HBO
Fans have a lot of questions about that ending battle in Season 7 Episode 4 of Game of Thrones. And we have the explanations about exactly what happened, who died at the end, and other key points that you might have missed. Read on for more details.
This post has spoilers for Season 7 Episode 4 of Game of Thrones.
There Was No Timeline Plot Hole: The Dothraki Could Get There Easily in Time for the Battle
Fans have been quick to point out what they thought were timeline plotholes in Game of Thrones this season and during previous seasons. But it’s easy to forget that things don’t happen as quickly as we might think. In fact, sometimes weeks or months may pass in the time it takes to transition from one scene to the next. And that’s what happened here.
During the episode, we first see Jamie and Bronn leaving Highgarden shortly after the battle, when Bronn talked about the castle that Jamie still owed him. Jamie said that Bronn wouldn’t want Highgarden because Dany would likely retake it the day after they left. They talked about the long journey they were taking with the gold and the grain they were going to take from farmers along the way.
We also saw Daenerys when she received the news that Highgarden had been taken by Cersei’s Kingsguard. We saw her anger about how all her allies were falling. She asked Jon if she should just fly with her dragons out to King’s Landing and destroy them. Jon said if she did that and killed innocents, she wouldn’t be viewed as any different than the people she was replacing. She and her crew also talked about how she would have enough vessels to board all the Dothraki and take them to Westeros, but it would take time.
This is when a big time jump happens that you might have missed. The battle itself takes place right outside of King’s Landing, before they crossed the Blackwater Rush. (See the section below for more details about the battle’s location.) This means that by the time Dany and the Dothraki attacked, they were much closer to Dragonstone than when they had been at Highgarden.
So there actually was plenty of time for Dany to gather the Dothraki and sail to King’s Landing in the time it took Jamie and Bronn and their crew to travel by horse, via Roseroad, with the gold from Highgarden to King’s Landing.
Daenerys Did Not Get the Gold or Destroy Cersei’s Gold
This part was also unclear for some fans if they missed a key conversation between Randyll Tarly and Jamie. It was easy to think that Jamie’s army was still at Highgarden, which would have meant that they still had the gold and there was no realistic way that the timeline worked out.
However, Tarly said to Jamie, just before Dany and her army of Dothraki showed up: “All the gold’s safely through the gates of King’s Landing.”
Then Tarly spoke about needing to also bring the last of the wagons over the Blackwater Rush. (These wagons were carrying grain, which means that a lot of food was destroyed in the battle.)
In other words, the battle took place right outside of King’s Landing, on the other side of the Blackwater Rush. And Daenerys did not destroy the gold — the gold was already safely in King’s Landing.
This means that despite everything that happened, Cersei will still be able to repay the Lannisters’ debts to the Iron Bank.
It’s Not Clear Who Died or Lived, but Drogon Survived
At the end of the battle, it was a little unclear who died or lived. Someone who looked like Tarly was seen taking off a helmet while he was pretty much burned alive, but we’re pretty sure that person wasn’t Tarly.
We last saw Jamie as he was sinking in the Blackwater Rush, his armor weighing him down, not moving at all. Either Jamie gave up on life or he was knocked unconscious. If he comes to before he drowns, swimming back up will be tough with the armor and only having one hand.
Bronn may also be the person who pushed Jamie out of the line of fire — literally — and he fell into the Blackwater Rush too. Will he try to pull Jamie back up? Will Tyrion ask Dany to have Drogon pull Jamie up from the depths? (Is that even possible?)
At this point, it’s unclear if Jamie or Bronn will survive, but we do know that Drogon will live, unless Qyburn tipped the spear with poison. The spear hurt Drogon badly, but he was only hit in the shoulder and was very much alive when Dany was trying to pull the spear out of him. So Drogon, at least, seems safe after this episode.