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Daenerys Targaryen seated on a horse in the HBO show “Game of Thrones.”

Game of Thrones season 8: episode recaps and reviews, spoilers, news, and analysis

Winter is here.

Contributors: Vox Staff

Winter is coming here: After nearly two years on hiatus, Game of Thrones has finally returned to air its six-episode eighth and final season. When the credits rolled on the season seven finale in August 2017, Avengers: Infinity War hadn’t come out. The Mueller report was still in its infant stages. It feels like a literal lifetime ago.

But now the show is back for one last go-round of subplots, double-crosses, and fake-outs as the Night King marches south and the battle for the Iron Throne continues. Who will ultimately come out on top? Will humanity even survive?

If you need a refresher before you dig in, we’ve got both a recap of what happened in season seven and a list of essential episodes to rewatch, whether you’re looking for important plot points or shock value. Once you’ve started watching, you can find all of our episode reviews and analysis below.

104 Total Updates Since
Aug 30, 2017, 10:00am EDT
  • May 13, 2019

    The evolution of Sansa Stark, explained by her costumes

    By Cheryl Wischhover

    Game of Thrones costume designer Michele Clapton purposely loaded Sansa’s costumes with symbolism.

  • May 13, 2019

    The evolution of Daenerys Targaryen, explained by her costumes

    By Cheryl Wischhover

    Dany is influenced by the cultures and geography of her surroundings and is always ready to escape from wherever she is.

  • May 13, 2019

    The evolution of Game of Thrones’ Cersei Lannister, explained by her costumes

    By Cheryl Wischhover

    Cersei Lannister’s costumes take her from fantasy queen to battle-hardened ruler.

  • May 13, 2019

    How Game of Thrones uses costume design to show power

    By Genevieve Valentine, Gina Barton, and Bridgett Henwood

    Costume design links Sansa Stark and Cersei Lannister — and shows their struggles with authority.

  • May 13, 2019

    4 winners and 10 losers from Game of Thrones’ next-to-last episode, “The Bells”

    By Emily St. James

    There are few winners and many losers in a grim installment that is satisfying until you think about it for a bit.

  • May 13, 2019

    Game of Thrones’ long-awaited Cleganebowl, explained

    By Aja Romano

    Fans have been "hype" for Sandor and Gregor Clegane’s epic final showdown for years. Should they have been?

  • May 13, 2019

    Game of Thrones: does Arya’s “green eyes” prophecy mean she’ll kill Daenerys?

    By Alex Abad-Santos

    Melisandre’s prophecy said Arya would kill someone with green eyes. Everyone thought that meant Cersei …

  • May 13, 2019

    Game of Thrones’ series finale preview teases one final fight

    By Zack Beauchamp

    Spoilers, obviously.

  • May 12, 2019

    Game of Thrones says goodbye to two of its biggest characters, badly

    By Zack Beauchamp

    What the hell was that?

  • May 12, 2019

    Who died in Game of Thrones’ battle of King’s Landing, and who survived: the full list

    By Aja Romano

    As expected, not everyone made it out of "The Bells" alive.

  • May 12, 2019

    Game of Thrones’ dark turn for Daenerys has been long in the making

    By Andrew Prokop

    It’s been frequently foreshadowed, both on the show and in George R.R. Martin’s books.

  • May 10, 2019

    How Cersei’s hired army, the Golden Company, could make or break Game of Thrones’ next battle

    By Aja Romano

    The Golden Company may not have their elephants, but they’ll still be hugely important to Cersei’s impending fight against Daenerys.

  • May 10, 2019

    Why Jaime will definitely kill Cersei on Game of Thrones

    By Aja Romano

    We’re pretty confident that Jaime is riding toward King’s Landing with a very specific mission in mind.

  • May 10, 2019

    Game of Thrones death watch: It doesn’t look good for Jaime, Cersei, or Daenerys 

    By Alex Abad-Santos

    No one at King’s Landing is safe.

  • May 10, 2019

    Game of Thrones still can’t figure out what it wants to say about trauma

    By Emily St. James

    As the finale approaches, a scene between Sansa and the Hound frustrated some fans.

  • May 9, 2019

    Game of Thrones is spending its last hours ruining Daenerys Targaryen

    By Alex Abad-Santos

    For seven seasons, the show has told us how great Dany is. In its final episodes, it’s turning her into a villain.

  • May 8, 2019

    Game of Thrones’ director tried to explain what happened with Ghost. It didn’t help.

    By Aja Romano

    Fans aren’t buying that CGI issues caused Jon Snow to act the way he did.

  • May 7, 2019

    How an errant Starbucks cup became a metaphor for Game of Thrones season 8

    By Aja Romano

    Many fans are upset with the final season. This Starbucks cup is letting them venti their feelings.

  • May 6, 2019

    Why Game of Thrones fans are outraged over the show’s treatment of Ghost

    By Aja Romano

    Jon’s treatment of his loyal direwolf on season 8, episode 4, may be symbolic, but it won him no fans.

  • May 6, 2019

    What happened to the Lannister golden blond hair on Game of Thrones?

    By Cheryl Wischhover

    A song of platinum and auburn.

  • May 6, 2019

    Game of Thrones’ Missandei controversy, explained

    By Aja Romano

    "The Last of the Starks" sacrificed a beloved character to further an alarming plot twist. Not everyone’s on board.

  • May 6, 2019

    The political science of why Game of Thrones’ Daenerys may be a terrible queen

    By Zack Beauchamp

    Targaryens and "personalist" dictatorships.

  • May 6, 2019

    4 winners and 6 losers from Game of Thrones’ disappointing “The Last of the Starks”

    By Emily St. James

    If the show wasn’t giving Jon Snow the winner’s edit before, it sure seems to be doing so now.

  • May 5, 2019

    Game of Thrones’ Mad Queen theory, explained

    By Alex Abad-Santos

    Will Daenerys Targaryen go mad, just like her father before her?

  • May 5, 2019

    Game of Thrones: how Euron Greyjoy evened up Cersei’s war against Daenerys

    By Alex Abad-Santos

    Vulgar seaman Euron Greyjoy provided one of the show’s most shocking moments so far this season.