Game Of Thrones Details You Need Before Watching Season 8

The season 7 finale of Game of Thrones, "The Dragon and the Wolf," was the show's most-watched episode ever, drawing 16.5 million viewers on the night it aired in August 2017. Like the army of wights relentlessly advancing on the Wall, GoT's 7th season only seemed to get more powerful as it marched on, setting viewership records with nearly every episode. Taking into account multiple platforms and delayed viewing, season 7 averaged more than 30 million viewers per episode — a 34 percent increase over season 6. In television's Golden Age, with more viewing options than ever, Game of Thrones is a true marvel, and perhaps last bastion, of monoculture appeal. Its viewership has increased as the series has gone on, quadrupling its ratings since season 1.

Now we're upon the only season that matters in Westeros — winter. Yes, season 8 brings with it the winds of winter — even before George R.R. Martin — and the end of the series. HBO has announced a final season premiere date of April 14, 2019, marking the first of the show's last six episodes. Reportedly, the first two episodes of the season will be 60 minutes in length, with the remaining four each slated to be Wun Wun-sized extravaganzas at 80 minutes apiece. We've been away from the Seven Kingdoms for a long time — so with that in mind, here's a quick rundown of everything you need to know before you watch Game of Thrones season 8.

Brace yourself. Season 7 closes with the imagery we've imagined since television audiences were first warned of winter's devastating inevitability in 2011. As Beric Dondarrion and Tormund Giantsbane look into the distance from atop the Wall, we see the undead army of wights led by White Walkers on horseback advancing on the Seven Kingdoms. The woefully outmatched remnants of the freefolk and the Night's Watch helplessly watch as the Night King flexes on the realms of men by having his new ice dragon huff, puff, and blow the Wall down. That's right: Queen Dany is down a dragon after Viserion gets taken out by the Night King himself during a wight hunt beyond the Wall. The undead dragon was is now the deadliest weapon in the Night King's arsenal.

So what's the deal with all the ice zombies? In short, wights are the undead hordes of soldiers who serve the White Walkers, former humans turned ice monsters that serve under the Night King. The Night King's true motives and identity aren't yet known, but we know that he's extremely powerful and can control the entire army with a sort of telepathy. Fire can destroy the wights, but only dragon fire, dragonglass, and Valyrian steel can kill White Walkers. Samwell Tarly has discovered that Dragonstone, the historical seat of House Targaryen, is sitting on a mountain of dragonglass. Jon Snow and his men have been mining it and turning it into weapons in preparation ever since. As for the Night King, it's unclear if anything can stop him. Valyrian steel has proven useless against him, disintegrating to dust when touching him.

In season 7, the Stark kids have reunited in Winterfell. Bran's been ranging beyond the Wall in search of the Three-Eyed Raven. Arya has been training to become the perfect assassin with the Faceless Men in the Free City of Braavos, before being forced to escape their clutches. Sansa, however, hasn't been up to anything nearly as cool. She's been manipulated and used as a pawn in Littlefinger's ongoing chaos ladder machinations. By the time she finally becomes the Lady of Winterfell, all three remaining Stark children have been forever transformed. Much of their reunion in season 7 seemed to be fraught with tension.

Bran, dealing with the burden of near omnipotence, has difficulty relating to his sisters on a human level. Arya and Sansa are suspicious of each other's motivations. Who can blame them for having trust issues? Just when it seemed the Stark sisters would succumb to paranoia and suspicion, they got their act together and teamed up against their true foe, Lord Petyr Baelish. Littlefinger seemed to have successfully sown doubt about Arya's ambitions with Sansa, and when Sansa called Arya to the Great Hall for all the Northmen to see, it seemed as though she was prepared to use her political power to snuff out her blood rival. Indeed, the audience believed she was speaking about Arya when she said, "You stand accused of murder. You stand accused of treason." And then the switcheroo: "How do you answer these charges... Lord Baelish?"

Set in the dramatically sparse ruins of the Dragonpit at King's Landing, the meeting of the heaviest hitters in the Seven Kingdoms in the season 7 finale gave the audience a taste of where everyone stands in the final stretch of the great game. Cersei, Jaime, and Tyrion Lannister, Euron Greyjoy, Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, a dragon, a wight — all the major players and key elements in the struggle for the future of Westeros are front and center in one of the most epic non-battle sequences in the series.

Jon and Dany hope to persuade the Lannisters to at least temporarily call a truce and focus on the true enemy — the coming of the White Walker Army and the Night King. In order to convince Queen Cersei of the reality of the threat, they've brought along a wight. Loosing the zombie's shackles, the Hound proceeds to quickly cut it in half with a swing of his sword. As the wight survives the deadly blow, Jon demonstrates that fire is the most effective way to kill one. Cersei, shaken by the exhibition, agrees to the proposed truce on the condition that Jon won't take up arms against the Lannisters. Alas, Jon Snow cannot tell a lie — he rejects Cersei's offer, saying that he can't serve two queens, spoiling the truce and ending the parley.

Cersei reveals to Jamie, her brother and father to her unborn child, that she has conspired with Euron Greyjoy: He isn't retreating to the Iron Islands as he's led everyone to believe. He's actually sailing to Essos to retrieve the Golden Company — 20,000 mercenary soldiers to seize and control Westeros while the armies of the Seven Kingdoms kill themselves in the North. Jamie wants nothing to do with Cersei's double-cross. He sees the reality of the White Walker threat, and desperately wants his beloved sister-mistress to understand as he does. Again, Cersei appears to be very close to giving the Mountain the go-ahead to kill her brother, but Jaime storms out before that can happen.

Jaime leaves Cersei's side, knowing the truth of her plan. It will be interesting to see what he does with this information in season 8. He's driven, more than anything, by loyalty and love for Cersei. He's motivated to keep the Seven Kingdoms safe for Cersei and his unborn child. In order to do this, he's got to take up arms against her cause. The audience last sees Jaime in season 7 riding into the unknown as the winter's first snowfall begins in King's Landing. 

In the world of Game of Thrones, there's a prophecy put forth by the red priests and priestesses of R'hllor surrounding an ancient hero known as Azor Ahai, or "The Prince That Was Promised." The legend holds that Azor Ahai fought back forces of darkness with a flaming sword called Lightbringer. He was prophesied to be born again "amidst salt and smoke." Many fans believe that Jon Snow is the Prince Who Was Promised. If this is true, it could bring about a tragic ending for the series.

Humanity's first dance with the White Walkers, the Long Night, is thought to have happened over 8000 years before the events of the series. Azor Ahai set out to forge the greatest weapon ever known. He worked on it tirelessly for 30 days, but when he tempered it in water, it broke. So he worked on it for another 50 days, and to temper it he drove it into the heart of a lion. Again, it broke. Azor Ahai then worked on his sword for 100 days, and called his beloved wife, Nissa Nissa. To forge his sword, he tempered it in her heart. It's said that Nissa Nissa's soul became one with the steel, and that sword was known as Lightbringer. If there is no other way discovered to destroy the Night King, we may see Jon — or Dany — forced to make the ultimate sacrifice.

In the season 7 finale, while imploring Queen Cersei to work with Jon and Daenerys to combat the northern threat, Tyrion deduces that Cersei is pregnant. The very next shot is a cut to the Dragonpit, original site of the King's Landing Parley. One fan theory suggests that, at some point during that time lapse, Tyrion may have struck an agreement with Cersei to ensure that her unborn child would be the king or queen to succeed Daenerys. Tyrion believes Dany is unable to have children, but his involvement in this plot would explain his look of great concern while listening to Jon and Dany having sex later in the finale.

Another popular theory involving Tyrion is known as A+J=T, or Aerys + Joanna = Tyrion. George R.R. Martin's books often mention the Mad King Aerys' lust for Tywin Lannister's wife, Joanna. Joanna died while giving birth to Tyrion. If it's true that Aerys is Tyrion's true sire, it would give new context to Tywin's final words to Tyrion — "You're no son of mine!" It could also explain Tywin's lifelong hatred for Tyrion. Perhaps we'll see Tyrion riding a dragon off into the sunset to close out this epic tale.