Narrator: The eighth and final season
of "Game of Thrones" has finally arrived.
In the episode titled "Winterfell,"
we get a ton of references to the very first episode
of the series, which premiered way back in 2011.
Here are 13 details you might have missed
from Season 8, Episode 1.
And, of course, warning: Spoilers are coming.
Right at the top of the new episode,
we get new visuals accompanying the theme song.
What's probably most important to note
is that the Northern Wall now has a giant hole,
reminding us of the season 7 finale
where the the undead, reanimated Viserion
obliterates the wall.
We also get three new panels showing the fall of the Wall,
the Red Wedding, and Daenerys' dragons being born.
At the beginning of the episode, we see Daenerys
and Jon Snow entering Winterfell
with a large army and two dragons.
This procession mirrors Season 1, Episode 1
when Robert Baratheon arrived at Winterfell
to make Ned Stark Hand of the King.
Not only do the two scenes look similar,
but both scenes also share the exact same music.
The boy pushing the crowd and climbing
is similar to both Bran and Arya.
Speaking of Arya, just like Season 1, Episode 1,
she catches a glimpse of the Hound,
but they've got a lot more history now.
The boy in this scene at the meeting of the Northern Lords
is Lord Ned Umber, who we saw last season
pledging fealty to House Stark.
Jon Snow: Ned Umber.
Narrator: Who is Ned?
He's the son of Smalljon Umber,
who died at the Battle of the Bastards.
If you watch the episode, then you know
this isn't the last we see of the boy.
But before we get there, we should explain
where exactly Tormund, Beric, and the others
are treading carefully at the end of the episode.
Well, they're actually at Last Hearth,
which is south of the Wall but north of Winterfell,
and that's where the Umbers live.
At Last Hearth, Beric kills the reanimated Ned Umber
with his flaming sword, illuminating a spiral pattern.
We've seen this pattern before.
Back in season 3, we saw the body parts of dismembered
Night's Watchmen and horses.
We saw the pattern again in season 5,
when the Children of the Forest created the Night King,
and then again in season 7,
in the cave drawings at Dragonstone.
We still don't know yet its significance,
but clearly it's an important sign of the White Walkers.
In another nod to season 1, Jon and Arya's
reunion in this episode is a close mirror
of when Jon and Arya said goodbye
in Season 1, Episode 2.
They hug in a near-identical way,
and that's when Jon gave Arya Needle, her beloved sword.
In this episode, Jon notices that Arya still has the blade.
We see Jon fly a dragon for the first time,
which is certainly momentous,
but there's actually more going on here.
The dragon Jon flies is Rhaegal,
named after his real father, Rhaegar Targaryen.
In the season 8 trailer, we saw this same scene,
but Jon was not in the shot.
This scene is no doubt a reference to when Jon made love
to his first love, Ygritte, in a cave near a waterfall.
According to the creators, this location in season 8
is also where Jon would have hunted when he was younger.
Arya meets Gendry and hands him a drawing of a new weapon
she wants him to make out of dragonglass.
In the season 2 trailer, we see Arya with a new dagger,
which could be what she's asking Gendry to make for her.
In this episode, Gendry and Arya reunite.
Gendry calls Arya "Lady Stark," to which Arya replies,
"Don't call me that." Gendry then replies,
"As you wish, m'lady."
This is a direct mirror of a conversation they had
in Season 2, Episode 2.
Gendry: I should be calling you "m'lady."
Arya: Do not call me "m'lady."
Gendry: As m'lady commands.
Narrator: Tyrion says because of Jon's courage,
they have brought the greatest army the world has ever seen.
This is similar to a phrase Mance Rayder says
back in season 3.
Mance Rayder: I'm going to light the biggest fire
the North has ever seen!
Narrator: Mance was talking about lighting a fire
to alert the wildlings that it was
time to attack Castle Black.
In the scene with Bronn, Qyburn gives Bronn a crossbow,
the weapon Cersei wants Bronn
to use to kill her traitor brothers.
This is significant because you may remember
that Tyrion uses a crossbow to kill their father,
Tywin Lannister.
Midway through the episode, Sam finds Bran,
and Bran says he's "waiting for an old friend."
We find out later the old friend he's referring to
is Jaime Lannister, who shows up at Winterfell.
Jaime pushed Bran out a window back in season 1,
leading to the injury that left him unable to walk.
Jaime Lannister: The things I do for love.
Narrator: So there you have it.
Did we miss anything?
Let us know in the comments.