'Game of Thrones': Everything you need to know to catch up before the final season

Ethan Alter
·Senior Writer, Yahoo Entertainment
Updated

The eighth and final season of Game of Thrones will finally declare a victor in the battle for the Iron Throne. But before we rush into the endgame, let’s revisit how this whole bloody affair began. Here are the big things you need to remember before the final season of HBO’s blockbuster series begins. (Watch our video recap above.)

No. 1: There are many competitors in this game

Westeros first fell into chaos with the death of King Robert Baratheon in a hunting accident (although how accidental it was is a matter of fierce debate), which sets off a mad scramble for his royal seat. His wife, Cersei Lannister, wanted to see one of her three children — Joffrey, Myrcella or Tommen — on the throne, but each of them met a violent end. Now, she’s wearing the crown, but has a host of rivals with their own claims.

To begin with, there’s Daenerys Targaryen, the daughter of Aerys II Targaryen, aka the “Mad King,” who Robert overthrew. After being exiled to far-flung Essos, she’s made her way back to Westeros with a mighty army of Unsullied and Dothraki loyal only to her.

There’s also the ambitious Euron Greyjoy, who hails from the Iron Islands. After wresting control of his House away from his niece and nephew, Yara and Theon, he’s decided to align himself with Cersei, who has dangled the possibility of marriage should Euron continue to please her.

Last but not least, is Robert’s illegitimate son, Gendry. While he’s been a minor player in this game so far, his Baratheon heritage carries significant weight. And he’s also rowed his way into the company of another prominent bastard: Jon Snow.

No. 2: Jon Snow has a tangled family tree

Jon Snow and his House Stark siblings grew up believing that he was Ned’s illegitimate son. Until recently only Ned knew the real story: Jon’s real parents were Ned’s sister Lyanna Stark and Daenerys’s older brother, Rhaegar Targaryen — making him the true heir to the Iron Throne. Lyanna and Rhaegar’s love story was doomed from the start, and Ned swore on his sibiling’s deathbed to keep the secret of Jon’s parentage safe, which he did until his own demise.

Later on, Bran learned the family secret during his Three-Eyed Raven time-travel training. Rather than keep this bombshell to himself, he passed it along to Jon’s most trusted friend, Samwell Tarly. Now, Sam has to decide when and how to tell Jon that he’s technically next in line for the Throne. And he’d better make up his mind soon, because Jon is currently in a torrid love affair with his Queen... and aunt.

No. 3: Keeping up with the Starks

Ned and Catelyn’s family once numbered six strong. Now, there are only four. Robb died during the Red Wedding, and Rickon fell during the Battle of the Bastards.

Bran had his own fall, shoved from a Winterfell tower after he discovered that Cersei and Jaime Lannister were more than brother and sister. Now, he’s risen again as the new Three-Eyed Raven.

Arya has a new identity as well: assassin. Armed with her Kill List and an ultra-sharp Needle, she’s a killer who does her best work off the battlefield.

Even though Jon reluctantly accepted House Stark’s old title of King in the North, it’s Sansa who seems better suited to running things in Winterfell. And she knows it, too.

No. 4: Daenerys brought dragons back to Westeros

It’s been a minute — make that more like a couple centuries — since dragons were sighted in Westeros or anywhere in the Known World. But Daenerys has made these mythic creatures real again; Season 1 ended with the hatching of her three dragon children: Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion, who aged into adulthood over the course of the show. Being the Mother of Dragons has been a boon for Daenerys’s bid for the Iron Throne; she’s won the allegiance of Jorah Mormont and Tyrion Lannister among others, and her armies march more boldly knowing their are fire-breathing creatures offering aerial combat support.

No. 5: Forget winter — the White Walkers are coming

All the bickering over who gets to sit on the Iron Throne means little if no one’s left alive to rule. A cold winter wind is sweeping through Westeros from the now-destroyed Wall to King’s Landing, and the Night King and his White Walkers are following behind. This army of the undead doesn’t tire and doesn’t die… unless you’re swinging dragon glass. Oh, and did we mention they have a dragon? Viserion was brought down by the Night King, and now fights for the other team against his mom and brothers. That’s going to make the family reunion extremely awkward.

Game of Thrones premieres on Sunday, April 14 at 9 p.m. on HBO.

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