The Music From The Game Of Thrones Finale Now Streaming On Spotify
“The Light Of The Seven” by Ramin Djawadi:
21 minutes. Thats exactly how long the opening segment in Kings Landing was during Episode 10 “The Winds of Winter.” Beginning with Cersei looking safely down on the Sept out of her window from the Red Keep, ending with Tommen jumping out of that same window as the Sept burned to the ground. In between we saw Varys’ Little Birds stab the shit out of Pycelle and Lancel. We saw Margery put the pieces of Cersei’s puzzle together while the High Sparrow was too arrogant to realize he had been duped. We saw Wild Fire devour half the cast and melt The Seven along with hundreds of people of Kings Landing. We saw Cersei deliver a fucking BAD ASS speech about how she likes to fuck her brother because it feels good. She likes to kill people because it feels good. Drinkin, smokin, straight West Coastin, as she sics Franken-Mountain on that Seaward Nun who tortured her. And as I mentioned, it all concludes with the “King” committing suicide.
It was the best 21 minutes in the history of Game of Thrones, and you could make the argument that it was one of the best 21 minute sequences in television history. And while it was mostly because of an intricate plot executed to perfection and a plot twist that only Game of Thrones has the balls to pull off (How many shows would have the guts to wipe out half the cast in one fell swoop…TWICE!), it was the manner in which it was shot and produced that upped the quality even higher. The music that was gently weaved into that opening segment was absolutely (Wild) FIRE. It was eradicate-your-enemies-with-a-mysterious-substance-created-by-the-Alchemist’s-Guild-called-Wild-Fire Flames. Within just a couple minutes that piano was as important as anything we were watching on screen. It was as important as the dialogue or action that unfolded. Particularly because it was so out of place. Game of Thrones really never relies on music like that. Sure, they have the deep ominous music play when Ramsay Bolton is on screen. They have the generic triumphant horns blare when Jon Snow saves the day. But its rare that a specific piece of music is woven into the fabric of a scene the way “The Light Of The Seven” was in that first 21 minutes. It felt very Leftovers-esque. Thats a show where the music is always important. Always on point. You take notice of the song playing during a montage or during an important conversation immediately. Thrones, not so much. Actually, basically never. Thats what made it so interesting. It was the first time I can really remember Game of Thrones relying on the score as much as they did, and it was a HOME RUN. You knew you were watching some important shit as that piano faded in and out.
The way it was shot, too. The way the shot transitioned from inside the Sept to the Red Keep to underground, all building towards that eruption gave it the feeling of something major about the go down. As Lancel Lannister crawled towards that candle I was practically screaming at my TV. If he made it to that candle in time and blew that candle out, I think I would have stopped watching Game Of Thrones. I think I would have stopped watching TV altogether. That would have been one of the worst teases I’ve ever watched if Cersei’s plot was foiled. And Thrones isn’t a show known for just giving the viewer what they want. I thought there was every chance that happened as Lancel took a deep breath to blow it out. And then KABOOOOOOOOM. George RR Martin and HBO finally gives you what you wanted. And in the ultimate twist (and the main reason I think they were OK giving the viewers some classic satisfaction), they had you rooting for Cersei. They did the impossible and turned Cersei into a sympathetic figure. Had you rooting for the bad guy. Ignoring the fact that she just ROASTED tons of innocent people. There wasnt a Thrones fan alive that wasnt rooting for that WildFire to blow up. Incredible job by the creators to flip the script like that.
It all added up to make 21 minutes of excellence. The music, the camerawork, the role reversals, and the pay off at the end – television excellence. Its a sequence you can watch over and over and over throughout the next 9 months while we wait for Season 7 to premiere. Its a sequence that took the Game of Thrones legacy to the next level. Its a sequence that cemented this show’s place in the “Best TV Show of all time?” argument.