Game Of Thrones Season 7: 10 Ups And 2 Downs From 'The Spoils Of War'

8. The Escalation

As is often the case with the big battle episodes, The Spoils of War is, on the face of it, very bottom heavy. The huge, fiery sequences take place in the second half, but part of what makes them so good is what comes before it.

From the return of Arya at Winterfell, to the discussion between what happens next on Dragonstone's beach, there was some great build-up here.

The episode just kept on gradually escalating, until we got to the point where it exploded into life, and we were really ready for it by then.

It is, also, a massive escalation of the narrative for the season as a whole. Again, it's worth mentioning that people have complained not much is happening this year, but that doesn't seem like an argument anyone can make now. This episode moves us towards Daenerys helping Jon fight against the White Walkers, and towards her defeating Cersei (at least she's finally chalked up a 'W').

It also brings the Starks back together, and moves us another step closer to Littlefinger's demise. As this episode saw the show move past the halfway point of Season 7, this kind of propulsion was necessary, and it more than delivered.