| Revision as of 09:29, 29 August 2017 editAlexandervonweimann (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users893 edits →In King's Landing← Previous edit | Revision as of 10:04, 29 August 2017 edit undoCalibrador (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers36,115 edits →Critical reception: rewrote a few things, looks perfectly fine to me nowNext edit → | ||
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| ===Critical reception=== | ===Critical reception=== | ||
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| "The Dragon and the Wolf" was praised by critics, who listed the meeting at the Dragonpit, the full revelation of Jon Snow's lineage, Cersei's lack of cooperation to defeat the White Walkers, Aidan Gillen's performance as Littlefinger, and the compromising of the Wall as highlights of the episode.<ref name="ign">{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/08/28/game-of-thrones-the-dragon-and-the-wolf-review |title=Game of Thrones: "The Dragon and the Wolf" Review |publisher=IGN |accessdate=August 28, 2017 |date=August 27, 2017 |author=Fowler, Matt}}</ref><ref name="forbes">{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2017/08/27/game-of-thrones-season-7-episode-7-review-the-dragon-and-the-wolf/#3c71435b485d |title='Game Of Thrones' Season 7, Episode 7 Review: 'The Dragon And The Wolf' |publisher=Forbes |accessdate=August 28, 2017 |date=August 27, 2017 |author=Kaine, Erik}}</ref> The episode has received an 92% rating on the review aggregator website ] from 36 reviews, with an average score of 8.8 out of 10.<ref name="rt">{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/game_of_thrones/s07/e07 |title=The Dragon and the Wolf |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |accessdate=August 28, 2017}}</ref> The site's consensus reads "While much slower in pace than the season that preceded it, 'The Dragon and the Wolf' delivered satisfying conclusions to several story arcs, and masterfully set up the series' final season."<ref name="rt"/> | "The Dragon and the Wolf" was praised by critics, who listed the meeting at the Dragonpit, the full revelation of Jon Snow's lineage, Cersei's lack of cooperation to defeat the White Walkers, Aidan Gillen's performance as Littlefinger, and the compromising of the Wall as highlights of the episode.<ref name="ign">{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/08/28/game-of-thrones-the-dragon-and-the-wolf-review |title=Game of Thrones: "The Dragon and the Wolf" Review |publisher=IGN |accessdate=August 28, 2017 |date=August 27, 2017 |author=Fowler, Matt}}</ref><ref name="forbes">{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2017/08/27/game-of-thrones-season-7-episode-7-review-the-dragon-and-the-wolf/#3c71435b485d |title='Game Of Thrones' Season 7, Episode 7 Review: 'The Dragon And The Wolf' |publisher=Forbes |accessdate=August 28, 2017 |date=August 27, 2017 |author=Kaine, Erik}}</ref> The episode has received an 92% rating on the review aggregator website ] from 36 reviews, with an average score of 8.8 out of 10.<ref name="rt">{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/game_of_thrones/s07/e07 |title=The Dragon and the Wolf |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |accessdate=August 28, 2017}}</ref> The site's consensus reads "While much slower in pace than the season that preceded it, 'The Dragon and the Wolf' delivered satisfying conclusions to several story arcs, and masterfully set up the series' final season."<ref name="rt"/> | ||
| Matt Fowler of ] wrote in his review of the episode, "While last week's episode seemed to rush through big moments, |
Matt Fowler of ] wrote in his review of the episode, "While last week's episode seemed to rush through big moments, "The Dragon and the Wolf" slowed things down considerably, delivering lengthy meaningful scenes filled with dialogue, deception, revelations, twists – and the most major characters ever assembled into one spot ever on the series. To cap it all off, we got a big action sequence that drastically changed the game board going into the the final season." He praised Aidan Gillen's performance as Littlefinger before his eventual death, writing "Gillen was masterful in that scene, where he went from surprise to shock to pleading in a matter of a few minutes." He gave the episode a 9.3 out of 10.<ref name="ign"/> Erik Kain of '']'' wrote in his review that he felt the episode suffered from some rushed storytelling, but went on to praise the episode, writing, "The season 7 finale of ''Game of Thrones'' was one of the most important, insane, and ultimately satisfying episodes HBO has given us to date. Between epic reveals and the crumbling of the Wall, this was the perfect episode to wrap up a too-short season, and to usher in the final stretch." He listed the reveal of Jon Snow's lineage as one of the most important moments of the episode, and praised it for paralleling Jon and Daenerys's intimate sexual encounter.<ref name="forbes"/> Myles McNutt of '']'' wrote in his review, ""The Dragon And The Wolf" returns to the slow pace of the premiere, a bookend to the season driven by tense negotiations and crucial emotional turning points." He continued by criticizing the episode's pacing and some of the character's motivations, particularly in the Winterfell scenes, but ultimately gave the episode a B+.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tv.avclub.com/blood-is-thicker-than-water-maybe-but-ice-beckons-as-1798479567 |title=Blood is thicker than water, maybe, but Ice beckons as Game Of Thrones closes its season (experts) |publisher=The A.V. Club |accessdate=August 28, 2017 |date=August 27, 2017 |author=McNutt, Myles}}</ref> Jeremy Egner of '']'' also gave praise to the episode, albeit with some criticism towards the episode's predictability, writing "Sunday's very busy episode had plenty of enjoyable moments and blue fire-fueled spectacle, and effectively set up next season’s culminating clashes of the living, the dead and the old venal forces of cyclical destruction, it didn't offer much in the way of surprise. Indeed, the finale largely checked off boxes that have been broadly telegraphed throughout the season."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/28/arts/television/game-of-thrones-season-7-finale-a-night-for-family-reunions.html |title=‘Game of Thrones’ Season 7 Finale: A Night for Family Reunions |publisher=The New York Times |accessdate=August 28, 2017 |date=August 28, 2017 |author=Egner, Jeremy}}</ref> | ||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 10:04, 29 August 2017
7th episode of the 7th season of Game of Thrones
| "The Dragon and the Wolf" | |||
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| Game of Thrones episode | |||
| File:Game-of-Thrones-S07-E07-The-Dragon-and-the-Wolf.jpgThe Night King attacking the Wall with the now undead Viserion | |||
| Episode no. | Season 7 Episode 7 | ||
| Directed by | Jeremy Podeswa | ||
| Written by | David Benioff D. B. Weiss | ||
| Featured music | Ramin Djawadi | ||
| Cinematography by | Gregory Middleton | ||
| Editing by | Crispin Green | ||
| Original air date | August 27, 2017 (2017-08-27) | ||
| Running time | 80 minutes | ||
| Guest appearances | |||
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| Episode chronology | |||
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| Game of Thrones (season 7) List of Game of Thrones episodes | |||
"The Dragon and the Wolf" is the seventh and final episode of the seventh season of HBO's fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 67th overall. It was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Jeremy Podeswa.
In King's Landing, Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey), along with their advisors and loyalists, meet to discuss the impending White Walker threat on the Seven Kingdoms. Cersei is presented with a wight, a member of the White Walker army, and agrees to fight alongside Daenerys and Jon, but with the condition that Jon bends the knee. Jon refuses, having already pledged his loyalty to Daenerys, and Cersei rejects helping them. However, Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) meets in private with Cersei, and is able to get her to change her mind and pledge her support to fight the White Walkers. Later, Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) begins preparing the Lannister army, but Cersei stops him, revealing that she was lying about helping them, causing Jaime to leave in disgust and begin heading north. On Dragonstone, Theon Greyjoy commands the Ironborn loyal to his sister, Yara, to save her from Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk). At Winterfell, Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) is found guilty of murder and treason, and executed by Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) and Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner). Later, Samwell Tarly (John Bradley) meets with Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) who discuss Jon's birth, revealing his Targaryen lineage and naming him the true heir to the Iron Throne. Beyond the Wall, the White Walker army arrive at Eastwatch, along with the Night King riding on his wight dragon, Viserion, who demolishes a segment of the Wall, allowing the dead to pass into the Seven Kingdoms.
"The Dragon and the Wolf" had a positive critical reception, from critics who listed the meeting at the Dragonpit, the full revelation of Jon Snow's lineage, Cersei's lack of cooperation to defeat the White Walkers, Aidan Gillen's performance as Littlefinger, and the compromising of the Wall as highlights of the episode. In the United States, the episode achieved a viewership of 12.1 million in its initial broadcast, making it the highest rated episode of the series.
Plot
In King's Landing
Jon and Tyrion, along with their advisors and loyalists, and the captured wight (a member of the White Walker army), arrive in King's Landing and are escorted to the Dragonpit by Bronn. Cersei and Jaime arrive, and the two parties begin waiting for Daenerys to appear at the meeting. Daenerys lands at the Dragonpit riding atop of Drogon and dismounts. Cersei, Jon and Daenerys watch as the Hound brings forth a crate, which he opens and reveals the wight that was captured beyond the Wall. The wight lunges toward Cersei, but is pulled back by his chains and cut in half. As a demonstration of what kills the wights, Jon lights the wight's hand on fire and stabs it in the heart with dragon glass, and asks for Cersei's help in the "great war" against the White Walkers. This seemingly frightens Euron, who leaves the meeting and states he is heading back to the Iron Islands.
Cersei agrees to help them under the condition that the North remains neutral and does not formally ally with either the Lannisters or the Targaryens, trusting Jon as Ned's son to keep his word. Having pledged loyalty to Daenerys, Jon refuses to accept these terms. In response Cersei leaves, refusing to help them. Tyrion goes to the Red Keep in order to discuss this with his sister, and appears to be successful in getting her to agree to send her army north to fight against the White Walkers, as she calls the Lannister banners. Later, however, Jaime begins preparing the army for the journey north, but Cersei stops him and admits she was lying and has no intention of helping. She also reveals that Euron left to transport the Golden Company, a mercenary group, to Westeros, which she will use to fight against whichever faction wins the Great War. Disgusted, Jaime leaves King's Landing — not before being threatened by Cersei to have Ser Gregor kill him — and begins heading north, stating he gave his word and that he intends to keep it.
As Jaime leaves, it begins to snow: winter has finally come to the Crownlands and the South. King's Landing begins to darken as the clouds cover over it, snowing throughout the entire city.
On Dragonstone
Jon, Daenerys, and their advisors arrive back at Dragonstone. Jorah advises Daenerys to fly north on one of her dragons, but she decides to go by ship with Jon to White Harbor. Theon approaches Jon, and the two discuss their enmities. Jon states that Theon is as much a Stark as he is a Greyjoy, and Theon addresses his abandonment of his sister, Yara. He returns to his men and informs them that they are going to save his sister, but faces opposition from the group's leader and is nearly beaten to death. Theon is able to win in the end, however, and takes his men to find Yara.
At Winterfell
Littlefinger meets with Sansa and the two begin discussing Arya's threatening demeanor following her discovery of the note Sansa sent to her family begging for fealty to King Joffrey. Littlefinger attempts to get Sansa to think in the same way he does; questioning people's motives and to think the worst about everybody. Baelish seemingly persuades Sansa that Arya is out to kill her to become the Lady of Winterfell, and that it is best to strike now. Later, Arya is brought before Sansa and Bran, as well as the Northern and Vale lords. Sansa states an accusal of murder and treason, but directs this to Littlefinger, instead of Arya. Littlefinger is confused, initially, but Sansa begins listing his crimes, including murdering Lysa and Jon Arryn, betraying her father, Ned, and starting the war between the Starks and the Lannisters. Littlefinger denies this, stating that no one was there to see his betrayal of Ned, but Bran repeats Littlefinger's last words to Ned before he placed a knife to his father's throat: "I did warn you not to trust me." Littlefinger attempts to have Yohn Royce save him, but Royce refuses. Out of options, Littlefinger realizes he is finally beaten, falls to his knees and begs for mercy, but Sansa declines, thanking him for the lessons he taught her. On Sansa's order, Arya slits his throat, killing him. The two sisters speak on the battlements of Winterfell, agreeing that the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives.
Later, Sam and his family arrive at Winterfell. He meets with Bran, who reveals that he witnessed Jon's birth at the Tower of Joy by Lyanna Stark, initially believing Jon to be a bastard named Jon Sand. However, Sam recalls the passage he had previously transcribed from a High Septon's diary, revealing that Rhaegar Targaryen had his marriage to Elia Martell annulled, and was remarried to Lyanna in a secret ceremony, making Jon a natural legal descendant of Rhaegar and Lyanna. Bran accesses this memory and witnesses the marriage, as well as Jon's true name, Aegon Targaryen, and deduces that Jon is the true heir to the Iron Throne.
In the Narrow Sea
On the journey back to Winterfell, Tyrion witnesses Jon Snow entering Daenerys's cabin. Jon and Daenerys give in to their mutual attraction and have sexual intercourse.
At Eastwatch
As Beric and Tormund are patrolling along the Wall, the White Walkers and their army arrive at Eastwatch, with the Night King and his wight dragon, Viserion. The Night King begins destroying the Wall with Viserion's blue flame, and the Wall starts to crumble. A portion of the Wall collapses, destroying Eastwatch and leaving Beric and Tormund's fate in doubt, whilst allowing the White Walkers and their army to pass south into the Seven Kingdoms.
Reception
Ratings
"The Dragon and the Wolf" was viewed by 12.1 million American households on its initial viewing on HBO, making it the highest-watched episode of the series.
Critical reception
"The Dragon and the Wolf" was praised by critics, who listed the meeting at the Dragonpit, the full revelation of Jon Snow's lineage, Cersei's lack of cooperation to defeat the White Walkers, Aidan Gillen's performance as Littlefinger, and the compromising of the Wall as highlights of the episode. The episode has received an 92% rating on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes from 36 reviews, with an average score of 8.8 out of 10. The site's consensus reads "While much slower in pace than the season that preceded it, 'The Dragon and the Wolf' delivered satisfying conclusions to several story arcs, and masterfully set up the series' final season."
Matt Fowler of IGN wrote in his review of the episode, "While last week's episode seemed to rush through big moments, "The Dragon and the Wolf" slowed things down considerably, delivering lengthy meaningful scenes filled with dialogue, deception, revelations, twists – and the most major characters ever assembled into one spot ever on the series. To cap it all off, we got a big action sequence that drastically changed the game board going into the the final season." He praised Aidan Gillen's performance as Littlefinger before his eventual death, writing "Gillen was masterful in that scene, where he went from surprise to shock to pleading in a matter of a few minutes." He gave the episode a 9.3 out of 10. Erik Kain of Forbes wrote in his review that he felt the episode suffered from some rushed storytelling, but went on to praise the episode, writing, "The season 7 finale of Game of Thrones was one of the most important, insane, and ultimately satisfying episodes HBO has given us to date. Between epic reveals and the crumbling of the Wall, this was the perfect episode to wrap up a too-short season, and to usher in the final stretch." He listed the reveal of Jon Snow's lineage as one of the most important moments of the episode, and praised it for paralleling Jon and Daenerys's intimate sexual encounter. Myles McNutt of The A.V. Club wrote in his review, ""The Dragon And The Wolf" returns to the slow pace of the premiere, a bookend to the season driven by tense negotiations and crucial emotional turning points." He continued by criticizing the episode's pacing and some of the character's motivations, particularly in the Winterfell scenes, but ultimately gave the episode a B+. Jeremy Egner of The New York Times also gave praise to the episode, albeit with some criticism towards the episode's predictability, writing "Sunday's very busy episode had plenty of enjoyable moments and blue fire-fueled spectacle, and effectively set up next season’s culminating clashes of the living, the dead and the old venal forces of cyclical destruction, it didn't offer much in the way of surprise. Indeed, the finale largely checked off boxes that have been broadly telegraphed throughout the season."
References
- "Game of Thrones 67". HBO. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
- Porter, Rick (August 28, 2017). "'Game of Thrones' Season 7 finale smashes more records for HBO". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
- ^ Fowler, Matt (August 27, 2017). "Game of Thrones: "The Dragon and the Wolf" Review". IGN. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
- ^ Kaine, Erik (August 27, 2017). "'Game Of Thrones' Season 7, Episode 7 Review: 'The Dragon And The Wolf'". Forbes. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
- ^ "The Dragon and the Wolf". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
- McNutt, Myles (August 27, 2017). "Blood is thicker than water, maybe, but Ice beckons as Game Of Thrones closes its season (experts)". The A.V. Club. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
- Egner, Jeremy (August 28, 2017). "'Game of Thrones' Season 7 Finale: A Night for Family Reunions". The New York Times. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
External links
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