I'm sure there's going to be a chorus of "nothing happened!" in response to this episode, but on balance it was equally exciting to me as last week's.
Then again, maybe I'm being unfair and people (six seasons in) are starting to figure out what "happened" means in Game of Thrones. Complex plots don't just create themselves. The show has to actually do it. And I for one love seeing all these narrative screws turning. Partly because the show is really helping us make those anticipatory connections. For example, Benjen tells Bran that the Night King will come to the world of men and you'll be waiting for him... then it immediately cuts to Daenerys discussing her plans to conquer Westeros. Get it? Daenerys will be there too, and she'll have a dragon. (I have Bran warging into a dragon at 95% now. I can't wait to see Drogon's eyes roll back in his head — that's going to break people's brains.)
Daenerys's speech and show of power really worked for me, too. I know it sort of came out of nowhere (except it didn't, discussed above), but something clicked. Maybe it was the majesty of Drogon. Maybe it was the satisfaction of seeing her connection with the Dothraki reaffirmed.
Maybe it was my ever-increasing desire to see King's Landing scorched with dragon fire. As Aegon said in Bran's vision, burn them all. Seriously. Margaery included.
She is a bit of a mystery to me right now. What's really going on there? I'd wager it's a cynical play to get maximum power for herself, but that's so dark. Shutting out her family and potentially collapsing House Tyrell? Is she that dark? Is that even a smart move?
Here's what should happen: King's Landing remains overrun with religious zealots, and it just gets worse, forcing Cersei out of the capital. (But the Tyrells stay there, because their family is captive.) Jaime's encounter at River Run leads him to ally with the Starks to turn against Frey and Bolton and take back Winterfell. The Starks are willing to accept his help because he convinces them the Red Wedding etc. was Tywin's thing. Perhaps Jaime asks them to help him take back King's Landing, but they're lukewarm on the idea. Before that can materialize (remember this all takes a while), White Walkers appear, and the battle begins. They actually get into or near King's Landing, fulfilling Daenerys's vision of the frozen throne. They're defeated by wildfire (which is in King's Landing, as we were reminded of this week) and dragons — echoing what Aegon did — plus soldiers with dragonglass arrows and a select few with Valyrian steel. Daenerys rules, and Jaime is allowed to hang out there in some capacity, just in case she goes mad.