GoT: Se. 7 Ep. 6: Beyond The Wall; Review
The penultimate episode of the season, in my view, is one the greatest episode of television ever and should be put down in the history books. It is up there with Breaking Bad's 'Granite State' in terms of quality and everything else. It was utterly, utterly, utterly, utterly sublime.
Uuuuuuh
Again, I find myself quite literally shaking after watching this episode, my jaw firmly wide open, un-able to speak or move. More so than when Danny attacked the Lannister army. This, ladies and gentleman, I think, is THE greatest episode of Game of Thrones ever. And I mean that. Truly. This beats Battle of the Bastards and episodes previous. This, I swear and stand by, is, again, THE greatest episode of Game of Thrones ever. Until probably the season finale, but hey. These two episodes will be together as the GREATEST episodes of Game of Thrones, ever.
The good.
Every single scene, second, tenth of a second, line, word, shot, moment. There is not a single beat that is missed. Everything is essential, character arks are pushed forward and developed, story is referred back to, and progressed. Editing is brilliant; as this is one of the longer episodes they have made, each scene feels urgent, well written and just brilliant. There are moments of wonderful humour curtsey of Tormund and Hound. Great connections between Snow and Mormont, there is not a single scene that I did not enjoy.
No spoilers, but the second act and third are just incredible; pure Game of Thrones. Fear, mystery, adventure, magic and fantasy all in one epic bundle of scenes and sequences. It tugs at your heart this episode also. A certain scene was utterly shattering and devastating (and may just, ever so slightly, have been a tad ridiculous) but I feel as though it was needed in a way, to really secure Danny's commitment to this cause.
Other goodness
Ayra is terrifying. Her and Sansa are bickering an awful lot, and I am not sure it is really needed, but then again, Ayra has put it to herself to restore the Stark to its former glory, and any hint of Lannister influence or involvement, past or present, will be pointed to and addressed.
The banter between Tormund and Hound and the whole crew beyond the wall was some much needed lighter moments, and the delivered that perfectly. Some great scenes. No spoilers again, but the final scene on a ship between two characters was just wonderful. Wonderfully acted, wonderfully shot and is a truly, sweet and beautiful moment. I can not wait to see what the fall out of that will be.
The battle scenes in this episode are incredible. Due to the adversary that Snow, Tormond, Thoros and others are facing, there is a lot more urgency and drive to win, I personally felt. The scene in which are group are surrounded is, at times, utterly spine chilling. This is enhanced by the cinematography and sound design, which is often very, very quiet, which adds to the tension and fear of the sequence brilliantly. It is by far, one of the best sequences of the 7 seasons of Game of Thrones.
Plus, this episode features a truly jaw dropping moment at the very end. NO SPOILERS. But, it does set up, what I think will be, one of the most awe-inspiring moments in Game of Thrones history. it may happen, it may not. But I can not see anyone or anything else being able to tackle this certain entity. I guess we will see what will happen. To be honest, it was one of two moments where I thought, (alongside my thoughts of 'holy mother of god this is actually happening before my eyes isn't it...) is that actually do-able? But in hindsight, maybe it doesn't matter. As it is going to set up a monumental hurdle and challenge for the other members of Westeros. This particular 'thing' (no spoilers obviously) is going to be incredible to see on screen, and see it going up against the living people and animals of Westeros.
Summary
Ladies and gentleman, this is the greatest episode of Game of Thrones ever. It has everything Thrones is about. It is edge of your seat drama and excitement. It is wonderful story telling. It is wonderfully shot and directed. It is scary at times. It is fear inducing; I can not say it enough, this is the greatest episode of Game of Thrones ever. Until this series' finale probably. But we will see.
