Game of Thrones New Episode Review: 'The Gift' Finally Bring Two Main Characters Together

The newest episode of HBO's Game of Thrones, entitled "The Gift," took a major step forward as it brought two major characters together and also gave a third character the comeuppance she deserved.

First, let's get to the part foe which I've been hyped since the season began. Tyrion Lannister finally made it to Daenerys! I know, I know. There's no way this is going to work out correctly at all. The Queen of Dragons has absolutely no reason to trust a Lannister, especially if she's heard rumors and stories about Tyrion, and there's no guarantee that she'll believe Tyrion once he tells his entire story (or even want to listen to him). But it's Peter Dinklage and Emilia Clarke acting together! It's the sharp tongue of Tyrion telling Dany everything she's been doing wrong thus far! This is going to be amazing!

The buildup to their meeting was solid, too, as Jorah decided waiting was for losers, strapped on his helmet, strolled out into the fighting pits, and casually knocked out every single competitor (and even the organizer guy) in the ring. The scene worked well because Jorah didn't kill anyone, which made Khaleesi smile, but you just knew that smile would fade as soon as Jorah took off his helmet. And that's exactly what happened. It seemed for a moment that the meeting between Tyrion and Dany would be delayed yet again, but now we're on pace for them to spend the rest of the season plotting and planning in Meereen. Woo!

And speaking of plotting and planning, Cersei continued to unfold her scheme against the Tyrells back in King's Landing. She continued to manipulate Tommen, who is showing flashes of being an angry and possibly dangerous king. But can you blame him? The beautiful woman he genuinely loves was just thrown into jail and he's powerless to stop it. He's frustrated, and Cersei is using that against him.

Unfortunately for her, the consequences are now coming back to bite her. She armed a fanatic religious group and now that same group has turned its sights on her. It's unclear why the Faith Militant agreed to work with the Queen Mother if Lancel Lannister had already told them about her incestuous acts, but it's possible they knew they needed Cersei to acquire the power they would need to affect change. Now, Cersei is also residing in the Black Cells, and it was a moment of delicious comeuppance. Wins are rare on this show, so it's always satisfying to see a character as hateful as Cersei get what she deserves.

At the Wall, Jon Snow departed for the Wildling lands, which left Sam without his protector and companion. Two brothers of the Night's Watch took this as their cue to have their way with Gilly, but Sam (and a wolf) stopped them before any real damage could be done. Gilly rewarded Sam by taking his virginity. Go Sam!

Further south, Stannis Baratheon is in full-on attack mode, as he told both Davos and Melisandre that they would press onward to Winterfell no matter the weather conditions. The Red Priestess tried to convince the king to sacrifice his daughter, but Stannis shut her down. But because this is Game of Thrones, expect that poor little girl to be added to the list of casualties before this season ends, especially if Stannis gets desperate.

In Winterfell, Ramsay continued to torture poor Sansa, who tried to use Theon aka Reek to light a candle in the broken tower and signal for help. Instead, he told Ramsay (who was creepily sitting in the tower) that Sansa wanted to escape, so Ramsay flayed the old woman who offered to help her. What is with this guy and flaying?! But Brienne and Pod are waiting outside the city, and Stannis is headed south, so hopefully there's a light at the end of the tunnel for Sansa sooner rather than later.

This was a solid Game of Thrones episode after two slower weeks, and now that Tyrion and Dany are together and Cersei is in jail, things should pick up until the season ends.

Notes:

- Sam's "oh my" during his night with Gilly made me chuckle.

- Why did that guard help Tyrion break his chains?

- Tyrion again squirmed his way out of trouble by beating the tar out of a guy with his chains. Maybe Tyrion truly is a great fighter!

- Not much happened in Dorne, other than Jamie's daughter doesn't want to leave and one of the Sand Snakes used her magic boobs to nearly kill Bronn.

What did you think of "The Gift"? Let us know in the comments section.