Jon remembers the events of Hardhome, and how wights can be raised by the Night King at any time; he decides not to shelter people in the crypts. Everyone who can’t fight is put in a top tower, with roof access in case evacuation / suicide jumps must be made (Sansa’s idea, after jumping off herself).
At the last minute, Sam hides with Gilly and Sam Jr, and a couple of people Gilly has befriended, in the crypts. He’s read something about the Old Kings being buried with iron, because it stops the dead rising, and the crypt having an iron door so they can’t destroy it. Unfortunately, Sam can’t move everyone out of the top tower and undermine Jon’s orders, but he thinks his family will be just as safe, or safer, in the crypt.
The battle for Winterfell goes poorly. Jaime and Brienne die together on the field, taking down a Walker general. Grey Worm dies with his men, defending the trench, overrun by motherfuckin’ spiders big as hounds. Rhaegal gets a belly injury and lands on the battlements; Jon jumps off to check the wound but Rhaegal flies off. The Mormonts fight the wight giant at the gate, with Lyanna dealing the death blow, but they are both then swarmed by wights. Sandor, Davos and Gendry get lost in the darkness and chaos, their fates unknown.
Dany stays in the air on Drogon the whole time because that’s the only way she’s useful. She is giving cover fire, dodging ice spears, and then they fight the wight Viserion, knocking off the NK. Drogon, being the bigger dragon, eventually rips the wight’s head off. Dany is crying because she’s basically having to kill her child. Drogon tries barbecuing the Night King to no avail.
It comes down to the Godswood again, although not so many wights have overrun the fort yet. The Night King and Bran staring contest is interrupted by Jon stumbling in and attacking NK. Arya comes in with some of the last Winterfell soldiers, take out a couple of Walker generals and stops the NK death blow at Jon, but then they’re backed against the wall. Because he likes doing it, NK raises everyone in the clearing and steps back to let the wights close in.
Rhaegal flies in, perches on the wall, crisps up many of wights, burns the Godswood a lot, snatches up Jon and Arya, and takes off. Bran is in the NK clutches. Wights swarm… and carry him off alive.
Wights are breaking down the door of the top tower. Dany lands on the roof and collects Sansa, Missandei and Tyrion. Varys and several women die defending the retreat with chairs and ornaments. Dany and Sansa have a bonding moment escaping on dragon-back, Sansa clinging to Dany.
The two dragons – one carrying Jon and Arya, the other carrying Dany, Sansa, Tyrion, Missandei, and a couple of mothers and kids – set down at the empty Moat Cailin. The dragons are too hurt to fly all the way to Dragonstone or the Iron Islands right now.
The undead army moves through Winterfell, killing everybody they can find. Sam and fam survive because they’re hiding in the crypts, protected by ancient magic.
Holy shit, everyone is so sad. Hugs, mourning…but no petty infighting right now because gods that’s boring. Everyone is aware that the army of the dead is coming from the north and Cersei’s murderousness is to the south. Shit. What do.
Sam and fam in the crypt aren’t sure it’s all over. They hear the door being hammered on and Sam thinks my time to shine, goes to fight, only for Hound, Gendry and Davos to stumble in. Wights are around outside, so they have to get out of Winterfell another way. The party go deeper into the crypts and find the secret passage that Bran and Rickon escaped through all those years ago. They flee into the wilderness and head south. Ghost – yay, not dead! – is following them at a distance.
Bran is being carried along south. The Night King touches his skin and uses him like an eightball, getting vague information about human movements through Bran’s three-eyed-raven mind. Imagine a sort of dreamy vision battle, and Bran’s eyes glow slightly blue as he fights back the mental invasion. Bran can see into NK as well, and we get the tiniest glimpse of a world dead and cold, just like Dany’s vision of the throne room, all humans gone, like the Children of the Forest intended NK to achieve. When NK isn’t paying attention during army transit, Bran is warging off and on desperately – into (undisclosed) wolves, into Gods trees, into ravens, sending out SOS.
Sam, Davos, Gendry, Hound and the band of nonfighters are camping, and they’re freezing. They have virtually no supplies other than what Gilly and the couple of other civilians thought to grab before the battle. The women sing a comforting song…which is lovely, till they realise it had been covering the sound of wights approaching. Not a huge amount, just a band that’s been sent out to tidy up any Winterfell stragglers. The party beat them away, but one or two civilians die and Davos is stabbed defending Sam Jr (he couldn’t save his own son but he could save this one! Aw.) They realise there’s sure to be more groups around. They put out the fire.
Yara, sitting on the Iron Islands, has heard nothing and is worried. She sends a sneaky party off, to scout out if Winterfell is totally fucked.
Cersei hears a report that dragons have been spotted further south than Winterfell and assumes the North are marching to attack. She mobilises all her forces.
Jon, Dany and co. discuss the reality of their only chance of survival lying in joining the southern army. Cersei would murder them all, so the only way forward is to kill her and take over her army for a final stand against the NK. They hear something in another wing of the castle and investigate, to find some terrified commoners who didn’t go with the surge of refugees to Kings Landing. They share supplies with the party (who really needed them) and Sansa comforts them that all is not lost.
Dany and Jon have a conversation about ruling. Jon, who is getting more and more withdrawn, says he doesn’t want to contest her claim for rule – he says he can’t fathom being such a leader when he feels more ghostly and empty the more time passes. Dany argues the importance of him keeping the Targaryen line going, because she’s barren, but he doesn’t promise anything. They sort of agree they can’t stay lovers but they’re both miserable about it. Jon is more disturbed about the aunt thing than she is (Targs are traditionally incestuous after all). He doesn’t feel as concerned about dynasties as he does about his loved ones surviving. They both leave the conversation upset.
Arya shows Sansa some stabby moves. As they train, they chat about Arya banging Gendry. It’s a weird bonding moment; Sansa has no experience of consensual banging. Then Arya tells Sansa Gendry is Baratheon. Sansa speculates. If Gendry isn’t dead… The best way to keep her family safe and in power, after all, could be a Baratheon king who loves a Stark. Arya is uncomfortable with this idea, staying silent.
It’s morning with Sam and co., and poor Davos has bled out overnight. A mother and child have died of cold. Gendry is particularly upset about Davos, who saved him from Melisandre. The group move on, devastated.
Tyrion comforts Missandei, who’s mourning Grey Worm, as they hang out on the roof of Moat Cailin. They are looking out for the return of the dragons, who have gone to hunt. They see the undead fog rising in the far distance.
Evacuate! Everyone’s scrabbling to collect their stuff and get out of the castle. There are no dragons to be seen yet, so the party are panicking. As they’re fleeing out the southern end, Rhaegal finally appears and Jon rides him to destroy the moats and light up some of the marsh, hopefully slowing down the NK advance.
The party are now sandwiched between the NK army and the Twins, currently held by Lannisters. Not good. They head towards the coast, hoping to get to the Iron Islands. Because they’ve picked up so many civilians, fleeing with everyone on dragons is not really an option now. Jon flies ahead to ask Yara for assistance.
Sam, Gendry, Hound and co. watch from a distance as the army of the dead halt to wait for Moat Cailin to stop burning. They despair about crossing the marshes, but there’s no other choice. They make their way in, children having to be carried at points because the adults are sinking to their waists in mud, there’s fog and smoke, and it’s creepy and scary… Then a raven lands on Ghost and screeches till it’s noticed. Ghost doesn’t shake it off. Sam realises this weirdness and sees its eyes flick between milk white and normal. They take the gamble and follow it. It shows a path where the mud is slightly less deep, and their progress speeds up, but it still takes a long time and they’re exhausted.
Two of Yara’s scouts find Dany and co. They escort them towards the coast. Dany keeps looking around for dragons.
Jon is with Yara as they send boats from Pike towards the Westeros coast. Yara comments on his exhaustion and general…greyishness. Jon takes off on Rhaegal with the boats.
Bronn, who has been riding north as reluctant assassin, is slightly north of the Twins when he comes across Drogon, who’s fighting an infection in his wing (ooooooooh just like Drogo what a tie-in ahhh). He is still lucid, and burning the landscape around him in a sulk. Bronn gives the dragon a wide berth and keeps riding.
Sam, Gendry, Hound and co have made it to the other side, and are resting, when they see the dead begin to move through Moat Cailin. They won’t be able to run much longer; they are utterly exhausted. They hide in the nearby woodlands, but not very well. The first wight scouts approach. Sam says his goodbyes to Gilly and Sam Jr. Hound and Gendry and Ghost stand to defend to the last. They hear rustling and galloping, and suddenly 20+ wolves come through and tear the scout wights silently to pieces. Nymeria and Ghost greet one another. She was sent by Bran.
(Bran is pulling out all stops to preserve Sam Jr because he’ll be taught everything Maester Sam knows and become the writer of ASoIAF: Bran believes in the utmost importance of humanity’s ‘memory’.)
Back with Dany and co, Tyrion is taking a piss alone in the woods when we hear the creak of wood. He turns to see Bronn, and they stare for a while, and then Bronn lowers the crossbow. Tyrion asks him to come with them, but Bronn wants to stay with the ‘winning side’. Tyrion gives Bronn his Hand brooch as ‘proof’ to Cersei that Bronn killed him (also signalling his shifting relationship with Dany) so that Bronn won’t be killed for coming back empty handed.
Dany and co. are picked up at the coast. She jumps on Rhaegal with Jon to go find Drogon. Everyone else is evacuated to the safety of the Iron Islands.
They find Drogon and Dany climbs on to ride him (grounded) to the coast, with Rhaegal providing cover fire for them. As he’s flying overhead, Jon spots a party of humans and wolves in the distance. He thinks it’s wights, and swoops in to destroy them, and then recognises the white wolf at the front.
The last shot is of huge armies of the Golden Company and Euron’s soldiers established between Kings Landing, facing towards Riverrun. Euron is with them to lead his men. Cersei has instructed someone to kill him quietly if he does not fall in battle.
Everyone is reunited at the Iron Islands. A week or so has passed and they’ve all been brought back from the brink of exhaustion (and the army of the dead has had time to march all the way south).
Sam is using his book-learnin’ to try and patch up Drogon. Arya, Tyrion, Gendry, Jon, and Sandor plan to sneak into Kings Landing as the final battle begins, kill Cersei without the notice of the Golden Company or Euron so they don’t desert the fight, and then somehow get close enough to the NK to kill him and bring down the whole undead army. Phew. It’s generally regarded as a suicide mission.
Sansa asks Tyrion not to go, but he insists he has the best knowledge of the many secret KL passageways.
Arya and Sansa give Jon a warm, sad send off. Everyone else thinks about their dead family and mates for a minute. Jon kisses Dany’s forehead, which Sansa takes note of. Arya and Gendry get a good snog in.
Rhaegal flies the party to the coast, dinghy in his claws, and sets them down. They sneak in the tiny canal entry revealed at the Battle of the Blackwater. The party fight their way as quietly as they can to Cersei’s chambers—then Tyrion hides, Gendry and Jon fight off waves of guards in the corridors, and Arya and Sandor enter to find the queen.
She’s blind drunk and sassier than ever, and cocky, because Ser Gregor is with her. Sandor attacks Ser Gregor (Cleganebowl, yay!) and Arya tries to kill Cersei, but Ser Gregor is able to beat them both back with size, strength and unnatural speed. Cersei, who thinks Tyrion is long dead, doesn’t notice till the last moment that Tyrion is there too and has sneaked around the fuss, and he strangles her (valonquar eeee! and an echo of him strangling Shae). When Cersei dies, Ser Gregor stops fighting and stands neutral, zombie with no purpose. Tyrion is unhappy and traumatised, and can’t fight anyway, so he stays with her body while the others leave to join the fight.
The fight against the undead army begins outside. The Golden Company are thoroughly spooked. It’s not going well for the living.
Jon and Gendry find themselves standing in the Iron Throne room. There’s a moment where they’re both looking at it. Jon doesn’t know about Gendry’s claim, but they both have one, and they’re both considering whether they want it. There’s a commotion in the hall and they turn to fight; Gendry stepping slightly towards the throne, Jon slightly away from it. Arya and Hound burst in behind them and they all fight a few more guards before retreating the sneaky way out. Through a tower window, Ayra sees some wights climbing over the battlements of Kings Landing. Ah, shit.
The NK turns to use Bran as an eightball again. Desperate to not give away the good-guy plan, Bran looks for any distraction. Dany on Drogon, with Rhaegal in tow, are soaring overhead to attack and Bran wargs into Rhaegal. To Dany’s shock, Rhaegal swoops away and goes to harass the Night King.
Drogon lays down channels of fire along the Kings Landing walls, trying to save the millions of civilians inside.
The Golden Company are like “fuck this, not for any amount of money” and have begun to scatter.
Arya and co were expecting to be picked up by Rhaegal, but now he’s busy and they have to make an escape over the wall instead. The Kings Landing soldiers are too distracted to recognise them and too amazed by the dragon that’s apparently come to help them. They would have received orders to kill any dragons they saw, but they’re not about to do that now when Drogon is helping quell the wave of undead.
A couple of wights have gotten into the streets of Kings Landing, and they’re chasing screaming civilians.
The Cersei assassin company circle the conflict to get to the NK. Drogon comes over to burn wights, Rhaegal burns wights, and everyone is focused on this one purpose of clearing a path and getting to the NK. The NK Generals put themselves in the way, and are defeated one by one. Rhaegal is speared and dies. Drogon is speared and dies, and Dany is hurt in the fall and dies with him, hugging his face. Jon sees this and resigns himself.
They are finally at the NK. Jon throws himself at the NK, and they fight closely, but the NK stabs him through the chest.
Suddenly, there’s a huge explosion from Kings Landing. Cersei had given instructions that, if wights breached the wall, the reserves of dragonfire must be used to burn them before they can reach her. Massive plumes of green fire bulge up into the sky. The NK, still with Jon on his sword, turns to look, distracted for the briefest moment.
Arya stabs the NK in the back.
The NK shatters and Arya holds Jon as he dies (he looks slightly relieved, to be honest) and fire rages in the city.
The army of the dead disintegrate. Green light bathes everything and there are distant screams of Kings Landing civilians. Tyrion watches from Cersei’s room, grief stricken.
The last of the Golden Company and Kings Landing soldiers are standing around, barely comprehending WTF just happened.
Sandor, Arya, and Gendry are alive. Sandor picks up Jon’s body, Gendry picks up Dany’s, and they move towards Kings Landing.
Missandei lands on Naath, smiling and crying.
It’s a week or so after the battle and Sam has been made Grand Maester, and is nervously bumbling around a room in Kings Landing. Gilly and Sam Jr help him get organised with books and robes.
Clean-up efforts are being made around the city. A smattering of winter refugees are coming through the Kings Landing Gates. Sansa is with Sandor in one of the main squares: she’s commanding officers, delegating duties and guiding the storage and distribution of food. They leave to go to the anointing ceremony. Snow is falling thickly, piling on everything.
We follow Sam into the throne room, where he crowns Gendry Baratheon. Arya is not by Gendry’s side like a wife, but exchanges proud smirks with him from the side gallery. Sandor looks like an annoyed dad about their heart-eyes. Tyrion and Sansa watch from the other side of the room, implied to have taken up the role of the wise, sad advisors. Bronn stands with Tyrion, maybe mentions a castle. Tyrion praises her leadership abilities and implies KL needs her, but Sansa says she wants to return to the north and rebuild Winterfell when winter begins to fade.
There’s a pan through the ruined city and all the activity. We see a fresco in the main street being chiselled from the rock: Jon and Dany and their dragons, kicking ass, in the art style of the narrative sun circlets(?) from the credits. Snow is everywhere. People are shivering. The poor are still poor. Pomp and ceremony continues, and they don’t much care: they’re worried about the winter.
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