We’ll say it: “The Spoils of War” was one of the greatest “Game of Thrones” episodes.
With a 9.9 rating on IMDb, fans seem to agree. While we’ll need to watch “The Spoils of War” a few more times to catch everything, a few moments stuck out. This should go without saying, but spoilers ahead.
The strange symbols in the cave match the layout of the bodies from the first episodes.
We’re not sure what the symbols mean, but they do show that the White Walkers share an ancient history with the Children of the Forest. Time noted that the circular design of the drawings might indicate that the battle between the living and the dead will go on forever.
“It’s supposed to be something that’s very evocative of the thousands of years that have passed since these caves were first explored and the paintings were first made,” showrunner David Benioff said during the post-episode discussion. “And also obviously something that’s quite relevant to the current storyline because it’s about how these two disparate peoples united to defeat the common enemy.
“One of the things we learn from these cave paintings is that the White Walkers didn’t come up with those images, they derived them from their creators, the Children of the Forest. These are patterns that have mystical significance for the Children of the Forest. We’re not sure exactly what they signify, but spiral patterns are important in a lot of different cultures in our world, and it makes sense that they would be in this world as well.”
Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard made a cameo.
He was one of the Lannister soldiers hurling spears at the dragons, and he showed off his awesome arm in a brief appearance. For months, Syndergaard has hinted at an upcoming role on Game of Thrones, and we think that his cameo was perfectly subtle, unlike the jarring Ed Sheeran appearance from a few weeks ago.
Syndergaard even commented on the appearance on Twitter. “To my sides defense…they had a FRICKEN DRAGON!!!” the pitcher wrote. “At least I didn’t throw behind him.”
If you’re wondering who saved Jaime…
Well, we’ve probably got the answer, courtesy of Reddit user Kerrigor2. Jaime’s rescuer wears fingerless gloves and rides a white horse; Bronn wears fingerless gloves, and towards the end of his epic sequence, we see him eyeing a white horse. While there’s some ambiguity in the final shot, Bronn seems to be the savior. This being Game of Thrones, we’re guessing that Bronn had an ulterior motive. Jaime is, after all, the only person to promise Bronn a castle.
When Jon and Dany speak in the cave, they recycle some dialogue.
Towards the end of the conversation, Dany repeats her request that Jon “bend the knee” and recognize her as the true ruler of Westeros. Jon says that he can’t do that, as his people wouldn’t accept a Southern ruler.
That’s when Dany drops this bomb: “Isn’t their survival more important than your pride?”
It’s such an effective line because we’ve heard it before: Jon said the exact same words to Mance Rayder when trying to convince him to bend the knee.
