King's Landing
Following Queen Cersei's marriage to Euron Greyjoy, the city has stabilized, with Euron's theatrical charisma and his priests' evangelism cultivating a cult of pesonality around the new king. Not all in court are pleased by him, however. Jaime Lannister finds himself increasingly pushed to the peripheries of power, while Genna Lannister (Kathy Bates) grows concerned by the mercurial king's influence over her neice.
Another Lannister is returned to the city - Tyrion remains a prisoner in the Black Cells alongside Melisandre. For the sake of her nephew, Genna attempts to ransom Tyrion to his queen. But when Daenerys refuses to bargain, his luck runs out and he's turned over to be tortured by the young Master of Whisperers, Qyburn's protege Arthur Waters (Aiden Gallagher). Melisandre, however finds a better fate, when Cersei begins to take her counsel after seeing the powers of Euron's red priest.
With Ironborn reavers raiding the Reach, Euron begrudingly agrees to stop them. Yara helps Theon escape, telling him that their destinies lie in different directions. She is dragged along to The Arbor, where Euron chases the unruly warriors and smallfolk rebels to the mainland. But he is not content with following orders, and instead chooses to sail on in disguised ships and attack Oldtown.
Back in the capital, Jaime is sent North to represent the crown in White Harbor and Genna is increasingly alarmed by Cersei's dependence on the advice of Melisandre.
Dorne
Arianne Martell (Geraldine Viswanathan) is enjoying her command of a newly independent Dorne, alongside the renegade Queensguard knight Arys Oakheart (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). All seems to be going well. The fugitive Gerald "Darkstar" Dayne (David Casteñeda) is captured by the forces of House Yronwood. But all is not as it seems. Darkstar kills Ser Arys in trial by combat, and the Yronwood claim the Seven have condemned Arianne's rule.
In her escape, the Princess' face his horribly scarred by Darkstar's blade. She takes flight with only young Elia Sand and Ser Rolland Storm (Clive Standen) by her side. One of Arianne's former lovers, a roguish Greenblood Orphan is hired to guide them across the desert to Skyreach, the stronghold of House Fowler. Despite protesting that he is only doing it for the money, Garin ultimately carries on with them to the safe-haven offered by Lord Fowler: The abandoned mountain castle of the ancient Vulture Kings. He offers a final gift, testimony of what he saw years ago at the Tower of Joy - knowledge that Ned Stark returned north with Rhaegar's infant son, a lost heir to the throne.
White Harbor
Unbeknowst to the rest of the world, Davos Seaworth is alive, his execution a hoax planned by Lord Wyman Manderly. He is freed and sent on a secret mission to the island of Skagos, along with Marlon Manderly and his son Mycah (Alex Högh Anderson), who is still in love with Sansa, even after his uncle seemingly betrayed her. Their negotiations are successful, and he returns to the city with an army of savage warriors and their shaggy unicorn mounts. In exchange, Wyman vows to have his son find Gendry Waters and bring him to safety in the North.
Meanwhile, Arya Stark reaches King's Landing and is reunited with Gendry. Their chemistry is reignited, at least for the young blacksmith. But Arya remains in a dark place, haunted by nightmares of the God of Death. Her plans to assasinate Cersei are undermined when Wylis Manderly finds her with Gendry and recognizes her as a Stark. Wylis negotiates on behalf of his father, the new Warden of the North, and sets up a marriage pact with House Dondarrion and Brax, the Wardens of the East and West. Given leave to return home he brings Arya and Gendry with him. Theon stows away on their ship, but is discovered and taken prisoner.
The wedding of Wynafryd Manderly and nervous young Tywin Dondarrion turns out to be a ruse, however, as the Manderly officials attack the Lannisters to avenge the Red Wedding. Jaime is taken prisoner and Lord Tytos Brax killed. An emotionally scarred Tywin is sent home, unbeknowst that the politically ambitious Wynafryd had already seduced him. The Manderly and Skagosi armies march to Winterfell with an arsenal of dragonglass. But Arya continues to push Gendry away, fearing no one could love the killer she has become.
Castlery Rock
Daenerys now rules as Queen in the West from the ancient stronghold of the Lannisters, with Grey Worm and Ser Damion Lannister (Jared Harris) winning crucial battles, forcing the armies still loyal to House Brax into hiding in the Western Hills. But the dragons are not healing. Desperate for a solution, Daenerys seeks the aid of a Red Priestess named Zatarra, who following the lead of the Eastern temples, has been preaching in the streets that the new dragon queen is Azor Ahai reborn.
Against Varys' protests, Dany agrees to burn defiant enemies as fuel for Zatarra's blood magic and refuses to ransom the captured Tyrion. Instead, she names Damion, whose political and military savy has yielded great rewards, her new Hand. The blood magic works and the dragons fly again. Dany destroys the strongholds of her enemies, forcing them to run underground, further extending her authority.
Varys struggles to make himself useful, with his network of "little birds" answering to Qyburn, and finds himself pushed away in favor of new advisors more encouraging of their queen's new aggressive tactics. When her new Small Counsel convenes, he is horrified to see Zatarra made Mistriss of Whisperers in his place. On her advice, Daenerys decides to sail half her armies North to fulfill her promise to Jon Snow. On the way, she is at last reunited with Jorah Mormont,
Beyond the Wall
Jon Snow's mission to follow the cave drawings from Dragonstone and find the Heart Tree in the Land of Always Winter finds him and Obara Sand leading a strange assortment of wanderers on a brutal journey beyond the Wall: Tormund Giantsbane and his daughters, Beric Dondarrion and his Brotherhood (Including the Hound), and a group of Red Priests led by their zealot leader Naan (Angus MacFadyen). Hopelessly outmatched in the treacherous terrain, they are only saved by the timely arrival of Coldhands, the man who was once Benjen Stark.
The party successfully makes it to the Land of Always Winter, further than any human has ventured for centuries. Here, Jon finds Children of the Forest living deep beneath the ice. They show him the true nature of the White Walkers and gift him a collection of weirwood seed pods, the last of their kind. Jon, however, is deeply troubled to discover that the Children created the Walkers and his faith in the Old Gods and his understanding of the world are deeply shaken. The party splinters when the Red Priests seek to massacre the young Walkers. Beric stops them, and the party flees back south, losing several members, including Thoros.
They arrive at the frozen over Bay of Ice at the same time as Daenerys and the Army of the Dead. The survivors of the party are rescued as Dany flies her dragons into battle, breaking up the ice. Jon, Beric, Naan, Tormund and Coldhands, however, attempt to take down the Night King. In an epic duel atop crumbling, dragonfire-blazing cliffs, the Night King kills Naan and wounds Jon, before Coldhands leads him away, once again disappearing. The others only survive when Jon is miracously able to fly Rhaegal to safety. The victory is clouded, however, when Viserion ignores Dany's commands, flying into the storm after the Walkers and does not return.
In the aftermath, Jon and Dany confess love for each other and Jon pleges fealty, without consulting Sansa or any of the other lords.
Winterfell
Sansa rules Winterfell and continues to try and break through to Bran, who is still tormented by dark visions. Littlefinger, meanwhile, is increasingly desperate to return south with Sansa, and tries harder to pit the Stark siblings against each other. Things seem to be going according to plan when Sansa feigns romantic feelings for him and asks him to arrange the assasination of Wyman Manderly, raising Bran's suspicions.
The timely arrival of Lord Tytos Blackwood (Rupert Graves) could not have come at a better time. Helping Bran to understand the nature of his powers and train, he guides the boy to regain his humanity. He and Sansa make amends and together begin to prepare Winterfell for the coming war using Bran's powers to draw upon the wellspring of history. Their plans are enacted by Brienne, now Master of Arms, and Pod, Captain of the Guard. Littlefinger is caught up in the White Harbor wedding fiasco and flees back to Winterfell. His crimes exposed, he is tried and beheaded on the ramparts as the Manderly army returns.
Soon after Arya's return with the Manderlys, Jon arrives with Daenerys and her army. But happy reunions are tried as the siblings struggle to grasp the changes they have gone through and Daenerys' claims to authority are challenged by Sansa and the Northern Lords. Gendry at least, is reunited with a half-sister, Mya Stone, who traveled with the Knights of the Vale. And Arya begins to find peace and reclaim her humanity with advice from Bran, who has summoned Nymeria and her wolfpack home.
Oldtown
In Oldtown, mysteries begin to unfold. A despondent Sam is encouraged by Gilly and Alleras (Letitia Wright) to help unlock the mysteries surrounding the work of the missing Archmaester Marwyn. Meanwhile, Missandei becomes integrated into the upper society of the city, led by Ser Baelor Hightower (Cary Elwes), as his father, Lord Leyton (Timothy Dalton) has locked himself away in the Hightower for the past decade.
With help of there host and commander of the city guard, Ser Gunther Hightower, Sam, Gilly and Alleras discover that Marwyn and Leyton have been utilizing magic to secretly strengthen Oldtown for a coming calamity, forseen in visions by Leyton's eldest daughter Mallora. They realize too late that Marwyn's machinations had been discovered by the leading archmaesters, fiercely opposed to magic, and he had been murdered. When Ebrose discovers what Sam and Alleras have learned, he imprisons them and exposes Alleras' true identity as Sarella, one of Oberyn Martells bastard daughters.
An indecisive man in an untenable position, Baelor is torn between the Faith's endorsement of Daenerys as a true queen and Qyburn's sudden arrival to ensure loyalty to Queen Cersei. Back in his old home, Qyburn engages in a game of wits with the Faith, the Hightowers, and the archmaesters who expelled him from the Citadel so long ago. He begins to manipulate both Sam and Missandei, while also discovering distubing signs of the Faceless Men's presence in the city.
The Faith host a great tournament with the intent to crown Daenerys, but the dragon queen refuses to come, declaring that she will not be handed authority by any higher power. In the ensuing chaos, Qyburn and Lord Leyton himself are siezed by Ser Gunthor and the city watch. Seeing her visions start to come true, Mallora frees Sam and Alleras, and flees with them, Gilly, and a trove of magical tomes and artifacts to take shelter at Horn Hill.
When the Ironborn fleet attacks, Missandei frees them. Leyton successfully uses the magic of the Hightower to defend the city at the cost of his own life. With Baelor overwhelmed, Qyburn now effectively commands the city and takes his revenge on Ebrose and the pther archmaesters for expelling him and killing his friend Marwyn. He successfully convinces the city that Euron was not behind the attack and seemingly secures their loyalty. Missandei is kept under the protection of the Hightowers and Yara Greyjoy escapes, believed drowned in the battle.
Finally, Qyburn uncovers the deepest plot of all - The Faceless Men have come to the city to destroy the Hightower, revealed to have been built by Bran the Builder and the Children of the Forest as a "magical battery" to power the Wall. Now, their time has come to unleash the forces of their God of Death. Qyburn stops the plot but, in a shocking twist, allows Euron to destroy the tower anyway and blame the Faceless Men. Qyburn believes that man's attempt to deny the greater powers and higher mysteries will doom them all. By unleashing The Long Night, he knows that the "grey sheep" will finally wake up to the true powers in the world. Valar morghulis.
The Long Night Begins...
The destruction of the Hightower unleashes a cataclysmic energy surge and The Wall itself comes down with it. As the ancient barrier comes tumbling down, Beric finds himself again on the run, leading the survivors on a mad rush ahead of the Army of the Dead - Including The Hound, Obara and Tormund, who lost a daughter in the destruction.
Daenerys and Jon reach Winterfell and the Starks are reunited at last, even Theon, who Sansa has pardoned and is now Bran's sworn defender. Bran encourages Arya to reclaim her humanity, as they bond over their own magical transformations. Arya finally embraces her true self when her old direwolf Nymeria arrives at Winterfell, summoned by Bran, now leading a pack of her own. Sansa quickly deduces that Jon plans to bend the knee to Daenerys. Conflict broods, but there are larger problems at hand. Together, our heroes prepare to defend the realms of men from apocalyptic forces.
The Dead begin to march, led by The Night King, atop an undead Viserion. With the power of a dragon at his disposal, the Night King destroys the Umber stronghold of Last Hearth and infects its weirwood, gaining access to the entire network of trees. And across Westeros, the dead begin to rise...
That's it for Season 8! Thanks for the read! Please leave any comments, critiques or questions below, all feedback is greatly appreciated!