Stormborn

"Stormborn" is the second episode of the seventh season of Game of Thrones. It is the sixty-second episode of the series overall. It premiered on July 23, 2017. It was written by Bryan Cogman and directed by Mark Mylod.

Plot
Daenerys receives an unexpected visitor. Jon faces a revolt. Sam risks his career and life. Tyrion plans the conquest of Westeros.

At Dragonstone
During a thunderstorm at Dragonstone, Tyrion Lannister, Varys, and Queen Daenerys Targaryen talk about the stormy circumstances of her birth. Varys briefs her that Queen Cersei Lannister's position on Westeros is tenuous. Tyrion counsels her not to burn the Seven Kingdoms and proposes that she forges alliances with the other houses. Dany then questions Varys about his previous services to her father the Mad King and King Robert Baratheon. Varys confides that King Robert had little interest in ruling.

Dany then confronts Varys about his role in hiring the assassins to target her. Dany distrusts him due to his track record of switching allegiances. Refusing to be intimidated, Varys points out that the incompetent rulers do not deserve blind loyalty, then recounts his lowly origins as a castrated slave and tells her that his true loyalty lies with the oppressed masses. Varys tells Daenerys that if all she wants from him is blind loyalty, she may as well have him killed, but he is much more useful to her and to the Realm alive, and that he believes she is the last hope for the people. Dany accepts his fealty on the condition that he does not conspire against her. She makes him promise to tell her when she is wrong. Daenerys also warns Varys that if he betrays her, she will burn him alive.

Daenerys is then visited by the Red Priestess Melisandre, who believes that Dany is The Prince That Was Promised. Varys questions Melisandre about her previous service to the ill-fated King Stannis Baratheon. While Daenerys initially does not believe that she was the Prince, Missandei reassures her that the High Valyrian word for prince or princess is gender neutral. Melisandre tells Daenerys that she brings tidings of Jon Snow, the King in the North who has united the North and the Wildlings. Tyrion vouches for Jon Snow and convinces Daenerys that he will make a good ally. Dany accepts Tyrion's advice but stresses that Jon must "bend the knee."

In the Chamber of the Painted Table, Yara Greyjoy and Ellaria Sand firmly advocate an assault on King's Landing immediately. Daenerys, however, would prefer to not lay waste to the Kingdoms' capital and be responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of innocents. Tyrion confronts Ellaria over her murder of his niece Myrcella Baratheon, to which Ellaria sneers that she regrets her lover Oberyn Martell dying for the cause of Tyrion's freedom. Daenerys ends the argument with a rebuke for Ellaria to respect her Hand. Back to the matter of the invasion, Daenerys insists she doesn't wish to be known as the Queen of the Ashes, to which Olenna Tyrell sarcastically ponders if Daenerys will take the Iron Throne by asking politely, and reminds her of the fate of her granddaughter, Queen Margaery Tyrell, who was killed when Cersei blew up the Great Sept of Baelor.

Tyrion proposes using a combination of Tyrell and Dornish forces to lay siege to King's Landing, much to the chagrin of Olenna and Ellaria, who balk at the thought of using their own forces. Tyrion however insists that using the Unsullied and Dothraki would arouse the patriotism of Westerosi bannermen, who would see them as foreign invaders and potentially close ranks behind Cersei. He proposes sending Grey Worm and the Unsullied to take Casterly Rock instead, cutting off Cersei's retreat and dealing a massive blow to the morale of the Western army. The Greyjoy fleet, meanwhile, will escort Ellaria back to Sunspear to rally the Dornish forces and then ferry them up the coast to King's Landing, bypassing the Stormlands and allowing the siege to commence early. Daenerys accepts Tyrion's proposal and reminds the others on her council that she will not be attacking King's Landing, and requests consenting approval from everyone, to which they affirm.

Daenerys dismisses everyone, except Lady Olenna. The Dragon Queen tells Olenna she is aware that her motives are based on revenge and not out of love for her. She insists that she will usher in an era of peace. Olenna, however, reflects that there was never a lasting peace under the Mad King or any preceding Targaryen for that matter. She tells Daenerys that Tyrion is a clever men and that Olenna has outlasted many clever men by not listening to their advice. She tells Daenerys that the lords of Westeros are sheep, yet Daenerys is a dragon and she must be one if she is to rule Westeros.

Later, Missandei visits Grey Worm to bid him farewell before his departure to Casterly Rock. Grey Worm confides that Missandei is his weakness and tells her that the Good Masters of Astapor tortured the Unsullied by exposing them to their worst fears. Grey Worm recalls that he was the most fearless warrior until he met Missandei. She replies that she also has to deal with fear and kisses him. Missandei strips naked and proceeds to undress Grey Worm. Grey Worm is reluctant to remove his trousers but eventually acquiesces to Missandei's wishes. The two then have sexual intercourse in bed.

In King's Landing
In the throne room of the Red Keep, Queen Cersei Lannister gives a speech urging several nobles from the Reach including Lord Randyll Tarly to reaffirm their allegiance to the Iron Throne. Cersei warns that Daenerys' Dothraki hordes would pillage their lands and homes, and rape their women. When Lord Tarly points out that Daenerys has three dragons, Maester Qyburn replies that he is working on it.

Following the audience with Queen Cersei, Lord Tarly meets in private with Jaime Lannister, who confides that he knows not to cross Cersei despite despising her. Jaime wants to appoint him as his general but Tarly is unwilling to break his fealty to Lady Olenna Tyrell. Randyll is wary of the Lannisters. Jaime admits that he dislikes his sister but convinces Tarly that Cersei is the lesser evil against Daenerys and her Dothraki.

Later, Qyburn leads Cersei to the skulls of the dragon beneath the Red Keep. He tells Cersei that his spies have reported that one of Daenerys' dragons was wounded by a spear at Meereen, showing that the dragons are not impregnable. Qyburn then displays a ballista and reassures her that they can hurt dragons. Cersei tests the ballista on the nearby skull of Balerion the Black Dread (the dragon of Aegon the Conqueror) and is pleased when the bolt pierces through the massive, hard skull.

In the North
At Winterfell, Jon Snow, Sansa Stark and Davos Seaworth discuss Tyrion's letter that they have received. While Sansa suspects it might be a trap, Jon doesn't think so due to Tyrion ending the letter with the line "all dwarfs are bastards in their fathers' eyes", which Tyrion has told Jon in their first meeting years ago. Even so, Jon agrees that now is not the right time to go to Dragonstone. Davos opines that Dany will make a good ally in the war to come against the White Walkers.

Some days later, Maester Wolkan brings Jon Snow a message from Samwell Tarly in the Citadel. Jon gathers the Northern lords in the main hall room and announces that Sam's letter reveals there is a vein of dragon glass beneath Dragonstone. He adds that Lord Tyrion has invited him to Dragonstone to meet with Queen Daenerys and announces his decision to travel to Dragonstone to convince Daenerys to join their fight against the White Walkers, declaring that he plans to travel with Davos to White Harbor and sail to Dragonstone island. Lords Yohn Royce and Robett Glover opine that a Targaryen cannot be trusted. Lady Lyanna Mormont urges the King in the North to stay at home. Jon accepts that he is taking a risk but stresses that the fight against the White Walkers is more important and they need Daenerys' aid if the North is to be saved. Jon emphasizes that the North is his home, it is part of him, and he will never stop fighting for it. Sansa reiterates her objection to Jon's leaving and Jon tells Sansa that he is appointing her as ruler of the North in his absence as she is his sister, regent, and a Stark. Sansa accepts and Brienne of Tarth raises her chin and looks up.

In the catacombs beneath Winterfell, Petyr Baelish meets with Jon Snow and vouches that Tyrion can be trusted. Petyr confides that he loved Jon's step-mother Catelyn Stark. When Jon says that he does not belong down here, Baelish replies that he should be grateful for saving him. When Baelish tells Jon about his love for Sansa, Jon grabs him by the throat and warns him that he will kill him if he approaches his sister again. Jon, Davos, and several horsemen then prepare to ride south to White Harbor while Sansa watches from the castle battlements. Before he leaves, Jon looks at Sansa and they share a farewell moment. Petyr, emerging from the catacombs, gazes lustfully at Sansa.

In the Riverlands
Arya Stark encounters Hot Pie at the Inn at the Crossroads, accosting him to give her some pie and ale. Hot Pie tells her that he has become a seasoned pie-master and Arya mentions that she has had some experience baking two pies, omitting the fact that she served Lothar Frey and Walder Rivers to their father, the late Lord Walder Frey. When Hot Pie asks Arya if the lady knight Brienne of Tarth had found her, Arya gives an affirmative answer. When Hot Pie asks where she is traveling to, Arya replies that she is traveling to King's Landing for the Queen. Hot Pie tells her that Queen Cersei has blown up the Great Sept of Baelor and wonders why she is not heading to Winterfell.

Arya replies that the Boltons occupy the castle but Hot Pie informs her that the Boltons are now dead, killed during the Battle of the Bastards by her half-brother Jon Snow, who has been named King in the North. Arya decides to head north and Hot Pie tells her not to worry about paying for the cost of the meal since she is friend. Hot Pie remarks that Arya is pretty for someone whom he thought was a boy, to which she briskly accepts before leaving him. Arya rides her horse into a frost-covered forest.

Later, as Arya prepares to set up camp in a snowy, forested area to make camp, her horse is startled by several wolves. Before the wolves can attack her, they are silenced by their pack leader, which turns out to be Arya's direwolf Nymeria. Nymeria is initially apprehensive towards Arya but recognizes her former master. Arya tells her direwolf that she is going home and invites her to come with her. However, Nymeria quickly leaves with the pack; indicating that time has made the wolf no longer attached to Arya. Arya watches in sadness and remarks "It is not you", echoing her own sentiment for herself, when her father had plans to see her grow up to be a lady for a lord.

In Oldtown
At the Citadel, Archmaester Ebrose and Samwell Tarly examine Jorah Mormont, whose greyscale has spread to his torso. The Archmaester tells Jorah that he should have cut off his lower arm instead of letting the infection fester. Ebrose opines that Mormont is beyond saving. While it is customary for infected smallfolk to be sent to live with the "stony men", a knight like Mormont is given one more day to live. When Ebrose asks about sending condolences to Jorah's family House Mormont, Jorah replies that he is estranged from his family.

Later, the Archmaester lectures Tarly about the art of writing history. Sam refuses to give up on Jorah and mentions that a previous Maester, Pylos, successfully treated two advances cases of greyscale. Ebrose responds that Pylos contracted the disease and died. Undaunted, Sam decides to treat Jorah and visits his quarters. He tells Jorah that he is not dying today and reveals that he once served under Jorah's father, the late Lord Commander Jeor Mormont. Sam gives Jorah rum to drink, telling him that the process will be painful. Sam also provides Jorah with a mouthguard to muffle his screams. Sam's plan involves using a scalpel to scrape off Jorah's infected skin and then applying ointment. Despite the pain, Jorah consents to the treatment.

On the Narrow Sea
In the Narrow Sea, Princess Yara Greyjoy and her brother Prince Theon Greyjoy travel aboard their portion of the Iron Fleet with their Dornish allies Ellaria Sand and her daughters Obara, Tyene, and Nymeria Sand. In their quarters, the Sand Snakes argue about killing Lannisters while lying in bed. Elsewhere, Ellaria drinks Ironborn liquor with Yara and Theon, which she compares unfavorably to Dornish wine. Yara tells Ellaria that Theon will serve as both her bodyguard and adviser. While chatting, Yara's ship is struck. Entering the deck, they discover that their fleet has been ambushed by their uncle Euron Greyjoy's portion of the Iron Fleet.

Euron's ship extends a boarding ramp onto Yara's ship and lands a boarding party. Yara and her men fight fiercely but are overwhelmed by Euron's warriors. Tyene Sand retreats to below the deck with her mother Ellaria while Obara and Nymeria fight against Euron's Ironborn. Obara is impaled by Euron's spear. Nymeria attacks the Lord Reaper of Pyke with her whip but is strangled to death. Ellaria and Tyene are captured by Euron's men, who tell them they will make valuable captives.

Yara and Euron fight with axes as Yara's fleet burns in the night. Euron captures Yara and then goads "little Theon." Theon is about to come to his sister's aid but panics when Euron's men begin slitting the throats of the wounded sailors and warriors. To Yara's dismay, Theon jumps overboard while Euron laughs with glee. Theon clings to driftwood and sees Obara and Nymeria's corpses impaled on and hanged by the neck from the prow, respectively. Euron's fleet sails away into the night as Yara's fleet burns in the Narrow Sea.

Deaths

 * Obara Sand
 * Nymeria Sand
 * Many Greyjoy men

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
 * Sophie Turner as Princess Sansa Stark
 * Maisie Williams as Arya Stark
 * Carice van Houten as Lady Melisandre
 * Nathalie Emmanuel as Missandei
 * Indira Varma as Ellaria Sand
 * Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy
 * John Bradley as Samwell Tarly
 * Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth
 * Conleth Hill as Varys
 * 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
 * Anton Lesser as Qyburn
 * Jacob Anderson as Grey Worm
 * Keisha Castle-Hughes as Obara Sand
 * Rosabell Laurenti Sellers as Tyene Sand
 * Jessica Henwick as Nymeria Sand
 * Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson as Ser Gregor Clegane
 * Ben Hawkey as Hot Pie
 * Tim McInnerny as Lord Robett Glover
 * James Faulkner as Lord Randyll Tarly
 * Rupert Vansittart as Lord Yohn Royce
 * Tom Hopper as Dickon Tarly
 * Bella Ramsey as Lady Lyanna Mormont
 * Richard Rycroft as Maester Wolkan
 * Ben Fox as inn customer
 * Mark Roper as inn customer
 * Megan Parkinson as Lady Alys Karstark
 * Harry Grasby as Lord Ned Umber

Cast notes

 * 17 of 23 starring cast members appear in this episode.
 * Starring cast members Jerome Flynn (Bronn), Isaac Hempstead-Wright (Bran Stark), 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 title refers to Daenerys Targaryen, and how she received her personal sobriquet, "Daenerys Stormborn" (which she has used throughout the series). Right before the rebels arrived at King's Landing at the end of Robert's Rebellion, her pregnant mother was sent to safety on Dragonstone. Her mother went into labor soon afterward, during a massive storm that smashed to pieces what little was left of the Targaryen fleet anchored at Dragonstone, before dying in childbirth. Being born during this ill-omened storm, she earned the nickname "Daenerys Stormborn". The episode itself opens with Tyrion and Daenerys referring to this.
 * The Bran Stark and Sandor Clegane storylines do not appear in this episode. The storyline of Daenerys and her various allies shifts into focus, which only briefly began at the end of last episode as a lead-in to this one.
 * There are many references to events from past episodes:
 * Daenerys mentions that Illyrio falsely told her brother that the people of Westeros "drink secret toasts to his health" ("Winter Is Coming").
 * Daenerys refers to the failed attempt on her life in Vaes Dothrak ("You Win or You Die").
 * Varys admits he supported Robert's plan to assassinate Daenerys ("The Wolf and the Lion") (though Tyrion later suspected that Varys intentionally had the plan fail, simply feigning loyalty to Robert).
 * Tyrion uses the phrase "all dwarfs are bastards in their father's eyes" in his letter to Jon. Jon recalls that Tyrion told him that before when they first met ("Winter Is Coming").
 * Randyl Tarly refers to the battle of Ashford, which was mentioned by Stannis ("Kill the Boy").
 * Qyburn refers to young Drogon's injury in the fighting pits of Meereen ("The Dance of Dragons").
 * Tyrion speaks about the assassination of Myrcella ("Mother's Mercy").
 * Arya mentions that she made pies before ("The Winds of Winter"), without being specific about the ingredients (Frey pie).
 * Hot Pie tells Arya about meeting Brienne ("Mockingbird")
 * Arya tells Hot Pie that she met Brienne ("The Children").
 * Hot Pie brings Arya up to speed by informing her of the destruction of the Great Sept of Baelor ("The Winds of Winter") and Battle of the Bastards.
 * Jon grabs Littlefinger by the throat, and slams him against a wall, just like Ned did in "Lord Snow" (both for making somewhat creepy verbal advances about a female relative).

In the North

 * In the crypts, a statue of Eddard Stark has been erected in his memory. Petyr Baelish mentions that he delivered Eddard's remains himself as a gesture of goodwill from Tyrion Lannister, which occurred in Season 2's "Garden of Bones". At the current point in the novels, it is not known if Eddard's remains reached Winterfell, until Season 6's "Battle of the Bastards" confirmed that they did.
 * In the books, Ned's bones have not been brought back to Winterfell yet. Lady Dustin, who resents Ned for not bringing her husband's corpse, plans to feed Ned's bones to her dogs as a payback.
 * Tension appears to be growing in Winterfell between Jon and Sansa. Given that Sansa was able to save Jon and the Stark loyalist army from Ramsay Bolton with the Knights of the Vale, it is implied in "Dragonstone" that she expects more credit and a say in Jon's decisions, leading to a heated argument between the two which is interrupted by Maester Wolkan. Jon and Sansa disagree in this episode again, when Jon claims he will ride to Dragonstone and meet with Daenerys Targaryen in order to form an alliance against the Night King and to gain access to the dragonglass beneath the island; Sansa, Yohn Royce and Lyanna Mormont cite the crimes that Daenerys's father, Aegon Targaryen the Mad King, committed against House Stark, especially the burning of Rickard Stark, citing that Daenerys cannot be trusted. Though Jon is aware of this, he reasons that they need Daenerys's help against both Cersei and the Night King, and leaves the North in Sansa's hands, which appears to set the stage for a conflict between Jon and Sansa, especially with Baelish present.
 * Jon's direwolf Ghost does not appear in this episode. Episode writer Bryan Cogman explained via Twitter that a scene between Ghost and Jon was not only scripted but filmed, but cut from the final version of the episode.
 * It is unclear why Jon is unfriendly toward Littlefinger. Had he known about Littlefinger's part in Ned's downfall, he would probably have settled the score with Littlefinger right away. Perhaps he has heard general rumors about Littlefinger's untrustworthiness, or he has an uneasy feeling about him.
 * Jon's decision to go to Dragonstone himself is questionable: a monarch would normally send an envoy, as Sansa suggested; if the monarch goes himself, it may give the impression that he is lesser than the monarch who invited him. Morever, Jon should have considered that perhaps Daenerys hates his house for supporting Robert against her father (indeed in the books she feels that way).

In the Riverlands

 * Hot Pie returns in the episode after being last seen in Season 4's "Mockingbird", in which he met Brienne of Tarth and Podrick Payne and told them what he knew about Arya Stark. In the episode, Hot Pie asks Arya if Brienne found her; she confirms it, but does not divulge why she did not go with her, as seen in Season 4's "The Children".
 * Arya Stark's direwolf, Nymeria, finally returns after being absent since Season 1's "The Kingsroad". Arya previously ordered Nymeria to flee for her life after she attacked Joffrey Baratheon in Arya's defence (which ironically led to Sansa's direwolf, Lady, being executed on Cersei's request out of spite). In the six years that have passed since the events of that episode, Nymeria has grown into a formidable direwolf with her own wolf pack, as shown in certain points in the novels.

At Dragonstone

 * Tyrion Lannister recalls accompanying Jon Snow to the Wall in Season 1's "The Kingsroad", and cites the deaths of Eddard Stark and Robb Stark at the hands of the Lannisters as reasons why Jon will likely ally with Daenerys against Cersei. Though Daenerys gives the order to summon Jon to Dragonstone to "bend the knee", it is unknown if Jon, as King in the North, will pledge allegiance to her.
 * The new costume style that Daenerys shifts to starting in this episode is actually not entirely new to the series - she has switched to the "old Targaryen style" that her brother Viserys was seen wearing back in Season 1 (as sort of a sign that she has embraced her inner Targaryen nature as a conqueror). Costume designer The Kingsroadold Targaryen style looked like: asymmetric cut, peaked shoulder cuffs that are separate from the undercoat, long form-fitting sleeves, high collar, and a short cape asymmetrically pinned to one shoulder (as Viserys was seen wearing at her wedding to Drogo in the first episode). Finally, of course, she has also dramatically shifted from her prior blue or white color palettes to finally dressing in Targaryen red and black, the colors of their heraldry. For more information, see "Costumes: King's Landing - Under the Targaryens" Daenerys does retain one of her trademark fashion choices from Essos however: she still wears riding breeches under her dress.
 * Olenna Tyrell meets Daenerys Targaryen in this episode. Interestingly, Olenna is one of the few characters left alive by this point who is old enough to remember when House Targaryen was originally in power and held the Iron Throne - even the time before the reign of the Mad King, when King Aegon V Targaryen was a good and stable monarch (Aegon V being Maester Aemon's younger brother). Other older characters who might remember those days – Aemon, Tywin Lannister or even Barristan Selmy – are dead by this point in the TV series. Olenna actually mentioned back in Season 4's "Oathkeeper" that in her youth she was originally betrothed to "some Targaryen or other" as it was "all the rage" due their then-stable rule. Of course, not personally wanting the match, she managed to get out of it and married Luthor Tyrell instead. In the books, Olenna was betrothed to one of King Aegon V's sons, but he actually wasn't attracted to her either because he was secretly a homosexual, and ultimately argued with his father as well to have the betrothal called off. Bryan Cogman wrote "Oathkeeper" and highlighted in interviews that he added in that moment of Olenna recalling her Targaryen betrothal as a way to work the history of the Targaryens into the live-action TV show (which can't have extended descriptions of the past as easily as books can), and Cogman is also writing this episode.
 * Daenerys being unaware of the fact that the High Valyrian word for "prince" is gender-neutral indicates her Valyrian may no be so excellent as perceived. This is curious, since she had stated in "And Now His Watch Is Ended" that High Valyrian is her mother tongue, and Missandei (who is the best person to ask) stated in "Second Sons" that Daenerys's High Valyrian is excellent. However, in the books, Daenerys more properly speaks several dialects of Low Valyrian and spends a lot of time speaking the Common Tongue and Dothraki (which she is noted to have problems with when not actually amongst Dothraki), so it's possible that she is simply confusing the gender-neutral High Valyrian word for a Low Valyrian derivative that has different linguistic features.
 * Tyrion clearly resents Ellaria for killing Myrcella, but does not sound too furious when blaming her. Maybe he plans to get even with Ellaria after Daenerys will no longer need her; after all, a Lannister always pays his debts, and he cared a lot about his niece.
 * The books make a point that Daenerys hates the Starks for betraying her father. In her eyes, they are not different from the Lannisters, and share the blame for the deaths of her nephew and niece. Ser Barristan Selmy told her that Ned had tried to dissuade Robert from killing her, but she did not change her mind. It has yet to be seen how she will treat Jon (who is half Stark either way).

At Oldtown

 * It is unclear why Sam gave Jorah rum as an anesthetic, rather than milk of the poppy, which is commonly used in Westeros for that purpose. Even without any medical background, Sam should have known that. It is possible, of course, that due to the fact Sam was helping Jorah in secret, Sam simply wasn't able to acquire any milk of the poppy without arousing suspicion, and thus decided to go with the best alternative that would be much more easier to acquire and less conspicuous: rum.
 * In the books, as Jeor Mormont was near death, he told Sam "Tell my son. Jorah. Tell him, take the black. My wish. Dying wish". If that line had not been omitted from the show, Sam would finally have had a chance to tell Jorah about his father's last wish.

In the Narrow Sea

 * Ellaria flirting with Yara aboard the Black Wind appears to be a callback to the sixth season where Yara kisses a female prostitute in Volantis in front of Theon, making him visibly uncomfortable after his castration by Ramsay Snow. Being bisexual herself, Ellaria invites Theon for a threesome, unaware of what Ramsay did to him. Further, Ellaria treats Theon rather coldly, demanding that he refill her jug; though Yara tells Ellaria that Theon is not their servant, Theon begrudgingly claims he does not mind, possibly due to having served Ramsay as a servant for nearly two years.
 * Euron Greyjoy's proposal of a "gift" for Cersei seems to be explained in this episode. Apparently aware of how Myrcella Baratheon was killed, Euron attacks Yara and Theon's fleet but makes sure to take Ellaria and Tyene Sand prisoner instead of killing them; Ellaria and Tyene were primarily responsible for Myrcella's murder, since Tyene synthesized the poison and Ellaria administered it via a kiss. Euron apparently intends to bring Ellaria and Tyene before Cersei so she can take revenge for Myrcella.
 * Of note, Tyrion Lannister brings this up during Daenerys's war council, openly accusing Ellaria of poisoning Myrcella, an innocent girl, in cold blood, until the argument is broken up by Daenerys herself. Following the airing of "The Winds of Winter", it was widely speculated that Tyrion, as Daenerys's hand, would demand justice against Ellaria for murdering his niece; the deaths of Obara and Nymeria and the abduction of Ellaria and Tyene by Euron have made this less than likely.
 * In a sense of irony, Obara and Nymeria are killed by Euron Greyjoy, who uses their own weapons against them, impaling Obara through the stomach and pinning her from the ship's bowspirit, and strangling Nymeria to death before hanging her corpse from the ship. Obara literally stabbed Trystane Martell in the back with her spear, while Nymeria appeared with the intention of strangling Trystane with her whip had Obara not interfered. Their cold-blooded murder of Trystane has come full circle with their deaths.

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

The episode contains influences from the following chapter of A Feast for Crows:


 * Chapter 35, Samwell IV: Someone reaches the conclusion that Daenerys is the prince that was promised, because the High Valyrian word for "prince" is gender-neutral, as it is derived from the word for "dragon", creatures which have no fixed gender.

The episode contains influences from the following chapters of A Dance with Dragons:


 * Chapter 22, Tyrion VI: Tyrion speaks ill about Cersei, and advises someone to invade Westeros. Someone tells false horror stories about Daenerys.
 * Chapter 26, The Wayward bride: Asha Greyjoy is defeated and taken captive.
 * Chpate 35, Jon VII: Asha's ships are destroyed.