Oh boy.

So we pick up about the day after the Battle for Winterfell.  The dead from the battle have been cleaned up and neatly stacked on funeral pyres in record time, and Jon gives a speech about remembering the fallen.  Then we see how the people in the north celebrate.

There is a giant party and we see everyone kind of grouped together (Pod, Brienne, Jamie and Tyrion, The Hound and Gendry, Sam and Gillie, etc) all around the great hall, and in front of the fire at the main table we see Bran, Sansa, Jon and Daenerys.  They are all sitting there looking like they’ve lost.  Bran is over there being typical Bran, Sansa is looking like she’s plotting away, Jon is having a moment of “Too bad I can’t celebrate with the woman I love because WE’RE RELATED EW!  Also, I don’t want to be king!  Everything is awful!” and Daenerys is thinking a lot.  She’s looking around at everyone with their friends, and her only people are advisors, soldiers and Missandei.  Jon is giving her the cold shoulder, she’s also kind of upset about his better throne claim.

Gendry wants to see Arya, the Hound teases him about it, but he gets up to go look for her.  Before he can leave, Daenerys stops him, and to thank him for his services basically, make him no longer a bastard of Robert Baratheon, but a true born son of Robert Baratheon, and the Lord of Storm’s End.  Everyone cheers, everything is great, Daenerys tells Tyrion “see, you’re not the only one who’s clever” in a way to show her hand of “Look, I’m not some ruthless, evil tyrant.  I’m kind, too” but it mostly gets brushed off by the people of Winterfell.  She also cheers to Arya, and Sansa gives her this look like “that was my cheers, how dare you”.  Gendry goes to find Arya, who is practicing shooting her bow, because she just is.  He tells Arya he’s now the Lord of Storm’s End and he wants her to come with him and be the Lady of Storm’s end and marry him and everything just be wonderful.  She kisses him, tells him he’ll make a great lord and any woman would be lucky to be with him, but she’s not a lady.  Still in the great hall we see Tormund hyping up Jon and telling him to chug the wine and he’s so proud of Jon.  He says “I saw him ride a dragon!  Who does that, either a king or a mad man!” Que Daenerys looking like “great.  -_- “

We see Tyrion, Jamie, Brienne and Podrick playing a drinking game and they’re all having a great time, until Tyrion says that Brienne is a virgin.  Brienne gets up to leave, and Tourmond comes over to the table.  He is laying it on thick about how they’ve fought the dead together and they’ve won, and Brienne shoves past him.  Tormund starts to follow her, but Jamie gets up and gives him a face like get lost, and then he turns to follow Brienne.  Tormund then goes to tell The Hound how he’s so heartbroken, that southern man came and stole the big woman from him, and The Hound is not having it.  Tormund quickly finds a way to a warm bed with company, and The Hound basically growls a woman away from him.  Sansa comes over to talk to him, and he notes how she’s changed.  He also shows that he’s kind of sad because if he would have taken her out of King’s Landing, none of the bad things in her life would have happened.  Sansa basically says those things that happened are what made her grow into who she is today.  Which, alright. o_o

Brienne is in her room, and you can see that she’s looking really sober considering she was just supposedly drinking a lot at that table.  Jamie comes to her door, and he notices and says she needs to drink.  Jamie then starts taking off his jacket because it’s so hot in her room.  He then starts to take his shirt off, but he’s struggling with his gold hand, so Brienne starts to take it off for him.  Then he starts to take her shirt off and she asks what he’s doing.  He comments he’s never slept with a knight before, and she says she’s never slept with anyone.  Then they get together and everyone is disappointed and nervous.  Jamie isn’t always the best guy, what are his intentions here?  To “save” her from Tormund?  Tormund who loves her?  Is it to “conquer” her?  Is it because he loves her too and has just come to realize it?  Because the writers can’t just let a noble, respect filled relationship be just that and not sex?  Yep, that’s it.

Later Daenerys finds herself in Jon Snow’s room (I’m not going to start calling him Aegon Targaryen) and she goes in to hug and kiss him and he goes along and then stops.  She then says she wishes she never knew the truth about him.  Daenerys then starts begging him to keep this secret, that the truth will destroy their relationship.  This is impossible for Jon, because he’s so noble and hell bent on always telling the truth, and he tells her that he isn’t going to threaten her for the throne, she is his queen.  No matter what, that will not change, and what else will not change, is that his family deserves to know the truth.  He says that they can live together, and she says that she’s just told him how.

In the situation room everyone is gathered around discussing their taking of King’s Landing.  We find out that basically the two armies are basically even at this point.  Jon is trying to prove to Daenerys that he’s backing her 100% by saying whatever she says goes.  Sansa suggests that they wait to let the troops rest up because they’ve just been through hell and maybe need a minute.  Daenerys doesn’t like that when it’s time to fight her battle, they’re stalling, but Jon quickly speaks up and says they’re going now.  Jon will take the Northern armies and the Dothraki down the King’s Road and Daenerys will take the Unsullied and the Dragons will go by way of Dragonstone.  When everyone starts to leave, Arya and Sansa stop Jon to talk to him in private.

Jon, Sansa, Bran and Arya all go out to the Weirwood, because they just have to have meetings by the tree.  Arya and Sansa don’t trust Daenerys (no one is shocked!) and Jon tells them she’s fine, they just don’t know her (he sounds like a battered wife) and Arya says look we needed her to defend the north, but she’s not one of us.  Jon says you have to be open to allies that aren’t just the people you grew up with, which, yes.  Sansa says that he needs to stay because he’s a Stark and they have a moment of you’re not my bastard brother, you’re not my half brother, you’re just my brother, bla bla bla, and he looks at them, FULL KNOWING he’s not their brother, and BRAN….says “it’s your choice” BLOWING THE SECRET….BRAN, and then Jon makes them swear to keep a secret.  Should have pinky swore if you ask me, but what do I know.  We don’t see their reaction, but they now know.

We see Sansa looking out over that wall they’re always standing on, looking on as Daenerys is gearing up the dragons to go, Rhaegar obviously injured.  Tyrion comes out and wonders why Sansa hates Daenerys so much.  (same!)  He comments on how she seems determined to hate her, she’s not that bad, and Sansa says that Tyrion is afraid of Daenerys.  Tyrion doesn’t say yes, but he doesn’t say no, and says sure, most leaders inspire some fear, but she’s the rightful heir, she’s destined to rule.  Sansa looks upset, and you think maybe she’s going to keep her promise to Jon but then no, spills the beans, so now Tyrion also knows about Jon’s heritage.

On the journey to King’s Landing, we see the fleet coming from the Narrow Sea, Greyworm and Missandei are on the deck watching the skyline of King’s Landing come into view.  They hold hands, they smile, everything is so sweet. ❤ We then see Daenerys come flying overhead on Drogon with an injured Rhaegar flying next to them and –BAM!

Rhaegar is hit right in the heart, wing and throat with arrows fired from Euron Greyjoy’s armada which is hidden (“hidden”) behind some rocks.  The Unsullied fleet is basically defenseless, and just see Rhaegar fall into the sea.  Daenerys starts to fly in towards the Ironborn armada but yells and flies away at the last minute before she loses another dragon.  Then the Ironborn sets their aim at the Unsullied.  They start shooting giant arrows from the large Scorpion crossbows and they’re blasting through these ships like no big deal.  Greyworm tells Missandei to go to the skiff (it’s a fancy word for little escape boat) and the boats are just being ripped to shreds.  We also see Tyrion rushing around, trying to avoid these arrows, and eventually jumps out to try to escape.

We then catch up with everyone somehow washed right up on the shore, Varys is coughing up a lung, Tyrion has survived, and we see Greyworm, immediately looking for Missandei who is nowhere to be seen.  We then cut to Cersei receiving the news that Euron has killed a second dragon.  She’s very happy, and she tells him that once the war is over, “The lion will rule the land, the kraken will rule the sea, and our child will rule the world” because she needs to have a father for her child that isn’t her brother.  Cersei also says “so much for the breaker of chains” and we see that they’ve captured Missandei.

Daenerys, Tyrion and Greyworm are meeting in Dragonstone, and they’re plotting what to do.  Daenerys wants to just go in and burn her way to the Iron Throne; she and Greyworm are really upset about Missandei.  Tyrion tells Daenerys that they should make an effort to make peace first, and that will show the people of King’s Landing that she’s a just ruler.  Varys tells Daenerys that he thinks she is making a mistake, and he’s telling her to her face like he said he would.  She agrees, and they take a small group of Unsullied over to meet outside of the gates of King’s Landing to negotiate.  They are standing outside of the gates and Drogon is way in the back because there are about 12 scorpion crossbows aimed at him.  Cersei sends out her hand, Quebern, and Tyrion goes up to meet him.  They have a back and forth, Daenerys wants Cersei to surrender and release Missandei, Cersei wants Daenerys to surrender or she will kill Missandei, well we both can’t win so there’s that.  Tyrion tries speaking with his eyes more than with his words that she’s going to kill everyone, come on, work with me here, but Quebern isn’t having it.  Tyrion goes past him and addresses Cersei directly.   He pleads with her to basically think of her children, including her unborn child, that everyone doesn’t have to die.  Cersei tells Missandei if she has any last words, now is the time.  Missandei said “Dracarys” and the Mountain cut off her head, right then and there.

And the coin has flipped.

Varys is writing crow notes to every single house in the land telling how Jon is actually the better claim to the throne when a girl comes to the door.  His little bird, Martha, tells him that Daenerys isn’t eating and the guards are watching her.  Varys reassures her and says “we’ll try again at dinner” so maybe he was trying to poison her (?).  He continues writing, but goes down to the beach to see Jon Snow arrive.  Varys is practically begging Jon to take the throne, they both know that she’s going to cause mayhem, but Jon says “no, she is my queen.”

Tyrion goes to speak with Daenerys who hasn’t left her room in days or eaten and it looking exhausted and depressed. (it’s a real mood)  She says that Jon has betrayed her, and Tyrion says no, it’s Varys.  Daenerys says Varys knows about Jon, because you told him, because Sansa told you, because Jon told her after I asked him not to.  “The next time you fail me will be the last.”  Next we see Varys being taken by the Unsullied, but not before he burns a final crow note so it’s not found (just in case) and removes his rings.  Daenerys, Tyrion and Jon are standing on the edges of Dragonstone, and Tyrion lets him know that it was him that ratted him out.  Varys says he hopes that he is wrong.  Daenerys sentences him to die, and Drogon comes out of the darkness to blast him to death.  Jon looks at her and since this is the first time he’s see seen her “justice” in person, and he’s terrified.

Later we see Greyworm and Daenerys talking, and he is presented with Missandei’s only possession she brought with her, her slave collar, and he tosses it into the fire.  Jon comes to the door, and Daenerys says to Greyworm that they need to speak alone, it’s fine.  She explains that now Sansa sees what happens when people know the truth about Jon, and he expresses that he doesn’t want the throne, that he’s not a threat.  She is his queen!  She says that she has no love in this land, that she only has fear.  Jon says that he loves her, and she stands and asks if that’s all that she is to him just her queen.  She tries to kiss him and he doesn’t reciprocate, so she pulls back.

“Fine then, let it be fear.”

WAY TO GO, JON.

Daenerys is sitting in the throne room of Dragonstone, and let me just say, I would have been glad if she just took that over and said forget King’s Landing.  I just like that whole place.  Anyhow.  She’s directing Greyworm on how to proceed, “you’ll know when it’s time” and Tyrion makes one last plea to not kill the innocent people.  He says that if they realize Cersei is defeated they will abandon her and ring the bells.  Please don’t kill everyone if you hear the bells.  She nods but doesn’t seem to care.  As Greyworm and Tyrion turn to leave, Daenerys lets Tyrion know that they captured Jamie trying to get to King’s Landing.

The next thing we see is Jon coming over to where the troops are all gathered up, and they discuss that Daenerys wants to start the fighting now, but they say no, let’s wait until day break.  Tyrion goes to Davos and asks him for a favor.  We don’t see the favor but we assume what it is later.  There’s also a quick cut where we see Arya and the Hound coming through and Arya tells a guard she’s going to kill Queen Cersei so they’re going on through.  Tyrion then makes a B line right over to where Jamie is being held.  Like, he is so tormented about where his loyalties lie, it’s nuts.  Anyhow, he goes to Jamie and tells him to go to Cersei, surrender, ring the bells and leave.  He just wants them to be together on their own.  They say their goodbyes because they will probably never see eachother again. 😥

Daybreak comes and everyone’s out!  We see the North bannermen, the Unsullied, and the Dothraki all together facing off with the Golden Company.  They’re just standing there, exchanging menacing faces.  We see Blackwater Bay full of Euron Greyjoy’s Iron Island fleet.  Cersei is watching everything from the Red Keep.  We also see all of the people flooding into the city trying to get into the walls of the Red Keep.  In this flood of people we see Arya and the Hound coming through, and we also see a hooded Jamie Lannister.  Arya and the Hound make it into the Red Keep but the gates are closed before Jamie makes it in.  Jamie uncovers his gold hand to try to get his way in, but he gives up and goes through the labyrinth of King’s Landing.  All I could think most of this episode was how does anyone get around this city ever, because it all just seems like a system of hallways.

As we’ve got a good idea of where everyone is, we see Euron Greyjoy out there, looking gross, and he looks up into the sky.  Suddenly Daenerys flies in on Drogon faster than they’re ready for and just starts setting the whole fleet ablaze.  She takes out the entire fleet with so much ease it kind of brings back all those “how did they just kill Rhaegar like no big deal” feelings.  After she’s destroyed the ships, she starts flying around all of the walls and destroys all of the scorpions all along the outer edges of King’s Landing, and then blasts through the front gate of King’s Landing, completely destroying the Golden Company, who might as well been the Penny Company because they’re worthless.  Jon and Greyworm leads all their troops in and they’re making fast work of all the Lannister troops.  All of this is being intercut with people running afraid all throughout King’s Landing, just trying to be safe.  We see Quebern telling Cersei that she needs to go to a safer place.  She says that The Red Keep will hold, the Iron Fleet will defend the sea, the Golden Company will defend her, the Lannister forces will defend her.  Quebern tells her that they’re all gone.  We then see Daenerys on Drogon and she is just looking at the Red Keep.  From the streets below, she can hear the people screaming for someone to ring the bells.  We also see the bulk of the Lannister forces coming face to face with Jon and Greyworm and throw their swords down.  As the bells star to ring, Daenerys loses it.

(I will say at this point, if things were reversed they would have made more sense.)

Drogon takes off, and we see Daenerys starting to burn all of the city to the ground.  She’s strafing the streets and burning every bit of King’s Landing.  This honestly goes on for about 30 minutes.  We also see Tyrion, Jon and everyone’s reactions to this.  Greyworm takes this as a sign to keep fighting, and throws a spear into the back of a Lannister soldier.  Jon tries to stop their forces and is forced to keep fighting.  Once Daenerys makes her way to the Red Keep, she’s just blasting through towers like nobody’s business.

We catch back up with Jamie, and he’s found a skiff that Davos has gotten placed per Tyrion’s request down at the secret entrance beach to the Red Keep.  He starts heading in when none other than Euron comes splashing up.  Just when you thought you were rid of this skeezball.  Jamie says we need to get Cersei out, and Euron just keeps taunting Jamie.  They fight, and Euron stabs Jamie a couple of times in the chest with his dagger, obviously fatal blows.  Then Jamie gets up and stabs Euron through the gut with a sword, and heads into the Red Keep.  Euron is smiling like a maniac because he’s just happy he’s the man that killed Jamie Lannister.

Cersei, Quebern and her Queen’s Guard start making their way down to a safer part of the Keep.  We see the Hound and Arya in the “map floor courtyard” and the Hound tells her to go home, that only seeking revenge will consume your life, and she needs to go home.  She thanks him, turns, and leaves.  I mean, it doesn’t seem to go in character, but fine.  (If you can’t tell, I had some issues with this episode.  It seems like the world did, but I’m having some in the weeds issues.)  The Hound heads up the same stairwell Cersei and the rest are coming down, and he makes quick work of the Queen’s Guard.  He then makes eye contact with his brother, the Mountain.  Cersei begs him not to leave her side but he looks at her with those dead, red eyes like “I got important business to deal with.”  Then Quebern tries to tell him to stay back, and The Mountain grabs him, smashes his head into the wall and throws him down the stairs like he’s NOTHING.  It was the best, anyway.  Cersei then makes a quick, quiet exit down the stairs.  While she is down there, watching the walls crumbling around her, she sees Jamie.  They embrace, she’s seeing his injuries, he tells her none of that matters, and he’s going to take her away.

Back on the stairs, we see the Mountain and the Hound facing off.  They are clearly fighting as close to an even battle as they can, considering the Mountain is an undead monster that is just as strong as the Hound.  The Hound realizes that he’s not going to win after he stabs the Mountain through the gut, and it doesn’t phase him.  The Mountain lifts the Hound, squishing his eyes in (AWFUL!) and the Hound stabs the Mountain several times in the shoulder, then in the eye.  This makes the Mountain fall back some, and the Hound tackles his brother through the crumbling walls, and they fall to their deaths in a fiery pit.  It was a fitting end for Sandor.  It was as best of a “Clegane bowl” as we could have expected.

Cersei and Jamie head down below the Red Keep where all the dragon skulls were kept, and when they get to the exit Jamie came through, it’s covered in bricks.  Cersei begins sobbing and crying out that she wants their baby to live, she doesn’t want to die, and she doesn’t want to die like this.  Jamie does his best to console her, keeping holding her close, and as the red keep stars collapsing around them, they die together.

We then catch back up with Arya who is running for her life in the burning streets.  People are running for their lives, she is nearly killed over and over again.  She eventually finds people hiding in a home, and she tells them they have to leave or they will die.  A mother and daughter leave with her, and as they are running through the streets, the mother is struck down by a Dothraki rider.  She tries to pull the mother and daughter up, as Drogon is looming in the background.  The mother tells her Arya to take the daughter, the daughter refuses to leave, and Arya escapes a dragon blast.  Arya comes out to see they’ve been burned alive.  Later we see Arya covered in ashes and knocked out, again.  She wakes up and is walking through the burned out city, and she sees a horse standing there.  She walks up to it, calms it, and gets on it and seems to ride away.

After the onslaught is over, we see Davos, Tyrion and Jon all walking through the burned out city.  Tyrion leaves to go check to see if Jamie and Cersei got away, which, he finds them buried in the rubble.  Jon and Davos come across Greyworm, who has some remaining Lannister forces that he is going to execute.  Jon and Davos try to convince him that the war is over, but he executes them anyhow.  Arya sees Jon walking through the forces, and towards a long set of stairs.  Then we see Daenerys flying over on Drogon and the forces all cheer.  Jon continues up the stairs, and we see Daenerys coming up to the top of the stairs to address her forces.  (We also see Drogon’s wings open and appear behind Daenerys and it looks really cool)  She first promotes Greyworm to the Commander of War, everyone rejoices, then she says how they’re going to continue to “liberate” the rest of the world, from Winterfell to Dorne, anywhere and everywhere, and she sounds like a complete tyrant at this point.  Tyrion then walks up beside her and she says to him that he’s betrayed her.  He responds yes, and you killed thousands burning down a city, and he throws down his hand pin.  After he turns and walks away, Daenerys sees Jon, says nothing and walks away.  And Arya, POOF just jumps up out of nowhere and tells Jon that she’s a killer and she’s always going to see him as a threat.

I was pretty sure Tyrion was going to die right then and there, but instead he’s taken and put in a dungeon.  Jon goes to visit him in the dungeon, and they have a long talk, discussing how she’s always been this way, and she’s never been told she was wrong.  She’s killed all the evil men in every city and now she thinks anyone she kills is just another evil ruler.  Jon is really struggling, but finally comes to a decision that he has to make.

Daenerys comes into the destroyed throne room, roof blown away, snow and ash all over the ground, and she looks like a kid at Christmas.  That one thing that she’s sought after her entire life is right there.  She walks up slowly, and puts her hand on the Iron Throne.  She turns around to see Jon coming in behind her.  Daenerys doesn’t look remorseful or anything, she’s elated.  She tells Jon that when she was a girl the thought the throne would be larger.  Jon blasts her about killing all the innocent people, dead children in the streets, and she says she’s building a better world.  She asks him to join her in building a better world.  He tells her that she is his queen, forever and always, they kiss, and…he stabs her.  Right in the heart.

Jon lays her down, and she dies.  He is crying but he had to do it.  She was literally going to burn down the world.  Drogon’s dragon senses were tingling because he flies up, he nudges Daenerys’ body like a dog trying to wake their owner.  It was really devastating, and Drogon cries out and then looks at Jon.  He’s frustrated and angry, but he won’t hurt Jon, so he blasts the Iron Throne!  He destroys the throne in the same way it was created.  Drogon then scoops up Daenerys and flies away with her.

We sort of fast forward a few weeks to see a council set up in the Dragonpit and Greyworm bringing an imprisoned Tyrion out.  The council is made of the Lords of the Realm; Samwell Tarly, a representative of the house Tyrell that no one seems to know, Edmure Tully, Arya, Bran and Sansa Stark, Ser Brienne, Ser Davos, Gendry, and yet two more people that no one knows, Yara Greyjoy, the new prince of Dorne (unnamed), Robyn Arryn, Yohn Royce, and a final person that no one knows.

There is a lot of arguing about what to do with Jon essentially; alliances are torn because they all pledged loyalty to Daenerys and yet Jon killed her.  More importantly they need a ruler.  Edmure Tully stands up and starts giving a speech and Sansa, trying not to laugh, tells him to sit down.  No one else is really standing up and saying anything, but then Tyrion says that what unites everyone are the stories we tell.  “And who else has a better story than Bran the Broken.”

After Tyrion explains how his story is the best, and he is the living memory of the world, everyone is moved and agree that he should be king.  Sansa says that he cannot father children (hey, rude lol) and they agree that is best, so that they will choose the next leader after him.  Sansa agrees that he will be a great king, but she says the North will remain an independent land.  (seems a little selfish but whatever)  Bran agrees to take the crown, and he appoints Tyrion as his hand so that he can use his time to correct the mistakes he’s made.  Offscreen we learn that the determination on Jon’s fate is that he returns to the Night’s Watch.

Tyrion goes to tell Jon, who is clearly broken up and questioning if what he did was right.  Jon says his goodbyes, where he tells Bran he was sorry he wasn’t there when he needed him and Bran says he was exactly where he was supposed to be.  Arya says that she is going West of Westeros.  Sansa is sad Jon has been charged with going back to the Wall, and they all go their ways.  We see Arya on a Stark ship sailing West.  Greyworm and the Unsullied sail for Naath.  Sansa is crowned Queen of the North (and the beading, quilted scales, and embroidery work on her coronation gown, killer.)  Jon goes to the Wall and reunites with Ghost and Tormund.  Jon, Ghost and the Wildlings all head North of the Wall, because there really is no need for the Night’s Watch anymore.

We then see Tyrion in the small council room, straightening up before everyone comes in.  We see Bronn, the new Master of Coin and Lord of Highgarden, Ser Davos, Master of Ships, Ser Brienne, head of the new King’s Guard, Ser Podrick (Yes!) under her command, Samwell is now the Archmaester.  Sam also brings in the updated history of events since Robert Baratheon’s rebellion in a book titled “A Song of Ice and Fire.”  Bran comes in and they address that there is no Master of Whispers or Master of War, but they’ll come up with some names soon.  Drogon was last seen flying east, and they’ll deal with that when the time comes.  The small council then stumbles through their first “long may he reign” send off, and they discuss the day to day business of rebuilding the city and ships, maybe brothels?  Maybe not brothels, maybe work on the sewers first?

And that’s pretty much it.  I’m not mad about the ending itself, I’m more just a little unhappy about the steps that we took to get there, but I guess that doesn’t really matter now.  If you’ve read this whole thing you deserve a gold star or something! 😀  I think I’m more just sad the show ended more than how it ended.  It’s just been such an incredible show to experience for the last decade.  But there will be other shows!  There’s always other shows!

Until next time, happy sewing!