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That's it folks. Game of Thrones is done and dusted for another year.
The shortened season seven is in the bag, but we were left with a meaty serving to keep us busy in the offseason.
So join your Westerosi correspondents Pete Marsh and Dan Miller for one final push into endless winter.
Let's dig in.
Not caught up? Previous chats:
**SPOILER WARNING**
These recaps are dark and full of spoilers, so only continue reading if you've caught up on the latest episode of the show.
We won't be spoiling anything from the books if you haven't read them or any production leaks that have found their way onto the internet.
PETE: The motivations might have been as wonky as last week's Battle-O-Rama Dan, but oh boy did I enjoy the finale to this penultimate season.
It was absolutely chock full of awesome interactions between characters, some not-so-surprising reveals (if you've been reading along with us all season) and some really nice work behind the camera to frame it all from director Jeremy Podeswa.
I thought last week's banter beyond the Wall was good, but I think this second serving outside the Dragon Pit was better. There was a real warmth to these interactions that I really enjoyed.
Particularly between Tyrion and Bronn, who you'd think are probably rather happy for each other's success, despite the sides of the war they've ended up on.
DAN: I really did enjoy the back and forth as the Heroes of the Blackwater reunited. Throughout the whole truce talk process they all seemed suitably nervous and wondering which of them were possibly going to die today, regardless of side.
PETE: But of all the reunions we've had this season Dan....WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE CLEGANEBOWL THAT DIDN'T PAY OFF?!
Seven hells we were so close to perfection...
DAN: I know Pete, but The Hound did hint we'd get it eventually! Next season surely. The title bouts will be Jon v Night King, Dany v Cersei, Hound v Mountain. Get your tickets now!
What an entrance by Dany to the truce talks! And spare a thought for Jon in his winter garb (he hasn't been to the south since he was a baby).
It was lovely to see everyone actually give proper thought to the serious threat the undead were, including Cersei, who was much more amazed at the wight than the dragon.
Meanwhile, Qyburn was practically foaming at the mouth for a chance to study the proper reanimation of a corpse as opposed to what he did to The Mountain.
And although the talks were ultimately unsuccessful, Pete, you did get your wish for scene of the undead being dragged under everyone's noses and shown off: 'See! This is what we're fighting!'
With such a big, big world to travel, the Dragon Pit meeting will probably be the only time all major characters and sides in the show will actually meet up. It was fantastic all around to see how our fan favourite characters felt about each other and interacted for the first time.
PETE: I think the next two scenes were some of the best we've had all season. Peter Dinklage and Lena Headey are arguably the strongest performers on the show these days, so to finally have them back in a room together was something else.
More importantly, I almost believed Tyrion was in trouble here and that's in no small part to the way Headey has played Cersei this season.
I thought she'd be just mad enough to do it.
DAN: When Tyrion poured a glass of wine that was conveniently placed in the room I screamed 'Nooo Tyrion don't drink it!' Cersei is a calculating Lannister.
If she was going to be alone in a room with Tyrion she would know for sure that he'd reach for wine. So why not kill him with a slow-acting poison once he's back safely with Dany? Or take him out like Joffrey died if you don't mind the consequences.
I was so very sure that was the end for him......but it appears not. The brotherly/sisterly hate and loathing in this scene was fantastic — a real highlight of the episode. Not since season four have they seen one another.
PETE: The next moment with Jon and Dany was an example of the work the show used to do before committing to massive plot points. Too often we see Emilia Clarke play Daenerys as someone who is "on" the whole time, she's always playing the Queen.
But here the mask came off and we got a peek at vulnerable Dany. It went a long way to convincing me that she was falling for our King in the North.
Unfortunately though, we had to head to Winterfell at some point, where we quickly learned that it's not easy for ravens to fly in these storms. Did you hear that Dan? IT'S TOUGH FOR RAVENS TO FLY IN WINTER. HMMMMMMM.
DAN: Shall I get out the map again from last week's recap? I think they want me to get the map out.
I will forgive them for their dodgy ravens, BUT only because Arya and Sansa made nice.
That ridiculous fight could have gone a whole lot worse. Before I watched the episode I was expecting Sansa to seduce Littlefinger and then stab him to death in his dinky room, before taking off her face to reveal Arya: 'It was me all along!' she'd yell, or some other rubbish.
I can honestly say, for all the problems I've had with the show, Littlefinger's death — frightened, friendless, pleading and crying in a quiet room while being judged by his peers — was SO VERY SATISFYING.
The master manipulator, schemer and backstabber finally ran out of ladder to climb. The man with the silver tongue had his throat cut. I wasn't super in love with the set-up (if Bran knows everything, why were Sansa and Arya fighting at all? Why wasn't Littlefinger offed straight away as soon as Bran turned up to spill the beans?), but the payoff was just as I imagined it would be.
From season one to season seven, Aiden Gillen has been wonderful to watch as one of the most dangerous men in Westeros.
PETE: I'd disagree Dan, but I know I'm probably in the minority here amongst our readers.
I was so sad to see Littlefinger go out like this. I didn't take any satisfaction in his death, not least because the show has now lost another complex, unpredictable character as we roll towards a Goodies V Baddies conclusion.
As Sansa so helpfully laid out for us, Littlefinger was THE master manipulator, and the show just didn't do enough to get me on board with this storyline all season for all those reasons you highlighted above.
On the upside, we got a lovely little plot bomb with the reunion between Sam and Bran. And wasn't Sam ALL OF US after yet another spooky Bran moment?
Thanks to your expertise a few weeks back Dan Bran spelled out what we all know, that Jon is the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. Did they have to make Rhaegar look so much like Viserys though?
Just look at the official art that was used in George R.R. Martin's The World of Ice and Fire. That is a BEAUTIFUL man.
DAN: Yes, I noticed Rhaegar looking exactly like Viserys. Not the same actor is it? (Editor's note: No) Which was not what I imagined but I was just glad we did actually see him. Rhaegar's actions instigated this entire tale, remember. His love for Lyanna started Robert's Rebellion and marched us on this path.
I do feel a bit sad for showrunners Benioff and Weiss (and George RR Martin) that the whole 'Jon is Rhaegar's son and rightful king' has been easy to guess and spread online like wildfire so that there was no surprise at all in what should have been a very impactful moment. Instead, it's signposted to us throughout last season and this season.
The only new bit of information is his actual birth name — Aegon Targaryen. Fitting that he be named after Aegon the Conqueror, uniter of the Seven Kingdoms, considering he may end up doing the same thing.
He would be Aegon VI if he ascended the throne. But strangely he was the second son Rhaegar named Aegon. Jon had an older half-brother at the time of his birth also called Aegon who was killed when Robert took King's Landing.
And steering clear from Winterfell was our old downtrodden friend Theon. It was nice to see him and Jon come together for a moment.
This episode had a lot of those great little asides, not full of massive plot, but just words that needed to be said.
Jon leaving Theon alive after all the people he's killed goes to show you that Jon might be slightly different from Ned after all. He's probably seen too much killing to want to lop off another head.
PETE: Alfie Allen continues to be a massively underrated performer as Theon if you ask me Dan, and this week wasn't any different. Back in King's Landing, we got another Lannister sibling stand-off with a familiar Ser Gregor-sized threat at the end.
I don't want to say I told you so about this Jaime plotline dear readers....but I told you so.
Just about more than anything else this season, I am SO glad to see Jaime steer back to his character's arc in the books after flirting with a split from Cersei for so long. And thanks to that 79-minute run time, we were treated to a quiet moment to appreciate what it means now Jaime has left the city.
Cersei told us earlier that she didn't care about having a Hand who checked her worst impulses, but she did have that in Jaime.
He got her to confront the loss of their children. He convinced her to give Olenna Tyrell a merciful death. And he convinced her to allow this week's all-star meeting to happen. With Jaime out of the city, we're left to see what kind of King's Landing is left behind.
A cold, lonely place. With Cersei left alone, feeding her worst impulses.
DAN: With an episode title like The Dragon and The Wolf, you didn't think we'd end it without seeing Dany and Jon make the beast with two backs did you? Queue Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On as this love boat sails to the chilly north.
These two aren't going to mind the long journey. As far as Game of Thrones sex scenes go, that was a tastefully done scene UNTIL BRAN RUINED IT by narrating that they're aunt and nephew! Eww. Thanks for that Bran.
And can we just mention Tyrion's jealous rival lover glower outside the room. At least that's what it looked like! Oh boy, that, plus whatever he said to make (at least in his mind) Cersei come around to her senses has me P-R-E-T-T-Y suspicious as to his future motives.
PETE: We spoke a bit about magic protections on the Wall earlier in the season Dan. Turns out they just don't matter....just shoot it with your sweet new zombie dragon!
We also got an answer to everyone's "will the dragon shoot ice or fire?" question from last week in a pretty significant and spectacular end to the season.
For the first time, the White Walkers are south of the Wall. It is ON like Donkey Kong.
I'm just glad Tormund made it out alive...I think. While you all were shipping Dany and Jon, I was just looking forward those big beautiful monster Giantsbane-Tarth babies conquering the world.
Final thoughts Dan?
DAN: Can Tormund and his glorious red beard sit on the Iron Throne at the end of the final season? I'd like to see that. He's a fav and I take it as a good sign that we didn't explicitly see him die.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the finale — there were a lot of fantastic little character moments. But it felt a bit lacking in the bloodlust department — only one death of significance, Littlefinger.
I guess when you're still one season away from the ending you can't kill all the interesting characters just yet.
And like with nearly every Game of Thrones season finale, we ended on a menacing dragon. Totally called that btw.
Best quote
DAN: "Remember me? Yeah you do." - The Hound about ready to throw down with his big bro The Mountain.
PETE: "When enough people make false promises, words stop meaning anything. Then there are no more answers only better and better lies" - Jon Snow getting all 2017 up in here.
Bastard moment
DAN: Ooh Sansa this time! Switching from Arya to Littlefinger. "You stand accused of murder, you stand accused of treason. How do you answer these charges? *long pause* Lord Baelish." Drop the mic.
PETE: I can't go past that Cleganebowl tease. My poor hyped-up heart won't be able to take another fake-out. Next time those two meet...there better be a rumble worthy of it.
Who we lost
A wight, a Greyjoy and Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish.
What you missed
Once again we heard Cersei mention the Golden Company this week, a band of mercenaries across the sea that are about to become loyal to the Lannister cause...as long as the gold is good.
The Golden Company has a pretty interesting history. It was founded by a half-Targaryen bastard of King Aegon Targaryen IV, Aegor Rivers — or Bittersteel as he was more commonly known.
Bittersteel had a half-brother, Brynden Rivers, who was also a half-Targaryen bastard. Bittersteel hated his younger half-brother (for reasons we won't go into here), who was known as the Bloodraven because of his penchant for sorcery and greensight. Later...much later...in his life Rivers took on a new name — the Three-Eyed Raven.
TL;DR? the Golden Company, who is being hired by Cersei, was founded by a half-Targaryen. His half-brother would go on to become the Three-Eyed Raven and teach Bran how to be a tree. Got it?
What we missed last episode
Before this week's big Winterfell plot twist, we heard Arya lay a list of Sansa's supposed crimes at her sister's feet. She married a Lannister, she loved Joffrey, she betrayed her own family.
Arya said she would have died before serving a Lannister.
Let's check the receipts shall we?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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