**Spoilers Alert for Beyond The Wall will follow this warning!!**

“Beyond The Wall” starts as last week’s episode so marvelously finished, beyond the wall. The “Magnificent Seven” (as they have been so fittingly dubbed) begin their trek across some the most breathtaking scenery seen on a Game of Thrones episode. The sweeping landscapes combined with a seamless, sterile white canvas provides a calm, albeit unnerving introduction to this episode.

Throughout this penultimate episode, it must be noted that the conversations between characters are up there with some of the most rib ticklings I’ve ever witnessed. Lines such as “walking’s good, fighting’s good, f**king’s better” continued to keep my spirits alive during moments that were stressful, to say the least.

Beyond The Wall obviously features heavily… beyond the wall, beyond the known land of man, and into the former land of the free folk. Certain sequences do take place in areas such as Winterfell and Dragonstone, however as you’d expect, this is minimal at best.

The highlights of this episode are as follows:

• Tormund gives Gendry his best advice to keep warm.
• Tormund and Jon discuss bending the knee to Dany.
• Arya confronts Sansa about the letter she wrote to Rob.
• Both sisters challenge each other.
• Tormund and The Hound discuss Brienne and the size of the babies that she and Tormund will have.

• Dany challenges Tyrion about his allegiance to his family.
• Tyrion challenges Dany about who she intends to succeed her, much to Dany’s disdain.
• A Wight Bear attacks the 7, killing some unknown and mauling Thoros.

• Littlefinger continues to manipulate Sansa.
• The 7 discover a splinter group of Wights, led by one of the Walkers.
• A teasing battle ends with Jon killing the Walker, resulting in all but one Wight disintegrating.
• The remaining horde of Wights ambush the group, leaving them stranded on an island surrounded by the undead.

• Gendry manages to sprint to the wall in one breath, send a Raven to Dragonstone and elicit a response in the time it takes for Thoros to freeze to death.
• Sansa commands Brienne to attend Kings Landing in her place.
• The final battle begins with The Hound throwing rocks at the Wights.
• Tormund is overpowered but saved just before being dragged into the ice.
• Dany appears with all 3 Dragons to save the group.
• Night King kills one of the Dragons.

• Jon challenges the Night King as the others flee.
• Jon falls into the Ice, reemerges, and is saved by his Uncle, Benjen Stark.
• Sansa finds Arya’s many faces, Arya looks like she may kill Sansa but instead hands her a dagger.
• Jon returns to Eastwatch, is treated for injuries and shows Dany the wounds she has been so concerned about.
• Jon declares allegiance to Dany, touching hand holding occurs between the two.
• The Night King turns the slain Dragon into his personal Wight Dragon.

Overall, Beyond The Wall doesn’t necessarily tick every box. It’s a shame that there are still questions being raised with about 6/7 episodes left of the entire show. All I can hope is that the beginning of this culmination occurs next week in what should blow this season into the next level of greatness.