Just in case you dont have time re-watch seven seasons of Game of Thrones before the upcoming premiere—its only 67 episodes; whats wrong with you?—we here at Vanity Fair will be recapping every single season of the show to make sure key events are fresh in your mind. Since this is a rather daunting undertaking—its 67 episodes; what do you expect of us?!—weve boiled each season down to the essential arc of each surviving main character set to do battle in Season 8.
If you feel a little more ambitious, theres an extra-credit section below with additional information that could be good to remember when the series returns. (Just because a character has died, for instance, that doesnt mean theyre unimportant!) For a more in-depth look at some of the key episodes of Game of Thrones, you can dive into Vanity Fairs list of the 15 most essential episodes of Game of Thrones to re-watch before the final season. But for now, heres Season 6.
You can catch up with other recaps here:
Previously on Game of Thrones Season 7.
Previously on Game of Thrones Season 5.
Essential Information
Cersei Lannister, Queen Regent of Westeros, rocks a page boy haircut and is shut out of her daughter Myrcellas funeral. She uses the undead Mountain, Qyburn, and his network of “little bird” spies to protect herself from being attacked again. She tries, unsuccessfully, to ally with House Tyrell and break the High Sparrows influence over Queen Margaery and King Tommen. She is denied a trial by combat and finally decides to burn them all, exploding a cache of wildfire under the Sept of Baelor—and killing enemies including the High Sparrow, a bunch of Tyrells, and some Lannisters. Her decision inspires her last surviving child, Tommen, to throw himself out a window. Cersei takes the throne in her sons place.
Jaime Lannister, Her Twin Brother, brings his dead daughter back home to Kings Landing, tries, unsuccessfully, to break Margaery Tyrell out of prison and overthrow the High Sparrow, is fired from the Kingsguard, and is sent to take Riverrun back from Catelyn Starks uncle Brynden “The Blackfish” Tully. He does so with the help of Edmure Tully, Bronn, and some Freys. He sees Brienne of Tarth briefly, has an uncomfortable dinner with Walder Frey, and returns again to Kings Landing to discover his sister/lover Cersei has gone off the deep end.
Tyrion Lannister, Her Other Brother, tries to run the city of Meereen after Daenerys disappears on her dragon; watches the Meerenese Fleet burn; unshackles Danys two other dragons; tells some very bad jokes with Missandei and Grey Worm; makes a deal with the Masters of Yunkai, Astapor, and Volantis; creates peace and prosperity in Meereen, which is then quickly placed under siege; and upon her return, he helps Daenerys craft a plan to take out the Slavers. As a reward, he is named Hand of the Queen.
Jon Snow, the Bastard of Winterfell, is dead, then not dead, thanks to a magical haircut. He executes Ser Alliser, Olly, and the other men who stabbed him; he quits his job as Lord Commander, reunites with Sansa, is convinced that he should help her save Rickon from the Boltons, gathers together an army, meets Lady Mormont, marches on Winterfell, fails to save Rickon, almost gets trampled twice (first by a million horses, then by his own men), storms Winterfell with Wun Wun and Tormund, beats the stuffing out of Ramsay, and becomes King in the North.
Bran Stark, the Last Surviving Son of Winterfell, continues his training with the all-seeing Three-Eyed Raven; stays connected for too long to Weirwood Wifi; learns the origin of the Night King; lets the Night King touch him; dooms the Three-eyed Raven, the Children of the Forest, his direwolf, Summer, and Hodor; meets an undead version of his long-lost Uncle Benjen; gets pulled around by Meera; and learns Jons true parentage: he is not Ned Starks bastard but, rather, the son of Neds dead sister, Lyanna.
Arya Stark, His Sister, begins the season blind and begging on the streets of Braavos. She goes to a play about death of her father, Ned, refuses to kill the actress Lady Crane because shes nice, gets stabbed by the Waif, is healed with magical speed by a nap and Lady Cranes soup, gets chased by the Waif, does parkour through Braavos, kills the Waif, tells off Jaqen Hgar, quits her internship, sails back to Westeros, feeds Walder Frey his two worthless sons, then slits his throat and smiles at him.
Sansa Stark, His Other Sister, somehow survives the jump from the embankments of Winterfell, is saved by Brienne, makes it to Castle Black, has a reunion with Jon, confronts Littlefinger, meets Lyanna Mormont, watches Jon almost get crushed to death in the Battle of the Bastards, saves the day by calling in the Knights of the Vale, murders Ramsay with a smile on her face, gets upgraded to the master bedroom in Winterfell, and shares a knowing glance with Littlefinger.
Daenerys Targaryen, the Queen of Dragons, gets abducted by Dothraki and is sent to the temple of the Dosh Khaleen. She burns down the temple of the Dosh Khaleen, leads the whole of the Dothraki back to Meereen, flies around and destroys a slaver ship, makes a deal with the Greyjoys, bids farewell to Daario, names Tyrion her hand, and finally, finally sets sail for Westeros with House Tyrell, some Greyjoy forces, Dorne, the Unsullied, the Dothraki, and three dragons by her side.
The Night King, a Big Scary Blue Guy, invades Brans dreams and then the Three-Eyed Ravens tree. He kills the Three-Eyed Raven and unleashes his army of the undead, who kill Summer the direwolf, some Children of the Forest (including Leaf), and Hodor.
Notable Deaths
Ramsay Bolton, Hodor, Rickon Stark, Margaery Tyrell, King Tommen, Loras Tyrell, the High Sparrow, Doran Martell (and the whole attempt to do Dorne, really), Areo Hotah, Prince Trystane, Roose Bolton, Lady Walda, their unnamed baby, Balon Greyjoy, Alliser Thorne, Olly, Osha, all the Dothraki Khals, Euron Greyjoy (briefly), the Children of the Forest, the direwolves Summer and Shaggydog, the Three-Eyed Raven, Brother Ray and his people, the Blackfish, Lem Lemoncloak, Lady Crane, the Waif, the Wise Masters, Rickon, Wun Wun, Grand Maester Pycelle, Lancel Lannister, Uncle Kevan Lannister, Mace Tyrell, Black Walder and Lothar Frey, Lord Walder Frey, and, in the past, Lyanna Stark.
Defining Cultural Moment(s)
Though Game of Thrones had earned a reputation for impressive battle sequences ever since “Blackwater” dazzled audiences in Season 2, this years “Battle of the Bastards” kicked it up to another level. Director Miguel Sapochnik, already a favorite for his work on the Season 5 stunner “Hardhome,” shot up the ranks of notable Thrones directors, thanks to the clarity with which he managed all those horses, soldiers, and a towering giant. I still say Sansas withholding of information about the backup coming courtesy of Littlefinger makes no sense—but theres no denying that this episode changed Throness reputation from a show with occasional flashes of spectacle to a spectacle show with occasional dialogue-heavy scenes.
Extra Credit
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