Unless you live completely cut off from the world in an igloo, you are probably already aware: the Game of Thrones series is back on Sunday night in the United States (in the night of Sunday to Monday in France). An eighth and final season that promises to gather millions of spectators. But since it is broadcast nearly two years after the previous one, and the number of characters and twists in Westeros exceeds that of all the French royal dynasties, a small pre-viewing summary is required.
Jon Snow and Daenerys have joined forces
Jon Snow, recognized king of the North by the various local lords, found his half-sister, Sansa Stark, in their family home in Winterfell. Its priority is to neutralize the white walkers, the army of undead coming from the north and dangerously close to the wall built by men to protect themselves. For this, it unifies the lords of the north and the "savages" and encourages all people of fighting age, women and men, to take up arms. Above all, he must find "verredragon", the only effective metal against white walkers.
Informed by Samwell Tarly of the existence of a verredragon mine in Peyredragon, in the east of the country, Jon Snow decides to go there. It is precisely here that Daenerys arrived with the Immaculate, the Dothrakis and his three dragons. Daenerys is looking for allies, just like Jon, the two sovereigns meet. But, as often on the first date, everything does not go as planned: Daenerys agrees to help Jon if and only if he bows ("Bend the knee", she repeats about 8,651 times) and recognizes her as her queen, a legitimate heir to the throne of Westeros. What he refuses to do at first. On the other hand, Daenerys opens to him the doors of the ventrragon mines. Inside these mines, Jon finds ancient frescoes depicting white walkers. This is how he manages to convince Daenerys that these creatures exist.
Faced with the imminence of the threat, and to try to rally all the crowned heads of Westeros, especially that of Cersei, sworn enemy of Daenerys as Jon Snow, an idea is launched by Tyrion, become the "hand" (it that is to say, the first adviser) of the Targaryenne queen: capture an undead to show it to everyone. Because for many, white walkers still remain a legend.
White walkers are coming
An expedition is organized and led by Jon Snow to capture a white walker. But again, everything does not go as planned, and the king of the North and his colistiers find themselves in a very unfortunate posture against an army of zombies. They do not succeed until they come to warn Daenerys, who arrives with his three dragons to get out of there the few survivors and the captive undead. After this episode, Jon Snow, probably aware that a man as badly organized as he needs a chaperone, agrees to give him allegiance to join definitely and fully his help.
But in the battle, one of the three dragons is killed by the "King of the Night", the leader of the white walkers. This same King of the Night will revive the dragon, making a new recruit of weight for his army of undead. In a few squirts of ice, the beast comes to the end of the wall, the last rampart of the men. Season 7 ends on the white walkers who have the free field to invade Westeros.
What is Cersei doing?
Jon and Daenerys report the undead to show Cersei at a summit near Port-Réal worthy of a G7, the events in less. Queen Lannister is very impressed and promises to join forces with the King of the North if he swears, in return, to give him allegiance and not to challenge his crown once the white walkers are defeated. Too honest (or too stupid, everything depends on the point of view), Jon Snow reveals that he has already recognized Daenerys as his queen. Cersei slams the door of the G7 vociferously.
Finally, Tyrion proposes to go talk to him to reason. An initiative rather daring, Cersei holding his little brother responsible for the death of their mother (died in bed), that of their father (he has, it is true, killed a crossbow bolt on his toilet ) and three-quarters of the other Westeros ailments. What exactly do they say to each other? No one knows, but Cersei returns to the bargaining table more surely than a reformist union and finally agrees to help Jon Snow and Daenerys.
Once the two left, Queen Lannister is alone with her brother, Jaime, whom she had learned a little earlier that she was pregnant with him. She reveals to him then that all this was only a lie, which any spectator having followed the seven seasons of the series will have guessed alone. In fact, she never intended to join forces with Jon Snow and Daenerys. At the end of his patience with his greedy sister, Jaime leaves Port-Réal.
A family matter
Ending a sexual tension that has become unsustainable in seven episodes, Daenerys and Jon Snow are recovering from the summit in each other's arms. But at the same time, Samwell Tarly and Bran Stark (who has visions and seems perpetually under Xanax since he became the "three-eyed crow") unite their knowledge to bring the truth to light: in reality, Jon Snow is not the illegitimate son of Ned Stark, but the very legitimate child of his sister, Lyanna Stark, and Rhaegar Targaryen, the big brother of Daenerys. In other words, Daenerys is: Jon Snow's aunt. Beyond the incestuous act that will no longer shock any Game of Thrones aficionado, this information rebats the cards. Jon Snow becomes indeed the most legitimate heir to the iron throne, being both from the Stark and Targaryen.
Season 8 will have to answer a lot of questions: will white walkers crush everyone? What will Jon do when he learns the truth about his ancestry? What's cooking Cersei alone in her corner? And what did Tyrion promise him to snatch the promise of his support? Will Jaime join forces with the North? And most importantly, will a psychological support cell be open at the end of the last episode, for all orphan fans of the most-watched series of all time?