Game of Thrones Review: The Queen’s Justice (Season 7 Episode 3)

Game of Thrones Season 7 Episode 3 “The Queen’s Justice” is at the point in the series where plot points are just occurring with almost reckless abandon.

• Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) meets Daenerys (Emilia Clarke): Check
• Sam (John Bradley) cures Jorah (Iain Glen) of Greyscale: Check
• Sansa (Sophie Turner) reunites with Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright): Check.

You get the idea.

This is something that could potentially present a problem for the series if the individual scenes themselves weren’t so enthralling and compelling to watch.

Even if you had any issues with how Jon and Dany meet, it is completely forgotten witnessing Clarke and Harrington verbally spar with each other at the top of their talents — which are actually pretty substantial here, regardless of prior indications. The pair delivers an interaction that is quietly powerful and, at times, unconventionally amusing.

It’s a scene that rises and falls on the performances, and the actors do not fail in that regard. That’s where we’re at with Game of Thrones. The closer we get to final confrontations and magical battles, it’s the strength of the interactions between the characters that will see us through what will likely be well-and-true elements of the fantasy genre.

This seventh season is merely three episodes in, and a strong through-line has already emerged: the way in which Daenerys’ alliance/rebellion is catastrophically crumbling around her.

With the Greyjoys and the Dornish effectively taken off the board, the Unsullied trapped on the mainland with no way to get back to Dragonstone, and Highgarden taken over, Daenerys is entirely out of allies.

Now, she has two options: either she should never listen to one of Tyrion’s (Peter Dinklage) plans ever again, or accept Jon Snow’s terms and align herself with the North. Burning everything to the ground is also a possibility.

In all honesty, one has to wonder about Tyrion’s actual effectiveness at being Dany’s Hand. Pretty much every plan he’s had since he met her has ended catastrophically.

Let’s recap:

• Meereen: backfired
• Use the Greyjoys to attack King’s Landing: failed
• Use the Unsullied to attack Casterly Rock: success, but lost Highgarden as a result

His only saving grace at this point is if he successfully brokers an alliance between Dany and the North. The point is: things do not look good for the Hand of the Queen.

In other places, we’re seeing the resolution of threads that we haven’t returned to in many seasons.

Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg) confessing her assassination of Joffrey to Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) feels reminiscent of a similar plot beat from Breaking Bad. But whereas that felt clunky and simply thrown in because it was the last chance for it to be, this felt much more like the Queen of Thorns twisting the knife one final time before she dies.

It’s perhaps made even more delicious from Olenna’s perspective since Jaime is purposely killing her in a much less painful way than how she killed his son. The Queen of Thorns always has the last word.

“The Queen’s Justice” proves, if nothing else, that the small, quiet moments and performances are the most important elements of the series — and it is holding true to that in wonderful ways, even as things are happening at breakneck speed.

Some Stray Thoughts:

• It’s almost impressive how little effort Bran is making at not being as weird to Sansa.
• “I’m not a Stark.” Immediately followed by a dragon flying overhead. That’s real subtle, guys.
• Did Melisandre predict Varys’ death?
• This is the lowest of bars, but at least Tyene didn’t get raped. This should not be noteworthy.
• Speaking of which — has the show ever directly addressed that Dany was raped? I could be wrong, but this seems like the first time.
• It’s deeply hilarious how little Davos cares about Dany’s long list of titles.
• “Are you trying to present your own statements as ancient wisdom?” Dany to Tyrion, who would 100% do that.

What did you think of this episode of Game of Thrones? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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Game of Thrones airs Sundays at 9/8c on HBO.

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