Game of Thrones, HBO’s most favored television show since The Sopranos and The Wire, is returning to the small screen. Over the course of its seven seasons, the show has seen a spike in not only viewership but critical reception. Fans and critics alike laud at the intricacy of the storytelling, the enticement of the cinematography, and the nobody-is-safe environment of Westeros. No matter the magnitude of a sequence, whether it be the infamous Red Wedding or the graphic Battle of the Bastards, the writers of the story have managed to pass seemingly impossible standards. The massive prevalence of the show in society made the series a common topic when it comes to discussions between friends, family, and colleagues. However, what are you to do in this situation if your knowledge of the show has dwindled since the Season 7 finale in 2017? What if you have missed out on the last few seasons? What if you have never watched a single second of the show? Despite the deeply layered storyline, catching up to the present episode is not as hard as you may think.
Seasoned Viewers Who Need a Quick Refreshing On Where the Story Is at This Point
Rewatch “The Dragon and the Wolf” (Season 7 Finale)
Reviewing the finale of season seven is a very efficient way of recapping oneself of the most recent happenings of the story. In contrast to the convoluted yet compelling storylines of finales like “Winds of Winter,” “The Dragon and the Wolf” served as a setup episode to the upcoming season. The looming threat of the White Walkers whom the ominous Night King leads, the congregation of Cersei, Jaime, Tyrion, Daenerys, and Jon in King’s Landing in order to discuss the fate of the realm, Sansa and Arya’s joint effort against Littlefinger, the collapse of The Wall, and Bran’s visions of Jon’s origins are all plotlines which generate in this episode only to be elaborated upon in season eight. “The Dragon and the Wolf” is readily available on HBO itself or its other partner services.
Game of Thrones Wiki
Not knowing a specific detail from a certain episode does not require you to take time out of their day to rewatch the full episode. Instead, the Game of Thrones Wiki on the internet contains in-depth summaries and explanations of all episodes which cater to any burning question you may have.
Rewatch Season 7 as a Whole
This option is the safest when it comes to restoring your familiarity with the show’s most recent events, but it is also the most time-consuming option. Yet its petite seven episode length is not as much of a chore when the season is placed next to the series as a whole. Just like the strategy of acquiring “The Dragon and the Wolf,” the complete seventh season of Game of Thrones is available on Amazon and other partnering companies.
Viewers Who Have Missed More Than One Season or Viewers Who Find Themselves Only Casually Watching the Show
Game of Thrones Wiki
The Game of Thrones Wiki on the internet contains information regarding all episodes of all seasons. Each page consists of an overview, synopsis, character guide, character deaths, explanations of events, and show credits. You may miss the stunning visuals which have greatly improved as each season progresses, but reading over the Wiki is a viable option.
Watching the Key Episodes of the Series
The stories embedded within Game of Thrones are so convoluted that watching “the most important episode” will not even provide you with enough context to comprehend the current state of the show. Instead, venturing into multiple fundamental episodes would prove acceptable results. Across the web, there are countless lists of the episodes that seem to have the most significance in this point in the series, including “Winter is Coming” (1.1), “Blackwater” (2.9), “Rains of Castamere” (3.9), “The Lion and the Wolf” (4.2), “Hardhome” (4.8), “Battle of the Bastards” (6.9), “The Winds of Winter” (6.10), and “The Dragon and the Wolf” (7.7). Vox has an extensive guide on their website.
Those Who Have Never Watched a Second of Game of Thrones
Full-season summaries
It’s not the real experience, but catching up from scratch by involving yourself with the abundance of thorough video summaries online is a start. Channel Film Cram! on Youtube has an exceptional series which recalls each distinct season in extreme depth. On a more dense side, Screen Junkies composed a video just short of an hour in length recapping the series as a whole. Still, the pacing of videos like these are at a rapid speed, so it is hard to completely absorb the information that they spew out.
Game of Thrones Wiki
The praised Wiki for Game of Thrones holds information relating to precise episode synopses, character guides, the context of the series, and plenty more. If time does not permit you to binge the series via HBO or another streaming service, the Wiki allows you to dissect each episode and its happenings in chronological order. The only aspect of the show you are missing out on by pursuing this route is the striking visuals that the show brings on the small screen.
Watching Game of Thrones in its Entirety
Yes, the series is 67 episodes long as of the start of Season 8. Yes, each episode averages an hour in runtime. Yet indulging yourself in the allurement that every variable of Game of Thrones brings to the table will most fittingly prepare you for once winter does come. Not only will you be able to soak in the astonishing visuals that present themselves at every instant, but you will also find yourself sitting in Westeros itself, cheering when your preferred House wins a fierce battle, weeping when your most beloved character is helplessly killed off, or pondering over all of the secrets of the realm.
It will be a shame once you are slain
