Like practically everyone else with a pulse, I have spent this last week wishing it was Sunday, aka Game of Thrones night. It’s been just over a year and a half, or precisely 596 days, since the season finale of season seven aired leaving us wondering where season eight would take us after the revelation at the end of the episode. And after all that time, it’s finally here!

While Game of Thrones, the show, departed from its original source material forever ago and readers of the books have been waiting since 2011 for book six in the series, this marks the final season of the beloved HBO show. We’re definitely in uncharted territory and anything can go from here. Who will end up on the Iron Throne? Who will survive the war and which of our favorite characters will perish or rise as a member of the Night King’s army? Like everyone, I have my theories.

Before you go any further, SPOILER WARNING! If you have not watched the episode and do not wish to have it spoiled for you. This is where I leave you.

Alright, trigger warnings now aside. Strap on your Valyrian steel swords and get ready to march with me towards the north. Here is every single reaction (and some gifs) I had while watching the premiere episode of Game of Thrones episode 68 “Winterfell”.

  • Thank you HBO notifications, why yes I would like to watch immediately.
  • OMG, there it is! THE THUMBNAIL FOR THE EPISODE! It exists!
  • Be chill. Be chill.
  • Side note – Is anyone else super excited about Euphoria? Or am I the only one that bows to the altar of Zendaya?
  • “This isn’t about noble houses. This is about the living and the dead.”
  • LOVING the new beginning credits! That was totally an ice dragon I spied there.
  • Oh man, that Iron Throne popping up just sent shivers down my spine. That’s normal right?
  • RUN LITTLE BOY!
  • Wait, who is this kid? Why is he running? Where you going, boy?
  • Oh just wanted to see all the Unsullied. WELCOME TO THE NORTH WE HAVE LOTS OF SNOW!
  • Well, this seems familiar.
  • I see you GOT, taking us all the way back with episode 1 feels.
  • Pretty sure Robert Baratheon got a bit warmer of a welcome. Get it? Cause it’s winter? And also because he wasn’t making everyone BENDDUHKNEE!
  • Speaking of bending the knee, looking fabulous as always your graces. Especially that jacket Dany. I’d love to get the number of her stylist.
  • Arya just going through all the emotions right now. Happy to see Jon. Unsure about the dragon queen.
  • It’s really not GOT if there isn’t at least one eunuch joke, amiright?
  • I don’t like how these northerners are looking at my babes Messandei and Grey Worm. Not one bit.
  • INCOMING! DRAGONS AHOY!
  • Arya’s little smile because there are DRAGONS.
  • Dany’s smirk because they are HER dragons.
  • Sansa does not look like she wants to go anywhere near the dragons.
  • Awe look at this brotherly love!
  • Why does Bran just creep me out?
  • Though, I love Sansa’s smirk watching them. Gotta love a good Sansa smirk.
  • Ooo, Lady Sansa is so not impressed by any queen these days. Nope.
  • Okay, Bran, just drop the bad news on everyone without warning. That’s okay.
*Took a breath*
  • All these tiny children that are becoming lords and ladies just make me sad.
  • Except for Lyanna Mormont.
  • Though she may be little, she is fierce.
  • Awe Ned Umber, winner of cutest little lord though.
  • Speaking of Lady Lyanna… seriously, don’t mess with her.
  • Cue another Sansa side-eye.
  • People of the north are never happy with anything, I swear.
  • Maybe we should stop caring about who has a crown on their head and more about the undead guys with blue eyes AND AN ICE DRAGON that are coming to murder everyone. Hmm?
  • Thank you, Tyrion. We were due a … well, I was gonna say good speech, but you’re kind of tanking it here buddy. Not your crowd.
  • I can totally live with all these Sansa/Dany slowly looking at each other shots. On repeat.
  • Sansa and Tyrion together again! How long has it been?
  • Wow since the Purple Wedding! *when Joffrey died
  • Ain’t that the damn truth.
  • Also the shade of this whole conversation.
  • Sansa Stark, Lady of Winterfell, Thrower of Shade.
  • There’s Bran just creeping again.
  • I’m not crying, you’re crying.
  • You know nothing, Jon Snow. About what Arya’s been through, about what she’s done. She’s not a baby anymore.
  • Also, these little weapons nerd just showing off to each other.
  • There’s the Cersei we love to hate! “Good”.
  • YAARRRAAAAAAA!
  • “You picked the losing side.” Ugh, you tell him, girl. You tell him.
  • Euron Greyjoy makes my skin crawl.
  • Jamie? No… not Jamie. Who you pretty boy?
  • Ah, this must be the Golden Company. He looks a whole lot like Jamie Lannister. Foreshadowing?
  • “Well someone cheated.”
  • I dare you, Greyjoy, you walk up to the Mountain.
  • “You want a queen, earn her.”
  • Also, Cersei’s crown is legit amazing.
  • Here take this crossbow of awesome and go murder the queen’s treasonous brothers if they don’t die in the battle to come. That’s a totally normal thing for a sister to pay for.
  • “Poetic justice” nice touch.
  • And everyone thinks Dany is the “mad queen”?
  • Woah, I see dead people!
  • Is this the boat? Yes, it is. Theon?
  • THEON TO THE RESCUE!
  • Only to get headbutted. This is why Yara is the best.
  • Also, she’s a great and smart leader and a great and intuitive sister.
  • Don’t mind us just a bunch of older dude walking around and discussing the relationship of younger people. Nothing to see here.
  • But, they do make quite the “handsome couple”.
  • Varys being a buzzkill.
  • Now it’s dragon fun time hour!
  • You know, she keeps saying they are full grown, but they seem to act like bratty teenagers still.
  • YES JON GET ON THE DRAGON!
  • HAHA to Davos, Varys, and Tyrion’s faces
  • Is this our third dragon rider according to prophecy? Dany, Jon, and the Night King?
  • Dany = Fire, Night King = Ice, Jon = Both (technically?)
  • Hearteyes!
  • THESE TWO BABIES FLIRTING.

  • Oh, Sansa just called you OUT, Jon.
  • Though, gotta love all the banner houses chickening out on fighting.
  • SAM!
  • Oh, Sam. 🙁 This is not how you should be finding out about your family. Dany, this is cold.
  • But, also it’s really nice to see her seeing the consequences to her actions in person.
  • Bran. Be. Creepin’.
  • Sam the clumsy, best giver of bro hugs.
  • Oh no. I don’t like how this is going… REEL IT IN SAM!
  • Welp, you know what, yeah, Sam earned that one. That’s one way to tell a guy he’s the TRUE HEIR to the Iron Throne and related to his new girlfriend.
  • I wonder how long it’s going to take Jon to process this…
  • Also, I wonder how long his full name and titles would be…
  • Aegon Targaryen, formally known as Jon Snow, knower of nothing, unbastardized.
  • Welcome, everyone’s favorite wildling!
  • Those were “okay, I guess we are going into the dark keep” eyes.
  •  NOT NED UMBER! #gonetooyoung
  • …nope nope nope. His eyes just opened. And they’re blue. TURN AROUND TORMUND!
  • Saved by the flaming sword!
  • Another mystery mister…
  • Jamie!
  • WAIT! “I’m waiting for an old friend”?! Are you telling me that Bran just sat in that same spot THE WHOLE EPISODE, made Sam do stuff and menacingly stared at everyone because he was WAITING FOR JAMIE LANNISTER TO COME BACK TO WINTERFELL? Talk about full circle.
  •  Hello. Remember me?
Final Thoughts

Not the best Game of Thrones episode I’ve ever watched but definitely did the job of setting up where all of our major players are. We’re also starting to get a glimpse of the urgency and everyone’s intentions. I also feel like Bran trolled me the whole episode and I’m ready for this fierce female showdown that HAS to happen. Right?