Game of Thrones — a HBO TV series (not Neflix!) — is undoubtedly a phenomenal hit. It has changed the television landscape, and caught the Internet by storm. The American fantasy drama has recently kicked off its eighth season last April 15.
Are you set for the Long Night? If you haven’t already, it’s never too late to jump onto the Thrones bandwagon in time for season eight. Here’s all you need to know about the latest goings-on in Westeros and what you can expect moving forward as the series approaches its finale.
Season 7 recap: What happened to the characters
The seventh season panned out with an epic final episode in which we discovered Jon Snow’s true parentage. We also saw The Night King and its Ice Dragon break down The Wall and move on Westeros. In addition to these highlights, here is a quick look at the events revolving around the Game of Thrones key characters, their houses, the dragons, and more. Find out how these events may influence their fate and — because it’s Game of Thrones — who dies in the next season.
Jon Snow
Jon, together with Daenerys, sets off north onboard a ship to bring together their forces at Winterfell. This follows after having convinced his rivals of the impending attacks of Night King’s army.
In the ship, Jon and Daenerys made love. At this point, the truth regarding their unexpected kinship (that Daenerys is actually Jon’s aunt and that he has a more legitimate claim to the throne) has not yet been revealed to either
Daenerys Targaryen
After the Night King slays one of her dragons, Viserion, Daenerys takes comfort in combating the Night King’s army and in her blossoming relationship with Jon. We could also anticipate the birth of a Targaryen offspring if the clues about her capacity to conceive shown previously are indeed hints signalling her impending role as a mother.
But before we arrive at the conclusion on the certainty of a Targaryen heir, Daenerys has to come face-to-face with some Northmen whom we know are not in good terms with the Targaryens (specifically Jon’s family).
Cersei Lannister
In the previous season, we also saw Cersei plotting a deceitful scheme against Jon and Dany. To recall, Cersei promised the two that she will back them up with her armies and put an end to the conflicts until the Night King’s threats were over. However, she had tasked Euron to tap The Golden Company (a strong mercenary army) as she waits for the depletion of Jon and Daenerys’ troops before releasing her armies to get rid of them so she could rule freely without any distraction.
This cunning plan leads Jaime to turn his back on Cersei, leaving her with only The Mountain (her bodyguard) and Qyburn (her evil sidekick) on her side.
Jaime Lannister
Following the threats they received from the undead towards the end of the seventh season, Jaime hatches a plan to set off to the north to fight the Night King’s troops. However, Cersei’s deceptive scheme pushed Jaime to head towards Winterfell on his own.
In the next season, we’ll find out whether or not Cersei would go ahead and sever ties with her brother-slash-lover. Then, there is also the possibility of Jaime picking up stragglers on Kingsroad. Also worth watching out for is the response of the northerners once they meet the very man behind the troubles they experienced during the beginning of the series.
Tyrion Lannister
We last saw Tyrion headed to Winterfell with Daenerys. Tyrion feels wary about the queen’s relationship with Jon. One of two factors can be attributed to this sentiment: does this deep concern stem from the political rift or is he concerned because it’s going against his personal interests?
Euron Greyjoy
After pretending to cower at the intimidations from the army of the dead, we saw Euron faking to return to the Iron islands with the company of his fleet. But the truth is he set out to Essos to enlist the help of the Golden Company. This is why we see the force onboard Euron’s ships featured in the first trailer of season eight.
Euron may likely have an encounter with his nephew, Theon, after dropping off the Golden Company for Cersei. Theon is planning to redeem her sister Yara back from his uncle’s grip.
Theon and Yara Greyjoy
Yara was captured and mistreated by Euron. This urged Theon to face his uncle and to rescue his sister. To save Yara, Theon had to crush a defiant Ironborn captain which earned him his people’s regard. This led him to recruit his people for his planned journey to the Iron Islands. Whether or not he’ll proceed to the North to defeat the dead is still unknown.
Sansa and Arya Stark
After a strained relationship sometime during the early episodes of the series, the Stark sisters have now reunited. They decided to set aside their differences to entrap Littlefinger and execute him for the sins he committed against their family. How they will respond to Jon Snow’s relationship with Daenerys is something to look forward to in the new season.
Samwell Tarly and Bran Stark
In season seven, Sam left the Citadel and he arrived at Winterfell to lend his support to Jon in the war with the dead. There, he caught up with Bran and caught each other up on their activities since the two met some years ago.
Sam and Bran also discovered that Jon’s parents, Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen, were secretly married, which makes Jon the rightful heir to the throne of Westeros. Now the burden of telling Jon about his true identity is upon them. Bran went on to take advantage of his vision to spy on the army of the Night King.
Tormund Giantsbane and Beric Dondarrion
The last thing we heard of Tormund and Beric is that they saw the dragon of the Night King destroy the wall at Eastwatch. Both were spared from the ordeal and they joined Edd (brother of the Night’s Watch, the only one alive) for a reason that’s yet to be known. Tormund and Beric may set off to Winterfell to warn Jon about what’s up ahead.
Brienne of Tarth
After her reunion with Jaime and the Hound and representing Sansa during the Dragonpit summit, Brienne is returning to Winterfell. With her Valyrian steel sword, Oathkeeper, we can expect her to put up a great fight at the battle against the dead. Watch out for Tormund’s reaction to Jaime and the chemistry between him and Brienne.
The Hound
Also known as Sandor Clegane, The Hound played a role during the great Dragonpit, especially in exposing Cersei and her counsel. He also had a face-off with his older brother Gregor, before journeying to Winterfell to fight the dead. The accord he has sown with the Lord of Light might give him an advantage against the White Walkers.
Melisandre and Varys
Varys is most likely en route to Winterfell while Melisandre, being exiled by Jon Snow and Davos, went back to Essos. Both of them may join the battle in Winterfell, where their pre-ordained death awaits them.
Bronn
Being that Bronn aims to catch up with Tyrion and then get a drink with Podrick in the previous season, it remains unclear whether or not he’ll be going with Jaime as he journeys to Winterfell.
Davos Seaworth
Davos is also headed to the King’s Landing where he took charge of arranging the naval passage leading to Winterfell. It’s still uncertain how Davos will receive the relationship between Jon and Daenerys.
Jorah Mormont
After travelling with Daenerys towards King’s Landing, Jorah journeyed back to Winterfell where he’s expected to meet with his cousin, the Lady of Bear Island, Lyanna. He may also reunite with Samwell, who helped cure him of the greyscale infection which struck Jorah in the seventh season. We also saw his frustration when Daenerys did not take heed of his advice in favour of Jon Snow.
Grey Worm and Missandei
In season seven, Grey Worm and Missandei consummated their love affair. They also continue to support their queen Daenerys as she heads to the north to fight the evil king.
Gendry
We last saw the bastard son of King Robert Baratheon rushing through the snows to assist Jon and his men. He might have more opportunities to use his Warhammer in season 8. Another most awaited moment is Gendry’s reunion with Arya, who he has not seen over the past four seasons. His reaction to the thought of being around the Targaryens is what we will find out in the final season.
The Night King
Game of Thrones’ ultimate antagonist has strengthened his fort. In the previous episodes, he has destroyed the Wall which allowed his forces to break in, got a zombie dragon, and now he’s eyeing to invade the living. But before snatching the victory, he has to go through the Northerners, Dothraki screamers, the Unsullied, a pair of dragons, the Knights of the Vale, and the Kingslayer.
Questions that will be answered in Game of Thrones Season 8
What’s next for Jon and Daenerys?
When their true ancestry will be revealed to them, it is most certain to have a definite impact on the ending. D.B. Weiss, Game of Thrones executive producer, gave clues about the possible effects of Jon’s discovery of the truth — and it may end up being too tough for him to find out about Daenerys.
This scenario itself also opens up another set of questions we might never have the answer. What does Jon think of the throne? Does he clamour for it? How will the truth affect the way they feel for each other? How will this impact their focus as they defeat the Night King?
Is Cersei pregnant?
Cersei asserted that she is pregnant. But her revelation was conveniently timed to Jaime’s fading loyalty which can be pretty doubtful. In the final episode of season 7, Jaime left Cersei at the King’s Landing, saying that he does not believe in her. We have one whole season to find out the truth.
Will some of the main characters turn into White Walkers?
Actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau who plays Jaime Lannister believes that it will happen. In an interview, Coster-Waldau said that some of the main characters will transform into blue-eyed people running around.
Is Bran Stark the Night King?
One of the many Game of Thrones theories of the possible ending posits that Bran is actually the Night King. This theory suggests that when Bran became a White Walker, he was trapped in that body and warged into The First Man. But Isaac Hempstead Wright (who portrays Bran) seem to have dismissed the theory during an interview last March 2019.
In the interview, he said it’s easy to inject theories in Bran’s character because of his association to time travel. He added that “…you can kind of get away with anything theory-wise and make it sound convincing if you’ve got time travel involved.”
With just a couple of weeks left, more revelations and action-packed scenes are yet to be unveiled. With the prequel in the works, Game of Thrones wraps on May 19.