In the penultimate and leaked episode of 'Game of Thrones' Season 7, a group of elite warriors went beyond the wall to face an army of the undead. This was the episode that I was looking forward to the most considering how much HBO has been building anticipation for the arrival of winter. The photo used for this season of 'Game of Thrones' was a shadowy figure of the Night King and if we didn't see him do something this season then fans would be genuinely upset.
The Night King most definitely showed off his power
The expedition beyond the wall cost the lives of several key characters including Thoros of Myr, Benjen Stark, and the saddest of them all Viserion.
While Daenerys tries to save everyone with her three dragons, the Night King takes an ice spear and throws it at the dragon, causing it to fall into the freezing water. Viserions death is not only sad but it is also what will make the Night Kings army that much more powerful. The end of the episode shows the Night King placing his hand on Viserion and bringing him back to life to serve in his undead army.
The deaths of Benjen Stark and Thoros, while noble ones, sadly don't have the same emotional impact as the death of Viserion. They didn't have enough screentime for the audience to connect to them, causing their deaths to feel uneventful in a series full of important character deaths. In fact, Benjen's only reason for coming is to sacrifice himself to save John and we will never be able to see more of his character development because he is gone.
However, there is a silver lining in this episode at the end. Not only did Jonn Snow achieve his goal of obtaining an undead soldier, but he also offers to bend the knee, figuratively not literally, at long last to Daenerys Targaryen. This alliance, along with the undead soldier, may be enough to convince Cersei and the Lannister army that the threat of the Night King is real and their senseless wars must end now.
The true war has only just begun
In the preview for the final episode, John Snow says: "There is only one war that matters. And it is here." What John means by this is that the current war between Daenerys and the Lannisters is still happening and it needs to end today. Only then will both sides be able to unite and defeat the Night King and his army of the undead.
Of course, even if this armistice brings about the end of the Night King, that doesn't mean the Lannisters and Daenerys will suddenly become friends. In fact, another war may happen again over who sits on the Iron Throne. For now, let's just hope that both sides can unite under a common enemy.
I'm actually very glad that this season was a lot shorter than the others. Granted, It does mean we will have to wait even longer for the next season but at least we got 7 amazing episodes rather than 10 episodes that dragged on at times. Next episode is going to be incredibly important and I am very excited to see what will happen.
