[Spoilers, spoilers everywhere]
The ninth episode of 'Game of Thrones' has tried extremely hard to outdo the previous episode 'Hardhome.' The 20-minute battle sequence between White Walkers and wildlings was topped off by the Night's King challenging Jon Snow with the most epic "come at me bro" ever filmed. How were the producers ever going to follow this episode up?
'The Dance of Dragons' featured bloodshed as well, but while 'Hardhome' had ice, the new episode offered fire.
Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) ends up being surrounded by the Sons of the Harpy as her new husband Hizdahr zo Loraq (Joel Fry) is slain. Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen) and Daario Naharis (Michiel Huisman) try to fight the mob off, but they are on the losing end. Just as Dany surrenders to her fate, Drogon swoops in to breathe fire upon his mother's enemies.
It is an emotional reunion for Dany and her favorite dragon, who lets her climb on his back and flies her away from harm. Meanwhile, Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) and the rest of her crew gaze up in awe as the pair soars away from Meereen.
Netizens had pretty much the same reaction as Dany's entourage.
I love to picture all the millions of people that were simultaneously tearing up over a dragon just now #GameofThrones #Drogon
— spectre (@lynnnnlynnnn) June 8, 2015
#GoT had me screaming at the tv again. Chanting 'come on #drogon,' but when I heard him cry, I screamed like a lunatic. — CaitlinCarrigan (@CaitlinCarrigan) June 8, 2015
I believe I can fly I believe I can touch the sky .. !!! #Drogon #GameofThrones pic.twitter.com/wXsSzUtXWe
— Carito Puccia (@CaritoPuccia) June 8, 2015
Watching dragons kill bad guys makes me happy #drogon #GameofThrones — raymond blanton (@bogeydogg) June 8, 2015
Cool when #Drogon came to save his mother #GameofThrones pic.twitter.com/liuZBHMP81
— Te Arii ♛ (@Au_ffray) June 8, 2015
@GameofOwns Drogon owned all over the arena. He owned up, down, all around, burned those Harpies to the ground. #DanceofDragons #Drogon — Jeannine Capecci (@Kapeachy71) June 8, 2015
The return of Drogon was a welcome ending to an episode filled with shockers and tensions. It starts off with Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane) unexpectedly sacrificing his daughter (Kelsey Ingram) to appease the Lord of the Light, then is followed by Jon Snow (Kit Harington) making an uneasy homecoming with an army of wildlings.
In Dorne, Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) is finally allowed to take Myrcella (Nell Tiger Free) home, on the condition that Trystane (Toby Sebastian) gets a seat in the Small Council. The episode ends with Dany's exit with Drogon, which some speculate will be the main plot in the season finale.
The last episode is titled 'Mother's Mercy' and will air on June 14 on HBO.
