Warning, this article contains spoilers from the Season 7, Episode 7 of Game of Thrones, entitled “The Dragon and The Wolf.” Proceed at your own risk.
The seventh episode of the seventh season of Game Of Thrones left us all on the edge of our seats. The Great War is here, whether or not the kingdoms are ready. While Tyrion risks his life to confront Cersei, Eddard Stark re-emerges posthumously to bring a moral compass to Westeros. He raised his children to live as a wolfpack, and in the season finale we finally have clarity around the biggest truth bomb in Westeros: Ned knew Jon was not a bastard, and Robert’s Rebellion was all a lie. Although Ned had to maintain the biggest secret in Westeros and tell a lie about Jon’s identity to keep him safe, the morals he instilled upon his children can save the world. The memory of Ned persists throughout the entire episode; House Stark are the wolves of Westeros, and Ned’s pack may actually survive the Great War.
Meanwhile, the friggin’ Night King just busted through the wall and rode a blue-fire-breathing dragon into Westeros. As we all ask ourselves how the hell we’re going to wait for the next (and final) season (sad face), there’s enough meat in the finale to keep our hearts racing until Season 8.
Jon Snow Has Morals
We caught an unforgettable glimpse of Jon Snow’s butt toward the end of the episode as he bent more than the knee for his Aunt Dany, but The Dragon And The Wolf reminds us he’s still half Stark. Much like Eddard Stark, Jon has a moral code, and at the beginning of the episode, he exhibits signs he is still the leader we need.
ICYMI, Jon’s full quote shows he is as focused as he is honest:
I’m not gonna swear an oath I can’t uphold. Talk about my father if you want, tell me that’s the attitude that got him killed. But when enough people make false promises, words stop meaning anything. Then there are no more answers, only better and better lies, and lies won’t help us in this fight.
Bye Reek
Turns out the only thing Theon ever needed was the memory of Ned Stark. . .and a little therapy from Jon Snow.
Jon Snow, to Theon Greyjoy: Our father was more of a father to you than yours ever was, and you betrayed him — betrayed his memory. . .he’s a part of you just like he’s a part of me. You don’t need to choose. You’re a Greyjoy, and you’re a Stark.
Welcome back, Theon. It’s really good to have you with us again. Now please go save your sister Yara and kill Euron, will ya? Euron lied; he didn’t go back to the Iron Islands, and we really don’t want him to get in Jon’s way now that it’s time to fight the Great War.
Dany Knows Why The Caged Bird Sings
The Targaryens kept dragons in King’s Landing, but they were confined to a small space and unable to grow, eventually dying off and becoming extinct. Dany hands Jon a tiny dragon skull and drops science in High Valyrian tongue.
While the Starks’ moral compass spins on the back of Dire Wolves, the Targaryens identify as dragons, and cannot be tamed:
Daenerys Targaryen: [Dragons] were terrifying. Extraordinary. They filled people with wonder and awe, and we locked them in here. They wasted away. Grew very small. And we grew small as well. We weren’t extraordinary without them. We were just like everyone else.
Dragons are back, and Dany will not put them in a cage. Will Jon ride one of those dragons in the final season to defeat the Night King? Will dragons become part of his identity, making him both a dragon and a wolf? What happens to the dragons after the Great War? Is their fate sealed?
He Loved Her, And She Loved Him
Bran Stark looks back in time, thanks to a heads up from Samwell Tarly. Finally, we see the legitimate wedding of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. Turns out Rhaegar and Lyanna tied the knot because they wanted to be together. Their spoken vows harken to the Faith Of The Seven:
How many people do you think will adopt these into their IRL weddings before Season 8?
The Wolf And The Dragon
Jon Snow’s Dire Wolf isn’t white because he’s a bastard. Jon’s Dire Wolf is white like Targaryen hair, because Jon’s real name is Aegon Targaryen.
Bran explains the relationship between Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen to Sam:
Bran Stark, to Samwell Tarly: He loved her, and she loved him. And Jon’s real name [is Aegon Targaryen]. He’s never been a bastard. He’s the heir to the Iron Throne. He needs to know. We need to tell him.
While the two discuss the love between Lyanna and Rhaegar, Jon and Dany consummate their relationship on a boat. The Targaryens have a long history of incest; will either of them care that Dany is Jon’s aunt? What if they never find out?
The Night King Is The Negan Of Westeros
He. Is. So. Scary. And we have no idea what he’ll kill next.
The only difference between the Night King and The Walking Dead‘s Negan is that the Night King didn’t play eenie meenie miney moe before the credits started to roll. The Night King’s silence adds to his terror.
Did Tormund survive when the Night King breached the wall? Where will the Night King go first, and who is ready for him?
Jamie is off to Winterfell, where Arya and Sansa Stark proved the wolfpack survives. Will he go back to King’s Landing to slay Cersei the Mad Queen before the Night King and his army of the dead arrive? Tyrion is a loyal hand to Dany. Will he learn the truth about Jon first, and keep it from Dany to maintain her happiness? Everyone is lying to everyone — except the Starks. Do lies matter, when the Night King arrives? They might. If our favorite houses can set aside their lies and sigils long enough to fight the Night King, what’s next?
The truth is in the dialogue. What are your favorite quotes from the Season 7 finale, and what do they mean? Let us know @getfandom on Twitter and Facebook.