Last night’s Game of Thrones episode 6 sure was something else. It brought us plenty of action, and an unexpected twist that most of us didn’t see coming — but we should have. That said, I’ve got one question about last night’s episode that I’ve meant to ask for a few days now. Before I do, mind you that major spoilers will follow below, so if you haven’t seen Beyond the Wall.
This is my main question: Did the Night King know what was about to happen? Did he know the dragons would come to the rescue if things go sideways for the humans venturing across the wall? Or was he just prepared?
If so, what’s the Night King’s angle here? Why is he looking to kill everything that’s alive? I mean, sure, he was brought back to life by the Children of the Forest for a purpose. And he’s probably looking to kill all men over in Westeros. But why? Just so he can be king alongside an undead bride of his choosing? What motivates him to do all this? Does he want his kids to be the first in his family to go to college?
HBO did not explain any of this, and it could have at least dropped teasers of his mindset, before we, the viewers, started calling the Night King out for what happened last time. I already told you about my biggest gripe with the walkers’ actions in relation to the passage of time. They’re almost absent this entire season, and when they do show up, they’re ready to wreak havoc and bring plenty of disturbance to the force.
Where do undead hordes and their master get their chains from? If all this dragon hunt adventure was not planned, where have they found the massive steel chains? Did they manufacture them on the spot? How did they know how many chains one needs to lift a dead dragon up from a frozen lake? If this wasn’t a deliberate military mission with the goal to capture at least one dragon, then I’m even more puzzled about those chains.
And finally, how come didn’t the Night King target Drogon, who was sitting on the ground while every air-breathing human around was boarding? Does he only go for the trickier shots? Does he like a challenge? Does he only chase flying targets? Are his spears meant to kill dragons rather than humans? Why didn’t he just kill everyone on the island in the middle of the lake with those spears while they were sleeping? Is he the only one allowed to shoot these spears?
I feel like I’ve come full circle as this brings me to… Did the Night King know?
