Game of Thrones has been delighting and horrifying us with its story of would-be kings and queens vying for power in a world full of people too ignorant to understand that everything that all of their petty squabbling had the potential to doom the entire world. Now, though, it’s all coming to an end, and a new ruler will soon sit on the Iron Throne.
In response to Cersei’s refusal to bend the knee and her savage murder of Missandei, Daenerys responded in Game of Thrones’ penultimate episode by climbing onto her remaining dragon and descending upon Kings Landing to rain down fiery vengeance the way we’ve been waiting for her to do all season. The move came just as it seemed as if Cersei’s forces were going to call it a day and relinquish power peacefully. But it was also at a time when the truth about Jon Snow’s parentage was beginning to become known by more people throughout Westeros, necessitating the dragon queen to take drastic measures to ensure that people recognized (and feared) her power, and so she incinerated her more visible opponent to make a statement.
Now that Daenerys has almost entirely destroyed the city and killed tons of innocent people, though, there’s still the business of actually getting onto the Throne and officially taking hold of the country’s seat of power which, one imagines, is going to be rather complicated even now.
Here’s our look at the series finale of HBO’s Game of Thrones...
Game of Thrones’ final episode airs this Sunday, May 19. Are you planning any watch parties to celebrate the end of an era?
For more, make sure you’re following us on our new Instagram @io9dotcom.