Wow - what a screwball crew Jon Snow (Kit Harington) ended up with at the end of the Game of Thrones episode "Eastwatch." This rather unmagnificent seven (well, some of them are awesome) wound up on a Daenerys-sanctioned mission to capture a Wight and bring it to King's Landing - to definitively prove once and for all that the White Walker threat is real and everybody needs to work together to stop them.What could possibly go wrong?Jon left after sharing some not-insignificant looks with Dany and bonding with Drogon ” which probably should have tipped Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) off that there's something different about him ” and gathered his team. Fortunately for Jon, the group includes some of the fiercest warriors in all of Westeros, like the Hound, Tormund, and Ser Jorah Mormont, who barely stopped to clock-in before volunteering for probably the most dangerous mission of all time.Anyway, there's no denying that the writers contrived this roster of fighters, peppering the group with people who largely despise each other. But it'll be a blast to watch. Because basically, what we have now is the Westeros version of Suicide Squad. Here's a guide to who's on the team.
Tormund Giantsbane
Tormund (Kristofer Hivju) has seemingly made peace with the Night's Watch - or, as his people called them, the Crows. He's become a valued and loyal friend to his former enemy Jon Snow (and a fan-favorite character). But namedrop "Mormont," and all those old grudges come rushing right back to the surface. Jeor Mormont, the "great man" and Lord Commander of the Night's Watch who preceded and mentored Jon Snow, was responsible for the deaths of many Free Folk north of the Wall.
Bygones may be both by and gone, but Tormund isn't quite ready to forgive and forget the man who hunted down his people. And he appears to be more than willing to pass that grudge down to the deceased Lord Commander's estranged son, Jorah.
Aside from Jon, Tormund's never met any of the other members of the team before now, so there are no other conflicts brewing to speak of.
Ser Jorah Mormont
Having spent something like 99% of his time on Game of Thrones across the sea in Essos, Jorah (Iain Glen) has never met any of these folks before, aside from Thoros of Myr - a fellow former knight. How well they knew each other isn't likely to be addressed, but it doesn't matter. Face it: at this point, Jorah's just happy to be here.
After falling out with Daenerys a while back because he'd been spying on her when they first met (a covert mission he quickly abandoned, but never confessed to) the Mother of Dragons banished him, only for Jorah to eventually return and save her life. It took a second rescue to finally get her to come around (those Targaryens aren't exactly fast with forgiveness), but by then he'd been infected with Greyscale - a deadly and contagious disease with no known cure.
Back at the Citadel in Westeros, his life was saved via an excruciating operation performed by Samwell Tarly (John Bradley). He'd been ready to give up and end his life when he was given a second chance, and Dany welcomed him back with open arms, giving him a new lease on life.
Tormund may not be his biggest fan, but Jorah no personal beef with the big redhead. That said, he's probably not super comfortable with all the comparisons he keeps getting to his old man, whom he'd disappointed by engaging in the dishonorable practice of selling slaves.
Gendry
He's alive! Last seen rowing a boat way back in Game of Thrones' third season, Robert Baratheon's only known surviving bastard son is still alive and well. And apparently, he's been waiting for adventure to come calling. In this case, that adventure is delivered from Davos Seaworth, and his sworn leader, Jon Snow.
Unfortunately for Gendry (Joe Dempsie), who was awfully quick to sign up for some seriously hardcore danger, Jon Snow decides to let two members of the Brotherhood Without Banners join the mission as well - and Gendry has major bad blood with those guys. Back in season 3, he (and Arya Stark) were under the protection of the Brotherhood when Melisandre arrived and bought Gendry from them. She then took him back to Dragonstone and tortured and nearly killed him for one of her kooky rituals that required "king's blood."
Davos helped him escape, but being sold by people you trusted to someone who tries to kill you tends to leave a bad taste in your mouth.
Beric Dondarrion & Thoros of Myr
These two, having unsuccessfully attempted to execute Gregor "the Mountain" Clegane on the orders of Ned Stark, helped form the Brotherhood Without Banners - a traveling group of mercenaries who had a measure of honor among them but also weren't averse to working for profit. They have multiple connections throughout the Eastwatch Seven (most of them unpleasant).
Thoros (Paul Kaye, a.k.a. the one with the man bun) fought in the Siege of Pike alongside Ser Jorah, some time before the TV series began. Since then, they've both turned their backs on knighthood. Gendry, as already mentioned, hates these two because they sold him to Melisandre for two bags of gold coins. They have no outstanding beef with him, and may even feel regret for their earlier actions. (Beric and Thoros, incidentally, are both on Arya's hit list for what they did to Gendry.)
Beric (Richard Dormer) once fought and lost to the Hound in a trial-by-combat after the group had captured him. But thanks to Thoros' repeated ability to resurrect him, Beric returned to life immediately after the battle. Much later, the Brotherhood encountered Sandor again, this time after he'd undergone a change of heart and was living amid a peaceful settlement. When the entire settlement was murdered, the Brotherhood invited the Hound to join them, and surprisingly, he agreed... ish.
Sandor "the Hound" Clegane
With no major beef against anyone in particular in this fight, Sandor Clegane (Rory McCann) nevertheless seems to dislike all of his companions equally. He's on the team only because ” much to his own shock ” he saw a vision in the Lord of Light's flames, warning of the dead marching on the Wall near Night's Watch outpost Eastwatch-by-the-Sea.
Sandor's got history with several of these men, but none more so than the family of Jon Snow. Back when Ned Stark was executed, Sandor was still Joffrey Baratheon's personal bodyguard, and was there at the Sept of Baelor when the beheading took place. Still loyal to the Lannisters at the time, he did nothing to intervene. That's -1 point.
Despite his own grumpy indifference, he nevertheless protected Sansa Stark more than once while she was being forced to stay in King's Landing. When he finally decided to break his vows and leave King's Landing for good, he offered to take Sansa along, and escort her back to her home of Winterfell (she refused). For probably his first altruistic act ever, he earns +1 point.
He later wound up traveling alongside Arya Stark, protecting and even mentoring her to some extent while intending to return her to her family in exchange for a reward (-1 for putting money first). The two of them began their time together with a mutual hatred, but gradually came to respect each other, and even grudgingly like each other ” though neither of them would ever admit it. The proof is in the pudding, though: Arya at one time had the Hound on her kill list, but after her adventures with him, she no longer wanted to kill him. +1 for winning over someone who wanted him dead.
The math there adds up to 0, meaning he's got just as much going against him as for him. Should he survive the conflict near Eastwatch, there could be several incredibly awkward reunions in his future, if he makes his way to nearby Winterfell. And if Jon finds out about any of Sandor's history with the Starks, his indifference toward the Hound will change in a big way.
But if we're being honest, none of this matters too much; all we really care about is Sandor making it to Cleganebowl.
Jon Snow
It's a good thing that Jon is the leader of this motley crew, because he's the one member of the team that has no major issues with any of the others. He's also the moral compass, the one who unfailingly will fight for the greater good of all of Westeros. Aside from leading these guys into battle on this insane mission, his job by default will also be that of peacekeeper. Holding these men together ” an old friend, a new friend, and several peeps he's never met before ” will be a serious challenge. To his credit, Jon tends to be at his best in difficult situations.
On the other hand, he may not have to work that hard to keep the peace. Trying to survive a horde of the undead that vastly outnumber you tends to make personal issues kind of trivial.