Game Of Thrones Season 7 Finale: 9 Ups And 2 Downs From 'The Dragon And The Wolf'

7. The Dragonpit

The bulk of the opening took place in the Dragonpit, a symbol Targaryen defeat, and it brought together some of the show's best players, with numerous permutations (after Bronn took Pod for a drink, which works well for both characters and is a nice get-around for Lena Headey and Jerome Flynn supposedly still not wanting to appear in the same scene).

It was great to watch all of those unfold, as Jaime saw Brienne, the Hound confronted the Mountain (albeit without CleganeBowl actually happening), and Cersei came face to face with not only her little brother, but the Dragon Queen for the first time ever (and Daenerys made quite the entrance).

The entire plan of capturing a wight remains a terrible idea, but it at least gets some payoff here, with the zombie itself used very effectively. Cersei is scared, the Hound gets to kill it, and of course Qyburn is fascinated by the creature.

Each side assembled its armies, but thankfully didn't need to use them. We've had enough battles this year, and it was much better that this conflict (for now) comes down to conversations (and just as important to the scene, silence) between these incredible characters. It was a masterclass in building suspense, and wisely didn't choose violence.

There were some wonderful performances in this sequence too, and it was a joy to watch Sandor Clegane talking to what's become of his brother, or Jon proving himself as Ned's son (even if he isn't biologically).