Game Of Thrones Sezonul 7

13-05-2021
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Game of Thrones (season 7)
StarringSee List of Game of Thrones cast
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes7
Release
Original networkHBO
Original releaseJuly 16 –
August 27, 2017
Season chronology
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Season 6
List of Game of Thrones episodes

The seventh and penultimate season of the fantasydrama television series Game of Thrones premiered on HBO on July 16, 2017, and concluded on August 27, 2017.[1][2][3] Unlike previous seasons, which consisted of ten episodes each, the seventh season consisted of only seven episodes.[4] Like the previous season, it largely consisted of original content not found in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, while also incorporating material that Martin revealed to showrunners about the upcoming novels in the series.[5][better source needed] The series was adapted for television by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss.

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The penultimate season focuses primarily on the convergence of the show's main plotlines in preparation for the final season. Daenerys Targaryen arrives in Westeros with her army and three dragons and begins to wage war against the Lannisters while Jon Snow continues his efforts to find ways to defeat the Army of the Dead. He forges an alliance with Daenerys in an attempt to unite their forces against the White Walker army.

HBO ordered the seventh season on April 21, 2016, three days before the premiere of the show's sixth season, and began filming on August 31, 2016. The season was filmed primarily in Northern Ireland, Spain, Croatia and Iceland.

Game of Thrones features a large ensemble cast, including Peter Dinklage, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, and Kit Harington. The season introduces several new cast members, including Jim Broadbent and Tom Hopper.

The series received 22 nominations for the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards,[6] and won for Outstanding Drama Series and Dinklage won for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.[7]

  • 2Cast
    • 2.2Guest cast
  • 3Production
  • 4Reception
  • 5Release

Episodes[edit]

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date [8]U.S. viewers
(millions)
611'Dragonstone'Jeremy PodeswaDavid Benioff & D. B. WeissJuly 16, 201710.11[9]
At the Twins, Arya, disguised as Walder Frey, poisons the remaining lords of House Frey. The White Walkers march toward the Wall, where Tollett allows Bran and Meera to enter. At Winterfell, despite Sansa's objection, Jon secures the loyalties of the new heads of Houses Umber and Karstark, whose previous leaders fought alongside Ramsay in the Battle of the Bastards. At the Citadel, Samwell secretly borrows library books. One reveals a large deposit of dragonglass in Dragonstone and he sends word to Jon. Sam later finds Ser Jorah, now heavily infected with greyscale, quarantined in a cell. In the Riverlands, Arya meets some friendly Lannister soldiers who consider her declared intention to kill Cersei as a joke. Thoros shows Sandor Clegane a vision of the Wall and the marching Army of the Dead. The revelation leads him to believe in the Lord of Light. In King's Landing, Jaime tells Cersei that allies are crucially needed. She receives Euron, who proposes marriage in exchange for his Iron Fleet and an opportunity to kill Theon and Yara. Cersei declines, citing trust concerns, so Euron promises to return with a 'gift' to prove his loyalty. Daenerys arrives at Dragonstone, the home of House Targaryen, previously occupied by Stannis Baratheon, with her army and dragons.
622'Stormborn'Mark MylodBryan CogmanJuly 23, 20179.27[10]
Daenerys sends the Dornishmen with Yara's fleet to Sunspear and the Unsullied to Casterly Rock, following Tyrion's advice to lay siege to King's Landing. She challenges Varys' loyalty and threatens to burn him alive if he ever betrays her. Melisandre arrives and encourages Daenerys to invite Jon Snow to Dragonstone. Grey Worm and Missandei consummate their relationship. Cersei summons several lords, wanting their fealty and elevating Randyll Tarly as Warden of the South. Qyburn shows Cersei a prototype ballista capable of killing dragons. Arya is reunited with Hot Pie, who tells her Jon is now King in the North. She resets her course for Winterfell. Jon travels to Dragonstone to request Daenerys' help against the White Walkers, leaving Sansa in charge at Winterfell. Jon warns Littlefinger to keep his distance from Sansa. Samwell applies a forbidden treatment on Jorah's greyscale infection. Euron's fleet attacks Yara's. Obara and Nymeria are killed, while Ellaria, Tyene, and Yara are captured. Theon, experiencing flashbacks as Reek, hesitates to challenge Euron and jumps overboard.
633'The Queen's Justice'Mark MylodDavid Benioff & D. B. WeissJuly 30, 20179.25[11]
Jon arrives at Dragonstone where Daenerys demands his fealty. He refuses and instead seeks her help fighting the Army of the Dead. Following Tyrion's advice, Daenerys allows Jon to mine the island's dragonglass. Melisandre avoids Jon and departs for Volantis. Bran, with Meera, arrives at Winterfell and reveals his newfound-identity as the Three-Eyed Raven to Sansa. In King's Landing, Euron presents Ellaria and Tyene as a gift for Cersei, who promises him marriage after the war is won. She also awards him co-control of her military, alongside Jaime. Cersei administers the same poison to Tyene that killed Myrcella, forcing Ellaria to watch her daughter's impending death and remain imprisoned with the body. In Oldtown, a healed Jorah leaves to find Daenerys. Ebrose praises Samwell's skill in saving Jorah but makes him copy old texts for his disobedience. Grey Worm and the Unsullied attack Casterly Rock, only to find that Jaime has led the bulk of the Lannister forces in an attack on Highgarden, while Euron's fleet ambushes and destroys the Unsullied's ships. The Lannister forces quickly overwhelm Olenna Tyrell's army. Jaime offers Olenna a quick and painless death by poison. After drinking it, she admits to poisoning Joffrey.
644'The Spoils of War'Matt ShakmanDavid Benioff & D. B. WeissAugust 6, 201710.17[12]
Arya returns to Winterfell and is reunited with Sansa and Bran. She later spars with Brienne, impressing her and unnerving Sansa with her exceptional fighting skills. Bran bids Meera an unemotional farewell as she prepares to head home, divulging he is no longer the boy she accompanied through the North. Littlefinger presents Bran with the Valyrian steel dagger his would-be assassin used. Bran later gives it to Arya. Cersei assures the Iron Bank a full repayment of her debt as a wagon train carrying gold from Highgarden travels to King's Landing. In a cave filled with dragonglass, Jon reveals ancient wall paintings to Daenerys depicting the First Men and the Children of the Forest joining forces against the undead. Later, Daenerys learns that the attack on Casterly Rock was a diversion and Lannister forces have captured Highgarden. Ignoring Tyrion's protests, Daenerys rides Drogon as the Dothraki cavalry launches a surprise attack on the Lannister army, decimating it and capturing its remaining forces. Drogon is wounded when Bronn fires a bolt from Qyburn's new scorpion ballista weapon, but he and Daenerys land safely. Jaime's desperate charge on horseback at a vulnerable Daenerys is thwarted by Drogon spewing fire. Bronn tackles Jaime into the lake, saving him.
655'Eastwatch'Matt ShakmanDave HillAugust 13, 201710.72[13]
Jaime and Bronn return to King's Landing. Daenerys offers the Lannister army survivors the choice to pledge fealty to her or die. Against Tyrion's advice, she has Drogon burn Randyll and Dickon Tarly, who refused to bend the knee. Jorah arrives at Dragonstone and reunites with Daenerys. Maester Wolkan alerts Jon and the Citadel about the wights approaching Eastwatch. Jon proposes he travel beyond the Wall to capture a wight as proof they exist and to convince Cersei to accept a temporary alliance. Davos smuggles Tyrion inside King's Landing, where he secretly meets with Jaime to propose an armistice. Cersei accepts it and also informs Jaime she is pregnant. Davos rendezvous with Gendry and returns him to Dragonstone. With the Citadel ignoring Wolkan's letter, Samwell steals several restricted books and leaves the Citadel with Gilly and Little Sam. At Winterfell, Littlefinger, knowing Arya is spying on him, lures her into finding the letter that Sansa was forced to write as a hostage in King's Landing. Jon, Jorah, and Gendry, joined by Clegane, Thoros, Beric, and a group of the Free Folk led by Tormund, leave Eastwatch and pass beyond the Wall to capture a wight.
666'Beyond the Wall'Alan TaylorDavid Benioff & D. B. WeissAugust 20, 201710.24[14]
At Winterfell, Littlefinger plots to isolate Sansa. Tensions between Arya and Sansa increase following Arya's discovery of the letter Sansa was forced to write, begging for Robb's fealty to Joffrey. Sansa, in turn, finds Arya's collection of faces she took from Braavos. At Dragonstone, Tyrion counsels Daenerys about the upcoming negotiations with Cersei. Beyond the Wall, Jon and the men hunt for a wight to prove the White Walkers' existence. After capturing one, the group is beset by the White Walker army. Jon sends Gendry to Eastwatch to dispatch a raven to Daenerys requesting help. During the night, an injured Thoros freezes to death. As the wight army is about to overwhelm Jon's group, Daenerys arrives with her dragons and rescues the men. The Night King, leader of the White Walkers, kills Viserion, one of Daenerys' dragons, with an ice spear. Daenerys flies off with the men, but is unable to save Jon. Benjen Stark intervenes and sacrifices himself to save Jon. When Jon and Daenerys are reunited, Jon pledges himself and the North to Daenerys as Queen. The Night King reanimates Viserion, making the dragon a part of his army.
677'The Dragon and the Wolf'Jeremy PodeswaDavid Benioff & D. B. WeissAugust 27, 201712.07[15]
At King's Landing, the wight is presented to the Lannisters and their supporters. Cersei demands Jon's neutrality in the Great War, but he upholds his oath to Daenerys, provoking Cersei to end discussions. Tyrion meets privately with Cersei, apparently gaining her alliance. Cersei later reveals to Jaime that she really intends to use the Golden Company of Braavos to secure her hold on Westeros. Disgusted, Jaime deserts her and rides north. Aboard a ship bound for White Harbor, Jon and Daenerys make love. At Dragonstone, Theon earns his men's respect and leads them to rescue Yara. At Winterfell, Littlefinger sows dissent by exploiting Arya's threatening demeanor toward Sansa, leading to a trial. To his surprise, a united Sansa, Arya, and Bran accuse Littlefinger of murder, conspiracy, and treason, which Bran confirms with his visions. Deserted by the Lords of the Vale, Littlefinger is sentenced to death by Sansa and executed by Arya. Samwell arrives at Winterfell and meets with Bran. They discuss Jon's parentage and through Sam's earlier research and Bran's visions, they extrapolate that Jon is a trueborn Targaryen named Aegon, the legitimate heir to the Iron Throne. His parents — Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark — married in secret. At Eastwatch, the Night King, astride the undead Viserion, blasts a hole through the Wall with blue dragon fire, allowing the Army of the Dead to march through.

Cast[edit]

Main cast[edit]

  • Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister[16]
  • Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister[16]
  • Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister[16]
  • Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen[16]
  • Kit Harington as Jon Snow[16]
  • Aidan Gillen as Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish[16]
  • Liam Cunningham as Davos Seaworth[16]
  • Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark[16]
  • Maisie Williams as Arya Stark[16]
  • Nathalie Emmanuel as Missandei[16]
  • Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth[16]
  • Conleth Hill as Varys[16]
  • John Bradley as Samwell Tarly[16]
  • Isaac Hempstead Wright as Bran Stark[16]
  • Hannah Murray as Gilly[16]
  • Kristofer Hivju as Tormund Giantsbane[16]
  • Rory McCann as Sandor 'The Hound' Clegane[16]
  • Iain Glen as Jorah Mormont[16]
  • Carice van Houten as Melisandre[16]
  • Indira Varma as Ellaria Sand[16]
  • Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy[16]
  • Jerome Flynn as Bronn[16]
  • Joe Dempsie as Gendry[17]

Guest cast[edit]

The recurring actors listed here are those who appeared in season 7. They are listed by the region in which they first appear.

In the North, including the Wall[edit]

  • Richard Dormer as Beric Dondarrion[16]
  • Paul Kaye as Thoros of Myr[18]
  • Ben Crompton as Eddison Tollett[19]
  • Ellie Kendrick as Meera Reed[20]
  • Bella Ramsey as Lyanna Mormont[20]
  • Tim McInnerny as Robett Glover[21][22]
  • Megan Parkinson as Alys Karstark[23]
  • Daniel Portman as Podrick Payne[24]
  • Richard Rycroft as Maester Wolkan[25]
  • Rupert Vansittart as Yohn Royce[26]

Beyond the Wall[edit]

  • Vladimir Furdik as the Night King[27]
  • Joseph Mawle as Benjen Stark
  • Neil Fingleton as giant wight
  • Ian Whyte as giant wight

In the Riverlands[edit]

  • David Bradley as Walder Frey
  • Ben Hawkey as Hot Pie

In King's Landing[edit]

  • Pilou Asbæk as Euron Greyjoy[16]
  • Anton Lesser as Qyburn[28]
  • Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson as Gregor Clegane[29]
  • James Faulkner as Randyll Tarly[16]
  • Tom Hopper as Dickon Tarly[30]
  • Mark Gatiss as Tycho Nestoris[31]

In Oldtown[edit]

  • Jim Broadbent as Archmaester Ebrose[32][33]

At Dragonstone[edit]

  • Jacob Anderson as Grey Worm[20]
  • Diana Rigg as Olenna Tyrell[16]
  • Gemma Whelan as Yara Greyjoy[34]
  • Jessica Henwick as Nymeria Sand[35]
  • Rosabell Laurenti Sellers as Tyene Sand[36]
  • Keisha Castle-Hughes as Obara Sand
  • Brendan Cowell as Harrag
  • Staz Nair as Qhono

In flashbacks[edit]

  • Aisling Franciosi as Lyanna Stark
  • Wilf Scolding as Rhaegar Targaryen
  • Robert Aramayo as Eddard Stark

Production[edit]

Crew[edit]

Series creators and executive producers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss serve as showrunners for the seventh season. The directors for the seventh season are Jeremy Podeswa (episodes 1 and 7), Mark Mylod (episodes 2 and 3), Matt Shakman (episodes 4 and 5) and Alan Taylor (episode 6). This marks Taylor's return to the series after an absence since the second season. Shakman is a first-time Game of Thrones director, with the rest each having directed multiple episodes in previous seasons.[37]Michele Clapton returned to the show as costume designer, after spending some time away from the show in the sixth season. She previously worked on the show for the first five seasons, as well as the end of the sixth season.[37]

Writing[edit]

The seventh season contains original material not found in the A Song of Ice and Fire series.[38][needs update] Some of the show's sixth season also consists of material revealed to the writers of the television series during discussions with Martin.[39]

Filming[edit]

The shores of Gaztelugatxe were used as a location for filming Season 7.

Filming began on August 31, 2016, at Titanic Studios in Belfast,[40] and ended in February 2017.[41][42][43] In an interview with the showrunners, it was announced that the filming of the seventh season would be delayed until later in the year due to necessary weather conditions for filming. The showrunners stated 'We're starting a bit later because, you know, at the end of this season, winter is here, and that means that sunny weather doesn't really serve our purposes any more. We kind of pushed everything down the line so we could get some grim, gray weather even in the sunnier places that we shoot.'[44]

Girona, Spain, did not return as one of the filming locations.[45] Girona stood in for Braavos and parts of King's Landing.[45] It was later announced that the seventh season would film in Northern Ireland, Spain and Iceland, with filming in Northern Ireland beginning in August 2016.[4][41] The series filmed in the Spanish cities Seville, Cáceres, Almodóvar del Río, Santiponce, Zumaia and Bermeo.[46] Spanish sources announced that the series would be filming the seventh season on Muriola Beach in Barrika, Las Atarazanas, the Royal Dockyards of Seville and at the shores of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, an islet belonging to the city of Bermeo.[47][48][49] The series returned to film at The Dark Hedges in Stranocum, which was previously used as the Kingsroad in the second season.[50] Some scenes were filmed in Iceland.[51] Filming also occurred in Dubrovnik, Croatia, which is used for location of King's Landing.[52] The scene where Arya was reunited with Nymeria was filmed in Alberta, Canada.[53]

Casting[edit]

Game Of Thrones Sezonul 7

Deadline reported on June 21, 2016, that the five main cast members, Peter Dinklage, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, and Kit Harington had been in contract negotiations for the final two seasons. It was reported that the cast members have increased their salary to $500,000 per episode for the seventh and eighth season.[54][55] It was later reported that the actors had gone through a renegotiation, for which they had increased their salary to $1.1 million per episode for the last two seasons.[56]

On August 31, 2016, Entertainment Weekly reported that Jim Broadbent had been cast for the seventh season in a 'significant' role.[32] It was announced that the role of Dickon Tarly has been recast, with Tom Hopper replacing Freddie Stroma, who had previously played the role in 'Blood of My Blood'.[30] The seventh season sees the return of Mark Gatiss as Tycho Nestoris, who did not appear in the sixth season,[31]Ben Hawkey as Hot Pie, who last appeared in the fourth season, and Joe Dempsie as Gendry, who last appeared in the third season and maintains his status as starring cast member. Members of the British indie pop band Bastille were reported to have filmed cameo appearances.[57] British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran also makes a cameo appearance in the season.[58] Frontman of American heavy metal band Mastodon, Brent Hinds, has also revealed he would have a cameo appearance. This is Hinds' second cameo in the series, following his appearance (along with bandmates Brann Dailor and Bill Kelliher) in the fifth season.[59]New York Metsbaseball pitcher Noah Syndergaard made a background cameo as a javelin-throwing Lannister soldier in 'The Spoils of War.'[60]

Episodes[edit]

On April 21, 2016, HBO officially ordered the seventh season of Game of Thrones, just three days prior to the premiere of the show's sixth season.[61] In a June 2016 interview with Variety, co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss revealed the seventh season would likely consist of fewer episodes, stating at the time of the interview that they were 'down to our final 13 episodes after this season. We're heading into the final lap.'[62][63] Director Jack Bender, who worked on the show's sixth season, said that the seventh season would consist of seven episodes.[64] Benioff and Weiss stated that they were unable to produce 10 episodes in the show's usual 12 to 14 month time frame, as Weiss said 'It's crossing out of a television schedule into more of a mid-range movie schedule.'[62] HBO confirmed on July 18, 2016, that the seventh season would consist of seven episodes, and would premiere later than usual in mid-2017 because of the later filming schedule.[4] Later it was confirmed that the season would debut on July 16.[65] The seventh season includes an 81-minute finale;[66] this was the series' longest episode until it was surpassed by the Season 8 episode 'The Long Night', which is 82 minutes. Season 7's penultimate episode also runs for 71 minutes – around 16 minutes longer than an average Game of Thrones episode. The first five episodes mostly run longer than average (55 minutes), at 59, 59, 63, 50, and 59 minutes respectively.[67] The previous longest episode in the series was the sixth-season finale, 'The Winds of Winter', which ran for 69 minutes.[66]

Music[edit]

Ramin Djawadi returned as the composer of the show for the seventh season.[68]

Reception[edit]

Critical response[edit]

On Metacritic, the season (based on the first episode) has a score of 77 out of 100 based on 12 reviews, indicating 'generally favorable reviews'.[69] On Rotten Tomatoes, the seventh season has a 93% approval rating from 51 critics with an average rating of 8.22 out of 10, with the site's consensus reading, 'After a year-long wait, Game of Thrones roars back with powerful storytelling and a focused interest in its central characters—particularly the female ones.'[70]

Game of Thrones (season 7): Critical reception by episode
  • Season 7 (2017): Percentage of positive reviews tracked by the website Rotten Tomatoes[70]
Game Of Thrones Sezonul 7

Ratings[edit]

The series premiere surpassed 30 million viewers across all of the network's domestic platforms weeks after its release. The show's numbers continued to climb in other countries as well. In the UK, the premiere got up to 4.7 million viewers after seven days, setting a new record for Sky Atlantic. Compared to the previous season, HBO Asia saw an increases of between 24 percent to 50 percent. HBO Latin America saw a record viewership in the region, with a 29 percent climb. In Germany, the show went up 210 percent, in Russia it climbed 40 percent and in Italy it saw a 61 percent increase.[71] In the United States, the finale was watched by 12.1 million viewers on its first airing on television, and 16.5 million when viewings on HBO Now and HBO Go apps are included. Over the season, the viewer numbers averaged at over 30 million per episode across all platforms.[72]

No.TitleAir dateRating
(18–49)		Viewers
(millions)		DVR
(18–49)		DVR viewers
(millions)		Total
(18–49)		Total viewers
(millions)
1'Dragonstone'July 16, 20174.710.11[9]1.12.625.812.74[73]
2'Stormborn'July 23, 20174.39.27[10]1.43.085.712.37[74]
3'The Queen's Justice'July 30, 20174.39.25[11]1.12.725.411.97[75]1
4'The Spoils of War'August 6, 20174.610.17[12]1.73.766.313.94[76]
5'Eastwatch'August 13, 20175.010.72[13]1.63.676.614.41[77]
6'Beyond the Wall'August 20, 20174.710.24[14]1.63.746.313.98[78]
7'The Dragon and the Wolf'August 27, 20175.712.07[15]1.43.357.115.44[79]

^1 Live +7 ratings were not available, so Live +3 ratings have been used instead.

Accolades[edit]

YearAwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
2017American Film Institute Awards 2017AFI TV AwardGame of ThronesWon[80]
2017 American Society of Cinematographers AwardsOutstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Regular Series for Non-Commercial TelevisionRobert McLachlan (for 'The Spoils of War')Nominated[81]
Gregory Middleton (for 'Dragonstone')Nominated
IGN AwardsBest Action SeriesGame of ThronesWon[82]
Best TV Episode'The Spoils of War'Won
IGN People's Choice AwardBest Action SeriesGame of ThronesWon
Best TV Episode'The Spoils of War'Won
Humanitas Prize60 Minute Network or Syndicated TelevisionDavid Benioff, D. B. Weiss (for 'The Dragon and the Wolf')Nominated[83]
Hollywood Post AllianceOutstanding Color GradingJoe Finley (for 'Dragonstone')Nominated[84]
Outstanding EditingTim Porter (for 'Stormborn')Nominated
Jesse Parker (for 'The Queen's Justice')Nominated
Crispin Green (for 'Dragonstone')Nominated
Outstanding SoundTim Kimmel, Paula Fairfield, Mathew Waters, Onnalee Blank, Bradley C. Katona, Paul Bercovitch (for 'The Spoils of War')Nominated
201822nd Satellite AwardsBest Genre SeriesGame of ThronesWon[85]
23rd National Television AwardsBest DramaGame of ThronesNominated[86]
8th Critics' Choice Television AwardsBest Drama SeriesGame of ThronesNominated[87]
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama SeriesPeter DinklageNominated
Best Supporting Actress in a Drama SeriesEmilia ClarkeNominated
75th Golden Globe AwardsBest Television Series – DramaGame of ThronesNominated[88]
24th Screen Actors Guild AwardsOutstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama SeriesGame of ThronesNominated[89]
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television SeriesGame of ThronesWon
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama SeriesPeter DinklageNominated
60th Annual Grammy AwardsBest Score Soundtrack for Visual MediaRamin DjawadiNominated[90]
American Cinema Editors Awards 2018Best Edited Drama Series for Non-Commercial TelevisionTim Porter (for 'Beyond the Wall')Nominated[91]
45th Annie AwardsOutstanding Achievement, Character Animation in a Live Action ProductionPaul Story, Todd Labonte, Matthew Muntean, Cajun Hylton, Georgy Arevshatov (for 'Beyond the Wall')Nominated[92]
Art Directors Guild Awards 2017One-Hour Single Camera Period Or Fantasy Television SeriesDeborah Riley (for 'Dragonstone', 'The Queen's Justice', and 'Eastwatch')Won[93]
Cinema Audio Society Awards 2017Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing – Television Series – One HourRonan Hill, Richard Dyer, Onnalee Blank, Mathew Waters, Brett Voss (for 'Beyond the Wall')Won[94]
Costume Designers Guild Awards 2017Outstanding Fantasy Television SeriesMichele ClaptonWon[95]
70th Directors Guild of America AwardsDramatic SeriesJeremy Podeswa (for 'The Dragon and the Wolf')Nominated[96]
Matt Shakman (for 'The Spoils of War')Nominated
Alan Taylor (for 'Beyond the Wall')Nominated
Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists GuildBest Period and/or Character Makeup – TelevisionJane Walker, Nicola MatthewsWon[97]
Best Period and/or Character Hair Styling – TelevisionKevin Alexander, Candice BanksNominated
Best Special Makeup Effects – TelevisionBarrie Gower, Sarah GowerWon
Producers Guild of America Awards 2017'The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama'David Benioff, D. B. Weiss, Bernadette Caulfield, Frank Doelger, Carolyn Strauss, Bryan Cogman, Lisa McAtackney, Chris Newman, Greg SpenceNominated[98]
Writers Guild of America Awards 2017Television Drama SeriesDavid Benioff, Bryan Cogman, Dave Hill, D. B. WeissNominated[99]
16th Visual Effects Society AwardsOutstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal EpisodeJoe Bauer, Steve Kullback, Chris Baird, David Ramos, Sam Conway (for 'Beyond the Wall')Won[100]
Outstanding Animated Character in an Episode or Real-Time ProjectPaul Story, Todd Labonte, Matthew Muntean, Nicholas Wilson (for 'Beyond the Wall' – 'Zombie Polar Bear')Nominated
Jonathan Symmonds, Thomas Kutschera, Philipp Winterstein, Andreas Krieg (for 'Eastwatch' – 'Drogon Meets Jon')Nominated
Murray Stevenson, Jason Snyman, Jenn Taylor, Florian Friedmann (for 'The Spoils of War' – 'Drogon Loot Train Attack')Won
Outstanding Created Environment in an Episode, Commercial or Real-Time ProjectDaniel Villalba, Antonio Lado, José Luis Barreiro, Isaac de la Pompa (for 'Beyond the Wall' – 'Frozen Lake')Won
Patrice Poissant, Deak Ferrand, Dominic Daigle, Gabriel Morin (for 'Eastwatch')Nominated
Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time ProjectManuel Ramírez, Óscar Márquez, Pablo Hernández, David Gacituaga (for 'Beyond the Wall' – 'Frozen Lake')Nominated
Thomas Hullin, Dominik Kirouac, Sylvain Nouveau, Nathan Arbuckle (for 'The Dragon and the Wolf' – 'Wall Destruction')Won
Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal EpisodeÓscar Perea, Santiago Martos, David Esteve, Michael Crane (for 'Beyond the Wall' – 'Frozen Lake')Nominated
Thomas Montminy Brodeur, Xavier Fourmond, Reuben Barkataki, Sébastien Raets (for 'Eastwatch')Nominated
Dom Hellier, Thijs Noij, Edwin Holdsworth, Giacomo Matteucci (for 'The Spoils of War' – 'Loot Train Attack')Won
Golden Reel AwardsOutstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Episodic Short Form – Effects/FoleyTim Kimmel, Paula Fairfield, Bradley Katona, Brett Voss and Jeffrey Wilhoit (for 'The Spoils of War')Won[101]
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Episodic Short Form – Dialogue/ADRTim Kimmel, Paul Bercovitch and Tim Hands (for 'The Spoils of War')Won
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Episodic Short Form – Music/MusicalDavid Klotz (for 'Beyond the Wall')Nominated
15th Irish Film & Television AwardsBest Television DramaGame of ThronesWon[102]
[103]
Actor in a Supporting Role – TelevisionLiam CunninghamWon
Aidan GillenNominated
Best SoundRonan Hill, Onnalee Blank and Matthew WatersNominated
Best VFXEd Bruce & Nicholas MurphyNominated
5th Location Managers Guild AwardsOutstanding Locations in a Period Television SeriesRobert Boake, Matt Jones, Tate Araez GuzmanWon[104]
44th Saturn AwardsBest Fantasy Television SeriesGame of ThronesNominated[105]
Best Actress on a Television SeriesLena HeadeyNominated
Best Supporting Actor on a Television SeriesKit HaringtonNominated
Nikolaj Coster-WaldauNominated
2018 British Academy Television AwardsMust-See Moment'Viserion is Killed by the Night King' (for Beyond the Wall)Nominated[106]
2018 British Academy Television Craft AwardsCostume DesignMichele ClaptonWon[107]
Production DesignDeborah Riley, Rob CameronWon
Special AwardGame of ThronesWon
Webby AwardBest Overall Social PresenceGame of ThronesWon[108]
Best TrailerGame of ThronesWon
Best Digital CampaignGame of ThronesWon
2018 MTV Movie & TV AwardsBest ShowGame of ThronesNominated[109]
Best Performance in a ShowMaisie WilliamsNominated
Best HeroEmilia ClarkeNominated
2018 Gold Derby AwardsBest Drama SeriesGame of ThronesWon[110]
Ensemble of the YearThe cast of Game of ThronesNominated
Best Drama Supporting ActorPeter DinklageNominated
Best Drama Supporting ActressLena HeadeyNominated
Best Drama Guest ActressDiana RiggWon
Best Drama Episode'Beyond the Wall'Nominated
'The Spoils of War'Nominated
70th Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Drama SeriesWon[111]
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama SeriesNikolaj Coster-WaldauNominated
Peter DinklageWon
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama SeriesLena HeadeyNominated
Outstanding Directing for a Drama SeriesAlan Taylor (for 'Beyond the Wall')Nominated
Jeremy Podeswa (for 'The Dragon and the Wolf')Nominated
Outstanding Writing for a Drama SeriesDavid Benioff and D. B. Weiss (for 'The Dragon and the Wolf')Nominated
70th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Casting for a Drama SeriesNina Gold, Robert Sterne, and Carla StrongeNominated[112]
Outstanding Costumes for a Fantasy/Sci-Fi SeriesMichele Clapton, Alexander Fordham, Emma O'Loughlin, Kate O'Farrell, (for 'Beyond the Wall')Won
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama SeriesDiana RiggNominated
Outstanding Hairstyling for a Single-Camera SeriesKevin Alexander, Candice Banks, Nicola Mount, Rosalia Culora (for 'The Dragon and the Wolf')Nominated
Outstanding Make-up for a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic)Jane Walker, Kay Bilk, Marianna Kyriacou, Pamela Smyth, Kate Thompson, Nicola Mathews (for 'The Dragon and the Wolf')Nominated
Outstanding Production Design for a Fantasy ProgramDeborah Riley, Paul Ghirardani, Rob Cameron (for 'Dragonstone')Won
Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a SeriesJane Walker, Paul Spateri, Emma Sheffield, Barrie Gower (for 'Beyond the Wall')Won
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama SeriesTim Porter (for Beyond the Wall)Nominated
Crispin Green (for 'The Spoils of War')Nominated
Katie Weiland (for 'The Dragon and the Wolf')Nominated
Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score)Ramin Djawadi (for 'The Dragon and the Wolf')Won
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama seriesTim Kimmel, Paula Fairfield, Tim Hands, Paul Bercovitch, Bradley C. Katona, John Matter, Brett Voss, David Klotz, Jeffrey Wilhoit, Dylan T. Wilhoit (for 'The Spoils of War')Nominated
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a SeriesOnnalee Blank, Mathew Waters, Richard Dyer, Ronan Hill (for 'Beyond the Wall')Won
Outstanding Special Visual EffectsSteve Kullback, Joe Bauer, Adam Chazen, Michelle Blok, Sam Conway, Ted Rae, David Ramos, Wayne Stables, Derek Spears (for 'Beyond the Wall')Won
Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a SeriesRowley IrlamWon

Release[edit]

Broadcast[edit]

The season was simulcast around the world by HBO and its broadcast partners in 186 countries. In some countries, it aired the day after its first release.[71]

Marketing[edit]

On July 23, 2016, a teaser production trailer was released by HBO at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con. The trailer mostly consisted of voice overs, and shots of crew members creating sets and props.[113] The first footage from the season was revealed in a new promotional video released by HBO highlighting its new and returning original shows for the coming year on November 28, 2016, showcasing Jon Snow, Sansa Stark and Arya Stark.[114][115]

On March 1, 2017, HBO and Game of Thrones teamed up with Major League Baseball (MLB) for a cross-promotional partnership. At least 19 individual teams participated in this promotion.[116] On March 8, 2017, HBO released the first promotional poster for the season ahead of the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas, which teases the battle of 'ice vs. fire'. Showrunners Benioff and Weiss also spoke at the event, along with fellow cast members Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams.[117]

On March 9, 2017, HBO hosted a live stream on the Game of Thrones Facebook page that revealed the premiere date for the seventh season as being July 16, 2017. It was accompanied by a teaser trailer.[2] On March 30, 2017, the first official promo for the show was released, highlighting the thrones of Daenerys Targaryen, Jon Snow, and Cersei Lannister.[118] On April 20, 2017, HBO released 15 official photos shot during the season.[119] On May 22, 2017, HBO released several new photos from the new season.[120] On May 23, 2017, HBO released the official posters featuring the Night King.[121] The first official trailer for season 7 was released on May 24, 2017.[28] The trailer set a world record for being the most viewed show trailer ever, being viewed 61 million times across digital platforms, in the first 24 hours.[122] The second official trailer was released on June 21, 2017.[27] The season premiere was screened at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles on July 12, 2017.[123]

Home media[edit]

The season was released on Blu-ray and DVD in region 1 on December 12, 2017.[124][125]

Illegal distribution[edit]

The season premiere was pirated 90 million times in the first three days after it aired.[126] On August 4, 2017, it was reported that, two days before its original broadcast, the fourth episode of the season was leaked online from Star India, one of HBO's international network partners.[127] The leaked copy has the 'for internal viewing only' watermark. On July 31, 2017, due to a security breach, HBO was the victim of 1.5 terabytes of stolen data.[128] However, 'this was not related to this episode leak', according to The Verge.[129] On August 16, 2017, four days before its intended release, it was reported that HBO Spain and HBO Nordic accidentally allowed the sixth episode of the series on-demand viewing for one hour before being removed.[130]

Data from piracy monitoring firm MUSO indicates that season seven was pirated more than one billion times mostly by unauthorized streaming, with torrent and direct downloads accounting for about 15 percent of this piracy. On average, each episode is estimated to have been pirated 140 million times,[131] making Game of Thrones the most-pirated television series in 2017.[132]

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External links[edit]

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Spoilers through Season 7 of 'Game Of Thrones' follow.

Jon remains the nucleus. Beric tells him of death, the true enemy, who you can never defeat but must still always fight. Jorah refuses to take back Longclaw, having forfeited that right when he brought shame to House Mormont by selling slaves and going into exile.

Some of this dialogue deepens our sense of world and scope and time. Jorah telling Thoros how he saw him storm through the breach in the Iron Islands during Robert and Eddard's quashing of the Greyjoy rebellion. 'I thought you were the bravest man I'd ever seen,' he says. 'No, just the drunkest,' Thoros replies.

All the extras die, because of course they do, but only Thoros of Myr is lost among our main heroes, despite overwhelming odds and at least a couple of near death experiences. At the same time, given how silly this whole plan was I'm not sure I want any of our heroes to die executing it. Thoros's death feels cheap in some ways.

I do think there were some great moments in this journey into the dead land. Even just the shots of the snow-swept land beyond the Wall were beautiful.

Beyond the fantastic conversations between the Magnificent Seven, this evening's spectacle was its saving grace. The dead overwhelming our lonely band... Beric with his flaming sword... The Hound wielding Gendry's hammer, crushing skull after skull. Jon Snow and Jorah back to back as the enemies swarmed around them. A hopeless battle given the lack of fire at their disposal, until...

Drogon swooping in...gouts of flame erupting through the enemy ranks, shattering the ice...the tide of battle suddenly shifting. A song of ice and fire.

The cinematography and action were all spectacular. One thing Game of Thrones has done incredibly well this season is make dragons really awesome. And I mean awesome in its true sense; awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping, epic and glorious. I'm not sure I've ever witnessed such cool dragons in any TV show or movie before.

The final battle was utterly mesmerizing. I was on the edge of my seat more than once, and thought for sure we'd lose more characters by the end of the night. I suppose losing a dragon counts as a pretty major event, but I'm frankly astonished the show didn't kill off Beric and Tormund.

Alas, the many problems plaguing this episode far outweigh whatever good can be said about it.

A Dance With Dragons

I know I said I'd stop talking about fast travel issues, but I just can't help myself this week. For one thing, the fast travel we've seen throughout much of this season was at worst sloppy and at best a way to expedite major events. That's excusable enough, I suppose, given how few remaining episodes we have.

Sure it seemed like Jon and Dany and every other character could get from one place to the next unrealistically fast, transporting whole armies and fleets in the blink of an eye. But we could forgive this because maybe the show was simply not showing us how much time had passed. We just have to assume that weeks go by as characters move from point A to point B. I didn't like it but I was willing to forgive...until now.

The Magnificent Seven come across a band of wights led by a White Walker. They set a cunning trap or, rather, light a fire and then ambush the undead when they show up to investigate. Jon kills the White Walker and, much to their surprise, all the wights die instantly save one. This is an important bit of information, since we now know that it's possible to stop the army of the dead without actually fighting the entire army. They only need to kill the White Walkers.

It appears that the White Walker who raised the dead is bound to them until he dies, kind of like the necromancers in Dark Souls. The one who doesn't die must have been raised up by a different White Walker. So instead of dying he starts screaming, alerting the rest of the dead forces to the companions' presence.

It's at this point, after they bag-and-tag the wight, that Jon sends Gendry off. 'Go tell Daenerys what's happening here,' he urges, though we're not quite sure what he means. This is the first in a long string of nonsensical writing decisions that makes the ensuing segments, despite the cool combat and fancy special effects, so utterly inane.

What exactly is Gendry supposed to tell her, exactly? That they're doing exactly what they planned to do? Gendry flees before things are truly dire, before they're encircled at the center of a frozen lake.

That they're fighting the army of the dead should come as no surprise to anyone, let alone Dany who was on board with this plan from the beginning. Of course they are! That's the plan!

In any case, Gendry runs off and gets to the Wall where he collapses at the entrance. The guards find him and he gasps to Davos that they need to send a raven to Daenerys. I was almost laughing out loud as Davos shouts 'Get the Maester, now!' as though sending that raven that very second will make all the difference. As though sending a raven to Daenerys thousands of miles away is at all a reasonable solution.

I didn't realize that ravens are literally cell phones in Game of Thrones.

It all makes sense now. Now that ravens are cell phones.

The Airspeed Velocity Of An Unladen Raven

The White Walker and his wights fall for an ambush.

Credit: HBO

So let's talk about this. Let's talk about the airspeed velocity of a Westerosi raven.

Different sources give different answers, but from what I can tell carrier pigeons can fly anywhere from 600 to 1,000 miles in a day, so we'll just assume that these ravens can do the same. Actually, since this is a magical world we'll say ravens can fly 1,000 miles each and every day.

We'll generously estimate the distance between Eastwatch and Dragonstone as 2,000 miles. It's about 600 miles from Castle Black to Winterfell, so I think it's probably a little further than this, but we'll low-ball it for the sake of argument.

Dragons are probably faster than ravens, but they couldn't go too fast with a human on their back. So we'll say it takes both the ravens and Daenerys two full days to travel between Eastwatch and Dragonstone for a total of four days and change.

This means that Jon and company are trapped in the middle of a frozen lake for four days before Dany arrives with her dragons.

Ice-fishing experts have determined how long it takes water to freeze in order to determine when it's safe to go out on the ice (read about it here.) We can assume that the north beyond the Wall is incredibly cold, meaning that it would likely only take a few days for the lake to freeze thick enough for the army of the dead to cross.

So four days of raven/dragon/Gendry travel lines up decently with the freeze rate of the lake's surface. So that actually works pretty well. Good job, Game of Thrones!

There's just one...or two...or twelve problems.

The thing is, it certainly never seemsas though four days pass for the Magnificent Seven. At least, I didn't view it that way. Maybe other viewers feel differently, but to me it felt like everything took place over span of two days and a night. We only see our heroes wake from slumber once. Night only falls once, and then the dawn of Thoros's passing.

With no other indication of time passing, we're left to think that Westeros is suddenly far, far smaller than it used to be. We're left to think that at most a day passed between Gendry running off and Daenerys swooping in.

Even making our own assumptions up on the fly is problematic (not that we, as viewers, should have to do this.)

Are we really supposed to believe that Jon and company holed up on that rock for four days?

We're supposed to believe that the Night King wouldn't use his ice javelins, or any other projectile weapon, on the Magnificent Seven? They'd just stand there for days on end waiting to attack?

I get that the White Walkers have plenty of time, but it's still kind of bizarre to just stand there. In other words, no matter how we spin this scene it doesn't make sense. It doesn't work. It's bad writing from start to finish. Some of the worst writing, plotting and directing I can remember in this show.

We lasted four days in the freezing cold with only Beric's sword to warm us!

Credit: HBO

Alt-Write

This was an exasperatingly implausible sequence of events, but it didn't need to be.

The writers could have had Daenerys wracked with doubt, for instance. She could have told Tyrion she was heading north to help and flown off before things got so bad beyond the Wall.

Later, she could have shown up at the Wall around the same time as Gendry. Better yet, just skip the entire Gendry thing and have Daenerys show up at the battle without ever having been summoned. It's perfectly plausible that the very impulsive Mother of Dragons would ditch the plan and fly north on her own; after all, she sent her dear friend Jorah and her new crush Jon to an almost certain doom.

This would cut out all the fast travel silliness entirely while remaining within the bounds of Dany's character.

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While we might have been slightly less concerned about the fates of our heroes under these circumstances, plenty of uncertainty would have remained. And we wouldn't all be rolling our eyes with incredulity, so that'd be a nice perk.

The Death Of A Dragon

The Night King prepares to unleash his magic ice javelin.

Credit: HBO

In any case, just in the nick of time the dragons arrive and start melting the army of the dead with huge geysers of flame in what is, admittedly, a pretty great scene. For reasons none of us will ever know, Daenerys does not have her fire-breathing behemoths burn the Night King and the White Walkers, but I'll just assume she didn't see them and got caught up in the moment. So Viserion and Rhaegal burn the bad guys while Drogon and Dany land to collect the survivors.

As Daenerys helps the survivors (and the captured wight) up onto Drogon's back (bet you'd never see this many dragon riders!) Jon fends off attacking undead. We all shout at Jon to hurry up and get on the dragon, you blockhead!

Game Of Thrones Sezonul 7 Subtitrare

On the edge of the battle, a White Walker hands the Night King an ice javelin. At first he aims the javelin at Drogon, but he notices Viserion flying toward him and adjusts his throw, spearing the oncoming dragon in mid-flight. Viserion comes crashing to the ice, plummeting to his watery grave.

I wish the show had made it more obvious that Viserion was a clear and present danger to the Night King. I think we're supposed to assume he was acting to stop the oncoming dragon, but it just felt strange to me. Drogon was a much easier target while he just sat there not moving. Viserion was still far off, and a much more difficult mark than his stationary brother.

The Night King's second javelin flies wide of Drogon as they fly off. The extras are dead. Thoros is lost. And Jon is left behind because sometimes Jon is just not that smart.

Instead he's dragged beneath the ice, into the shivering, murky deep. Kind of like Jaime, come to think of it. And like Jaime, he survives.

I'm really not sure what the point of Jon being dragged under was, though I suspect it was solely to kill of Benjen. Speaking of which, Benjen showing up out of the blue could have been cool, if the writers had introduced him to the episode earlier. Instead it was just another McGuffin.

Bending the Knee

Then again, killing off Benjen in one last feat of heroism wasn't the only reason to toss Jon into a freezing lake. It was mostly about getting him out of those clothes.

After all, how else do you get Jon to wake up in a comfy bed with Dany sitting over him, nursing him back to life? How else do you stage this tender moment? He even calls her 'Dany' which I actually liked, though she tells him only her creepy brother called her that. They hold hands, and he calls her his queen.

Oh bloody hell, Jon. Really? Really???

Game Of Thrones Sezonul 7 Subtitrat

I'm fine with the hand-holding and the flirtation, but for Jon to just bend the knee, for him to, er, take it lying down, as it were, it just feels wrong. It's every bit as neat and tidy as Daenerys showing up at exactly the right moment to save the Magnificent Seven, or Benjen showing up at exactly the right moment to save Jon.

What a huge letdown. Jon didn't bend the knee before even though she had dragons. Nothing has changed with the North and the Targaryen queen. Nothing about Dany's arrival at that battle will convince the Northern lords that Jon paying her fealty is the right choice or one that they will follow.

It's all a bit too preposterous for me.

Time to boot up your teleporter, we're off to...

Winterfell

Everything about the Winterfell story-line is a disaster. The showrunners have done the unthinkable by making Arya Stark one of the least sympathetic, most irritating characters on the show at this point. It's almost unforgivable how badly they've misused her as a character. Arya's plot has been a train wreck ever since she split with the Hound, but it's reaching fever pitch levels of bad at this point.

Let's break down exactly what's going on in Winterfell right now:

  • For reasons we will never know, the northern lords are angry that Jon has been away. They grumble at Sansa and say maybe she should be queen instead.
  • She doesn't denounce them enough (or cut off their heads) so Arya accuses her of wanting to replace Jon.
  • This makes no sense, given that Arya and Sansa should at the very least be on the same side now that they're finally reunited.
  • Littlefinger tricks Arya into finding a note from Sansa when she was in King's Landing urging Robb to bend the knee.
  • He's doing this to divide the two, which logically shouldn't work. But....
  • This week Arya confronts Sansa about the note. Sansa sensibly tells her she was forced to write it and thought it would help save their father.
  • Arya, because apparently she is stupid and we are stupid and the writers are stupid, refuses to listen to this very logical explanation.
  • She essentially blackmails Sansa with the note, threatening to tell the northern lords. FOR NO REASON.
  • At no point does either girl question that maybe Littlefinger is messing with them. Sansa even turns to him for advice! What is going on???
  • At no point does Bran, who can see through Littlefinger's deception, mention anything useful.
  • At no point does Jon send a raven to tell them what's going on, even though it would be super easy to do.
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This is all so contrived and silly I don't even know where to begin. Arya is acting incredibly out of character with this petty, stupid vendetta.

It's beyond obvious that Sansa was just following orders and had no other choice when she sent that note. Arya was there when Ned was killed, and almost certainly saw Sansa collapsing in grief and horror. The showrunners have come up with this entire plot just to create drama and they're making characters act out of character in service of the plot. It's lazy and insulting.

Littlefinger still has no discernible scheme. He's tricking the Stark girls, both of whom should be much, much smarter at this point, but we still don't really know why.

Bran is a sideshow when he could very easily convey some knowledge about Littlefinger to his sisters. It's not like he doesn't actively participate in trying to stop the Night King. Keeping the peace at Winterfell seems like a pretty important part of that mission. But no. Nobody actually talks to one another.

In fact, the only good advice anyone gives is...Littlefinger, oddly enough. He tells Sansa to use Brienne as an intermediary between her and Arya. That's a good idea! The three could sit down and talk it out. Littlefinger frames it as Brienne 'protecting' them from one another, but surely if they all just sat down they could hash things out, make peace, hug and make up.

So naturally Sansa sense Brienne to King's Landing. I guess Cersei has invited Sansa to be part of the meet-and-greet with Dany and Jon and the wight. You see, Cersei thinks to send Sansa a raven. Not Jon, though.

Sansa sends away the one person who is truly loyal and who could truly protect her from her enemies to go to King's Landing to...well, we don't know actually. Why would Sansa even send an envoy? We don't know. The show doesn't tell us. Sansa and Brienne don't really say what it's all about. Sansa just sends her off so that she can...uh...show up in that scene later in the show I guess? Yeah, that works. We'll go with that.

Verdict

I'm sorry folks, I know I sound harsh. This was a weird episode for me. It was gripping and engaging and tense in many ways. I enjoyed it. At the same time it was so filled with plot holes and weird writing choices, it makes it hard to come out the other side feeling very positive. At one point Beric points out the Night King to Jon and tells him all they have to do is kill him...but then they never even attempt any such thing. It was an episode with great promise, but one that failed in too many ways to count. Great dialogue, beautiful cinematography, and ridiculous nonsense to make it all so bittersweet.

I often hear, as a critic, that maybe I should go make my own show if I think I could do better. I don't have the experience or funds to do that, but I would have gladly helped write this script. Here's my version:

First, I would have scrapped the plan to capture a wight altogether. Assuming we needed to get these characters north of the Wall, I would have written in something about the Children of the Forest, and had Bran tell Jon he needed to go find them. This would have tied into the lore of the last hero, and it would have given us a compelling reason to have Jon and Jorah go beyond the Wall.

Second, I would have had Dany go north shortly after as I mentioned above. That way she could have arrived to save them without all this silly fast travel and Davos shouting 'Get a raven!' and what not.

Third, I would have shown Benjen, maybe with a couple of the Children, following the Night King and noticing the plight of the heroes. This way, when Jon didn't make it to the dragon he could have come in and not been a total deus ex machina. I would have had Jon escape with the Children while Benjen held off the enemy. Hooray, Jon found the Children! Cool! He wouldn't make it back to Daenerys and they'd all think he was dead, which could lead to some cool stuff in Winterfell.

Fourth, I would have never introduced any of this nonsense between Arya and Sansa, or the grumbling lords. This week a raven would arrive telling them that Jon didn't make it back, and Sansa would become queen without any silly scheming. Arya could still try to figure out the truth behind Littlefinger, and some conflict there could still exist but without the silly sister hate.

All of this would remove any need for a wight. They could still try to arrange a parlay with Cersei. Indeed, if we go back a couple episodes, they could have just captured Jaime and taken him with them to the Wall to see for himself. There are so many ways that this could all work so much better and still build toward the same outcomes. And these are just rough-draft ideas; they could be refined through discussion and debate in the writer's room, something that must not have happened all that much for 'Beyond the Wall.'

This should have been one of the most exciting, compelling episodes yet on Game of Thrones. Instead, if anything it was an incredibly mixed bag. Great dialogue, great action, but no sort of sensible plot to stitch it all together.

Final scattered thoughts:

  • I liked Tyrion's teasing of Dany over Jon Snow. 'He's too little for me,' she says, before realizing how that sounds.
  • It's interesting how defensive Daenerys gets when Tyrion brings up questions of succession. Then just flies off into danger.
  • I didn't know Thoros could set his blade afire. But it's super cool when both he and Beric light up and attack that bear.
  • Now the Night King has a blue-eyed, undead dragon at his disposal. Can it fly over the Wall?
  • It's fitting that Viserion is the bad dragon given it was named after Viserys.
  • Richard Dormer (Beric) is great, but boy did he remind me of Bryan Cranston from Breaking Bad tonight.It's his eyes, I think.
  • That very bad plan that led to all of this? Another funny thing I hadn't considered is that Cersei already has one zombie at her side. Bringing her another won't convince her!
  • It would have been cool if Sansa had found her own face in Arya's bag of faces. Nevermind, I forgot you have to be dead for this to work.
  • The season finale better have some major tricks up its sleeves. This show needs a win.
  • I need this terrible Winterfell plot to resolve. Please, please let it wrap up next week.

Further Reading: