had this discussion this morning with a workmate. as much as i like this quicker pace and actually seeing things happen for a change, it does feel very rushed when you put it next to all the other episodes in the series. it's like giving themselves a cut off point for the show has made them realise they actually have a lot to squeeze in in less episodes.

^To both of you, I agree!
The slower pace is what made a lot of these huge moments so much more satisfying. If they went at their usual pace they could have easily added one maybe two more seasons.
I'll be curious to find out what the sudden rush is really. Maybe HBO is striking out elsewhere so they need those spin offs ASAP

I didn't have a huge problem with the children drawings in the cave really. I got the impression it was tucked away on the island where they wouldn't easily be found. Jon even said they hadn't really started digging yet. It's another traveling situation they likely skipped.
I'm really curious how shoehorned they'll be for the finale of the show though. Like is this conclusion gonna feel like cheap shit because they wanna tie it all up so quickly?

Also Bran has grown to be the worst part of the show - discuss

Actually, if you remember John's words, they still haven't started mining for dragonglass yet, they wanted to show Daenerys how the cave looked before they started mining, and also wanted to show her the drawings by the Forest people. It may not have had much of an impact for you, but if you have read the books and specially the compendiums, the Forest people's war against the First Men is very, very interesting, and absolutely worth reading the summaries if you can't read the whole thing. Basically, like the show has already shown, the Forest people created the Night King to fight the First Men, which were killing them and winning the war. But that weapon turned against them and was so strong that the Forest people even found themselves allying with their worst enemy, the First Men, in order to win against - momentarily stop - the Night King and the White Walkers. I'm saying all this history stuff, because Daenerys got it wrong, due to her lessons being misinformation on this subject, since no one knows how the Night King and the White Walkers came to be except for Bran - and possibly Meera. And the fact that she assumed they were fighting each other, when they were actually fighting together against their "true enemy". My point is, that segment had a lot of things inside it that were subtle and probably flew by unnoticed by most people. So both in how it developed John and Daenerys relationship, it also delve into some of the lore of A Song of Ice and Fire.Like I mentioned above and in one of my previous comments, while it may look like something insignificant, it is important, while being subtle. It shows there's a lot of care put into it, even if just a minority of people will fully grasp the significancy of it. It's the start - the real one, anyways, since the meeting and the conversations afterwards were more like introductions - of John and Daenerys relationship, where they are starting to trust each other more and more. Like John said, they can't win against the Night King and the White Walkers without her and her dragons. They need to work together. Which you can see the relevance of in the fact that immediately afterwards, Daenerys ignored Tyrion's advice and asked John what she should do next. This certainly wouldn't have happened if they hadn't gone into the cave.Like John mentioned in The Queen's Justice, everyone in Westeros grew up hearing stories about the Mad King - Aerys II Targaryen, Daenerys father - and how no one wants to trust a Targaryen ever again. To us, through our perspective, we know Daenerys, but to John and all those that only briefly met her or never met her before, her family name still instills fear and hatred among most people. So from John's perspective, who grew up hearing about how his father, his uncles and everyone else both in the North and in most of the Seven Kingdoms fought the Daenerys family's tyranny and all the atrocities they commited, including kidnapping, raping and killing hist aunt - which is actually his mother, how in the hell do you suppose he should trust her and bend the knee so easily. The most accurate analogy I can think of - not completely accurate, but the closer - is if Hitler or Osama Bin Laden had a daughter that was asking you to trust her completely, to bend the knee, to swear an oath of loyalty forever and ever till the end of time. Would you do after just a few conversations?

So through John's perspective, which also has the people in the North's perception of what "Rulers in the South" always mean for people in The North, not to mention the fact that everyone was against John even meeting Daenerys in the first place, and the fact that when he allowed the Wildlings to pass through The Wall, people bertrayed and even killed him, bending the knee to a conqueror - no matter how you look at it, Daenerys is still a conqueror - from the "South" whoi is also a Targaryen, when not even 20 or so years ago - John is supposed to be in his late 18 to early 20s in the books - his family's worst enemy was the Targaryens, this is not an easy task.

Also of very important note, is the fact that in the books, Bending the knee is "mostly considered shameful and disgraceful, but there are exceptions". This would be one of those exceptions, though like I've pointed above, it's not an easy task, even if it's the right one. Though, to be honest, while it is the right thing to do, you can be sure as hell that when John returns to the North, if he has indeed sworn feuty to Daenerys, a lot of people will turn against him, mostly likely meaning betrayals and such, which after the whole Castle Black experiences, John is definitely aware of. This could also be exactly the opportunity that Littlefinger is waiting for to try and put Samsa in charge and destroy John. It's not a very simple act to do, specially when you take into consideration what Daenerys's family name means.This season has a lot of subtleties, and a lot of fan service to people who really know the Game of Thrones' universe and lore. This is why the meeting of "Fire and Ice" in The Queen's Justice was such a letdown to many hardcore fans, it had many unfulfilled expectations. Still, overall this is a great season, and aside from the battle of Casterly Rock, the other battles were great. I know a lot of people felt that the naval battle of Stormborn was rushed, but the producers wanted to give the viewers the exact feeling that the characters experienced, it was an unexpected - till a certain point - attack that caught everyone off-guard and showed how incredibly fast, furious and brutal the Greyjoys' naval fleet could be, attacking hard and fast, and leaving in a matter of minutes. Anyway, that's how I'm seeing these events. I may be wrong or right, but as long as you're enjoying the episodes overall, there's nothing to worry about yet - except for Bronn and Brienne, I really don't want them to die. Ever. But it's Game of Thrones, so... just preparing my little heart in advance. T_T

PS.I loved that bit as well. Bronn always delivers. :D

Yeah, Bran has really turned into a kind of dick, hasn't he?!

I get why, like he said to Meera, the memories of Bran are just one of many he has now, and you can still see that he cares a lot for his sisters, even though he was a complete asshole to Meera. Other than that, I feel like we will need to see how he develops for the rest of the season before we can properly judge his actions - the same with Daenerys and Samsa, to name a few.

I gotta talk about how freakin BADASS Arya was in this episode! She was walking around Winterfell like the boss she is. Even her sister Sansa was scared of her. I know Sansa wanted to ask Arya, if her name was on her list. Arya looked like she also wanted to ghost Littlefinger the instant she seen him. lol

I don't think Sansa is scared she's on the list, so much as she's scared of what Arya has become. She thought it was a joke when Arya first mentioned it but is realizing how truthful her list really is

I don't think he's a dick, I just think he's hard to care about

I see a lot of folks don't particularly like Bran this season, for a variety of reasons. Me, I actually like this season's Bran best. Why? Bran is on a whole diffrent level of consiousness. For Marvel Comics fans, Bran is basically a "Watcher". He seen the beginning of all creation and seen how it will all end. Bran knows answers to questions you haven't even asked yet. Basically Bran is no longer human. So things like courtesy and manners are just quaint human traits. Him being socially awkward is just a by-product of being a God like being. I can relate.

Well Sansa has to come to terms.....her siblings has changed...a lot. lol

Inside the episode 4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X17pjukf8rA

Meanwhile

lol, I like this. *goes to site*

Let it be known that I'm a prophet. Easily top 3 all time episodes of GoT. It's up there with "Battle of the Bastards" and "Hardhome".

I have to admit, I believe "The Spoils of War" is better than "The Battle of the Bastards", making it my new number #1 episode of the entire series of Game of Thrones. There, I said it.

Because they have to basically put a battle into every episode now to try and close this thing out, you may find each episode being your next favorite. There are so few battles in earlier seasons that it may be why you're feeling this way

I think for me Red Wedding will always be the most legendary. Even if I read about it already in the books.
It's what really got the show talked about early on

Nah, it was just the superior episode.

Ser Davos telling Gendry that he though he was still rowing. lol

Gendry using a hammer like Roberth is a nice touch to

And that team is gonna wreck shit.

Yeah that team up is possibly the coolest fuckin ever.

Like I LOVED the Hound+Arya combo, and I never thought they'd top that.
But you can't beat Gendry with the hammer, fire sword wielding Beric, the Hound, AND Jon
FUCK ME m8s

I feel Littlefinger is way over his head, now that the Starks has turned into the X-Men. I think Arya is allowing Littlefinger to think he fooled her. And when Jon Snow (Starkgaryan) told Daenerys, "I'm a King! I'll go when I want to go!" I was pumping my fist in the air! Jon has sooooo earned my respect this season. Last but not least the two mega TRUTH BOMBS told by Gilly and Queen Cercei was a perfect addition to a perfect episode! Season 7 is their best season ever (so far).

I think Cersei is gonna get turned into the Night QUEEN personally.

But yeah this weeks episode KIND of slowed down. Although Dany tele'd home and Jon made it beyond the wall in record time so I take it back


Was Sam about to reveal Jon's parents? Is that what Littlefinger found out too? Arya needs to kill that bitch

It's pretty obvious Littlefinger found that note Cercei forced Sansa to write way back in season 1. He wants Arya to belive Sansa betrayed their family. It's a shame my PC is down, because I would be posting a ton of gifs from this episode.