Stoke the fire, bundle up and turn on the TV – winter is here, and so is the finale season of Game Of Thrones.
If you’re feeling a bit lost and need a Grand Maester to sort out the storylines, here’s a guide to where we left off as the Army of the Dead prepares to march into Westeros for the last time.
JON SNOW AND DAENERYS TARGARYEN
It was the meeting we’d all been waiting for as soon as the King in the North left Winterfell to seek an audience with the Mother of Dragons.
Not long after Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) returns home to Dragonstone, Jon Snow (Kit Harington) arrives to ask for her help to fight the White Walkers, but most importantly, to ask for her dragonglass.
Tension is rife from the beginning as Jon refuses to bend the knee to House Targaryen. But the couple bond quickly, fortified by a near-death experience when Jon almost drowns taking on the Night King beyond The Wall.
We waited a long time for the meeting of Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen.
Political tension then becomes sexual tension.
However, what should have been a dream pairing gets tarnished when Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) and Samwell Tarly (John Bradley) put the pieces of Jon’s true lineage together.
The reveals confirm that Jon Snow is in fact Aegon Targaryen, son of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen. Not only does this make him Daenerys’ nephew, but also the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. Look out, Dany – this Throne’s not going to come easy.
Jon is revealed to be the son of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen.
THE LANNISTERS
Finally wielding the power she believes she deserves, Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) takes the throne to rule over Westeros. But what is a queen without a king? Enter Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk), with an offer of an alliance and marriage.
In an attempt to sway an unconvinced Cersei, Euron captures Ellaria Sand (Indira Varma) and Tyene Sand (Rosabell Laurenti Sellers) and offers them for the Queen to torture in retaliation for the murder of her daughter Myrcella Baratheon.
Euron courts Cersei for power.
Soon after, Cersei meets with Daenerys and Jon as they plead for an alliance to fight the White Walkers. The icy Queen reluctantly agrees to a truce, but later tells her brother Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) that she has no intention of keeping her promise.
The deception may not surprise us, but it comes as a shock to Jaime. With the future of the kingdom, its innocent civilians and his unborn child in mind, Jamie declares he will go to fight in the war beyond the Wall.
The cracks in the Lannister family are well and truly showing as we head into Season 8.
After Cersei’s endless scheming and cruelty, will this be the driving wedge between the sibling lovers?
The cracks in the Lannister family are showing.
THE STARKS
It may not be the most sentimental of family reunions, but the Starks’ homecoming at Winterfell is a delight for fans nonetheless.
Sisters Sansa (Sophie Turner) and Arya (Maisie Williams) waste no time falling into old patterns as though years haven’t passed. Full of attitude, Arya asks her big sis: “So I have to call you Lady Stark now?”
Meanwhile, Arya’s reunion with Bran is somehow even more underwhelming. An emotionally void Bran simply states the obvious, “You’ve come home”, which makes clear his journey to becoming the Three-Eyed Raven has changed him.
The Stark family reunion wasn’t exactly a joyous occasion.
Despite a lack of overt joy, the siblings work together to unmask the wicked schemes and crimes of Lord Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish (Aidan Gillen) has committed against their family.
The uniting of the Starks was a small triumph that sets the tone in Winterfell ahead of Season 8: they’re a force to be reckoned with.
AND ELSEWHERE…
Night King (Vladimir Furdik) and his Army of the Dead have been gaining momentum at a terrifying pace. Our fears are raised as he manages the thinkable – killing and turning Daenerys’ dragon Viserion.
Their latest weapon is even deadlier than imagined, with Viserion last seen destroying the Wall that keeps the White Walkers at bay.
The Night King is heading to Westeros.
The Greyjoys suffer a brutal onslaught by their vulgar relative, Euron. Attacking their ship and killing their men, Euron also manages to capture Yara (Gemma Whelan).
Meanwhile, in typical fashion, Theon (Alfie Allen) jumps ship to save himself. Will he (could he?) ever grow a pair?
BURNING QUESTIONS FOR S8…
It’s the thing we’ve been asking since day one: who will take the Iron Throne?
How will Jon react when he learns who he really is?
Death is guaranteed. But just who will fall and who will survive?
Can Viserion be turned back into a “good” dragon?
And where the heck is Ghost?
GAME OF THRONES returns Monday from 11am (AEST), FOX Showcase.
