"We were straining plausibility a little bit" – Game of Thrones season 7 director addresses everyone’s big timeline complaint

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Game of Thrones season 7 may have been going full steam ahead for some time now (think Jon reaching Dragonstone in record time and one too many speedy journeys North), but that approach is not without its critics. The most recent episode, Beyond The Wall, is perhaps most guilty of some timeline weirdness, so much so that the director of the episode has thrown out a few comments addressing the issue.

Speaking to Variety, Alan Taylor was aware of how everything seemed stuck on fast-forward as Jon and the gang were rescued by Dany, stating, “We were aware that timing was getting a little hazy. We’ve got Gendry running back, ravens flying a certain distance, dragons having to fly back a certain distance…In terms of the emotional experience, [the group North of the Wall] sort of spent one dark night on the island in terms of storytelling moments… I think that worked for some people, for others it didn’t.”

I’m more than happy with the show skipping over some timey-wimey logistics to bring us the good stuff – especially this close to the season finale – but I can definitely understand the complaints about it being rushed. Taylor, though, sounds a little aggrieved by just how much time people are putting into working everything out…

“They [fans of the show] seemed to be very concerned about how fast a raven can fly but there’s a thing called plausible impossibilities,” the director explains, “Which is what you try to achieve, rather than impossible plausibilities. So, I think we were straining plausibility a little bit, but I hope the story’s momentum carries over some of that stuff.”

TL;DR: time and space were sacrificed for story’s sake. Everyone happy now? Or is the ‘plausible impossibilities’ thing a little, uhh, implausible? Let us know in the comments! 

Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.