The final season of the popular HBO show “Game of Thrones” is finally here, and everyone is asking the same question: who will be the next king to sit on the Iron Throne, if any?
The season 8 premiere of “GOT“ was watched by a record-breaking 17.4 million people on both live TV and streaming services, according to HBO. Today, we are already a third of the way done with the final season.
Two out of the six episodes that have aired oddly have no deaths of any of the main characters and no battle scenes. Which is very weird if you have been paying attention to the show.
The two episodes instead focus on character development and are relatively happy, featuring the reuniting of many characters, including the Stark family and multiple couples as they prepare for war.
The most surprising match-up was Gendry and Arya, which sparked a lot of Twitter responses concerning her age (Arya is 18 in the show, 22 in real life), as well as Jon revealing his true identity to Daenerys right before the episode ends.
Nevertheless, these two episodes have brought together all of the important characters in one central location, minus Cersi, as they all prepare for the battle against the Army of the Dead.
The first two episodes were the shortest out of the whole season with the premiere being 54 minutes and the second episode being 58 minutes. But these filler episodes are leading up to the longest episode of the final season, episode three: “The Battle of Winterfell,“ with a running time of 82 minutes.
The third episode will feature the most characters since the pilot and will have the longest-running battle scene ever aired on television, according to one of the directors, Miguel Sapochnik. Many viewers are expecting a lot of deaths next episode as the Night King’s army rides toward Winterfell.
Junior Caitlyn Rishell is especially excited for the next episode on Sunday.
“I binged watched all the seasons over winter break and look forward to seeing the war against the White Walkers,” Rishell said.
But some of the cast members from “GOT“ are skeptical on whether fans will receive the satisfying conclusion they are all hoping for.
Actress Emilia Clarke, who plays Daenerys Targaryen, had some interesting thoughts on the matter after being interviewed at Vanity Fair. Many viewers have speculated that Daenerys is going to turn into a villain this season and become mad like her father the Mad King.
“It f-ed me up. Knowing that is going to be a lasting flavor in someone’s mouth of what Daenerys is,” Clarke said. “You’ll know what I mean when you see it.”
Actress Sophie Turner, who plays Sansa Stark, was satisfied with finishing the shooting of the series, but worried her fans would be left wanting more.
“I think a lot of fans will be disappointed and a lot of fans will be over the moon,” Turner said. “I think it will be interesting to see people’s reactions.”
A controversial interview with Peter Dinklage and the Vulture teased the fate of Tyrion Lannister in the final season.
“Without giving anything away, I think he was given a very good conclusion. No matter what that is — death can be a great way out,” Dinklage said.
The details of the final season of “GOT“ have been kept under strict secrecy, but that has not stopped fans from sharing their theories.
Grace Burton, sophomore at SU, is looking forward to who will finally sit on the Iron Throne.
“[I would like to see] Jon Snow. Cersei would stab me in the back, and the others are fighting for the wrong reasons,” Burton said. “Jon Snow is the only one fighting for something more than power, but for the North.”
With Jon’s newly uncovered family history, the King in the North may very well become the King of the Seven Kingdoms, but not if Daenerys, Cersi or the Night King has anything to say about it.
This upcoming episode is surely to have you on the edge of your seat as the battle of Winterfell commences. Don’t be the one to miss out!
By JACK FIECHTNER
Staff writer
Featured photo: HBO image.