Season six has come to an end, Game of Thrones fans, and what an incredible conclusion it was. While there was plenty of speculation about how things would end, no one saw that ending coming. With “The Winds Of Winter,” we saw shocking deaths and theories confirmed, but most importantly, we saw the stages of the final war set. Dany has her army and is on her way to Westeros, but what will actually remain once she gets there is less certain.
As alliances shift and the coldest winter in thousands of years sets in, our characters are thrown into even more uncertainty. As we begin the interminable wait until next season, here are the quotes that will stick with you through the long night.
“Winter is here.”
“Winter is coming” has been the constant refrain for the entire course of the show. As the words of the noble House Stark, we’ve been told that winter is indeed coming since episode one. As Sansa and Jon figure out whether or not they can work together or if Littlefinger and the rest of Westeros will tear what’s left of their family apart. Not only has winter arrived, but the final pieces of the Game are in motion.
“Do you know what frightens me? I said farewell to a man who loves me, to a man I thought I cared for, and I felt nothing. Just impatient to get on with it.”
After six seasons of taking and losing cities, the question of whether Danaerys could be more than a conqueror has plagued her every step of the way. However, the time has finally come for Dany to make her way across the Narrow Sea and retake Westeros for the Targaryens. As Tyrion says, she has her armies, her dragons, and her ships, and she is finally starting to listen to the counsel of those wiser than her. As she bids farewell to Daario, her final distraction, Dany is poised to become the ruler that we all wished she would become. Making Tyrion Hand of the Queen was an excellent choice, the choice of a wise queen.
“My name is Arya Stark. I want you to know that. The last thing you’re ever going to see is a Stark smiling down at you as you die.”
As it turns out, many seasons of training paid off in a big way. Using the skills picked up from the Faceless Men, Arya was able to sneak into The Twins, murder Walder Frey’s children, feed them to him in a pie, and then slit the throat of the man who orchestrated the death of her mother and brother. As she slits his throat just as he had Cat’s cut, Arya Stark crosses another name off of her list. Now she just needs to head North to rejoin the rest of her pack. Seeing as she is in the Riverlands, where she said goodbye to her beloved dire wolf Nymeria so many years ago, perhaps a touching reunion with her faithful companion is coming.
“House Mormont remembers. The North remembers. We know no king but the King in the North whose name is Stark. I don’t care if he’s a bastard. Ned Stark’s blood runs through his veins. He’s my king, from this day until his last day.”
Once again, Lyanna Mormont proves to be one of the best people to have on your side. As the remaining Northerners, Wildlings, and Knights of the Vale decide on their next move, the pint-sized lady is the first to stick up for Jon’s claim to the title of King in the North. While it is finally confirmed that Jon is actually a Targaryen, the son of Rhaegar and Ned’s sister, Lyanna, he is also a Stark. This duality of heritage will surely lead to internal and external conflict in the coming seasons, with Jon forced to make difficult decisions regarding his loyalties. For now, though, the White Wolf is here to lead the charge against the armies of the dead.
“I now proclaim Cersei of the House Lannister, first of her name, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms.”
While it was abundantly clear that Cersei had more than a few tricks up her sleeve going into the finale, she managed to play her hand perfectly. As Jaime returns from the Riverlands to find the sept in a smoldering heap, he finds something even more troubling inside: in the wake of her mass murder, Cersei has taken the Iron Throne for herself. Power mad and with absolutely nothing left to lose, it seems we have a complex new villain to fill the void left by Ramsay Bolton and the Freys. We’re heading into even more uncharted territory in season seven, but for now, we just have to wait in horror to see what the most amoral Lannister’s time on the Iron Throne will bring.
