TV Review: "Game of Thrones" - Season 7

Scene from Game of Thrones

This season of Game of Thrones is one that's almost more thankless than usual. The HBO series is a behemoth in pop culture right now and the idea of it lasting for several more years would be plausible just off of fan service. However, season seven is the penultimate year in which the show officially pivots from detailing the long game to executing the final moves. With a truncated season (to provide more money towards the final run), the show had to work fast and loose with its exposition and action. It's why the show tended to be a hodgepodge of an experience, especially as breathtaking battle sequences weren't met with moments as iconic as last season's "Hold the Door" or Battle of the Bastards. Even then, the show continued to show awe on a scale grander than most series in HBO's back catalog. It's why the show was fun as usual, but also a bit of a letdown. 

The massive scope of the series has always been daunting, and it's why an average episode/season can go long periods without checking into one character's arc. There's so much going on that quick refreshers are always welcome, and help to keep track of a show that does surprisingly well in keeping all balls juggled. Still, this season's greatest achievement was molding those balls into a bigger ball by converging plot lines that placed fan favorite characters into scenes for the first time in years, if ever before. It is a show fraught with the tension and political climate that seems reminiscent of our own. It's also why the best scenes of the season were spent in the cold and desolate mess halls where characters talked strategies of future attacks, wondering how they could win the iron throne. It's what the whole series is based around, and it's time to start placing serious bets.

As the stories became more centralized, the rivalries began to become clearer. Tyrion would team up with Daenerys, Arya would return home to the side of her sister Sansa. Meanwhile, there were battles galore, which felt more prominent than usual in a Game of Thrones season. Among the hat tricks that the series loved to pull this season was exploring the awesome carnage of Daenerys' dragons, who flew through the sky and demolished entire armies in a single breath. They were glorious scenes often counterattacked by clever defense. Even if none of the scenes rose to the heights of "Hardhome" or "Battle of the Bastards," they still produced what audiences who love the show have come to expect. It's not just about people talking. It's about people dying mercilessly in war as beloved characters strategize with excellent prose off in the distance.  

As per usual, the show couldn't go without its own plot twists and developments. After failing to turn the Stark sisters on each other, Littlefinger has met his end. Jon Snow is secretly related to Daenerys: a move made gross in an ironic sex scene. The waters have been muddied as each character learns more about history. It's the general subtext of the season, which explores how the past relates to the war ahead. Everyone will be impacted by it, but the question of legacy is one just as crucial to the characters as it is the audience. This show has been an incredible and influential presence for seven years now. What could possibly replace it? HBO is hoping Westworld, but even they don't have a first season twist on par with the death of Ned Stark. Nothing will likely replace Game of Throne's iconic and overbearing presence in the zeitgeist.

With the fall of winter, the story has also become a little more chilling in what's to come. The final moments of the season depict the villainous White Walkers finally breaking through the wall that protects humanity. Over the season, they have been depicted as unstoppable forces who could turn a dragon into a zombie of unbeatable odds. More than the humans in the story, there's plenty to wonder regarding these characters that have existed largely in the background of the show, only ever popping up as intimidation. How will the forces join up and stop them, or will there even be a way if everyone meets their end?

The series has had better seasons, if just by an account of how many memorable moments each season has. Part of that comes from obvious episode count and a structure that often pits the ninth episode as the best culmination of the season's themes. With only seven episodes, that cuts out almost three hours and makes it a bit more unpredictable than its post-book run has been. Still, the characters are largely the same and served this season almost entirely in anticipation of what's next. To say the least, it's going to be sad either way when Game of Thrones ends, as it has connected audiences so closely in ways that TV hasn't otherwise. We're on the final run now. Get out your speculation cards of who lives and dies, but more importantly who wins the iron throne. There's a lot to cover in the remaining episodes. Now it's time to see if the show can end in the right way.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5