Following last week’s epic clash between the Lannister army and Daenerys Targaryen’s forces, Game of Thrones slows things down in the action department but still moves stories along at a rapid pace in “Eastwatch,” the fifth episode of Season 7. In some ways, this episode feels like a new season premiere, as the war for the Iron Throne takes a backseat — with Daenerys declared the unofficial winner by both sides — in favor of the show and its characters remembering that the White Walkers are still a threat that someone should probably do something about. With next week’s episode (HBO hasn’t yet revealed the title) promising an epic clash between the living and the dead, here’s everything “Eastwatch” left us pondering as we wait to see if Jon and his companions can catch a wight beyond the Wall.
12. Is Jon Snow A Legitimate Son?
“Eastwatch” drops a pretty big revelation in the most casual way possible (and through the most unlikely character) when Gilly unwittingly stumbles upon an interesting bit of historical data in her readings with Sam. Gilly comes across a passage that says that Prince Rhaegar had his marriage annulled and remarried in a private ceremony in Dorne. Now, even if Sam hadn’t been so caught up in his own drama to not pick up on what Gilly was saying, it’s unlikely that he would have grasped the whole significance of it but still, learning that Rhaegar Targaryen had his marriage to Elia Martell annulled and remarried in secret would be a big deal to anyone in Westeros.
Although the series has not officially confirmed it yet, we can safely assume that Rhaegar’s new bride was Lyanna Stark, aka Jon Snow’s real mother. If true, this is a huge moment as it means that Jon is not a bastard at all, but rather the true born son of Rhaegar Targaryen … which also means that he has a better claim to the Iron Throne than his aunt Daenerys. Will this lead to some turmoil down the road between these two? I’d like to think that it would end with Jon staying King in the North while allowing Daenerys to rule in the south, since he doesn’t seem very keen on being king of anything, but Daenerys probably won’t take the news quite as well.
HBO