Entertainment

7 Easter Eggs In The 'Game Of Thrones' Season 7 Premiere You Definitely Missed

by Ani Bundel
HBO

Game of Thrones is a show ripe with references, both to the book series and to itself. The visuals are so dense, it can be hard to pick out all the "where you've seen that before" moments.

So where *have* you seen that before? Let's run down all the callbacks and Easter Gggs tucked away in the Game Of Thrones Season 7 premiere episode.

Cersei Redecorates: The Map

HBO

This is actually a twofer. First is the map that adorns the inside flap of many hardback copies of A Song of Ice and Fire, which Cersei is having painted on the floor of a courtyard. (It's not going to fare well when it gets snowed on.)

Cersei Redecorates: The Throne Room

The second is the Lannister lion that now hangs over the Iron Throne. Previously, it was the Seven Pointed Star.

As seen here during Tyrion's Trial:

HBO

Having blown up the Sept, I suppose Cersei couldn't very well have the religious symbol hanging over her head, could she?

Sansa's Hair Speaks Volumes

HBO

Look familiar kids? It should. It's copied almost directly from the woman she admits was instrumental in her upbringing, maybe more than her own family in some ways.

HBO

It's been many years since we saw Sansa directly copy Cersei's style. Back in Season 1, when she wanted to be Joffrey's wife, she totally adopted Cersei's look. In Season 2, she only wore it when she had to go in public with Joffrey, even though by then Cersei has moved on to a new look, one that wasn't the look of "someone's wife."

Now that Sansa is free and ready to rule like Cersei once told her she would, she's taken to copying the "Cersei In Charge of Her Own Life" look. You think Sansa sounds like she admires Cersei, Jon? She's right in front of you, trying to become her own version.

Have We Seen This Knife Before?

HBO

Did this Targaryen-designed knife with a dragonglass handle look familiar? It should. We've seen it before.

HBO

It's a catspaw knife. Here it is in Season 1 when it was intercepted from the incompetent assassin Joffrey sends to kill Bran. Look at the handle. It's black and rocky looking.

Where is that knife now? If you recall, it made its way back to King's Landing, where Varys got a hold of it. He shows it to Tyrion during the drive to Meereen. Does Varys still have it? Will it still play a role in the final seasons?

Is Dragonglass The Cure For Grayscale?

HBO

More bits from the book Sam stole. Eagle-eyed fans note that the page across from this one, which discusses dragonglass under Dragonstone, has the word "cure" on it.

The only person we know who had their grayscale cured (or at least stopped in its tracks) is Shireen, who lived at Dragonstone at the time! Now, the book (and the show) have never been specific on how she was cured. Only that Maesters from all over came and tried many things. One gets the sense (on the page more than the show) that no one knows which thing worked because so many things were tried in rapid succession. But could one of those things have been dragonglass?

Will Ser Jorah have to eat rocks to get back to Dany? Don't think he won't try it. Though, since he's so far gone, I would think that perhaps cutting into the scale with a dragonglass blade might also do the trick.

We just better hope if Sam tries it, he covers himself head to toe first. Sam getting greyscale would be very upsetting.

The Hound As “The Gravedigger”

HBO

This is a book reader reference. In A Feast For Crows, as Brienne travels across the war-torn landscape, she comes to a place called "The Quiet Isle," where she is told The Hound died. But she spies a gravedigger at work who fans think seems suspiciously Hound-shaped.

Now, all of that was cut from the show. But the choice to have the Hound, freshly back on screen, digging graves? Benioff and Weiss knew the readers in the audience would get it.

The "Hands of Gold" Song

Our final callback is one we discussed the night the show aired, but since it's the biggest Easter Egg of the episode, we left it for last. The "Hand of Gold" song is one written about Tyrion and Shae's love affair, by a singer named Symon Silvertongue. He sings it as a way to blackmail Tyrion into keeping his mouth shut. (In return, Bronn has him done in.)

The whole blackmailed-by-a-singer plotline was cut from the show, but the song found a way to stay. Listen above to the lyrics, and you can tell it's all about Tyrion going to visit Shae when he's working as Hand of the King back in Season 2.