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Here we go! The final season of the biggest show on the planet is finally here, and a whole load of Game of Thrones characters are definitely, probably, possibly about to meet their maker. Both book author George RR Martin and show runners DB Weiss and David Benioff love a shock death, and with no season 9 to worry about, every major character is fair game for a surprise wipeout over the next couple of months. Game of Thrones season 8 lasts six movie-length episodes, and at the end of it all we’ll finally know who’s won out in the battle for the Iron Throne.
Still, that resolution remains 432 minutes of can’t-miss telly away, and the first priority ahead of the new series is to recap where all key Game of Thrones characters are. Game of Thrones season 7 saw Arya Stark become even more fearless and murdery, Sansa Stark dip deeper into her darker side, and Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow form an alliance in both the political and bedroom sense – with no idea that they’re related. Oops. Here’s how the human chessboard looks ahead of the final season, but don’t expect many of these kings, queens, and pawns to survive until its climax…
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Arya Stark
Current location: Winterfell
After being reunited with her sister, and returning to her family home in season 7, Arya is every inch the assassin. The very first scene of S7 sees her wiping out the entire Frey family, after serving Lord Walder his sons in pie-form at the end of S6. Her revenge is absolute, and only gets sweeter when she slits Littlefinger’s throat at the conclusion of S7, following a smart little ruse with Sansa that led Lord Baelish to believe he could drive a wedge between the Stark girls.
Sansa Stark
Current location: Winterfell
After escaping Winterfell at the end of season 5, then returning to boot out the Boltons in season 6, Sansa has a relatively quiet S7 inside the walls of her home city. When Jon leaves he names Sansa as the Lady of Winterfell, essentially putting her in charge. She reunites with Bran and Arya. Littlefinger attempts to drive a wedge between her and Arya (using the letter Sansa sent in season 1, urging her brother Robb to swear loyalty to Joffrey), but underestimates her smarts, and ends up victim to Arya’s blade.
Jon Snow
Current location: White Harbor
The last season was a big one for Jon Snow, even if he doesn’t know the half of it. After leaving Winterfell in Sansa’s capable hands, he meets Daenerys (finally!) at Dragonstone. The first meeting doesn’t go so well, as Daenerys demands he bends the knee to her, and he refuses. The pair grow closer, though, and explore some caves under the castle.
Jon leads an expedition north of The Wall to try and capture a Wight and bring it to King’s Landing to show what evils the world of men faces. He succeeds, just, but has to be rescued by Daenerys’ dragons, where one of them is killed by the Night King. The season ends with Jon and Dany getting down to sexy business… neither aware that they’re actually related and that Jon is a Targaryen. He’s currently on a ship bound for Winterfell, via White Harbor.
Bran Stark
Current location: Winterfell
In season 7 Bran does what he does best: kinda fuck all. He arrives back in Winterfell, has a handful of visions that fill out Ned Stark’s backstory, and gets given the dagger that was used in the attempt on his life back in season 1. His meeting at the end of the season, with Sam Tarly, confirms that Jon Snow is indeed the son of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen. Basically Bran is now a narrative device, used to plug plotholes ahead of season 8, and he does it well.
Cersei Lannister
Current location: King’s Landing
Cersei has an interesting season 7. It starts with a proposal from Euron Greyjoy, who offers to bring her victory and his fleet in return for marriage, which she accepts in a way that makes it super clear she has no intention of following through. Cersei discovers that the Lannisters are in debt to the Iron Bank, and she sends Jaime to Highgarden to steal the Tyrell’s wealth but… well, Dany crashes that party and defeats Jaime’s army, although he does manage to get all the gold back to King’s Landing.
Cersei uses it to negotiate another loan with the Iron Bank to hire an army of mercenaries from the east (the Golden Company of Braavos), who she’ll use to crush Jon and Dany’s army after they’ve fought the White Walkers. At the end of the season she announces that she’s pregnant, and she tells Jaime that she has no intention of keeping her word with the truce, at which point - horrified - Jaime leaves her.
Jaime Lannister
Current location: On the road from King’s Landing
Jaime is fortunate to be alive at the end of season 7 but, luckily, he’s too handsome to die. After outplaying Dany’s forces and capturing High Garden from the Tyrells, he’s paid back by Lady Olenna, who reveals that she was the one who poisoned Joffrey at his wedding.
Following this, Jaime narrowly escapes death at the hands of Dany’s dragons, and is saved by Bronn. They return to King’s Landing where Jaime meets in secret with Tyrion, who attempts to broker a truce. Jaime takes the deal, as does Cersei, but he later finds out that she fully intends to go back on her word, so Jaime does the right thing for a change, and leaves King’s Landing to… well, likely fight for Jon Snow.
Tyrion Lannister
Current location: White Harbor
As Dany’s Hand, Tyrion is tasked with helping her wage war on Westeros when they arrive at Dragonstone. He’s outplayed by Jaime to start with, until Dany decides to take matters into her own hands. Tyrion then asks Ser Davos to smuggle him into King’s Landing for a secret truce meeting with Jaime, his brother, which he does and the peace talks seem to succeed.
However, at the end of the season - when Jon refuses to swear neutrality in the Great War - and Cersei walks away from the truce, Tyrion attempts to rekindle the alliance once more. He thinks he succeeds but, again, Cersei deceives him.
Daenerys Targaryen
Current location: White Harbor
Season 7 was huge for Daenerys too. She finally, FINALLY, lands her armies on Westeros soil and claims Dragonstone as her own. After being initially outmanoeuvred by the Lannister forces, Dany rides her dragons into battle and defeats Jaime Lannister in battle, wiping out most of her enemies in the process including Randyll and Dickon Tarly.
After wearing some excellent fur coats and flirting with Jon Snow she rides to his rescue north of The Wall, but loses a dragon in the process. After that her and Jon attempt to broker a peace with Cersei but fail, and she ends up in bed with her nephew at the end of the season. That’s Jon, by the way. She’s also currently on a ship bound for Winterfell, via White Harbor.
Theon Greyjoy
Current location: Leaving Dragonstone
After accompanying his sister Yara to pledge allegiance to Daenerys, Theon gets into a sea battle with his Uncle Euron. Paralysed by fear, he abandons his sister to be captured by their uncle, and jumps overboard. He arrives back at Dragonstone where he has an icy reunion with Jon Snow. After accompanying him to the meeting Cersei, Theon learns that Euron plans to execute Yara, so he orders his remaining Ironborn to help him rescue here. Jon forgives him for his crimes, and sends him on his way.
Yara Greyjoy
Current location: King’s Landing, in a dungeon
Tricky season for Yara. After allying with Dany in S6, she’s defeated at sea by a surprise attack from Euron Greyjoy, and is captured. Euron keeps her as a hostage and brings her to King’s Landing. She doesn’t play much of a part in the rest of the season.
Continue to Page 2 for more about the Game of Thrones characters
