One couldn’t have asked for a more grand season finale than The Dragon and the Wolf. But it is hardly the most satisfying one, primarily because of the vague, convenient, badly developed plot points of the season that led up to it. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed it — from the mega reunions and first-time meetings to the spectacular finish — but it was entirely too predictable, and hardly emotional.

The highs

When was the last time most of the important characters of Game of Thrones were in the same place at the same time? Perhaps not since the first episode of the first season when the Baratheons and Lannisters visited Winterfell. Till now that is, till the meeting at the Dragonpit. And it isn’t just the first meeting between Daenerys Targaryen and Cersei Lannister that defines the scene but the many wonderful reunions that take place. Podrick Payne and Tyrion Lannister, Brienne of Tarth and The Hound, The Hound vs The Mountain (the Cleganebowl is officially a go, though we’ll have to wait till Season 8!), Brienne and Jaime, and it is fantastic to see Tyrion and Bronn back together.

The clash of power, primarily between Cersei and Dany, and that tense moment when the wight runs at Cersei, keeps things interesting, though why they had to spend so much time explaining how to kill a wight is beyond me.
The scene between Cersei and Tyrion is some of the best acting to come out of the season, with Peter Dinklage delivering a performance that is raw, angry and bitter. It is perfectly complemented by Lena Headey as Cersei who channels equal amounts of anger and hatred, but in a way that plays Tyrion, again, as we later find out. It is really time for Tyrion to get his head in the game. What was he thinking? Does he not know his sister at all? Was it really necessary to get a wight to King’s Landing or was it just a shoddy way of making sure that the Night King had a dragon, for the final scene of this episode? Since Cersei reacted exactly the way we all expected her to — promised to help, and then went back on her word, with help from Euron Greyjoy (that was a twist we didn’t see coming). 

The only thing that was unexpected was the fact that Jaime finally had the veil ripped from his eyes and against Cersei’s wishes is riding North to keep his pledge to John and Dany, another Lannister bun in Cersei’s oven or not. I hope he picks up Bronn on the way.

The other highlight of the episode went down in Winterfell as Sansa summons Arya to be escorted by guards, only to accuse Littlefinger of murder and treason. I was as shocked and surprised as Littlefinger was, and deliriously happy with the way Sansa deals with it. But I also can’t help being a little pissed at how the writers played us, the audience. I mean why were the scenes between Arya and Sansa in earlier episodes, where Littlefinger wasn’t present, necessary when it was all about playing Littlefinger?! But I am glad it was Arya who slit Littlefinger’s throat.

Yet another, major, and by now extremely predictable revelation went down in Winterfell as Bran tells Samwell Tarly (yes he has reached Winterfell) that Jon is not a Snow and that he is Rhaegar Targaryen-Lyanna Stark’s bastard. But Sam is one up on the all-seeing Three-Eyed Raven, and tells Bran about Rhaegar and Elia Martell’s marriage annulment and marriage to someone else. Excuse me, one moment please, we saw Sam shut Gilly down when she tried to tell him that. How did he suddenly know? Of course Bran has a vision of Rhaegar and Lyanna’s wedding (is anyone else troubled by the fact that Rhaegar looks disturbingly like Viserys Targaryen?) and then in his dead voice explains, unnecessarily, the implications of it — that Jon, sorry Aegon Targaryen (don’t even get me started on the name, since I’ve read the books), is the true heir to the Iron Throne.

Even more disturbing is that while Bran is explaining that, Jon and Dany are busy making sure the tradition of Targaryen inter-breeding is maintained as they do the horizontal.

The last scene of the episode is one of the most spectacular in recent times as the Army of the Dead march on Eastwatch and as Tormund and Beric Dondarrion watch, the Night King rides in on he-who-used-to-be-called-Viserion, who crumbles The Wall to dust with his blue flames. The Army of the Dead are finally heading south.

WTF moment

When Cersei gives her order for The Mountain to kill Jaime, my heart stopped for a minute, till Jaime tells her, “I don’t believe you”, and walks away, alive.

Death count

Littlefinger. He will be missed, in his own way. Lots of people at Eastwatch. Maybe Tormund and Beric too, but we didn’t see them die, so we’ll find out in Season 8.

Best Lines

Jaime and Bronn’s locker room talk looking over the Unsullied was… gold! “Men without c**ks… you wouldn’t find me fighting in an army if I had no c**k. What’s left to fight for?” asks Bronn. “Gold?” Jaime reasons but there’s just one winner and it’s Bronn. “I spent my life around soldiers, what do you think they spend that gold on?” replies Bronn. “Maybe it’s all about c**ks in the end,” Jaime eventually concedes. “Yet your brother has chosen to side with the c**kless,” Bronn goes in for Round Two, but this time, Jaime takes the c**k, sorry cake! “Yes, he’s always been a champion of the downtrodden.” Just when we thought it ended in a tie, in comes the Dothraki horde charging towards them and Bronn says, “I think we’re about to be the downtrodden”, and walks away. #MicDrop

Chandreyee Chatterjee
GoT S7E07 airs tonight at 11pm on STAR World, and STAR World HD