Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 5: What Is That Green Fire?

HBO tonight aired Game of Thrones season eight, episode five, “The Bells.” The penultimate episode of the series saw Daenerys Targaryen raze King’s Landing. In certain shots, green flames could be seen in spurts throughout the city. The green flame comes from wildfire, which has factored significantly into the show’s plot on multiple occasions. In case you’ve forgotten what it is, here’s a refresher.

WIldfire is a highly-flammable liquid manufactured and controlled by the Alchemists’ Guild. The substance is extremely volatile and even a small amount when ignited explodes with great force. The green flame burns extremely hot and cannot be put out by water. As wildfire ages, it becomes stronger.

Wildfire first appeared in the second season of Game of Thrones. Cersei began stockpiling it for the defense of King’s Landing against Stannis Baratheon’s armies. Learning of her plan, Tyrion took the wildfire from the city and dumped it into Blackwater Bay. When Davos Seaworth led Stannis’ navy into the water near the city, Bronn used a flaming arrow to ignite the wildfire, setting Stannis’ ships ablaze.

Before that, Prince Aerion Targaryen died from drinking wildfire. He believed the substance would transform him into a dragon, but it proved fatal instead. During Robert’s Rebellion, the “Mad King” Aerys hid stockpiles of wildfire throughout King’s Landing as part of a plot to destroy the city before Robert’s forces could take, burning its inhabitants. Like Aerion, Aerys seemed to believe that he would survive the inferno and emerge as a dragon himself. According to Jaime Lannister, the reason he slew Aerys was to prevent the burning of King’s Landing.

During one of his visions, Bran Stark saw these stockpiles exploding in green flame throughout the city. This foreshadowed Cersei Lannister’s use of Wildfire to destroy the Great Sept of Baelor and end the threat to her authority posed by the High Sparrow. It also foreshadowed Daenerys fulfilling her father’s plans, using her dragon to burn King’s Landing and set off many of those wildfire caches.

What did you think of the razing of King’s Landing? Did you notice the wildfire explosions? Let us know in the comments. The final episode of Game of Thrones airs Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.

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