[This article contains spoilers]

Get ready Williston: Winter is here.

After more than two years of waiting, the eighth and final season of the wildly popular series Game of Thrones has finally arrived. Created for TV in 2011 by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss and produced by HBO, the first episode of the closing six-show season premiered on April 14, 2019.

Game of Thrones, an epic fantasy series taking place in what resembles the Middle Ages, revolves around the houses of Westeros who battle for control of the Iron Throne and the Seven Kingdoms. The main houses involved include House Stark of Winterfell, House Lannister of Casterly Rock, House Baratheon of Storm’s End, and House Targaryen of Dragonstone.

The show is based on the epic fantasy novel series “A Song of Ice and Fire” by George R. R. Martin. The first volume of the series, “Game of Thrones,” was published in 1996.

The season eight premiere had 17.4 million viewers, beating the season seven premiere’s amount of 16.1 million. According to Marketplace.org, an average episode costs about $6 million to make. Despite the expense, or maybe because of it, Game of Thrones generates about $1 billion annually.

A big part of this revenue is the actors and actresses cast in Game of Thrones. Emilia Clark, who plays Daenerys Targaryen, has been in other works like Solo: A Star Wars Story and voiced Marianne in Futurama. Another popular actress is Lena Headey, who plays Cersei Lannister; she has played major roles in works such as The Brothers Grimm and The Purge. A popular and beloved actor in the GoT franchise is Kit Harington, who plays Jon Snow.

Thomas Thibault ’19, a fellow member of The Willistonian, is a huge fan of the thrilling series. He spoke just before the final season debuted.

“It is subjectively the best made show in the history of television,” Thomas said. “I’ve waited two years for this last season to come out, and the hype surrounding it is insane. I can’t wait to watch it.”

Cam Mariani ’19, another big fan of Game of Thrones, is thrilled to see what goes down in the final season.

“I’ve watched Game of Thrones since day one,” said Cam. “I can’t wait to see what happens between all the houses and who controls the Iron Throne in this season. It’s going to be awesome.”

Mrs. Erin Davey, Assistant Dean of Students at Williston, has followed the show since season one and doesn’t want to see it end.

“I feel like I have been on this journey since it came out in 2011, I have invested time, money, and energy into this. There is no exit plan,” said Davey. “I am excited and sad, sad it has to end, but it’s time to see who takes the throne.”

In the first episode, it was a return to season one in terms of setups and scenes. The pace wasn’t pushed, but it positioned many conflicts between the living and the dead, while also reintroducing the characters to each other. In the North, Daenerys rides into Winterfell and reunites with the Starks. The Northerners are not welcoming because Jon Snow, their “King of the North,” threw away his crown to be attached to Daenerys.

Meanwhile, Samwell Tarley finds out that Daenerys has burned his family alive. This gives Sam an excuse to tell Jon Snow his secret heritage, revealing that Jon is the true heir to the Iron Throne and that Daenerys is really his aunt. At the end of the episode, Jaime Lannister returns to Winterfell and comes face-to-face with Bran, who he crippled by pushing out of a window in season one.