Home Top

'I'm in a house floating down the river, I love you': Tragic last phone call of mom swept away with kids in Texas floods - as three die in submerged Houston, and another eight perish across the region
Yale graduate leaps to his death after stabbing student who was a fellow member of conservative political group
Fiancée 'pulled paddle away as her husband-to-be drowned' while kayaking on the Hudson
'This won't last long': Shi'ite militia's boast as Iraq launches its bid to take back Ramadi from ISIS with 'new weapons that will surprise the enemy'
ISIS burn woman alive for refusing to take part in 'extreme sex act', reveals UN official, as the Islamist fighters' sadism becomes even more depraved
How to make 'healthy' McDonald's French Fries at home using just FIVE ingredients (and they are 'better than the original')
EXCLUSIVE: Suicide attempts, bungled lesbian seductions in the back of a limo and a descent into drugs hell - the craziness of living alongside Judy Garland
The Wall Street escorts earning $1,000 an HOUR: Prostitution booming in Manhattan as traders enjoy bumper bonus season
Inside the life of an Upper East Side housewife: Moms serve wine at 11am playdates, hire food trainers for fussy children and make sure they will all be pregnant at the same time
PIERS MORGAN: A sex-abuse cover-up isn't the most disgusting thing about the Duggars, it's their repulsive, pious hypocrisy
Duggar patriarch Jim Bob called for rape and incest to be punishable by DEATH during failed 2002 Senate campaign... two month after his son first abused a minor
TLC drops Duggars from its Philadelphia Summer Block Party - just days after it removed family's weekly show from its schedule amid molestation scandal
Father, 49, tearfully asks for daughter's forgiveness as he pleads guilty to strangling his wife in a park as they fought over his texts to another woman
Hundreds line the streets for funeral of police detective and new mom who was shot dead on final shift before maternity leave
The march of the migrants: Hundreds of Syrians and Afghans walk through Kos as 1,200 migrants arrive on Greek islands in just two days
Inside Palmyra: ISIS releases taunting tourist board-style video showing ancient monuments as fears grow that the jihadis are preparing to lay waste to the captured Syrian city
ISIS fighters 'set to move into Jordan': New threat for 700,000 refugees who fled Iraq and Syria to escape terror group's evil clutches
Incredible moment burka-clad woman is turned away from Saudi shopping mall for being 'indecent'... because her hands are exposed
Inside the IED workshop of ISIS in Libya: Brutal terror group show off deadly arsenal of lethal roadside bombs and homemade rockets
Welcome to Fordlandia, Henry Ford's lost city deep in the Amazon rainforest which was abandoned as a monumental failure
Man, 51, shoots dead his ex-girlfriend after seeing her at a casino with another man then calls her family to taunt them
'I'm in a black hole of pain and sorrow': Dutch backpacker kept as a sex slave in Australian hotel for SIX WEEKS where she was raped, beaten with a meat hammer and had a cross carved in her head, tells of her horrifying ordeal
'What's he waiting for?': Rand Paul says Obama should end the NSA's mass surveillance program through an executive order if he's so against it
Why butter and eggs won't kill us after all: Flawed science triggers U-turn on cholesterol fears

SPOILER ALERT! Winter finally comes to Game Of Thrones as Cersei Lannister gets what she deserves in The Gift

Published: 01:53 EST, 25 May 2015 | Updated: 11:57 EST, 25 May 2015

126

View
comments

If Game Of Thrones had an over-arching theme, it might be summed up in Theon Greyjoy's most memorable line from Sunday's episode: 'It can always get worse.'

A very small number of characters - most notably Sam and Gilly - had happy stories in The Gift, but most learned the hard way that life could indeed get worse.

Throughout much of the action, another problem began: The oft-threatened winter was clearly coming.

Scroll down for video

Finally: Cersei Lannister got what she deserved on Sunday night's Game Of Thrones

Departure: In Sunday's episode The Gift, Jon Snow headed north of the Wall

Considering the cold, snowy weather, it was fitting that the action began at the Wall, where Jon Snow (Kit Harington) was preparing to head north to court the Wildlings.

Many of the men still did not approve of this action, but Sam (John Bradley) was on Jon's side, as always.

Sam even handed over the dragon-glass knife he once used to kill a White Walker.

On his own: Without Jon around for support, Sam faced down a host of enemies

But perhaps Sam should have held on to the weapon, as some of the nastier men of the Night's Watch used Jon's absence to dismiss Sam and take advantage of Gilly (Hannah Murray).

The noble Sam tried to stand up to the would-be rapists but eventually needed Ghost's help to send them away.

Sneak Peek: Episode #8 of 'Game of Thrones' only on HBO

Success: Two brothers of the Night's Watch tried to rape Gilly, but Sam - with the help of Ghost - defended her

It all turned out well in the end though, since Gilly was moved by the effort and rewarded her injured hero with kisses, followed by long-awaited sex.

For two characters who had earlier in the episode watched Aemon Targaryen die after crying out, 'Egg, I dreamed I was old!', it was a happy ending.'

Reward: After that, Gilly and Sam got closer than ever with kissing and sex

His watch has ended: Maester Aemon breathed his last in The Gift, calling out to his brother: 'Egg, I dreamed I was old!'

Nothing was happy a little further south, where Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane) and his army faced the Napoleonic hurdle of marching on an enemy as the snows fell.

While Davos (Liam Cunningham) tried to urge a calculated retreat, Stannis insisted on pushing forward.

He was backed up by Melisandre (Carice van Houten), who also urged her king to insure victory by sacrificing Shireen (Kerry Ingram) in order to get some of that Baratheon blood for her rites.

Stannis was so distracted by this unwelcome request that he completely missed the fact that Melisandre only said she would walk the walls of Winterfell - not Stannis.

Napoleonic endeavour: Just south of the Wall, Stannis Baratheon and his army suffered in the growing cold of winter

Retreat: Seeing the condition of the soldiers, Davos Seaworth advised Stannis that they should head back to the Wall for winter

Unwelcome advice: Melisandre told Stannis that the best way to take Winterfell would involve sacrificing Shireen for her blood

Missing a key phrase: Due to his distress, Stannis did not notice when Melisandre never said he would reach Winterfell

Over at Winterfell, Sansa (Sophie Turner) has continued to be tortured by her new husband, Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon).

She begged Theon/Reek (Alfie Allen) to light that signal candle for her, so that the Stark supporters would save her, but that was not the best choice.

Reek went straight to Ramsay, who proceeded to flay Sansa's supportive serving woman.

Unhappy marriage: The marriage of Sansa and Ramsay continued to be horrible, with Sansa locked in her room day and night

Just Reek: Although Sansa trusted him to signal for help, Theon/Reek betrayed her to Ramsay

Thus, Sansa once again has a suitor who delights in showing off how he killed someone she depended on.

His joy in such actions was dangerous though, since it distracted Ramsay from noticing when Sansa stole a workman's tool to hide under her cloak.

Ramsey might finally get the justice he so thoroughly deserves.

New plan: Abandoned by everyone, Sansa did manage to hide a workman's tool to hopefully use against her husband

Lost allies: Sansa's trusted Stark supporter ended the episode flayed by Ramsay

Sansa Stark is raped by Ramsay Bolton in Game of Thrones

Much further south in Kings Landing, winter had not yet arrived but life continued to get more difficult for anyone who was not one of the Sparrows.

Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg) showed up to secure her grandchildren's release, but she failed to get very far with the High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce).

That meeting led to another - with the Sparrow's opposite, Littlefinger (Aiden Gillen) - in which Olenna took the advantage again by threatening blackmail over Joffrey's murder.

Real power: Lady Olenna Tyrell arrived to plead for her grandchildren after the Sparrows arrested them

Worthy foe: The High Sparrow (right) proved himself to be one of the few able to hold his own against Olenna

Dark allies: Littlefinger and Olenna found themselves plotting in the destroyed brothel

But it was Cersei (Lena Headey) who faced the biggest problems in The Gift after she made the mistake of thinking herself above the High Sparrow's notice.

It was a foolish move, considering that Lancel (Eugene Simon) has found religion and knows all of Cersei's secrets.

She was still shocked when the religious zealots calmly and brutally threw her in a cell of her own.

Growing strength: The High Sparrow took on power again when he challenged Cersei

Betrayed: Although she gave power to the High Sparrow's movement, Cersei was betrayed by Lancel and quickly imprisoned

So many crimes: Considering what Lancel knew, Cersei could be in a lot of trouble

Continued threats: Cersei shouted threats to all who would listen but remained imprisoned

More people were imprisoned in Dorne after Jaime's (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) failed attempt to rescue Myrcella (Nell Tiger Free).

In Jaime's case, the prison was a lovely room where he learned the bad news that his niece/daughter was in love with her betrothed and had no intention of leaving.

Waste of a trip: Jaime found out the hard way that his entire trip to Dorne would have always failed

Love: Myrcella informed her uncle/father that she only wanted to stay with her beloved fiance

Down below, Bronn (Jerome Flynn) and the Sand Snakes shared a much less pleasant dungeon.

Tyene (Rosabell Laurenti Sellers) briefly brought some pleasure to Bronn by stripping, although the pleasure was lessened by the revelation that she had poisoned him.

The ruthless young woman would only offer the antidote if Bronn said she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Since he has always been the sort of man to love a woman with fight in her, Bronn might have even believed that.

Prison buddies: Bronn and the Sand Snakes found themselves sharing a cell in Dorne

Dangerous woman: Tyene seduced and poisoned Bronn, insisting on his praise to save his life

Over the sea in Essos, Jorah (Iain Glenn) and Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) were sold to a man who wanted them for the fighting pits.

That turned out to be a good thing, since Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) showed up to their first fight and witnessed her former favourite defeating all opponents.