Families can be complicated, even when you’re not sleeping with your relatives. But when “the snows fall and the white winds blow,” Sansa told Arya, quoting their father, “the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives.”
Jon and Dany finally meet, sparking a battle of royal titles. And it’s payback time for the murders of Joffrey and Myrcella. Bonus: Bran shows us how creepy he can be. (Is he watching all of the show’s sex scenes?) Read our recap ➵
For spectacular action scenes both large (Dany, Drogon and the Dothraki taking on the Lannister loot train) and small (Arya sparring with Brienne). Also, what is wrong with Bran?! Poor Meera. Read our recap ➵
Remember how thrilling it seemed the first time our magnificent-seven raiding party risked everything to bring back proof of the wights for Cersei? Good times. Now revisit the despair of learning that their losses were for naught. Cry for Thoros. Cry for Viserion. Cry, cry. Read our recap ➵
Try to stir up some hope for the dragon-pit summit – a chance for the best people of Westeros to come together for the sake of humanity’s survival, even if the effort might be doomed and Viserion can still make short work of the Wall. Plus: Stark powers activate! Goodbye, Littlefinger. Read our recap ➵
Powerful women have come to the fore. But one character’s trajectory seems to be the exception to the feminist revolution remaking this story. Meanwhile, The North, led by the excellent Lady Mormont, is finally rallying around Jon. “The blood of Ned Stark runs through his veins,” Lady Mormont said. Yeah… about that…
Visit Winterfell in happier days, when Hodor could speak. Take a deep breath and exhale with Jon when he comes back (as he always does). Plus: It’s kin-slaying time in Winterfell and the Iron Islands. Read our recap ➵
Because Bran’s vision quests into the past take their toll and Hodor pays the price. (Or did he pay it long ago? Time travel is so confusing!) Bonus: Welcome a new villain, Euron Greyjoy, who promises to be more fun than Ramsay. Read our recap ➵
It’s time to take back Winterfell (and yell at Rickon to zig-zag). Smile along with Sansa when Ramsay provides one last meal for his beloved dogs. Read our recap ➵
Cersei has a blast wiping out her enemies and claiming the throne in a sequence with unforgettable sounds and visions. Also, R+L=J confirmed. Have a little Frey pie? Read our recap ➵
We asked readers how and when they started watching “Game of Thrones.” Thank you to everyone who wrote in: We love hearing about your “Thrones” obsessions. Here’s a small selection of reader memories, lightly edited for clarity.
‘A Bonding Thing’
My son Ben, then 16, wanted me to watch “Game of Thrones” with him when it first started. I thought it was about a video game. We had watched “The Tudors” together, with me covering his eyes for the naked parts. I made a plot diagram of the first book, which my son thought was quaint. “You know, Mom, they have those on the internet.” He’s 23 now. It’s been a bonding thing for us.
—Miriam Louise Fisher, Fulton, Md.
I watched all of Season 1 with my wife in one day … the day after Super Bowl 46. I’m a Ravens fan, and the Ravens had just lost the AFC Championship in brutal fashion, and in order to get myself through the big game, I drank myself stupid with a friend. Needless to say, my wife and I called out sick on Monday and said, “Let’s try this ‘Game of Thrones’ show.” Ten hours and two food deliveries later, we were done with Season 1.
—Ben Livingston, Columbia, Md.
A Presidential Pardon
I kept seeing references to “Game of Thrones” and whether Jon Snow was alive or dead. Then, I read that Barack Obama had approached somebody affiliated with the show at a Hollywood fundraiser and asked them about Snow. So, that did it. I decided to find out what the fuss was about. I ordered the Season 1 DVDs from Netflix, and soon my husband and I were binge watching. I finally gave in and subscribed to HBO for Season 7, something I had avoided for years and years. Sigh. Now, I’ve read all the books and own a large book of maps of Westeros.
—Katherine Benson, Rome, Ga.
Shame of ‘Thrones’
I started watching it during Season 4 because my friends were raving about the gorgeous scenery from Iceland and Croatia. We are in our late 50s, long past our days of unicorns and princesses. Reluctantly, I started watching. Overall, I was terribly alarmed by the universe of moral ambivalence. It seemed like such a vivid parallel for today’s world. Now the show has become a ridiculous addiction that I dare not admit to my family or friends, but it is so fascinating and chilling that I can’t help myself.
—Livia Hart, Denver
Season 5 involves many characters attempting to learn to rule, often in the face of intransigent foes — religious fanatics, political insurgents, armies of the dead. (Diplomacy is not an option with White Walkers).
To savor the show’s first flashback, revealing that there was a time when Cersei actually had friends! To untangle the clues regarding King Robert’s death. To cuddle with the Unsullied. To unpack Tyrion’s crate and Varys’s plan, and to drink to the future of Westeros. Read our recap ➵
Delve into the rise of radical movements in both King’s Landing and Meereen, provoked in both places by the actions (or inactions) of their respective queens. Bonus: Lots of Rhaegar and Lyanna tidbits. Read our recap ➵
An episode thick with emotion, from the intimations of doom surrounding Shireen’s BBQ to the sheer exhilaration of Dany’s takeoff from the fighting pit. Read our recap ➵
This one is jam-packed. Sansa escapes. Arya overkills. Cersei walks. And – oh no! – Jon dies. (For now.) Read our recap ➵
