Game Of Thrones Season 7: 10 Ups And 2 Downs From 'Stormborn'

3. HOT PIE

An excellent curveball from Game of Thrones here: having setup the return of Nymeria in the trailer, that's what we were waiting for in the Arya scene. So when we finally settle on Arya, that's where our heads are at, and then BOOM: Hot Pie is in the house.

The character bade a sad farewell to Arya back in Season 3, and was last seen himself back in Season 4's Mockingbird (where he met Brienne and Pod), and his return is certainly welcome. He's a great character to have in this world, because he's not a member of a noble house or set to fight in a major battle or be a political player: he's just a regular person quietly going about his life, and also happens to be the best damn baker in the Seven Kingdoms.

Following on from last week, it's a lovely little moment for the pair to be briefly reunited, and a crucial one too: it's from Hot Pie that Arya learns her family have retaken Winterfell, and sets her on the path home, rather than King's Landing. That turnabout is key to the future of the character, and being Arya Stark, rather than just a ruthless murderer.

It's also fun to witness how stories have been spreading in Westeros: Hot Pie knows about Winterfell and the Sept of Baelor, while also in this scene a couple of customers are talking about dragons, the way people in real life would chat about big world events.