Travel flies on ‘Game of Thrones,’ and it’s getting annoying — and confusing
What used to crawl now speeds by as series tries to wrap
Things have always been difficult on Game of Thrones. It’s one of the hallmarks of the series. Although it takes place in a fantasy world, characters’ problems aren’t always written away by magic. Battles are bloody and hard-won. Starvation during winter is a real threat. And it takes time, lots and lots of time, to get from place to place.
Well, at least, it used to.
On the most recent episode, “Beyond the Wall,” Gendry joins Jon Snow and Co. on a trek north of the Wall, then runs back to Eastwatch to send a raven to Dany at Dragonstone. Dany hops on her dragon and flies to Jon’s aid. All in a tight, 75-minute episode.
“Beyond the Wall” isn’t the first offender this season. Davos went from Dragonstone to King ’s Landing to Dragonstone to Eastwatch in Episode 5. Arya made the trip home to Winterfell in a fraction of the time it took to leave. Dany’s and Cersei’s armies apparently move through land and sea instantly. (Unless, the narrative needs them to be ambushed, like when Euron captured Yara and Ellaria’s ships.)
The problem with the ability to travel in the blink of an eye is that it contradicts the rules set up by the series in previous seasons. Remember when Sam and Gilly traveled for an entire season to Old Town? Or when Arya and the Hound wandered around Westeros? Are you seriously telling us that they could’ve just zipped through whatever portal seemingly exists between Dragonstone and the North?
Those long journeys were important because they fostered plot and character development. Arya became the person she is in part because of the time she spent on the road. “Home” has less meaning to her now because her life has been transient. Jaime lost a hand but gained redemption on his trip to King ’s Landing with Brienne. The characters are still theoretically spending this amount of time on the road, but apparently, they remain unchanged through the journey.
Another issue is, when we don’t know how long someone is traveling, we also don’t know how much time has passed within the story. How long was “Beyond the Wall” supposed to last? Weeks? Months? And if the Night King is within Gendry’s running distance of the Wall, shouldn’t that affect the story?
The most frustrating aspect of the quick travel, however, is the necessity. With just eight episodes left, it seems condensed travel time is the sacrifice the series has to make in order to reach its endgame.
Guess we’ll pretend the Night King is walking really, really slowly.