Did You Catch Sam’s Clever Nod to His Dad in ‘Game of Thrones?’

WARNING: Spoilers ahead for the latest episode of Game of Thrones! Continue reading at your own risk…

The latest episode of Game of Thrones was a tough one for the men of House Tarly. Both Randyll and Dickon were burned alive by Daenerys, and Sam realized that no one in the Citadel was going to listen to him.

Sam packed his things and headed north to find Jon, hoping to help him win the war against the Night King. If you were paying close attention, just before Sam left Oldtown, he made one final jab at his less-than-proud father.

“I’m tired of reading about the achievements of better men,” Sam said to Gilly.

If this quote sounded familiar, it’s because you heard it back in the sixth season. When Sam told Randyll that he was going to study to be a maester, he thought his father would be proud. Instead, Randyll threw the notion back in his face.

“You managed to stay soft and fat, your nose buried in books, spending your life reading about the achievements of better man.”

Sam knows that he has an important part to play in saving Westeros, despite what his father thinks of him. Spewing that line back as he left Oldtown was Sam’s way of saying that neither the men he read about, nor his father, were any better than him.

All that said, Sam still has no idea that his father and brother are dead. He likely won’t be too broken up over it, but Sam’s a nice guy, so it’ll hit him to some extent.

Sam’s journey will continue when Game of Thrones airs its next episode on HBO this Sunday at 9 p.m.