Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 5 Recap

In the previous episode of HBO’s Game of Thrones, Sansa and Arya learned the truth about Jon’s parentage, and Cersei executed Missandei in front of Daenerys. In Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 5, the penultimate episode of the series, Daenerys dealt with a number of betrayals, and her forces attacked King’s Landing.

The Spider

Varys wrote letters about Jon being the true heir to the Iron Throne. When Jon arrived in Dragonstone, Varys tried to convince him that he would be the better ruler. Tyrion confessed to Daenerys that Varys had betrayed her, but she already knew. She took it to mean that Jon had betrayed her, and when Jon couldn’t be with her romantically, Daenerys resigned herself to ruling through fear. She had Varys executed for his treason.

The Mad Queen

Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 5 Recap

Despite the scorpions, Euron’s fleet, and the Golden Company, Daenerys’s forces, especially her remaining dragon, Drogon, cut through them like butter. The battle for King’s Landing was over soon, as the bells rang to announce Cersei’s surrender and the Lannister soldiers dropped their weapons. However, Daenerys wasn’t finished and used Drogon to rain fire down on King’s Landing, civilians and all. Grey Worm charged the surrendering soldiers, and the rest of Daenerys’s armies resumed attacking. Eventually, Jon ordered his troops to fall back.

Cleganebowl

Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 5 Recap

Arya and The Hound finally made it into the Red Keep. As the castle crumbled around them, Sandor told her that she had to go back. If Arya followed him, she would not survive. Arya thanked him and left the castle. We followed Arya as she made her way through the devastation, trying to save as many as she could but ultimately failing as ashes rained from the sky. She found a horse and rode it away.

In the Red Keep, The Hound found his brother escorting Cersei and Qyburn to safety. Sandor confronted Gregor. The Mountain ignored Cersei’s orders to stay with her and killed Qyburn in an instant. Cersei got out of there as the Clegane brothers squared off.

Though The Mountain overpowered him, Sandor got some good stabs in. The only problem was that The Mountain is undead. He shrugged them off and pressed his fingers into The Hound’s eyes. Knowing that even a dagger through the eye wasn’t working, Sandor threw himself onto his brother, and they tumbled from the tower into fire and destruction.

Together to the End

Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 5 Recap

The Unsullied had caught Jaime and were guarding him. As Daenerys’s Hand, Tyrion gained access to him and set him free. Jaime was supposed to convince Cersei to surrender by ringing the bells and opening the gates.

Unfortunately, Jaime missed the cutoff as the gates to the Red Keep closed, so he had to find another way in. He ran into Euron, fresh out of the water after Drogon destroyed his fleet. He fought Jaime and stabbed him. Despite Jaime ultimately besting him, Euron rejoiced at having killed Jaime, who wasn’t dead yet. He taunted Jaime for being a Kingslayer yet again as he died.

Jaime found Cersei and took her through the crumbling castle. They went underground, but debris blocked the way out for them. Jaime held her as everything around them caved in, and they died together.

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