Going beyond the wall was always going to come with some major drawbacks. 

On Game of Thrones Season 7 Episode 6, Jon and his team continued their mission to steal a wight in order to take it to King's Landing and strike a deal with Cersei. 

On paper, it was a terrible plan, but there was no other way to get Cersei on board with any sort of plan because, well, she wants all the power. 

The polar bear killing the wildling early on successfully injected the scenes that came after with a sense of dread. It showed just how high the stakes were for everyone, and that they could die at any moment. 

The lone walker and the wights patrolling finding the fire were scary because they could have alerted the Night King that people were beyond the wall. 

It was fascinating that as soon as the walker was killed all but one wight died. Are we to assume that the wights are linked to the walkers, while the walkers are all linked to the Night King?

It would make a lot of sense after that scene. But then again, one miraculously survived to be captured. There's also the possibility the Night King wanted the team to snag one of them. 

There is a lot we don't know about the logistics of how things work beyond the wall, but something tells me we won't need to worry about it because they now have a dragon at their disposal. 

Yes, you guys. In one of the most emotional scenes on TV in quite some time, the Night King successfully lunged an ice-infused spear at Viserion and he was taken out of the sky. 

It was horrible to watch, but in the grand scheme of things, it gave Daenerys the knock she needed to understand just how difficult it is going to be to win the war. 

Throughout Game of Thrones Season 7, she had been skeptical about the beings beyond the wall, so making her way into the battle showed her just how great the enemy is. 

Losing a child is not easy, and Daenerys knew she needed to make a swift getaway in case she lost more. But that came with a major dilemma for her: She wanted to save Jon. 

Watching the show, it's becoming increasingly apparent that she and Jon Snow share a connection that goes beyond just being friendly in order to have allies for battle. 

The scene on the boat with Jon calling her Dany was just everything. It changed everything for them because it showed that they had a strong connection. 

Jon agreed to bend the knee after Daenerys promised to fight by his side. Despite what Jon's people may think, he trusts Daenerys because she has not broken her word to him. 

Tormund is probably to thank for making Jon think about bending the knee. Linking back to Mance Rayder was a good way to help Jon think rationally about things as opposed to being too bogged down about what his people would think. 

In any case, having these two characters bonded is a good idea because they are great to watch and will both be great rulers together. 

However, it's going to be downright heartbreaking when Daenerys inevitably has to go head-to-head with the blue-eyed Viserion. 

It was a great way to give the Night King an advantage, but it was somewhat predictable. As soon as the dragon plunged into the depths of the water, it all fell into place for me. 

If Viserion is able to scale the wall and melt it with some blue charged fire, that will give the Night King a way to get through the wall with his army. 

The wall was apparently built with magic in mind, but if a portion of that dissolves, would that allow the villains to make their way through?

It's an interesting question, and hopefully, it's answered on Game of Thrones Season 7 Episode 7. It would be an exciting set-up for the show's final season. 

It was a shocking turn of events to have Benjen appear and save Jon. Where did that even come from? Benjen was so nice to Jon in his younger days when some were against him because of his surname. 

It was a fitting way to link back to the beginning of the series. There was never really any question of whether Jon would die. There is so much unfinished business between him and Daenerys that it would have been silly to have Jon lose out on making it to the final season. 

Either way, Benjen knew the best way for Jon to survive was to go on the horse alone because it meant the weight would be lower and it could run faster to Eastwatch. 

It's crazy to think just how different things could have turned out if Jon forced Benjen to get on it with him. Would they have made it?

Daenerys and Tyrion are great together, and this episode perfectly illustrated why: Daenerys is too busy thinking about the short-term, while Tyrion thinks about the bigger picture. 

Strategically trying to plot to win the war is no easy task, but given time, the two will eventually agree on the best possible course of action. 

To an extent, it's like Tyrion tries to keep Daenerys grounded when she is thinking irrationally. There have long been rumors that she could become the Mad Queen. 

That would be quite the change of pace, but it would probably spell her downfall. 

The drama at Winterfell is getting crazy, but I cannot get on board with Arya's comments to Sansa about writing the note. Sansa genuinely had no choice in the matter. 

Arya using that against her to say that she would not have betrayed her family was just plain rude. I've been so harsh on Sansa because she does sometimes come across as an opportunist who vies for power. 

Sansa is smarter than most give her credit and without her influence, the family would not be in Winterfell right now. It's difficult to have both sisters at war, but this is all Littlefinger's doing. 

He desperately wants them to bicker because it gives him longer to execute whatever his master plan may be. My one true hope for the finale is that the sisters put on a united front to piss him off. 

He needs to go, and I hope it's sooner rather than later. Then, Arya can use his face to go slap Robin because that would just make my day. 

"Beyond The Wall" was a breathtaking episode, which set the wheels in motion for what is sure to be a thrilling close to Game of Thrones Season 7. 

Other tidbits from the episode: 

• Every single scene with Tormund and the Hound was delightful. I half expected the Hound to say that Brienne was rubbish in bed or something, just to piss off Tormund. 

• Thoros of Myr is gone, but what does that mean for Beric? Will he actually die next time without the red priest around? 

• There were pros and cons to Sansa sending Brienne off to King's Landing, but with Arya getting more unpredictable, it was probably a mistake. 

• Jon offering the sword to Ser Jorah was a noble move. It really is amazing to see all of these people from different families fighting alongside each other. 

• My heart sank when it seemed like Tormund was dying. Thank god he had a connection with the Hound earlier on or he may not have been so lucky. 

Over to you, Game of Thrones Fanatics. What did you think of this epic installment?

What do you think will happen on the finale?

Note: Game of Thrones Season 7 concludes August 27 on HBO. 

Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.