The Queen's Justice

Jon and Davos arrive at Dragonstone with their soldiers, who are asked to surrender their weapons. Jon and Davos meet with Daenerys, who asks Jon to bend the knee. Jon refuses, insisting that they have bigger problems to deal with: the White Walkers and the Army of the Dead. Daenerys doesn’t believe him, saying she wants to take the Iron Throne before considering other threats. Before they reach a solution, they are interrupted by Varys, who tells Daenerys of Euron Greyjoy’s attack on Yara’s navy. Jon is forced to remain at Dragonstone.

Varys asks Melisandre why she hides from Jon; she admits they parted on bad terms due to her mistakes. She plans to return to Volantis, and Varys suggests that she not return to Westeros. Melisandre predicts that she will have to return one last time in the future.

Speaking with Jon, Tyrion explains that Daenerys' followers are loyal because Daenerys dedicates herself to protecting others from threats she understands. Jon is upset that nobody believes that the White Walkers are real, but Tyrion says that he believes him. Tyrion relays Jon's request to mine dragonglass on Dragonstone, which Daenerys accepts.

One of the few remaining ships of Yara's fleet rescue Theon. Theon claims that he tried to save Yara, but the Ironborn don't believe him.

Euron parades his captives Ellaria, Tyene, and Yara through abusive crowds in the streets of King's Landing. He presents the Sands as his gift to Cersei, and they are taken to the dungeons bound and gagged. Cersei kisses Tyene with the same poison Ellaria used to kill Myrcella.

Tycho Nestoris of the Iron Bank comes to collect repayment of the Lannisters' loans. Cersei promises to pay the debt back in a fortnight.

Sansa competently manages Winterfell, preparing it as an emergency refuge for all Northerners. Littlefinger counsels Sansa to "fight every battle" mentally so as to never be unprepared or surprised by her enemies. Bran and Meera arrive, and Sansa is reunited with her brother. In the Godswood, Sansa is confused by Bran's revelation that he is the Three-Eyed Raven, and troubled by his specific knowledge of her wedding night ("Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken").

Archmaester Ebrose proclaims that Jorah is healed of greyscale and releases him. Sam admits that he administered the forbidden treatment; Ebrose praises his skill, but punishes his disobedience with an assignment to copy a large number of old documents.

In a plan orchestrated by Tyrion, Grey Worm and the Unsullied infiltrate Casterly Rock through its sewers, which Tyrion designed. They capture the castle, finding far fewer defenders than expected. Meanwhile, the Iron Fleet arrives and destroys Daenerys' ships, stranding the Unsullied.

Jaime, Randyll, and their armies swiftly take Highgarden, having abandoned Casterly Rock to trick Daenerys into committing the Unsullied to a strategically useless position. Jaime grants Olenna the mercy of a quick and painless death by poison, over Cersei's original plans to execute her publicly and painfully. After drinking the poison, Olenna reveals to Jaime that she was the one who murdered Joffrey and asks him to tell Cersei. Shocked, Jaime leaves Olenna to die alone.

"The Queen's Justice" was viewed by 9.25 million total viewers on its initial viewing on HBO, which was slightly less than the previous week's rating of 9.27 million viewers for the episode "Stormborn".[7][8] The episode also acquired a 4.3 rating in the 18–49 demographic, making it the highest rated show on cable television of the night.[7] In the United Kingdom, the episode was viewed by 3.272 million viewers on Sky Atlantic during its Simulcast, making it the highest-rated broadcast that week.[9]

"The Queen's Justice" received positive reactions from critics. Review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes surveyed 40 reviews of the episode and judged 89% of them to be positive, with an average rating of 7.9 out of 10.[10] The website's consensus for the episode stated "'The Queens Justice' saw the much-anticipated meeting between Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen -- but had much larger surprises in store before its shocking end."[10]

Matt Fowler of IGN described the episode as "amazing", saying "'The Queen's Justice' did justice to the long-awaited coming together of Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen. With a devilishly good script and some pointed action (along with a few twists and turns), this episode contained a ton of long scenes, but no fat. - This was prime Thrones." He gave the episode a 9.5 out of 10.[11] Shane Ryan of Paste Magazine wrote "It was, by far, the best episode of the season. I've always contended that the show does best when it pushes the drama and the narrative ahead by means of two-person scenes, and the examples in 'The Queen's Justice' were phenomenal".[12] Glen Weldon of NPR also praised the episode and Diana Rigg's performance, writing "It's a hell of a way to go out, but a character like Olenna -- and an actress like Rigg, who always let you see the danger flashing behind those eyes – deserves nothing less."[13]

Bennett Madison of Vanity Fair wrote, "Game of Thrones has spent so much time building up tension and drawing out plots that many of its ongoing story lines have literally been brewing for years ... With this episode, 'The Queen's Justice', we're finally starting to see some real payoff."[14] Andy Hartup of GamesRadar similarly gave praise to the episode for granting victories to antagonists like Cersei and Euron, while criticizing the character dynamics in scenes taking place at Winterfell and Dragonstone.[15] Sean T. Collins of Rolling Stone wrote of the episode, "As befits its title, this week's installment asks us to consider what it means to be a ruler ... and what it means to seek justice."[16] Kevin Yeoman of Screen Rant praised the final scene of Olenna Tyrell, writing "As much as a momentous encounter between two major characters grabbed the spotlight, Game of Thrones proved that a character's last words could be just as important as their first."[17] Alyssa Rosenberg of The Washington Post praised the performances of Rigg, Coster-Waldau and Dinklage, but was critical of Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington's scenes together, writing that "in the Dragonstone scenes, Clarke and Harington mostly served to bring out each other's most wooden line readings". She also addressed the way the episode approached themes of female empowerment, writing that "if any show has been a cautionary tale about the difference between female empowerment and true social change, Game of Thrones has been it".[18]