Game of Thrones Season 7, Episode 6 “Beyond the Wall”
Director: Alan Taylor
Writers: David Benioff & D.B. Weiss
Runtime: 70 minutes
Content Warnings: TV-MA: Adult Content, Adult Language, Graphic Violence
Video Preview: Beyond the Wall
Tonight.
“Beyond the Wall” premieres at 9PM on @HBO. #GoTS7 pic.twitter.com/wMYagT02Pb— Game Of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) August 20, 2017
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This is it. The big episode 9. Hope Taylor did it justice and it holds up to Baelor, Blackwater, The Rains of Castamere, Watchers on the Wall, The Dance of Dragons, and BotB.
Beric!!
Winter is here.
Episode 9 at last. I’m going to make a bold prediction that this episode will be a damn doozy.
Peace
What was Jorah going to say to Dany when he was leaving Eastwatch and he said “Your Grace, I…” and she grabbed his hands?
I have been avoiding Ep 6 leak spoilers since Wednesday and am so excited to actually get here without knowing more than a couple of fragmented headlines that i looked away from immediately. Super hyped to be finally being on the cusp of the episode and seeing what happens to the mag 7 and how winterfell evolves. At 70 min they can pack a lot in!
One week it’s over for over until possibly 2019 🙁
Hmmm… Who (or what) are they carrying while they’re running away from the cave??? I’m nervous because I don’t want any of those guys to ever die lol.
I’ve somehow managed to remain unspoiled all week. Looking forward to Alan Taylor’s glorious return to the series whose cinematographic style he helped pioneer! Yay, 70-minute episode!
Enjoy the episode! I’m on vacation and I won’t be able to watch it for a whole week… wish me luck because the internet is dark an full of spoilers!
Hyped Episode 9 time again ! This is gonna be epic and cold.
Davidneverreadthebooks,
Stay away from Youtube. I was clicking on a video, thinking it was a scene from ep 5. Turned out it was a major scene from the leaked episode not even marked as spoiler.
F**K… I would give Jamie my right hand for a permanent US/CAN-address right now! Guess I’ll just have to pay the iron price for that GRRMBox – it looks amazing!
SO hyped for D&D + Alan Taylor’s episode 6/”9″ after a full week of succesfully dodging spoilery bullets!!
We all know youll be judging! 😊
I just ate a whole damn pound of bacon!! I didn’t intend to but it was near me while I was reading comments and stuff. 🙁 Don’t get me wrong, it was fantastic, but if I’m not around anymore after tonight you’ll know why. Ha! I’m not a greasy, basement dwelling, WoW playing fat guy like South Park has portrayed. Honest!
Unfortunately I have seen some written things to spoil me on the episode a bit, BUT, I have not seen the episode yet! That’s the important thing. My blood pressure is HIGH waiting for it to start… partially due to the bacon… 🙂
Use the Chrome spoiler blocker – it really is super effective!
Just love that photo. Be careful, boys!!!!!
Ser Broccoli McBroccoliface,
😀 😀 😀 😀
Do you mean the Sandor & Beric one at the top that looks like a couple rappers after a mic drop? 😛
… “And now it starts!” Well – in a few hours or so 🙂
Looking forward to this episode and pretty much unspoiled although my daughter couldn’t resist to tell me a couple of things! That’s the problem when episodes get leaked on-line 🙁
REEDPOP!
(Don’t get mad at me Sue but) My cable company still hasn’t updated their guide from “Death is the Enemy” title. Even though it doesn’t matter it’s bugging me. 😛 I guess it can be added to the tomes of history of the series that season 7 episode 6 was titled in error leading up to the airing.
Alas, I won’t be able to watch tonight’s episode until the morn (Catskill Mountains boonie party, yee haw!), so to my buds Thormond, Ser Jorah, Beric, Gendry, and the rest of the Magnificent Seven: y’all take good care of yourselves, you crazy sword and hammer wielding maniacs!
Enjoy, Watchers!
I am so stoked for tonight!
Any chance Meera fell in love with Cold hands and shows up to help the boys out?!
😛
have fun watching the episode y’all!
It would appear that a flogging is pertinent. There is a marked improvement in keeping one’s mouth shut in doing so. – Randyll Tarly
That photo in the header is EVERYTHING.
Clob,
Lmao…great stuff! 😀 And thanks – uhmmm, I guess – for igniting an instant craving! Have to go late night shopping now! Must…have…bacon! (Think I’ll learn from your lesson and settle for less a pound)
Jack Bauer 24,
Didn’t you watch already lol
Arthur Dayne: Now it begins. Ned Stark: No, now it ends!
Chuck,
DOOOOOOOOZY
HYPE
Good luck! Glad I could be a poor example if it helps others. 😛
* I think I just lost a little bit of my hearing… I’m sure the bacon had nothing to do with it…
Jack Bauer 24,
“What was Jorah going to say to Dany when he was leaving Eastwatch and he said “Your Grace, I…” and she grabbed his hands?”
“…left a poo in the shitter.”?
Clob,
Yep, I should have kicked her ass, but I’m too soft hearted 😀
However, I will certainly do that when we’re all watching it and if she persists in telling me what happens next!
Pigeon,
I’m hoping we get a lot of Richard Dormer’s voice…I could listen to that for hours!
I have never watched leak. Didn’t watch any of the Season 5 leaks or The Spoils of War or Beyond the Wall. One thing I look forward to is watching GoT at 9pm on my tablet with the lights off and my headphones in.
Dee Stark,
That’s what i don’t get about this guy,he pretends he didn’t already watched the episode or read the leaks months ago even though there is multiple proof that he did,he’s such an odd guy .
What I am looking forward to most in this episode is Richard Dormer (Beric Dondarrian). He has one of the best voices ever and that twinkling blue eye is wicked!! So easy on the eyes and ears. Darn good actor to boot.
OMFG!!! You crack me up now 😀 …I can just hear the doctor’s diagnosis: “Acute Tinnitus due to bacon overload”
I haven’t seen the latest Terminator, but I watched Thor: Dark World and thought it was very good. Taylor did a very nice job on it. I don’t understand why people are so negative on that movie.
Totally agree! I love the character as well. Really hoping he doesn’t get offed too soon. The more Richard Dormer, the better!
Jack Bauer 24,
Ahhh – I believe you in that you haven’t watched the leaked episode, but as for what will happen that’s doubtful! You ought to use a different user name in the quarantine forum asking all those questions and then we’d be none the wiser 😉
4 more hours..cant wait!!! though i have read some of the leak stuff I refused to actually watch it before tonight because the “9th” episode is always a doozy **waves at Dee** and the “OMG” moments you dont see coming are always the best!1
love that pic at top..Richard Dormer is my new crush since I watched him in “Fortitude” and was sooo excited when I learned he was back this season
I wonder if this one will still break records in terms of viewing ratings given that we can assume a hell of a lot of people have already watched it. Probably more than ep.4.
Not a chance. This leaked 3 days earlier then 704.
I’ll keep an eye open for “Jack Reacher 69” but I have a feeling the ‘style’ of post will give it away 🙂
Hey Dee, maybe you should tag along Clob and me on our bacon craze tonight – it’s guaranteed to distract you for a few hours, hence lowering your dangerous hype to a safer level 😉 …can’t say much about possible side effects though, but it appears temporary loss of hearing is to be expected 😀
Dee Stark,
Haha, no doubt about it!
I’ve remained spoiler free so far. Only a little under three hours to go! Praying for Jon, Jorah, Gendry, and Sandor! (I have a feeling I’m losing at least one of them.)
Hahaha 😀 😀 😀
Yep, he has a ‘distinctive’ style of writing and asking silly questions so perhaps we could still ‘suss him out’ if he changes his user name 😛
Dead Dane Walking,
HA!! I mean, yeah, it’s a ‘great’ idea……. aat lees unyil yor fignhers go nummmb…
If Dany and Jon get married at Winterfell, do you think Sansa will attend?
Then again, she did “look beautiful” I guess.
Dead Dane Walking,
Grrrr I have no bacon in my vicinity hahahha
Maybe wine will do? Hahaha!!!!!!
Clob,
DISH has the wrong title and it has not changed all week.
I’m terribly sad not to be in here for the penultimate episode of the penultimate season!!! We have a lady astronaut coming to speak at our university tonight for the eclipse weekend festivities. Being a mathematician, astronomers are like my first cousins, and so I felt this was a Thrones-skipping-worthy event. Alas, did it have to be this episode?!!!
I may try to follow along with comments from the event because, unlike Jack, this is the one and likely the only time I’ve cheated.
Ahh, maybe wine would be a good antioxidant for a pound of bacon… Hmmm… all I have is Windsor on hand. I’ll give that a shot! 🙂
I am watching the Game of Thrones marathon on HBO right now and the story and dialog is outstanding seeing it one episode after another.
Jon tells Daenerys that “your father burnt my grandfather alive”
Jon’s Grandfather burnt Jon’s other Grandfather alive…
Epic is an understatement
Is she an ‘ancient astronaut theorist’ per chance? If not, ancient astronaut theorists say “skip it.” 😉
Alas Only 3 more hours. Very excited and bitter sweet as the season comes to a close.
Here it is and here we are. For the series that has enshrined the penultimate, we are about to get the penultimate of the penultimate. And it is long!! Maybe things won’t be so rushed. Jack, I think ratings will survive because even those impatient dolts who couldn’t wait want to see it in glorious big screen HD. At least I can go back to Youtube–it’s been a minefield this week. One of my favourite YTers was a staunch defier of leak temptation. Last night he said basically “Blame Netflix. It’s destroyed my patience and I couldn’t stand it anymore.’ Frankly, I already know maybe 30%, but that’s enough. I fled. Wanker! Well, see you all on the other side.
On that note I agree. I want him to stay on the show into S8…but…if we get into an episode 9-type of showdown against a lot of wights or even WWs tonight, we’re bound to lose some of our heroes 🙁 And I seriously can’t say that I want to let any of those seven go..
I think Jon has a heavy plot armor (and a certain scene from the official season trailer, would support that).
Jorah is relatively safe. I mean, they wouldn’t bring him back just to finish him of after a brief hello to Dany…would they?!?! That farewell between him and his queen was a little…odd or something. I can’t think straight..too excited!
I would place Gendry in the safe zone for the same reason.
As for the rest of the Mag-7…hmmmm…I they’re all up for graps!
And then I definitely want some further development regarding LF/Sansa/Arya! LF’s been stagnant for way too long and it’s beginning to bore me seeing him doing nothing but smirking on that balcony…GRRRR!!! Have him move in a direction again or just kill him already..!!
I’m off for a while (its 11:40pm here – crazy Spanish eating hours!) TBH, I’d be quite happy with a bacon sandwich seeing the previous posts 🙂
Anyhow, hope you all enjoy the show and have a great time. It will be 2am for me!
lol my sister and I were talking about this the other day.. if they get married Jon’s father in law (who is also his grandfather) will have killed his other grandfather and uncle..
thats Jerry Springer level stuff right there
😀 😀 😀 😀 Sssay whaiut? Cean’t heeeear yooau..
Haha… Nice’n subtle – well played 😉
I take back all my worries and predictions just PLEASE let the Last Hero/Magnificent 7 live through this. I’m not ready to say goodbye yet! Most of these guys are my FAVORITE GUYS! Kill someone else. Like LF or Qyburn or-heck-find out where Edmure is and kill him. Blow up Oldtown or something-Sam got all the important books, right? *bargaining-stage prayer to the old gods and the new*
Dead Dane Walking,
Yeah, just with who those seven guys are and the possibilities of future involvement/necessity to the story I would go ahead and guess Beric and Thoros are the most expendable. They’re just two guys that have interacted a bit with major characters, and much less so than Sandor and Gendry.
I really do think that Gendry may be part of Arya’s future. I’m not talking about Lord and Lady of Storm’s End or anything, even if it’s a possibility. Neither of them are that kind of person. I do think they would be a good ‘fly by the seat of your pants’ couple to just be together and let the winds take them wherever. Cheesy – but I like cheesy sometimes.
I been waiting all week for tonight!
I can’t wait! We better see some dragons and some white walkers and I really hope Ghost makes an appearance I miss that damn dog!
Tonight is going to be EPIC! Jon is going to kick some ass and hopefully kill another white walker.
You know I was YouTubing around trying to see how big Drogon is compared to legendary dragons in Westeros like Balerion, and compared to Balerion, Drogon is still freaking tiny!
This guy does an amazing job putting Drogon and Balerion to scale, please watch and enjoy!
OMG! HA!!
Aaaaaah 2 hours t go! I wish you all good fortune in the episode to come!
Clob,
I have been wondering about that myself as this episode has been listed all week on TV as “Death is the Enemy” but everyone one on this site refer to it as “Beyond the Wall” What is that all about???
I agree. We have to be prepared to let some of our favorites go. I don’t think Beric will go tonight. There has to be more to his and Jon’s storyline since they share common ground of being resurrected and trying to understand their purpose. It would be strange they meet up and one is killed (probably Beric at this moment). However, I could be totally wrong.
OH, the Sansa/Arya/Littlefinger storyline is frustrating to watch. I use to like Arya, but this season she is a “psycho child” and becoming annoying. It’s like she hasn’t grown up emotionally. Strange. What they are doing to LF character is so out of character and Aiden is such a good actor that it’s like his talent is being wasted after solid seasons of great work. Maybe tonight they get that moving in a cohesive direction. I rather like Sansa being more sure of herself, but don’t want to see her go the way of Cersei.
cuddlycrow,
If Beric survives it will be-in my opinion-specifically for Jon. Like say Jon dies again-NOT TONIGHT-but at some point. Beric could sacrifice himself to bring him back.
This is my dream.
HBO refers to it as Beyond the Wall, so we refer to it as Beyond the Wall since that’s the episode title. Death is the Enemy could be the finale title.
I am thinking the same. It would defeat the purpose of their meeting. Beric, I feel, still has a role to play with Jon and/or potentially other characters. He has survived 6 times so it would make sense his purpose is for a greater good so viewers can understand.
————-
I’m in the U.S. I entered. With 235 and counting Comment Section entries alone, the odds are pretty slim.
But if I win, I’ll give the prize to you (except I may want to keep the Faceless Men iron coin. Because Arya 👸🏻.)
Cheers mate!
We’ll try to keep a few heroes alive for you!
I don’t really have the words to articulate just how hyped I am for tonight’s episode. I’ve been thinking of essentially nothing else all day. 🙂
Beric and Sandor look bold and dangerous as hell. Stay safe, you two.
In a moment of clarity through hazy bacon hallucinations (Man it was a great initiative 😀 but holy crap my pulse is racing like!! 😀 ), I thought more about it, and I agree. These two are the ones, I’m least likely to bet my chips on – despite my wish to see/hear more of Beric.
Thoros hasn’t really been my cup of bacon, so I don’t mind it too much, if he at least dies in order to save a couple of the other boys…maybe in a last attempt to revive someone?! …on the other hand, I just have this fear, it’s no way near “Ep9-shocking” enough for D&D to leave us with just one death of a somewhat peripheral character like him!?! 🙁 I’ve tried to prepare myself for the loss of more and maybe a main character…
cuddlycrow, Tagged you as you commented on the same issue 🙂
Let’s hope that equates into plot armor for tonight’s episode!
W-what?? ..OH WAUW, that would be epic, if you’re serious!! And of course don’t use the coin to have TFM finish me off and take the boxset back for yourself 😉
Welcome Jared 🙂 Me neither – except during the bacon frenzy Clob and I apparently thought was a great idea!! 😀
If Thoros does die, he may have foreshadowed his own death in last episode when he said something like”…it’s better than dying here in this cell”. Do not recall direct quote..sorry.
Dead Dane Walking,
A bacon frenzy is always a great idea! I had some for breakfast this morning – not a pound, but enough to get the day off to a great start. And now we have a new Game of Thrones episode to bring the day to an even greater close. Life is good right now!
I am off to bed as it is nearly one a.m. here. I would happily stay up but the multiple lengthy ad breaks kill the show for me. I’ll watch it ad-free in the morning on demand.
Enjoy, everyone!
In the little short teaser HBO is putting out the day of the episode we see our team being chased out onto some ice that is cracking under Jorah’s foot. What is this?! We better not lose anyone due to falling into a frozen pond! With the hoard chasing them could they use it as a defensive move? Get the hoard to follow them out on the ice and it breaks under them? Hopeful speculation from that teaser.
There are seven in the team going beyond the wall and 7 gods in the “new” religion with a 7 pointed star. Does that have any meaning here or just a coincidence? (old topic or new? I haven’t seen it mentioned but I haven’t read every post!)
A little over an hour to go! With only two episodes left this season I wonder what else we will see tonight? They could put a lot into 70 minutes. Enjoy the show everyone!
Good thinking. I’ve just started the last episode again, as I always do for warm up before the new one. Skipped to the Eastwatch cell scene and he is saying: “Is it worse than sitting in a freezing cell, waiting to die?” You could be right…but as I wrote in the other post, I’m not even sure it’s enough for D&D! I’m preparing to lose Sandor and/or Beric as well. Maybe more, but we’ll just have to see in an hour… Stupid idea this snatching-a-wight-thing, Tyrion!!!
Oh my Lord. 😂😂😂
Dead Dane Walking,
cuddlycrow,
I’m telling you, he and Jorah will melt the Wall! 😄
I wonder if this is the last time any humans will go North of The Wall in the entirety of the show?
Less than an hour now….Hope the Magnificent 7 can pull this off..
The North Remembers.
Ginevra,
Well, we won’t have another full solar eclipse for many years, and ther repeat for this show will start just a few hous after its premier 🙂 We’ll leave the light on for you.
Hey! Finally, our wait is almost over! I’ve been mostly offline the past few days (limited myself to email and PMs) as a friend warned me that spoilers were all over the internet. Unfortunately for her, she got spoiled by a GIF, which was a major spoiler, according to her.
Anyway, I came here to wish you and the rest of the Watchers to have fun. I have a feeling this is going to be epic!
Jared,
Good lad, Jared! Probably a lot healthier like that, than gobbling up an entire bowl at night 😀 Enjoy the “9th” episode in 45 minutes – I’m enjoying last weeks “Field of Fire” (I knoooow, but will not refer to it by the other title).
Sam,
Ahhhh that sucks!!!!!!!
That’s the worst
Someone told me that they read somewhere that the finale will be leaked at 9pm
I don’t believe that but I hope not!!!!!!
Enjoy the show!!!!
There seems to be quite the falling-in-water theme going on, perhaps everyone is a secret Greyjoy? 😜
Dead Dane Walking,
I re-watched ep5 a couple of times. That cell scene was classic. One of my favorites. I loved the flow of the dialogue. Everyone’s at odds with one another but in the end Jon recognized they’re all on the same side… because they’re “all breathing”. Eventually, that’s what all the living will need to do to defeat this army of the dead – to set aside their differences and fight together.
OMG….I suggest two 160mg tablets of warfarin immediately!
Pigeon,
Sounds like it should’ve been Beric and Jorah mic droppin’ in that picture… Maybe they could give Bronn a call and revive his 1990’s boyband 😀 The three of them could sing the phonebook and still make The Wall melt!
Dee Stark,
Oh no! I hope not! I may have to abstain again from the net for a week. I don’t want the unsullied experience ruined for me. I’m loving it this season because of that. Kinda like my experience in season 1 before I read the books. I know you haven’t read the books so you’ve had the best TV experience throughout the series. 🙂 I have friends like you who get surprised/astonished/shocked by this show since season 1 episode after episode because they don’t have any idea of what’s coming.
Dead Dane Walking,
<>
Me, TOO! And re-watching recent episodes. Now I’m wondering about Sam, where was he going? Could it be he goes home and ends up heading House Tarly and bringing those remaining fighters to Jon’s defense? Sam does have that sword!
Rory McCann actually is a pretty good singer as well, So now we just need them to adopt Jerome’s 90s duds and….oh wait, then the Wall will fall down laughing!
Sam,
Exactly!! It has been the best experience
I really hope the finale doesn’t leak at all. I feel so bad about all this for the show creators …. they work so hard.
I’m gonna have to hide too if that’s the case
Sam,
You too son!
Pigeon,
Indeed!!
Wait what? ANOTHER week off social media and initiate every meeting with a warning not to spoil me??!! Jebus freaking BLEEEP I’m beginning to grow tired of these leakers and imcompetent employees with the different HBO providers!
Well…let’s not grieve in advance and just wait and see…
– Enjoy everyone!
Hi everybody! Like a handful of folks here, I have to wait to watch this episode and it is soooo very hard. Love to hang out with you all but I am totally unspoiled. Now I have to put my head back in the sand. Enjoy the ride tonight and please, let the Hound and Bear be safe. I hope I hope.
Davidneverreadthebooks,
I almost got spoiler-ed by the freaking gas station “pumpcast” news! Nowhere is safe 😉
Sam,
It’s the best, Sam! But also looking so much forward to allow myself to read the books in 2019 🙂
Last week was Eastwatch.
Jack Bauer 24,
Right you are! I’ve watched both 4 and 5 tonight, so I mixed it up (guess all that bacon did fry my brains afterall).
The Magnificant Seven sets out tonight for some adventures!!!
only a few minutes away
I’m predicting under 9 million viewers. Lowest viewership of the season.
Prayer circle for Tormund?
Dead Dane Walking,
Gotta hope the bacon coma holds off for just a little while longer…
“Eastwatch” replay having just finished, time to go to purge anything that may interrupt the episode and whatnot.
Still find it neat that other than Tormund those guys with no knowledge of Jon are willing to follow him beyond the Wall.
Oh yeah true – I forgot there for a minute! Actually saw a great clip last week of him playing somewhere in a club.
OMG yes 😀 …alright – let’s hear them ROAR tonight. Here we go! See you guys on the other side…
Jack Bauer 24,
UNDER 9? There’s nothing else on TV to watch right now… If ANYONE chooses another option they’re wrong.
Yeah. I’m serious. 🏆
It sounded like you’d enjoy it more than me, and it didn’t seem fair that some fans are arbitrarily ineligible.
…. F*ck me. It’s 9:00!
#PrayforSandor
#DieLittlefingerDie
Next season will probably only be KL and The North so how will they do the opening credits?
Clob,
* My brain isn’t working no more! 😀
* And yes, that is kindda weird. Hadn’t thought about it…Enjoy your trip Beyond The Wall!
Clob,
Yup. So, so wrong. 🙂 Here it is. I’m nervous. LOL
What a joke!
I’m following live tweets here: http://www.tweetbeam.com/show?query=%23beyondthewall
Why did they open with that shot of dragonstone?
The Stark theme is such a beautiful piece of music.
Chuck,
Showed the map of Westeros & panned up to where Jon & his team are North of the Wall. Pretty slick if you ask me.
The fireplace made it look like the Wall was burning too, slick indeed.
WTF?!
A fucking White Walker Ice Bear?!
Holy crap. An Ice Bear.
Wight polar bear was awesome!
That bear is creepy as fook.
West of moon,
Who had the two flaming swords???
uh oh
Tb350,
Was is Beria and thorps?
Now, I really live in the North people, and that ice would NEVER CRACK.
That is all. I mean of all the unrealistic things.
Is it just me or did some of the dialogue kinda feel like they were checking off boxes. I dunno… it didn’t feel organic
Night King must have been waiting for them, they are in the same spot Bran saw them in episode 5! Night King is a fooking greenseer, so he obviously would have seen into the future.
Houndie still can’t with fire.
Arya’s allusion to Lyanna Mormont made me giggle. Of course, if anyone asked the Bear Cub, she would swear she would never betray her House, no matter what the circumstances may be because, let’s be honest, Lyanna is about as sheltered as any Westerosi has ever been ! What hardship has she ever faced, except for losing her mother ? She has lived her entire life on an island no one in Westeros seems to care for enough to attack or invade. She has never been taken hostage, forcibly married or physically assaulted. Seven hells, I am pretty certain no one has even ever insulted her or looked at her funny ! She knows about as much of adversity as Sweetrobyn does. Any of the Stark kids could give her a run for her money in terms of crappy life experience. How could she possibly imagine a scenario in which she would be forced to chose between her honour and her life ? Or her honour and someone else’s life ?
I appreciate Lyanna as much as the next person but, in all fairness, the girl understands about as much of struggles as I do about string theory (spoiler alert : I know nothing of string theory ^^)
That being said, Arya’s threat is very sound : given the importance Lyanna’s voice has in the North (for whatever reason), losing her support and / or respect amounts to losing the region.
I love maisie and Sophie
Maisie and Sophie are just so good in this episode.
Seems like he baited them there.
So when does Longclaw work? At Hardhome when it clashed with the walkers sword it completely froze it, but in this episode it made contact with that one walkers sword a few times and it didn’t freeze.
Also, how come when the white walker died all of the wights died except for one?
Well someone said (Jon? Jorah?) that must have been the WW that raised those particular wights except for the one that must have been raised by another.
He just said why the other wights fell, because that particular White Walker turned them.
And what do you mean it froze? The White Walker in Hardhome froze when he hit Longclaw was because he was shocked that it didnt shatter.
Oh shit, he had those spears ready before the dragons even arrived!
Yep, he looked into the future, clever icy bastard!
How did Gendry get to Eastwatch so quick?
Oh come on a raven got there that fast?
There was some cool moments but honestly this was my least favorite ep this season.
It can be that far away from the walker that raised it? And I thought only NK could raise the dead?
NK representing Westeros in the next Summer Olympics.
Both times Beric put the flaming sword to Thoros they cut away. Why?
Pigeon,
He won’t win the Marathon, Gendry’s got that Covered 🙂
So all white walkers can raise the dead?
Oh, Em. Gee. A wight dragon!!! Which dragon is it? V or R?
Sam,
It’s Viserion
That jacket…..
I am so looking forward to the new Dany cosplay. 🙂
The North Remembers!
have some thoughts:
The Night King is obviously a greenseer like Bran, only much more powerful, he looked into the future and prepared for this moment when Jon & Co. would go North for a wight, He wanted them there, he wanted that damn dragon, he even had those fucking ice spears ready, that’s why he held back against Jon & Co he was waiting for Dany to get those dragons or at least one. They’re all pieces in his game of chess and he is playing them all, it’s just not explained to us properly yet, and those chains, where did they come from? Well he spent 7 seasons preparing North of the Wall, and could have found them somewhere there, no wonder it took him so long, he needed to prepare and now he is finally ready.
But why didn’t he aim for Drogon when he was right there? Because he is the Night King and wanted to show them that he can one shot a fucking dragon with an ice spear, and because of plot armor lol.
Night King is one powerful and smart motherfucker and I can’t wait to learn more about him!
No kidding. Go Forrest Gendry!!!
ACME,
We’d never know how the other characters would react/behave in the same situation. Lyana Mormont and Sansa have different personalities though so probably the young bear would behave differently. I can’t imagine her begging her father to do as Cersei wanted him to do in that situation.
Connor,
Thanks! Kinda glad it’s not Rhaegal. Jon could still ride the dragon named after his father.
Where’s all the dragon glass? Were those regular weapons Jorah and Tormund had?
Ha! I was shouting “Run, Gendry! Runnnnn!!!” Haven’t cheered for someone to run as fast. 😀
Never spent so much time yelling at the TV!
Damn good 70min of television!
Hodors Bastard,
I yelled. I cried. I cheered. Whew. Worth the wait.
No? They were clearly using dragonglass weapons when fighting, Tormund had a dragonglass axe, Jorah had two dragonglass daggers and the redshirt wildlings were using dragonglass spears, Jon has Longclaw so he doesnt need them, Beric was just using his flaming sword, the hound had some dragonglass weapons too.
RIP Viserion & Thoros:(
Welcome Sindragosa to the Game
Jack Bauer 24,
Jack, I would say this is the fifth best episode overall, behind winds of winter, hardline, the spoils of war, and BOB. It’s a prelude to the final showdown. Its awesome
Connor,
The dragonglass didn’t even really matter. Jon’s the only one that fought a White Walker.
Wtf was that? They were in slow motion and Jon was about to take on some wights and Drogon swoops in outta no where? Nobody heard 3 dragons approaching? Come on
Preview of season finale:
Top 3 episode IMO.
Powerful powerful emotions.
From Jorah letting Jon keep his family sword to all the other obvious things that made my heart move during this episode.
I am still teary, I watched that dragon from an egg, to a baby, to a huge beautiful beast for 7 years and the fucking Night King killed him… I HATE the Night King!
I am so sad right now but also in awe of how wonderful this episode was.
I am going to go watch it again… Why am I crying… It is just CGI, it is just CGI, it is just CGI…
direpug,
This is a fantasy show. Just sayin
Well shit…. that was a lot of emotions and suspension of breath for over an hour…..
WIGHT DRAGON
JONERYS AHOY
ARYA ASSASSIN
TORMUND’S ANTICS
DANY’S JACKET
and so much more…….
Prepare yourselves: Dany’s winter gear in this episode is going to inspire a whole legion of videos set to “Let it Go” from Frozen.
So there’s 2 conflicts tonight: Arya/Sansa and Night King v. everyone. Arya/Sansa’s conflict can be solved by a person (Bran) living like 10 feet from them but this conflict continues to the next episode.
Then Jon sends Gendry running back to the wall, send a raven from Eastwatch to Dragonstone. have Dany dress in her posh new clothes, fly half across Westeros to East watch to save Jon, all in a single episode…..lol
I don’t know what to say when they only had these 2 storylines to contrast the timelines with.
Hexonx,
The dragonglass can kill the wights too, not just White Walkers. The wight bear was killed by Jorah who was using a dragonglass dagger on it.
I think I got my fill of great conversations for the whole year. Patience is a virtue, I guess. I honestly thought Dany would go north on her own volition but a desperate raven is fine with me. Damn Gendry can run! Why is Tyrion such a wimp? Let her go!
RIP Viserion…(um…wait…how do we treat this “curtain call”?) and Thoros. I couldn’t breathe for a few minutes. That bear! That WW spear! Damn!
Hmm… a little surprised that 4 of our WES-7 scrambled to get on the Dragon leaving Jon to fight alone..?
Would have so Loved for Jorah to have forced Jon to save himself with words like…
“You bloody get on that dragon’s back or she’ll lose more than just the war” !!! ?
OH SEVEN HELLS! Speechless and suffering from brainfreeze!!! That was awesome edge-of-the-seat entertainment, that really needs a good sleep to digest. At one point I believe I actually yelled at the screen for the first time in my GoT history! A dead man is happy! 🙂
And now I’m certain – I only have pity left for you, Jack Bauer 24! Cannot begin to imagine how it must feel to spend so much of your life following this great and unique show…only to hate on a million details week after week, year after year. May some weird God of Negativity be with you some day!
Jack Bauer 24,
They were kind of preoccupied with staying alive and undead creatures bombarding them lol.
Just think, at this point in the next season; the series is over…
Flora Linden,
Watching the preview, it just dawned on me – all these major characters (Jon, Dany, Tyrion, Cersei, Jaime) are going to be in the same scene for the first time! Finally!
All that rowing built up his stamina!!
That was so sad 😓😓😓😓😓🙁
Is that really Arya or the Waif?
Arya would have seen Sansa screaming hysterically when their Father Eddard Stark was executed in King’s Landing…
Sansa was a young “stupid” girl in Kings Landing who wanted to be Queen and Sansa would be the first to admit it. that’s no crime.
What is Arya? trying to accomplish by questioning Sansa loyalty?
I liked Beyond the Wall alot more than I thought I would….
8/10
Scott4567,
When they said Conor McGregor was going to have a cameo, I didn’t realise it was going to be in the form of his 1970s Joe Frazier pimp coat.
Hodors Bastard,
RIP Benjen, too.
Wow…think that I just caught my breath. And they now have a dragon. Dany’s expression when seeing Jon’s stab wounds was priceless.
I was thinking maybe The Night King would have been able to warg a dragon, but I suppose this makes more sense. Also I read a comment somewhere about a psychic war between bran and the knight king all I could think of is South Park Cartman vs Psychics.
They brought a wight beyond the wall….. does that mean the wall doesn’t have any powers? is it because Bran broke the “spell”?
Thought Tortmund was a gonner there fo a minut
How the heck could I forget that?? Thx. My head is spinning and swimming. I’m still trying to comprehend the Arya-Sansa sequence…and still reeling from the rest…damn…
How did NK hit Viserion and miss Drogon? Come on.
Thought Tortmund was a gonner there fo a minute
So the spear carriers were the rest of the Brotherhood Without Banners?
ok…. if fire kills wights, what will a wight dragon be able to fight with?
Masterpiece. For me, there’s no other word for it. I’m literally fucking shaking right now.
It was the best episode of the season, and this season’s been absolutely superb. Possibly my favorite if the finale is as great as the rest of it, which I have no reason to doubt. But “Beyond the Wall” is something else, something truly special. Top 2 of the entire series for me. As of right now, I would only rank “The Winds of Winter” ahead of it, and I’ve only watched it once. Considering that the Season 6 finale is essentially my platonic ideal of a perfect episode of television, that’s pretty great company for this hour to be in.
It was thrilling, awe-inspiring, heartbreaking, and deeply emotional, with great dialogue and fantastic character work. Brilliantly written, directed, and acted. It was everything I want from an episode of Game of Thrones and more.
Dany’s arrival to save Jon and the rest of the team is one of the most thrilling moments of the entire series, which made the turn into tragedy all the more gutwrenching. Viserion’s death was devastating, and rendered even more painful by the promise that was kept in the final scene when the Night King raised him again as his undead slave. But the light returned in the form of that Jon-Dany scene immediately preceding it, which is honestly one of the most beautiful and deeply affecting scenes that the show has ever done.
I don’t expect everyone to love it as much as I did, and I’m sure that the nitpicking knives will come out eventually, as they always do. But when I love something this much, those opinions matter even less to me than normal. You can only control your own feelings about something. And the feeling I got from the first viewing experience can never be taken away.
Hodors Bastard,
I’m still working on the Arya-Sansa stuff, too. I don’t know what to think about it.
Where did Rhaegal go?
Not liking this PsychoArya vs. WickedSansa. At all.
I thought there was supposed to be a polar bear white walker. Did I blink and miss it?
Jack Bauer 24,
Stop complaining, jeez. Drogon dodged that shit, Viserion was preoccupied with burning the wights and got hit lmao.
The dragons coming to save the day didn’t sruprise me, nor one being killed, I think theres been a lot of speculation about that . But BenJen!!!???
What if the Night King is the one giving everybody visions in the flames?
Melisandre thinks Stannis is TPTP. She leads him up to the North and gets all of his army killed all over the place. Fresh recruits when he gets past the wall.
The Hound has a vision that leads everyone into his trap and now he has a dragon.
firstone,
She didn’t see Sansa screaming because Yoren held her and told her not to look and then carried her away from there. She didn’t even see Ned being beheaded.
What? Ice dragon should breathe ice
Jack Bauer 24,
He has leveled up his Dexterity and learned to zig-zag
Tb350,
Beric and thoros?
I pledge allegiance to Alan Taylor…thank you! Those mountain and landscape shots were absolutely gorgeous!
Don’t know what to say, TB…… Thought this Sunday couldn’t get any better after such an episode, but this just tops it all off. That is incredibly nice of you!! Guess I’ll just cross my fingers for your luck in the draw and then we’ll see, if you get your well-deserved Braavos coin 🙂
OM(Cue Ser Bronn F–ing) G: Ok, here’s the deal HBO. If we have to wait what 2 years for the next and final series, could you at least do us the favor of arranging for theatrical screenings, in IMAX even. Ok, let me put it this way; thanks to HBO television has now made the movies obsolete.
It injured Thoros and Jorah killed it.
Big surprise to me … Dondarrion survives!
Jared,
I always love your commentary!! I think this episode was awesome as well. And this season in general has been really good.
Anyone else just skip JB24’s comments? Not worth reading.
firstone,
She’s trying to get Sansa to drop the selfish thoughts of being a Queen & be happy just being a Stark. Because if she was simply happy just being a Stark, she would have firmly shut down Lords Rhoyce & Glover last week like Lyanna Mormont would have done.
She would have been sent Baelish away. She should be leaning on Arya & Bran for advice & support. Not the Vale & Littlefinger. Arya is giving her tough love to scare her straight. We’ll see if Sansa turns to her family (Bran & Arya) & finally rid herself of Littlefinger or will she let Baelish twist her into turning on her family. I think she’ll choose family.
Hodors Bastard,
Hear hear!
Lady Lyanna Mormont for the iron throne!,
Polar bar wight was there, was scary. They took a while to it down.
Connor,
I love the freaking Night’s King. So much. <3
Jared,
I’m one with you! I enjoyed this episode tremendously. It went beyond my expectations. So glad I didn’t know what was about to go down (no pun intended; RIP Viserion, Thoros, Uncle Benjen).
Curious about the scene between Jon and Dany – what made her leave hastily? Her expression changed and then she pulled away her hand. My initial thought was that maybe she noticed Jon was staring at her longingly (as Tyrion told her) and hence it confirmed that Jon was in love with her? She seemed either panicked or upset about something. Not sure. Will definitely need a re-watch.
i just watched one of the best hours of tv show ..ever..of all time..
i screamed..i cried.. i cursed.. i turned into a puddle of goo
and i need Dany’s “winter” outft in my life.. like now
Am I supposed to understand what went on between Arya and Sansa in their last scene? Why did she had over the dagger?
And I’m heartbroken 😔 I muted the tv so I wouldn’t hear his screams.
Hound Dog,
🙂
How can any white walker raise the dead? Plus Beric said NK raised them all so why did those wights die when the walker died?
Haven’t finished the books, but could the Night King be Raegar looking out for his son Jon?
Viserion. 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁
Such a dark, melancholic episode.
Somehow his death affected me more than I expected. The way Rhaegal screamed and went flying down after him as he fell, as if to try to will him to fly up, and the way Drogon screamed when Viserion was hit, then V spilling blood, sliding on the ice, eyes closing and sliding into the water, was just heart-breaking.
The NK is a very powerful green seer, more powerful than Bran, I guess. He can see the past and present, and after he knew Bran was spying on him last episode, he set a trap for his own dragon. He wasn’t interested in Jon and the other humans, he was waiting, all ready with chains and arrows, for the dragons to arrive. 🙁
It was ironic that Tyrion (who I still believe to be a bastard Targ) was so cowardly when Daenerys was setting off with her dragons; so it’s only fitting that there are only two dragons left – Drogon and Rhaegal, Daenerys and Jon. All Tyrion wants is to know who will occupy the IT for the next 500 years. So, so sad! 🙁
The Raven’s Time Warp!
It’s just a jump to the left.
And then a step to the right.
With your wings on your side.
You bring your claws in tight.
But it’s the pelvic thrust
That drives you insane.
Let’s do the Time Warp again.
WF plot so bad. How can anyone care whats going on there after seeing what’s going on with the army of the dead?
Don’t understand how people didn’t see that the guys spent half a day, a whole night, then probably half a day again on that rock. Probably enough time for a raven to get to Dragonstone.
firstone,
Interesting idea, that would explain her coldness, lack of empathy so many have noticed. However no one has seen the actor playing Waif on set I expect not.
Surprised me too. His purpose is building…loved his words in this episode.
What were the faces Sansa pulled out?
I was certain Jon was going to get outa dodge on the back of Rhaegal.
My word what an episode, I thought Viserion was going to turn into a ice dragon the moment the spear hit him which would have been all the more shocking for Dany to see.
*IS* this show going to get a happy ending?? NK seems to always be one step ahead and, ya know, Valar Morghulis…
I’m wrecked, absolutely emotionally wrecked 😭
Yeah but any white walker can raise the dead?
An ice dragon! Gah! I soooo didn’t want it to be true! 😫
Jack Bauer 24,
No one heard the dragon wings …
In the noise, snarling and hand-to-hand combat of that battle ?
OH MY GOD
OH MY GOD
WTF WAS YHAT????????????????????
Whyyyyyyyyyyy
Okay
I am in LOVE WITH DAENERYS MORE THAN EVER
Jon survived
That’s what matters
I fucking called it during the episode
OH NY GOD SOMEBODY HELP ME
ISNWKAKKAJEMWKSLAA
The irony of Arya chastising Sansa for doing the Lannister’s bidding when she herself had also to serve a Lannister (Tywin) to survive, lol.
You’re doing it again, Jared – showing everyone how comments should look like, if you wish to interact with people and be respected by them. Great read once again, thanks! Would gladly have commented more, but it’s now 04:45 AM, so lights out and a couple of hours Zzzz-ing. Need to restitute after to much bacon and a mindblowing episode. Beyond The Wall goes beyond all my expectations… Just YES!
The Force is truly strong with Alan Taylor!
Jack Bauer 24,
2nd one looked like Walder Frey. The first one I couldn’t tell. Was it Meryn Trant? Or one of the Frey sons?
Interesting stuff,
Still dissecting but by and large I have enjoyed it
Very telling that Thoros died of hypothermia of all things while in the deep North!
I thought Tormund was a goner but thankfully not. Notice how that occurred right after his “lady waiting in Winterfell” was sent away…
The last scene in the cot is interesting and will be discussed I’m sure, for my part I take it in conjunction with last weeks “anulment” where there is one factor in Jons favour and then another in Dany’s favour this week. Of course, if they get married as co-rulers then Dany is indeed “Jons Queen” and Jon formally being before Dany is nullified as an issue
Dragon drowning in Ice needs to be considered as thematic. Same as Jon being “re-born” in the Ice, which reflects the BoB mound of bodies/Dany’s Mhysa Lion King moment but more specifically it is reminiscent of Dany at Drogons funeral Pyre
Indeed Jon would normally be a goner from hypothermia within minutes, so reckon this is where the magical Stark Ice blood seems to have come into play ala Dany with hot water in S1E1 and fire
In this case we have Viserion? dredged from the deep and “re-born” as an Ice Wight ala Funeral Pyre, but I reckon there’s more to it, eg Bran is full Stark/Ice and I reckon that if we consider the warged Ravens as Bran becomes more powerful he has the capacity to break the NK hold and control Ice Dragon
Tyrion’s storyline is really fantastic !
I greatly enjoyed the oscillation between his faith and his reason. He is slowly struggling with the realisation that while Daenerys is an astounding leader, she may not be the remarkable ruler he desperately wishes she were. He is trying to envision the future she is meant to embody and appears to be coming up empty, bless ‘im. No stability, no dynasty, no legacy, no replacement for the “wheel” once it is broken… The fear that the Mother of Dragons, his last chance at redemption (or so he believes), may go down in history as the Queen of the Ashes is haunting him and his political mind must be screaming at this. Great writing for a character who was fairly neglected last season !
Hound Dog,
Yep 🙂
The Night King made every other White Walker. That makes him every wight’s daddy or grandpa. Presumably they are saying if you kill him then they all go down.
What I Loved:
-Action and CGI top notch as usual
-Dany and Jon
-Hound getting bored and nailing WW with a rock
What I Liked:
-Some good conversations beyond the wall
What I Disliked:
What I Hated:
-Plot contrivances
-Arya and Sansa feud
I knew the rest of the season was going to be an uphill climb for me after the disastrous subplot of bringing the white walker to Cersei came into play. So this episode was kind of doomed from the start for me. It did have a lot of good conversations and great action, CGI and cinematography, but the same plot contrivances that dominated in the previous episode were also apparent in this one.
I also really hate the Sansa / Arya feud, even more so than I hated the Jon / Sansa feud. Sure, Sansa and Arya bickered back in S1 as young girls, but I never got the impression that the hatred / distrust ran this deep. So deep that Arya would hold that raven scroll against Sansa. Also, why would Sansa agree to send Brienne to King’s Landing? This is another example of a plot contrivance: stuff needs to happen so let’s force the issue with stupidity.
S7 has actually made me appreciate S6 quite a bit more. There were actually a bunch of things that I really loved in S6. In S7, there has been some good conversations and some good action and that’s about all. The show has lost the unique voice it once had that made me fall in love with it. The plotting and character arcs are now more along the lines of a network TV show or Marvel offering.
ramses,
And I’m heartbroken 😔 I muted the tv so I wouldn’t hear his screams.
I did , too, and I watched it on slo mo with frequent pauses and hands in front of my face. I always knew it was a possibility, because my friend theorized it as the worst thing that could happen, but it was so horrible, so horrible. And yet I must say that even in slo mo and muted, it looked so real, it all looked so real, what incredible technology and whatever, but then that is because the dragons are REAL, and I feel they are real and I am heartbroken. This episode was way too grim and too dark. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to watch it straight on.
ACME,
I agree! Tyrion’s dialogue and overall role as hand this season has been wonderful.
BACON, Dee…BACON works!!!!! 😀 Holy smokes that was Top 3 no doubt!
Can’t think straight anymore…Goodnight y’all!
Was that Harrenhal in the preview? Are they meeting Cersei at Harrenhal? If so…wow….wow.
This episode is putting me through so much. Damn Jon why do you have to be “the hero”. Jon is the cause of the dragon dying. The night creature (I refuse to call him king lol) is so ruthless. Dany saves the day but is heart broken in the end……I’m still watching so bare with me lol
Why did Arya give Sansa the dagger?
Still trying to figure out Winterfell, tricky to see who is playing and counter-playing who
Which I love, great to see some courtly intrigue. Can see some Arya hate coming but it all makes sense and is in keeping with the season 1 tension between the two. And if you’ve read the books and early AGoT in particular one would understand why Arya is inclined to be protective of and take Jons side over “Southron” Sansa
Dee Stark,
This is Dany’s season, for sure! And Emilia has been slaying it every episode. This could be the season she’d finally win an Emmy. Unfortunately for Lena, her best work/story arc was in the past seasons. She’s still incredible but she doesn’t have much to do now except to say “whatever comes our way, we will defeat it” again and again.
As for the male actors, I have a feeling Peter will have another chance to add an Emmy to his collection. He’s been superb as well.
Dead Dane Walking,
😱😱😱😱😱😱
Top episode for sure
Mary,
When Viserion slid back into the ice…it was truly heartbreaking. There was nothing going on in my brain to calm me down and remind me that it was CGI. This was one of our “characters” killed in a gruesome manner. It will rank among the other terribly sad deaths in this show.
Sam,
Emilia is slaying so muchhhhhhhhhhhhh
This is danys season for sure
My God I’m obsessed with her after tonight
Gaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh
Aside from the raven getting from Eastwatch to Dragonstone at Mach 3 it was a pretty amazing episode. I thought Tormund was a goner for sure and Jon seemed like he was absolutely finished as well. Thoros didn’t need to die. I wonder why they decided to off him. It would have been nice to see a little more emotion from Dany when her dragon went down but that was still an amazing sequence.
Jack Bauer 24,
This episode provided this important information. White walkers are like old school dungeons and dragons vampires, you kill a vampire and all his ghouls die, but if you kill the head vampire, all the vampires he made AND their ghouls die.
So basically kill the Night King and game over for them!
DireWolfHeart,
Oh my god, I thought the same thing. The Lich King has him now. So sad about Viserion! I’ve always favored Rhaegal but it’s still sad. I personally think it’s a little bit of a nod to Viserys going a bit mad but maybe that’s reaching a little too far.
Seems to me like the NK was ready. I believe this was meant to be. Besides, he didn’t throw the spear, the NK did. So sit down with that crap.
I just made the same comment to someone on the phone. I will never intentionally watch that scene again.
When the episode was over I woke my bird up, gave him kisses and whispered to him the Night King will never get you.
I’ll preface this by saying I’ve imbibed a decent amount of fingers of Jamesons…….but I think this episode was really nice on the surface, but there were too many flaws for my liking. Just felt off. I can’t put my finger (yes) on it…but it was too rushed, too shiny for my liking. Benjen turning up when he did, Gendry sending of a raven when he did, Dany coming when she did etc.
I don’t know, thoughts? I’ll need to rewatch and reevaluate. But…something just felt off about the pacing.
I think Arya is playing a game here. She’s going after Sansa in order to draw out LF. By giving Sansa the catspaw, she enabled Sansa to defend herself and take matters into her own hands…maybe…LF might be too sneaky though and Arya may need to intervene….(just spitballing).
…but why would Arya let Sansa know about the masks…?
Viserions screams
Danys heartbroken face
Those will live with me forever
WHYYYYYY
Jack Bauer 24,
Interesting, thanks!
I think Arya was demonstrating that there was no physical or political obstacle preventing her from killing Sansa, taking her face, and ruling Winterfell, but that she wouldn’t do it because Sansa is family. Essentially, “I could kill you and get away with it, but I won’t”. She was declaring her loyalty to the family, while also demanding the same from Sansa. At least, that was my interpretation of the scene.
I’m hoping that Sansa now starts thinking about Arya’s face changing powers, and how they might be useful for conspiring with Arya against Littlefinger.
I think Dany pulled away from Jon at the end of that scene only because she was overwhelmed at the intensity of the emotions that she was feeling. Who could blame her? It’s clear at this point that she’s in love with Jon – if the looks that she was giving him last episode weren’t enough evidence of that, the fact that she dropped everything and went north to save him speaks to that truth. But until this point, I don’t know if she truly understood the depths of Jon’s feelings for her – he may have been giving her longing looks, but he’s generally been far more reserved in their interactions. With the exception of the cave scene in Episode 4, he’s always made sure to address her formally. But in that scene in the cabin, he wasn’t hiding anything from her. The way that he was staring at her was unspeakably intense.
Dany and Jon have fallen for one another hard and fast. And to complicate things even further, Dany just witnessed the death of one of her children. It would be a lot to process for anyone. Hell, it was a lot to process for me, and I was just watching it!
Hodors Bastard,
Pretty sure that’s what’s left of the Dragonpit
Emilia deserves an Emmy win for her work this season. Her best season by far. And I never thought she was bad by any means, she was just a novice thrown in with juggernaughts. But now she can act toe-to-toe with Dinklage and other wonderful actors and it’s glorious to see.
I think Dany was more hurt by the thought of Jon dying than Viserion actually dying. When Jon went in the lake, she looked even more devasted than when Viserion went in. And she lingered at the top of the wall waiting for Jon.
ACME,
I agree!! this was ALMOST old style Tyrion.. shows he still has one of the best political minds in Westeros. Everything he said was on point and were things Dany needed to hear even if she didnt want to hear them
Boy more Christopher Nolan style zippy t do da time twisting !
(and some Buñuel-Dali-Andalusian Dog with the Arya-Sansa story.)
But I love it! I give this episode a 10.
IKR?? Silly California film makers.
But this is continuity error. First of all can any white walker raise the dead? Other white walkers have died and the wights didn’t go down.
I think Arya’s turning the dagger over to Sansa was maybe her way of saying, “You know what has to be done…. ” about Littlefinger and putting Sansa’s loyalty on notice.
Think there was a night etc passage of time
Did love that Ice Bear though, a nod to the one mentioned at Fist fo the First Men in the books perhaps.
Felt sorry for the nameless scout mind
Thoros then getting healed by the flaming sword fire wasn’t something I expected!
That’s exactly what I took away from it as well. There is also a great understanding between the two of them about war and sacrifice. I thought that Kit and Emilia really delivered in that scene. I loved it!
1. Can someone explain Sansa’s justification for sending away Brienne?
2. Was the “invitation” from KL a ruse?
3. What happened to Sansa’s admission to Brienne early in S6 that she shouldn’t have rejected Brienne, and screwed up by choosing to stay with WeaselFinger?
4. Can Arya really “read” Sansa’s mind and tell that she wants to be Queen in the North and essentially depose Jon?
5. Are we back to Sansa “I won the BoB” Stark?
Oh? Ok. I guess it makes sense that Cersei won’t leave the confines of KL. Have we ever seen the infamous Dragonpit before?
Anyone else absolutely love the jawless pirate looking CGI skelly that first crossed the frozen water after the rock was thrown at him? Just everything about that particular skelly was just perfect. All the little personality the animators gave him was tremendous.
What’s even more heartbreaking is Dany or Drogon will have to kill Viserion eventually since he is turned. Viserion will have to die twice over 😓
I thought it was obvious that was always the case
Maybe the killed WW’s didn’t raise the Wights in their immediate vicinity, or the Wights were re-animated by other WW’s in the area
I figured the difference was that rather one by one like normal WW’s the NK skill was that he could raise many at once Hardhome style
Think of the difference in 3-eyed Raven skill between Bran and Bloodraven
Tell me about it! I didn’t use to like Sansa before, but I find her very relatable this season. She’s trying to be a good leader. Little Miss Assassin Arya, revenge-mad and obsessed, is simply unbearable. Just wait till she knows her beloved Jon is a Targaryen who has bent the knee to Daenerys Targaryen – be interesting to see if she turns on him next. Also, no interest whatsoever in the com in winter or what’s beyond the Wall. As long as she gets her way, which is revenge for past events.
If you prefer only to read positive reviews of episodes, tonight mine might not be for you. Because I’m about to vent like never before. (If you did enjoy the episode, I’m glad. Don’t like me spoil your fun).
I’ve never hated a Game of Thrones episode. I love the show and I think it’s the best thing ever to air on TV. But I’m sad to say that I despised Beyond the Wall. I may not even rewatch it again I found it so eye-rollingly bad. Story, acting, dialogue, the whole kit-and-kaboodle. UGHHHHH.
I mean, after last week I thought the entire mission beyond the wall was the dumbest plot device ever because it also made no sense (“Hey y’all, let’s stop the war so we can convince Cercei dead men are coming,”) but was willing to entertain the idea and see where it went. It went way worse than I’d even imagined. And not just for the characters. For us.
I thought the dialogue, especially during the long walk to nowhere looking for a straggler dead person, was mostly uninspiring.
Jon: “Here Jorah, take your dad’s sword.
Jorah: “Nah, I’m a shameful person, you keep it.”
Ser Beric: “Hey Jon, you don’t look like your dad.”
Gendry,” Waah, I wanted to be one of you brothers, but the Red witch put leeches on my thing!” (I love Gendry but gosh this was whiny).
The only decent scene there was Tormund and The Hound. Thank the gods for the Hound.
Jon looked like the adult version of that little kid from the Addams Family. Goth Beyond the Wall!
I thought Gendry running all the way to the wall, a raven flying to Dragonstone, and Dany flying all the way back in time to save the men was patently absurd. It’s like they were laughing at us when writing the script, “these fans think Varys had a jetpack last season? Let’s just beam up a Dany and dragon!”
I thought the “battle” scene was slow and uninspired. In the background I could see “living” characters standing around looking bored and confused, like movie extras asking “where’s lunch”?
I thought characters made stupid, nonsensical choices. Stop! Wait, no, run! Fall back! You know, onto the rock we were already standing on! And why didn’t BenJen jump in the back of the horse. In the time he said, “there’s no time” he could have been on the freaking horse.
I think Arya the weirdo serial killer is just sad. The cute, industrious little girl has become a one-note psycho. My expectations for her character were so much higher. That she would be smart and clever, and use her training Braavos in interesting cool ways, not lurking around acting like a 10 year old menacing Sansa. Is this supposed to be suspenseful? Do either of these characters have a purpose anymore?
Brienne’s heading to Kings Landing. Because when calling up the heads of houses, leaders usually send their bodyguard. Um, Sansa, send Lyanna Mormont. Or what’s his name from The Vale (not Robyn, he’s off picking his nose, not Littlefinger, he just talks and talks and frankly no one cares anymore). Send the head of one of your bannermen houses. That’s what a normal person would do.
But no, D&D wanted Brienne in Kings Landing. Because Jaime can’t make the decision to kick Cercei to the curb without encouragement from another woman he might want to take to bed, right? Uh, too simplistic! GRRM would never write something so obvious. This is all D&D.
I don’t find the romance between Dany and Jon to be genuine at all. Every piece of dialogue around it seems utterly contrived. Especially dumb stuff like Tyrion saying, “oh Dany, Jon stares at you and loves you, tee hee.”
“My queen”? Seriously? Jon what painkillers did they give you? You’re going to “bend the knee” now? Bending the knee is the new jumping the shark.
The only good part was the dragon turning into a white walker. I cried when he died and cheered when he came back. maybe i’ll root for the White Walkers now. The Night King is kinda hot.
Still, I’m disappointed we won’t get the three dragon riders. Unless Tyrion or Jon get’s turned too. That would be rad.
My only consolation is that Jeremy Podeswa has us covered next week. A girl can hope.
Gendry tagline:
I run, and I row things.
SO MUCH TO SAY
But this is just about the Night King.
Let’s recap shall we?
He can bring winter, he can punch the ground and cause an earthquake, throw a spear like a champ, touch Bran in visions and probably see visions himself, raise the dead in large mobs, create white walkers from Craster’s boys oh AND DRAGONS!
Also the waiting they were doing? That was a trap right? He knew Dany would come. I think he knew. I think he wanted exactly what he got-because he could have killed them and he didn’t.
Then again I could be wrong about everything. His little zombies were waiting for the ice to freeze and only attacked after the Hound threw a rock.
Also? I still don’t think Benjen is dead lol
He’s got obsidian in his heart just like NK and he’s Jon’s uncle and a Stark. I think he’ll want to keep him around.
No idea why Sansa told Brienne just last season she shouldn’t have rejected her for LF and now has sent her to KL with LF still there.
Ten Bears,
Sending away Brienne is going to make Littlefinger even more careless. Without her guard over Sansa I’ll reckon he’ll become more careless in his attempts to divide the Starks. And like she said in the episode, she needs to send an Emissary that she can trust and is capable of embarking on the trek to the South. Who better than the person sworn to her.
Sam,
Good Point but weren’t Sansa’s screams loud?
It still seems too forced to me and maybe it’s Arya’s plan to get Littlefinger
I hope D&D talk about Arya and Sansa in the after the episode video clip!
Ol’ Nunkle Benjen blue eyes!
No, it’s the
To show her she trusted her. She handed her the dagger and turned her back on her.
I think she was more fearful about her own feelings for Jon. I don’t think she expected to fall for him.
My theory on Sansa sending Brienne to King’s Landing is that after her conversation with Littlefinger, where he states that Brienne could help her “take care” of Arya if she needed it, Sansa found a reason to send Brienne away. I think no matter what issues she and Arya are having, she will choose her family and she didn’t appreciate Baelish threatening her sister. I wish Bran would just tune in to Littlefinger and expose him to Sansa and Arya so there stops being someone there solely to stir the pot between them.
Jack Bauer 24,
IMO She was telling her if she wanted to kill her she would have done it already. They are still sisters. Of course she’s also telling her she doesn’t really need the dagger to kill her but I saw it that she is just telling Sansa the truth It is the game of faces after all. But did you catch that Sansa ignored LF and sent Brienne away.
“The Lone Wolf dies. But the pack survives…”
Do you think that’s Sansa talking shit to Arya next episode…?! I can’t make much sense of this Arya/Sansa thing. Someone suggested that it’s possible tough love from Arya, which I hope is true but…I just can’t tell.
Overall, I liked the episode and it has some incredible, unforgetable events but…yeah, the increased travel speeds were distractingly noticeable for me.
But you know what really sucks? The fact that a lot of the fan theories and rumors that I’ve tried to avoid are coming to pass and I realize that I really, really prefer to be surprised by all this and I haven’t been.
Ghost’s Lunch,
• Tyrion bringing up naming a successor >>= Danny naming Jon her heir ?
• Q: Will North disavow Jon when they learn he’s “bent the knee”?
thisgirlhasnoname,
I hate him calling her “Dany.” It just didn’t ring true.
“Love is the death of duty.”
Aemon Targaryan
This! Exactly my thoughts. Arya is making Sansa come to terms with her feelings, especially about not being chosen as the QITN. (In the last episode, Arya astutely guessed that Sansa’s been thinking about that.) I don’t see anything wrong with Sansa feeling resentful of not being the queen. That’s understandable. After all, she truly believed Jon didn’t win the BOTB, she did (her own words). And perhaps Arya wants Sansa to realize that no matter what, winter is here and this is the time for her to choose family over her ambition, for all of them to unite… for the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives.
Initially, I was thinking it was the other way round but it may have to do with preventing LF and Sansa “disposing” of Arya
I think this may be a trick though to lull LF into a false sense of security, very conspicuous by his absence in all this is Bran, who I suspect is monitoring the situation?
Don’t think Arya is “reading Sansa’s mind”, she asks questions and probes and then reads her facial expressions to detect if she’s lying or not
Brienne will presumably catch the boat back with Jon. Of course the irony of “not having heard from him in weeks” is odd as Jon could have easily sent a Raven from Eastwatch but anyway…
Not if Bran wargs him away from the Knight King. Here is hoping…
Did anyone else think that the first face in Arya’s bag looked like Maester Wolkan?
Very interesting interview with Alan Taylor re this episode, and moving forward (no spoilers)
Jack Bauer 24,
I do not see any errors with this. How many times have we seen Wights get killed? Sam killed one, Jon killed one and again tonight.
If you you ever played Dungeons and Dragons its an easy and cool concept. Tonight’s episode provided Wights and Walkers are the same as Vampires and Ghouls, same rules. Kill a ghouls maker and the ghoul dies, but if you kill the head vampire of the nest all other vampires it made and their ghouls die.
mariamb,
<>
I think maybe she saw he had been stabbed through the heart, among all his more recent wounds.
The Tormund “pride” line was disappointing, if Mance has knelt his influence over Wildings would have been lost and it was pointless
Of course thematically not too hard to pick on top of the Cave talk it relates to Jon bending the knee arc
Dee Stark,
Dee, I haven’t scrolled through all the comments, will do so tomorrow. You think this was a great epi? Creme de la creme?
Genuinely asking
thisgirlhasnoname,
We all knew it was setting us up for his eventually bending the knee because, of course. The wonderful all powerful Daenerys attracts the love of all men who spend time with her lol
You’re as obsessed of her as Jon is! 😀 Our boy is smitten. Didn’t know this romance will happen before the season started. Totally unexpected but I’m on board now. LOL!
Kay,
Arya was just saying out loud what many fans have been thinking about Sansa in the first seasons.
There is a deep theme there though, even with the Winterfell stuff eg “breaking the wheel” and all the rest of it, which relates to people choosing their rulers and a differing political structure
I’ve never been a Jon/Dany shipper but I think I might be coming around. It’s painfully obvious that they have feelings for each other. The only question now is will they (or more specifically, Jon) find out his true parentage BEFORE or AFTER they bone? Cuz it’s gonna happen.
Dany was just as distraught by the idea of Jon dying as she was Viserion. Speaking of Viserion…well damn. That hurt. Like many others, I expected a dragon to go down, but not like that. I have to agree with everyone who mentioned that the Night King is a greenseer like Bran. He was ready for the dragons.
I have no idea WTF is happening at Winterfell. I can’t tell who’s playing who or what’s happening. Mostly I just need Littlefinger to die.
Great episode!
I was wondering what was going to happen to the dragon. That damn night creature turned him into a white. Arya is so freaking dangerous. I love it lol. This episode was sooooooo good. Omg!!!!!
Amen to that. I am thoroughly exasperated with this manufactured conflict. It feels like the writers are just giving the actresses some busywork. They’re doing their best with bad dialogue, but I’m seriously running out of patience with it. It makes no sense.
And poor Peter Dinklage is being wasted again this season.
ash,
Waif wouldn’t have recognized Nymeria.
Quite the rollercoaster, this episode was ! An epic mix of utterly fantastic moments and the odd touches of laughable nuttery ^^
I loved, loved, loved the interactions between Arya and Sansa. In a way, both sisters are extremists but on opposite ends of the spectrum. Sansa seems entirely turned to the future (what new strategy to adopt, what army to fight the next battle with, etc.), to the point of dismissing the past entirely and missing out on crucial elements and lessons from it. She runs away from the past for understandable if, at times, less than noble reasons. Conversely, Arya is devoted to the past, almost stuck in it. Every single one of her chunks of dialogue contained a reference to bygone days and people (Ned celebrating her archery, his execution, her “lie detector” training with the Faceless Men, etc.) as if she were either unwilling or unable to separate herself from those memories.
I particularly admired how the writers managed to indicate once again that, underneath this future-past philosophical divide and beyond the political arguments, the conflict between the sisters is rooted in profound personal resentment. Arya’s quick allusion to Septa Mordane’s punishment for her bad handwriting when commenting on Sansa’s pretty cursives was superb in this regard. While seemingly irrelevant, it was in fact a remarkable reminder of the bitterness the younger Stark girl has always felt as a result of being made to feel “lesser than” her “perfect lady” of a sister. The blinding effect that feeling has on Arya is illustrated by the fact that she remembers the pretty dress and sophisticated hairstyle Sansa wore on the day of Ned’s beheading but appears not to recall her sister’s screams of agony and protest when Joffrey passed the sentence… That lack of recollection was rather telling ! And so was Arya’s subtly disdainful exclusion of Sansa from the Ned-approved family portrait : the patriarch used to watch over his children in the courtyard but his elder daughter was never there, too busy embroidering indoors. Ned never clapped for Sansa or smiled down on her so she is, according to Arya, not a Stark. I loved it !
Sansa’s reaction to all of this was equally fascinating. She is terrified by what she believes her sister is capable of (finding human faces in a loved one’s satchel is bound to be a perplexing experience) and determined to stick to a political frame of mind (how to sort this out without losing however few and conditional supports House Stark has). I liked that she called the Northern lords weather vanes (yep, that’s exactly what they are ^^), that she understands most of them have no real desire to sacrifice their lives and that she realises the role popular perception plays in rulership. I am also quite glad she sent Brienne to King’s Landing instead of going herself; it appears that at least someone in Westeros knows what ambassadors and emissaries are for ! ^^
Sidenote : Arya gave the dagger to Sansa… I have no idea why she did it but I understand where the writers are, very unsubtly, going with this 😛
Speaking of which, Littefinger (^^)… I am puzzled by his endgame, here. He poured gasoline onto the fire of Arya’s resentment and suspicion and basically turned her into a threat so that he could encourage Sansa to use Brienne as a shield, knowing the Maid of Tarth has the ability to fight and possibly kill Arya. So he seems to want the younger Stark sister out of the picture, a strategy that fits with whatever little we can guess of his overall priorities. However, there is the Cersei component… Sansa stated, rightfully so I believe, that the Lioness would be thrilled to know that she and her sister are fighting and we know that Baelish is the one ensuring that they do. Are we therefore to believe he is the queen’s agent ? The invitation to King’s Landing is particularly odd in this context : if Baelish works for Cersei, why not just wait for Arya to kill Sansa (since the queen is so keen on getting her head) and then have Arya killed by Brienne as punishment ? Why did he tell Sansa to stay close to Brienne since he knows the Maid of Tarth dislikes him intensely and can actually protect Sansa from Arya if it comes to it ?
And now that Sansa has sent Brienne away without telling her of Arya’s threat, what is Littlefinger’s plan ? Again, it is easy to see where this is going but I have little to no idea of how we are going to get there… It is exciting !
The North ! The meaty part of the episode, where both the most fantastic and the most ludicrous elements of the episode collided happily 😉
Let’s get the ludicrous out of the way : a heartfelt farewell to all the Brotherhood’s Red Shirts who gave their lives so the characters whose names we know could survive (seriously, the only named characters who died were Thoros and Benjen ^^), Gendry, the guy who had never even seen snow before showing up at the Wall, is apparently the fastest snowrunner in the team for some reason; Jon should have died of hypothermia several times over; Benjen has a radar that helps him detect his endangered nephews in a 100-mile radius; and the “killing the creator = killing the creatures” strategy (really ?!) On a different but slightly related note, I was left a tiny bit surprised by Daenerys’s reaction, or lack thereof, at the death of one of her dragons. I understand that the situation was intense and she still had a lot to do so she may have been overwhelmed to the point of catatonia however the show has a history of mothers witnessing their children’s demise (Catelyn and Cersei come to mind) and their reactions were on another level entirely so Daenerys’s relative passivity took me by surprise.
Onto the awesome now ! I loved that this whole battle was basically a supernatural version of the Battle of the Bastards ! A underprepared and underequipped band of frenemies (Wildlings + Westerosis) led by Jon got surrounded by much stronger and more numerous troops (the Boltons / the Wights) while their chief with piercing blue eyes watched from afar (Ramsay / the Night’s King); the day was saved by a woman’s bewinged reinforcements (the Falcons of the Vale / the dragons) showing up at the eleventh hour; the Big Bad killed a “giant” (Wun Wun / one of the Dragons) with a pointy thing; Jon took a big gulp of air after being drowned (in people / in water), etc. The writers and director obviously realised how much acclaim the Battle of the Bastards received and they decided to do it all over again, but bigger and with dragons. And now, even a zombie dragon (damn that Night’s King is a smart cookie ^^)
I appreciated all the little conversations between the guys. Jon offering Long Claw back to Jorah was a beautiful and noble moment; the two Fire Wights discussing the purpose of their resurrection was intriguing if devoid of answers; the Hound and Tormund’s talk about Brienne and the appeal of ginger people made me laugh like the silly girl that I am. 😀
That being said, the common thread linking most of those discussions was a genuinely potent and moving one, indeed many of the conversations revolved around the line between bravery and stupidity (or drunkenness in Thoros’s cases ^^), between heroism and foolishness. That line does exist and I applaud the show for mentioning it ! We all cheer for characters who fight no matter what. We cannot help but admire and cheer when Jon unsheathes his sword to face off a whole cavalry of a hord of Wights. We want our heroes undaunted and willing to sacrifice their lives for the “cause”, even if it lost. Especially if it lost, dare I say. As Cyrano would assert : “What do you say ? It’s useless ? I know ! But we do not fight in the hope of success! No! no, it’s much more beautiful when it’s useless” There is no doubt it is more beautiful, more romantic. But it is neither very sound nor very long-lasting. Not very ruler-like, as Tyrion would suggest it. Leaders and rulers are decidedly very different creatures. Even Tormund noticed it 😉
I cannot wait for next week’s resolution…
LF has made Sansa think that in the event she decides to kill Arya, Brienne would defend her. Thus Brienne has to be moved out of the way in case that becomes necessary. In other words, Sansa is still stupid.
Sansa is still stupid.
She can’t read her mind, but she can read her facial expressions for tells. Making it seem like she can read her mind is like making it seem like a lie detector can really detect lies. It helps if the person you are trying to convince of this is stupid.
Yes, Sansa is still stupid.
Was that Rhaegal flying around when Jon came in? I could be off-base with this, but did it seem like Rhaegal was maybe looking for Jon when he was riding back through the forest? I know he’d be restless after his brother died, but Drogon wasn’t also being restless. It just seemed like Rhaegal was waiting for someone rather than venting his dragon sadness.
Also, I am already getting annoyed with people saying how convenient the one wight didn’t die. If the Night King is smart, he would make sure each scouting party had one of HIS wights in it. That way he’d be alerted to any issues they ran into (if them killing the walker wasn’t warning enough). Maybe they are doing the Night King a favor taking that wight to Kings Landing…
Jack Bauer 24,
(What’s even more heartbreaking is Dany or Drogon will have to kill Viserion eventually since he is turned. Viserion will have to die twice over >>
I am really really hoping hard as I can that Bran is able to somehow turn Viserion back to life. If Beric and Jon can be revived, why not a dragon? Don’t reply if you disagree, take pity on me, I’m so devastated I need to cling to a little false hope.
firstone,
The did. Check it out…
https://youtu.be/qUMGGy8fsHg
Tron79,
But why did Sansa send Brienne away?
Also, why on earth would Brienne advise Sansa to go to KL? Cersei wants Sansa’s head on a pike (spike ?). I doubt the WF crew know about Olenna’s confession
rhymeswithweak,
LOL! Nice.
1. I think she’s worried that Brienne will take Arya’s side if the conflict between them continues (or at least I think that’s what Littlefinger was trying to make her worry about). I think Littlefinger wants Brienne out of the picture, and convinced Sansa to send her away.
2. Not sure
3. I think she still thinks she needs Littlefinger’s help, both to keep the Vale, and also potentially to deal with Arya if she becomes a problem. I’m hoping she starts considering other options not that she knows about Arya’s faces. They don’t really need Littlefinger to keep the Vale…only his face.
4. I think Arya’s “read” of Sansa is not necessarily wrong, but Sansa is conflicted, so I don’t think she’s actively trying to depose Jon, just that the idea is in her head and she can’t quite get rid of it. I think it’s more a matter of, if the northern lords abandoned Jon and declared her queen, she would accept it. She is also actively trying to earn their loyalty, which isn’t a bad thing in itself, but it does make the scenario of them abandoning Jon in favor of her more likely.
5. Not sure
IGN gave the episode a 6.9
LOL
Ghost’s Lunch,
I think with what we saw this episode that the LoL and the NK are in cahoots. Leading the hound to arrowhead mountain so that the NK could get a dragon.
Jack Bauer 24,
You know, I thought Rhaegal still looking for his bff was the saddest thing ever.
Very interesting interview with Alan Taylor re this episode, and moving forward (no spoilers)
Tyrellgal_,
Ah no, that would be the white walker.
This series never ceases to amaze. I don’t know how they continually up their episodes. I have never experienced a series that continually raises the bar. How many times have I watched this show and said it can’t get any better? And it does ! I can’t imagine another series in my lifetime that could match this show.
I’m on vacation to see the eclipse and I just want to watch this again lol! My hosts are not into GOT, sadly.
Wow! What a episode! Ha..Where are the people saying that ‘Dany was becoming the mad queen’ now? I love that this episode was like a big slap in their faces, not only dany was the hero once again (everyone could’ve died if it wasn’t for her), she also proved again that she isn’t selfish or ‘hungry power’ (as the antis like to say), and she will always follow what her heart says. Tyrion pratically begged for her to not go, he said it could be dangerous and she could die. But she didn’t listen. She knew she had to go. She knew they needed her help and she did put herself at risk and her children to help them. This is why she will always be my favorite!
R.I.P Viserion! I knew it was coming..but nothing made me prepared for that. That scene was a lot graphic..even more than Oberyn’s death in S4..wow. You could see how Dany was shocked. She couldn’t believe her eyes.. And Jon..come on! I like you, but Seriously! He was a little stupid there. Tho i think at first he tried to give the others time but he was still too dumb there. NK was literally watching them. And drogon screaming..ugh. One of the most saddest deaths on the show.
Jon and Dany scene at the end was the BEST one for me so far. Danys vulnerability, jon so in love, dany saying that they will fight together, jon pledging loyalty and calling her ‘my queen’ and dany.. But i have to add something.. I think their feelings for each other are growing since they met. In this episode we just had a BIG afirmation that they are in love. Jon a little more in that end scene but mostly because dany just lost viserion..
Dany trusts him enough to break her strong and serious front to be vulnerable with him after losing one of her dragons. She also confides in him her inability to have children and they both end up comforting each other after such a traumatic event; the two of them have a much deeper emotional connection than with any of their past lovers. With all the parallels from season 1 till now with their characters, they’re actual equals, and both have LITERALLY met their match.
The only bad part about this episode was the entire Winterfell plot. Ugh..That scene with Arya and Sansa was like watching a horror movie..that was bizarre!
Next week season finale already..oh boy, i’m not ready!!
I think their feelings for each other are growing since they met. In this episode we just had a BIG afirmation that they are in love. Jon a little more in that end scene but mostly because dany just lost viserion..But Dany for sure felt the intensity of the moment, and i think she also remembered what tyrion said about Jon being in love with her..
Connor,
“… and those chains, where did they come from?”
Hardhome Depot?
I think their feelings for each other are growing since they met. In this episode we just had a BIG afirmation that they are in love. Jon a little more in that end scene but mostly because dany just lost viserion..But Dany for sure felt the intensity of the moment, and i think she also remembered what tyrion said about Jon being in love with her.
Jared,
“But the light returned in the form of that Jon-Dany scene immediately preceding it, which is honestly one of the most beautiful and deeply affecting scenes that the show has ever done.”
I wholeheartedly concur! That scene made me cry. Emilia Clarke has really done a great and fine job this season. The music in this little scene, I call the Jon and Dany love theme. It seems an invention on the title theme of the show and is really appropriate to the situation. I’ve waited so long to seen Jon and Dany set off the sparks and are they evermore doing so this season. Love, love, love!
Kay,
Very interesting. The NK may have been laying a trap. But if so, then he knowd the end game no?
1-She trust her more then anyone else..plus i think, a part of her didnt want Brienne around IF it came to a show down with Ayra (that she thought she had a chance of winning)
2-I am not sure.. it smells like one, and I wouldnt put it past Cersie. If i remember correctly Cersie knows Jon is with Dany and Dragonstone so there would be no need to invite Sansa with Jon already there. Sansa was smart to send someone else in her place
3-she didnt “reject” Brienne..she sent her on an important misson. She doesnt trust Littlefinger. the only reason they had there little “chat” was because she couldnt go to anyone else about that letter.
4-No, because Sansa actually was not thinking that. Ayra just THINKS she is thinking because the only Sansa ayra knows would have been.
5- Sansa said nothing that wasnt true. Jon HAD lost the battle, Ramsey had him beat…until the Vale army arrived. (the hows and whys and when and shoulda woulda coulda’s belong to another discussion)
Agree. i’m expecting both (Emilia and Kit) to get nominations for the emmys next year. When Viserion’s died we could see how shocked Dany was!! She couldnt believe her eyes. Then later with jon we could see her breaking entirely about viserion. Emilia was spot on.
Why would she ignore him and send Brienne away though after just last season she told Brienne she shouldn’t have done that to begin with?
Firannion,
Thank you
Arya is being protective,
People have to go back to Season 1 when Sansa is carrying on about being a Queen, wanting to get out of Winterfell and adopting Southron hairstyles etc.
Arya doesen’t feel Sansa’s heart is in the North. And i was hoping she would throw back at Sansa about how she kept the Vale forces a secret so Arya’s right to probe whether Sansa is playing games or not
As for Jon “bending the knee”, there’s an issue where Jon is and always has been a synthesis chracter, and he’s gone from uniting North and Wildlings to the point where he is now uniting North and South and this seems to involve having Dany as “his Queen” which cryptically can also signify “alongside” her as opposed to “beneath her”.
Also worth considering the custom of “bending the knee” when proposing marriage. Dany did mention her brother in that scene etc
Though of course as a political marriage it re-unites the Kingdom of the North with the rest of the 7 Kingdoms ala bringing Dorne into the fold historically and more recently LF and Lysa Arryn bringing the Vale back into the fold post-Wo5K
Michelle,
The Night King must be clairvoyant. How else would he just so happen to have industrial strength chains laying around big and long enough to pull a dragon corpse out of the water ?
Jack Bauer 24,
probably to prove that she could do something against her if she wanted, but she won’t.
The “dynasty talk” this season has been interesting, eg Cersei and Jaimie didn’t think there’d be any more children given that “Cersei is old” as QoT put it, so there is hope
As for MMD, the way it is spoken sounds like end of time but “Mountains blowing in the wind” etc can relate cryptically to contemporary events and there’s speculation Dany may be able to become pregnant again
Yes to everything you said. Emilia and Kit has had great chemistry from the start but it was only in the last episode that they sold this budding romance to me. 🙂 Their last scene this episode was very moving.
IGN is a joke. There rating of TV shows is all over the place.
After reading a bunch of other comments, looks like I’m distinctly in the minority with my opinion on this episode. Maybe something small early on put a bee in my bonnet and I watched the rest with a jaded eye.
I’m thinking Arya was “reading” Sansa the entire time and that’s why she ended up giving her the knife. She passed the “truth test” in Arya’s eyes.
I also think LF had Sansa send Brienne away so that Arya had no protection should he be able to convince Sansa that she’s too wild and dangerous to stay in Winterfell (or alive for that matter).
I was surprisingly moved by Dany and Jon, and how sorry and sad he was to see how heartbroken she was. He really did blame himself. It was a bit cheesy to have him call her Dany, as he has no reason to believe she has that nickname, and would not likely address her like that unless she asked him too. But cheesy in a cute way. Her sadness was palpable.
Too bad Dany didn’t take out the NK when she first got there. He and his buddies move so slow and deliberate that he’d still be pulling the spear out of the ice when they got fried.
Minor nitpick. I’d have liked the dragon simply crashing and dying rather than sinking, but I suppose it’s not as dramatic. I was surprised by the chains. Were they shown before or immediately after anywhere? I missed it if they were. It implies they forge iron or what? Where did it come from? And wights can’t swim so I assume they drop into the water and work on the bottom like Navy master divers tying off the chains on the dragon? And then “live” forever underwater just sitting on the bottom? Oh well.
I was willing Sandor to help Thoros but he just couldn’t. I thought he was going to use Thoros flaming sword and kill that bear, but he failed. That would have made a hell of a visual to see that sword light up for him. At some point he will have to conquer that phobia.
9/10 Gold dragons.
Ten Bears,
With respect to sending brienne away, i thought it had to do with sansa understanding some of LF’s plotting and wanting to take brienne off the board (eg if brienne suspected a threat from arya dark results would happen with either brieene or arya dying). She obviosly thinks she can handle arya. We will have to see how they resolve this.
Jon: ‘People will come to see you for what you are.’
Dany: ‘I hope I deserve it’
Jon: ‘You do’
Dany critics: ‘No, no, noooooooooo!’
Have to say, I’ve complained in previous seasons about Emilia Clarke’s monotonous acting but now I’ve come to a realization that was more of a script/directorial issue than acting. She’s finally been given the chance to show her emotions/vulnerability and she’s absolutely killed it.
Absolutely beautiful to watch Dany and Jon together. I mean, people surrounding them expect leadership and heroism from them so much so that they have been forced to always wear this steely exterior. But when they are with each other, they can cast away that facade and just connect on a basic human level-show their fears, the self-doubts and raw emotions.
Hands down the best, most meaningful and realistic love story in the story. I hope they both survive the war.
On a sidenote, its gotta suck for Kit: Jon always finds himself a damsel-in-distress in need of rescuing 😀
Mary,
“I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to watch it straight on.”
That’s it! This is how I’ll be able to fall asleep tonight.
The Bastard,
I agree. And I believe Terri Schwartz is biased because many of her theories and predictions for the show have been absolutely false and misguided. I’m all for embracing the criticisms of this episode, as there was quite a few, but many of her points in the review felt very…. loaded with a venom. Especially considering now all of sudden she has a huge issue with the teleporting when that’s been rampant all season lol.
DireWolf Lvr,
Could have gotten the chains from anywhere, like Hardhome. Any sea port could have anchor chains. Not inconceivable for them to have gotten chains from somewhere.
“But these business decisions are hurting the story, and plot holes are starting to show. For example, where is Theon? He arrived at Dragonstone two episodes ago hoping to speak with Daenerys about rescuing Yara, and presumably has still just been sitting around during the two episodes since when she’s flown to Dragonstone and away again. Also, if the wights all drown in the water, how did they get chains around Viserion to get it out? On that note, where did the chains even come from? And where is Bran at Winterfell?”
None of that is false. Where is Theon? Bran? Yara? Euron? Where did they get the chains and how did the wights get in the water to chain Viserion in the first place?
This was IGN’s lowest rates episode of the series.
Mary,
Bran warged into the Giant wight. There is no reason why he can’t warg into Viserion.
Oddly enough I felt bad for the wights this episode. Twice.
Once after the group captured the wight and it screamed out, then again when the hound was throwing rocks like a petulant child. 😄
WTF is wrong with me.
Really liked the Daenerys-Jon conversation in the boat. Some thoughts on them from Alan Taylor, and from GRRM from way back:
http://deadline.com/2017/08/game-of-thrones-spoilers-recap-kit-harington-emilia-clarke-alan-taylor-beyond-the-wall-season-7-hbo-1202152264/
funny!!
The preview of the finale was awesome. I loved the suspension of words until the very end when Jon speaks of the Great War.
mariamb,
My favorite scene was of course Dany arriving on Drogon and the 3 dragons blasting through those fuckers while Jon and the others looked on in awe, poor Viserion they made his death hurt, and where Dany looks back for Jon and then seeing the NK realizes she gotta book.
ygritte,
But the Lord of Light merely showed Sandor that the Army of the Dead (thousands of them) were near the arrowhead-shaped mountain. The LoL didn’t come up with the questionable “plan” to send out 7-10 guys to try to kidnap one of the thousands of wights.
Run Gendry run!
This was the next to last episode this season, which traditionally on Game of Thrones delivers a punch and stirs emotions- Baelor, Blackwater, Rains of Castamere, Watchers on the Wall, Dance of Dragons, Battle of the Bastards – but this episode did not. From the teleportation, which at this point is too ridiculous to ignore, to the absurd character development and storylines (Arya becoming a downright psychopath who even threatens her sister for no logical reason), I feel as if the show is just sprinting to a finish and the writing be damned.
With the exception of the conversations between Jon and his party while hunting a single wight, an enormously stupid idea which could have cost all of their lives, and did cost the life of a dragon which will now be used against them, this episode was laced with too much absurdity to enjoy.
My hope is that this season’s finale will redeem the last and the final season will be exceptional.
This is in my top 5. The Magnificent 7 lived up to their name, the Others lived up to theirs, the rumoured death of Viserion and resurrection as an ice dragon was so moving. Thoros died a good death, and the Hound was perfect. The Winterfell scenes were fine IMO because the girls’ plan to off LF is coming to fruition, but also because they got to exchange experiences as well. The Dany-Tyrion chat was very interesting and may have all sorts of ramifications. I think Dany may like Jon a bit 🙂
They also made the wight look like he had some awareness of his predicament, which was strange. When they encircled him, instead of attacking one of them mindlessly like they all appear to do, he jumped and turned like a anyone cornered would do. Not sure if they meant to give that impression or not. Same with the one that got his jaw knocked of with the rock. He saw the next rock not sink and then took it upon himself to tentatively begin the charge.
So Jon and Dany are on a boat all next episode? Do they not go to KL?
selena,
Re #2: I thought the “ruse”, i.e. fake invitation to KL, might have been fabricated by Sansa
Ooo, that does sound interesting! My 12-year-old would have said she’s ancient because she says my hippie music is from the BCs. But she didn’t discuss ancient astronaut theories, just the exodus from Egypt, her experiences in space, and the eclipse.
So did the NK see the “Field of Fire” battle via visions in order to construct and have his own “scorpion” ready to go for the Viserion kill? Is the NK hitchhiking onto Bran’s visions now? Why was I hoping that Big V, being a magic dragon, would be somehow resistant to the NK’s undead charms? That chain was most jarring too…such blacksmiths these dead things are! Seems like they can swim deep too! They’ve learned that since Hardhome.
Come on, Bran, get those warg powers in shape! Tap into that mental mute freak from the north! Distract him!
Just about to start watching the second airing on HBO. I chose not to watch on HBO Go between airings this week so I could read comments. 🙂
Love the episode. Only thing I wanted added that I had hoped for was a little talk by the Fellowship about Arya to Jon. Oh well.
Still hoping this Arya/Sansa arc is wrapped up in the finale so we can get “cool Arya” back. 😛
Stop asking fucking stupid questions! Its a fantasy show – Get a life!
DireWolf Lvr,
Yes! The wight displayed panic when encircled and captured.
You’re right, the question is whether it was a intentional departure from their usual behaviors.
It is really really really really really stupid to hate on the Arya/Sansa storyline without seeing the endgame next episode. It was very obvious that something was being set up.
Flew back to Dragonstone with Drogon, Dany and others! Any more stupid questions?
I have never literally clapped for anything on tv until tonight. What an episode!
Aww, thank you! Annie Pooh (my 14-year-old) and I watched the DVRed episode starting at fifty minutes into the live feed, once we got home. And I’m catching up now in the thread. I won’t be sleeping much tonight and then up early for more eclipse festivities! I can sleep Tuesday.
Theon showing up looking for Dany 2 episodes ago and still not speaking with her is terrible
Well, Bronn is a secret merman.
I have a feeling this is going to be a very liked episode due to the action. I viewed the writing as utterly atrocious if I’m to be honest. And I actually have defended Benioff and Weiss this season with the writing complaints. But this one is terrible. There are inconsistencies everywhere, pacing issues everywhere. And the Jon and Dany scenes felt like a soap opera. The buff male hero protagonist shirtless in a hospital bed professing his love for the hot female protagonist who sits bedside. It’s like watching General Hospital.
Vincent Stark,
OMG you’re so right!
Ten Bears,
I;m wondering if we’re not suppose to believe that they were on their way to breach the Wall and they were going to use the chains. As to how they have chains, I think it could be reasoned that the wight Giants had chains before their transformation and the NK was just using them. They were for the Wall, but found to be useful for pulling Viserion out of the water.
Okay I need to watch it again. I’m all over the place.
Beyond the Wall
First of all, I was glad for all the guys talking-it’s what I want when you get so many long-lived connected characters together-though Gendry didn’t come off in the best light lol
The Hound and Tormund were the favorites I knew they would be. And Tormund wants to make babies with Brienne and sees the Hound’s sad eyes! Gotta love that guy.
I saw what was happening with Jorah and Jon. Bonding over Jeor and-did you notice Jorah was staying close to Jon during the battle? Like almost protecting him? I kind of feel like that’s going to be important. (I did wonder why Jon never offered that sword to Lady Lyanna…but she probably would have taken it)
And The Hound freezing with that blazing zombie bear and Thoros saving him…then dying… alas, poor Thoros. I would have sworn he and Beric would go out together like the Sundance/Cassidy bromance they were.
Winterfell
I was dreading Arya and Sansa and LF and while the sharing was really well done I’m upset at Arya’s direction. It doesn’t make a lot of sense unless it’s a plan OR Sansa really does want to be queen and is planning a coup and Arya’s seeing more than we are.
I know a part of Sansa wants that, and she made that clear again with her whole I saved everyone thing and you couldn’t survive what I did and don’t show these guys that letter bit etc.
But I also know she’s smarter than that now, especially about LF, just like I know Arya is more observant and insightful from her training. All that training from Syrio to FM.
I’m also noticing we haven’t seen Bran at all-when he could really impart some wisdom here.
It feels like a trap for LF…but then it doesn’t. I go back and forth. Sending Brienne and Pod away-was it to stop LF from using her? To get her to stop bugging Sansa about LF? What? (from a selfish standpoint I was just excited she was going to see Jaime again and hoping she knocks him over the head and drags him to the good side)
Seriously though Bran could clear all this up with one sentence.
Back Beyond Wall
(I’m totally ignoring Gendry, who has never seen snow, running back to the Wall and ringing Dany. And the fact that there was this slow motion tear at my heart Tormund psyche out. And the fact that Jon somehow survived in the water that long and Long Claw was just conveniently sitting right beside the hole for him when he came back.)
Let’s talk about that moment Jon got that look on his face. That BoB look and that awesome music. Like-Shit, here I am. About to die again. But then something in his expression changed and he ducked. Did he sense the dragons before they got there? Does he hear them the way Dany does? I say yes, he’s just not sure what it is yet. But I’ll have to watch it again.
Also yes, the other dragons screaming for Viserion tore me up. Also seeing Tormund, Jorah and everyone on the back of Drogon was amazing. Sadly, the only person who didn’t fly a dragon? Jon friggin Targaryen Snow. However, Rhaegal was looking for him while Dany was-which I noticed.
Boat
Wow. They turned up the heat, didn’t they? While I disagree with Jon bending the knee, I’m all for the hand squeezing-eye seduction thing going on. I also noticed they were mentioning her not being able to have children multiple times this episode so guess what? Sexy eyes + mention of royal line equals an Al Green Song of Ice and Fire (let’s get it oooon) which will lead to babies.
And I don’t even care that she’s his aunt. It’s not like the guy has had that much happiness and he has to fight the Night King. Give him a break.
Rough draft review: So fast now that everything is foreshadowing, timing seems a bit too speedy and some holes are left in the story that we’re supposed to assume were filled in offstage (like seriously Jorah has NO reaction? He’s seeing dead people. Nothing? You just had complete faith that there were zombies? Why? And how did Beric know the NK made everyone? He’d never seen him before. I miss the Hound and Arya’s slow journey through the Riverlands where I understood what was going on)
BUT...I still loved it. *shrugs* Jon is fantastic. Hound is fantastic. I want to have Tormund’s babies. Davos, even his short stint as caretaker-is so the father figure and I adore him. Dany finally saw the truth-of the NK, of Jon’s knife to the heart and Jon’s heart. I’m really scared about the dragon named after Dany’s awful brother (which we were conveniently reminded of via Dany’s chat about not being called Dany) being an ice dragon.
FYI I think Cersei would side with the NK just for that.
Very exciting stuff. Very sad there’s only one more episode. Here’s hoping we see Ghost and Bran-and one of the Starks has a plan to kill LF. Ooh, maybe that’s why Sansa sent Brienne away? She does have the dagger now. Wishful thinking?
Godamn…this series is giving me heart murmurs and gray hairs….Fuuuuuuuuuck! So much for 3 Targaryens riding three dragons…now that bastard has one!!!! Why need the Horn Of Joramun?
I still need to calm my nerves before properly being able to process what I saw!
I think Jon bent the knee because Dany just made the ultimate sacrifice in the War for the Dawn. She lost a dragon trying to save people… There is no doubting her commitment to the cause now. She’s all in. And if Dany had said she’d commit to the War for the Dawn when they first met, Jon would have bent the knee. He knows the NK is all that matters. And now his Queen does too.
Yes Jack, they tool around on a boat for the entire episode. All that shit is going to happen at KL and they won’t be there. That shot of Jon at the Dragonpit isn’t him but Arya… Somehow she gets his face but he’s still alive. >.>
—————-
On that note, when will people quit with the “is Arya really the waif” shit? It doesn’t make any sense.
Yes, upon second viewing and on a TV screen this time, I’m loving that scene between them. Emilia is really surprising me in a good way this season most especially this episode. Guys the finale looks lit! Everybody together in the dragon pit. I can’t wait to see their first looks at each other. I like how they show Jon arriving flanked by Dothraki guards.
mariamb,
My thought is that those “spears” are really their icicle swords. So yeah, of course, they’d have swords with them. I could be wrong, but they look just like the sword that the first WW was fighting Jon with, minus the straw-like tassels that were added.
Hahaha!
We know (esp. from Episode 3) that Bran can see all the past and what’s happening in the present. Not the future. I am not sure what the NK’s powers are, but in this episode, he really seemed to be waiting for more than a day for Daenerys and her dragons to arrive. And he had his ice spear and chains all ready. So yes, he may know the end game! 😀
Yes, indeed! A lot of people complained that EC can’t act (it was one of the favorite topics for many ASOIF fans), but she was so extremely different in the earlier seasons than IRL, that she had to have had very specific directions. Imperious, stoic and stern.
IKR? The back is exactly like the dragonbacks!!!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/zays14ebdnzs2cg/DragonCoat.png?dl=0
Man, in my novel-length post I forgot to mention
The Hound is taking the wight to KL.
I repeat.
The Hound will be in KL
So will the zombie Mountain
*whispers* hype?
(Plus Brienne and Jaime)
I’m pretty sure this last episode will be one for the books.
Is Theon not in the finale?
Ginevra,
Loved it.
Jack Bauer 24,
Easy. The first spear was a surprise. Once they knew it was a factor, Dany and Drogon himself were more watchful and swerved
It’s a spear, not a heat seeking drone. Swerve works.
I thought the same. Since when do Wights have any sentience?
In show-canon, dragonglass kills wights in addition to White Walkers, but not so in book-canon.
Jack Bauer 24,
For fucks sake! I just don’t believe all this crap you are posting! Have you got shit for brains? Do you ever actually take in/understand what you see on GoT?
Those faces were some Arya took from the HoB&W in Braavos and one was from Walder Frey that she used to impersonate him back in S7ep1 to fool the Frey household into drinking a toast with poisoned wine and killing them all.
But who had dragon glass weapons? Gebdry’s hammer isn’t .
oohh, interesting!
I’m trying to decide if knowing (only from last weeks preview) that there would be a battle/encounter between Jon & Co. and WW made it less exciting than say Hardhome, where the action came out of nowhere. Of course we knew same for BotB and it was still very compelling. Something felt off, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Beautiful cinematography, and this show has really been made with Movie quality. The dragons showing up was a little cliche but was the most exciting part for me. Very sad to see one go down, but intrigued by the possibilities of ice dragon. Still, I can’t shake the feeling that something feels off. I liked the episode, but can’t say it was best ever (or close).
I guess I just don’t understand why Jon & Co. are going North of the Wall in the first place. It just feels like the entire Cersei/Danny story completely changed direction last week. What is the motivation or point of the mission? Even if it is successful, which it looks to be mostly, what can it hope to achieve? What relevance does it have to the build up of the Cersei/Dany war? Everyone is going to hit the pause button and go fight the NK?
Maybe I’m just having a hard time with a great production but an unclear/nonsensical story/plot.
Sorry if I am dragging you down 🙁 I wanted to love this episode as much as many of you seem to have.
P. S. I’m frustrated at the snails pace of Arya/Sansa story. I trust it will have a purpose and I’ll probably look back and think it was great.
P. P. S. love the comments re Winter Olympics featuring NK vs Gendry! Lol 😂
Too many questions.
You only need 30 seconds to watch the next episode preview.
Jon goes to Kingslanding along with Tyrion, Unsullied, Dothraki, etc.
Dany is most likely around.. either with somewhat surprise entrance
or when shit happens then that’s time she will appear
Princessmara,
Whew, glad to hear I’m not alone.
Drogon rolled. Viserion didn’t because Viserion wasn’t expecting the shot.
Jack Bauer 24,
On the preview the guy on shore that falls to his knees bu a boat is Theon
Yeah. Agree with both sentiments. I’m feeling the love now AND I really think next episode is going to be insane. As long as no one I like dies *she says naively*
Jack Bauer 24,
I got the impression that Sansa realized Littlefinger is targeting Brienne and she is trying to keep her & Pod safe. Sansa was definitely playing LF to find out what he’s thinking & what his intentions were with digging up the letter Arya found.
Yeah and aside from that, can I remind you Jack Bauer 24 that you are watching a fantasy show?
I wonder if Qyburn’s dragon scorpion will be used – with a dragonglass arrow – to ultimately bring down Wight-Viserion?
With so much talk of Daenerys not being able to have children, she’s definitely going to be pregnant with a Trag baby next season. 🙂
Funny, after the episode I asked my sister, “What was that? An old Days of our Lives re-run?”
Sansa trusts LF now? Go ahead, defend it.
Arya found something from LF and doesn’t stop to consider for one second that LF is to blame after she was at HARRENHALL WITH HE AND TYWIN TALKING ABOUT ROBB!
They didn’t earn the character trope subversion with the writing for the Arya/Sansa stuff. The stuff with all the dudes north of the wall was some of my favorite dialog ever. The Sansa/Arya stuff was as bad as Dorne.
I hope they can right that ship.
Jack Bauer 24,
Which is probably why the Hound put the hammer down and went to the dragonglass daggers instead.
I think a lot of people are vary after the fiasco of last season’s episode 7 and 8. At the end of episode 7, most people were sure that Arya had a plan all along, there were numerous theories floating around, that there was more to her plan than obviously and jauntily roaming the streets of Braavos with her hands held behind her back. But ultimately, what we saw was what we got. There was no set-up, no plan, nothing. It was just Arya being stupid. It’s understandable to assume the same is happening this season as well.
I’m going with this-because otherwise nothing makes sense. Sansa is working with Bran to brush up on what LF is up to and she’s going to kill him. Or get him cornered via Ghost (I just want to see Ghost) and then kill him.
I like it. Make it so.
Aegon the Icedragon,
Jon’s words could be taken another way if you think about it. Dany had already told Jon the dragons are her children. This time she repeats it but says “Do you understand?” He, as a king, is calling her “His queen” and says would bend the knee if he could, making us all think he’s swearing fealty but what if he meant as a proposal and what passed between them was an understanding of marriage?
Loved Jon. Loved Dany. Not sure this budding romance is working though. Now I did love the scene in which Dany, on Drogon, holds her hand out and Jon almost takes it but something about their dialogue at the end felt very constrained. I hope the writers start putting a little more work and thought into their interactions next season. I did enjoy the episode overall! The convos beyond the wall were fantastic!
Shut up, Arya.
But, while I’m at it, why send Brienne away? And why be such a bitch about it?
This is what happens when you let Starks run things. Jon (still a Stark) makes moronic plans. Sansa sends away protectors. Arya runs like a bull in the wrong direction and Bran doesn’t tell anyone anything useful.
Morons
Accepted. Both of these things are happening. 🙂
Ten Bears,
They also had to kill Octopus to tie the chains
Sansa doesn’t know LF planted the scroll.
RG,
I’m loving the new found friendship between them. I love that Jorah was the one yelling out Jon’s name when they were atop Drogon. It will be nice when/if Jorah realizes it was Jon’s most trusted buddy in the world whom he sent to the Citadel that cured him 🙂
The “capture-a-wight” plot is perilously close to shark-jumping territory for everyone at my watch party. There were things to love about this ep, if you could stop rolling your eyes long enough.
RG,
Yes-I absolutely thought Sansa was intentionally removing a piece from the game.
Damn is Jorah hot, though. 😍 Killing that wight bear. *fans self* May wanna hold on a little tighter to ol Drogon though, thanks Tormund!
Arya has no patience for this shit and will get things done, because she has no time for this crap. Go girl!!!
Hound plucking Tormund from the wights like he weighed 20 pounds, lol. Despite thinking he’s completely bonkers about Brienne, haha!
Hound bonking a rock off the wight’s head, calling him a dumb cunt, and inadvertently starting the battle. Lol. Poor guy still cannot deal with fire.
I’ve seen people pointing out that Longclaw’s wolf had it’s eye closed when Jon was underwater, then opened when he emerged. It does look like it, but I’m not sure if it isn’t just a clever trick of the light.
I thought it was a little strange that they didn’t notice Thoros and weren’t more huddled together. Though I’m willing to bet he died of shock as well as cold, even though he was climbing a mountain with a bear bite. Jorah and Thoros’ conversation, Jorah and Jon (talking about kids, wink), Tormund and Sandor…all really good.
Right? I feel like we all love Jorah for his love and loyalty. If he approves of Jon that’s pretty significant. Both as LC Mormont’s son and Dany’s most loyal hopelessly loving servant/mentor/friendzoned hot guy.
I can’t believe Beric was left alive after this episode. I can only think that he is sharing some storyline purpose with Uncle Benjen.
Me, too! Why did Sansa send Brienne and Pod away if she’s worried about her safety? The only thing I could figure is that Sansa is contemplating taking out Arya and didn’t want Brienne, who is sworn to protect Arya, to get in her way. But the thought of Sansa killing Arya seems rather preposterous. I hope we get some Sansa resolution in the final episode!
ygritte,
Interesting. Let me think on that for a moment.
This episode was a mess. Emilia Kit Sophie and maisie gave career best performances but the writing dragged it all down.
I’ve not caught up, yet, but I’m going to drop these videos in here.
Inside the Episode
orange,
Lol, that’s how I viewed it first time I saw that scene when the episode leaked, like watching Days of our lives not Game of thrones. But I think that’s because we don’t really get any truly touching romantic scenes so it really seemed out of place. However, on second viewing days later I was able to accept it for what it is. A departure from the norm yes, but a necessary one if we are to fall in love with these two special people falling in love:)
Seeing the Hound hammer through the ice next to the island, I couldn’t help but wonder why they didn’t spend their overnight time making a moat in the ice around the island. Yes, the wights probably would have still gotten through, but they wouldn’t have been able to attack with the same speed and numbers.
The Frozen Lake
Cast Commentary
All the best lines in the episode in here, except for the excerpt of what Sansa says to Arya about being thankful she saved the day.
orange,
I think its a bit silly to expect extravagance when it comes to love. Its simple by nature. There was nothing ‘soap opera-ish’ about that scene, if you ask me. It was a powerful moment where Jon and Dany finally come to see a bit of themselves in each other.
Dany risked her life and those of her children–sacrificing one in the process–to save Jon and co. No other character ( expect Jon, obviously ) would do something like that for other people. That realization hit Jon. Him being shirtless was for a similar reason, Dany had to see his stab wounds, she had to see it to believe it. And now they know.
Henry Gordon,
the whole point was an ice dragon and the greatest pointless meeting ever next week. which i am totally on board with.
And i give the show credit for incorporating GRRM’s “never drown” fakeout. now i just need my favorite drownees to show. (lsh and patchface:)
Ten Bears,
I think Sansa sent Brienne away because she understood that Littlefinger was planning to use Brienne’s sense of honor to serve his own purposes. There was that conversation that explicitly dealt with Brienne being forced to choose between the two daughters of Catelyn Stark; next thing we know, Sansa is sending her on an errand for her (Sansa’s) own purposes. Not a coincidence. Littlefinger was planning to use Brienne as a pawn and Sansa put a stop to it.
Ginevra,
Thank you! Love these guys.
Arya implied she stole them from the FM in Braavos.
Ten Bears,
No he didn’t you’re right. Tyrion is in cahoots with the NK! No, I think it’s more that the NK is connected to Bran, is a green seer (or whatever it’s called)so knows the future and knew dragons would arrive and the clue to precisely when was given away when Bran sent those ravens to spy.
ygritte,
That was my first understanding of that scene, actually. Only on the second watch did I think, “Oh wait, maybe he’s just swearing fealty.” Totally took it as a marriage proposal. (Maybe I’m just secretly a romantic, though.)
This episode made up (to me) for the last one, which I hated. Loved the conflict between Arya and Sansa, and loved Sansa telling Arya that Jon lost the battle of the bastards, which she won for him. Of course she kept mum about keeping the Vale a secret from Jon, and contributing to his loss. Sansa is growing up.
Loved the banter among the wight hunters.
The Northern bits were gorgeous in black and white. The Night King had to get a dragon. Dany is overpowered, and the reps of pure evil deserve their own beastie to even things out a bit. Had Dany aimed at the Night King and his knights to begin with, she could have ended the war right there; that all the wights a Walker raises fall with him is a huge chink in their defense.
ygritte,
So was Dany pulling her hand away a subtle hint that she maybe wasn’t ready to commit just yet? And who clenched who’s hand the first time they tried to separate? First time Dany pulled away. Second time did Jon clench and not let go and then subtly propose rather than bend the knee?
Excellent, excellent, excellent! And yes, I thought Sansa would from the beginning realize the value in Arya’s assassin abilities, but perhaps she will very soon. One can hope.
Why do you think Sansa sent Brienne and Pod away? That one really has me stumped!
Because the showrunners needed some excuse to get Brienne to Kings Landing to set up some Jaime scene. No other reason. Because even if Sansa couldn’t go, she would send the head of one of the minor houses to represent the North.
Question
Do you think Dany remembered the Wall once she saw it? From the house of the undying vision? Remember? Burned up throne room that led to walking north of the wall? ooh which led to her seeing Drogo and ghost baby.
Exactly. And Jon has been dodging conversations about his death since the day the two of them met. It was only a matter of time until he wouldn’t be able to do that anymore, and I thought this was the perfect moment to put him in that position.
Ginevra,
Thanks for the videos, again!! Loved the cast commentaries where you can see the red ears and noses of the actors in their interviews – burrrr! – it must have been cold in Iceland! I love this group of actors and it is always good to hear their comments.
WorfWWorfington,
Like👍
I couldn’t agree more.
Once you get past the creepy factor I can see that. 🙂 I like it
Are we sure about this? There were dragon flames blazing near The Night King’s feet and he literally walked over it before showing us his javelin skills.
ramses,
The handing over of a blade hilt-first is a symbol of swearing fealty. This is what Alys Karstark and Ned Umber did in the first episode. I think it’s Arya’s way of saying, “Whatever skills I have are at your service,” and the actual, physical handing over the dagger is a way of telling Sansa she needs to take the decision in hand herself.
Not sure why so many people seem to be down on this episode. I thought it was as good as any episode this season. And I’ve been liking this season a lot.
My thought on Sansa sending Brienne away is that she wanted to keep her or Arya (or Sansa) from getting killed. As she said, she doesn’t know Arya anymore, so she doesn’t know what she’ll do. And if Arya does make a move, or things get violent between them for some other reason, Brienne would be honor-bound to intervene. One of them could possibly end up getting killed or badly hurt. So Sansa sent her away to avoid that.
BranTheBlessed,
i wanted this experiment as well as the rest! can’t show it all i guess.
Aegon the Icedragon,
I’m also wondering what made her pull her hand away but maybe it doesn’t mean anything more than she’s got a lot to process right now and wants to be alone. She had grabbed his the second time around and then they show her slightly trying to pull away and he grasps a little tighter and then just lays there looking at her. Maybe she felt he desired her at that moment and knew its not the right time for that hence telling him he should be resting instead 🙂
Someone upthread said the big axe and the spear (Tormund and the Hound, I think) were dragonglass. Jorah had a dragonglass knife he pulled out, I think. And Jon and Beric and Thoros didn’t need dragonglass because they had dragonsteel and fire.
This makes the most sense to me. Other comments / theories sound plausible too, but I can really see this interpretation of why Sansa sent Brienne away. I think Sansa and Arya will be “ok” but they still need to talk some more and find out what is driving each other, they are making too many assumptions about each other. Bran could be helpful here, even without his 3ER powers, just as a brother! Oh well, what family doesn’t have it ups and downs!
It’s because this Arya/ Sansa conflict is so contrived. In what world would Arya hurt Sansa or vice versa at all? Have we not been in their heads the last 7 seasons?
And if this is some big trap for Littlefinger, then these private scenes between just the 2 of them is suppose to be what? Do they know LF is watching them on some camera so their putting this act on? This is bad story telling just for the final “surprise” scene for LF (like we expect it to be).
Henry Gordon,
It definitely seems too dumb for especially Jon to consider doing with only those few men given that he’s seen it all firsthand. Was he so sure he can’t be killed or was he okay with the idea that if he died then warning everyone was good enough to get them through the long night without any more of his leadership.
So what does The Lord of Light want?
Same as all of us: CLEGANEBOWL CONFIRMED! GET HYPEEE!
🐶 v. ⛰
✔💯
Yep, that really sucked, but I imagine that could have been a Mark Mylod problem. I can’t believe they had him back this season.
There it is. lol
Henry Gordon! How’ve you been? How’s Mrs. Gordon?
But the purpose of Brienne intervening in a sibling dispute would be to PREVENT either sister from harming the other.
How does sending Brienne away protect anyone from getting killed or badly hurt ?
No Sansa does not trust Littlefinger. She’s said it many times. However Sansa has become a true player in the game and it’s now “fighting every batttle in her mind”
As soon as Littlefinger mentioned Brienne and having her ” honor bound to intercede” you can see Sansa’s face lit up now knowing that Littlefinger is settting it up.
We’ll see next episode whose got the Ace in the hole
ash,
I also thought Arya might be the Waif when Arya arrived at the gate of Winterfell and the two guards said the Lady of Winterfell is Lord of Winterfell and Arya asked “Which lady of Winterfell? Arya should know immediately that Sansa would be the Lady of Winterfell.
Who’s knows? Season 8 will have lots of answers that I can’t wait to see.
Sam,
This season I really grow to appreciate Nikolaj acting, he´s so good this season, it’s a shame he has weak plot lines since season 4.
I wonder if next year some actors/actresses are going to compete in the lead actor/actress category instead in the supporting category like always.
I’m almost positive that book-canon (if not show-canon) has established that fire won’t kill the White Walkers. We didn’t know about dragonfire since dragonglass and dragonsteel do. I don’t think we got definitive answers this episode on that, but I could be wrong. Dragonfire seems too easy for the WWs, though, but sufficient for the wights.
LatrineDiggerBrian,
It will be interesting to see what season 7 scenes make the 100 best Game of Thrones scenes… so far I can’t think of many but I am looking forward to seeing what other people’s opinion is.
The scene with Dany leaving DS was weird. Rhaegal and Viserion were on the left and right and Drogon was forefront but then all of sudden Dany is on the right climbing Drogon even though Viserion was there.
firstone,
there’s a couple arya/waif bells ringing for me. I still feel like “arya’s” last scene with “jaqen” was off somehow.
Then of course arya pledges allegiance to sansa by the end of this ep so idk maybe it is arya and she’s just like this now.
Damn. Jon – and Tormund – both experienced the nightmare at Hardhome. In what universe could “To Catch a Wight” be considered a viable plan?
(Not to mention Tyrion was already batting 0.000 on clever plans this season.)
https://twitter.com/JamesHibberd/status/899507598730436609
This is bizarre
*sigh* Arya is NOT the waif! Gawd I hate the first person that put that silly idea out there to begin with.
So if Arya is the Waif where’s Arya?
Edit: Double post
ghost of winterfell:
I think a lot of people are vary after the fiasco of last season’s episode 7 and 8. At the end of episode 7, most people were sure that Arya had a plan all along, there were numerous theories floating around, that there was more to her plan It was just Arya being stupid. It’s understandable to assume the same is happening this season as well.
The connection is that Arya learned patience and strategising in Braavos, alluded to by re-use of the Braavos music. Arya even alludes to the Waif’s death to Sansa. The only fiasco was from the severity of Arya’s wounds and the Terminator chase after what seemed little recuperation time. These were the director’s fault (Maisie asked him to tone down the chase!) . But Arya’s plan was nigh flawless. D&D think we remember how smart and innovative Arya is, so they don’t spell out her moves for us. With clever, stealthy people like Arya, Varys and of course Littlefinger, they only leave clues. So viewers are often surprised/perplexed. I was surprised. But re-watching her scenes from Ep 6 – 8 s few times made the plan clear:
In Braavos, once Arya spared Lady Crane, she had to find a way to leave the FM without reprisal. She knew the Waif well–an experienced, masterful fighter who wanted her dead and was prone to overconfidence. So Arya used that insight to gain advantage over her. Most fans forget a key short scene In Ep 6. After Arya gets Needle, we see her in a small dark room with one candle. After a minute she blows it out. This symbolizes her plan, which no doubt includes everything that happens afterwards, probably even that she might be wounded. She lured the Waif by her ostentatious behaviour and waited on that bridge so she could escape into the water. And if she needed patching up, she’d go to Lady Crane. The Waif would be cocky whenever she tried again, so Arya would be able to lure her into that room and snuff out the candle and the Waif. Arya drank from the HoB&W Healing Well, then added the Waif’s face to the Wall. Jaqen let her go. Game, set, match to Arya.
In Winterfell, Arya and Sansa both want to get rid of Littlefinger while minimising the danger he poses. They don’t entirely trust one another (which comes out), but seem to be working together anyway. There’s a plan, to which their odd conversations and especially the dagger exchange are the clearest clues. For their dangerous gamble to work, since Sansa knows him well, she acts to lull him into believing he’s in control and getting his way. Arya may be doing the same thing with the spy v spy ploy. Inevitably, once the Arya threat seems real to LF, Sansa consults him about what to do. She’d never bring that bounder in on a family matter, so she must be playing him. Unsurprisingly, he broaches the idea of eliminating Arya, which would make him safer as well. (D&D cruelly want us to worry that one sister might kill the other.) No doubt next week the trap will be sprung and LF will die. I do hope they’ve teamed up to play him together, because despite all their differences, they are Starks. Result: She-wolves 1; Mockingbird–nil.
Jack Bauer 24,
*IF* the waif is wearing arya’s face, arya died in that unlit room.
“Goddammit we want a zombie polar bear!” 😂😂😂
Tuonela,
Ah- I am going to Burning Man too!
Ginevra,
Yeah, it’d be too easy. I don’t think the Night King is Dany’s to kill, Jon will be the one who gets the 1 v 1 and kills him. An undead man slaying the King of the dead. Poetic. Only GRRM’s genius can come up with stuff like this.
And the waif cut her own face off and hung in the HoBaW. Nevermind that the faces used by the FM need to bond to the wearer’s own skin… and for some reason knows ALL of Arya’s memories, is recognized by her direwolf, only goes after the people Arya wants to kill, Bran believes she’s Arya, and she cares about Sansa betraying Jon.
Sansa and Arya are genuinely in conflict – it’s not an act. Arya is genuinely suspicious of Sansa and Sansa is genuinely threatened by Arya. She may still not trust LF and have other plans of her own to flush him out, but she’s actually quite worried by Arya. Arya offers the dagger to Sansa as a way of implying, ‘I don’t need this to kill you’. There’s no hidden symbolism behind it.
It’s not being clever – it is what it seems. Now, you can debate whether you are okay with that story line or think it’s unbelievable, but that’s it. That’s all there is.
Clob,
imo that isn’t that much more far fetched than arya’s current plot where she just wants to menace Sansa for a Jon relationship. seems extremely petty.
Anyone know why Sansa would not have sent Arya to KL to represent the family if she was so afraid of her. Makes no sense. Arya would also have got her shot at Cirsei so she would have gone without question.
Whether you enjoyed this episode or not is going to come down to how much plot contrivance and lack of logic you can swallow. It certainly has a lot of things in it which you’re just being expected to suspend a huge amount of disbelief for in return for some crowd pleasing moments or ongoing plot necessities. Some people are willing to accommodate a lot more than others so I would expect opinions to be mixed.
I enjoyed it a lot and have probably watched it about four times since it leaked and replayed some scenes a number of scenes too. It’s hugely enjoyable, but I willingly accept there’s a lot of silliness I’m meant to swallow. I wouldn’t waste my time trying to bend double with feats of the imagination to try and make sense of these issues though.
One thing I’ve mentioned on the Quarantine thread before now is that I think Jon should have run towards the NK rather than back to Drogon when he shouted “leave!”.
There’s a look on his face when Viserion goes down and he turns around which seems to beg for this and it would nicely foreshadow the inevitable confrontation between these two characters while making Jon’s apparent death seem more like a sacrifice for everyone else.
Perhaps he could have thrown something at the NK just as the latter was about to throw the spear and this would explain why the second one missed.
I don’t know – I think this would have enhanced Jon’s character and perhaps affected Dany in a way which enhances the scene where they talk on the boat.
The ‘Dany’ line was a bit forced but I’m alright with it. As I’ve said before, they’ve had four episodes so far to try and convince us of what will inevitably be the most important romance in the story. That alone is asking too much so I expect some cock ups.
Yeah, I enjoyed it despite its failings – like this whole season so far actually.
Arya is not beholden to serve Sansa.
Plus, they all just got back home. Sansa is doing her best to never leave the grounds again, and I doubt she’d be willing to send any of her remaining siblings to KL where Cersei could get her hands on them.
Even if her brother is one with the all-seeing trees, her cousin/other brother is a recently deceased zombie fighter and her sister carries human faces in a briefcase.
lol
mariamb,
Jon and Dany have been on remarkably similar journeys throughout the series – the thematic and narrative parallels between the two have always been evident (and often conveyed by some strikingly similar visual imagery). They were always primed to understand one another, and after going through such a monumental and traumatic shared experience, it makes sense that they would draw closer than ever. Kit and Emilia are selling their bond beautifully.
Pigeon,
Its a Feudal society and Sansa is defacto ruler of the north. Arya is beholden to Sansa as She would be to Jon if he was there.
Sansa keeping Arya and sending Brienne away shows me that maybe the wolf pack sisters are plotting to take out LF and want Brienne out of the way as She is to honorable for what they are about to do?
I’m pretty sure, that Sansa sending away Brienne is exactly what Littlefinger wanted her to do. He successfully managed to manipulate both Stark sisters. Sansa learnt alot in the last few years but when it comes to playing the game she isn’t on the same level as LF yet.
I hope that in the next episode Sansa will find out, that LF is behind all this and make him pay for it.
Stark Raven’ Rad,
I wish I could see some indication the sisters are conning LF. All I see is the two of them acting foolishly and getting conned by LF.
Ginevra,
Fine, thanks, and happy to find you & other familiar faces holding down the fort. The lovely Mrs. Gordon is, as one might expect, absolutely lovely. A full recovery from her recent girls’ weekend is expected.
Sam,
You are right; it is quite impossible to predict how someone would react under duress. After all, Honourable Ned Stark bowed to King Robert’s will and killed Lady when he was asked to. Furthermore, he lied through his teeth twice (including once for twenty years) to avoid loved ones of his getting killed or hurt…
As Tormund observed about Mance Rayder, there is a point past which defending one’s “pride” is just foolish and dangerous. Pragmatism must always prevail.
Would Lyanna not beg her hypothetical father to accept the deal offered by Cersei ? Perhaps (though I have to confess I am less certain than you on this matter). Would it be smart ? I am doubtful…
selena,
Edward,
Those Tyrion lines were something else, weren’t they ?
I particularly loved the moment when he broke down and told Daenerys that if she dies, everything is lost. It illustrated perfectly how much of a believer he has become and how difficult it is for him to stay in that role. Political!Tyrion knows that an ideal is never “fused” with a person, that an ideology has to be transcendant to become performative. The problem is that, while in Essos Daenerys has a stunning and inspirational ideological legacy that one can hope will survive her (for all the chaos I am certain she caused, her abolitionism may endure and thrive, in time), she stands for no such glorious ideal in Westeros. Quite frankly, she stands for nothing at all for the moment. There is no transcendance to her putative reign over the Seven Kingdoms as of now. All she has is herself and her dragons and this is what Tyrion is determined to protect, seemingly in the hope that they will eventually come up with something for her to represent.
His desperation was quite moving…
In two minds about this season.Great battle scenes,but with so much story to get through in so few episodes,the whole thing is defying logic! Can these characters now time-travel? Boy that Gendry is a fast runner! Those dragons sure have some speed too! Would of been better to just have the dragons drop them off beyond the wall instead.Also,if the Whitewalkers are THAT close to Eastwatch,why haven’t they invaded yet?They should of kept these two remaining seasons at 10 episodes each.
Jack Bauer 24,
Um no nothing happened to anyones sword in hardhome… in hardhome when jons sword touched the walkers, the walker expected jons sword to shatter but it didn’t because it is VS.
Jack Bauer 24,
Viserion wasn’t looking, Dany knew what the NK was about to do
Its soooooooooo logically obvious that your question almost sounds fake
firstone,
Maybe just the Battle of High Garden? But that was just because of really really cool action, the events surrounding the battle weren’t interesting at all.
Hasn’t been anything that memorable this year, D & D have shown that they’re very mediocre plotters. Either that or they took the show for granted and didn’t put as much time into it as they should. And why should they? Every episode gets 100% on RT and people love it no matter what they throw at them and they’ll probably win all the Emmys for S7. Once upon a time I was really looking forward to what they would do after Thrones, not really so much anymore.
Chuck,
Yes… top 5 episode
Adored it!
I don’t understand why people don’t like it… LOL
NK KNEW they were coming and waited.
He knows everything. Humans know nothing.
ACME,
Great comment as usual
I disagree completely about Daenerys… I think her facial expressions at the loss of Baby V were priceless… and her subsequent broken hearted face when she was sitting with Jon….
Emilia slayed
Leuf,
Umm I don’t think Sansa is the stupid one here lol
Clearly she is catching on to LF’s scheming.. hence why she sent Bri away
That’s exactly what my sister and I said 🙂
So unfortunate… youre missing out!
DireWolf Lvr,
How can Dany take out the NK?
Davidneverreadthebooks,
YES
that’s what I am saying.. not many people are seeing this though
Well filmed. Well acted. Decent dialogue. #ThisWasStilAStupidPlan
Violator,
WTF is a plot contrivance?
Something happening for the sake of moving the story forward a certain way???
So… like Ned’s death?
It’s such a stretch to suggest Arya has changed alot and attempt to figure what’s going on with her. Arya definitley fights like the Waif…
every other character and storyline makes perfect sense 😀
Jared,
“I don’t expect everyone to love it as much as I did, and I’m sure that the nitpicking knives will come out eventually, as they always do. But when I love something this much, those opinions matter even less to me than normal. You can only control your own feelings about something. And the feeling I got from the first viewing experience can never be taken away.”‘
You have expressed my personal feelings. Exactly. Thank you.
ACME,
No, it wouldn’t be smart at all although of course when Sansa begged his father it was not because she was being smart. She really believed Cersei and Joffrey. I wonder though if LM in that situation would be able to see through the Lannisters immediately and realize they’re not sincere people at all.
Perhaps because Sansa knows that Arya is too much of a wildcard to send on a mission like this when there are larger issues at stake.
Now I thought Sansa would send Arya at first, mainly because this would be a handy plot means to get Arya back on track WRT her list, but thinking about it more it wouldn’t really make sense from Sansa’s POV. If Sansa thinks that dirty deeds (done dirt cheap) may need doing then Arya (for all that her behaviour is worrying) is a likely ace in the hole and Brienne might get in the way of that.
This is also my interpretation. Arya correctly read in the previous episode that Sansa wants the northern queenship. Nothing wrong with that, of course. What I think Arya was concerned more about was what would Sansa do about her desire. Is it strong enough that she’d be willing to betray Jon? I think Arya realized Sansa wouldn’t do such thing, hence she “passed the test”.
Yes, LF knows Brienne doesn’t trust him and he wants her out of the way; hence, he dropped that line (that weasel). Sansa, unfortunately, fell for it but I think the sisters would eventually realize LF was behind all these.
Violator,
I agree about the plot. Now the plot devices (contrivances seems to have too negative a connotation) require complete suspension of disbelief rather than a mild leap of faith (I.e., Jamie falling into the deep water horizon wellsite) that are only convenient ploys to advance the story.
Maybe if the “plan” were explained or the characters motivations were clearer it would be ok. Why would they do this? Why not just have Dany go grab a wight with Drogon, then pickup Arya and fly to KL where Arya can parachute in and kill Cersei and take her face…
Shock Me,
#completelyagree
One word… EPIC! This could be my favorite episode up to date. I won’t rank it yet… I will wait till the finale airs and then I will have more clear idea where to put them both on my ranklist.
Top 5 for sure, maybe even my No.1. And yes, Night King clearly knew how to fight back. I’m not sure why people are baffled about that.
And yes, too many complainers (again). Just came by a FB WotW post and 90% of the comments were complaining how bad this episode is. I don’t know what’s happening this year… I enjoy the episodes more than ever but when it comes to discussion, I’m literally dreading to participate. I know for sure I will stay away from most posts when it comes to this episode. It’s such a pity considering how much I enjoyed participating on this site last year… but all these conversations on these posts cause me anxiety. I still don’t know what changed…
Its crazy but I completely disagree and see this differently. I think that Sansa sent Brienne away completely against LF’s suggestion because she does not trust LF at all and she is catching on to his scheming.
Yes, these were my thoughts as well… LF suggested using Brienne, Sansa sent Brienne away because of that. I think she’s still wary of LF. Overall, the sibling scenes were so uncomfortable to watch for me and I hope everything gets resolved next week without either of them becoming a full antagonist to the story.
Same!
Dee Stark,
I didn’t read the entire post (I’m all over many sites these days) so I apologize if you already mentioned this somewhere, but how did you feel when the dragon died?
I’ve been saying this for ages. Someone needs to get close enough to the NK to yank the dragonglass shard out of his heart. Then the whole hivemind collapses in an instant.
Lord Parramandas,
my heart shattered into a million pieces
This was such a turning point in the series and also for Dany herself. I must say I was worried that dragons will prove to be an invincible force against the WW but now, Night King basically evened the odds. Also, we got official confirmation that White Walkers themselves are immune to dragonfire and can only be killed by Valyrian steel or dragonglass. But on the other hand, we now know that killing a White Walker also causes all the undead, that were reanimated by it, to die as well. It’s really shaping for an interesting endgame.
Side note: It was a really sad scene for me as well. I considered a dragon death a possibility due to the scorpion in episode 4 but I had no idea the Night King will be involved in it.
It’s not a stretch to say Arya has changed… Her ‘mood’ has changed just since she arrived at Winterfell because she has found out that Littlefinger is there and she’s not liking what she’s seeing from Sansa and her relationship with that grease ball. It’s simply the writing of a rift between the sisters.
It is a stretch to suggest that Arya is the waif. I don’t think I need to write out why that’s so yet again. Beyond the reasons why not, it would also be the dumbest, most pointless storyline ever if it were.
It could be that Brienne could be expected to disrupt any violence between the sisters. With her gone Sansa would be free to have her men kill Arya. At least that is how she will make it look to Littlefinger. And if she didn’t send Brienne away Lttlefinger would have found a way to get Brienne killed before he acted further,
Except the Night King and his posse are immune to fire like Daeny. Only the wights die by fire.
Lord Parramandas,
I had a feeling we would get an ice dragon.. I just didn’t realize how emotional the scene would be for me
I know you are not a huge dany fan but I hope her selfless actions yesterday have added some positive points for you.
And, considering that it has already been established that wights don’t swim, who were the divers who attached the chains to said dragon corpse?
Dee Stark,
Yes, I really liked her. In fact, as I often said, I enjoyed her presence a lot during this season, even though I may not agree with all her actions (*cough* the Tarlys” *cough*). Like I said in one of my conversations with a Dany fan in LFU, I think in order for me to warm up to her, she had to enter the main story and share the screentime with my favorite characters. Before S7, I felt it was too much about her alone and the characters she shared the screen with were just supporting characters in her story. Now she shares the screen with characters who are all central figures in their own story (Jon, Tyrion etc.). In fact, main characters being distanced from each other is my main issue with early seasons and the reason, why scenes from later seasons give me a lot more special feelings. Also, I think Emilia’s performance really improved through the series – the delivery of her lines feels a lot more genuine to me than in earlier seasons, and the story also demands more emotional range from her at this point. She may not be among my favorite characters, but I appreciate her presence in S7. I hope I make any sense with this.
BTW. I watched the episode today, not yesterday.
Firannion,
well.. the wights fell in the water when the ice broke but were still able to float and try and pull tormund into the water…
so I think wights can survive in water to a certain extent
Lord Parramandas,
well I am glad to hear that 🙂
Arya is not the Waif. Just…stop.
Haha, I went on GoT Wikia today (I almost never visit that site anymore) and I noticed that two thirds of this episode’s article consist of “Notes” which are actually rants in disguise, possibly written by you-know-who. A Wikia basically became a show-bashing site.
Could you kindly lighten up on the ad hominem attacks on Jack? In a discussion group, there is room for the entire spectrum of reactions to an episode, from ‘Everything about it was awesome’ to ‘I didn’t buy any of it.’ Some of us actually find posts that are skeptical and point out flaws more informative and thought-provoking than posts that are ga-ga/rah-rah. If a particular poster’s point of view annoys you, skip their posts. No one is forcing you to read them.
Case dismissed 🙂
Shock Me,
Thank you! I gotta watch it again! I thought they were immune to normal fire, but not to dragon fire. You guys are probably right, though, as if they’re not, they’re too weak to be effective opponents.
Westeros needs to start building all sorts of weaponry. They have the best incendiary weapons available, but still haven’t done much with obsidian.
You are not alone. This is the first episode that I have had no desire to watch again. I was actually bored and looked at my watch more than once.
It was glorious !!
Cleganebowl next week, and Sansa kills Arya.
I can’t explain why she would send Brienne away otherwise, after confirming with LF that Brienne is her protection. Doesn’t make sense any other way. You’re concerned for your safety, agree that Brienne is your best protection, then send her away 10 mins later?
Jack Bauer 24,
Yes, she does. He was there when she wrote it. Who else would know it existed at Winterfell?
Firannion,
D&D probably had written in an earlier draft that the NK raises Visy from under the ice, but someone pointed out that if they did that Blizzard would file a lawsuit.
Because the maester is there. If Sansa knew LF planted the scroll to screw with Arya she would have said something to him.
Sam,
I may be utterly mistaken on this one and, if so, please forgive me but wasn’t Cersei sincere at that time ? According to Varys, she very much intended to keep her end of the bargain and preferred for Ned to recant publicly and go to Wall quietly. Joffrey was not really involved in any of the negotiations surrounding the Stark patriarch’s sentence. At the last minute, he singlehandedly decided to have Ned executed, against his mother’s will.
Dee Stark,
Thanks a bunch !
In relation to Daenerys, I cannot help but compare her reaction to that of other mothers witnessing the death of one of their children and, in this context, I found her stoic demeanour less impactful on an emotional level. As subdued as it was, even Cersei’s reaction to the sight of Tommen’s corpse packed a bigger punch to me.
However, I have to admit that I never very much cared for the dragons as characters in general and as “children” in particular, so it is entirely possible that my emotional response (or lack thereof) to Daenerys’s facial expression may have been conditioned by this pre-existing lack of investment. 🙂
ACME,
Hi ACME! I really like your analysis on Sansa/Arya tense relationship. It’s by far the most nuanced analysis. It still baffles me that people hate Sansa so much as to take as face value all of Arya’s accusation, neglecting Arya’s own glaring mistakes: wasn’t she the one that served Lord Tywin in order to survive at Harrenhall? Didn’t she have a perfect chance to end the War of the Five Kings with Jaqen and she missused it with the Tickler and some other red shirt? Etc.
Jack Bauer 24,
Wolkan wouldn’t go looking for something like that nor would he care.
Honestly, when wight-snatching isn’t even the dumbest part of your plan…
As much as I understand the True Believers soldiering on past what, for me, is borderline shark-jumping, I hope y’all understand that Henry Gordon is gonna have to ball up his disbelief and swallow it with a 5-finger scotch chaser next Sunday. But be there with you I will, trying harder than I’ve had to in the past.
A Dornish Tyrell:
It still baffles me that people hate Sansa so muchas to take as face value all of Arya’s accusation, neglecting Arya’s own glaring mistakes: wasn’t she the one that served Lord Tywin in order to survive at Harrenhall? Didn’t she have a perfect chance to end the War of the Five Kings with Jaqen and she missused it with the Tickler and some other red shirt? Etc.
Apples and oranges. She did serve him, but he had saved all the prisoners from sure torture death. Also, he treated her decently and gave her a roof over her head. She came close to knifing him once, but she had never deliberately killed anyone and he hadn’t done anything evil as far as she knew. Also, she used her job as a spying opportunity so she could give Robb intel once she reached him. That is totally different from Sansa first being genuinely pro-Lannister and then going along with them just to survive. And an 12YO makes a mistake of prioritisation? So what? Via Jaqen, she killed a torturer and a violent enemy officer and then escaped with Gendry and Hot Pie. Not a bad day’s work for a kid!
She did. She doesn’t know for sure he planted it, and that’s why she asks him about it innocently like she doesn’t think he did it to get his reaction and catch him off guard. Twice this season, Sansa hid her reaction from Littlefinger. Once was when Arya asked Brienne if she swore to protec BOTH of her mother’s daughters and I forgot the other time. We know Sansa is playing him because she runs to him like a little girl freaked out about a note. That is very uncharacteristic of Sansa this season. Remember how cold and dismissive she was towards him at the beginning of the season?
ACME,
Pertaining Daenarys and her succession, I think it’s more than just caring for the future from Tyrion’s part. It is rather directly related to Tyrion and Varys concern’s for Daenarys following on her father step. I think they are afraid that Throne will change her and she could become mad as her father and therefore renounce all her good promises. Forcing her to decide the ‘after’ right now is a way to make sure she implement the right ‘after’ or at least force her to keep true to her promises (if the promises itself is not law). The fact she refuses will contributes into making Tyrion and Varys worried even more about what Daenarys will become and do. They still have no guarantee she will stay the course.
ACME,
ACME, I always love your review and insides and once again, I agree with most of what you wrote about Sansa and Arya (I will concentrate this post on them only). Though you said to be certain where it is going to while I have no idea what you have in mind.
To continue on that thought, I do agree with your assessment of Sansa’s fear of her sister. From her point of view, Arya is starting to look a lot like Joffrey and Ramsey. But her sister being mad…that’s a shock. It’s not the same dynamic at all. But she still can get the upper hand. She did with Ramsey. I don’t think she wants her sister dead… but if Arya is mad, she will have the neutralize her somehow….or win her confidence.
As for Arya’s perspective, I didn’t understand either why she gave the knife. But I do believe it was a sincere warning to Sansa that if she betrayed her brother, even if she was her sister, she would not hesitate to kill her. But Arya still believes Sansa will be loyal to Jon and that’s why she let her live. The only ‘message’ I can see from the act of ‘giving the knife’ is that Arya wants Sansa to kill LF. That’s the proof Arya ask of Sansa to show she is loyal to Jon. But contrary to many, I don’t think Sansa could kill LF. As much as she wants to believe she don’t need him, she still needs his advices and most of all, his army. But I am confident Sansa will follow neither Arya nor LF will and will find her own way to solve the situation.
As for LF, don’t forget Brienne is extremely honorable and since she made the promise to protect both sisters, killing either one, even in the defense of another would be the worst failure of her promise. She need to keep them safe so she is bound to get between them. Even in a mutual dispute, failing to protect each other from themselves would be a huge failure. She cannot side with any of them, even less harm any of them. And LF knows this, so it cannot be what he intended.
LF’s play is with Sansa not against her. He needs her to get on the Throne. So he wants her to have to rely on him. Everything that weaken her position move him away from his goal. However, sometimes to reach a goal, you have to move away from it. In order to secure Sansa’s dependability and trust in him, he needs to weaken her position in the North. Only if Sansa is isolated from the other Starks and feel her influence weaken and her strategy failing would she turn to LF for help. Yet he cannot weaken her too much because he needs her to still come up on top. So that means everything he did with Arya….he trusts Sansa (and perhaps himself) will be smarter than her and come up on top. Would Arya’s death serve LF purpose…without a doubt. But Sansa is not in LF’s laps yet, so LF still need to push for more division before he could get rid of Arya. I think the Brienne card was merely to make sure Sansa would be secured as well as to provide yet another valuable advice to Sansa. I think LF is still worried about Arya’s intentions and what she can do and while making the two sisters collides is good…having Sansa killed would be WORST.
Is LF still playing for Cersei? I doubt so. Cersei is too mad to be manipulated. She is too impredictable. And she would not marry LF. But can Sansa win the Throne on her own? I don’t think so either. I think the best way, from LF point of view, is to force Sansa to ally with Cersei against the Targaryen only to betray her (the North could never come up on top against the Targaryen and could only win against the Lannister with a lot of cunning). A secret alliance the Northern Lords would not know about (for obvious reasons) but Sansa could accepts to do because she knows that sometimes, you need to make peace with your enemy. LF could convince Sansa that Daenarys is the strongest threat and she will need to ally with Cersei to overthrow her and once dealt with, she has the army to get rid of Cersei and get on the Throne. And LF is in a position to make Cersei believe that Sansa is still the ‘fearful and obedient lady’ she was once. I do strongly believe Sansa will play the ‘false obedient’ to manipulate Cersei.
That being said, LF don’t know about the Nightwalker threat and this could speed-up his plan. Cersei will not contribute any soldier to the war. She wants the Starks and Daenarys to weaken their army so that she could defeat them afterwards (and Tyrion, Daenarys and Jon will be mad at her for doing so….and probably Jaime as well….at last the moment when Jaime will finally realize duty is more important than power). And for LF, this could be an opportunity for the Throne. While Daenarys and Jon are fighting, Sansa could be challenging Cersei for the Throne. Of course, the question would then be…would the Northern Lords follow Jon to the Wall or Sansa to take King’s landing. But I also do believe that she will refuses LF advices to use her army South and instead convince them to help Jon’s fight with the Whitewalker.
LF won’t have his way…but he is tenacious and he will continue to find other ways.
Rygritte,
I’m not so sure Sansa knows LF is behind it. At first look, it would be illogical for LF to do this. He would be undermining the very person he is trying to help climb on the throne. That wouldn’t make any sense. But that is also why it’s a very nice move from LF’s part. He undermines her authority just enough to blur what is going on and to have her to come to him for help but yet not enough to weaken her position in the North. He gained a lot from this move.
Now, if Sansa knew it was him, and it is possible, then that makes things even more interesting. That would means Sansa is making the two others players (Arya and LF) play believing they are in a position of strength while she saw it coming. But if that is true, what’s her move? She would have to make Arya realize by herself how she (Sansa) manipulated LF so brilliantly. A kind of revelation that would amaze Arya and would at last make her acknowledge not only her sister’s loyalty, but also strength.
IMO, it is still too soon for Sansa to outplay LF, but it is possible, with only 6 episodes left…that they have no choice but to speed this up and therefore have Sansa already mastering the art of manipulation so nicely.
ACME,
Not everyone is crying at the sight of tragedy. I, to the contrary, loved how Emilia acted in this part. Her face didn’t showed much. But her glance…. there was so much both love and horror in her eyes. She had the strength to remain in control while you could see her devastation through her eyes. I think it showed her strength of character.
But I do agree they should have spent a few more seconds showing her grieving over her dragon once back to safety. But such grieving is hard to portray for an actor/actress and I’m not sure it would have had the effect desired.
After watching again, I’ve come to a somewhat different interpretation. I think Littlefinger’s game was working up until the scene with the faces in Arya’s room.
Littlefinger successfully led Arya around last episode to find the note, and by making sure she overheard his conversation with the Maester, making it seem like Sansa was conspiring with him and the Maester to hide the note. In reality, I don’t think Sansa had thought about the note since she wrote it back in season 1 until Arya pulled it out and started reading it.
Arya confronted Sansa with the note, as Littlefinger hoped, and Sansa got very nervous about Arya blackmailing her with it, and ran to Littlefinger for help. At this point, I think things were still mostly going as Littlefinger intended, but with one flaw. I think Arya isn’t really quite as hot headed as she’s acting. I think she’s genuinely angry, but she’s also deliberately trying to provoke a reaction from Sansa so she can try to get a better read on Sansa’s intentions. Arya’s not a mind reader, but she is a face reader, so she needs to carefully watch Sansa’s reactions to certain provocations to figure out where she really stands.
Littlefinger obviously doesn’t want to reveal to Sansa that he’s been deliberately fueling Arya’s distrust of her, so he actually plays it the other way, using reverse psychology, telling her that Arya is her sister, don’t worry, while knowing that those empty reassurances aren’t going to make Sansa stop worrying about Arya blackmailing her, and that Sansa will be trying to think of ways to deal with Arya (imprisonment, exile, death?).
He knows that that Sansa doesn’t really trust him, and if he makes any suggestions to her about moving against Arya, Sansa might get suspicious that he’s trying to stir things up between them, so he has to let subtly lead Sansa to the course he wants (removing Arya from the game), while seeming to actually advocate the opposite, so Sansa thinks its her own idea to move against Arya.
Then Littlefinger mentions Brienne, with the surface implication that Brienne would be bound to intervene to protect Sansa if Arya tried to harm her (another empty reassurance that everything will be fine, don’t worry about Arya), but he’s secretly trusting Sansa to be clever enough to realize that she can’t move against Arya while Brienne is around. Littlefinger wanted Brienne out of the picture, and he manipulated Sansa into sending her away, all while thinking it was her own genius idea. So far, everything is going Littlefinger’s way.
The next scene is where Littlefinger’s plan starts to fail. Littlefinger may be good enough to win a round of spy vs spy against Arya, but Sansa isn’t. Arya baits Sansa into her room in very much the same way that Littlefinger baited Arya (with the same bait, in fact). Arya lets Sansa find the faces, and then confronts her, still trying to provoke reactions so she can read her face (and even explicitly mentioning the game of faces).
Arya then shows Sansa that she could kill her and take her identity if she wanted to, and keeps up the game long enough to make Sansa legitimately afraid that Arya is about to murder her. In their earlier conversation, Arya had said that fear makes people do unfortunate things, so I think she’s now probing Sansa’s reaction to fear. Is Sansa still the scared, spoiled girl who will betray her family due to fear, or has she become a loyal and brave member of the wolf pack?
In this case, I think Sansa passed her test, which is why she handed the dagger to Sansa hilt first, rather than stabbing her with it. I think up until this point, Littlefinger actually had the upper hand on them. Until this point, Arya genuinely suspected that Sansa was trying to take the North from Jon, and Sansa was genuinely afraid that Arya would either kill her or throw all their alliances into chaos by exposing that note.
After this point, the situation changed, and not in a good way for Littlefinger.
A) Arya giving Sansa the dagger seems to indicate that she now trusts Sansa not to overthrow Jon, and it tells Sansa that if Arya wanted to kill her, she would have done it already. It’s a truce offering, indicating that they’re on the same side now.
B) Sansa now knows about Arya’s faces, which opens up a variety of strategic opportunities. She doesn’t necessarily need Littlefinger anymore, if she has Arya wearing his face.
Sansa clearly doesn’t trust Littlefinger, but up until this point, she felt like she had to rely on him for certain things, because he was the only person she could collaborate with on sneaky scheming, and she needed him to help keep the Knights of the Vale. Now she has an alternative.
Of course, it’s also possible I’m reading this totally wrong. I really hope this gets resolved next episode rather than lingering into the final season.
Did she? It was Tywin who gave the order to spare the prisoners and put them to work to the best of their abilities.
Waging a war against your family is not enough?
How did that work?
She had the opportunity of killing Tywin and she missed it. She went for a minion. She was stupid. Now, I grant you, 12YO can be stupid, no problem there (adults too, btw). As a result of not killing Tywin, the Red Wedding happened… Arya is as much responsible for Robb and Cat’s death as Sansa is for Ned’s beheading.
Ten Bears,
And suffering from revisionist history — Unlike the impressions left by the dialogue, Sansa did not win the Battle of the Bastards by herself and Arya did try and save Ned. As soon as Joffrey called for Sir Ilyn to bring him Ned’s head, Arya went charging through the crowd until stopped by Yoren. Wish Arya (or the writers) had mentioned that.
A Dornish Tyrell,
Hey there, Dornish Tyrell ! How you doin’ ? 😉
Team Arya vs. Team Sansa is an epic and eternal fight which I doubt will ever be settled. Rather amusingly, the most interesting aspect of the sisters’ feud, to me at least, is that they are rightly motivated, each in her own way.
Arya is right to feel that her sister is not a Stark insofar as the Direwolves’ collective identity is defined by Ned’s standards. Sansa does indeed share precious few characteristics with her father (a fact I, for reasons I enumerated many times, welcome with open and happy arms) and is determined not to follow in his footsteps. Now, I would argue that Ned’s definition of “Starkness” is very much incomplete, thoroughly impractical and much more Arryn-like than truly Stark-y but, given what Arya knows of her family and her profound emotional attachment to her father, it makes perfect sense for her to use Ned as her gold standard.
Similarly, Sansa is right to focus on the future instead of the past. Considering the number and intensity of imminent threats she knows are looming over Winterfell and its inhabitants, dedicating any amount of time or energy to attempts at “fixing” the past is bound to seem utterly futile, not to say counter-productive, to her.
The Stark sisters were never each other’s biggest fans and, while their respective experiences over the past six years strangely echo one another (interacting with the Hound, losing one’s identity / name, learning specific skills from a questionable mentor figure), they have grown into very different young women with very different priorities who, if it weren’t for their blood connection, would have no reason and probably no desire whatsoever to spend even a minute in each other’s presence.
The fact that they have to live under the same roof and, ultimately, fight the same fight makes their interactions all the more intriguing and convoluted. I, for one, welcome it ^^
As for your take on Arya’s tragically delayed reaction to Tywin, I agree wholeheartedly with you though I might not go so far as to call it stupid. As bizarre as it may seem, the Lannister patriarch was the first non-Stark person to treat Arya with the glowing respect her father and brothers had accustomed her to, even going so far as to praise and celebrate her to a degree only Jon’s compliments had reached. She “fell for” the Lion, to an extent, and could only manage to request his execution once he was already departing her life anyway, so that it would not cost her anything emotionally. Unfortunately for the Starks, by then, it was too late…
elnauze,
Yours is a very interesting take indeed ^^
I am still gathering my thoughts in regards to Littlefinger and what he appears to be doing and may be planning to do so I might come back later and react to your post in more details 😉
I am terribly sorry to admit that I do not understand this logic…
If Arya intended to test the depth of Sansa’s loyalty to House Stark, then she should have used fear as an incentive to betray, not as a deterrent. This is what Cersei did back in King’s Landing when she made Sansa choose between her fear (Ned’s death) and her loyalty to her House’s honour and principles. Conversely, the choice Arya put to her sister was between Sansa’s fear (her own death) and her potential desire to take Jon’s crown. If this was meant as a test of Sansa’s fealty, it was incredibly poorly designed and, as a result, proves nothing at all.
What could Sansa have done to fail the test ? What reaction could she possibly have had, on the moment, for Arya to view her as disloyal ?
I think Sansa’s expression after Littlefinger mentioned Brienne showed her concern for Brienne’s safety thus sending her away the same way she did at the Inn when Brienne tried to convince Sansa to come with her. Every time Sansa hides her true feelings from Littlefinger, she turns her face away from him or stops herself from looking at him when something surprises her.
I’m glad someone else spotted this! I watched the leaked episode and wrote the same thing in the forums! I’m convinced that’s why they all just stood patiently over night they were waiting for the dragons to arrive and they had the ice spears ready! It makes sense to me and closes one of the “plot holes” people are complaining about quite nicely – I hope they confirm this in the finale.
Good rant. I had very mixed feelings watching the episode, via a leaked stream. I even signed up to the forums to discuss it and patiently avoided WotW until now so I could debate with everyone. Some of the stuff was amazingly visually but some of the plot holes were so distracting it reminded me of Danzaks pit and Dorne from S5 that it was just so below the extremely high bar this show and story sets it became distracting.
That said, I did find it better on rewatch.
BranTheBlessed,
Agree there is zero set-up for anyone else to kill the Nights King other than Jon, they’ve had two big face offs with each other now and it’s clearly leading to something.