***Spoilers ahead about the last season of Game of Thrones.***
An era of TV has officially come to an end. The final season of Game of Thrones premiered on April 14, 2019, and the series finished a month later on May 19. For eight years, this show has graced television and become a legendary moment in TV history. It’s cleaned out award shows.
The show, based off George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels, generated millions of fans, and the final eighth season was long-awaited by all for a little under two years. Being too young to watch such a graphic show in 2011, I began binge-watching Game of Thrones right before the eighth season premiered, and I quickly fell in love with Martin’s fantastical world, the dynamic characters, and the many twists-and-turns.
All the friends who had watched it before me were prepping me for episodes like “Fire and Blood” and “The Red Wedding” (will never, ever get over this episode). After binge-watching it all, I joined the world in their excitement for the ending of Game of Thrones.
The season began a bit slow with the first two episodes, as the characters prepared for the two nail-biting wars to come: The Great War and The Last War. Everyone gathers at Winterfell to prepare for battle against the Army of the Dead, while Euron returns to Cersei, and they remain at King’s Landing.
Samwell Tarly tells Jon Snow that he’s actually Aegon Targaryen, and Jon eventually tells Daenerys. Jaime betrays Cersei and joins the forces fighting at Winterfell. The Army of the Dead approaches Winterfell, and there begins the “The Long Night,” the third episode and halfway point of the series.
Watching “The Long Night” was absolute chaos, mostly due to the poor lighting throughout the episode. The two armies finally meet, and the fighting ensues. Lady Melisandre equips fire into the Dothraki’s blades, but they’re no match for the Army of the Dead. Bran wargs into ravens to summon the Night King toward the godswood, while everyone retreats into Winterfell and Lady Melisandre creates a firewall surrounding it.
Jon and Daenerys are atop their dragons, and Beric sacrifices himself for Arya and the Hound. Arya is reminded of her prophecy that she’ll shut many eyes forever, including blue eyes. Drogon fires at The Night King, but it doesn’t phase him. Jon and Daenerys are knocked off their dragons and begin to fight, leading to Jorah’s death.
The Night King closes in on Bran, but Arya fulfills her prophecy by killing the Night King and the entire Army of the Dead. At the close of the episode, Lady Melisandre lets herself die of old age. An episode to leave you in awe in true Game of Thrones fashion.
One war over, one more to go.
The characters mourn their losses in the fourth episode, and news of Jon Snow’s Targaryen-ness is spread, causing Daenerys’ claim to the throne to weaken. Now, the focus is returned back to attacking King’s Landing. Daenerys loses one of her dragons by an attack from Euron and the Iron Fleet. Jaime plans to return to Cersei, leaving a heartbroken Brienne behind. At the height of the fourth episode, Cersei executes Missandei, and we sadly see Daenerys’ descent into the Mad Queen begin.
Helping to feed Daenerys into becoming the Mad Queen, those closest to her betray her. As the Last War begins at King’s Landing, the Iron Fleet is quickly destroyed, and it doesn’t take long for Cersei’s army to surrender and the bells to ring. Quite a short war, huh? But the bells were more like a ticking time bomb.
Daenerys, truly mad now, begins to engulf the city with her dragon’s flames, and all of the characters watch in terror at the great destruction. The Hound finally faces his brother, and they reach their demise together, as do Jaime and Cersei. At the end of this fifth episode, we know Daenerys must be stopped. But who will take the throne in her place?
In the final episode, the characters are left to mourn their losses yet again. Tyrion is imprisoned being treasonous to Daenerys, and both he and Arya warn Jon about her. Always the hero, Jon finds Daenerys and, for the greater good, kills her. Daenerys’ dragon, Drogon, appears and burns the Iron Throne, symbolizing the actual reason for Daenerys’ death: her obsession with the Throne.
Tyrion faces all of the leaders of Westeros after her death, and they all come to the conclusion that Bran (yes, Bran) should become the next king and that all kings thereafter should be chosen by the Westerosi leaders. Everything ties up nicely with this proposal of democracy. Jon heads North, Sansa becomes Queen of the North, and Arya sails for West of Westeros.
After the finale, there was much disappointment voiced about this ending, but I feel as if it fit the characters’ storylines well. I will admit that packing these great conflicts into just six episodes made for a jumpy, fast-paced season (can’t forget about the Starbucks and water bottle incidents), but the creators, actors, and crew put together such an extraordinary world for us to experience for eight seasons.
Through the tears, laughs, and fits of anger, it was such a whirlwind of a show unlike anything I’ve ever seen on television. And for that, I think I will always be grateful for Game of Thrones.