Well at long last, we have reached the end of season 7 of ‘Game of Thrones,’ and with only 1 season to go, this is our last finale before the big one. Which is saying something because this one was pretty big in and of itself, being the longest episode of ‘Game of Thrones’ to date. And for everyone who complained that the show stopped doing any character moments or slower scenes this season and instead was only focusing on big action pieces and “Oh S****!” moments, this seemed like the show’s response, as the action was few and far between, and the show really took their time with every scene, which was all dialogue and character driven.
So as I’ve usually done this season, let’s start in Winterfell with the Sansa and Arya story, which we all worried was quickly going south (no pun intended) as it looked as though the two sisters might be plotting to kill one another. Thankfully, this episode revealed that was not the case at all. During what appeared to be Arya’s trial, Sansa turned the tables and revealed she was actually condemning Littlefinger, in a scene that definitely had my friends and me extremely happy, almost as happy as Arya looked when the crowd turned on Littlefinger, and the man started cowering and trying to defend himself. Throw in some damning evidence brought forth from Bran the Three-eyed Raven who saw Littlefinger’s part in Ned Stark’s death, and Sansa’s own reveal of Littlefinger’s role in Lady Lysa’s death in the Vale, and no one in the room took Lord Baelish’s side, and approved of Arya slicing his throat, even after his tears and begging. It was a great moment for the Starks, who proved they are not as dumb as they looked, an amazing moment for Sansa who showed just how much she learned over the years (and even admitted she’s a slow learner, but DOES learn), and a rather fitting end for the man who arguably started all the chaos of the show.
Of course, the big scene of the show was the meet-up in King’s Landing, which brought up some amazing reunions of characters we had no seen together in years. Pod, Bronn, and Tyrion, the “Heroes of the Battle of The Blackwater” came back together briefly to reminisce, Jamie and Brienne had a brief moment where Brienne told him to get his sister in line, the Hound saw the Mountain and warned him that (I think) that he will be the one to end his brother’s life, an unexpectedly great moment happened when the Hound and Brienne met up again, talking about their battle and how they were both looking out for Arya,
with Brienne assuring the Hound that Arya was safe and alive now, and more than capable of defending herself. We got Euron taunting Theon with the fact that Yara was still alive, and of course, the reunion of the three Lannister siblings, whose glares at one another and relationships were probably the most central part of the whole thing. Cersei, of course, came into it not happy, especially not after Daenerys showed up fashionably late atop a dragon, but seemed to see the sense of things once the White Walker wight was unveiled, and Jon and the Hound demonstrated how sinister the undead army was. But the whole thing fell apart when Jon revealed he had already pledged the North to Dany, and Cersei saw the writing on the wall for herself, ending her talk of a truce and storming out, leaving everyone pissed at Jon that he could not just lie to Cersei about that fact. Rightfully, Jon throws out that they need to be allies and he is not going to lie, which Dany later admits she was impressed by, even if it was very inconvenient for her, something she tells him about while they flirt after discussing the fact that she thinks she is barren, and Jon doubts the truth in it because the source was some crazy witch. 
To salvage matters, we get an amazing Tyrion moment where he follows his siblings out of the King’s Landing Dragon Pits and into the Red Keep itself, against the wishes of Dany (who doesn’t want to see her Hand killed), to speak to Cersei one on one, fully aware it could lead to his death. Jamie, fully aware that Tyrion might not make it out of his sister’s quarters alive, seems to admire Tyrion’s courage, and bids his brother farewell in a touching scene that made me really worried that Tyrion was about to die.
It was great to finally see a scene with Cersei and Tyrion again, and they played off each other amazingly, letting all their frustrations and anger loose, while also totally acting like feuding siblings, Tyrion consoling her for the loss of her children, who he actually loved, and Cersei actually unable to kill her brother, who I suppose she must have some kind of love for deep down (maybe? or she is totally just using him). She keeps rubbing her belly and talking about not caring about the world, and Tyrion guesses she is pregnant, after which we cut back to Tyrion and Cersei’s return to the main group in the Dragon Pit, where the reveal they have reached an accord, and Cersei pledges to help in the war with the White Walkers (which admittedly, seemed really easy). They all agree to a ceasefire, and Jon and Dany decide back at Dragonstone to head north together by boat instead of by dragon so they can cross through the northern territories and the people can see Dany as their savior instead of their conqueror. 
Before they leave, Theon has a moment with Jon, where he admits he has been a coward, and failed to live up to his Stark upbringing, claiming he has always fought between his Greyjoy blood and Stark morals. Jon takes pity on him, and tells him he doesn’t have to choose, that he is both, and that Ned Stark was more a father to him than his own, and will always be a part of him, a touching moment that ends with Jon even forgiving Theon, which gives Theon the courage to battle the leader of his remaining men to force the rest into going on a desperate rescue mission to save Yara from Euron, which could have major consequences next season.
However, Cersei is duplicitous as ever, and while Jamie happily makes plans to pull all their troops back and start heading North, she calls him out of his war plans and berates him for being so stupid, telling him she has no intentions of sending all of her troops north to fight the war with the monsters, and instead plans to bunker down and take back the southern kingdoms while everyone is distracted. She reveals that Euron leaving the big meeting earlier was not the man abandoning her, but rather a ploy to get his ships to Braavos to pick up a golden army the Bank promised her, which will help her conquer Westeros and potentially help protect them all from the White Walkers. Jamie is furious that she made this plan without him, and also that she is blind to the real threat of the White Walker army, and tells her as such, ending their argument by declaring that he would still go north to fight, and she then threatens another brother with death, as the Mountain ominously unsheathes his sword. As we now worry that this is the end for Jamie, he calls her bluff and leaves anyway, and she lets him go as well, and now I wonder whether she is getting soft, or she just can’t kill family. As Jamie leaves, they make sure to show that golden hand (which many fans have rumors about online) as he rides out of the capital, looking up as snow begins to fall, and we realize Winter has truly come south.
Back at Winterfell, Sam and Gilly finally make it back up North, and Sam’s first stop is to visit Bran, who recognizes the man who led him through the wall and calls him a good man. There’s a great moment where Bran tells him he is the Three-Eyed Raven now, and Sam admits he has no idea what that means, before we get into the good stuff, with the show finally confirming what the fans have known for awhile now. Bran reveals that he knows Jon Snow is not really Ned Stark’s bastard and is actually a Sand, to which Sam tells him that HE read that Rhaegar and Lyanna were actually married, meaning Jon is not a bastard (some nerve that Sam, GILLY read that!). After Bran reveals that Jon’s real name is actually Aegon Targaryen, he goes on to say that Jon is actually the rightful heir to the Iron Throne and that he must be told who he is. 
And of course, this is all intercut montage style with Bran’s visions of the Rhaegar/ Lyanna marriage (which fans said looked really low budget, but come on, they spent all their money on dragons this season!), young Ned Stark taking Jon Snow/ Aegon from his dying sister, and Dany and Jon on the boat north, where Jon knocks on Dany’s door and enters, and they proceed to make love, the sex scene being deliberately overlaid with Bran saying “Jon must be told,” as we are clearly watching the incest of an aunt making love to her nephew (with Tyrion angrily glaring at the bedroom door from the hallway).
Lastly, we see Bran Warg to his ravens which are flying over the Wall, where Tormund and company spot the White Walker army emerge from the forest, stopping to watch the Night King ride the Wight Dragon and throw powerful blue flames at the ancient edifice, knocking down the entire structure in front of Eastwatch. The wall crumbles down, destroying Eastwatch in the process (I believe Tormund survives though, making it to an intact part of the wall), but the cat is out of the bag. The White Walkers are finally through the Wall, and the last shot of the season is the army marching into the North, with the Night King flying his dragon over them, ready to terrorize and destroy.
GAME OF THEORIES:
So Bran HAS been paying attention to everything going on around him, he just takes his time letting people know. Isn’t that…. convenient.- I still think Cersei might be lying about that baby. She is using it a bit too much to get what she wants…
- So if Jon does try to break things off with Dany once he learns they are related, could it be too late? Could she already be pregnant with their child, which is why the show had that sex scene already?
- Does Tyrion know about Jon’s lineage? Something is definitely up because he knew what was going on in Dany’s room, and he looked decidedly unhappy, and I don’t think it is just because he is worried about Dany being distracted by Jon Snow.
- With Jamie heading north to fight in the White Walker war, it is definitely more confirmation that he could be the prince of the prophecy…
- So how were the White Walkers going to get through the wall if they didn’t have that Dragon? Was there a plan? Or could the wall have stopped them forever? Stupid Dany…
Despite the mixed reviews of this season, I did enjoy it, and the spectacle more than made up for any shortcomings. It is a lot of fun to see so many storylines coming together, and theories either confirmed or ruined, and I cannot wait until next year (hopefully only 1 year, though there are some differing rumors on the internet) when the final season premieres. Things are going to have to move fast in the final season, especially if the White Walkers are already past the wall, but that’s ok because they only have six episodes. I am interested to see how Jon reacts to the incest revelation, and whether Dany will accept the fact that he is the true heir to the throne, and whether those facts will destroy them as a couple or bring them closer together (my money is on Jon ending their relationship, but who knows). Either way, it may not be that important considering they have the White Walker problem to deal with, not to mention Cersei’s betrayal. We’ll find out when they finally get the next season ready…. Anyways, thanks for coming back every week for my reviews, and I’ll see you back here next year for the final season of ‘Game of Thrones!’
