Game of Thrones 8x01 'Winterfell' TV TALK

I'm so excited it's finally here!!!!!
This is the final season of GoT and it's gonna be epic and I'll have all the feelings. As far as episodes go, this one could be seen as a little uneventful but I think it was necessary. This show deals with so many characters and settings and subplots and we needed this episode to catch up with all the characters, reunite people who haven't seen each other in years and nicely set up things for the rest of the series. And, personally, I love character reunions and I've been waiting patiently for so long so I was super happy with this tamer episode.

TV TALKS:

Season 1:  1x01  |  1x02  |  1x03  |  1x04  |  1x05  |  1x06  |  1x07  |  1x08  |  1x09  |  1x10

Season 2:  2x01  |  2x02  |  2x03  |  2x04  |  2x05  |  2x06  |  2x07  |  2x08  |  2x09  |  2x10

Season 3:  3x01  |  3x02  |  3x03  |  3x04  |  3x05  |  3x06  |  3x07  |  3x08  |  3x09  |  3x10

Season 4:  4x01  |  4x02  |  4x03  |  4x04  |  4x05  |  4x06  |  4x07  |  4x08  |  4x09  |  4x10
Season 5:  5x01  |  5x02  |  5x03  |  5x04  |  5x05  |  5x06  |  5x07  |  5x08  |  5x09  |  5x10
Season 6:  6x01  |  6x02  |  6x03  |  6x04  |  6x05  |  6x06  |  6x07  |  6x08  |  6x09  |  6x10
Season 7:  7x01

SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD

Winterfell
We started at Winterfell and wasn't this just the episode of never-ending reunions? I'm not complaining- I loved every second. Dany, Jon, the dragons and armies march into Winterfell and I was so excited- it was a sight to behold and I don't think I stopped smiling- which is funny because Daenerys smiled a whole lot throughout this episode! I swear, she smiled more in just this episode than she has in all the previous series put together!

There's some immediate tension when it comes to the Northerners and Daenerys which I think is fair. Sansa is super wary and not-at-all-subtly questioning Jon's decisions to bend the knee and, to my delight, Lyanna Mormont didn't hesitate to challenge Jon in front of everyone as well... honestly, if Lyanna Mormont ends up on the Iron Throne, I wouldn't be surprised or disappointed.
Jon quickly reunites with Bran which was... meh- which also happens to explain every single scene Bran is in because he's a robot. But Jon's reunion with Arya... that's what we've all been waiting for since season 1! And it was lovely! I like how they showed each other their swords, mirroring their interaction back in 1x01 and I also love how Arya was defending Sansa. She warns Jon to keep his true family in mind and I think she'll definitely be the Stark to get through to Jon the most.
We also had Arya reunite with both the Hound and Gendry and... I had mixed feelings. I was really looking forward to Arya and the Hound coming face-to-face again but the whole thing was very rushed and unsentimental. And yes, neither of them are remotely affectionate characters but... a little more happiness or pride from either of them would've been nice.
And then there's Gendry. I used to like Gendry and I even used to ship Arya and Gendry. Now? I'm not a fan. Arya and Gendry flirted like hell and I didn't like it! Too little, too late! They had their chance as a couple and now I really hope Arya ends up alone because she doesn't need anyone tying her down or becoming her weakness!!
Another reunion I really loved was Sansa and Tyrion- the two smartest characters in the show! I love how impressed Tyrion is of how far Sansa's come and how most of the people who have ever underestimated her are dead... damn straight. Sansa essentially calls Tyrion an idiot for believing Cersei would ever send armies to fight for them and I was so happy because why hasn't anyone else come to that conclusion?!?!? Is Sansa the only one in this series leading with logic inside of blind hope?!
We briefly pause the episode for a little romantic interlude and magic carpet ride with Dany and Jon. Daenerys rides Drogon like always and Jon rides Rhaegal which is really nice considering his true father was Rhaegar Targaryen. The fact that the dragons let Jon anywhere near them is a huge hint that Jon is a Targaryen but, you know what they say... Jon Snow really does know nothing.

Later on, Daenerys and Jorah go to meet Sam and thank him for saving Jorah's life and it was a sweet moment... until everything went downhill. Dany admits that she killed his father and brother because they refused to bend the knee and John Bradley did some of his best acting in this scene because the way he tried to smother his crying and deal with that information... it was so raw and painful and beautiful. It was a great scene.
After that, Sam goes straight to Jon and reveals that he's Aegon Targaryen, the true heir to the Iron Throne. At this point, I can totally see Jon ignoring this and pretending he doesn't know because it's such a gamble as to how Dany will react. She'll either try to marry him or murder him... let's flip a coin to find out.
And, by the end, Jaime shows up and has a staring content with a smug-looking Bran which was very entertaining. I completely forgot to consider how this interaction will go and now I'm beyond excited!

King's Landing
In King's Landing, Cersei enlists Bronn to go and kill Jaime and Tyrion and... I think that's a major mistake on her part- why pick someone who has close ties to both Tyrion and Jaime and would maybe hesitate to kill them? I don't care how much Bronn likes money, I don't think he'll be able to do it in the end. Why didn't Cersei just chose someone completely objective when it comes to such a crucial task... unless she doesn't actually want them dead but wants everyone to think she has no weakness and to make them fear her and think she's gunning to kill her brothers...
I also like how we get a quick little update on how Eddie is doing (you know... Ed Sheeran's character? How could anyone forget?) but it doesn't sound like he's doing so good... poor Ed should'a stuck to singing about lego houses.

Euron brings the Golden Company to King's Landing and then... has some sexy time with Cersei. I'll be honest, I didn't think Cersei would seriously stoop so low but, I suppose, with Jaime gone, beggars can't be choosers.
Meanwhile, Theon rescues Yara and... it was a little rushed but I'm not too bothered. If I actually liked Theon as a character and cared about his redemption arc, maybe I'd feel a little cheated but.... I still hate his guts and don't care about him at all. Yara, on the other hand, I love and I'm so happy she's back and providing Dany with a retreat at the Iron Islands in case things go bad (which they most definitely will).

The Last Hearth
Let me just say that I'm so inexplicably happy that Tormund is still alive because I think he's awesome and 100% on board with him and Brienne getting together and having babies... move aside, Jaime Lannister- Tormund is here to stay.

We see Tormund and Beric Dondarion searching the abandoned Last Hearth and they soon bump into more of the Castle Watch boys. They discover poor little child Umber pinned to a wall and going all crazy white walker which scared the hell out of me!
I think it'll be interesting to see how Tormund and his group contribute to the Battle of Winterfell because they're behind the Night King's forces so can kind of attack from behind but... there's not exactly many of them to do much damage. And the Night King has to be aware they're on his trail if he left the Umber boy as a message...

So many questions!!!

This was such an amazing episode (which hardly surprised me) and I have no doubt each episode will get better and better... and I don't even think I'm prepared for that.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment your thoughts. Stay amazing!
Chloe