Game of Thrones S07E04: The Spoils of War – Picking sides has never been more difficult in GoT’s most epic battle

Sometimes it’s nice as a critic to be rendered speechless at what I’ve just watched, for that was my reaction to Dany’s massacre of Jamie’s men at the end of Spoils of War. It took me a while to get my faculties back, and to form opinions other than the obvious “TV’s came a long way hasn’t it?” that is said every time Game of Thrones tops itself. The Spoils of War was another stunning hour of television, with visuals that look ten times better than most blockbusters, mainly because with less resources creators have to be cleverer. It should be seen as excess, no TV show should be this epic and without being self-indulgent, but Game of Thrones dodges those types of criticisms by playing to their strengths: mainly through the characters.

It’s been a while since the show has had a battle like what I’m now referring to as Dany vs Jamie. When looking back on the truly momentous ones: Hardhome, The Battle of the Bastards, the battle of the Wall, and the Battle of Blackwater, all but one of these battles had an obvious choice of who to side with. Mainly that was Jon Snow, against the dead, against the Wildlings, and against Ramsay, that’s pretty clear-cut. Spoils of War was more complex than those, leaning closer to Blackwater than the others. While Blackwater’s obvious choice of allegiance was Tyrion, he was fighting to keep the show’s worst character (at the time) on the Iron Throne. Stannis wasn’t an easy sell either what with his generally unlikable demeanour, but he did have Davos going for him.

The Spoils of War should in theory have a clear sense of who we should side with: Dany, right? The Dragon Queen clearly needs a win, and the sight of her riding Drogon is both utterly mesmerizing, exhilarating, and genuinely terrible for her enemies. In the space of just two episodes she has lost her three strongest allies to Jamie, Cersei, and Euron. So, her willingness to enter he fray herself is a triumphant act of leadership and bravery. So, Dany is the clear favourite, isn’t she?

She certainly should be, after all this is Cersei’s army that she’s burning alive, but it’s being led by one of Game of Thrones most popular, and crucially, morally complex characters, Jamie Lannister. Jamie is continually confounding as a fan favourite, while at the same time it completely makes sense. He may be the perfect encapsulation of the Game of Thrones version of a fantasy character. With a reputation of one of the greatest swordsman who ever lived, while also one of the best looking, Jamie would be the hero in any other story. His defining act of killing the Mad King, to save the people of Kings Landing no less, should have made him a hero of the people, but Game of Thrones has never been that simple. Instead, George R. R. Martin made a bastardisation of this conventional hero, so much so that in the first season of the show he is one of the most hateful characters. Then Brienne happened, the one person who Jamie opened up to, even after he had his sword hand taken away.

Since then Jamie has been sympathetic, a well-rounded character who, let’s not forget, will do the most unspeakable evil things for the woman he loves. He is also a noble commander. Bronn repeatedly tells him to run, but he can’t leave his men to die. Even when he is safe, he charges straight at Dany, and her dragon risking everything to end the threat towards his sister. The things he does for love.

Then there is Bronn, one of the shows breakout characters who is always worth a laugh. It’s through Bronn that the Spoils of War shows its battle mechanics. If you look closely, this battle is actually an amalgamation on some of the previous battles. Bronn’s hearing tips of the danger, which harks back to Hardhome, even though the threat here is the exact opposite. The battle of ground and air is a combination of the two battles that made up The Battle of the Bastards, and director Matt Shakman has taken the most important lesson from all these previous battles: pick your viewpoints and follow them. This means we get Bronn’s very own fog of war sequence, along with a fantastic shot at Drogon. I could spend the rest of the review talking about the battle, about how Bronn saved Jamie, and how Jamie’s Lannister armour may ironically kill him, but more on that next week. Now I must talk about the Starks.

Specifically, their reunion, and one of the shows longest loose ends. Sansa is treated to another return of a long-lost sibling as Arya makes a happier entrance than Bran’s last week. While nothing pivotal happened, there were lots of great scenes in which how much each of the Starks have changed were made apparent to each other. Arya’s skill against Brienne was fantastic, as was basically every line delivery Maisie Williams attempted: she’s bad ass. Now let’s talk about that knife. Bran’s status as the Three-Eyed Raven probably means he already knows who wanted him dead back in season one, he just can’t be bothered telling us right now, even if it was the spark that lit the flame of most of what followed. He will also know that Littlefinger betrayed Ned leading to his death, but as Meera shrewdly observed, Bran died in the cave beyond the wall. He died with Hodor, and with Summer, what is left is a creepy remnant of who he was.

Speaking of remnants, Jon found his dragon glass, along with some convenient expository cave paintings, basically a Game of Thrones PowerPoint presentation saying White Walkers are bad. Despite this, Dany’s position is unmoved: Jon will have help if he bends the knee, because we all know what happens if you piss off the Mother of Dragons. Just ask Jamie, if he’s not dead.

10/10 – The Spoils of War is Game of Thrones firing on all cylinders, and will be remembered as a landmark episode when the show comes to a close.

Cookie	Description
_pxvid	This cookie is used for detection of the browser and distinguishing whether it is a real user or malicious bot.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	This cookies is set by GDPR Cookie Consent WordPress Plugin. The cookie is used to remember the user consent for the cookies under the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-non-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Non Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	This cookie is used to keep track of which cookies the user have approved for this site.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-preferences	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Preferences".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-uncategorized	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Uncategorized".
CraftSessionId	This cookie name is associated with the Craft web content management system, where is functions as an anonymous session identifier.
csrftoken	This cookie is associated with Django web development platform for python. Used to help protect the website against Cross-Site Request Forgery attacks
DSID	To note specific user identity. Contains hashed/encrypted unique ID.
JSESSIONID	Used by sites written in JSP. General purpose platform session cookies that are used to maintain users' state across page requests.
PHPSESSID	This cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
viewed_cookie_policy	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Cookie	Description
b30msc
btc
CMST
cref
d
gpl
i
icts
ig_did
mdata
na_rn
na_sc_e
na_sr
na_srp
session_depth
visitor-id

Cookie	Description
__gads	This cookie is set by Google and stored under the name dounleclick.com. This cookie is used to track how many times users see a particular advert which helps in measuring the success of the campaign and calculate the revenue generated by the campaign. These cookies can only be read from the domain that it is set on so it will not track any data while browsing through another sites.
__stid	The cookie is set by ShareThis. The cookie is used for site analytics to determine the pages visited, the amount of time spent, etc.
_ga	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, camapign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assigns a randoly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gat_gtag_UA_60765351_1	Google uses this cookie to distinguish users.
_gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
ad-id	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content
demdex	This cookie is set under the domain demdex.net and is used by Adobe Audience Manager to help identify a unique visitor across domains.
DigiTrust.v1.identity	Registers data on visitors’ website-behaviour. This is used for internal analysis and website optimization.
dmvk	This cookie is set by DailyMotion who display videos, it registers statistical data of visitors' behaviour on the website.
gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
GPS	This cookie is set by Youtube and registers a unique ID for tracking users based on their geographical location
is_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
sc_is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
v1st	This is set by DailyMotion to display videos.

Cookie	Description
__asc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__auc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__qca	This cookie is associated with Quantcast and is used for collecting anonymized data to analyze log data from different websites to create reports that enables the website owners and advertisers provide ads for the appropriate audience segments.
_cc_aud	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_cc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_dc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_id	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_kuid_	The cookie is set by Krux Digital under the domain krxd.net. The cookie stores a unique ID to identify a returning user for the purpose of targeted advertising.
_px2	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxff_tm	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxhd	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
ab	This cookie is generally provided by agkn.com and is used for advertising purposes.
ad-privacy	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content to the users.
ayl_visitor	This cookie registers data on the visitor. The information is used to optimize advertisement relevance.
bafp	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bafp_t	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_pl	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rf_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rt_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_t_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_td_2d31c94105a0aa6d1ceaea0c86c6b656	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bito	This cookie is generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bitoIsSecure	This cookies are generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bsc	The cookies is set by ownerIQ for the purpose of providing relevant advertisement
CMID	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPRO	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPS	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
dc_id	This cookie is used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator's permission. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organisations such as advertisers.
did	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
didts	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
dpm	The cookie is set by demdex.net. This cookie assigns a unique ID to each visiting user that allows third-party advertisers target that users with relevant ads.
eud	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
euds	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
everest_g_v2	The cookie is set under eversttech.net domain. The purpose of the cookie is to map clicks to other events on the client's website.
evo5_popin_instance	Prevents an interaction from reoccurring for visitors not accepting 3rd party cookies.
id	This cookie is set by DoubleClick (which is owned by Google) to build a profile of the website visitor's interests and show relevant ads on other sites.
IDE	Used by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
io.narrative.guid.v2	This cookie is generally provided by io.narrative.io and is used for advertising purposes.
KADUSERCOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
KTPCACOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
matchliveramp	This cookie is provided by w55c.net and is used for advertising purposes.
mc	This cookie is associated with Quantserve to track anonymously how a user interact with the website.
mxpim	This cookie is generally provided by mxptint.net for advertising purposes.
na_tc	This is a Social Media sharing tracking cookie.
NID	This cookie is used to a profile based on user's interest and display personalized ads to the users.
nnls	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxrc	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxvid	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
rlas3	The cookie is set by rlcdn.com. The cookie is used to serve relevant ads to the visitor as well as limit the time the visitor sees an and also measure the effectiveness of the campaign.

Cookie	Description
__jid	Cookies set on the website by the third-party commenting platform Disqus.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
disqus_unique	These cookies are set by Disqus so that users can comment on website/platform.
G_ENABLED_IDPS	The cookie is used by Google and is used for Google Single Sign On.
mid	The cookie is set by Instagram. The cookie is used to distinguish users and to show relevant content, for better user experience and security.
na_id	This cookie is set by Addthis.com to enable sharing of links on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter
ouid	The cookie is set by Addthis which enables the content of the website to be shared across different networking and social sharing websites.
ov	This is a generic functional cookie that provides enhanced functionality and personalisation.
ts	This cookie is generally provided by PayPal and supports payment services in the website.
vuid	These cookies are used by the Vimeo video player on websites.

Game of Thrones S07E04: The Spoils of War – Picking sides has never been more difficult in GoT’s most epic battle

You might also like

FIND THE TOPICS YOU WANT...

Recommended for you