By Mercedes Jacobs
Winter is here!
The final season of the popular TV series Game of Thrones finally aired Sunday, April 14 on HBO. There was a lot of anticipation and build up leading to the final seasons about the fate of favorite characters and to see if they were able to defeat the Night King.
The first episode was the foundation for the rest of the season with major reunions that fans were looking forward to such as Jon and Arya, Jon and Bran, Bran and Jamie, and Arya and the Hound, just to name a few. Also, there were some major points that happened and will be built upon later in the season.
In the episode, Daenerys had to meet Sansa Stark and those in the North for the first time and there was immediate friction between the two ladies. She also taught Jon Snow how to ride a dragon, which can be assumed that he will ride on in battle fighting the Night King. In the final scenes, Wildling leader Tormund Giantsbane leads a group of soldiers to check on the whereabouts of the Night King and his army.
They find Lord Umber murdered and pinned against the wall surrounded by tentacles made from human arms. This leads to the realization that the Night King and his army are past Lord Umber’s castle and on his way to Winterfell where everyone led by Daenerys and Jon Snow plan to make the last stand. After the episode ended, there was a brief trailer for what is to come in the second episode, and one thing that stood out was Tormund telling Jon Snow they only have until nightfall to prepare for war.
This episode was also a direct parallel to the first episode of Season 1 as to show everything has come full circle. It begins with Daenerys, heir to the Iron throne, and Jon Snow, King of the North, riding into Winterfell with her army and a small townsboy is watching the procession from a high branch in the tree. This is similar to the scene in Season 1 when King Robert Baratheon and Queen Cersei Lannister arrive at Winterfell and Arya climbs to a better vantage point. Once Daenerys and Jon Snow approach Sansa Stark, all the characters still left alive representing the house of Stark are waiting in a line to greet them.
In Season 1, Ned Stark and his family are waiting in line for King Robert and Queen Cersei when they arrive. Also, later on in Season 8, Sam and Jon Snow are speaking in the crypts under Winterfell regarding Snow’s true parents: Lyanna Stark and Aegon Targaryen. In Season 1, Ned Stark and Robert Baratheon spoke about how their houses were almost joined through Robert’s interest in marrying Lyanna Stark. Lastly, finding Lord Umber pinned against the wall surrounded by arms who was turned into the undead in Season 8. Whereas in Season 1 it opens up with a young girl surrounded by body parts and when she charges at a soldier from the Night’s Watch, you see she was actually undead turned by the Night King.
Based on the sneak peek for the next episode airing Sunday, April 21, it can be assumed that that is when the war begins. There were quick snapchats of fighting and preparing for the war with supplies and weapons. Fans will have to hold onto their seats because since there will only be six episodes compared to the original 10 each episode will become longer as the season progresses.
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