5 Crucial Game of Thrones Callbacks You May Have Missed

4 minute read

Warning: This post contains spoilers for season seven of Game of Thrones.

From Arya Stark’s encounter with Nymeria to Jon Snow’s conversation with Littlefinger, the second episode of Game of Thrones‘ seventh season was full of callbacks to past scenes in the series. Here are five crucial sequences that seemed to mirror moments from the show’s previous six seasons.

“That’s not you”

HBO

After learning that the Starks had regained control of Winterfell from the Boltons, Arya immediately changed course from King’s Landing to her family home. But as she began her journey north, she encountered an unexpected old friend in the woods, her direwolf Nymeria.

When Nymeria’s pack of feral wolves first surrounded Arya, it seemed like she may be in danger. However, it soon became clear Nymeria wouldn’t harm her — despite the fact that she wouldn’t stay with her. “That’s not you,” Arya said as Nymeria turned away, a line that echoed a season one conversation between Arya and Ned.

“‘That’s not you,’ is a direct reference to what Arya herself said to her father when her father painted this picture for her of the life she could have as the lady of a castle and marrying some lord and wearing a nice frilly dress,” showrunner D.B. Weiss explained in the post-episode rundown. “Arya’s not domesticated and it makes total sense that her wolf wouldn’t be either. And once the wolf walks away, at first she’s heartbroken to have come this close and then she realizes that the wolf is doing exactly what she would do if she were that wolf.”

“Touch my sister and I’ll kill you myself”

Aiden Gillen and Kit Harington in Game of Thrones
Aiden Gillen and Kit Harington in Game of ThronesHelen Sloan—HBO

Jon throwing Littlefinger up against a wall to close out their conversation in the Winterfell crypt was another throwback to the Stark patriarch, mimicking the season one scene in which Ned choked Littlefinger outside his King’s Landing brothel. Just as Littelfinger provoked Ned by taunting him about Catelyn, he managed to get a rise out of Jon by bringing up his relationship with Sansa.

“Touch my sister and I’ll kill you myself,” Jon threatened before storming away. Looks like the King in the North learned a thing or two from his dear old dad — er, uncle.

“He sounds like quite a man”

HBO

As Melisandre attempted to convince Daenerys to summon Jon to Dragonstone by explaining his reasons for allowing the Wildlings south of the Wall, Dany took note of his noble act. “He sounds like quite a man,” she interjected.

This was a callback to a season five exchange between Sam and Maester Aemon when the former learned of Daenerys’ attempts to eradicate slavery in Slaver’s Bay. “She sounds like quite a woman,” Sam said after reading a message about Dany from the Citadel.

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“You are not dying today”

Iain Glen and John Bradley in Game of Thrones
Iain Glen and John Bradley in Game of ThronesHelen Sloan/courtesy of HBO

Although Archmaester Ebrose declared that curing Jorah’s greyscale was a lost cause, upon learning that Jorah was the son of Jeor Mormont, Sam decided to secretly attempt an experimental procedure on him. “I knew your father, I was with him when he died,” Sam told him. “You’re not dying today Ser Jorah.”

Jeor was the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch when Sam first arrived at the Wall and the reason Sam survived the Battle of the Fist of the First Men. When Sam collapsed from exhaustion during the Watch’s ensuing retreat south, Jeor put a buddy system in place to ensure Sam’s survival. “Tarly, I forbid you to die,” he told him.

“I’ll burn you alive”

Helen Sloan—HBO

After making Varys swear an oath to tell her if he thinks she is failing the people of Westeros rather than conspire behind her back, Daenerys made the Spider a promise in return. “And I swear this, if you ever betray me, I’ll burn you alive,” she threatened.

Of course, this seemed to be a reference to the Mad King’s preferred method of executing his dissenters. In fact, the words he was screaming when Jaime stabbed him in the back were, “Burn them all!”

Now that Dany is back at her family’s ancestral seat of Dragonstone, some fans believe she will start exhibit more similarities to her sadistic late father. This doesn’t seem like a good start.

“The Queen’s Justice,” the third episode of Game of Thrones‘ seventh season airs July 30 at 9 p.m. on HBO.

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Write to Megan McCluskey at megan.mccluskey@time.com