“Death is the enemy. The first enemy and the last. The enemy always wins. And we still need to fight it.”
That’s Beric Dondarrion, also known as the Lightning Lord, dishing out some harsh truths to the newly-appointed King of the North, Jon Snow, as they prepare to confront the Night King and his undead army in “Beyond the Wall.” The sixth, penultimate episode of Game of Thrones season 7 is due to premiere via HBO on Sunday, August 20th – assuming you haven’t already caught wind of this week’s instalment via HBO Nordic and/or the HBO Espana platforms.
It’s by no means the first time that a network has mistakenly released an episode online ahead of schedule; Twin Peaks and Showtime suffered a similar gaffe earlier this year, when Sky Deutschland accidentally uploaded the wrong instalment to its online platform. But it’s fair to say that, as HBO’s fantasy drama draws to a close, there’s a much bigger spotlight shining down on Game of Thrones and its burly, fur-covered shoulders.
Whether you choose to seek out “Beyond the Wall” in advance is really up to you, but before it airs officially this weekend, HBO has now debuted a dozen high-res action shots the largely revolve around Westeros’ newfound suicide squad: Jon Snow, Tormund, Jorah, Gendry, Thoros, the Hound, and Beric Dondarrion.
In the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, all involved must pluck a Wight from the undead horde and bring it south, where it is to be presented to both Cersei and Daenerys as living (dead?) proof that the Night King is far and away the greatest threat currently facing the Seven Kingdoms.
Meanwhile, back in Dragonstone, Tyrion and Daenerys are seen getting up close and personal with those other two dragons – namely Rhaegal and Viserion – while Littlefinger’s clever ploy looks to have driven a wedge between the two Stark sisters, Arya and Sansa. But will they be able to identify their common enemy before it’s too late?
All will be revealed when Game of Thrones continues this Sunday with the premiere of “Beyond the Wall.” But tell us, with season 7 nearing its conclusion, what are your hopes for the show’s super-sized finale? Let us know in the comments section.