Proof of the extra heft of Sunday's episode of HBO's "Game of Thrones" came as viewers realized that there would be no continuation of most of the open storylines that make up the epic fantasy series.
There would be no further developments North of the Wall, where Jon Snow is held captive by wildings; no update on the fate of Daenerys' stolen dragons; no continuation of Jaime and Brienne's bizarre buddy road trip comedy or Theon's feeble attempts to please his father.
For the entirety of this episode, there is only the Battle of Blackwater - a clash that fans of George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" saga, on which the show is based, have been waiting for with bated breath.
As Lord Stannis (Stephen Dillaine)'s ships - under the command of his most trusted confidante, Lord Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham) - sail towards King's Landing, the armies on both sides gird for war. Stannis' ships outnumber the royal fleet ten to one, his troops are five times the number of King Joffrey's.
But the Lannister's have one ace up their sleeves: the savvy mind of Lord Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage.)
"I'm the captain of the ship, and if the ship goes down, I go with her," says Tyrion.
"That is good to hear, though I'm sure many captains say the same while their ship is afloat," says Lord Varys (Conleth Hill).
Varys goes on to warn the Hand that Stannis has pledged himself to the "dark arts" and will likely rain woe on the few who survive inside Kings Landing if the walls are breached. "I believe you are the only man who can stop him," he says.
Not everyone, however, is gifting Tyrion with inspirational platitudes.
"I will pray for your safe return, my lord," Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) tells him.
"Will you," asks Tyrion.
"Just as I pray for the king's," she answers, speaking of King Joffrey (Jack Gleeson), the sadistic tyrant who killed her father and torments her on a daily basis.
"Some of these boys will never return," says Sansa's handmaiden Shae (Sibel Kekilli) as the battle nears.
"Joffrey will. The worst ones always will," Sansa answers, perfectly encapsulating the status quo on "Game of Thrones."
As Davos sails his fleet into Blackwater Bay, he is spooked by the lack of resistance. His son blusters that Stannis' forces have been blessed with the element of surprise.
"Lord Varys knows what you have had for breakfast three days ago," replies an increasingly uneasy Davos. "There are no surprises here."
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