Game of Thrones Episode 507 “The Gift” gives gifts to book readers

Warning: If you’ve not yet watched “The Gift,” then please mind the SPOILERS in this article

If you’ve read any of my Rants, then you know that I take particular umbrage with the fact that, oftentimes, too much content from the books is left out of the show. However, last night’s episode, “The Gift,” seemed to live up to its name, and gave book readers a gift in the form of well-known lines and scenes from the Song of Ice and Fire novels.

Sadly, the first gift came in the form of Maester Aemon’s deathbed scene. In A Feast for Crows, Aemon, Sam, and Gilly are traveling to Oldtown, in part so Sam can learn to become a Maester. Jon sent Aemon along for the ride to keep him safe. As we know from the show, Maester Aemon is the last surviving Targaryen in Westeros, so his king’s blood may have been too much of a temptation for Melisandre. Also, in the books, Mance has an infant son that Jon forces Gilly to swap with her own child and take with her, to protect the child from Melisandre’s fires. Man, that lady makes people nervous.

Anyhow, Aemon does not make it to Oldtown, and before he dies, he has many fevered moments where he is talking to his younger, long dead brother Aegon, whom he calls Egg. Last night, the show gave a nod to the book plotline that wasn’t when Aemon said, “Egg, I dreamed that I was old.” It’s a sad moment for those of us who had grown attached to the old blind Maester, and honoring his final moments from A Feast for Crows is appreciated.

Another gift came in the form of the interaction between Queen Margaery and Queen Mother Cersei. In the books, Cersei arrogantly visits Margaery and pretends to have her best interests at heart. Of course Margaery sees through the ruse and calls Cersei a bitch. In fact, her exact words are “vile, scheming, evil bitch,” but I was more than satisfied with the “hateful bitch” comment we got on the show.

The last gift we book readers received (And really this was a gift to everyone), was Cersei being unceremoniously tossed into her cell. In the A Feast for Crows, Cersei figures out that the High Sparrow has lured her into his trap, and she makes a run for it only to be caught by a group of Septas who handle her quite roughly. In fact, the tall and stern Septa that we see throw Cersei to the ground looks to be Septa Unella, whose appearance is also a nod to book readers. Get ready, because we about to get very familiar with Septa Unella and her fanatical sisters.

• Published on 05/25/2015 at 1:21 PM CDT
• Last updated on 05/25/2015 at 1:21 PM CDT