After seven episodes spanning all Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, Game of Thrones‘ penultimate series is over and boy, did it go out with a bang.
Sunday’s super-sized season finale, aptly titled “The Dragon and the Wolf,” also made history in the ratings department, after becoming the show’s most-watched episode with a total viewership in excess of 16 million. But it’s really the events that transpired within season 7’s swan song – from Jon and Dany’s maritime love scene to the Night King laying siege to Eastwatch – that will have viewers engaging in heated debate right up until the moment when Game of Thrones season 8 premieres in 2019.
That tentative release window is yet to be determined, but with filming due to commence this October, coupled with the promise of feature-length instalments, one would assume that Thrones‘ last hurrah won’t be ready in time for a summer 2018 release.
But in order to make that prolonged hiatus that little bit more bearable, another rendition of HBO’s ‘Inside the Episode’ has emerged online, in which you’ll find series showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss delivering a play-by-play breakdown of “The Dragon and the Wolf.” It’s naturally riddled with spoilers, so don’t say we didn’t warn you.
From Cersei’s unborn child (?) to Jon’s true parentage (spoilers: he’s actually Aegon Targaryen, the rightful heir to the Iron Throne), above you’ll see the Game of Thrones showrunners cover all bases, eventually concluding with a detailed overview of the Night King’s assault on Eastwatch.
Armed with the resurrected Viserion, Westeros’ eerily silent grim reaper brings down a portion of the Wall in spectacular fashion, thereby allowing his undead army to flood into Westeros. It’s a shocking moment that neatly tees up the events of the show’s final season, which is expected to stretch for six episodes in total.
Speaking of which, the eighth and final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones will likely be with us in 2019. Buckle up, folks, we’re in it for the long haul.