Viewing Review: Game of Thrones 8 Episode 6

This post contains spoilers for ‘The Iron Throne’, the last episode of GAME OF THRONES. The fate of the Seven Kingdoms is at hand.

‘They don’t get to choose.’—-Daenerys Targaryen

This statement of Daenerys broke the camel’s back. The camel being Jon Snow who decided the fate of the Mother of Dragons with his action. In a private moment with Daenerys, in the remains of the Iron Throne room, Jon stabs Daenerys in the chest effectively killing her while claiming that she is his queen ‘now and for always.’ It was an anti-climactic death to a predictable outcome and end to the ‘Breaker of Chains’. She never saw it coming. She should have, but she didn’t. Her love for Jon Snow blinded her from seeing this coming. Jon on the other hand, in spite of his love, knew that something had to be done or other places and people will suffer the same way as the citizens of King’s Landing. Even those people who know what is good but do not see eye to eye with Daenerys Stormborn. Death waits for them in fire and blood while Daenerys remains alive.

A lot of people might disagree with the resolution of Daenerys’s fate(among other things) though the signs were evident from mid-season. But, with the change in direction,this was the most acceptable outcome. Daenerys had lost her favor with the citizens of Westeros. Her Hand, Tyrion, has abandoned her. She is more feared than loved, and admits to Jon that she does not have the same emotional clout here as compared to Essos. To the citizens of the Seven Kingdoms, she is an alien power trying to conquer their lands. Her doorway to acceptance, the destruction of the Night King and his undead army, has all but shifted with the slaughter of King’s Landing last episode. And, her proclamation that she alone will decide what is good was the final straw. Daenerys broke the wheel. But, in so doing, thousands of innocents died…rather brutally and horribly.

Also, I was surprised that Grey Worm and the rest of Daenerys’s forces kept both Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister alive with the Stormborn’s death. Maybe this was done out of respect to both of them? Even though Grey Worm is a trained killer, he always took his orders from Daenerys. This was probably one of those decisions he couldn’t make alone.

On the other hand, Drogon made his own decisions. One, he decided not to incinerate Jon Snow for murdering his ‘mother’. Two, he decided to burn the Iron Throne instead. With these decisions, Drogon proved himself to be a smarter beast than others realize. In fact, he is more beast in form than mind. Dragons are smart creatures in a lot of fantasy settings. And, I think Westeros is no exception. Why not kill Jon Snow? It might make him a martyr if he is toasted or if he’s not(because of his Targaryen blood) he might end up taking Daenerys’s place on the Iron Throne. So, Drogon melts the Iron Throne so that no one sits on it again. This leaves Jon being more mortal than messiah. Afterwards, he brings with him the body of Daenerys to parts unknown.

So who gets to rule the Seven Kingdoms now? That decision is tied to the fate of the Starks and Tyrion Lannister. Tyrion suggests that the next king should be decided by the ruling families. And, after much debate, this was unanimously decided to be Brandon Stark. This body of lords and ladies are now left to decide on who will rule next on this basis as well: a vote. As the new King of the Seven Kingdoms, Bran decides to exile Jon Snow to The Wall (or what’s left of it). Jon is to live the remainder of his life way up North. Bran also decides to name Tyrion his hand in spite of Tyrion’s protestations.

However, not everything is smooth sailing for Bran. Sansa decides to break ties with the Seven Kingdoms and declares the North a separate kingdom. Sansa becomes the new Queen of the North. What about Arya? She doesn’t decide to stick around. Instead, she goes out to explore the west of Westeros where all maps end.

The rest of the story is all about tidying up loose ends. Sir Bronn becomes a member of the King’s Small Council. Brienne writes about Jamie Lannister. Grey Worm migrates with the rest of the Unsullied to Naath (Missandei’s birthplace). I don’t know where the Dothraki went (to Naath as well?). Then Samwell Tarley writes ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’. This reminds me of Bilbo and Frodo when they write ‘There and Back Again’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ respectively. Well, Sam does have some similarity with Hobbit physique in width.

Is this the ending I was expecting? Not entirely. I expected there to be more bloodshed. Tyrion would die at the hands of Ser Bronn. Gray Worm who defends Daenerys would die at the hands of Jon. Arya would kill Daenerys in the shadows. The result would leave Jon on the Iron Throne as the one true Targaryen heir. Of all these, the one that remained on point was Daenerys dying though not at the hands of Arya but Jon. Coincidentally, Daenerys’s death has similarities with Jean Grey dying at the hands of Wolverine after she goes all Phoenix force in a movie years back.

All in all, this was a safe ending for a series that had become, for the most part, predictable from the midpoint of the season. By this time, GAME OF THRONES had lost a lot of steam even though the viewership remained high. Regardless, this was still one of the best fantasy series that ever came out from television. There are a great number of people who might not agree with the storytelling GAME OF THRONES has taken. But, without a doubt, GAME OF THRONES will be a standard sought after by many series to come.

‘The Iron Throne’ is the final chapter of GAME OF THRONES. This is the last you will see of these characters for a while. Plot lines were tied up as is fitting a final episode in a series. As it ends, we are left to wonder whether we will find a contemporary series with such great an impact on popular culture ever again. Whatever its faults, GAME OF THRONES has embedded itself in the minds of a vast number of viewers. The fate of the Seven Kingdoms has been resolved. Our Watch is over.

Viewing Review: Game of Thrones 8 Episode 4

This post contains spoilers from ‘The Last of the Starks’, Episode 4 of GAME OF THRONES. Let us begin…

“She’s hateful, and so am I”—Jaime Lannister

‘Last of the Starks’ begins where last episode left off. The victors at Winterfell buried their dead, and we have a clearer understanding who is still alive. Not that there are any surprises. But, that’s not the reason why this is such a hateful episode. Rather, there are so many decisions made by a lot of characters that remind us that this is GAME OF THRONES, and no one is truly and completely good. Save maybe Jon Snow at this point.

For instance, Arya was propositioned by Gendry to marriage. Gendry, having recently been elevated to Lord of Storm’s End by Daenerys for his part in the Battle of Winterfell, gathered the courage to ask Arya to be his wife and lady. Though Arya is fond of Gendry, she declines and declares, as she has always, that she is no lady. She wishes Gendry well, but has other plans for herself, and it does not include being a lady to a lord.

Then there is Daenerys herself who basically begs Jon Snow not to tell her family, aside from Bran who already knows, about his parentage. She says this is the best way for all of them to live together in harmony. Of course, the hidden agenda there is that Dany does not want to give up her claim to the Iron Throne. In fact, she is fearful of Jon for his charisma with the people, and rightful claim to the throne as the Aegon Targaryen. It’s not that she doesn’t trust Jon for bending the knee. She doesn’t trust the people around him to be as giving as he. She is right, but this doesn’t stop Jon from telling his two sisters without Daenerys’s knowledge.

Sworn to secrecy, Sansa and Arya hear about Jon’s parentage from Bran. Secret kept safe, right? No. Sansa tells Tyrion and offers up Jon as a ‘better choice’ for the Iron Throne. Arya, on the other hand heads off to King’s Landing for some unfinished business with The Hound. With her knowledge of who Jon is now, it’s not safe to assume that her target is only Cersei. She just might have other plans to further the Stark narrative.

Then, Tyrion tells Varys who now thinks that Jon is the better choice to rule Westeros on the Iron Throne. Varys sees Dany as too unstable, and too overwhelming a personality to share the Iron Throne with anyone. He is after the betterment of Westeros above all else, which causes him and Tyrion to debate on the merits of loyalty to Daenerys. Knowing Varys from previous seasons, he already has something planned for both Daenerys and Jon.

There is also Jaime Lannister. In spite of it all, he still decides to go to Cersei’s aid. This is after he decides to sleep with Brienne of Tarth, and effectively breaking her heart. He doesn’t care how hateful Cersei is. All he cares about is Cersei, and Brienne gets emotionally crushed in the process.

As if all the deception in Jon and Dany’s camp wasn’t enough to make this episode hateful, Rhaegal gets shot down and killed by ballista as Dany’s forces return to Dragonstone. He survived the Battle of Winterfell barely, and just when you thought he’d make a significant contribution to the war to come, he falls from the sky courtesy of Euron Greyjoy. So, Daenerys is left with only Drogon, the last of her three dragon children.

The resulting attack at Dragonstone also led to the capture of Misandrei. Rhaegal was not the only major casualty of the Euron’s ambush. Daenrys’s fleet was also devastated, and Misandrei was captured by Euron. Misandrei’s abduction sets up the gore and death to come. In spite of Tyrion’s pleading for peace with Cersei, Misandrei is beheaded by The Mountain on the battlements of King’s Landing. There will be a slaughter. You can expect a lot of death and a lot of suffering. The manner of it will be revealed in the next episode.

‘Last of the Starks’ tells a tale of decisions made and the consequences that accompany them. Let there be no mistake, this is GAME OF THRONES. However kind and noble these characters appear, they will always maneuver to progress their own agendas. And, some of these decisions can be truly disturbing. GAME OF THRONES is heading towards an expected heart wrenching dramatic conclusion. ‘Last of the Starks’ sets the standards high to lead this series to its inevitable finality.

Viewing Review: Game of Thrones 8 Episode 3

This post contains spoilers for ‘The Long Night’, episode 3 of GAME OF THRONES. There are many seers in the series, treat this as one of them.

Melisandre: ‘What do we say to the God of Death?’

Arya Stark: ‘Not today.’

Alright, unlike my review for episode one, my review of ‘The Long Night’ will contain HEAVY Dungeons & Dragons references. I couldn’t watch the episode without all these character classes and abilities juggling in my head. So, prepare to have a lot of them here.

So we basically have a show of power by a wizard (The Night King) and a cleric(Melisandre, The Red Woman). Ice vs. Fire. Just like the books where this series is inspired. Melisandre showed her initial power by using fire, while the Night King unleashed his power with a fury using weather control. This is mass land combat application right there. Sad to say, the Dothraki horde and the fire pits were no match for the blinding snowstorm unleashed by the Night King. The snowstorm nullified Daenerys and Jon Snow’s dragon air support. Also, the snowstorm didn’t affect the Night King’s undead troops. It was really unfair. Winterfell was overwhelmed. But, who’s to say death is fair? Just ask Sandor Clegane aka The Hound. He nearly gave up on the fight realizing he couldn’t win against the undead. The cold hand of death was literally coming for them all in the form of the Night King and his army.

The dragon duels in the sky were a beauty to behold in spite of the pervading darkness of the episode. This is Dragonlance jousting without the lances. At first, you might think that the Night King with Viserion alone. But, because of the snowstorm, it became a tactical match of dragon air superiority. In the end, Daenerys and Jon Snow with Drogon and Viserion won the skies. The Night King toppled from the heavens leaving Dany and Jon to oversee the night with blurred vision. But, was it enough to win the war? Apparently not.

Once grounded, Daenerys had a chance to put an end to the Night King with dragon fire. Remember that dragons and the White Walkers never encountered each other in Westeros history. This was a first. It’s actually one of Danenerys’s trump cards. Did it work? NO. The Night King has fire immunity. Let me say that again: HE HAS FIRE IMMUNITY. Upon realizing this, Dany turns tail and flies away lest Drogon be victimized by one of the Night King’s spears. So, our heroes are stuck in a tight pickle here. How the hell do you kill this guy?!? We’ll get to that later.

The character deaths were expected with a battle of this magnitude. Though there weren’t any truly heartbreaking ones for me. Yes, the Mormont’s died, and we see Lyanna turn undead before the episode’s end while Jorah dies defending Daenerys from the undead horde. We also get to see Beric die defending Arya. Melisandre commits suicide in the cold of the North as she ages without her magical choker. Even Theon died protecting Bran from the Night King. But, these deaths weren’t as heartbreaking as previous ones in the series. These weren’t major deaths. And really, would you expect Jon Snow to die now after he had been resurrected? I think he is one of the safest bets to survive the end of the series. And, the rest? Please. If we’re going to have any major deaths. We’ll probably find them in the last episode. So, I’m really not disappointed that no major character died. I was actually expecting it. Oh yes, there was ONE major death…

—The Night King finally died in this episode at the hands of Arya Stark. Yes, Arya killed the Night King. Not Jon. Not Daenerys. That’s some serious experience points (xp) moving forward. You kill an ancient undead evil of which I don’t know exactly how to classify him except that he is a unique undead. But, a bit of background first before I explain how she did it. When Arya meets Melisandre after I’m not sure how long, Melisandre reminds her that she predicted that she will shut so many eyes including blue eyes. Not letting Beric’s sacrifice to go in vain (Melisandre said that his purpose living was fulfilled so he could die now), Arya storms out to gods know where. We see here later to do what she was destined to do.

In the Godswood of Winterfell, everything seemed hopeless. Actually, all around Winterfell everything seemed hopeless. The Night King had just revived a new batch of undead. He even managed to raise the ones in the crypts to the horror of Tyrion and company. Jon was face-to-face with Viserion, and those aren’t good odds at all. Everyone else was being overwhelmed by the revitalized undead swarm. It was bleak. It was dark(figuratively and literally). It was a set up to something great to happen. This is like a dungeon master’s session dream come true. You set up all the power overwhelming and provide a window for your characters to succeed. With some skill and a bit of luck, the characters will succeed.

In this case, Arya Stark had a lot of skill and a lot of luck. Her rogue training showed here with how she snuck up on the Night King and killed him. You’ll be thinking, ‘how the hell did she sneak up on the Night King with all the White Walkers and undead in the Godswood?’ Answer: a natural 20 for hide skill. But, the Night King used a natural 20 for perception skill, and caught Arya in her tracks before she could stab him with the Valyrian steel dagger. No hide. No sneak attack. The day is screwed and belongs to death. Not today. Arya has one last trick up her sleeve. She drops the dagger from her left hand and catches it with her right(sleight of hand skill check?) and stabs the Night King in the chest exactly where the Children of the Forest stabbed him with dragon glass to create him in the first place. Lucky? You bet. That’s a natural 20 right there. Is it enough? Well, if you have levels in rogue swashbuckler it will. A hit within five feet and no one else around is still a sneak attack even without advantage. I will argue that the Night King was not yet within five feet of Bran, since he turned and moved towards Arya. So a natural 20 plus a sneak attack. That’s a lot of damage inflicted. Enough to destroy the Night King who shatters like glass. All the other White Walkers shatter as well while the undead army falls dead in their tracks. I could hear the players screaming in the background after the natural 20 roll while the dungeon master closes up the session and hands out the xp. What a Long Night.

‘The Long Night’ is one of the longest episodes of GAME OF THRONES as it showcases the battle for Winterfell. There are lot of story strands that ended, but a lot of questions remain unanswered. The high fantasy elements are shown in full display here, and will delight many fans of the genre including role playing game(RPG) enthusiasts of different kinds. I myself could not watch the episode without using elements of RPG as reference to further appreciate the scenes. Enjoy the episode for what it is, and you will not be disappointed.

Viewing Review: Game of Thrones 8 Episode 2

This post contains spoilers of ‘A Knight of Seven Kingdoms’, Episode two of the final season of GAME OF THRONES. Please, be mindful of your present sight. You might not want Brandon Stark’s visions.

“I know death. He’s got many faces. I look forward to seeing this one.”—Arya Stark

There are many quotes that I could’ve used to define this episode. There’s this other quote by Samwell Tarly that talks about the Night King’s motivation for creating another Long Night. I chose Arya’s because it encapsulates how the living approach facing him. The combined armies of Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen sans the Lannister’s are set to face the Night King without backing down, however overpowering, and without flinching.

“A Knight of Seven Kingdoms’ continues with last episodes theme of reunions. This time, Jaime Lannister joins the get-together by meeting up with his brother Tyrion, and Brienne of Tarth. Though, he was nearly executed for heading up north without an army under suspicion of being sent to assassinate Daenerys. Brienne defended him, and, with Lady Stark’s backing along with Jon Snow’s input, Jaime lives to fight another day…against the Night King and his undead army. We also have a scene where Jaime talks to Brandon Stark. Jaime was wondering why Bran didn’t sell him out to his sister, brother and Daenerys. The current Three-Eyed Raven reasoned that Jaime would not be able to fight for them if he had revealed that he was the cause of Bran’s disability.

Aside from Jaime, we have Tormund and Dolorous Edd arriving with Ser Beric in Winterfell. The three reunite with Jon Snow. Samwell Tarly also joined in the greetings. From them, we find out that the Night King and his army are headed to Winterfell and will arrive later in the night. How appropriate.

There’s also an off-screen moment between Tyrion and Bran wherein Bran shares his journey to his current state as the Three-Eyed Raven. What they talk about exactly is unclear, but this is one bonding moment that could pay dividends moving forward.

Speaking of bonding moments, last episode I pointed out that there was a budding relationship brewing between Arya and Gendry. Well, it looks like there is more to it than that because Arya propositioned Gendry and they end up having sex for the first time. Arya argues that she wants to know what it feels like before she dies. Of course, you have little resistance from Gendry who really can’t hide his attraction to Arya.

Another bonding moment involving Arya is her meeting and talk amongst the battlements with Sandor ‘The Hound’ Clegane. Arya questions The Hound’s motivation for joining the battle against the Night King. But, he quickly shows that he has has changed since last he and Arya met, and is willing to fight for the living. He adds that he did fight for Arya when they were together, and there was no selfish motivation there. This apparently put Arya’s doubts to rest as she leaves Sandor with Beric to drink and bond without her.

Then we have the reunion of Theon and Sansa. After being questioned by Daenerys as to why he is here and not with his sister, Yara, Theon explained that he wanted to defend Winterfell. Teary-eyed, Sansa embraces Theon, and everything appears to be peachy with both of them.

Another moment worth noting, though not a reunion, is the meeting of Sansa and Daenerys. Daenerys talked to Sansa upon the prompting of Ser Jorah Mormont. Danerys reveals that she does have feelings for Jon and is not manipulating him. But,just when you think they were getting along, Sansa questions Daenerys about what will happen to the North if and when the Night King is defeated. This quickly deflates the bonding moment for Daenerys currently has no answer to this query.

As far as the Night King is concerned, the defenders of Winterfell decide on taking the direct approach to destroy the Night King since they have little chance of defeating the invading undead army who outnumber them. Bran volunteers to be bait to draw the Night King out, and proposes to wait in the Godswood for him. After some protestation, the group agrees to this plan, and Theon with his Iron Born volunteer to protect Bran.

While waiting for the Night King’s Army of the Dead to arrive at Winterfell, several of our characters bond over a drinking session. These characters include Jaime, Tyrion, Tormund, Brienne, Podrick and Davos. In this gathering, we find out that you don’t need a king to become a knight. Jaime explains that a knight can do the honors, and Jaime presents himself to knight Lady Brienne. Hence, we have the reason for the episode title in Lady Brienne’s knighting.

Also, we hear a song called ‘Jenny’s Song’ performed by Podrick during this drinking session.This song appears to provide foreshadowing implications as to who will sit on the Iron Throne as the “Prince That Was Promised.’ Depending on who you ask, this could refer to either Daenerys or Jon aka Aegon Targaryen. The song as it relates to the prophecy leans more to it being Dany, but we’re just going to have to wait and see who this person truly is.

Lastly, Jon has been evasive in revealing his true identity to Daenerys even with the encouragement of Sam. He gets his chance in Winterfell’s crypt where Dany visits him. Jon is staring at a statue of Lyanna Stark, his mother. When Daenerys leads the conversation to her brother Rhaegar and his rape of Lyanna, this was just the opening Jon needed to reveal that he is Rhaegar and Lyanna’s son Aegon who were legally wed. After a brief argument as to the validity of his claim, Daenerys states that Jon has a right to the Iron Throne. Before they can resolve their discussion, the Night King’s army arrives, and Winterfell prepares for the onslaught.

‘A Knight of Seven Kingdoms’ provides a lot of character moments that allows us to appreciate these characters we have all grown to love before they face the evil beyond the wall. GAME OF THRONES has never been squeamish in raising our hopes before breaking our hearts, and this looks like more of the same. Take one final look at them in this episode. Some of them might not be making out of Winterfell alive. We’d be lucky to have any of them alive.

However, the uncertainty is part of the beauty of the series that, in spite of it being based on A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, has continued to draw audiences in due to its intrigue, drama and quality storytelling. Indeed, GAME OF THRONES has set the bar high in not just fantasy, but all small screen series. We can expect nothing less in this final season.

Viewing Review: Game of Thrones 8 Episode 1

This post contains spoilers for Episode 8, ‘Winterfell’ for the latest season of GAME OF THRONES. Bran’s foresight notwithstanding, this is not for those who fear the Night King.

Sansa Stark: “What do dragons eat anyway?”

Daenerys Targaryen: “Whatever they want.”

This exchange encapsulates how far our characters have come from the first season. Once filled with doubt and inexperience, the children have grown not just in stature but also in power. In the case of the Starks, the loss of their family has hardened their resolve and molded truly epic characters. This is a D&D party gone off in different parts of the Seven Kingdoms and come back banding together in the end. Sansa the diplomat, Arya the rogue, Bran the mage, and Jon Snow the ranger-king reminiscent of Aragorn in Lord of the Rings reunite to face the threat of the White Walkers. Now they add to their ranks, Daenarys, the dragon queen, and we truly have an epic level party right here. Just like dragons, they are capable of doing ‘whatever they want’ now, and their confidence in their abilities now shine ever so brightly even in their darkest hour.

I am reminded of the DRAGONLANCE Saga by Hickman and Weiss in their character development. Similarly, that party with Tanis and his friends started off as a bumbling group finding their way across Krynn. It also helps that the background of both stories revolves around legendary lore that suddenly emerged to be true because of emerging circumstances. And of course, there BE dragons. The story development in both GAME OF THRONES and DRAGONLANCE is quite similar using a different manner of reaching its conclusion. Though, I cannot help but compare the growth of the main protagonists in both series.

From the start, viewers will have to keep a keen eye. The opening credits already foreshadows clues on the story progression. If you notice that little blue line that leads from the broken open Wall, you will know the progression of the Night King traveling south. Moving forward, the opening credits might just provide clues as to how close the White Walkers are to Winterfell, and the inevitable conflict between the combined armies of Westeros and the undead beyond the Wall.

‘Winterfell’ is a story of reunions and truths. I’m sure I’m not the only one giddy with the idea that the Stark siblings are back together. Though Sam Tarly drops a bomb by telling Jon that he is actually Aegon Targaryen, sixth of his name and heir to the Iron Throne, Jon is still half Stark because his mother is Lyanna Stark. And, he was taken in by Ned Stark as a son, thus still making him a sibling though in the adopted kind. There’s a lot of catching up here, and each plays to their individual strengths in this episode. With Daenerys accompanying them, we have a very formidable group of adventurers uniting for one epic conclusion.

Of course, the Starks reunion is not the only one shown in ‘Winterfell’. Theon Greyjoy rescues his sister Yara from Euron. Though Yara decides to protect Daenerys’ way back by sea, Theon decides, and is allowed by Yara, to fight for the Starks. Euron meets up with Queen Cersei Lannister in an exchange that shows just how manipulative both are. These two deserve each other, and they just might be together in the eventual fall of King’s Landing. Then we have the meeting of Gendry and Arya in a cute catch-up moment. It’s not just Arya who has leveled up in skill. Gendry has improved on his blacksmithing and is forging weapons of dragon glass to fight the undead army of the Night King. There might be a budding romance here or, at the very least, a developing friendship.

Also, The Hound runs into Arya after retrieving an ax forged by Gendry. The cold exchange between the two shows how their relationship hasn’t changed, but has evolved. The Hound recognizes Arya’s current strength, and I’m wondering how this will affect any future face-off. Remember that Arya still has The Hound on her kill list. She has the resolve and skills now to go through with it, but that may change as the story progresses.

Then there is of course the reunion of Jon and Sam. Jon learns from Sam that Daenerys executed his father and brother from not bending the knee. More importantly, he finds out that he is the son of Rhaegar Targaryen. This probably explains why the dragons were not too resistant to Jon’s presence and was even successful in riding one? So, yes he is in love with his aunt. This truth changes the whole playing field. Jon gave up his crown to Daenerys, but he is the legitimate heir to the Iron Throne. This revelation about Jon’s parentage and birthright will be a key factor in determining the fate of Westeros if they survive the White Walkers.

However, Sir Davos Seaworth provides an intriguing proposition to both Tyrion Lannister and Varys: have the Iron Throne ruled by both Daenerys and Jon. This is an excellent compromise that has never been done before in the history of Westeros. Maybe, it could even actually work. However, will the power couple listen to the counsel of ‘lonely old men’?

There is a creepy reunion shown in this episode courtesy of Beric Dondarrion, Tormund Giantsbane and Dolorous Edd running into each other exploring House Umber’s Keep, Last Hearth. Here they find the young Ned Umber pinned to the wall in the Great Hall. He is placed in the center of a spiraling symbol that White Walkers are known to leave in their passing. This is a warning from the Night King, and before they leave Ned comes to (un)life and Beric is forced to burn both him and the symbol down. The undead army is now close, and the group decides to head to Winterfell post haste.

The episode ends with a surprise reunion between Jaime Lannister and Bran Stark. If you recall, Jaime pushed Bran out of the window way back in season one. It is also going to be interesting to see how Bronn comes into play here. Bronn was charged by Queen Cersei to murder both her brothers in the event that they survive the conflict with the White Walkers. Bronn could ally himself with Bran to kill Jaime, though their meeting might play out rather differently. These interactions are well worth scrutinizing in the coming episodes.

It’s been more than a year since the last episode of GAME OF THRONES and this season is greeted with much anticipation. ‘Winterfell’ is the calm before the storm where reunions happen and secrets are made bare. The chess pieces are being set for the inevitable conflict with the stakes set high. GAME OF THRONES is high fantasy adventure at its finest. This is where the end begins.