War has come…get ready!
As the army of the undead marches south with the Night King (Vladimir Furdik), the pieces are beginning to come together in the kingdoms to the south. Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) and Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) finds a potential unlikely ally in Jon Snow (Kit Harington) as Cersei (Lena Headey) desperately tries to hold onto her kingdom with the help of Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). Arya (Maisie Williams) and her quest for revenge takes a detour when she learns Jon and her sister Sansa (Sophie Turner) hold Winterfell. The Hound (Rory McCann) finds a vision for his future as he heads toward the Wall, and Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) has his own plans. The army of the undead is getting closer…and winter is here!
So…confirmed that Westeros is pretty much England
Game of Thrones—Season 7 aired from July 16, 2017 to August 27, 2017 on HBO. The penultimate season won Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Peter Dinklage), Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes (“Beyond the Wall”), Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score) (“The Dragon and the Wolf”), Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Limited Series, Movie or Special (“The Dragon and the Wolf”), Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Limited Series or Movie, Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Period or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More) (“Dragonstone”), Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour) (“Beyond the Wall”), and Outstanding Special Visual Effects (“Beyond the Wall”) with nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Lena Headey), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (Diana Rigg), Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (“Beyond the Wall”), Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (“The Dragon and the Wolf”), Outstanding Cast for a Drama Series, Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One-Hour), (“The Spoils of War”), and three nominations for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series (“Beyond the Wall”, “The Dragon and the Wolf”, “The Spoils of War”).
The wolves are unleashed!
I always take a long time to gear myself up for Game of Thrones. It isn’t because I dislike the series, but more because I do like it. I find that there are two choices when you aren’t watching it as it airs…wait and savor it for a while or binge it as soon as you get it. I generally wait and then binge.
The show is one of those shows which always has you saying “one more episode” and this season is no different. Unlike a lot of series that feel like they just continue episode into episode, you know that something big is going happen at the end of each Game of Thrones episodes. This season has revelations about Jon Snow, reunions, the joining of armies, White Walkers, and of course lots and lots of betrayals. Essentially this season feels very Jon Snow and Daenerys heavy with the other characters being supporting cast for them.
RIP Olenna…you should have sat on the Iron Throne
That in general wouldn’t be a problem for most series, but the characters in Game of Thrones are so rich that you don’t like to see them go and a few character’s “send offs” felt like they could have been even more. Every season, there is a “jerk” character (though I’d still none beat Joffrey) and this season Euron Greyjoy (portrayed by Pilou Asbaek) continues to be the heavy, but there is so much going on that even he gets a bit sidelined by the plot. The season does a lot of nice reunions with the characters that in a show like this you aren’t sure if they’ll ever happen, and it is good to see the Starks back together for the most part (plus an appearance by Hotpie (Ben Hawkey)). I just wish there had been more Brianna this season especially with her reunion with the Hound.
Visually, the series remains rich. With more and more fantasy being inserted into the series, the series has managed to keep the realism of the land. The landscapes are quite impressive and the locations are always varied.
It’s on!
My biggest complaint about this season would be the compression of events. With so much going on, time has been thrown out the window. Though they hiked for days into the North, is able “run” all the way back to the Wall in a short time. Characters’ ravens deliver messages quickly, and characters are able to travel between locations quickly when before just getting to the Wall or King’s Landing used to take days…and don’t even get started about Jon Snow’s insistence to attack the White Walkers when everyone else is hopping on the dragon to get out (good job, Jon).
Game of Thrones really feels like it is starting to wind down. The pieces are finally coming together this season and characters are meeting for the first time after six seasons. The series continues strong and has you prepped for the end. With plans for a prequel series, Game of Thrones isn’t really going anywhere after the next season, but the series turned a lot of non-fantasy watchers into fantasy watchers…which is a feat in itself. Bring on Season 8!
Game of Thrones—Season 7 Complete Episode Guide:
“Dragonstone”
7.1 Dragonstone Airdate: 07/16/17
Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) enacts her revenge on Walder Frey (David Bradley) and his men for the Red Wedding and heads south with plans for Queen Cersei (Lena Headey). Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) and Meera Reed (Ellie Kendrick) reach the Wall with warnings of the coming White Walkers while Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) debate their next move at Winterfell as Sansa tests Jon’s power. Cersei and Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) seek allies in Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbaek) and plot to take the fight to Winterfell. Samwell Tarly (John Bradley) works in library of Oldtown and discovers a secret that could help Jon’s fight. Sandor “The Hound” Clegane (Rory McCann) travels with Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer) and is shown a vision of what is to come by Thoros of Myr (Paul Kaye). Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) arrives at Dragonstone with Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) and prepares for war.
“Stormborn”
7.2 Stormborn Airdate: 07/23/17
Daenerys reaches out to Jon Snow at the encouragement of Tyrion for an alliance but forces Jon into a tough position with his control of Winterfell. Samwell seeks to cure Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen) of the Grayscale against the orders of Archmaester Ebrose (Jim Broadbent). A reunion with Hot Pie (Ben Hawkey) has Arya learning of Jon’s standing in the North and a new destination…but an encounter in the woods could be a bigger reunion. Cersei appeals to the lords at King’s Landing and works to deal with Daenerys’ dragons. Euron Greyjoy has a surprise for his niece and nephew Yara (Gemma Whelan) and Theon (Alfie Allen) which also leaves the Sands Obara (Keisha Castle-Hughes), Nymeria (Jessica Henwick), Ellaria (Indira Varma), and Tyene (Rosabell Laurenti Sellers) shattered.
“The Queen’s Justice”
7.3 The Queen’s Justice Airdate: 07/30/17
Jon’s meeting with Daenerys doesn’t go as either party hopes, but Tyrion hopes to seek a common ground when the news of Yara’s defeat is learned. Melisandra (Carice van Houten) confides in Varys (Conleth Hill) about her rocky relationship with Jon Snow and plots her future. Theon Greyjoy is fished out of the ocean but faces an angry crew as his sister, Ellaria, and Tyene are used by Euron to elevate himself with Cersei. Bran is reunited with Sansa at Winterfell and reveals his power as the Three-Eyed Raven. Jorah is cured of the grayscale, and Samwell has to face the consequences. As the Unsullied fight for Casterly Rock, Jaime leads a surprise attack and learns a secret from Olenna (Diana Rigg).
“The Spoils of War”
7.4 The Spoils of War Airdate: 08/06/17
Cersei struggles to find funding for her wars as the Iron Bank begins to question her ability to pay. Bran discovers Meera is leaving as Arya returns to Winterfell. Jon explores the dragonglass mine and reveals to Daenerys that the battle against the White Walkers has continued for years. Theon arrives at Dragonstone and begs for help in rescuing Yara. The transport of money and supplies from Tyrell faces destruction when it is intercepted by Daenerys and her dragons.
“Eastwatch”
7.5 Eastwatch Airdate: 08/13/17
Daenerys enacts her own vengeance on the survivors of the war as she learn Jon Snow has a plan to try to convince Cersei of the threat from the army of the dead. Bran monitors the Night King’s progress from Winterfell as Arya suspects that Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) is plotting something. Sam learns that the Archmaesters intend not to move on reports of the undead and decides to make his own path. Jaime meets with Tyrion about a possible meeting between Cersei and the Dragon Queen and learns Cersei has a surprise for him. Davos (Liam Cunningham) locates Gendry (Joe Dempsie), and Gendry agrees to join the fight and Jon’s plans.
“Beyond the Wall”
7.6 Beyond the Wall Airdate: 08/20/17
Sansa finds Arya could be a threat to her rule with evidence that she supported King Joffrey. Jon Snow, the Hound, Gentry, Jorah (Iain Glen), Beric (Richard Dormer), Thoros (Paul Kaye), and Tormund (Kristofer Hivju) make their way north of the Wall to capture a White Walker but discover their plans might be even more difficult to pull off. In a desperate rescue attempt, Daenrys makes a costly move, and Jon finds an unexpected savior.
“The Dragon and the Wolf”
7.7 The Dragon and the Wolf Airdate: 08/27/17
The leaders of the armies meet in King’s Landing to iron out a truce to find the Night King (Vladimir Furdik), but Jon’s allegiance to Daenrys could make the deal difficult. Tyrion learns of his sister’s pregnancy and Jaime discovers that his sister might do anything to keep her control of the kingdom. Theon vows to free Yara and tries to find support. Littlefinger makes his powerplay at Winterfell and pits Arya against Sansa. Sam’s arrival at Winterfell opens up the secret of Jon’s heritage to Bran. The undead army reaches the Eastwatch and the Night King’s new dragon has an impact on the battle.
Related Links:
Game of Thrones—Season 1 Review and Complete Episode Guide
Game of Thrones—Season 2 Review and Complete Episode Guide
Game of Thrones—Season 3 Review and Complete Episode Guide
Game of Thrones—Season 4 Review and Complete Episode Guide
Game of Thrones—Season 5 Review and Complete Episode Guide
