Try not to cry as the Game of Thrones cast says goodbye and thank you to fans

Our watch is ended, as Game of Thrones season 8 came to an end last night in a spectacularly surprising finale. No matter what you thought of the conclusion, there's no denying that the past eight seasons of the show have been an incredible ride. In a nice nod to the fan support Game of Thrones has received since it started, HBO released a video with some of its biggest stars thanking viewers for sticking with them. If you haven't seen the finale episode - seriously? - then the video itself is spoiler-free, but this article isn't. 

"Thank you to all the people I don't know," says Emilia Clarke, who went on her own emotional journey with Daenerys' ending. She continues with tears in her eyes. 

"The fans have given me an identity that I didn't have."

Isaac Hempstead Wright, Maisie Williams, Sophie Turner, John Bradley, and Kristofer Hivju all make appearances too, but the one from Gwendoline Christie, AKA Brienne of Tarth, is especially moving. 

"I never expected people to like Brienne of Tarth," she admits. "I was certainly prepared for people not to." Honestly, if anyone wants to say a bad word about Brienne, I will fight them. Girl spends the whole damn time being noble, gets dumped for a total bitch, and then her final scene is editing Jaime Lannister's Wikipedia page? I just can't.

And don't worry if you can feel yourself sliding into Game of Thrones withdrawal as you read this - at least we have the Game of Thrones prequel to look forward to. 

Drank too much mead while you were watching last night? Check out our Game of Thrones season 8 review and watch our handy recap video below.