Game of Thrones fans know they need to be on high alert while watching.
Whether you're a diehard fan or casual viewer, it's always fun to hunt for clues with big
importance, and the eighth and final season has provided plenty of them.
Let's look at some of the tiny details you may have missed in the last few episodes.
One of the first lines spoken in the first episode of the eighth season comes from Jon
Snow, who tells Daenerys:
"Northerners don't much trust outsiders."
This becomes entirely clear when Jon's sister Sansa looks skeptical if not downright contemptuous
when faced with the Dragon Queen.
Daenerys doesn't exactly ingratiate herself with the Northerners throughout the episode,
and they remain unwilling to trust her, despite Jon's assurances.
There's plenty of foreshadowing here about how Daenerys and Jon will fare in the North
once people learn more about their chosen king: Not only was Jon Snow actually born
in Dorne, but he's a highborn and Southern heir to the Iron Throne.
This makes him an outsider, even though he seems like a Northerner through and through.
Daenerys was always going to face opposition.
But when Jon's people learn the truth about his parentage, they might turn on the King
in the North.
It wouldn't be the first time, either.
In Game of Thrones' seventh season, it seemed like Cersei Lannister had something to live
for.
After losing her three children to poisonings and suicide, she says she's pregnant again,
and it's a baby she conceived with her twin brother Jaime.
During that moment, it seems like Cersei might start to care about something other than herself.
It's an oddly comforting development, particularly for fans who were worried that Cersei might
turn into a full-fledged psychopath.
Cersei memorably refused a glass of wine back in season 7.
But in the season eight premiere, she's seen comfortably sipping wine after her first night
with Euron Greyjoy.
At one point, Greyjoy tells her:
"I'm going to put a prince in your belly."
She appears to be on the verge of tears as he walks away.
Perhaps something tragic happened to the baby since the end of season seven.
But knowing Cersei, it's certainly possible that she made up the pregnancy in the first
place, all in an attempt to get her brothers to side with her.
Either way, that glass of wine seems significant, especially considering the way she usually
hits the bottle.
When Qyburn interrupts Bronn at the brothel on behalf of the queen, viewers know the reason
must be an evil one.
Ever since Cersei's brothers Jaime and Tyrion turned on her, she's been out for revenge.
And she and Qyburn seem to think Bronn is the man to inflict that revenge.
Well, audiences might want to take a second look at his weapon.
If the crossbow looks familiar, it's because it's the exact same weapon Tyrion used to
kill his father Tywin at the end of the show's fourth season.
"Tyrion, put down the crossbow."
In regards to Cersei, Qyburn even tells Bron that:
"She has a keen sense of poetic justice."
That's quite the understatement.
It remains to be seen whether Bronn will ultimately turn on both his former allies for his own
benefit.
At the end of the season's first episode, Jon Snow finally learns that he's the child
of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen, which makes him the true heir to the Iron Throne.
That's information we, as viewers, have known for a while, but Jon's been in the dark this
whole time.
Still, there are plenty of clues about the impending reveal leading up that scene.
Throughout the episode, there are several offhand comments about who Jon really "is"
or who he has "become."
Remember the comments made by young Lyanna Mormont?
The Lady Lyanna - who's named after Jon Snow's real mother - tells him:
"You left the North a king and came back a…
I'm not sure what you are now."
But the biggest moment hinting at Jon's big reveal is his ride atop a dragon.
After all, only Targaryens can ride dragons, and Jon rides an especially significant one.
While Daenerys takes her place atop Drogon, Jon mounts Rhaegal, named for his real father.
Also worth noting: when Sam tells Jon about his real heritage, the two are standing right
in front of Ned Stark's statue in Winterfell's crypts.
Remember the last time Jon saw Ned?
He made a promise:
"The next time we see each other, we'll talk about your mother."
That makes it particularly fitting that Jon learns the big news with a statue of his adoptive
father at his side.
Jaime Lannister's return to Winterfell was bound to be a rough one.
After all, the last time he was there, he tried murdering a young Bran Stark after the
boy caught him and his twin sister Cersei doing things that twins really aren't supposed
to do.
As if that weren't bad enough, though, he's guilty of murdering Daenerys' father, which
earned him the name "Kingslayer."
Suffice to say, he doesn't receive a particularly warm welcome, even after his friend Brienne
of Tarth vouches for his character.
Though he's granted a royal reprieve by the Mother of Dragons, it soon becomes clear that
he doesn't have a lot of faith in his new queen.
"And she is… different?"
"She is."
"You're sure about her?"
"I am."
Keep in mind that Daenerys' father had a nickname of his own: "The Mad King."
For obvious reasons, Jaime has never had anything good to say about him:
"He loved to watch people burn, the way their skin blackened and blistered, and melted off
their bones."
No wonder he's distrustful of Daenerys.
Especially considering her own fondness for fire.
If Daenerys is poised to turn into the Mad Queen, as many fans suspect, Jaime will have
been right not to trust her.
Only time will tell how all that plays out.
Until then, we'll be watching closely.
So closely...
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