The penultimate episode of a Game of Thrones season is often the most action packed, and season seven looks like it will be no different in this regard. A large part of the 71-minute running time of “Beyond The Wall” was devoted to battling the White Walkers north of the Wall, with brief interludes in Winterfell and Dragonstone. But as always, the show still managed to include a number of unspoken details and references to past moments that you may have missed due to the exhilaration of watching dragons and the undead duke it out.
Fortunately, we’ve got you covered there. Here’s six details from “Beyond The Wall” that we found intriguing.
Ready For Battle
Earlier in the season, dragonglass was a really big deal! The key to fighting the undead army of the Night King! But I wouldn’t blame you if you were left wondering where all the dragonglass weapons were during Jon’s quest beyond the Wall to prove the Others are real. They were there, they just weren’t really mentioned or even focused on much at all. Above you can see Jorah pulling out dragonglass daggers, and Tormund had an axe with a crudely made dragonglass blade. Several of the expendable Wildlings and Night’s Watch members also seemed to be using halberds with dragonglass tips.
The Arrowhead Mountain
The Hound isn’t the only one who has seen that arrowhead-shaped mountain before. If you kept a close eye out, you would have noticed it in season six when Bran looked back in time and watched the Children of the Forest create the first White Walker.
Butchered
Arya doesn’t have much chill these days when it comes to Sansa, which might make more sense when you remember that their dislike for each other was more than just a childish spat. On the way down to King’s Landing in season one, the Hound rides down and murders Arya’s friend the butcher’s boy after Sansa refuses to tell the truth about what happened between them and Joffrey. As a subtle reminder of this, you’ve got a butchered pig hanging behind Arya as she questions Sansa’s loyalty.
About Those Chains
There’s been a lot of complaints from Game of Thrones fans regarding some of the unrealistic happenings in this latest episode, and we agree with a lot of them. But if you were wondering where the Night King got those chains he used to pull Viserion out of the lake, the show did provide a source.
In one of the shots you can see a barge in the lefthand corner of the screen that was used to ferry people across the water when it’s not frozen. Some barges use poles, others use chains. In a second shot you can see the barge in the foreground with the same chain visible. Is it a bit unusual or convenient that this barge happens to use chains impressive enough to raise a dragon? Sure. But at least they took a moment to explain where they came from.
Ravens Everywhere
What the heck has Bran been up to in these past few episodes? Being all weird and hanging out with the Weirwood tree, probably. But there’s a chance he’s actually around more than you’d think. If you take a closer listen to the scenes involving Sansa and Arya and Littlefinger, you’ll notice ravens squawking in the background. You could hear them repeatedly when Littlefinger tried to convince Sansa to set Brienne on Arya, and again when Sansa goes snooping through Arya’s room. Is this a sign that Bran is watching everything that’s happening?
Mother Of Dragons
The idea that Dany can’t have children is brought up twice in this episode, first when Tyrion presses her on matters of succession, then when Daenerys and Jon talk after Viserion dies, she tells him “The dragons are my children. They’re the only children I’ll ever have. Do you understand?” If you remember back to season one, Mirri Maz Duur used blood magic to save Khal Drogo’s life at the cost of the life of Dany’s unborn baby, who died in childbirth during the ceremony. Drogo survived, but was left in some sort of catatonic state.
When asked if he’d return to normal, Mirri Maz Duur declared “When the seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves. When your womb quickens again, and you bear a living child. Then he will return, and not before.”
A lot of people took that for a prophecy that Dany could never have children again (Daenerys included). But Mirri Maz Duur isn’t exactly the most reliable source for truthful information. She suckered Daenerys into agreeing to a deal that would leave her with nothing specifically so she could destroy Drogo’s khalasar. Why wouldn’t she lie about this as well?
There’s also another prophecy in play: the Dosh Khaleen believed that Dany would bear The Stallion Who Mounts The World, a rough Dothraki equivalent to The Prince That Was Promised. Sure, they believed it was going to be the baby of Drogo and Daenerys. But as Melisandre has shown us, understanding prophecy properly can be a tricky business. In other words, don’t be surprised if Daenerys isn’t as barren as she thinks.
