Game of Thrones Episode 61: Dragonstone

Daenerys Targaryen arrives at **Dragonstone** with her fleet and advisers, Jon Snow begins organizing the North against the coming threat, Cersei moves to secure new allies, Samwell searches for information about the White Walkers in Oldtown, and Arya carries out revenge against House Frey.

At **Winterfell**, Jon Snow holds court and prepares the North for war. He pardons young lords whose families had supported the Boltons, but he insists they help defend the realm now that winter and the White Walkers are advancing. He orders Tormund and the free folk to strengthen **Eastwatch-by-the-Sea**, and he tells the lords and women of the North to prepare for battle by gathering dragonglass and training for the coming fight. Sansa objects to some of Jon’s decisions, especially his trust in former enemies and his refusal to fully prepare for political threats from the south.

A raven arrives from King’s Landing demanding Jon’s loyalty to Cersei. Jon rejects the demand, but Sansa warns that Cersei should not be underestimated.

At **Oldtown**, Samwell Tarly struggles to adjust to life at the Citadel. He performs menial tasks, studies with the maesters, and becomes increasingly frustrated by the restrictions placed on him. He tries to gain access to the restricted library section to learn more about the White Walkers and dragonglass, but he is initially denied. Later, he takes advantage of the situation to get hold of the information he needs and discovers a major dragonglass deposit beneath Dragonstone, prompting him to send word to Jon.

In **King’s Landing**, Cersei and Jaime learn that Daenerys has landed in Westeros, which makes their political position even more precarious. Euron Greyjoy arrives and offers Cersei an alliance, along with a proposal of marriage. Cersei accepts the alliance but rejects the marriage, telling him she does not trust him; Euron promises to bring her a gift that will change her mind.

Daenerys lands at **Dragonstone** with Tyrion, Varys, Missandei, and Grey Worm, while her dragons circle overhead. She kneels and touches the ground of Westeros, marking her return to the continent she has spent her life trying to reclaim. Inside the castle, her advisers discuss the next steps in her campaign, and Daenerys takes possession of the ancestral Targaryen seat.

At **House Frey**, Arya arrives disguised as Walder Frey and serves poisoned wine to the men gathered there. She reveals the revenge behind the act by killing the Freys who were involved in the Red Wedding, wiping out the house’s male leadership. Afterward, she heads south with Cersei as her target, and later stops with a group of friendly Lannister soldiers, where she is briefly treated with hospitality.

Farther north, **Bran Stark and Meera Reed** arrive at the Wall after fleeing the lands beyond it. Their arrival shows how close the danger has come to the realm’s borders, even before the larger conflict fully begins.

At the same time, **The Hound** is traveling with a group of travelers and shows signs that he is headed toward a different path than before, but the episode keeps his story secondary to the larger war preparations.