Everything From 'Game Of Thrones' Season 7 You Need To Remember Before The Final Season

By the end of Season 7 of Game of Thrones, Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow are a couple. But some joint-investigative work by Samwell Tarly, Gilly, and Bran Stark throughout the season reveals they’re also relatives.

Sam begins researching ancient tomes while studying at the Citadel in Oldtown, and idle browsing by Gilly reveals Prince Rhaegar Targaryen annulled his marriage so he could wed Lyanna Stark, the sister of Ned whose disappearance kicked off Robert Baratheon’s rebellion. 

After Sam and Gilly make their way to Winterfell, they reconvene with Bran Stark, who uses his time-bending abilities to peer into the past and confirm the series’ central twist: Jon Snow is not the illegitimate son of Ned Stark, but instead the legitimate heir of Rhaegar and Lyanna.

Not only does this make Jon the nephew of Daenerys, but it arguably gives him the strongest claim to the Iron Throne.

To call the final scene in Season 7 of Game of Thrones a cliffhanger would be an understatement. As Tormund Giantsbane and Beric Dondarrion look out from atop the Wall, the Night King appears out of nowhere riding on the back of a resurrected Viserion - and intent on doing the unthinkable.

The Wall - which had stood for thousands of years - begins to crumble under the onslaught of Viserion’s icy-hot breath. As Tormund and Beric dive for cover, an enormous section of the Wall breaks, creating a large enough gap for the army of White Walkers to begin their march into Westeros.

Cersei Lannister isn't truthful when she agrees to a truce with Daenerys Targaryen late in Season 7 of Game of Thrones, but she does take the time to reveal some rather important secrets to her brothers. 

First, Cersei tells Tyrion she's pregnant, presumably with Jaime’s child, in the conversation immediately preceding her acceptance of Daenerys’s terms. It’s not yet known what impact this revelation has on her apparent change of heart nor the effect it may have on Tyrion’s loyalties moving forward.

Later in the season finale, Cersei confesses to Jaime her alliance with Daenerys is nothing more than a sham and she intends to let the White Walkers and Dany’s forces take out one another before swooping in with the Golden Company to grab Westeros for herself.

This betrayal probably sets up the ultimate conflict of Game of Thrones, but it also drives Jaime away from Cersei once and for all as he heads north.

Jon Snow’s appearance at the Dragonpit summit is further complicated by the revelation that he’s already decided to bend the knee to Daenerys Targaryen - pledging his allegiance to her and recognizing her authority as the sole monarch in Westeros, despite his claim as King in the North. He’s not able to consult with his sister, Sansa Stark, before making this decision, and that may lead to tension in Season 8 of Game of Thrones. 

As Jon and Daenerys share a boat ride back to the North, they take their alliance to the next level - by finally acting on their simmering attraction to one another and sharing a passionate romp in Dany’s cabin. The romance between Jon and Daenerys sets up the greatest power couple in all of Westeros, but it also has some darker implications as the plot moves forward, especially given the revelation about Jon's true parentage. 

When Jon Snow takes his team of Westerosi warriors north of the Wall in Season 7 of Game of Thrones, it isn’t long before they find themselves surrounded by the White Walkers and their legion of wights. Fortunately - albeit somewhat unrealistically - Gendry is able to run back to Castle Black in time to summon Daenerys Targaryen and her dragons for a rescue mission. Unfortunately, not all of the crew make it back alive.

Daenerys arrives in the nick of time to evacuate Jon and his crew from a frozen lake where they’ve made their last stand, and her dragons set to work on the army of Others. The Night King, however, seems to have prepared for this, as he readies an ice-spear, takes aim, and slays Viserion with one blow. Daenerys, Jon, and the rest escape on dragonback as Viserion falls into the lake.

The final scenes of “Beyond the Wall” take the tragedy of Viserion’s passing and double-down on it. As the White Walker’s zombie foot soldiers drag Viserion out of the frozen lake, the Night King approaches and lays his supernatural hand upon the beast, employing the same form of magic previously used to reanimate hordes of Wildlings and giants.

Viserion opens its eye, which is now blue, a tell-tale sign of being under the thrall of the Night King. It’s a turn of events that works out so well for the White Walkers that many have theorized they somehow planned it all along. With the Night King now in possession of an ice dragon - a creature of legend even within the magical history of A Song of Ice and Fire - the entire continent of Westeros has come under peril entering the final season of Game of Thrones.