War finally arrived at Winterfell as Game of Thrones season 8 episode 3 showed us the battle between good and evil, the living and the dead.
Us, after watching some of our favourites die in the Battle of Winterfell.Source:Foxtel
It goes without saying that if you want to remain completely spoiler-free about all things relating to the final season of Game of Thrones, look away now. Here are the best movies on TV this. Hello, here we are with this week's quick take on Game of Thrones S8E3. There are a lot of spoilers for this The Long Night review so if you don't want to be spoiled just yet, I suggest you skip. Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 3 Recap: Farewell, My Faves A handful of beloved characters fell to the Night King's army in what HBO is billing as the longest battle scene ever filmed. After HBO aired the Game of Thrones final season premiere episode, Twitter took to 'spoiling' the episode like only that social media platform can. Using the 'Spoilers Without Context' meme format.
SPOILER ALERT: This is a recap. That means we'll be discussing all the juicy details from Game of Thrones season eight, episode three - 'The Long Night'.
If you haven't seen the episode yet and don't want to know what happens, leave now.
Just like Jon and Dany knew the Dead Army was coming: you have been warned about spoilers.Source:Foxtel
MISSED THE OTHER GOT RECAPS? Check out episode one and episode two here
Not since the Red Wedding has Game of Thrones punched us in the guts so hard with a sweep of deaths.
The difference this time, of course, was that we knew it was coming. Nothing good ever comes of White Walkers showing up at your doorstep, and we'd been told for months they were coming a-knockin' at Winterfell.
But before we get to the bloodbath that saw several of our favourites briefly join the Dead Army, let's review what happened in the lead-up.
At the end of episode two, right as Jon Snow told his girlfriend/queen Daenarys Targaryen that she was his aunt (meaning he might be her rival to the Iron Throne), they were forced to put their chat 'on ice' — sorry — as the enemy finally arrived at Winterfell.
After going AWOL for the first two episodes of the season, Melisandre pulls a Gandalf and shows up literally just as the battle is kicking off.
It's called 'making an entrance', look it up.Source:Foxtel
She's even less popular than Dany around these parts, but that's overlooked for the minute as they've got bigger fish to fry etc.
'Tell them to lift their swords,' she instructs Ser Jorah Mormont, looking out at the Dothraki soldiers, before lighting up their weapons with fire, which actually creates a nice wintry al fresco vibe.
Despite her nifty pyro tricks, Ser Davos Seaworth keeps throwing Melisandre salty looks and it's clear he's still cut up about that time she burnt an innocent 15-year-old girl at the stake.
He's old-fashioned like that.
Anyway, while he considers whether or not to put his quest for justice on hold, she offers up this fresh alternative: 'No need to execute me, Ser Davos — I'll be dead before the dawn.'
Things are pretty confusing from here in this exceptionally dark (that's figuratively and literally) episode, and at times it's hard to know if we've just witnessed a major death or not, so bear with me while I try and unpack the essentials.
An actual screenshot from this episode.Source:Foxtel
The Dothraki are the first to charge out, and it's a very ominous sign when the flames of their swords dim pretty quickly. Neram movie pistha song mp3 download.
Meanwhile, far from bringing them closer together, the very real possibility of death hasn't done much to soften Dany's feelings towards Jon in the wake of the Targaryen bombshell he's just dropped.
As they watch their soldiers meet the Dead Army from up high with their dragons, Rhaegal and Drogon, Jon tries to break the awkwardness with a bit of chat.
'The Night King is coming,' Jon tells her.
'The Dead are already here,' she snaps back.
Suddenly, Jon's hit with fond memories of the good ol' days serving in the Night's Watch.
Jon momentarily wishes he could swap places with the Dothraki.Source:Foxtel
Sansa and Arya have no time for emotional sisterly goodbyes, but Arya's got some great advice for her older sibling as she hands her dragonglass and instructs her to go and hide.
'Get down to the crypt … stick them with the pointy end,' she advises.
Arya recycles the advice Jon once gave her.Source:Foxtel
Brienne and Jaime prove to be among the MVPs during the fight, but what's even more precious is the fact that they constantly have each other's backs while the dead soldiers attack.
It's their version of romance, like when normal people flirt on Tinder.
Meanwhile, Samwell Tarly looks set to become the first high-profile casualty of the night, but then he's saved by Dolorous Edd Tollett, acting Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, who is stabbed through the chest and dies in his place.
RIP.
For a terrifying moment, it appears the Night King is also about to recruit a Clegane into his army, but The Hound is saved by Arya, who shoots his attacker with a fiery arrow.
Meanwhile, up above, Jon and Dany are bringing some much-needed relief to their troops by shooting fire at the Dead Army and dodging the Night King on Viserion.
A freak snowstorm suddenly hits, making it really hard for them to see … kind of like all of us squinting at our screens during this episode.
IN THE CRYPTS
Tyrion, Sansa and Varys — along with a bunch of others who are either women and children or considered more in the 'brain' rather than 'brawn' category — are all hanging out in the crypts while terrifying noises echo overhead.
Varys breaks the silence with a joke to lighten the mood.
'At least we're already in a crypt,' he says, reminding everyone of the high possibility they're about to die.
Tyrion's frustrated because after that one battle he was in where he didn't die, he thinks he's ready to take on the most lethal army on the planet.
'If we were up there, we might be able to see something … Remember the Battle of Blackwater? If I were up there right now …' he begins, when Sansa cuts him off with some tough love.
'You'd die. There's nothing you can do,' she says.
All this cute banter between Tyrion and Sansa sparks fond memories of the short period they were in a forced marriage.
Sansa tells Tyrion that he was 'the best' of her husbands.
(One of them was actual murderous psychopath Ramsay Bolton, so it's a tepid sort of compliment).
However, she also claims it would never have worked out between them because of their 'divided loyalties' — i.e. Dany — prompting Missandei to step in and remind them that they'd all be dead without the 'dragon queen' and honestly, she's not wrong.
Last week, everyone kept banging on about heading to the 'safety' of the crypts, and keeping all the women and children in the crypts during the battle, so of course that turns out to be more dangerous than giving a dragon a dental check.
It didn't take a Maester to guess beforehand that — as the Night King has the ability to raise the dead — being locked in a room with a bunch of deadies was probably going to cause trouble down the track.
When everyone realises the giant flaw in the plan at the same time.Source:Foxtel
More on that later.
We'd almost forgotten about Bran and Theon's suicide mission to lure the Night King out of hiding, but amid all the chaos, these two are hanging out in the godswood, as promised.
Bran's not exactly the person we'd choose to spend our last moments alive with, but Theon's still feeling guilty about stealing Winterfell and driving the young Stark boy out of his home all those years ago so he takes one for the team.
As they await the Night King, Theon tries to apologise, but Bran's not having it.
'Everything you did brought you where you are now, where you belong — home,' he tells Theon, before announcing he's going to GTFO of there and warg into a crow for a bit.
BRB.Source:Foxtel
Back at the centre of the battle, The Hound is trying to pull himself together but there's fire everywhere and it's his one big phobia, thanks to that face-burning incident when he was a kid.
In a stark contrast, Arya and Lady Lyanna Mormont are nearby, bravely clashing with the wights like the total legends that they are.
As The Hound tries to summon some courage, Lyanna is given the ultimate hero's farewell.
She's tossed to the side by an undead giant — but continues to run at him, until he grabs her and starts to crush her bones à la Oberyn Martell's eyes. Right before she succumbs to death, she stabs him in the eye with her dragonglass dagger, taking him down with her and breaking all of our hearts.
RIP, our warrior princess.Source:Foxtel
Arya runs off to hide inside Winterfell, and she's pulling it off until some drops of her blood spill onto the floor and alert the wights to her whereabouts.
Right as it looks like it might be all over for the girl with no name, The Hound and Beric Dondarrion arrive just in time to save her life.
Unfortunately, Beric has to sacrifice himself in the process, and thus we lose another character we actually know the name of.
RIP Beric.
Kinda sucks to die twice.Source:Foxtel
Arya's pretty bummed about it, but Melisandre pops up and reminds Arya that technically, he already died, but was brought back to life for a single purpose — which we can now assume was to save Arya.
Arya then tells Melisandre that her prediction that she'd 'shut a lot of eyes' was accurate, and the Red Woman cryptically mentions the 'blue eyes' that she'll add to that list.
We've been iffy on Melisandre throughout this entire series, but credit where it's due: she can really drop a motivational speech.
As Arya seems ready to give in to the hopelessness of the situation, Melisandre channels her old sword-fighting instructor, Syrio Forel, and asks: 'What do we say to the God of Death?'
Arya hits back: 'Not today!' and races off with a new sense of purpose and Run The World playing in her head.
All of us to Arya:Source:Foxtel
High above the battlefield, Dany and Jon, riding Drogon and Rhaegal, are clashing with the Night King on Viserion, and it's real chaos in the skies.
When the Night King is knocked off his dragon, it looks like the tide is finally turning for our heroes.
'Dracarys!' Dany commands her dragon, staring smugly down at the Night King as fire rushes toward him.
Drogon breathes fire down at the Night King.Source:Foxtel
Only.. he's not too bothered:
This does not bode well.Source:Foxtel
At this point, Jon's made so many stupid decisions that we're honestly unaffected when he dives face-first into yet another one and runs straight at the Night King, who stands amid a sea of dead soldiers.
Yup, deadsoldiers.
Obviously, he brings them all to life …
The Night King reanimates all the new dead peeps.Source:Foxtel
..And there are now about a billion more wights. Including down in the crypts, where things are suddenly very dicey for those hiding out there for 'safety'.
Up on the battlefield, Jon now finds himself in the too-familiar position of being locked inside a circle of wights, just like in season seven when Dany came to save him on her dragon.
Right on cue, she swoops in and — once again — it spells disaster for her.
Jon suddenly remembers hatching that whole plan to leave Bran out in the open as Night King-bait and realises he'd better get to the godswood, lickety-split, leaving Dany to be set upon by hundreds of wights, who stab Drogon and pull her to the ground.
Dany is now defenceless and surrounded by wights. Excellent.Source:Foxtel
Amazingly, Ser Jorah Mormont manages to get there in time from all the way over in the friendzone, and is stabbed to death while saving his queen.
And just like that, we lose another.
RIP, Ser Jorah.
'One little smooch to say goodbye?'Source:Foxtel
We're getting to the pointy end of the drama in the godswood, where the Night King is drawing close thanks to his Potter-esque connection to Bran.
In their final minutes together, Bran offers Theon the redemption he needed, telling him that he is a 'good man' and thanking him for his help.
Theon then charges at the Night King and, predictably, immediately meets his death.
RIP Theon. We always knew this was coming (putting his hand up to 'protect' Bran was never going to be a long-term job) — but when the moment came, it still broke our hearts.
He's had a rough couple of years.Source:Foxtel
In typical Bran fashion, he is absolutely unfazed by the fact he's now completely defenceless and in a standoff with the Night King and oh dear god, it seems like this plan has backfired spectacularly.
We see Jon fighting his way through the crowd to get there on time but he's left it a touch too late, and the Night King reaches Bran and pulls out his knife.
Just when we were ready to pretend we liked Bran as a person so we could dramatically mourn his death, Arya flies in out of nowhere.
That's right — our little assassin manages to sneak up on the Night King, and after a quick scuffle, plunges her knife right into his chest, causing him to shatter.
GET IT, GIRL.Source:Foxtel
It has the domino effect of also killing off everyone he brought with him, which is a huge timesaver.
Arya literally saved the world.Source:Foxtel
While the war may have ended right then — there was still another death to come, and this one took us by surprise.
Melisandre - having done her job of lining up the all the pieces so Arya could take out the Night King - fulfilled her promise to Ser Davos by taking off her enchanted necklace and walking into a field to die.
See ya, sweetie.Source:Foxtel
Eight years. Seven and a half seasons. And the battle between the Living and the Dead is finally over.
Now they just have to work out who gets to plant themselves on the Iron Throne.
The fourth episode of Game of Thrones will air next Monday on Foxtel at 11am and 8:30pm. Keep an eye out for news.com.au's recap and podcast analysing the episode.
In the meantime you can subscribe to our podcast, Winter is Here, on iTunes.
At long last, winter is here, and so is the conclusion to HBO's song of ice and fire. Season 8 is already blowing people's minds, and it doesn't seem like it'll be stopping anytime soon. Though the show will continue into territory as yet uncharted by George R.R. Martin's published source material, there's already a good deal of information available about what's ahead for the fantasy epic's last stand.
Thanks to the diligent fandom's set-scouting and rumor-patrolling, along with details from trailers and some pretty heavy foreshadowing, we've been able to patch together quite a few clues about what's ahead for the heroes (and villains) of Westeros. So, let's take a look at everything we've learned about Game of Thrones Season 8 so far, whether it be rumors, spoilers, or those predictions we can infer from official detail drops. Naturally, spoilers abound. For the watch.
NOTE: Last updated after Season 8, Episode 4.
Expect more Arya Stark action
Maisie Williams had Game of Thrones fans in a tizzy when she posted an image of some bloodied sneakers after filming her final scene of the series because many took it to mean she'd either finish off her kill list or be killed in the process of whatever she was doing, but she's since clarified that her last scene didn't involve anyone else. '[It was] beautiful. I ended on the perfect scene. I was alone — shocker! Arya's always bloody alone,' she explained to The Guardian.
However, Williams also assured fans that she and Needle will have plenty of screen time leading up to that point this season. 'This season was quite big for me. I had a lot more to do,' she explained. 'Mainly because there's just less characters now, so everyone's got more to do.' It's worth noting that Williams' last scene was shot in Belfast, which is known to be the site where scenes from Winterfell and the North are produced, so her time at home will probably prove to be even more eventful than it already has been. Of course, other cast members have confirmed that the last season wasn't necessarily filmed in chronological order, so it's not a sure thing that Arya will end, one way or the other, beneath the sign of the Stark sigil.
UPDATE: Since she killed the Night King in 'The Long Night' and left Winterfell in the next episode, she may not get all the way back there before the season's over. Perhaps the Night King scene was filmed last, but we'll have to wait and see.
Sansa is finally in charge
Sophie Turner also had loose lips in an interview with Digital Spy. When we first catch up with the Lady of Winterfell in Season 8, she's going to be ruling the roost at Winterfell while Jon is away. 'She's a real, true leader of Winterfell now,' Turner said, 'And that's where we first see her — as a very protective, empowered lady in charge. It's the first time you ever see her like that, and it's so amazing to see her like that — kind of owning her destiny.'
Nearly all the characters in Game of Thrones have grown exponentially from where they started in Season 1, but Sansa's transformation from the spoiled, innocent girl in the beginning to the hardened pillar of strength she's become by Season 8 is perhaps the most astonishing of all. Turner described this new version of Sansa to Digital Spy as a 'steely, strong, manipulative, intelligent, kind, young woman, and it's completely the opposite of who she was at the beginning of the series.'
Sansa will leave Winterfell for the last time
In an interview with Digital Spy, Sophie Turner mentioned that unlike her onscreen sis Maisie Williams, who wrapped shooting in Belfast, she wrapped shooting in Spain — where Dragonstone and the Dragonpit are filmed, which means that although Sansa was running Winterfell at the start of the season, she's going to wind up heading south at some point.
This news feeds into the abundance of rumors that Sansa is going to come away the ultimate winner of the Game of Thrones, possibly sitting on the Iron Throne — or the Stone Throne — as the last player standing. Some fans theorize she might wind up marrying Gendry and become the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Marrying Gendry could give Sansa a more legitimate claim to the Iron Throne, since at the moment, she doesn't have a very strong one (or any at all, depending on how you look at it). Even if she doesn't sit on that uncomfortable chair, it does seem likely that she's going to wind up in a position of power and influence.
Do we know who'll kill Cersei?
Now that Jaime Lannister has gone on the run from Cersei's tyranny, could he be the key to fulfilling a long-lingering prophecy about her fate? In the show's fifth season (as in George R.R. Martin's book), we learn that as a child Cersei demanded to know her future from Maggy the Frog, and it wasn't good news. 'You'll be queen for a time, then comes another, younger, more beautiful to cast you down and take all you hold dear. The king will have 20 children, and you will have three. Gold will be their crowns, gold their shrouds.' At least half of that prophecy has already come true (poor Myrcella, poor Tommen) — and Daenerys Targaryen is working hard to fulfill the other side — but what we didn't hear from Maggy in the TV scene was probably even more important.
'And when your tears have drowned you, the valonqar shall wrap his hands about your pale white throat and choke the life from you,' the prophecy continues in the book. The term 'valonqar' means 'little brother' in Valyrian, and technically, Cersei is the elder twin, so Jaime could fit that bill. Of course, Tyrion is also a likely candidate, considering he's already shown his willingness to kill off a family member and has a long history of animosity with his sister. Yet, there are some who believe the introduction of her pregnancy in Season 7 might leave another option. If she dies in childbirth, with a boy, it could also fulfill that prophecy.
Sansa tells Tyrion that he was 'the best' of her husbands.
(One of them was actual murderous psychopath Ramsay Bolton, so it's a tepid sort of compliment).
However, she also claims it would never have worked out between them because of their 'divided loyalties' — i.e. Dany — prompting Missandei to step in and remind them that they'd all be dead without the 'dragon queen' and honestly, she's not wrong.
Last week, everyone kept banging on about heading to the 'safety' of the crypts, and keeping all the women and children in the crypts during the battle, so of course that turns out to be more dangerous than giving a dragon a dental check.
It didn't take a Maester to guess beforehand that — as the Night King has the ability to raise the dead — being locked in a room with a bunch of deadies was probably going to cause trouble down the track.
When everyone realises the giant flaw in the plan at the same time.Source:Foxtel
More on that later.
We'd almost forgotten about Bran and Theon's suicide mission to lure the Night King out of hiding, but amid all the chaos, these two are hanging out in the godswood, as promised.
Bran's not exactly the person we'd choose to spend our last moments alive with, but Theon's still feeling guilty about stealing Winterfell and driving the young Stark boy out of his home all those years ago so he takes one for the team.
As they await the Night King, Theon tries to apologise, but Bran's not having it.
'Everything you did brought you where you are now, where you belong — home,' he tells Theon, before announcing he's going to GTFO of there and warg into a crow for a bit.
BRB.Source:Foxtel
Back at the centre of the battle, The Hound is trying to pull himself together but there's fire everywhere and it's his one big phobia, thanks to that face-burning incident when he was a kid.
In a stark contrast, Arya and Lady Lyanna Mormont are nearby, bravely clashing with the wights like the total legends that they are.
As The Hound tries to summon some courage, Lyanna is given the ultimate hero's farewell.
She's tossed to the side by an undead giant — but continues to run at him, until he grabs her and starts to crush her bones à la Oberyn Martell's eyes. Right before she succumbs to death, she stabs him in the eye with her dragonglass dagger, taking him down with her and breaking all of our hearts.
RIP, our warrior princess.Source:Foxtel
Arya runs off to hide inside Winterfell, and she's pulling it off until some drops of her blood spill onto the floor and alert the wights to her whereabouts.
Right as it looks like it might be all over for the girl with no name, The Hound and Beric Dondarrion arrive just in time to save her life.
Unfortunately, Beric has to sacrifice himself in the process, and thus we lose another character we actually know the name of.
RIP Beric.
Kinda sucks to die twice.Source:Foxtel
Arya's pretty bummed about it, but Melisandre pops up and reminds Arya that technically, he already died, but was brought back to life for a single purpose — which we can now assume was to save Arya.
Arya then tells Melisandre that her prediction that she'd 'shut a lot of eyes' was accurate, and the Red Woman cryptically mentions the 'blue eyes' that she'll add to that list.
We've been iffy on Melisandre throughout this entire series, but credit where it's due: she can really drop a motivational speech.
As Arya seems ready to give in to the hopelessness of the situation, Melisandre channels her old sword-fighting instructor, Syrio Forel, and asks: 'What do we say to the God of Death?'
Arya hits back: 'Not today!' and races off with a new sense of purpose and Run The World playing in her head.
All of us to Arya:Source:Foxtel
High above the battlefield, Dany and Jon, riding Drogon and Rhaegal, are clashing with the Night King on Viserion, and it's real chaos in the skies.
When the Night King is knocked off his dragon, it looks like the tide is finally turning for our heroes.
'Dracarys!' Dany commands her dragon, staring smugly down at the Night King as fire rushes toward him.
Drogon breathes fire down at the Night King.Source:Foxtel
Only.. he's not too bothered:
This does not bode well.Source:Foxtel
At this point, Jon's made so many stupid decisions that we're honestly unaffected when he dives face-first into yet another one and runs straight at the Night King, who stands amid a sea of dead soldiers.
Yup, deadsoldiers.
Obviously, he brings them all to life …
The Night King reanimates all the new dead peeps.Source:Foxtel
..And there are now about a billion more wights. Including down in the crypts, where things are suddenly very dicey for those hiding out there for 'safety'.
Up on the battlefield, Jon now finds himself in the too-familiar position of being locked inside a circle of wights, just like in season seven when Dany came to save him on her dragon.
Right on cue, she swoops in and — once again — it spells disaster for her.
Jon suddenly remembers hatching that whole plan to leave Bran out in the open as Night King-bait and realises he'd better get to the godswood, lickety-split, leaving Dany to be set upon by hundreds of wights, who stab Drogon and pull her to the ground.
Dany is now defenceless and surrounded by wights. Excellent.Source:Foxtel
Amazingly, Ser Jorah Mormont manages to get there in time from all the way over in the friendzone, and is stabbed to death while saving his queen.
And just like that, we lose another.
RIP, Ser Jorah.
'One little smooch to say goodbye?'Source:Foxtel
We're getting to the pointy end of the drama in the godswood, where the Night King is drawing close thanks to his Potter-esque connection to Bran.
In their final minutes together, Bran offers Theon the redemption he needed, telling him that he is a 'good man' and thanking him for his help.
Theon then charges at the Night King and, predictably, immediately meets his death.
RIP Theon. We always knew this was coming (putting his hand up to 'protect' Bran was never going to be a long-term job) — but when the moment came, it still broke our hearts.
He's had a rough couple of years.Source:Foxtel
In typical Bran fashion, he is absolutely unfazed by the fact he's now completely defenceless and in a standoff with the Night King and oh dear god, it seems like this plan has backfired spectacularly.
We see Jon fighting his way through the crowd to get there on time but he's left it a touch too late, and the Night King reaches Bran and pulls out his knife.
Just when we were ready to pretend we liked Bran as a person so we could dramatically mourn his death, Arya flies in out of nowhere.
That's right — our little assassin manages to sneak up on the Night King, and after a quick scuffle, plunges her knife right into his chest, causing him to shatter.
GET IT, GIRL.Source:Foxtel
It has the domino effect of also killing off everyone he brought with him, which is a huge timesaver.
Arya literally saved the world.Source:Foxtel
While the war may have ended right then — there was still another death to come, and this one took us by surprise.
Melisandre - having done her job of lining up the all the pieces so Arya could take out the Night King - fulfilled her promise to Ser Davos by taking off her enchanted necklace and walking into a field to die.
See ya, sweetie.Source:Foxtel
Eight years. Seven and a half seasons. And the battle between the Living and the Dead is finally over.
Now they just have to work out who gets to plant themselves on the Iron Throne.
The fourth episode of Game of Thrones will air next Monday on Foxtel at 11am and 8:30pm. Keep an eye out for news.com.au's recap and podcast analysing the episode.
In the meantime you can subscribe to our podcast, Winter is Here, on iTunes.
At long last, winter is here, and so is the conclusion to HBO's song of ice and fire. Season 8 is already blowing people's minds, and it doesn't seem like it'll be stopping anytime soon. Though the show will continue into territory as yet uncharted by George R.R. Martin's published source material, there's already a good deal of information available about what's ahead for the fantasy epic's last stand.
Thanks to the diligent fandom's set-scouting and rumor-patrolling, along with details from trailers and some pretty heavy foreshadowing, we've been able to patch together quite a few clues about what's ahead for the heroes (and villains) of Westeros. So, let's take a look at everything we've learned about Game of Thrones Season 8 so far, whether it be rumors, spoilers, or those predictions we can infer from official detail drops. Naturally, spoilers abound. For the watch.
NOTE: Last updated after Season 8, Episode 4.
Expect more Arya Stark action
Maisie Williams had Game of Thrones fans in a tizzy when she posted an image of some bloodied sneakers after filming her final scene of the series because many took it to mean she'd either finish off her kill list or be killed in the process of whatever she was doing, but she's since clarified that her last scene didn't involve anyone else. '[It was] beautiful. I ended on the perfect scene. I was alone — shocker! Arya's always bloody alone,' she explained to The Guardian.
However, Williams also assured fans that she and Needle will have plenty of screen time leading up to that point this season. 'This season was quite big for me. I had a lot more to do,' she explained. 'Mainly because there's just less characters now, so everyone's got more to do.' It's worth noting that Williams' last scene was shot in Belfast, which is known to be the site where scenes from Winterfell and the North are produced, so her time at home will probably prove to be even more eventful than it already has been. Of course, other cast members have confirmed that the last season wasn't necessarily filmed in chronological order, so it's not a sure thing that Arya will end, one way or the other, beneath the sign of the Stark sigil.
UPDATE: Since she killed the Night King in 'The Long Night' and left Winterfell in the next episode, she may not get all the way back there before the season's over. Perhaps the Night King scene was filmed last, but we'll have to wait and see.
Sansa is finally in charge
Sophie Turner also had loose lips in an interview with Digital Spy. When we first catch up with the Lady of Winterfell in Season 8, she's going to be ruling the roost at Winterfell while Jon is away. 'She's a real, true leader of Winterfell now,' Turner said, 'And that's where we first see her — as a very protective, empowered lady in charge. It's the first time you ever see her like that, and it's so amazing to see her like that — kind of owning her destiny.'
Nearly all the characters in Game of Thrones have grown exponentially from where they started in Season 1, but Sansa's transformation from the spoiled, innocent girl in the beginning to the hardened pillar of strength she's become by Season 8 is perhaps the most astonishing of all. Turner described this new version of Sansa to Digital Spy as a 'steely, strong, manipulative, intelligent, kind, young woman, and it's completely the opposite of who she was at the beginning of the series.'
Sansa will leave Winterfell for the last time
In an interview with Digital Spy, Sophie Turner mentioned that unlike her onscreen sis Maisie Williams, who wrapped shooting in Belfast, she wrapped shooting in Spain — where Dragonstone and the Dragonpit are filmed, which means that although Sansa was running Winterfell at the start of the season, she's going to wind up heading south at some point.
This news feeds into the abundance of rumors that Sansa is going to come away the ultimate winner of the Game of Thrones, possibly sitting on the Iron Throne — or the Stone Throne — as the last player standing. Some fans theorize she might wind up marrying Gendry and become the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Marrying Gendry could give Sansa a more legitimate claim to the Iron Throne, since at the moment, she doesn't have a very strong one (or any at all, depending on how you look at it). Even if she doesn't sit on that uncomfortable chair, it does seem likely that she's going to wind up in a position of power and influence.
Do we know who'll kill Cersei?
Now that Jaime Lannister has gone on the run from Cersei's tyranny, could he be the key to fulfilling a long-lingering prophecy about her fate? In the show's fifth season (as in George R.R. Martin's book), we learn that as a child Cersei demanded to know her future from Maggy the Frog, and it wasn't good news. 'You'll be queen for a time, then comes another, younger, more beautiful to cast you down and take all you hold dear. The king will have 20 children, and you will have three. Gold will be their crowns, gold their shrouds.' At least half of that prophecy has already come true (poor Myrcella, poor Tommen) — and Daenerys Targaryen is working hard to fulfill the other side — but what we didn't hear from Maggy in the TV scene was probably even more important.
'And when your tears have drowned you, the valonqar shall wrap his hands about your pale white throat and choke the life from you,' the prophecy continues in the book. The term 'valonqar' means 'little brother' in Valyrian, and technically, Cersei is the elder twin, so Jaime could fit that bill. Of course, Tyrion is also a likely candidate, considering he's already shown his willingness to kill off a family member and has a long history of animosity with his sister. Yet, there are some who believe the introduction of her pregnancy in Season 7 might leave another option. If she dies in childbirth, with a boy, it could also fulfill that prophecy.
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Will Daenerys have a baby, too?
There were a lot of discussions about Daenerys' fertility — or lack thereof — in Season 7 of Game of Thrones, and since the show mostly abides by the Chekhov's Gun concept of storytelling, there has to be a reason for it. Daenerys believes the witch who cursed Khal Drogo foretold her inability to ever conceive. In the books, the witch says Khal will only be himself again 'when the sun rises in the west and sets in the east [.. and] when [her] womb quickens again' to show the impossibility of it all. That section of the prophecy didn't make it into the show, but Daenerys later pointed to the witch as promising she wouldn't have children.
Game of Thrones has deviated from the text in many ways before, so there are rumors floating around the fan community that Daenerys will defy her own expectations and become pregnant in Season 8. There isn't much time left for that, but it's possible. The question that remains is if her child would be the fabled 'prince who was promised' that we've been waiting for.
The missing Mountain
Interviewed in January 2018, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, who plays Ser Gregor 'the Mountain' Clegane, wasn't all that forthcoming with news about his plans for filming Game of Thrones Season 8. This led fans to speculate over whether this meant Björnsson wouldn't be on set for long. Will the Mountain finally fall to his brother in the long-awaited Clegane Bowl battle fans have been clamoring for? Or maybe Arya will finally manage to cross his name off her list?
When talking about his role on the upcoming season, Björnsson remained frustratingly cryptic, albeit enthusiastic — simply promising 'It is going to be awesome!' He wouldn't say anything about Clegane Bowl, either.
A new monarch joining the fold?
It might seem like all of the character pieces are already on the board by now, but there may be reason to believe that at least one new royal will join the game before it's all said and done. According to the sleuth work at Winter Is Coming, it looks like actor Toby Osmond has indicated his involvement with Game of Thrones' final season on his CV by boasting a 'great royal role in the next (and final) series of an epic network fantasy saga (airing Spring 2019).' He might not have named the show outright, but the description is certainly detailed enough to discern.
Coupling that with the fact that he was spotted hanging out with certain cast members and crew near the Seville set of the show (that is, the Dragonpit epicenter), his involvement seems likely. As for who he'll portray in the scene? Well, rumor has it there are two new characters that are expected to be introduced — a man wearing golden armor and another mystery man. The former could be that representative of the Golden Company Cersei sent Euron Greyjoy for in Season 7, but that role went to Marc Rissmann. Some suspect Osmond may instead be playing the new King of Dorne following the Martells' demise, but others believe he may play Euron's personal nemesis from the books: his younger brother Victarion Greyjoy, who has a terrible score to settle with the swashbuckler.
Is Tyrion headed for an unhappy ending?
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Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) has been all over the map, quite literally, throughout Game of Thrones, and even at the end of Season 7 it was hard to know where his true allegiance lay. As Hand of the Queen for Daenerys Targaryen, he seemed sure he wanted to see the more merciful monarch ascend the throne in his sister's place, but he wavered when he found out about Cersei's pregnancy. Four-sixths of the way through Season 8, it's still hard to know. Episode 4 ended on a heck of a note for Tyrion as he and Varys discussed whether the Dragon Queen was really fit to rule the realm.
'He certainly developed a deeper sense of responsibility over the course of the show. He was a pretty irresponsible character to begin with. He used his position as the outcast of his family like an adolescent would. He pushed it in their [the Lannisters'] faces. The beauty of Tyrion is that he grew out of that mode in a couple of seasons and developed a strong sense of responsibility,' Dinklage explained to Vulture of his character's development. Whether that means he'll jump ship yet again is still unknown, but Dinklage did leave open the possibility that he'll pay the ultimate price for whatever decision he makes in the final season. 'I feel very, very — I'm trying to find the right word. I think he was given a very good conclusion. No matter what that is — death can be a great way out,' he said of the character's ultimate ending.
The main cast will reconvene at the Dragonpit
Get ready to spend more time in the ancestral home of Balerion the Dread: Rumor has it that the major players will all be meeting once again in the Dragonpit in Season 8 — and for much longer this time, too. Watchers on the Wall reports that filming at the Roman ruins of Itálica in Seville, Spain (aka the Dragonpit) were scheduled from April 23 to May 19, 2018. That's nearly four weeks, which is quadruple the time spent filming there for Season 7. Whether the scene is long or just more action-packed, get ready for it to be substantially bigger and better than last time.
What's more, there were no additional casting calls for extras, which means it's probably safe to assume that this particular scene will once again feature only the main characters we already know. And if Sophie Turner's talk of filming in Spain is a clue, then maybe Sansa will get to say her piece at the Dragonpit, too.
King's Landing is getting torched
A Twitter user snapped some pics at the Red Keep set at King's Landing, capturing the Lannister banners flying high despite the fact that the top of the Keep looked like it had been cooked to a crisp. Based on even more photos posted by Watchers on the Wall, the top of the city is clearly charred, and cranes are visible all around for getting plenty of aerial shots of the destruction. After all this time, it looks like King's Landing may have finally fallen.
Does this really come as a shock? With Cersei stubbornly refusing to bend the knee, or even just bend a little, it kind of seemed like Daenerys would have no choice but to come for her with all that fire and blood. Dany has been warned (several times!) against harming all the innocent people of King's Landing, but maybe Mad Queen Dany just won't care after the death of Missandei. Either way, the city is getting burned.
A lot of people are going to die
Get ready to say goodbye to at least some of your favorites. Season 7 may have been kind of light when it came to the shocking murders (no offense, Baelish and Viserion), but it sounds like the show's creators held nothing back when it came to the last hurrah.
In an interview with theHollywood Reporter, HBO senior VP Francesca Orsi explained that the final moments of Game of Thrones are going to spell doom for multiple characters. Talking about the final table read with the entire cast, she called it 'a really powerful moment in our lives and our careers' and added, 'None of the cast had received the scripts prior, and one by one they started to fall down to their deaths. By the end, the last few words on the final script, the tears just started falling down. Then there was applause that lasted 15 minutes.'
Well, they did warn us that when you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. Mostly, you die.
The list of survivors will surprise fans
Entertainment Weekly's set visit report from the site of the final season also revealed that the call sheet had a few surprising names on it for production on the very last scene. The journalist reported seeing 'characters in the finale [he] did not expect' on a set that had 'never [been] seen on the show before.'
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While the names of those who have made it to the bitter end by this account have yet to be revealed, it sounds like Kit Harington will be around. He's mentioned as part of the last episode's table read and admits to crying when he got to the last page. 'The second time [I cried] was the very end,' the actor told the magazine. 'Every season, you read at the end of the last script 'End of Season 1,' or 'End of Season 2.' This read 'End of Game of Thrones.' Will the King in the North outlast everyone else?
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The final scene will probably be at King's Landing
Rumors from the tabloid mill (The Dubrovnik Times, as reported by the Daily Express) indicate that the last scene of the entire series may very well take place at King's Landing. According to the Express, the scene would have been shot in January 2018. Tents in the old town of Dubrovnik are a big sign that something was being shot at King's Landing with most of the main cast. Interestingly, no additional extras were called beyond the main cast members, which is perhaps what caused sources to speculate that it was in fact the final scene.
Nothing is official, of course, but wouldn't King's Landing — the infamous home of the Iron Throne — be a fitting location to end the series all about the fight for said seat of power? Plus, the news that multiple main cast members were present is a good indication that they probably don't all die.