Merbear and the Maiden Jer - Game of Thrones

After King's Landing is nearly destroyed, Grey Worm executes all captured soldiers on Daenerys' orders. Tyrion finds Jaime and Cersei dead in the Red Keep ruins. Daenerys rallies the Unsullied and Dothraki, declaring she will liberate the entire world. Denouncing Daenerys' tyranny, Tyrion resigns as Hand, then is imprisoned for treason to await execution. Fearing Daenerys may kill Jon and Sansa, Arya and Tyrion tell Jon that Westeros' fate lies with him. Jon confronts Daenerys, but unable to halt her destructive path, kills her. Grieved by her death, Drogon melts the Iron Throne, then carries her body away. Tyrion is freed and encourages that future monarchs be chosen by Westerosi aristocrats, rather than through familial succession. Apart from Sansa asserting an independent North, the Westerosi leaders unanimously proclaim Bran Stark as Bran the Broken, Ruler of the Six Kingdoms. Bran appoints Tyrion as his Hand and sentences Jon to the Night's Watch to appease Daenerys' followers. Grey Worm and the Unsullied sail for Naath. Tyrion reorganizes the King's Small Council – Brienne, Bronn, Davos, and Sam – to rebuild King's Landing. Sansa is crowned Queen in the North. Arya sets sail to explore west of Westeros. At Castle Black, Jon rejoins Tormund and Ghost, accompanying the Wildlings heading north of the Wall.

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Varys wants Jon to take the Iron Throne, but Jon refuses to betray Daenerys. After Tyrion informs her of Varys' plot, she has Drogon burn Varys. Daenerys plans to incinerate King's Landing, but Tyrion conspires with Jaime to surrender the city if Jaime can convince Cersei to abdicate and secretly leave. As Jaime, Arya, and Sandor infiltrate King's Landing, Daenerys has Drogon destroy the scorpions, Iron Fleet, and the Golden Company, allowing her army to enter. The Lannister forces are overwhelmed and surrender, but an enraged Daenerys attacks the city on Drogon, indiscriminately incinerating soldiers and civilians. The allied army follows her lead, slaughtering all in their path, horrifying Tyrion and Jon. After entering the Red Keep, Jaime kills Euron Greyjoy, but is mortally wounded. The Hound convinces Arya to abandon killing Cersei, then engages the Mountain, who kills Qyburn. The Hound and the Mountain fight fiercely, the brothers dying together after falling into flames. Cersei and Jaime reunite and flee, but their escape tunnel collapses, blocking their escape. Jon calls for retreat as civilians flee a disintegrating King's Landing on fire. Arya, amid the destruction, barely escapes the city alive.

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The North mourn their dead, burning them on funeral pyres. During a somber feast, Daenerys legitimizes Gendry as a Baratheon, and names him as Lord of Storm's End. Gendry proposes to Arya, but she declines. Jaime and Brienne sleep together. Daenerys wants Jon to hide his true parentage, though he wants Sansa and Arya to know. Tormund tells Jon he will return north with the Wildlings. Bronn arrives to kill Jaime and Tyrion, but spares them in exchange for Highgarden. During a war council, Daenerys wants to immediately attack King's Landing, but Sansa disagrees. Jon reveals his Targaryen claim to Sansa and Arya, swearing them to secrecy. Wanting Jon as king, Sansa tells Tyrion, who tells Varys. Daenerys and her fleet set sail for King's Landing, while Jon leads the Northern army. Arya leaves Winterfell with Sandor Clegane for the south. Euron Greyjoy ambushes the fleet, killing Rhaegal, and Missandei is captured. Daenerys considers seizing King's Landing by using Drogon's fire. Varys admits that Jon would make a better leader. Hearing of Cersei's actions, Jaime leaves Winterfell. Daenerys arrives at King's Landing, and Tyrion conveys her demand that Cersei surrender, but a defiant Cersei executes Missandei as her answer.

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The third episode of Game of Thrones Season 8 was as epic as we hoped. With an 82 minute running time, it was the longest episode in the final season. There was good reason for it, as it was one of the bloodiest battles in the show’s history and too good fit in an hour. David Benioff and Dan Weiss know what the fans want and they delivered with an episode that reportedly took 55 days to shoot.

The Living Army meets the Army of the Dead outside of Winterfell, but are quickly overwhelmed by the dead's superior numbers. The entire Dothraki army is decimated, and Edd is killed after saving Sam. The living retreat into the castle while Melisandre uses her magic to ignite the protective fire trench surrounding Winterfell to delay the advancing horde. Jon and Daenerys, riding Rhaegal and Drogon, engage the Night King on Viserion. After breaching the fire trench, the dead soldiers attack Winterfell, scaling its walls. The defenders are swiftly overwhelmed and scattered, with Lyanna Mormont and Beric dying in the fight. Melisandre helps Arya realize her destiny to defy the God of Death this day. Jon knocks the Night King off Viserion onto the ground where Daenerys commands Drogon to burn him, but without effect. The Night King raises the slain Winterfell defenders as his fighters, including those entombed in the crypts who then attack the sheltering civilians. After Daenerys is pulled from Drogon by swarming dead soldiers, Jorah is mortally wounded defending her. The Night King arrives at the Godswood for Bran, and kills Theon as he bravely protects Bran. Arya leaps onto the Night King, who turns and grabs her by the throat, but she stabs him with her Valyrian steel dagger. The Night King and his wights disintegrate, and the Army of the Dead falls. With her purpose served, Melisandre wanders away from Winterfell and dies from her advanced age.

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The final guest list at Winterfell is filled with arrival of a few remaining fighters - some bringing news of the danger ahead. Jamie’s moral compass is tested before his new queen, but he’s far from the only one being scrutinized under immense pressure. With news of the Night Kings army approaching, Winterfell finishes hurried preparations while people come to terms with the impending war and it’s probable repercussions.

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The final season of Game of Thrones began where the series originally began, in Winterfell. The show runners have mentioned that this final season would echo the first one and last night's episode showed that.  There was a royal procession, and a small boy climbing a tree to take in the sights, his eyes wide at the sight of thousands of marching men coming through the gates. The difference is that eight years later it isn’t Bran Stark gazing out in wonder. Bran is much older, wiser, and filled with the heavy burden brought on by his experiences. The same can be said for every character in Westeros. Winter is here and since this show has so many moving parts, here's a handy recap of last night's episode.

Thank you Joanna Robinson, senior writer at Vanity Fair, and a member of the Cast of Kings Podcast for joining us this week!

Follow her on Twitter:

@JoWroteThis

@aCastofKings 

You can contact Merbear at @meredithgeddes or email at [email protected]

You can contact The Maide Jer at @Jeremy_Baker or email at [email protected]

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The final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones is just days away, and you need to be prepared to head into what is guaranteed to be an explosive conclusion, 8 years in the making. On this week’s episode of Merbear and The Maiden Jer, Jeremy Baker and Meredith Geddes take you back through season 7, highlighting they key moments that got us where we are. We’ll talk to Aziz from History of Westeros who will shed some light on the mythology of ice dragons, and why he believes Cersei is the one to watch going forward. Then Jeremy and Meredith will look at some of the theories bouncing around about season 8 with help from Michael. He’s a moderator on the subreddit for A Song of Ice and Fire and host of the podcast Maester Monthly.

Contact:

Jeremy Baker

@Jeremy_Baker 

[email protected]

Meredith Geddes

@MeredithGeddes

[email protected]

Guests:

Aziz Al-Doory

@WesterosHistory 

Michael Monaco

@MaesterMonthly 

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As winter sweeps over the seven kingdoms, the future of Westeros has never been more uncertain. What started as battle for the Iron Throne in King’s Landing has become a war between the living and the undead. Meredith (Merbear) and her trusty sidekick Jeremy (The Maiden Jer) are ready for the final season of Game of Thrones! New episodes coming soon. 

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Meredith Geddes and Jeremy Baker rewatch Game of Thrones from the beginning.The North secedes from the Seven Kingdoms and proclaims Robb as their king. With Jaime captured by the Starks and Robert's brothers challenging Joffrey's claim to the throne, Tywin appoints Tyrion as acting King's Hand, while Tywin fights to defend Joffrey's reign. Jon plans to desert his post at the Wall to avenge Ned and support Robb, but his friends convince him to honor his oath and stay. Jon then joins a Night's Watch expedition to find Benjen beyond the Wall. Yoren, a Night's Watch recruiter, helps Arya escape King's Landing disguised as a boy while Joffrey plans to make Sansa his queen despite her father's execution. Daenerys learns that her unborn son is dead, and Drogo has been left in a vegetative state due to the witch's treacherous magic. Daenerys ends Drogo's life. She places her three dragon eggs next to Drogo and lights a funeral pyre. She burns the witch alive on Drogo's pyre and walks into the flames herself. When the embers die the following morning, Daenerys rises, unharmed, flanked by three newborn dragons. Jorah and other witnesses kneel before her.

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Meredith Geddes and Jeremy Baker rewatch Game of Thrones from the beginning. The Stark army arrives at the Twins castle; Catelyn convinces Lord Frey to let them pass and assist them, in exchange for her agreeing to the marriage of Robb and Arya to Frey's children in the future. Robb sacrifices 2,000 soldiers in a confrontation with the Lannister army, to capture Jaime. In a public hearing, Ned confesses to treason and publicly affirms Joffrey is rightful heir. However, rather than sentencing him to the Wall as had been negotiated, the vengeful Joffrey has him decapitated, while Sansa, and Cersei and other counselors object futilely. Sansa watches her father die, and Arya is present in the crowd. At the Wall, Jeor Mormont gives his family sword to Jon in gratitude, and Maester Aemon reveals to Jon that Aemon is a Targaryen. In Essos, Drogo's wound becomes septic and his death imminent. Daenerys convinces a slave woman to use blood magic to save him. The woman tells everyone to leave the tent and stay outside until the spell is over. Daenerys goes into labor, and Jorah brings her into the forbidden tent seeking aid.

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