The most recent episode of Game of Thrones, titled “The Spoils of War,” concluded with this season’s biggest battle yet and it was truly a sight to behold. Having Daenerys swoop in on her dragon and finally her Westerosi enemies in battle was the culmination of seasons’ worth of build up and while it’s hard to say if it was worth the wait, the battle itself was undoubtedly thrilling. It turns out that one dragon is more than a match for an army of Lannister soldiers, who were woefully outmatched here by Dany, Drogon, and an army of mounted Dothraki. The battle marked a significant turning point in the war for the Iron Throne, as Cersei will now have to rebuild her forces in order to stand a chance against the Mother of Dragons. However, even though the battle itself was important to the overall plot of the show, it was a surprisingly hollow event when you consider it’s one major problem:
Nobody died.
Yes, technically hundreds, if not thousands of Lannisters and Dothraki perished on the field of battle, but nameless characters die all the time on this show. While we still don’t officially know the fate of all the important characters involved, the fact is that not a single one of them died on-screen and therefore, the stakes of this conflict felt practically nonexistent. Sure, the episode ends with Jaime plunging into the depths of the Blackwater, but there’s no way this is the end for him, as the show still hasn’t settled his inner conflict with his loyalty to Cersei. Besides, it’s not like Jaime, Daenerys, or Tyrion were ever not going to make it out of this battle alive, as their stories aren’t finished yet. Still, there’s one character in particular whose death would have been upsetting to many fans of the show, yet would not have impacted the overarching story all that much:
Bronn.
HBO
