Game of Thrones Plot Hole Explanations

Published August 21, 2017 · Updated July 6, 2022

Gentlemen,

Thanks for your insightful work. I’ve been a big fan since Westworld.

I just wanted to respond to some questions many have raised about season 7. I feel like most people I see complaining about plot holes and pacing this season either haven’t watched the entire show or simply don’t pay enough attention while watching it. Here is a rundown of some of these main points people are missing:

How did they get the giant chains to pull Viserion out of the lake?
– It seems fairly obvious to me that these were obtained from Hardhome. They look like chains made for large naval fleets to pull boats, supplies, loot, etc out of the ocean. It is very logical that these were brought to Hardhome and then taken by the Night King after the massacre
Why is the Army of the Dead moving so slowly while all the other characters seem to be teleporting across Westeros? – This one is a no brainer. They cannot get past The Wall. It is explicitly stated by Benjen Stark in season 6 that “The Wall is not just ice and stone. Ancient spells were carved into its foundations. Strong magic. To protect men from what lies beyond. While it stands, the dead cannot pass.” So why would the Night King march his entire army down to The Wall? Just to stare at it? Just as Beric said in episode 5 “There is a greater purpose at work here.”
This romance between Jon and Daenerys is so forced and rushed. – These two characters have been on a collision course since season 1 episode 1. The parallels between their journeys over 60 hours of film are remarkable and unlike anything else in TV or cinema. They both clearly have qualities that are attractive to one another. They both are willing to sacrifice themselves for their people and stand up for what they believe in. Beyond that aspect, their interactions with each other have actually been quite believable this season. When Jon first arrives at Dragonstone he is met with great skepticism and they do not agree on many things. But when Dany sees the paintings in the cave and sees that Drogon lets Jon touch him she knows there is something special about this man and what he is saying may be true. This is not just some excuse to get two hot actors to hook up on screen. The union of these two characters is quite literally A Song of Ice and Fire and has been planned for a very long time. I’ll admit it may seem cliche at first, but not having this happen just for the sake ofunpredictability doesn’t feel true to the greater story they are trying to tell. There is enough unpredictability everywhere else on this show already.
How was the Night King able to throw that ice javelin hundreds of yards with perfect accuracy? – This was touched on during the instacast already, but I’ll throw in my two cents. You guys mentioned that we just don’t know enough about the Night King and the Walkers to be able to say whats possible. I agree completely. He is clearly the most powerful character on the show, and we have never even seen him in combat. If he has supernatural powers such as raising all beings from the dead, controlling thousands of them by himself, and breaking magical barriers on ancient caves, then I would like to believe he has somewhat supernatural powers on the actual battlefield as well. The fact that we don’t fully understand how the White Walkers and wights operate is honestly the most exciting part of the show for me at this point. It does seem apparent though that the Night King has greensight ability just like Bran and can see fragments of time from past, present, and future events. It seemed like he already knew everything that would happen during the frozen lake sequence and even baited Daenerys into bringing her dragons for his own personal gain.
The generic “How did he get there so fast? The pacing and logic of this season is so terrible!” statement. – There is a point where logic gets in the way of narrative. This season needed the faster pace if they want resolution to all the conflicts they’ve created and create a greater sense of urgency for the characters. Game of Thrones is succeeding in telling a tale true to its characters. This is an epic fantasy series. If you spend too much time debating and calculating how character X got to location Y then your not focusing on the things that are important and make the show the global phenomenon that it is today. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show for what it is.I realize this email is extremely long, but if you just discuss even one of the points I mentioned on Thursday I would be thrilled.

Keep up the exceptional work guys! -Carter from St. Paul, Minnesota

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