Eight Years Ago, Game of Thrones Gave Us an Epic Cliffhanger Moment (But Did It Really Work?)

The first six seasons of Game of Thrones are incredible. Despite having so many moving parts, the show finds a way to balance everything, spending just as much time exploring Daenerys Targaryen’s story in Essos as it does Cersei Lannister’s scheming in King’s Landing. Of course, the ultimate goal is the Iron Throne. Throughout most of the series, the Lannister family holds it, using their vast wealth and resources to force all of the Great Houses to bend to their will. Daenerys isn’t on board with any of that, so, at the end of Season 6, she gets on a ship and sets sail to Westeros, ready to pick a fight with Cersei and anyone else in her way.

What Daenerys soon discovers after making landfall on Dragonstone is that there are more threats to her rule than just Cersei. Another villain resides Beyond the Wall, and as Jon Snow explains, they’re not looking to make friends. Jon and Daenerys’ partnership sets the stage for Game of Thrones‘ Season 7 massive cliffhanger, which may very well be the last great moment in the show.

The Night King Does the Impossible in Game of Thrones Season 7

Jon tells everyone who will listen about what he experiences in Hardhome. The army of the dead arrives and lays waste to the wildling village, collecting bodies to join their ranks. The image of the Night King raising dead people sticks in Jon’s craw, so when he takes back control of his childhood home, Winterfell, and becomes King of the North, that’s all he wants to focus on. He begins preparing his people for the Night King’s invasion, but Daenerys’ arrival throws a wrench into things. The Mother of Dragons wants Jon to bend the knee, but he doesn’t have time for such trivial requests. All he wants to do is mine the Dragonglass on Dragonstone and return home. Well, the two cut a deal, and once Daenerys really understands the gravity of the situation, she backs her new ally fully.

When Jon heads north to capture a wight, he meets a roadblock in the form of a giant army. Escaping doesn’t seem like it’s in the cards until Daenerys arrives with her dragons and burns the undead horde. However, the Night King isn’t going to back down that easily, so he kills Viserion with an ice spear, devastating his mother. Jon comforts his new queen as they head to King’s Landing for an audience with Cersei, but back in the North, the Night King is working. He resurrects Viserion and takes the dragon to the Wall in the Season 7 finale, which is supposed to be impenetrable. The beast makes quick work of the structure, allowing the undead army to start their long march to Winterfell. Unfortunately, the event the cliffhanger promises doesn’t live up to the hype.

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Game of Thrones Drops the Ball During the Battle of Winterfell

The beginning of Game of Thrones Season 8 focuses on all the preparation Jon and Co. are doing for the Night King’s arrival. Winterfell is pulling out all the stops, even allowing Cersei’s biggest supporter, Jamie Lannister, to join the fray. Once the Night King arrives, however, all the build-up starts to feel meaningless. The episode the Battle of Winterfell takes place in, “The Long Night,” is visually darker than every previous entry, making it hard to follow the action. The shots that are visible, though, leave a lot to be desired, including Jorah Mormont’s death and the team-up between Jamie and Brienne of Tarth.

As for the Night King, the Big Bad of the entire series, he remains pretty intimidating, riding his dragon into battle and doing plenty of damage. Taking the fight to the Starks proves to be a foolish move for the villain, as he leaves himself vulnerable to an attack from Arya Stark. Game of Thrones spends a lot of time building up Arya, and it feels like her big moment will come against Cersei at the end of the show. The powers that be decide to flip the script by making the Night King her final victim, which ultimately makes Jon’s quest fall flat. Sometimes, taking the road most traveled is the best course of action, but Game of Thrones thinks it knows better than everyone else in its final moments.

Game of Thrones is streaming on HBO Max.

Were you excited after the Game of Thrones Season 7 cliffhanger? How did you feel about the beginning of Season 8? Let us know in the comments below!