‘Game of Thrones’: 5 Things You Missed in ‘Beyond the Wall’

WARNING: Major Spoilers ahead for the latest episode of Game of Thrones! Continue reading at your own risk…

The penultimate episode of Game of Thrones‘ seventh season included more than a handful of shocking moments and twists for fans to talk about this week.

Between the Night King turning a dragon into a part of his army and Uncle Benjen Stark saving the day, there was hardly a moment to catch your breathe.

However, if you were caught up in the twists, or the action of the epic battle, you might not have caught some of the more important details sprinkled throughout the episode.

Fortunately, we’ve got your backs! Here are five key moments you may have missed in “Beyond the Wall”:

The Death of Thoros

When Jon Snow led a band of seven notable characters north of the wall last week, many believed that at least a couple would lose their lives while they were out. To everyone’s surprise, only Thoros of Myr was killed.

You may have taken this as a good thing, seeing as how he was easily the least-popular character in the group. However, if you think about it, this death is extremely significant.

Like Melisandre, Thoros of Myr was given the power to bring someone back from the dead, and he’s done so for Beric Dondarrion six times. With Thoros dead, there’s no one left in Westeros with that power.

If you recall, at the beginning of the season, Melisandre left the country. This has left Westeros without a Red Priest/Priestess. 

Now, if Jon Snow dies again, it’s permanent. 

Walder Frey’s Face

Just when you thought Arya’s story couldn’t get any creepier, it’s revealed that she’s been carrying around a bag of faces.

Sansa was snooping around Arya’s room when she found the bag and began pulling faces from it. She only saw took out two of these faces before Arya snuck back into the room.

However, if you were paying attention, you probably noticed that the second face pulled from the bag was that of Walder Frey.

The leader made Arya’s list a few seasons ago after slaughtering her mother and brother at the Red Wedding. At the end of last season, Arya returned to Frey’s home to kill him, and every man in his family. 

Now, Walder’s face is just hanging out in a leather bag in Winterfell.

The Hound’s Injury

Game of Thrones taught fans a lot about the wights this week – mainly that they will die if the White Walker who turned them is killed.

The undead creatures bear a strong resemblance to zombies, leading many to wonder if their bits or scratches could infect a human being. If so, The Hound could be in trouble.

While fighting off the wights, The Hounds hand was caught in one of their mouths. The camera actually took a second to focus on that gloved hand before The Hound retracted it.

It was easy to tell that The Hound was in pain as he shook the injury off, but the attention that the scene was given makes it seem as though there’s more to it than just a close call.

Did that wight bite The Hound? If so, it could spell a heartbreaking death in the near future.

Reaching Out

Just before Daenerys left Jon to his almost-certain death, she tried to reach down and bring him up onto Drogon with her. As we all know, that didn’t work.

What happened instead was the two leaders stared at each other, their hands outstretched, but unable to reach. Jon knew he couldn’t get to Dany’s hand, so he gave up. 

When Daenerys reunited with Jon on the boat at the end of the episode, she immediately held his hand. Yes, this was a sign of affection but it was also symbolic.

When she reached out from the dragon’s back, grabbing his hand meant saving his life. She now has the chance to do exactly that. 

Bending the Knee

It looks like there is no more King in the North.

In their final conversation, Jon Snow calls Daenerys ‘Dany’, a nickname that only her brother – and the fans – called her. She tells him that her brother isn’t exactly stand-up company.

With that, Jon then says that he will call her his queen, even though he can’t physically bend his knee at the moment. 

Once the two defeat Cersei, together, Jon plans on letting Daenerys be the definitive ruler of Westeros. He’ll go back to being the Warden of the North, as Ned was when Robert was king, and Daenerys will be the Queen of all seven kingdoms.

Jon was hesitant to follow someone else because of the people who looked up to him as their king. However, some advice from Beric and Tormund really put things into perspective.

Photo Credit: HBO