaime Lannister Jaime Lannister is a fictional character in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin and its television adaptation ''Game of Thrones'', where he is portrayed by Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Wal ...
's meeting with Euron Greyjoy for an alliance after the demise of House Frey. Other plotlines include
Bran Stark Brandon Stark, also known as Bran, is a fictional character in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of epic fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation ''Game of Thrones'', where he is portrayed by Engli ...
and
Meera Reed George R. R. Martin's ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' saga features a large cast of characters. The series follows three interwoven plotlines: a dynastic war for control of Westeros by several families; the rising threat of the undead White Walker ...
arriving at the Wall, Jon Snow making preparations to fight the Army of the Dead, and
Samwell Tarly Samwell Tarly, or simply Sam, is a fictional character in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation ''Game of Thrones'', where the character is portrayed by Engli ...
searching for information about the White Walkers at Oldtown. The episode achieved a viewership of 10.11 million during its initial broadcast in the United States, setting a new viewership record for the series. "Dragonstone" received positive reviews from critics, who considered
Arya Stark Arya Stark is a fictional character in American author George R. R. Martin's ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' epic fantasy novel series and its HBO television adaptation ''Game of Thrones'', where she was portrayed by English actress Maisie Williams. ...
's revenge on House Frey,
Sandor Clegane Sandor Clegane, nicknamed the Hound, is a fictional character in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation ''Game of Thrones''. Introduced in 1996's ''A Game of ...
's atonement for his old life, and Daenerys's arrival at Dragonstone to be highlights of the episode; however, a cameo appearance by musician
Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran ( ; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...
received criticism. At the
70th Primetime Emmy Awards The 70th Primetime Emmy Awards honored the best in US prime time television programming from June 1, 2017, until May 31, 2018, as chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The ceremony was held live on September 17, 2018, at the Peaco ...
, the episode won the award for Outstanding Production Design for a Fantasy Program. The episode marks the final appearance of David Bradley (Walder Frey).


Plot


In the Riverlands

Disguised as Walder Frey,
Arya Stark Arya Stark is a fictional character in American author George R. R. Martin's ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' epic fantasy novel series and its HBO television adaptation ''Game of Thrones'', where she was portrayed by English actress Maisie Williams. ...
kills all the men of House Frey with poisoned wine, avenging the Red Wedding. Arya proceeds south to assassinate Queen
Cersei Lannister Cersei Lannister is a fictional character in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of epic fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation ''Game of Thrones'', where she is portrayed by actress Lena Headey. I ...
and makes camp with friendly Lannister soldiers.
Sandor Clegane Sandor Clegane, nicknamed the Hound, is a fictional character in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation ''Game of Thrones''. Introduced in 1996's ''A Game of ...
and the Brotherhood Without Banners take shelter in the farm Sandor robbed with Arya years earlier; the farmer and his daughter are dead inside. Thoros of Myr shows Sandor a vision in the flames of White Walkers passing a mountain on the march to Eastwatch-by-the-Sea. At night, Sandor buries the bodies with Thoros.


Beyond the Wall

Bran Stark Brandon Stark, also known as Bran, is a fictional character in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of epic fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation ''Game of Thrones'', where he is portrayed by Engli ...
and
Meera Reed George R. R. Martin's ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' saga features a large cast of characters. The series follows three interwoven plotlines: a dynastic war for control of Westeros by several families; the rising threat of the undead White Walker ...
arrive at the Wall. Eddison Tollett is initially suspicious of them, but lets them in when Bran reveals his knowledge of the attack at Hardhome. Meanwhile, the
White Walker White Walkers are humanoid creatures from the HBO television series ''Game of Thrones'', and the George R. R. Martin novel series ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' on which it is based. Primarily referred to as the Others in the novels, White Walkers are ...
s and wights march south.


At Winterfell

Jon Snow forgives Alys Karstark and Ned Umber for their fathers' betrayals of House Stark in favor of House Bolton, despite
Sansa Stark Sansa Stark, later Alayne Stone, is a fictional character in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of epic fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin. Introduced in '' A Game of Thrones'' (1996), Sansa is the eldest daughter and second ...
's objections. Jon orders
Tormund Giantsbane Tormund Giantsbane is a fictional character in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation ''Game of Thrones''. Introduced in 2000's ''A Storm of Swords'', he is a ...
and the wildlings to fortify the Wall at Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, and all Northerners of age, male and female, to prepare for war. A raven message from Cersei orders Jon to swear fealty to her; Jon believes her army poses no threat to them during winter, but Sansa warns Jon not to underestimate her. Sansa rejects
Littlefinger Petyr Baelish, nicknamed Littlefinger, is a fictional character in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin and its television adaptation, ''Game of Thrones''. Introduced in 1996's ''A Game o ...
's attempts to ingratiate himself with her. She tells
Brienne of Tarth Brienne of Tarth is a fictional character in George R. R. Martin's ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of fantasy novels and its television adaptation, ''Game of Thrones''. She is a prominent point of view character in the fourth novel, ''A Feast f ...
, however, that she cannot dismiss him outright because they need the Vale's military support.


In King's Landing

Cersei learns that Daenerys is on her way to Westeros with her armies and realizes she and
Jaime Jaime is a common Spanish and Portuguese male given name for Jacob (name), James (name), Jamie, or Jacques. In Occitania Jacobus became ''Jacome'' and later ''Jacme''. In east Spain, ''Jacme'' became ''Jaime'', in Aragon it became ''Chaime'', and i ...
have very few allies. Euron Greyjoy arrives in King's Landing offering Cersei an alliance and marriage. Cersei accepts the alliance but rejects the marriage proposal, deeming Euron untrustworthy; Euron declares he will win her over with a priceless gift.


In Oldtown

Archmaester Ebrose denies
Samwell Tarly Samwell Tarly, or simply Sam, is a fictional character in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation ''Game of Thrones'', where the character is portrayed by Engli ...
access to the library's restricted area; Ebrose believes in the White Walkers, but trusts the Wall will halt their march. Sam sneaks into the library at night and steals several books. He learns of a very large dragonglass deposit under Dragonstone, and informs Jon. Later, Sam encounters
Jorah Mormont Jorah Mormont is a fictional character in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin and its television adaptation, ''Game of Thrones''. Introduced in ''A Game of Thrones'' (1996), Jorah is a ...
, who is a patient in isolation due to his greyscale. Jorah asks if Daenerys has arrived in Westeros, but Sam doesn't know.


At Dragonstone

Daenerys and her fleet arrive at Dragonstone. Entering the castle's war room, they get ready to start Daenerys' conquest of the Seven Kingdoms.


Production


Writing

"Dragonstone" was written by series creators and executive producers
David Benioff David Friedman (; born September 25, 1970), known professionally as David Benioff (), is an American novelist, screenwriter, and producer. Along with his collaborator D. B. Weiss, he is best known for co-creating ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–201 ...
and
D. B. Weiss Daniel Brett Weiss (; born April 23, 1971) is an American screenwriter and television producer. Along with his collaborator David Benioff, he is best-known for co-creating ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), the HBO adaptation of George R. R. Mart ...
. The episode, as well as the seventh season as a whole, contains original content beyond what is featured in
George R. R. Martin George Raymond Richard Martin (born George Raymond Martin; September 20, 1948) also known by the initials G.R.R.M. is an American author, television writer, and television producer. He is best known as the author of the unfinished series of Hi ...
's ''
A Song of Ice and Fire ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' is a series of high fantasy novels by the American author George R. R. Martin. Martin began writing the first volume, ''A Game of Thrones'', in 1991, and published it in 1996. Martin, who originally envisioned the ser ...
'' novels from which the series is adapted. According to Benioff, the conversation between Jon Snow and Sansa Stark shows Sansa's lingering resentment that she has been insufficiently credited for securing the alliance with the Vale. According to Weiss, the dialogue between Jaime and Cersei emphasizes that, with her children dead, Cersei is morally unconstrained and lacks Daenerys's concern for innocent people. The writers chose not to include dialogue in the scene of Daenerys's arrival at Dragonstone to preserve suspense and "honor the momentous occasion of Daenerys’s arrival".


Casting

"Dragonstone" featured the introduction of
Jim Broadbent James Broadbent (born 24 May 1949) is an English actor. A graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 1972, he came to prominence as a character actor for his many roles in film and television. He has received various accolades ...
as Archmaester Ebrose. His casting was first announced in August 2016 by James Hibberd of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'', who revealed that he would play a "significant" role in the seventh season. In March 2017, Broadbent confirmed in an interview with ''ScreenCrush'' that he would be playing a maester and would share scenes with John Bradley, who portrays
Samwell Tarly Samwell Tarly, or simply Sam, is a fictional character in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation ''Game of Thrones'', where the character is portrayed by Engli ...
. In March 2017, it was announced that musician
Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran ( ; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...
would make a
cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...
at some point during the season. Producers had been trying to bring him onto the show for several years as a surprise for
Maisie Williams Margaret Constance "Maisie" Williams (born 15 April 1997) is an English actress. Williams made her acting debut in 2011 as Arya Stark, a lead character in the HBO epic medieval fantasy television series ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019). She g ...
, who portrays
Arya Stark Arya Stark is a fictional character in American author George R. R. Martin's ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' epic fantasy novel series and its HBO television adaptation ''Game of Thrones'', where she was portrayed by English actress Maisie Williams. ...
and is a fan of Sheeran. Prior to the episode airing, Sheeran said of his appearance that: "Nothing exciting happens in this scene, we just have a conversation and that's kind of it." In the episode, Sheeran portrays a Lannister soldier who Arya comes across when she hears him singing a song. The song, titled "Hands of Gold", is adapted from George R. R. Martin's ''
A Storm of Swords ''A Storm of Swords'' is the third of seven planned novels in the high fantasy series ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' by American author George R. R. Martin. It was first published in the United Kingdom on August 8, 2000, with a United States editi ...
'', the third book in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series. In the books, the song is sung by a character named Symon Silver Tongue, who is unrelated to Sheeran's character.


Filming

"Dragonstone" was directed by
Jeremy Podeswa Jeremy Podeswa (born 1962) is a Canadian film and television director. He is best known for directing the films '' The Five Senses'' (1999) and '' Fugitive Pieces'' (2007). He has also worked as director on the television shows '' Six Feet Unde ...
, who previously directed the episodes " Kill the Boy", " Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken", "
The Red Woman "The Red Woman" is the sixth season premiere episode of HBO's fantasy television series ''Game of Thrones'', and the 51st overall. The episode was written by series creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Jeremy Podeswa. In ...
", and "
Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...
". In an interview with ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'', Podeswa described
Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran ( ; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...
as "lovely to work with", adding that: "I think he fit right into that world." Podeswa also noted that Sheeran requested to change the key of the song he performs in the scene. Podeswa discussed his direction for the
cold open A cold open (also called a teaser sequence) is a narrative technique used in television and films. It is the practice of jumping directly into a story at the beginning of the show before the title sequence or opening credits are shown. In North ...
, saying he wanted to "honor the great writing", and praised Maisie Williams and David Bradley's performance as Arya Stark and Walder Frey respectively, stating "As we got more into it, you knew the audience would have questions coming right into the scene, knowing Walder Frey is dead. So, what is this? Is it a flashback? Is there something else going on here? It's about playing that line of audience surprise and curiosity and how they read the scene. David's performance is so fantastic where there's a moment you can almost feel Arya inside of him. It's even before the dialogue betrays who he is." The scene was not written as a cold open; Benioff and Weiss made that decision on the strength of Bradley's work. Following the cold open, Podeswa also spoke about directing the opening scene following the
title sequence A title screen (also called an opening screen or intro) is the method by which films or television show, television programmes present their title and key filmmaking, production and cast members, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound (often an op ...
, revealing "We knew it would be one shot. Nothing fancy in terms of camerawork. But it's a shot that very slowly reveals itself over time, and we take that time. Then it was a matter of me conceptualizing it with the storyboard artists and visual effects department." Podeswa also stated that the scene ending on the eye of the giant wight was not originally in the script, but came from working with the art department for the series. According to Podeswa, the montage of Samwell Tarly at the Citadel was originally "about seven or eight minutes" due to the amount of material filmed and that the final version was edited down significantly. For the closing scene of Daenerys Targaryen arriving at Dragonstone, Podeswa noted that very little of the scene was shot on a sound stage, but rather on location in several places, including San Juan de Gaztelugatxe,
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
. The interiors of Dragonstone were shot on a sound stage, with set designer Deb Riley creating the throne room, and redesigning the map room for the episode.


Reception


Ratings

On the night of its premiere, the episode achieved a viewership of 10.11 million during its initial airing in the United States and an additional 5.99 million viewers from reruns and early streaming, totaling 16.1 million viewers. It was the most watched episode in the series' history up to that point. The episode acquired a 4.7 rating in the 18–49 demographic. On August 2, 2017, HBO announced that the episode was about to surpass 30 million U.S. viewers across all of the network's domestic platforms. In the United Kingdom, the episode was seen by 3.495 million viewers during its
simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...
on
Sky Atlantic Sky Atlantic is a British pay television channel owned by Sky Group, Sky Group Limited that launched in 2011 and broadcasts in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The channel airs original British-produced dramas like ''Fortitude (TV series), F ...
, making it the highest-rated broadcast that week. The episode inspired 2.4 million tweets during its airing, making it the show's most-tweeted episode up to that point. The episode was pirated 90 million times in the first three days followings its airing.


Critical reception

"Dragonstone" received positive reviews from critics. Matt Fowler of ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' gave the episode an 8.8 out of 10, writing that: "'Dragonstone' sublimely set the stage for ''Game of Thrones'' Season 7 with some righteous revenge, a new alliance, a dramatic (and quiet) homecoming, and a surprisingly great sequence from The Hound as he began to atone for his old life." Erik Kain of ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' similarly praised the episode, writing: "This was easily one of my favorite season premieres of any season of ''Game of Thrones''. It's a testament to the show's staying power and quality that even this far in, a season's first episode could be so good." Jane Mulkerrins of ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'' wrote: "One might wonder whether the biggest, bloodiest, most Dragon-heavy show on television would still have the ability to shock and surprise. The answer, happily, is yes." Matthew Gilbert of ''
The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...
'' wrote: "The season premiere of ''Game of Thrones'' was thoroughly satisfying, a transporting hour that brilliantly reestablished the chessboard for the new, penultimate season."
Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran ( ; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...
's cameo appearance was negatively received by most audiences and caused what ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' described as "an unusual amount of public backlash". Sheeran temporarily deleted his
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
account shortly after the episode aired. Much of the criticism was around the fact that there seemed to have been no attempt to disguise his cameo. After the episode's airing, director Jeremy Podeswa defended Sheeran as a "lovely performer" who "deserved to be there". Sheeran later commented in 2021: "I feel like people's reaction to it sort of muddied my joy to it."


Awards and nominations


References


External links


"Dragonstone"
at
HBO.com Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dragonstone 2017 American television episodes Game of Thrones season 7 episodes Ed Sheeran Television episodes about mass murder Television episodes about revenge Television episodes directed by Jeremy Podeswa Television episodes written by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss