Just in case you don’t have time re-watch seven seasons Game of Thrones before the show’s upcoming eighth and final season premiere—it’s only 67 episodes; what’s wrong with you?—we here at Vanity Fair will be recapping every single season of the show in order to make sure key events are fresh in your mind. Since this is a rather daunting undertaking—it’s 67 episodes; what do you expect of us?!—we’re boiling it all down to the essential stories of the surviving characters set to do battle in Season 8.
If you feel a little more ambitious, there’s an extra-credit section below with additional information that could be good to remember when the series returns. (Just because a character has died, for instance, that doesn’t mean they’re unimportant!) For a more in-depth look at some of the key episodes of Game of Thrones, you can dive into Vanity Fair’s list of the 15 most essential episodes of Game of Thrones to re-watch before the final season. But for now, here’s Season 1.
Previously on Game of Thrones Season 7.
Previously on Game of Thrones Season 6.
Previously on Game of Thrones Season 5.
Previously on Game of Thrones Season 4.
Previously on Game of Thrones Season 3.
Previously on Game of Thrones Season 2.
Essential Information
Cersei Lannister, Queen of Westeros, had a sexual relationship with her brother Jaime; orchestrated the death of her husband, King Robert; and ensured that her son—who was fathered by her brother, not her husband, the king—would sit on the Iron Throne as King Joffrey, First of His Name. To protect her family and her secrets, she arranged the arrest of Robert’s old friend Ned Stark, which led to his execution.
Jaime Lannister, Her Twin Brother, had a sexual relationship with his sister, Queen Cersei; pushed Bran Stark out of a tower for spying on them; tried to fight Ned Stark in the streets over his brother, Tyrion; fled the city; lost a battle to Ned’s son Robb; and was captured and held prisoner by Robb and his mother, Catelyn Stark.
Tyrion Lannister, Her Other Brother, visited Winterfell; befriended Jon Snow; went to the Wall; pissed off the Wall; and was put on trial for the attempted assassination of Bran Stark—a crime Tyrion did not commit. He met the sellsword Bronn, the prostitute Shae, and a mountain tribe that he led into battle, only to be knocked out before the fighting began. He ended the season as Hand of the King to his nephew Joffrey.
Bran Stark, the Last Surviving Son of Winterfell, wanted to be a knight; was pushed out of the broken tower by Jaime Lannister; lost the use of his legs; took a long nap; was nearly assassinated; woke up; couldn’t remember what happened to him; learned to rely on servants Osha and Hodor; started to have visionary dreams; and became the Lord of Winterfell when his brother Robb was declared King of the North and went to war.
Sansa Stark, His Other Sister, went to King’s Landing to get betrothed to a prince and lost her direwolf, Lady, along the way. Her betrothed, Joffrey Baratheon, ordered the murder of her dad—Ned Stark—put Ned’s head on a spike along the wall of King’s Landing, and forced her to watch.
Arya Stark, His Sister, attacked Joffrey along with her direwolf, Nymeria. She drove Nymeria away to protect her from a vengeful Cersei; went to King’s Landing; learned fencing (a.k.a. water dancing) from Syrio Forel; saw her father’s execution (mostly); disguised herself as a boy; and escaped the city along with Gendry, a bastard son of King Robert, in order to survive the wrath of the Lannisters.
Jon Snow, the Bastard of Winterfell, asked about his mother (and believed Ned Stark to be his father); went to the Wall; joined the Night’s Watch; met Samwell Tarly; killed his first zombie; and got a Valyrian steel sword: Longclaw.
Daenerys Targaryen, a Westerosi Exile, was sold into marriage to a Dothraki named Khal Drogo—then fell in love with him; befriended Ser Jorah Mormont; watched Drogo murder her abusive older brother, Viserys; had a miscarriage; mercy-killed her husband when he slipped into a vegetative state; hatched three dragon babies; and burned off her clothing . . . but emerged, unscathed, from Drogo’s funeral pyre.
The Night King, a Big Scary Blue Guy, was not present.
Notable Deaths
Ned Stark, Khal Drogo, Robert Baratheon, Viserys Targaryen, Lady the direwolf, Syrio Forel (probably), Jon Arryn, Jory Cassel.
Defining Cultural Moment
Ned Stark was played by the most famous actor on the show at the time: Sean Bean. Given Bean’s Lord of the Rings alum status and Ned’s prominence on the show, he was considered the lead and central hero of the story. The fact that he was killed—not even in the season finale, but in Episode 9—rocked the viewership, and forever changed our ideas of what kind of character might be “safe” from death on TV (and particularly this show).
Extra Credit
Much of this season of Game of Thrones plays out as a double-mystery investigation, with Catelyn Stark trying to uncover who tied to murder her son Bran, and Ned Stark trying to determine who murdered the previous Hand of the King, Jon Arryn, and why. In doing so, Ned uncovers the secret affair of the Lannister twins and the incestuous truth about the heirs to the throne: Joffrey, Tommen, and Myrcella. Ned tries to win the game of thrones, but is too honorable and merciful to survive. (He even gave Cersei the chance to flee the city.) His death and the subsequent scattering of the Stark children—and their ward, Theon Greyjoy—kick off a great wound in the heart of Westeros that can’t begin to heal until the surviving Stark kids are brought back together again.
