The Queen's Justice

"The Queen's Justice" is the third episode of the seventh season of Game of Thrones. It is the sixty-third episode of the series overall. It premiered on July 30, 2017. It was written by David Benioff & D.B. Weiss and directed by Mark Mylod.

Plot
Daenerys holds court. Tyrion backchannels. Cersei returns a gift. Jaime learns from his mistakes.

At Dragonstone
Jon and Davos arrive at Dragonstone, and are immediately greeted by Tyrion and Missandei. On the walk to the castle, Jon is surprised at the sight of Drogon.

On the Narrow Sea
Theon Greyjoy is fished aboard by one of the few surviving ships of Yara Greyjoy's fleet. When the Ironborn question him on what happened to Yara, Theon lies and mentions that he tried in vain to save her, leaving them unimpressed.

At King's Landing
Euron parades the captive Yara, Ellaria and Tyene through the streets, reveling in his victory all the way to the Red Keep. Impressed with his "gift", Cersei agrees to an alliance with the Lord Reaper.

In the North
Sansa and Bran are reunited.

In Oldtown
Sam successfully cures Jorah without succumbing to greyscale himself. Somewhat impressed by Sam's efforts, Archmaester Ebrose allows him to stay at the Citadel.

In the Westerlands
Using a secret passage constructed by Tyrion, Grey Worm and the Unsullied storm Casterly Rock and capture the castle. Unfortunately, it turns out to be a trap, as a large detachment of the Lannister army approaches the castle by land while Euron's fleet cuts off any escape by sea.

In the Reach
Jaime is leading the Lannister force in formation, along with Randyll Tarly the Tarly (and likely other Reach vassals) forces, also accompanied by Bronn, towards Highgarden. Olenna Tyrell looks out from a balcony and sees the impending army approaching the castle. The battle is swift, slaughtering mostly all Tyrell infantry and inhabitants of Highgarden. Jaime proceeds to find Olenna, and finds her sitting alone in a den. He confirms that the battle is done, as Olenna admits that the Tyrell army wasn't known for their prowess. She informs Jaime that Tyrion and Daenerys planned to invade Casterly Rock and thought the Lannister forces would be defending it. Jaime, while pouring two glasses of wine, reveals it was set-up, informing that his ancestral home is practically worthless, aside from childhood sentiment. He assures Euron's navy will destroy the attacking fleet. Meanwhile, the main Lannister army would be far away from the main attack, a strategic move Jaime learnt from Robb Stark's attack at Whispering Wood. Olenna wonders why Tywin Lannister didn't take Highgarden when Casterly Rock's mines ran out of gold. Knowing her end is near, she remarks that she may ask Tywin soon enough.

Olenna asks Jaime how he intends to kill her, speculating he will kill her with Widow's Wail; Joffrey's old sword. Remarking on Joffrey's horrible nature, Olenna proudly admits that she enacted measures to protect her family at all costs, with no regrets, but reflects that her actions pale in comparison to the atrocities performed by Cersei. She tells Jaime that Cersei is a monster; a matter of opinion according to Jaime. While some may dread her, Jaime insists that none will care what she's done, so long as order is restored. Olenna observes that Jaime really does love his sister, and calls him a fool, claiming that she will be the end of him. Jaime considers this a moot point, of little value discussing with Olenna.

Olenna again asks Jaime how he plans to kill her. Jaime tells her of Cersei’s idea of having her whipped and beheaded, or flayed alive and hanged, but he talked her out of those ideas. He then produces a smile phial that he pours into one of the glasses of wine, giving it to Olenna who then drinks it. Olenna reflects on the horrible way that Joffrey died, and the gruesome details that the poison caused; the poison that she gave him, not realizing how violent it would act, thereby informing Jaime that she was Joffrey’s murderess all along. Jaime coldly stares at her, knowing that her actions of killing Joffrey led to the false trial and imprisonment of Tyrion. Olenna insists that he tell Cersei that she was the one who murdered her son.

Deaths

 * Tyene Sand
 * Olenna Tyrell

Cast
Starring
 * Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister
 * Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Ser Jaime Lannister
 * Lena Headey as Queen Cersei Lannister
 * Emilia Clarke as Queen Daenerys Targaryen
 * Kit Harington as King Jon Snow
 * Aidan Gillen as Lord Petyr Baelish
 * Liam Cunningham as Ser Davos Seaworth
 * Carice van Houten as Melisandre
 * Sophie Turner as Princess Sansa Stark
 * Nathalie Emmanuel as Missandei
 * Indira Varma as Ellaria Sand
 * Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy
 * John Bradley as Samwell Tarly
 * Isaac Hempstead-Wright as Bran Stark
 * Conleth Hill as Varys
 * Jerome Flynn as Ser Bronn
 * Iain Glen as Ser Jorah Mormont

Guest Starring
 * Diana Rigg as Lady Olenna Tyrell
 * Jim Broadbent as Archmaester Ebrose
 * Pilou Asbæk as King Euron Greyjoy
 * Gemma Whelan as Yara Greyjoy
 * Jacob Anderson as Grey Worm
 * Anton Lesser as Qyburn
 * Mark Gatiss as Tycho Nestoris
 * Rosabell Laurenti Sellers as Tyene Sand
 * Ellie Kendrick as Meera Reed
 * Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson as Ser Gregor Clegane
 * Rupert Vansittart as Lord Yohn Royce
 * James Faulkner as Lord Randyll Tarly
 * Tom Hopper as Dickon Tarly
 * Brendan Cowell as Harrag
 * Richard Rycroft as Maester Wolkan
 * Sara Dylan as Bernadette
 * Luke Wilson Hanley as
 * Staz Nair as Qhono

Cast notes

 * 17 of 23 starring cast members appear in this episode.
 * Starring cast members Maisie Williams (Arya Stark), Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth), Hannah Murray (Gilly), Kristofer Hivju (Tormund Giantsbane), Rory McCann (Sandor Clegane), and Joe Dempsie (Gendry) are not credited and do not appear in this episode.

General

 * The King's Justice (and/or Queen's Justice) is the title held by the royal executioner. Their duty is to kill anyone condemned by the King, the Hand of the King, or the Small Council, usually by public beheading. The term can also be used broadly to refer to the judicial authority of the King and the "law of the land".
 * The episode's description 'Cersei returns a gift', refers to her poisoning Tyene Sand with the long farewell via a kiss, the same method Ellaria had used to poison Myrcella Baratheon.
 * Before poisoning Tyene the same way that Ellaria did Myrcella, Cersei regales Ellaria as to how she fed Myrcella at her own breast when she was a babe and wouldn't let the wet nurse touch her, a sentiment shared by Oberyn Martell about his sister Elia Martell and her children.
 * The episode's description "Jamie learns from his mistakes', refers to Jamie using the same strategy that Robb Stark used against him at the Battle of the Whispering Wood, sacrificing a divisonary force to achieve a surprise ambush, in order to take Highgarden.
 * After this episode, every castle of a Great House of Westeros appeared at least once onscreen, except Storm's End.
 * With the fall of Highgarden and death of Olenna Tyrell, Daenerys has essentially lost all of her Westerosi allies. Furthermore, she has also lost her armada as well, and her Unsullied are now trapped at Casterly Rock, essentially leaving Daenerys with just her dragons and Dothraki Khalasar.

In King's Landing

 * Tycho Nestoris's admission that the Iron Bank of Braavos has made money from Slavery is ironic – and problematic – since Bravos was founded by ex-slaves. The city has maintained an anti-slavery stance for centuries, and unlike even Westeros, has launched anti-slaving campaigns against other powers in the Known World. Braavos even forced the nearby Free Cities such as Pentos to outlaw slavery. Although Pentos and the others found loopholes to allow the practice to continue, all the Free Cities in Bravvos's sphere of influence nominally outlaw the practice to this day.
 * Given the highly capitalistic nature of the Iron Bank, it is not all that surprising that they would branch out into the unsavory practice.
 * Cersei's Handmaidens display a new style, with black robes and short hair, like their Queen.

In the Reach

 * The "home guard" of the Tyrell army is defeated. Olenna is not that surprised, since the Tyrells have relied on the loyalty of their more martial vassals for some time.
 * Olenna confirms that she believes the truth of Jaime and Cersei's incest, which given their behavior is hardly surprising (Ellaria was bluntly aware of this as well). Previously, she had diplomatically referred to them as simply "rumors".
 * Olenna finally reveals the truth about the Purple Wedding to someone other than Margaery, and a Lannister finally learns the truth. Olenna also admits that she didn't know it was going to be so gruesome, having never seen the strangler in use before, and gives a sort-of apology for it.
 * Interestingly, Olenna does not reveal to Jamie that Littlefinger aided her in Joffrey's death.

In the books
[This section will be updated with comparisons after the sixth novel is released.]