Game of Thrones Season 7, Episode 6, ‘Beyond The Wall’ Review: Of White Walkers and Dragons

This is by far the craziest “Game of Thrones” episode ever. Season 7, episode 6 gives us a haunting glimpse of what could happen once the White Walkers finally go head to head with the human residents of Westeros in “Beyond The Wall.” After teasing Jon Snow’s journey in “Eastwatch,” we now saw how devastating it all turned out to be.

Jon and his band of brothers venture beyond the Wall to acquire a living-dead member of the White Walkers to present as proof that the Night King’s army of snow zombies is out to take the entire continent of Westeros out. Surely this would convince Cersei Lannister that there are far more important dangers than her claim to the Iron Throne.

The episode focuses mainly on the journey as Jon Snow (Kit Harington), together with Tormund (Kristofer Hivju), Gendry (Joe Dempsie), Jorah (Iain Glen), Thoros of Myr (Paul Kaye), The Hound (Rory McCann), and Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer) encounter zombie threats along the way. An almost-war with the White Walkers ensues, trapping Jon in the middle of a frozen lake. They’re obviously outnumbered, and they do their best to fight them all off. Just when things seemed to be hopeless, Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) comes flying in with her three dragons to smite the zombies with fire.

However, the Night King had something that far more powerful than what Cersei’s Hand, Qyburn, thought as the ultimate anti-dragon weapon—a blasted ice pick. You know what, scratch that; it’s actually a 5-foot ice spear used as a projectile that went plunging straight through Viserion. The dragon plummets to his death and sinks beneath the lake (the showrunners are really a fan of drowning characters this season, huh?), never seen from again—or so we thought.

And so, here are the notable highlights this week on “Game of Thrones: Beyond The Wall.”

It’s Not A Game of Thrones Anymore; But A Game of Dragons and Zombies

Clearly, “Game of Thrones” is heading towards a premise that deviates itself from its title. The Iron Throne won’t matter in the long run as we finally come face to face with the White Walkers.

Our hearts skipped a beat and we all cheered on when we saw Dany fly over the Lannister and Tarly army in “The Spoils of War.” And yet, in today’s episode, we see the same thing happen again, this time with the Mother of Dragons suiting up to come to Jon’s aid, albeit objections from Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage).

As Jon and his group were able to acquire a zombie, a huge army began to flock towards them. They put up a good fight, almost losing Tromund along the way. Many of their comrades died, the first one being Thoros as he was previously mauled by a zombie polar bear. He survived that mauling, but ultimately died when they were all trying to fend off the White Walkers.

Iain Glen, Kit Harington, Kristofer Hivju in Game of Thrones (2011). Photo via HBO

The Hound was angry at them and so he decided to taunt one of the zombies by throwing rocks at them. One rock didn’t hit, and it fell on the ground. Now comes the weird part: for some reason, the zombie knew that they could now walk on the frozen surface and proceeded to attack. I wonder where their human logic came from (remnants of human past??? Magical juju by the Night King???). The zombies closed in and left the team outnumbered. Jon urges Gendry to run and send a raven for help. And off goes the remaining Baratheon heir.

Tormund almost dies and it seemed as if this was the last time we’ll see all of them together. But thanks to Gendry, he was able to swiftly alert the Night’s Watch and Dany that Jon and company were in deep trouble. As Drogon and his two dragon brothers Rhaegal and Viserion flew over the army of White Walkers, I couldn’t help but think that what Dany did was a really bad judgment call. True enough, I felt the Queen’s shock and sadness as she watched Viserios tumble to the snowy ground and sink beneath the lake after the Night King kills him with his ice spear.

(We might as well just called this episode “How to Kill Your Dragon.” Heh.)

From then on, I knew that this was going to be on the Night King’s advantage (we’ll get to that in a bit).

The Stark Sisters’ Beef Heats Up Even More

Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams in Game of Thrones (2011). Photo by Helen Sloan/HBO

If there’s one thing that Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) has learned in this episode, it’s to never f**k with your sister’s stuff. For Christ’s sake, she’s a glorified assassin!

Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) passive aggressively confronts Sansa about the letter that she found hidden in Baelish’s bed. To Arya, her big sister was feeling indifferent about their father’s death, especially since she was the one who ordered it on paper (hence the letter). Sansa then rebutted that if Arya was indeed there, why didn’t she do anything to stop the beheading of Ned Stark? It’s clear that these two sisters are in an ongoing catfight until the end.

Sansa then discovers a bunch of masks in Arya (Maisie Williams) bag and is immediately taken aback. A wrong move to do once you already know how bad your relationship with your sister is turning out to be. Arya explains to her how she trained with the Faceless Men and how easy it is for her to exact revenge on the people who piss her off.

Is Tyrion Finally Having Legitimate Second Thoughts With Dany?

Peter Dinklage, Emilia Clarke in Game of Thrones (2011). Photo by Helen Sloan/HBO

Tyrion and Dany have a conversation by the fire as they plan what to do once they reach King’s Landing. Surely the negotiation for a truce with Cersei Lannister isn’t the only thing that could happen. Things went frosty as Tyrion asked Dany who would succeed her on the Throne once/if she dies. Dany is pissed and hisses at Tyrion—she hasn’t even seen the Throneroom in King’s Landing yet!

One thing that we could pick up from this scene is how it’s impossible for us to see what Tyrion’s motives are beneath his sullen expression. It’s obvious that his faith in Dany was shaken when she burned the Tarlys alive. Not to mention Dany’s hasty decision to come to Jon’s aid beyond the Wall.

So the question remains to be seen: will the Hand of the Queen defect, or is this just some kind of a crisis of principles for Tyrion Lannister?

Jon and Jorah’s Moment & Tormund and The Hound’s Banter

Kristofer Hivju in Game of Thrones (2011). Photo by Helen Sloan/HBO

A funny and friendly exchange of wits happened as Jon and his troops were en route to the White Walker’s area. We see a couple of heart-warming scenes—including Jon trying to return the Mormont’s hereditary sword, Longclaw, to Jorah. The Knight refused and said that it now belongs to Jon. Seeing how Jorah brought shame to his house, it doesn’t feel right for him to reclaim the family weapon.

Another funny moment in this episode involves a banter between Tromund and The Hound/Sandor Clegane. Our two giants have one thing in common: Brienne of Tarth. Tormund blatantly expressed his love and admiration for Brienne, leaving Sandor stunned. The Lady Knight captured Tormund’s heart and broke Sandor’s rib cage. It was a funny exchange as both struggled to find an agreeable common ground regarding Brienne of Tarth.

It’s a fun glimmer of humor in an episode full of the traditional “Game of Thrones” thrills.

Will We Ever See Benjen Stark Again?

As soon as Dany left with the remaining members of Jon’s group, the King in the North did something rash and predictable—he made them leave as he fended off the Undead army. This led to Jon being pinned down by the Walkers, accidentally plunging him into the water.

A few seconds later, Jon resurfaces, and it’s back to the fight again as the zombies gain in on him. However, a hooded figure with a ball of fire comes to the rescue. Yup, you guessed it—Benjen Stark. He helps Jon to his feet and hoists him onto his horse, only for us to see Benjen overpowered by the Undead. So much for a 30-second return to the show.

Will he make it out alive?

Jon Bends The Knee To Dany (Get It?)

Prepare to have another round of incestuous relationships in Westeros—Dany and Jon are definitely going to end up together.

Jon then makes his return to the Wall and is cared for by Dany. He’s in a ship presumably headed back to Dragonstone. He wakes up and sees Dany sitting beside him. There’s an exchange of awkward glances and holding of hands. Dany promises Jon that she will fight alongside the North to defeat the Night King. Jon surprisingly calls her “Dany,” something that she hasn’t heard spoken to her in a while.

He proceeds to give her his loyalty and figuratively bends the knee. “My Queen,” Jon says. “I hope I deserve it,” Dany whispers. “You do,” he whispers back. Then comes a long awkward silence as the two Targaryens lock gazes.

Honorable Mention: The Birth of The Ice Dragon

In the last few moments of the episode, we see the Night King’s troops pull Viserion out of the lake. The Night King places his hand on the dragon. Viserion awakens and reveals… an icy blue eye.

Overall Verdict

Considering everything that happened in “Beyond The Wall,” one thing that captured me is the fist-pumping moments. The previous seasons of “Game of Thrones” was a little bit sly, violent and full of surprises. However, Season 7, as it flaps and breathes fire towards the finale, has proven to be a fanfare of huge scopes of war and a pair of extremely annoyed (and vengeful) giant lizards.

It’s crazy to think that the season is ending next week, but with all that’s happened leading up to the truce with the Lannisters and the looming threat of the White Walkers, one thing is for sure—man, are we in for an explosive season finale.

“Game of Thrones” Season 7 concludes next week, Sunday at 9 PM on HBO. Watch the preview below: