Game of Thrones Episode 64: The Spoils of War

Cersei meets with the Iron Bank and uses the Lannister victory in the Reach to reassure them that the crown’s debts will soon be paid, while Jaime oversees the spoils being loaded for transport back to King’s Landing. The episode then follows several converging storylines: Arya reaches Winterfell and reunites with Sansa and Bran; Bran gives her the Valyrian steel dagger; Jon and Daenerys discuss how to fight the war; and Jaime’s convoy is attacked on the road by Daenerys riding Drogon with the Dothraki, leading to a devastating battle that ends with Jaime and Bronn plunging into the water.

In King’s Landing, Cersei is eager to secure more support from the Iron Bank. She tells Tycho Nestoris that the Lannisters can pay what they owe because they have seized the Tyrell gold and are sending it to the city, and she asks for continued financial backing to strengthen her position.

In the Reach, Jaime helps organize the transfer of the captured Tyrell treasure and supplies. Before the convoy departs, he gives Bronn a heavy bag of gold as payment, though Bronn reminds him that he still expects the castle Jaime promised him.

In the North, Arya arrives at Winterfell and is welcomed by Sansa. She then sees Bran in the godswood and is unnerved when he already knows she is coming and even knows about her kill list; Bran gives her the Valyrian steel dagger, and Arya later spars with Brienne of Tarth, fighting her to a draw while Sansa and Littlefinger watch.

Bran also has a cold, unsettling exchange with Littlefinger, who tries to draw him out by giving him the dagger once used in an attempt on Bran’s life years earlier. Bran responds by repeating Littlefinger’s own “chaos is a ladder” remark, which clearly unsettles him. Meera then comes to say goodbye to Bran, but he shows little emotion, and she tells him that the boy she knew died in the cave with the Three-Eyed Raven.

On Dragonstone, Jon continues to advise Daenerys about the war. Tyrion argues for restraint and strategy, but Daenerys grows frustrated with the fighting and decides to attack the Lannister forces directly rather than continue waiting.

On the road to King’s Landing, the Lannister-Tarly army is caught in the open when Daenerys descends on Drogon with the Dothraki horde. The attack is catastrophic: Drogon burns soldiers, wagons, and supplies, while the Dothraki charge through the line and scatter the Lannister army. Jaime tries to organize a defense, Bronn loads the scorpion and fires at Drogon, and the bolt hits the dragon and brings him down briefly, but the battle remains hopeless. Jaime then tries to attack Daenerys directly, and Bronn saves him by tackling him out of the way; both men crash into the water, and Jaime sinks under the weight of his armor as the episode ends with him in grave danger.

The episode also briefly shows Theon returning to Dragonstone and facing Jon, who confronts him about his past betrayal but says Theon’s role in helping save Sansa is the only reason he is still alive.