Yeah I get that. Talked to someone at work and they mentioned that the last time it happened the white walkers made it very far south.It'd be pretty anticlimactic for the show to spend 7+ seasons focused on the terror the white walkers bring to society for it to be over in a single battle at Winterfell, plus they just laid the groundwork for Winterell to fall with the Iron Islands being needed as a fallback area. Throw in that the very first scene of the show was of the whitewalkers taking out the Ranger team, and that was likely foreshadowing of the importance of the characters - I'd venture episode 5 is when that story line ends as the penultimate episode.
Sam is also going to rise up to kill somebody important, as he just reminded everybody he has the Tarly House (Valyrian steel) sword - he also was the first on the show to kill a white walker, so he could be the one to kill the last with the Night King. And as they pointed out, he's (jokingly) asked for a pardon (about stealing the books), which would make him the rightful heir (not beholden to the Night's Watch) to House Tarly with his brother and father killed.
Could they be setting a trap for Winterfell? Maybe send a small contingent there to keep them busy but instead attack kings landing? Which has had no preparation.
Good catch on Sam. I too think something happens with him.