| "The Spoils of War" | |
|---|---|
| Game of Thrones episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 7 Episode 4 |
| Directed by | Matt Shakman |
| Written by | David Benioff D. B. Weiss |
| Featured music | Ramin Djawadi |
| Cinematography by | Robert McLachlan |
| Editing by | Katie Weiland |
| Original air date | August 6, 2017 |
| Running time | 49 minutes[1] |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"The Spoils of War" is the fourth episode of the seventh season of HBO's fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 64th overall. It was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Matt Shakman. It is the shortest episode of the series, with a running time of 49 minutes.
At Dragonstone, Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow observe cave drawings left by the Children of the Forest, indicating that the First Men and the Children fought together against the White Walkers. In King's Landing, Cersei Lannister seeks further investment from the Iron Bank, after reassuring them that their debt will soon be paid. In the North, Arya Stark returns to Winterfell, reunites with her siblings, Sansa and Bran Stark, and spars with Brienne of Tarth. On the road to King's Landing, Jaime Lannister, Bronn, and the Lannister and Tarly armies are caught in an attack led by Daenerys, her dragon Drogon, and the Dothraki army.
The title of the episode refers to the Tyrell gold and other resources in possession of the Lannisters after taking Highgarden. "The Spoils of War" received universal praise from critics, with many hailing it as one of the best episodes of the series and listing the concluding battle sequence between Daenerys and Jaime, Arya's return to Winterfell and interaction with Brienne, and Daenerys and Jon's conversation at Dragonstone as highlights of the episode. It received a nomination at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Editing, and was also Nikolaj Coster-Waldau's pick to support his nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor, his first ever for this series.
The episode set an industry record for the most stuntmen set on fire, with 73 "fire burns", in addition to 20 people being set on fire for a single shot. In the United States, the episode achieved a viewership of 10.17 million in its initial broadcast, the 3rd highest in the series. "The Spoils of War" also received multiple awards and nominations, including "Best TV Episode" and "2017 People's Choice Award" from IGN.[2]
"The Spoils of War" marked the final appearance of Ellie Kendrick (Meera Reed).
Despite being a record-short time of just 50 minutes, "Spoils of War" might go down in history as one of the greatest episodes of HBO'S "Game of Thrones."