Game of Thrones has arguably been the most popular show on television since its debut in 2011. Since then the world has been captivated with six riveting seasons, filled to the brim with the brutal yet enticing twists and turns that make the show the cinematic masterpiece that it is. With over a year gap between the end of season 6 and the premiere of season 7, the anticipation was given more than enough time to build to astronomical heights.

Season 7 contained 7 episodes rather than the routine 10 and the deficiency of episodes led some fans to feel a little short-changed on content. The hype leading up to the season never saw a drop off. Every few weeks there would be some kind of leak in the news surrounding it, from the show announcing they had some of television’s highest paid actors and actresses, to it being that the show set a record for most people on fire at one time, with 20.

Taking the season at face value, it appears as though the writers have accomplished everything we expected, tying up the already loose ends and giving us some more. Jon and Daenerys finally meet, after entire seasons of waiting. Sam finally finds a higher purpose with his maester training, picking up important pieces of information on the way. He puts his newfound knowledge to the test when he cures Jorah of greyscale, tying up that loose story arc. Arya finally ends the Littlefinger story arc when she kills him in episode 7. Olenna Tyrell is taken out of the picture when she dies early on in the season, taking a huge player out of the battle for the iron throne. And the Hound and the Mountain finally come back into contact for the first time since season 1.

The excitement and action never let up throughout season 7, but at times it seemed that the writers ignored earlier techniques and characteristics used in the first 6 seasons. Take for example, Jon’s trip from Castle Black to Dragonstone. If this journey were to take place in an earlier season it would easily last for at least 4 or 5 episodes, or a few months in the boundaries of the show, but in season 7, Jon arrived in the gap between episodes, which from the context of the show would appear to be a few weeks at very most. This gap in reality can be understandable, given the amount of content and development that had to be shoved into a much smaller season.

Another noticeable change is the new implementation of “extra” characters in situations where a few throwaway deaths are needed to add suspense or intensity, such as when they leave the wall in an effort to capture a single white walker to prove their existence to Cersei. The group consists of 6 important, developed characters that would usually be fair game in other seasons, and 6 or 7 other throwaway extras that only appear when a convenient death is needed.

Game of Thrones season 7 was a great beginning to the end of this fantastic series, but it is clear that the writers are making some major changes as the show progresses. I can’t wait to see how the show ends in 2019.