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These Women From South Africa Are Major Mother-Daughter Relationship Goals


When Babalwa Mbono was pregnant with her second child, she went to a clinic in Cape Town, South Africa, for a check-up. She left with an HIV diagnosis.

Babalwa was shocked—she’d tested negative when she was pregnant with her first child just a few years earlier—and concerned for herself and her unborn baby. “I worried that my baby would be born with HIV, and that I wouldn’t live long enough to care for him or her,” she said. “I felt lost and afraid, with no idea what to do.”

Luckily, the clinic soon connected her with mothers2mothers, an Africa-based organization that matches pregnant women with who have recently been diagnosed with HIV with someone from their crew of so-called Mentor Mothers, women who have been through the same thing. They offer advice and counseling, plus information on live-saving antiretroviral treatments that can prevent moms from passing HIV on to their babies. “A Mentor Mother is someone who understands you, she’s been in your shoes, and she can give you guidance by drawing from her own experience,” Babalwa says.

More than 7 million people in South Africa are living with HIV. Since it was founded in 2001, M2M has reached nearly 2 million people across seven African countries, and virtually eliminated the rate of transmission between mothers and children in its program. Among M2M’s clients, the mother-to-child transmission rate is just 1.6 percent—well below the 5 percent benchmark set by the United Nations program on AIDS. Babalwa’s baby was born HIV free, and she herself is mainly healthy today. She now works with M2M as a Mentor Mother.

Babalwa’s experience taught her that conversation is crucial—a lesson she’s putting to good use now that the baby she was carrying in the clinic that day is a high school girl named Anathi. The way Babalwa sees it, Anathi has already dodged HIV once, she doesn’t want her to acquire it now. That means talking about HIV and contraception and, yes, sex, with her teenaged daughter. A lot.

That was awkward at first, but they say that as time went on something unexpected happened: It brought them closer together. They don’t just talk about HIV now, they talk about all kinds of things.

Babalwa and Anathi were in New York recently to speak at the United Nations General Assembly on behalf of mothers2mothers. We sat down with them for a three-way conversation.

PHOTO: Courtesy mothers2mothers

Glamour: Tell me about when you learned that you were HIV positive.

Babalwa: I went for prenatal care at one of our clinics when I was pregnant with my second born, which is this little girl, Anathi. When I tested positive for HIV I was shocked, honestly, and I was quite angry as well because at that time I was married and I was not expecting that. My sister was HIV positive and passed on three years earlier, so that’s what came into my mind when I was tested—death. I will follow her.

At the same time, I was also thinking of this baby that I’m carrying which could be infected, and what could happen after she was born. Fortunately, I was referred to mothers2mothers, where I learned to take my treatment and I learned about HIV stigma and discrimination and how to disclose my status to my parents, to my family, to my husband, which was a challenge.

Glamour: How do you think your own HIV status has affected the way you talk to your kids about HIV, sex, and contraception?

Babalwa: When Anathi’s older brother was a boy, it was not easy for me to talk to him about HIV because I did not have much information. Now, with the empowerment that I’ve got in terms of knowledge and the strength that I’ve gained being supported and living life positively and thinking positively, I am able to carry that baton and hand it to my children. I am able to educate them with the knowledge that I have on HIV. I cannot make decisions for them, they have to make their own—but with the knowledge that I have given them I hope they will be able to make their own good decisions about their lives.

Glamour: Is this something you guys talk about all the time, part of an ongoing conversation?

Anathi: It’s not all of the time, but I know it’s every weekend, because every weekend I go out with my friends, and it always happens then. For her I think it kind of gets difficult to accept that I have friends and I have my own time. I am a young girl that wants to explore.

Babalwa: This is where this conversation about HIV and condom use and taking care of themselves comes in, because you want to reinforce that in your daughter, wherever she goes, whatever she does, she must think of that.

In our culture, when girls get to a certain age the mother takes them to the clinic for contraceptives, but they don’t have this conversation, they don’t explain why they should be using the contraceptives. And then you see the girls stop using the contraceptives, and they end up pregnant or with HIV. So that’s why I’m always educating her, every weekend.

Glamour: Tell me about when you disclosed you HIV status to Anathi.

Babalwa: I was very open about HIV through my work with mothers2mothers, but I still was not ready to tell her. But last year she was about to start high school, and when I looked at the curriculum I saw that HIV and AIDS was part of the curriculum, so I thought that this was my opportunity to talk about my status.

Anathi: I was on the phone with my brother so my brother who was telling me about this new phone he got and I was so excited, so when my mother called and said she wanted to talk to me about something I was like, it can wait until later. But she was like, no, you need to hear this. So I got nervous then.

When she told me I wasn’t really shocked because my brother and I have gone through and watched YouTube videos of her talking about HIV, but we thought maybe it was just for her work. Hearing from her face that she was HIV positive got me really hurt and got me into a bad space.

When you find that your parent is HIV positive you get that feeling of just being scared to open up to another person and to tell that person what is going on. What if her status is going to be everywhere? What if everyone is going to know that she’s HIV positive?

Glamour: A lot of the reason mothers and daughters are afraid to have conversations around boys and sex is because it’s awkward, and I feel like you guys don’t have a lot of awkwardness, maybe because you were forced to have this big conversation about HIV. What do you think?

Anathi: We talk about [HIV and contraception] all the time. And every time she starts talking about it, I’m just like, OK it’s fine, it’s fine, I won’t do it, and then I leave as fast as I can, because I know that she’s going to talk about it over and over again.

Babalwa: She doesn’t understand that for me it’s not about making her feel tired of me it’s just sort of reinforcing that information that please look out, be careful. That is the message.

Anathi: Mothers don’t get that whenever we talk we might seem like we don’t care but then it gets us thinking more about it: What if this thing happens to me? What if I am going to be the one that experiences it and shares my experience with my children one day? She thinks that if I’m laughing I don’t take it seriously, but I do.

Babalwa: And I can say that after we talked things have changed.

Anathi: I started realizing that boys are a waste of time, boys will ruin your future, so I just got away from them. It kind of made me see things differently.

Glamour: Anathi, do you have advice for your mom or other moms about how they should talk to their kids, what would it be?

Anathi: Well you must grab your daughter or grab your son and sit with them and have a chat, because if you are not chatting with your daughters you will not be able to know what’s eating her inside and what is bothering her in the world.

Babalwa: I think as parents we need really to get involved in our children’s lives and what’s happening that helps us identify things before they hurt them. We need to talk to them about everything, everything, everything. Don’t wait until bad things happen, it will be too late then.

This interview was edited for length and clarity.



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Outlander Season 3, Episode 3 Recap: A Major Character Dies in a Shocking Twist, But Alas, Still No Sex


The article centers on Season 3, Episode 3 of Outlander: “All Debts Paid.” If you’re not yet caught up with the show, be warned: spoilers abound.

The title of this week’s episode, “All Debts Paid,” ends up being quite prescient for Jamie, Claire, and Frank, as loose threads are tied and we end up well positioned for a Jamie-Claire reunion in the hopefully near future. Though many questions are answered in this week’s episode, the grand tease continues, which is to say there is no sex in this episode. None. The struggle is ever so real. The action in this episode alternates between the 18th century and the 20th century, moving years forward at a time, and we finally see much of what happened to our three musketeers during the twenty years Jamie and Claire are apart.

Jamie isn’t faring so well back in the 18th century, but it could be and has been worse. (Outlander has never been afraid of subjecting the show’s characters to all manner of trauma as a means of advancing the plot.) At the top of the episode, Jamie is in an English prison and there is a new governor—Lord John William Grey—whom Jamie, somehow, doesn’t recognize. Yes, this is the same Grey who owed Jamie a debt of honor. (He turns up at the most narratively convenient times, doesn’t he?) In prison, Jamie is the clear leader of the Scottish Highlanders, but the English still see him as the notorious “Red Jamie.” Murtagh is revealed to be still alive and among the other Scottish prisoners. Though he’s sickly, he still has the sharp wit we’ve come to know and love.

In a feeble attempt to create a bit more plot during this episode, there is a rumor of a cache of gold King Louis supposedly sent to the Jacobites, which is hidden somewhere in the Highlands. A raving old man, Ducan Kerr, was found wandering the moor, talking about the “cursed” gold, which intrigues the new governor. Grey knows that if he finds the gold, he can improve his standing with the crown. He summons Jamie, who speaks Gallic and French, to translate what the old man is saying. At first, Jamie declines, what with being honorable and uninterested in helping the English. Then Grey offers to have his irons removed, and to provide the sickly Murtagh with a blanket, and I guess when you’re in prison, it’s the little things, so Jamie agrees.

Kerr doesn’t say much that makes sense but he does mention a “white witch” who “seeks a brave man,” and “will come for you.” Jamie, of course, knows Kerr is talking about Claire. When Grey demands to know what Kerr has said, Jamie says the old man was speaking of white witches and superstitious nonsense. That answer doesn’t satisfy Grey, who threatens to make Jamie talk, but considering all that Jamie has been through, he is not impressed. Basically, he stares Grey down and is all, “Do your worst,” and that’s that.

PHOTO: Aimee Spinks/STARZ

Grey invites Jamie to dine with him, as the previous governor did, and they enjoy a meal of pheasant, carrots, and dinner rolls. Jamie also asks for permission for the prisoners to hunt by setting snares when they’re cutting peat, and to gather watercress. Grey agrees to these conditions and it seems the men are becoming tentative friends. Later, in the cell, Jamie shares the details of the meal with the other prisoners and one asks him to go slow so he can “savor every morsel.” It’s all very grim.

On an outing to cut peat, the prisoners create a distraction and we realize Jamie’s request for the prisoners to hunt was, in part, a ruse for him to escape, which he does. Grey is incensed and tries to hunt Jamie down, to no avail. A few days later, Jamie sneaks up on Grey as he is relieving himself, and Jamie makes clear that he finally remembers who Grey is. He tells Grey that he didn’t really want to escape, he just wanted to see if Claire might have found her way back to him. In not finding Claire, he had no motivation to do anything but return to prison. Jamie gives Grey the opportunity to follow through on his promise to kill Jamie, kneeling in front of him. Grey picks up his sword but refuses, saying, “I am not a murderer of unarmed prisoners.” As with this season’s premiere, Jamie’s death wish is denied and thank goodness for that. There is still amazing sex to be had between he and Claire.

During another cozy evening together, Grey and Jamie play chess before a roaring fire. Grey admits he lost a very close friend during the Battle of Culloden, and it’s obvious he means he lost a lover, when he laments, “Some people you grieve over forever.” It’s certainly interesting to see the show introducing a queer character in the 18th century and the only shame of this storyline is that it is, as queer storylines often tend to be in popular culture, grounded in loss, sorrow, and unrequited feelings. Certainly, queerness in the 18th century was not accepted by society and the show is being accurate, but the point still stands. True progress for us in this time will be marked by more queer storylines that don’t doom queer characters to lonely misery.

As they chat, Jamie admits Claire was his wife and was never truly in danger when he and Grey first met (in Season 2, when Jamie pretended to threaten Claire’s life to make Grey talk). During a quiet moment, Grey gently places his hand over Jamie’s and Jamie stills. The effects of the trauma he suffered at the hands of Black Jack Randall clearly still linger. In a hoarse whisper Jamie says, “Take your hand off me or I will kill you.” Just like that, any friendship these two might have shared disappears. Jamie excuses himself and Grey is left alone, crying. Of course.

Shortly after that, the prison is shuttered and the Highlanders, including Murtagh, are shipped to the colonies to work as indentured servants, where after 14 years they can earn their freedom. Grey takes Jamie, however, to a different location—Hellwater, where Grey will check on Jamie every quarter to be sure he’s well looked after. It’s all an elaborate way of discharging the debt he owes Jamie, though he cautions Jamie to go by another name as he starts his new life. That’s how things are left in the 18th century.

In Boston, things are increasingly tense between Claire and Frank, as they try to make their marriage of inconvenience work. Frank prepares a traditional English breakfast for the family to remind daughter Brianna of her roots and Claire, feeling warm toward Frank, asks if he wants to see a movie. Frank admits he’s already seen both movies Claire suggests and we learn that Frank and Claire have come to an agreement. They are married but living separate lives, free to see other people. “I’m being discreet, Claire,” Frank says and that’s that. Claire is quite surprised and it’s interesting to see her grappling with this new reality where Frank isn’t just sitting around pining for her. For once, Frank has done something unexpected; he has a bit of tooth to him. Unfortunately, that tooth gets longer and sharper as the episode goes on. Hell hath no fury like a man scorned.

Claire and Frank Randall Outlander Episode 303

PHOTO: Aimee Spinks/STARZ

On her medical school graduation day, Claire and Frank have a small gathering at home. The party is meant to move to a restaurant but Frank can’t go because of “work.” Frank, unfortunately, is a terrible liar and claims he had the reservation time wrong. Lo and behold, his side piece, Sandy, shows up during the party. Claire tries to smile it off and ushers everyone off to the restaurant but later that night, both she and Frank are drunk and angry and they have what is clearly a long-simmering argument but in the well-mannered way that English people fight. Claire says she was humiliated; Frank tells Claire that this turnabout is fair play because she has convinced no one that they are a happy couple. Claire asks Frank if he has fucked his “harlot” in their bedroom and Frank says, “I think our bedroom is far too crowded already, wouldn’t you agree?” With that question, we see that it was never going to be possible for Claire and Frank to work out. They had good intentions about staying together, but good intentions are never enough to make a marriage work. Jamie was and always would be standing between them. Claire suggests they divorce but Frank refuses because he will not lose Brianna. Onward, the marriage of inconvenience goes, but it is clearly a much darker, colder relationship.

Claire and Frank celebrate Brianna’s 16th birthday, and then, it is 1966, and Brianna is graduating from high school. Claire is home after a difficult surgery when Frank has some news—he wants to take Brianna to England. Frank admits he has been offered a position at Cambridge. Claire is immediately stressed, saying she can’t up and leave her job, her patients, etc., and Frank drops the bomb—he’s not asking Claire to join him. Frank asks for a divorce, and admits he is going to marry his side piece, Sandy. As you might expect, there is cruelty left in him yet. He tells Claire that between medical school and her job, she hasn’t really been there for Brianna—as if that is a justification for taking her child from her. They have another terrible fight and Claire says Frank is free to divorce her, but he cannot claim adultery.

More bitter words are exchanged and finally, Frank says, “You couldn’t look at Brianna without seeing him, could you? Without that constant reminder, might you have forgotten him, with time?” Claire admits, “That amount of time doesn’t exist.” It is a chilling moment, at once true, and the most precise and cruel thing Claire could say to Frank. Frank grabs the keys and angrily leaves the house. With Brianna entering adulthood, there is nothing tethering Claire and Frank together and it’s painfully clear, as Claire points out, that Frank was just biding his time, waiting until he could be free of a marriage that was a pale shadow what he’d wanted with Claire. In the end, it seems like Frank stayed in the marriage more to punish Claire for not loving him the way she loved Jamie, rather than to be a father to Brianna.

Later that night, Claire is called into surgery. When she comes out of the operating room, her colleague Joe Abernathy is the bearer of bad news—Frank has died in a car accident. Claire runs to his side, and alas, it is the gesture Frank waited their entire marriage for, too little, too late. Claire tells him she did love him, very much. “You were my first love,” she whispers, before kissing his lips.

Frank Randall Outlander Episode 303

PHOTO: Jason Bell/STARZ

And just like that, the episode is over. In some ways, it is a relief that Frank is out of the picture, but as with the show’s portrait of Lord Grey as the tragic gay man, killing Frank off is the simplest way to advance the plot toward an inevitable Claire-Jamie reunion. I cannot help but wonder how much more nuanced and textured this show’s storytelling would be if the writers didn’t always take the easy way out.

Roxane Gay is the author of Bad Feminist, Difficult Women, and most recently, Hunger. She is also the author of World of Wakanda for Marvel and a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times.



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Your First Major Look at Christian and Ana's Wedding in 'Fifty Shades Freed' Is Here


Fifty Shades of Grey fans have been waiting since February to catch a glimpse of the newest and final installment of the BDSMish trilogy, Fifty Shades Freed. Of course, the glimpse they got in February was more of a tease: after the credits of Fifty Shades Darker rolled, the screen cut to Anastasia Steele, played by Dakota Johnson, wearing a wedding dress and standing beside an unknown man, who is almost certainly Jamie Dornan’s Christian Grey. Probably-Grey says: “I solemnly vow to keep you safe for as long as we both shall live.” Cut to Steele and Grey in some pretty standard locales for those crazy kids: on the beach, in a private jet, in a shower. But as it turns out, that one line of dialogue was telling—because there’s far more in store for the honeymooning couple, and it involves quite a bit of danger (not the sexy-pretend-Red Room kind, the actual kind with bad guys).

Thanks to an actual trailer released on Sunday, we get a minute-long look at the new installment, which is set to be released on February 14 and throw off thousands of couples’ Valentine’s Day plans.

There is Mr. Grey reciting some vows, much preparation for the wedding (including token floaty shot of veil), and a ring sliding on Anastasia’s—excuse us, Mrs. Grey‘s finger. (We’re not assuming here; the trailer is very clear that she takes his last name.)

Cut to: a jet. “We own this?” Anastasia smiles. “We own this,” Grey answers. This seems like this should have been discussed as part of every responsible couple’s pre-wedding financial planning, but hey.

Next: a James Bond-like shot of Grey striding out of the ocean surf, Anastasia looking appreciatively over her sunglasses (get it, girl).

Then! A gun! A sexy clip! Swimming! A car chase?! Sexy times in front of a mirror! Some boat stuff that looks reckless! A riding crop! More sexy times! Guns going off! A possible kidnapping?! Such opposite ends of the spectrum! We are exhausted.

Anyway, watch the full thing here:

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Oh, and here’s a look at Anasatia’s wedding dress, which should go on the cover of every romance novel in the land.

Good news, though: this isn’t even the trailer. According to the last couple seconds of the clip, the first real trailer drops in November—and you can bet we’ll keep you posted on that.

Related Stories:
–50 Thoughts I Had Watching ‘Fifty Shades Darker’ (by Myself at 11:00 A.M.)
–The New ‘Fifty Shades Darker’ Trailer Shows a New Side of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey
–Your First Look at Fifty Shades Freed Is at a Theater Near You



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'Game of Thrones' Season 7 Finale Recap: A Major Death, That Jon and Daenerys Thing Happened, and So Much More


It’s hard to believe, but we’ve arrived at the end of season 7 of Game of Thrones. Of course, like all finales there’s a huge cliffhanger; still, it doesn’t quite feel like the end. That last scene was one hell of a beginning to something we do not want to wait for. On top of that, we might not see the final six episodes until 2019 (boo). So until then, let’s unpack this super-sized finale. It’s going to be a while until the next time we hear that sweet, sweet opening credits tune.

We start the episode at King’s Landing, where there are a lot of preparations for the meeting of Westeros’ leading minds. Literally anything could happen, and everyone is flexing big time as a reminder that both sides could kill each other at any minute. Charming. We see the sheer numbers Daenerys has amassed through the seasons, including this one. The unsullied stand organized as they do, and in contrast, the Dothraki come in as wild as ever. By sea, her many ships arrive, and it seems like everyone is there, including a fully mended Jon, but the Mother of Dragons herself.

It’s not long before we get confirmation that Cersei is not here to mess around; killing any of the people she’s hosting is fully on the table for her. She even has a list like Arya, and an order in which she wants her rivals killed.

The gang’s almost all here as all the sides converge towards the dragon pit. We get some reunions, a history lesson, and a reminder that this is probably a really stupid meeting because Cersei wants to chop everyone’s heads off. Everyone agrees, yet continues. Some of the cross-sides catching up really highlight how silly this big conflict can seem and how sides can change so fast. Looking at you, Pod and Tyrion. Can’t everyone just get along?!

Well, no. Everyone shares nervous glances as they wait for Cersei to arrive. It wouldn’t be the first time she collected everyone she wants dead in one place just to kill them all (remember last season’s finale?). She arrives after all, wearing her crown, and things get even more awkward. Our first sibling rivalry of many happens when The Hound comes face to face with his undead brother, The Mountain (Clegane bowl anyone?). Pirate Joshua Jackson—I mean, Euron is back and Cersei is not impressed by Dany’s late arrival…on dragonback.

Euron looks excited, and Dany doesn’t care that she pissed off the current Iron Throne resident. Pause for a second to reflect on the decision to bring the dragons. Yes, this was Dany’s personal version of flexing, but after last week, leave your babies at home! Who knows what Cersei has up her sleeve. Jaime has seen Drogon in action, and he can relay it all to Cersei without Dany showing off. Unpause.

Tyrion tries to recap the whole series of Game of Thrones as a reason why everyone is there but gets interrupted by a big Euron show asking Theon to come back or he’ll kill Yara. Both Jaime and Cersei come to Tyrion’s aid and ask Euron to sit down and shut up. At this, you wouldn’t be wrong to be curious about Cersei’s intentions. It’s not like her to defend Tyrion in any way. Jon jumps in to try to convey how serious the threat of the army of the dead is. Cersei treats it like a joke and even says as much. Not to mention the idea of a truce is nothing but amusing to her.

Enter The Hound with what looks like the most uncomfortable backpack of all time. In reality, his screeching zombie is inside but isn’t making a sound. Uh oh. It’s not until he opens it (slowly) and kicks it over that it lunges at Cersei, and too close for comfort. For once, our queen looks scared. They make a big show of cutting it to pieces to prove how hard it is to kill them. Jon gives a wight killing 101 seminar and they finally stop its fit. Cersei looks shaken by the whole thing.

Euron makes a show of cowardice and leaves everyone behind, hoping that he’ll survive on an island where the wights can’t get to him. Nothing has ever scared him before this. What seemed like a misguided plan appears to work. Cersei offers a truce in exchange for Jon’s loyalty to stay in the north and not fight her once the true enemy of the zombie army is defeated. Jon, Stark-ish as ever, says he can’t do that and Cersei is over it. She says the northerners can deal with the white walker army and see how that goes, she’s done. Everybody is pissed at Jon, but honestly less than he should be. As ever, Jon cannot tell a lie and stands by his honesty.

Tyrion insists on going to talk to his sister, knowing it’s probably a walk to his death. Jon jumps in and offers too, but it’s gotta be the Lannister. That leaves Dany, her cool dragon hair accessory, and Jon to talk about Dany’s family and her possible fertility in a cave-like inlet of the dragon pit. Dany mentions the downfall of her family while they pass a tiny dragon skull between them, and Jon notes that she’s not like everyone else, and that her family isn’t gone. Hmmm.

Tyrion has what seems to be an unsuccessful chat with his sister that’s charged with talk of family and how he destroyed theirs. She won’t hear his apologies, he pours some wine. Bold to think she wouldn’t poison it. She doesn’t care about anything but her family, or so she says. It seems pointless to fight over this kingdom, but she hints once again at her baby, building something new, and possibly following Euron’s lead of retreating.

Next thing we know, Cersei is back in the dragon pit offering up her forces to march north, and Tyrion is still alive. “The darkness is coming for us all,” she says. She also notes that she chose to send her men without promises or assurances from her enemies. Or did she?

Later, while Jaime strategizes with his men, Cersei calls him dumb and reveals that no, in fact she does not plan on sacrificing her army for certain death. The rest of the people can play their games with the white walkers while she and her growing family stay out of it in King’s Landing. Jaime is not thrilled with her trickery. Cersei reveals that Euron leaving was the plan all along, and as their father taught, money really is power. Euron is going to get all the resources money can buy because nobody walks away from Cersei. Once again, she uses her pregnancy as currency with Jaime, but he is appalled she would go back on her word. He’s legit concerned about their ability to win both against dragons and a dead army with huge numbers, and she is not so much. She noticed that Dany was down a dragon, but Jaime won’t hear it and tries to walk away. Cersei repeats that nobody walks away from her and threatens to sick The Mountain on him. For a moment, we truly thought this was how Jaime would die, but he tearfully escapes, only to find snow, and winter, have arrived in King’s Landing.

Speaking of winter, up in Winterfell, Sansa is still at odds with Arya’s behavior. Littlefinger is counseling her once again with the idea of Arya wanting to kill Sansa for betrayal and to take her power. He also suggests she kill Jon for pledging loyalty to Dany without consulting Sansa. After all, he can’t be unnamed King in the North. Like Arya last week, Littlefinger suggests Sansa play a game. Why would Arya want Sansa dead? Let’s list the reasons! He goes through a comprehensive list, and we’re thisclose to being convinced Arya is wearing Littlefinger’s face and just trying to get Sansa to prove she’s loyal to her family.

I’m not convinced this isn’t the case until Sansa calls Arya to a super awkward family meeting, and Littlefinger is also there. Arya appears to be on trial for a bunch of things she maybe was thinking, but after Sansa recites a long list of offenses (playing the game he taught her earlier), it turns out that they are actually aimed at Littlefinger. This whole time, the Starks have been working together. Yes!

It’s more satisfying than I could have ever imagined to see Littlefinger taken completely by surprise. For once, someone has out-planned him, and he has nobody to back him up. Sansa knows all of his offenses thanks to Bran, who sees everything. Even when Littlefinger thinks nobody saw what he did, Bran was there, in a way, and Sansa enjoys listing his many betrayals against her family. Littlefinger begs for his life, tries to be taken back to The Vale, but even his own men aren’t loyal to him.

Finally Arya gets her kill, it’s swift, in the neck, similar to how Catelyn died. Arya’s wearing her own face for this kill, on behalf of the Starks. Sansa says, “There’s no justice in the world, not unless we make it,” something he taught her. She thanks him for his lessons and watches him die, expressionless.

When Arya and Sansa recap, they’re back to playful sisters and all is right in the world. For a moment. The line from the trailer that Sansa remembers from Ned came true, “When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives.” They are protecting themselves and looking after one another, all while missing Ned.

We find out Sam was headed to Winterfell to figure out what to do about the white walkers with Jon. His re-introduction to Bran is pretty funny, but turns serious real quick. Bran reveals for the first time what he knows about Jon’s parents, and he turns out to be telling it to the exact right person. Sam can confirm he’s not a bastard after all, and Bran puts himself at Lyanna and Rhaegar’s wedding. He’s neither Snow nor Sand because of Gilly’s finding. Together, they establish that, “He’s never been a bastard,” Jon is the rightful heir to the Iron Throne—and his real name is Aegon Targaryen! Oh, and that’s not even the most delicious part. This all is being narrated while JON AND DANY STRAIGHT UP GET IT ON. Important to note: Tyrion sees it happen. It’ll be interesting to see how Jon receives this news that his steamy new love is actually his aunt.

We visit Dragonstone briefly (before said getting it on) while the group strategizes how to get to Winterfell. Jorah suggests Dany fly because the north remembers, and they’re not too thrilled with the Targaryens. But Jon says the north needs to see them unified, that they’re there to help and she sides with him. They will sail north together.

Before they go, Theon has a heart to heart with Jon about loyalty. Jon basically forgives Theon for being sort of the worst to his family after all they did for him, and Theon, after seeing his uncle (seemingly) retreat like a coward is inspired to Do The Right Thing. His sister was the only one there for him when he was being flayed and castrated by Ramsay, and she needs him now. Jon gives him his blessing to go save her, that he doesn’t have to choose between Starks and Greyjoys and can be loyal to both. The Greyjoy men aren’t so sure, and he gets beaten to a pulp before beating one of them to a pulp. That changes the rest of the group’s mind, they’re here for Theon and his new mission. He cleanses himself with water, true to the Greyjoy name, and they sail into the sunset…in a way.

The episode ends back at Eastwatch. Some of the men are still there, and they’re looking out beyond the wall. Instead of nothingness tundra, they see the army of the dead start to come out of the forest in very large numbers. Such large numbers that you don’t really notice that the night king is missing. Then, like Dany, he makes an entrance on (dead) dragonback and we know what we’re dealing with. The dragon shoots icy fire that is much more powerful than ice. Guess what the wall is made of? Ice. Not good. While the men at the wall put two and two together and start yelling at everyone to run, dead Viserion starts breathing away at the wall. It’s not long before that sucker comes down, taking some of the men at Eastwatch with it (but we can’t be sure who quite yet). The thousands of years old wall comes down like nothing, and we end the season with the giant army stepping right into Westeros towards the only partly suspecting humans south of the wall. Winter, indeed, is here.

This season was cinematic in more than just impressive CGI, big battles, and extra-long episodes. Our heroes mostly made it out of sticky situations alive when in the past they might not have. We had some perfectly timed saves with dragons and family reunions that warmed our hearts (if only temporarily). Fans have accused the show of giving in to fan service, but amidst dark times, I can’t always complain about getting a little bit of what I want, even if it’s cheesy. TV is an escape and sometimes our favorite characters wins are our wins. Plus, I’m never going to be mad about Jon Snow living to see another day.

Some stray observations since SO MUCH HAPPENED in this episode:

-Dany’s cape in King’s Landing looked like a dragon egg, which was super cool.

-Jon’s comment about stuffing a million people into a city not being for him was funny. He’s fully a northerner and a country boy.

-When Cersei says, “I know Ned Stark’s son will be true to his word,” that leaves it open to a major loophole, given he’s not Ned Stark’s son. He hopefully will learn that soon for himself.

-Sweet of Sam to react nicely to Bran saying he was the Three Eyed Raven instead of just looking at him like he is crazy. It’s been a while since we’ve seen Sam at peak Sam. Welcome back!

-Before we go, an in memoriam for our season 7 major character losses. It was a relatively low death count when considering what it could have been, but all deaths sting. Sorry, there’s no slideshow like at the Oscars. RIP Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish, Lady Olenna Tyrell, Thoros of Myr, Benjen Stark (probably), Tyene, Obara and Nymeria Sand, Dickon and Randyll Tarly, and last but the opposite of least, Viserion. You will not be forgotten.

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'Game of Thrones' Season 7 Episode 6 Recap: A Major Fan Theory About Daenerys' Dragons Was Just Confirmed


Quick Q: You’re stranded on a deserted island (more of a small rock than an island) with water all around you. The water is covered in a thin layer of ice that may or may not hold your weight. Oh, you’re also trapped on all sides by an army of undead soldiers. Who would you choose to take with you?

If you didn’t answer Jorah, Tormund, Beric, and Jon Snow…well, you’re wrong. The big action on Game of Thrones this week took place north of the wall and it covered air, land, and sea. So, let’s dive into this extra long episode, shall we?

Let’s start with the fact that things were never going to be great for our merry band of misfits adventuring north of the wall in this episode. We open on them trekking and bonding; Gendry has never seen snow, Tormund reveals how Wildlings keep warm up there, and Beric defends selling Gendry to Melisandre. It would be endearing if we weren’t over here waiting to find out what will go wrong during this misguided expedition—but we don’t have to wait long.

The crew is caught in the winds of winter (not George R.R. Martin’s unreleased sixth book, unfortunately). Visibility is about zero, except they spot that a black blob in the distance is a bear, and Gendry is able to see that the bear has the blue eyes of the dead. That is some good eyesight. They don’t have much time to ponder before a group of undead bears descends. It’s not quite the enemy we expected for this crew, and we meet our first casualty: RIP, Thoros. Your ability to resurrect the dead will not be forgotten.

The group moves on and spots their first two-legged White Walkers near the arrowhead-shaped mountain The Hound saw in his vision. It’s a small traveling group. Team human baits them with a fire. Ultimately, Jon’s Valyrian steel sword is able to defeat most of the group of White Walkers by taking out the leader, which is a pretty nifty fact we learned during this struggle.

Jon dispatches Gendry to Eastwatch to send a Raven to Daenerys (he makes it back to the wall in bad shape, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Gendry has had his fill of snow). The rest of the team essentially has no choice but to forge ahead. The men wrangle their undead loot to bring back to Cersei, and a thundery noise from behind lets us know that the terrifyingly large army of mobilized White Walkers is upon them. Their choice becomes clear: death by ice cold water from the frozen lake in front of them or death by violent undead humans behind (and also in front and on the sides). They opt against certain death on the ice lake and make it to the tiny rock island in the middle, surrounded. It seems like they’re SOL until the weight of the walker army cracks the ice and and large numbers begin to plunge through, which gives pause to the hundreds left on shore. The two sides are caught in a sort of standoff/staring contest and our men don’t seem to have a plan. After a chilly night stranded in the middle of the lake, The Hound kills time by throwing a rock at a jaw-less skeleton man, which provokes him to shuffle over to rock island now that the lake is re-frozen over. His emboldened, undead friends follow—and the epic penultimate episode clash really begins.

Down south, things are a little calmer (and warmer). Before the raven from Eastwatch arrives at Dragonstone, Dany talks to Tyrion about how heroes don’t interest her (heroes do stupid things, then they die), nor does the petty one-upsmanship of men who try to win her heart—and she uses Jon’s quest as an example. Tyrion echoes Jon from a few episodes before talking about being a different kind of ruler and taking things slower and less violent to avoid a “brittle” power. He’s thinking about the long term and who can succeed her as a ruler. Dany is done thinking it seems, and she blames Tyrion’s long-term planning for their early losses. She wants to get on the throne and be part of the action, and she’s fed up with Tyrion giving her shoddy counsel and worrying about old Lannister loyalties. She gets Gendry’s raven, and, if anything, Tyrion’s suggestions and talk push her to take to the skies. He pleas for her to stay and do nothing, which she’s not interested in doing again. This time she flies in a super-chic winter coat version of her go-to look, and with all three of her dragons.

Back north, where she’s headed, the plausibility of the small group of men holding off this giant army for as long as they did is weak at best. Still, we’re cheering for the good guys here, so it was nice to see them prevail. There’s minimal carnage on the living side (as in no major characters die after Thoros), and just when the tables start to turn, we get our first real taste of what’s truly a song of ice and fire. Dany comes in and warms things up with some fire breath, taking out a lot of the army in the process. I had been wondering if dragons were all-weather animals. The answer is a resounding yes.

The crew is about to make a great escape with the team on dragonback, but Jon has to play the martyr and fight off every leftover skeleton coming his way. That leaves enough time for the Night King to whip out his premium version of Cersei’s dragon spear crossbow completely undetected. He nails one of the dragons circling overhead right in the chest like an Olympic javelin thrower (I’m unclear as to which one it was). We now know of something that can definitely kill dragons. This death was a hard one to watch, even for the characters on screen, right down to the slow, tortured slide into the water.

The Night King is ready to lock and load again as Jon considers facing him. He takes one for the team by telling Dany to GTFO. He doesn’t reach the Night King, but he DOES get mauled by a couple of undead soldiers and knocked into the freezing water. Things don’t look great for our King in the North, but you heard Beric: There’s a reason the God of Fire brought him back, and it wasn’t to just die by drowning at the hands of two white walkers. Dany and friends manage to miss the next ice spear as they fly away, almost at the expense of Jorah. The army of the dead begins to retreat and Jon somehow emerges from the lake next to his sword, his wet clothes freezing fast. More walkers are headed his way and things don’t look good. That is, until he’s saved in the eleventh hour once again when his Uncle Benjen comes in on horseback swinging his fire ball chain thingy. He sends Jon and the horse back to the wall, but doesn’t join and save himself because there’s “no time” (which was a little confusing, two people could definitely have gotten on that horse). Jon arrives at the wall much like Gendry, alive, but barely. Nothing a little Ikea rug can’t fix.

When Jon comes to, Dany is at his bedside and she’s been crying. Jon feels awful about her dead dragon (but she’s crying about YOU Jon, duh), and she explains how they’re her children and the two have ~ a moment ~. Hand holding, staring, and nicknaming is involved. They kept it PG, though the show is fully teasing us now, even if Jon is “too little for her.” I can’t say I’m mad about it, even though I maybe should be because we should not be encouraging aunt/nephew relations.

Anyway, Dany can no longer deny Jon’s warnings about the army of the dead. She saw it with her own eyes and agrees they will team up to fight this shared enemy whether he bends the knee or not. She is out for blood…or whatever is going through the Night King’s veins after his savage takedown of her dragon child. Jon knows the way to Daenerys’s heart and calls her queen. So, they both got what they wanted and gave what they thought they wouldn’t. Cute.

A massive white walker battle isn’t the only drama we saw up north this week. We got some icy scenes in Winterfell, and I’m not just talking about the weather. We first see Arya reflecting on a happy moment from childhood, when she got to practice archery with Bran’s bow “against the rules” while Ned watched on and encouraged her (remember those season one days?). It would be sweet if she didn’t have an ulterior motive. She doesn’t wait long to bring up the letter she found to Sansa and insists on reciting the traitorous piece of parchment back to her. Sansa is visibly upset, but Arya truly doesn’t care and cuts her down pretty badly. She’s Ned’s daughter, and she can’t understand a world where a Stark wouldn’t rather die than write a letter turning on her family. They argue about who had it worse in their long journeys back home and shared suffering isn’t enough to bridge the gap between their differences.

PHOTO: HBO

Sansa retreats to the counsel of Littlefinger, who likely has her where he wants her, which is seeing Arya as a stranger. He reminds her Brienne is here to protect both her and her sister and plants a very dangerous idea by casually mentioning the two Stark women harming each other. With this conversation in mind, Sansa sends Brienne away in her place when she receives a summons by Cersei. She will not face the woman who caused her so much suffering. Instead, she’ll send arguably her only completely loyal ally in her place. Brienne protests—she doesn’t trust Littlefinger. Sansa makes it very clear she doesn’t need looking after. We’ll see about that.

Littlefinger’s words still in her mind, she sneaks into Arya’s room like a true sibling. She goes for her sister’s luggage under the bed and finds F***ING FACES INSIDE. Sansa is, understandably, freaked out. Arya sees her sister snoop and is happy to explain the world of the Many-Faced God and the Game of Faces. Sansa is now officially terrified by what both of her only living (real) siblings have become. Arya teases Sansa about wearing her face and becoming “someone else,” a.k.a. Sansa. She picks up her new fancy Valyrian steel knife but instead of attacking her sister she hands it to her and walks out, leaving Sansa petrified.

We end the episode where we began: north of the wall. The army of the dead have found big ass chains somewhere to recover the dragon from the depths of the frozen lake. Once he’s back on solid ground, our Night King graces the dragon with his magic touch, and we get an echo of this season’s poster images: a single blue eye as it becomes a zombie dragon. This is a game changer and one of the show’s biggest cliffhangers (and a popular fan theory). There’s no known precedent for an undead dragon and what type of fire (or ice) it might breathe. It would seem that in addition to a fatal ice spear, the living dragons now have another looming threat. Let’s cling to the hope that even in death, Dany’s dragon might stay loyal to its mother. I have a feeling we’ll find out whether or not that’s true the hard way.

And some things we can’t forget:

-MVP for this episode go to those badass fire swords. Imagine if every battle on this show had those?!

-The moment between Jorah and Jon about Jon’s sword Longclaw was so nice. Jorah’s father meant so much to Jon way back when, and it’s a nice gesture for Jon to offer the sword that’s been synonymous with him to it’s “rightful owner.” It’s hard to argue with family lineage, but I’m happy to see the sword stay in Jon’s possession. It’s basically an extra limb for him at this point.

-Arya has some girl power moments this episode. Her angry talks with Sansa are heavy with identity themes, and when she’s recounting her archery story, about how the rules said she couldn’t shoot and be a knight, she says, “the rules were wrong.” Later, she returns to this thought in her room with Sansa and says, “The world doesn’t let girls just decide what they’re going to be.” Arya was the right person to say these quotes, but that doesn’t meant they don’t apply to both women in the conversations. Sansa followed the rules, and they weren’t right for her either. She definitely didn’t get to choose what happened to her.

-Is Jon so sad about Dany’s dragon because of the dragon friend he made last week that might have stirred up some Targaryen feels? TBD. Beric also mentioned that Jon doesn’t look like Ned. This whole season basically has been ‘Will Jon Find Out Who He Really Is Watch 2017’.

-Speaking of Beric, his “death is the enemy” conversation with Jon is a pretty great double meaning for this episode/season/show. So is his “we’ll all be right behind him unless the Lord of Light is kind enough to send us a bit of fire” eulogy to Thoros, which was actually major foreshadowing.

-Am I expected to believe that Jon survived a winter wind storm, a very physical fight with an army of dead men, a fall into a frozen lake, a fast ride on horseback through the frozen north of the wall, almost dying of cold, and his man bun stays in place? Can we get a hair tie recommendation from this guy?

-For the zillionth time this season, I got major Harry Potter vibes from the battle. Remember when Harry and Dumbledore go into the cave in book six and have to fight of a lake full of bewitched corpses with fire after Harry is dragged under? Sound familiar?

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-Also, when Jon kills the white walker leader it felt like this moment from the last movie:

-It’s 2017 and we don’t have high speed air travel, but Dany has the best transportation in Westeros. Can we get a dragon please?

Miss our other Game of Thrones recaps from this season? Check out:



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This 'Riverdale' Season 2 Trailer Might've Revealed a Major Spoiler


PHOTO: ©CW Network/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection

The first Riverdale season 2 trailer dropped a few weeks ago, and it was … confusing. It didn’t tell us anything about the plot at all. Jughead said some pretentious stuff about Archie’s “poker face;” Cheryl Blossom creepily stared at her badly-wounded mom; and Betty looked sad. That’s it. That’s all that happened—but fans still freaked out about it for weeks.

Which means they’re definitely going to flip over the new Riverdale promo that just dropped. It’s only 30 seconds long, but it’s packed with drama. Betty and her mother have a face-off! Archie and Veronica take a steamy shower together! F.P. is questioned by the police! (Remember, he’s still in jail even though he didn’t kill Jason Blossom.)

But the most noteworthy thing that happens in this promo is at the very beginning. In a very solemn voice, Sheriff Keller tells the crew, “May I have everyone’s attention? I have some tragic news to share.” This might be a leap, but does this confirm Archie’s dad, Fred, dies?

In the season one finale, Fred was shot by a masked man inside Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe, and a big question going into the second season is whether or not he lives. What other tragic news could Sheriff Keller be sharing besides Fred’s death?

Granted, this is just a theory. It’s totally possible he’s referring to another “tragic” event down the line—this is Riverdale, after all—or this could be some kind of nightmare Archie’s having. Also, I’m 99 percent sure that’s Fred’s voice we hear at the end of this teaser, so maybe that’s confirmation he actually lives?

Watch the trailer and decide for yourself, below:

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We’ll find the answer out for sure when Riverdale‘s second season premieres October 11 on The CW.

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