Game of Thrones is a favorite show of mine. It is a must watch for me and Sue, and during the week, friends and I will dissect the show and speculate on upcoming episodes or longer story arcs. The political machinations, the emotional beats, the terrific visuals, and the excellent storytelling make for a satisfying show. Of course the show has issues; it gets many things wrong; it creates numerous controversies; and it uses and then glosses over atrocities with little regard to realistic consequences of those atrocities. Much more qualified people have written about the show’s shortcomings, and I encourage you to find and read those articles. The show is problematic, but it is possible to be a fan of problematic things. I continue to watch because I want to know how it plays out. Each week the episodes thrill me, and this seventh season is no different. Much of the talk around this season is that time is an obstacle the show has done away with. To attempt to figure out a timeline for the events of season 7 is an exercise in madness. Because it serves the story in a positive, I’m willing to forgive the utter disregard for time. Since this season is only 7 episodes long, the intricate storytelling that built the previous seasons to this moment has been mostly canned. Precious moments, like Jon Snow and Jorah Mormont still exist. The show still has room for the Hound and Tormund to be themselves. Good character-centric moments still exist, but more often, story and drama are being placed ahead of character-driven narrative.

The scene above is an example where drama is the driver. Arya and Sansa are letting old habits and old wounds divide them, but with all those two have been through, would they fall easily back into old patterns? I don’t think so; especially considering the ages they were and the changes they’ve undergone. Both are mentally scarred individuals who, because of their experiences, see enemies all around, but not over the course of six and a half seasons has either thought of a sibling as an enemy. Both Arya and Sansa know Littlefinger is a snake in the grass, but rather than place suspicion on him, they direct it at each other. While he may be a master manipulator, so far the show hasn’t done the work to show such a rift between the two. This is likely due to the shortened season, and the need to hit certain plot points before the season finale. I’m left with only two options of why this drama is happening: 1.) Littlefinger’s treacheries are assumed done off screen, which is boring and unsatisfying, 2.) Arya is setting a trap for Littlefinger with Sansa as the unsuspecting rube. 2 is what I hope is happening, but I’m not holding my breath.

Another casuality of the shortened season is the romance between Dany and Jon. This I’m willing to forgive because the show has put in pieces here and there while smoothly escalating the intimacy. Watching the episodes they’re in together shows the feelings building even if it’s in the margins of the story. Some may not be happy about this, but I’m okay with it. They groundwork was set in earlier episodes and is still ramping up. Now, the fact that she’s his aunt is still weird and skeevy. In the world of a Song of Ice and Fire, incest is a thing. So far, Dany has been wrecking fundamental institutions of that world. Will she do the same for the Targaryen practice of incest?

Finally, I loved this story no matter how little sense it made. Jon continues to be a poor military strategist even though he’s a great leader. It’s hard to believe that no one – NO ONE – planned on any contingencies for this trip. The attitude is basically, hey, this’ll go smooth. Why not take a raven with them? Why not have back up or scout out the enemy? Maybe the writers had reasons for each of these that simply didn’t make the cut. However, the whole expedition seems stupid from the start, and a lot of it is out of character for the experienced soldiers. It was clearly plot driven as opposed to character motivated story. Again, I loved the action, the visuals. My heart broke, and I was in awe of what happened on the screen. However, it all seems so stupid and out of character. Hopefully, the season finale returns to the character driven stories that have gotten us this far. Bring on the meeting of the Queens.