Season 7

There's no denying that this season has seen a downturn in the quality of writing. Characters are not acting like themselves and making choices which don't reflect the journeys they've been on. Ridiculous leaps in logic are made and time compression has suddenly made Westeros feel very small. Spectacle has taken centre stage and it feels like the lack of GRRM's own prose has left the show's writers floundering.

And I've got to be honest, it hasn't bothered me all that much, because it's been so incredibly fun. Say what you will, but season 7 has not been dull for a second. Yes, I've found parts frustrating and rolled my eyes in disbelief at the stupidity on display, but there's something to be said for the pure thrill involved in what's going on screen.

I might prefer things to be slowed down a bit and do miss the insightful dialogue and foreshadowing, but I'm not throwing my toys out of the pram over it as so many seem to be. Even in this state, Game of Thrones remains among the best programmes on television. The finale did make up for some of the seemingly moronic writing choices made in earlier episodes and demonstrated that it can still make me care for these characters and fear losing them.

Not perfect and not up to standard, no, but some of the most enjoyable viewing I've had this year.

The pacing has improved tremendously, with battles getting more frequent and exponentially more spectacular, but at what cost? There's no way they could have it easy to wrap up all characters' arcs and end two wars in a dozen episodes, but the plotting is getting inexcusable.

People, dragons, this time even crows can cross the continent in a matter of minutes, greyscale can be cured with a pair of tweezers and some dragonglass balm, characters and events get forgotten along the way…

The most annoying thing of this season is how they retconned all the rules related to the white walkers just to have it easy once the actual battle starts. The wights always spontaneously came back from the dead in the previous seasons, and I am pretty sure that the last time Jon killed a white walker, I don't recall seeing any wights explode at the same time. Maybe it happened to be a walker who likes to play solo? Not to mention the mystery behind Viserion getting pulled out of the lake...

If we are running out of time, why waste so much time on meaningless events? The suicide squad expedition in the North and the big meeting at the end didn't add anything to the story and characters, if not an excuse to get an ice dragon to tear the wall down. The big plan to convince Cersei is as stupid as her decision to lie at the meeting. All episodes that could have been spent to actually move the plot forward or at least start closing some individual character arcs. Instead, we will get everything rushed in the next six episodes.

Death is the enemy. The first enemy, and the last."

Game of Thrones season 7 is enthralling and sweeping with excitement that every episode leaves you anticipating the next. Everything on a technical and acting standpoint is incredible, but everything else in terms of writing and story narrative feels rushed, unfortunately. With the show going off from George R. R. Martin books, it becomes more transparent that the details in characters and pacing is lacking. It’s not a bad season, just messy compared to previous seasons.

Let's start with the positives: The biggest praise I can give for a show like this is making TV cinematic, especially with episodes like “The Spoils of War” that is a treat for the eyes. This is the first time we’ve seen these dragons attack on this grand of a scale. There’s only small incidents where I can recall feeling tense while watching something, but episodes like this proves the excellence of TV - same thing applies with “Beyond the Wall”, in spite of the flaws.

The first interaction between Jon and Daenerys is great. I liked how they couldn’t stand each other at first with Jon refusing to knee before her and bursting Daenerys ego. I mean, we got two powerful leaders with legendary status clashing with each other. It’s until later when they relationship becomes more tender and open, which would be rush in any other show, but it takes good actors to make it believable in a small amount of time.

Lena Headey, Peter Dinklage, Emilia Clarke and everyone else is fantastic as usual. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, on the other hand, I thought is really excellent this season, and in previous seasons as well. Beautifully portraying a conflicted Jaime who will make the toughest decisions in the upcoming season finale, as I’m predicting. His facial expressions says it all and I’m glad the actor is finally getting credit - long overdue.

Viserion death (Daenerys dragon) was heartbreaking and made The Night King a threatening presence. You soon realize that Jon’s bravery is sometimes his flaw, and the whole mission to capture a white walker to show the Lannister's who’s the real enemy wasn’t anything heroic, just suicide. Even when the characters reflect on their foolish decisions, it’s almost similar to when Gandalf from ‘Lord of the Rings’ questions if the whole eagle plan was even a good strategy.

The visual effects are nearly photo realistic at times, sometimes better than most blockbusters we’re getting recently. The score is breathtaking and Ramin Djawadi doesn't disappoint. The cinematography with the mixture of cold blues and striking landscapes is impeccable. As I said before, everything on a technical standpoint is flawless, but what about the rest?

Now for my issues:

I honestly think cutting the episodes down to 7 probably wasn’t the best idea, because with characters zigzagging to different locations with a certain urgency, but not once did I feel there was a pasting of time, as the whole thing felt like it took place in one day. I’m guessing characters can teleport now (not literally), but in the world of ‘Game of Thrones’ it doesn’t sound too far fetched.

Also, the whole Sansa and Arya subplot is one of the most pointless things ever. It’s only purpose is tricking the audiences into thinking Arya is going to kill her own sister for some sort of revenge, which by the way, her reasoning makes no sense whatsoever. At the end it’s just a trap for Littlefinger, even though there are plenty of scenes when he wasn’t in the room or nearby to eavesdrop - so again, WHO ARE YOU TRYING TO TRICK BESIDES LITTLEFINGER? I didn’t like how Lord Baelish 'Littlefinger' existed the show as I don’t believe the sneaky and collective slimeball would’ve at least went out with a fight. Trial by combat wasn’t an option?

I’m starting to think the show itself is embracing the fandom a little, because while winter is closing in and tension is rising, the danger for the main characters feels safe with the endless amount of fake outs and convenient rescues. The bamboozle starts whenever a beloved character is facing danger up close and you think the worst will happen, but at the last minute is saved and you sigh with relief. The entire season feels like that and takes away any sort of danger in these type of situations. It’s becoming fan fiction at this point.

Overall rating: Despite my mixed feelings - I’m still excited for season 8. I mean, I’ve been watching this show from the very beginning so it wouldn’t make sense for me not to be. Again, this is nowhere near a bad season, just wasn’t as strong as the previous ones, mainly on re-watch.

Individual episodes of this season are good, and there’s a lot of great character moments and action. However, there is also no shortage of issues. This season has what is easily the worst writing, pacing, character development, and even acting of all the seasons of this show. It’s not bad, it’s just not the show we have all come to love.

It feels rushed. Characters just seem to teleport all over Westeros within a single episode, whereas they’d have taken a couple of episodes to travel any meaningful distance in previous seasons.

Characters don’t act like themselves and make stupid decisions. It feels as though a lot of characters only say and do certain things in order to please fans.

The Arya/Sansa/Littlefinger stuff is absolutely dreadful, and probably the worst storyline from any season of this show. It makes almost no sense, and Littlefinger has gone from being a master manipulator to a pathetic loser that doesn’t pose a threat to anyone. Arya is written and played terribly, and her character has become self-aware and is suddenly an all powerful badass who can somehow hold her own in combat against Brienne, despite spending most of last season getting the crap beat out of her by the waif. There has been no indication that Arya has become a sword fighting master. She was shunned and marked for death by the faceless men last season, yet somehow she is able to operate as if she was an elite faceless man. Sansa is good in her leadership role at least, it’s just unfortunate she was dragged into that storyline.

Jaime Lannister is probably the best character this season. He’s the most interesting and has some of the best character moments.

It’s a shame that they failed to maintain the high standards of writing and storytelling that the show has had throughout the first 6 seasons. The action and big moments in this season are fantastic, and no one can fault them. But there is no denying that they do not feel as meaningful when the pacing is messed up and the characters are acting in ways that don’t make sense.

What is the reason behind Bran not telling people what he knows? Why doesn’t he tell people about Jon’s true heritage right away? It makes no sense.

This season, at times, feels like the writers have taken inspiration from fan fiction rather than adapting from the original prose, which yes, I understand has been surpassed at this point, but that doesn’t excuse the shift in the overall quality of the show.

I can’t call the season bad, and in fact, I must say that I really like it, and I have given it a rating that reflects that. The big moments and pay-offs that we’ve been waiting a long time for help make this season enjoyable, despite its faults. But it’s undeniable that this is no longer the same show, and if season 8 plays out in a similar way, then I’m afraid I’m going to be very disappointed with how it all ends.