68 details you might have missed in the final season of 'Game of Thrones'

Previously the astrolabe device had bands of artwork showing Robert's Rebellion and other historic tales known far and wide in Westeros.

Now it starts with the most recent cataclysmic event on the continent: The Night King bringing down the Wall at Eastwatch by the Sea.

You can see a row of the Army of the Dead in the lower right corner and birds flying off from the top left side which represent both the Night's Watch fleeing and the ravens which Bran skinchanges into.

On this band, a dead wolf (Lady Catelyn) hangs from the towers of the Twins (House Frey's castle) while a Flayed Man (House Bolton) holds up another wolf's head (King Robb Stark).

To the left, a lion (Tywin Lannister) holds a fish in its jaws (House Tully).

The birth of three dragons was the closest thing to a miracle most people in the world had seen in a long while. Unfortunately now the Night King has used one of those dragons to attack the realm of men, but Daenerys and Jon Snow won't go down without a fight.

Read more: A closer look at every new change in the 'Game of Thrones' opening credits you might have missed

This introductory scene was a callback to the pilot episode of "Game of Thrones," when King Robert and the royal party visited Winterfell.

The young boy climbing up the tree was a direct reference to Bran Stark scaling the castle walls for a better look at the coming guests.

Most important of all, the "Game of Thrones" composer Ramin Djawadi wrote a new iteration of a soundtrack piece we haven't heard since that first pilot episode, called "The King's Arrival." That musical cue added to the familiarity of the opening sequence.

Back on the pilot, Arya also stood outside the walls of the castle and watched the royal party trot into town.

On the season eight premiere, Arya looked rightfully less excited at the sight of Sandor Clegane among Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen's retinue.

Just as King Robert presented Cersei Lannister to the Starks on season one, Jon Snow introduced Daenerys Targaryen to the lords and ladies in Winterfell.

This time Sansa and Bran Stark, Brienne of Tarth, Podrick Payne, Maester Wolkan, Lyanna Mormont, and Lord Yohn Royce made up the greeting crew.

Bran and Sansa Stark, Theon Greyjoy, and Jon Snow are the only four people in this photo who survived past season three. Jory, Robb Stark, Ned Stark, Maester Luwin, Catelyn Stark, Ser Rodrik, and Rickon were all murdered or executed.

Let's hope the welcome party from season eight has better survival odds.

On season one, episode two, "The Kingsroad," Jon said goodbye to Bran before heading to the Wall. Though Bran was in a coma and couldn't hear him, Jon made his younger brother (well, cousin) some promises.

This goodbye scene was one of the first times an iconic piece of "Game of Thrones" music was played. The track, titled "Goodbye Brother," is the basis for what you'll recognize on the show as the general House Stark theme music that plays during any significant scenes with Arya, Sansa, Bran, and Jon.

They embraced as Jon picked Arya up off her feet, in the same way he hugged her after gifting her with Needle on season one, episode two, "The Kingsroad."

Read more: 'Game of Thrones' finally brought Jon and Arya back together, but the reunion was tinged with a threat of discord

Arya named her sword Needle during her hug with Jon on season one. But this time when they embraced, Arya was warning Jon not to forget that she and Sansa are his family.

Daenerys named her dragons after three important men in her life: Khal Drogo > Drogon, Viserys > Viserion, and Rhaegar > Rhaegal.

Viserion was killed last season and belonged to the Night King, and Daenerys has always had a strong preference for Drogon. So that left Rhaegal, the greenish beast named after Jon Snow's father (though Jon had no idea at the time), as Jon's ride for the afternoon.

Though Drogon was doing his best to interrupt, Daenerys tried to set an intimate mood with Jon.

"We could stay a thousand years. No one would find us," Daenerys said to the former King in the North.

"Let's not go back. Let's stay here a while longer," Ygritte told Jon. "I don't ever want to leave this cave, Jon Snow."

On the fourth season, as she died in Jon's arms, Ygritte mentioned the cave once more. It's become a symbol of the rare peace and romance found on "Game of Thrones," and so the invocation of it for Jon and Daenerys' scene was contentious.

Could they really have a happy ending? If their love story is anything like Jon and Ygritte's was, the answer is a sad "no."

Read more: 'Game of Thrones' keeps adding fuel to a popular 'Evil Daenerys' fan theory, but her path forward is more complicated

One way to tell it was Last Hearth was by the crossed chain sigil of House Umber on the courtyard's banners.

Little Ned Umber had been turned into a wight, and woke up shrieking and writhing until Beric set him on fire.

The flame spread to severed arms that were nailed onto the wall in a familiar spiral pattern.

The rock formation where the Night King was first created was in this spiral shape, so it's likely just a pattern the Night King has chosen to use as his marker.

While the premiere episode's credits were entirely new, for the second episode there were simple additions.

First, Last Hearth was shown enveloped in the icy-blue tiles that represent the Night King and his Army of the Dead. Then, as seen above, Winterfell was shown battle-ready with the deep trenches built around its border.

"Perhaps he trusts his little brother to defend him," Daenerys said when Tyrion tried to come to Jaime's defense. "Right up until the moment he slits my throat."

In George R.R. Martin's books, the prophecy told to Cersei as a young girl has a third and important part. The woods witch told Cersei, "The valonqar shall wrap his hands about your pale white throat and choke the life from you."

But many fans have come around to the idea that Jaime is the real valonqar — he's also her little brother, after all, just by mere minutes.

But the show removed this part of the prophecy back on season five when we were given the flashback of Young Cersei hearing the predictions, so we can't be certain this theory will manifest at all on "Game of Thrones."

Regardless, this episode appeared to make a clear reference to it, if only to stoke the fires of speculation once more.

Read more: Our full breakdown of the Valonqar prophecy and what it could mean for Cersei

When Queen Daenerys still seems doubtful of Jaime's intentions, he turns and looks at Brienne before answering.

"Because this goes beyond loyalty," Jaime said. "This is about survival."

"Oh f--- loyalty," Brienne said, much to Jaime's shock. "This goes beyond houses and honor and oaths. Talk to the queen."

It was Jaime's invocation of this sentiment that finally pushed her to stand up and defend Jaime in front of all the Northern lords, Lady Sansa, and Queen Daenerys.

The ancestral blade of House Stark was a greatsword named Ice. The blade was Valyrian steel, making the metal precious (and one of the rare substances that can kill White Walkers).

At the start of season two, Tywin Lannister had Ice melted down and forged two new swords from it.

He gave one of these swords to Jaime, who in turn gifted it to Brienne. She named it Oathkeeper. The second sword was given to King Joffrey, who named it Widow's Wail. After Joffrey's death, Jaime took the blade for himself.

Now, for the first time since Ned left Winterfell on season one, episode two, Ice was back in its rightful place of House Stark.

"I always pictured myself dying in my bed, at the age of 80 with a belly full of wine and girl's mouth around my c---," Tyrion told Jaime.

Clearly Tyrion loves this little jest, because Jaime finished his sentence for him.

"How would you like to die, Tyrion son of Tywin?" said Shagga, son of Dolf. And Tyrion answered with his typical wit, saying the "belly full of wine" joke again.

The scene on season eight ended on a potentially more terrifying note, when Tyrion said perhaps he'd "march to King's Landing and rip [Cersei] apart" after he was killed. Could this be yet another nod to the "Valonqar" prophecy? Fans would have to wait and see.

When Arya walked up to the forge just as Gendry was starting to work on a weapon, the framing of the shots was identical to a scene from the end of season two, episode five, "The Ghost of Harrenhal."

The actors Joe Dempsie (Gendry) and Maisie Williams (Arya) have aged along with their characters as the series has filmed over the past decade.

When they first began shooting, Williams was 12 years old. Now, she's 22. Dempsie was about 23 by the time season two rolled around, and now he's 31. Their characters are meant to be much closer in age (about 18 and 23, respectively).

Read more: Fans are divided over Gendry and Arya's sex scene on 'Game of Thrones'

The young girl had burn marks on her face, in the same place where Shireen's greyscale covered her cheek.

Davos thought of Shireen as a daughter and was devastated to learn not only of her death but to hear she was executed by Stannis and Melisandre. Shireen helped both Davos and Gilly learn how to read. We saw the young princess bond with Gilly on season five, when they were both at Castle Black.

During a season three scene with Shireen, she was heard singing an eerie ballad called "It's Always Summer Under the Sea."

The melody of that song is the same music heard on the season eight scene when Davos has a visceral reaction to seeing the young Winterfell girl in front of him.

Back on the pilot episode of "Game of Thrones," Robert Baratheon and Ned Stark spoke in the crypts of Winterfell about their families.

"I have a son — you have a daughter," Robert said. "We'll join our houses."

King Robert was referring to Joffrey and Sansa but, as we soon learned, Joffrey wasn't Robert's son at all but the bastard of Cersei and Jaime.

Fans have spent years hoping that line might foreshadow a romance between Gendry and Arya, the real son and daughter of Robert and Ned. And tonight they got their wish (just sans the arranged betrothal part).

Tyrion calls Jaime the "fabled hero of the Siege of Pyke." That fight happened decades before the contemporary events of "Game of Thrones," but Jaime had a meaningful conversation with one of the Stark household soldiers about it on the first season.

The two exchanged pleasantries, and talk turned to the battle at the Siege of Pyke, where they had fought side by side. Jory mentioned how he nearly lost an eye fighting one of the Greyjoy men.

Jory tried to take Jaime on single-handedly, but Jaime shoved his dagger through Jory's eye, killing him instantly and bringing their earlier conversation around full circle.

This was the first major battle Robb Stark won. He surprised the Lannister forces and captured Jaime, which eventually led to Jaime's release with Brienne and the loss of his hand.

Given how Jaime-centric Sunday's episode of "Game of Thrones" was, it's fitting for us to be reminded of these two monumental character moments for Jaime. The first is an example of his previous cutthroat loyalty to his family, and the latter shows how far the relationship between House Stark and Lannister has come.

In addition to the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, Martin wrote three novellas set in Westeros about 100 years prior to the events of "Game of Thrones."

Each novella follows the tales of a knight called Ser Duncan the Tall and a young Targaryen prince known simply as Egg. Ser Duncan even got name-dropped on the fourth season of "Game of Thrones," when King Joffrey was reading through the White Book of the Kingsguard.

After years of fans speculating that the unusually tall Ser Duncan might be one of Brienne's ancestors, Martin seemed to confirmed the theory at a convention in 2016. The three "Dunk and Egg" novellas were packaged into a single book called "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."

Knowing Brienne's potential shared heritage with the chivalrous Ser Duncan made that incredible knighting ceremony all the more powerful when Jaime said, "Arise, Brienne of Tarth, a knight of the Seven Kingdoms."

The song, renamed "Jenny of Oldstones" for the show, appears during one of Arya's chapters in "A Song of Ice and Fire." Learn more about the song and its hidden meaning here.

For now, here are the full lyrics to Podrick's version:

"High in the halls of the kings who are gone
Jenny would dance with her ghosts
The ones she had lost and the ones she had found
And the ones who had loved her the most
The ones who'd been gone for so very long
She couldn't remember their names

"They spun her around on the damp old stones
Spun away all her sorrow and pain
And she never wanted to leave
Never wanted to leave (x5)"

Just after Jon Snow dropped the bombshell news of his parentage on Daenerys, the Night King's army arrived and the episode faded on an ominous note. Watch the lyric video for the Florence and the Machine version of "Jenny of Oldstones" here.

At the start of episode three, the Army of the Dead was right outside of Winterfell.

Just as predicted, the blue tiles crept all the way up to the grounds of House Stark's beloved castle by the beginning of the third episode, "The Long Night."

For the first two episodes, the sweeping shot of the crypts showed flickering torches lining the hallway.

On episode three's shot, the torches start going out at the end of the hallway. This was an early signal that the Army of the Dead would inflict its horror on the people inside the crypts, too.

We can pretty confidently add Lady Alys Karstark to the list of characters who were killed during the battle, since Theon was left standing alone in front of Bran by the time the Night King showed up.

Read more: All the 'Game of Thrones' characters who died in the Battle at Winterfell

She and little Ned Umber were the two young highborns whom Jon Snow pardoned after the Battle of the Bastards (their fathers each fought for the Boltons). Ned was killed by the Night King on the eighth season premiere.

The deaths of both Alys and Ned mark the end of two great Northern houses. Though Winterfell survived the battle, the North has clearly been weakened in the fight.

Melisandre showed up just before the war against the Army of the Dead got started, and she used a Valyrian spell to ignite the blades of all the Dothraki horseriders.

Part of her spell included the phrase "āeksiō ōños," which means "lord's light" (as in the Red God or Lord of Light himself: R'hllor).

Dormer has said Beric uses that same Valyrian spell to ignite his sword, but he doesn't even have to say the words.

The language creator David J. Peterson, who crafted the Valyrian and Dothraki phrases for the series, shared a translation of the incantation used by Melisandre on his website.

Here's what she was saying in Valyrian: "Āeksios Ōño, aōhos ōñoso ilōn jehikās! Āeksios Ōño, ilōn misās! Kesrio syt bantis zābrie issa se ossȳngnoti lēdys!"

And the English translation: "Lord of Light, cast your light upon us! Lord of Light, defend us! For the night is dark and full of terrors!"

Just before he was killed by a wight, Edd told Sam he needed to get up from the ground.

Early on season three, Sam, Edd, and the rest of the Night's Watch were fleeing from a White Walker attack when Sam collapsed to his knees, unable to go on anymore.

Edd survived the Fist of the First Men, the battle of Castle Black (where Grenn met his death at the hands of a giant), Hardhome, and the Night King's attack on the Wall.

Unfortunately Edd's watch ended at the Battle of Winterfell.

Read more: Every character who survived the battle, including Ghost and Daenerys' 2 dragons Rhaegal and Drogon

Sunday's episode, "The Long Night," was directed by Miguel Sapochnik.

Sapochnik made his mark on "Game of Thrones" back on the fifth season when he helmed Jon Snow's showdown versus the Night King at Hardhome.

They all crashed at the foot of the mountain but then immediately cracked their heads up and continued running. That was the moment when Jon Snow (and Edd) decided to bail on any effort of fighting, which led to his iconic first staredown with the Night King.

When Sansa told Arya she didn't know how to use the dragonglass dagger, Arya simply said: "Stick 'em with the pointy end."

This was precisely what Jon Snow told her back on season one, episode two, when he gifted Needle to her before they said goodbye.

This line is particularly iconic in George R.R. Martin's book series, because Arya thinks back to it at several points. The show even named a season-one episode after this line, in which Arya kills her first person (a young stable boy).

Martin also used this line back in 2010 as the title of a blog post announcing Maisie Williams had been cast in the role of Arya Stark.

Unfortunately Sansa didn't put the advice into practice down in the crypts.

When Arya first fought a group of wights on the ramparts of Winterfell, she was using her new dragonglass-tipped spear in fight choreography that mimicked her season-six training with the Faceless Men.

To highlight this callback on Sunday's episode, a variant of Arya's theme music (a track called "Needle") by Ramin Djawadi played as she used the same move on a wight.

Read more: How Arya killing the Night King at the Battle of Winterfell was foreshadowed last season

This young girl was part of an important scene on last week's episode, "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms," when she reminded both Ser Davos and Gilly of the now-dead Princess Shireen.

As with Sansa, it was a bit strange to know there was a person down in the crypts prepared to fight but never took the chance. Once the tombs broke open and the dead emerged, all heck broke loose and we didn't catch sight of the young girl again.

Qhono, Edd, and Lady Lyanna Mormont were all shown reopening their eyes when the Night King used his powers to raise the dead.

He was present when Jon Snow first arrived to Dragonstone and at the "Spoils of War" battle on season seven.

Martin has so far published only five of his planned seven books in the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series. In the last published chapters told from Theon's perspective, he's only just barely breaking out of his tormented "Reek" persona.

Theon ponders death as "the sweetest deliverance he could hope for" and also thinks about Winterfell as his home. "Not a true home, but the best I ever knew," he says to himself.

Theon wanders around Winterfell and finds himself in the godswood, where he speaks with the weirwood tree there.

"Please. A sword, that's all I ask," he says. "Let me die as Theon, not as Reek."

Theon in the books thinks he sees Bran's face in the weirwood tree and hears whispers on the wind. This was most likely Bran using his greensight powers through the weirwood tree.

Though the events that lead Theon to the godswood are very different from his arc in Martin's book, the moment when Bran tells Theon that Winterfell is his "home" too had extra meaning for people familiar with the book series.

After seeing how outnumbered he was, Theon opted for a hero's death as he charged at the Night King with a spear.

The Night King easily deflected the blow and in turn stabbed Theon right through the belly.

After Theon took Winterfell from Bran, the Boltons came to reclaim the castle in the name of Robb Stark. Seeing he was surrounded, Theon thought they'd make a stand against the army outside Winterfell's walls.

"We die today brothers," Theon said to his men. "We die bleeding from a hundred wounds, with arrows in our necks and spears in our guts. But our war cries will echo through eternity. They will sing about the Battle of Winterfell until the Iron Islands have slipped beneath the waves. Every man, woman, and child will know who we were and how long we stood."

Theon was promptly knocked out and betrayed by those men, but his speech takes on more weight now that we know how Theon will be a legendary part of the real Battle of Winterfell.

In what was one of the biggest surprises "Game of Thrones" has delivered in awhile, Arya leaped at the Night King and was almost thwarted. He turned, grabbed her by the arm and neck, and seemed close to squeezing the life out of her.

But then Arya dropped her Valyrian steel dagger from her left hand, and caught it in her right hand. She stabbed the blade into his chest, instantly killing him and therefore the entire Army of the Dead.

In addition to Arya and Brienne's training, we think the left-to-right switcheroo is a fun nod to Maisie Williams' experience of playing Arya Stark left-handed.

Arya is a lefty in George R.R. Martin's books, and when 12-year-old Williams got the part she wanted to fully commit to the character.

"I'm right-handed, and when Mom was reading the first book, she told me about Arya being left-handed," Williams told TV Guide in 2011. "From then on, I was like, 'All right, I'm going to try to do everything left-handed.'"

And she did indeed learn most of the fight choreography left-handed, which makes her big final heroic Arya act all the more fun because she was able to show off her acquired ambidextrous skills.

Arya was fast on the draw and found weakness in the Night King's armor right where it mattered the most.

Read more: 9 'Game of Thrones' characters that were recast, including the Night King

"We knew it had to be Valyrian steel, to the exact spot where the Child of the Forest put the blade to create the Night King," David Benioff said in HBO's "Inside the Episode" segment. "And he's uncreated by the Valyrian steel."

Arya's Valyrian steel dagger was given to her by Bran in that same godswood location last season. That scene itself was loaded with foreshadowing of Arya's fated Night King encounter.

When they last saw each other, Davos had just discovered the truth about Melisandre burning Princess Shireen alive. Jon Snow banished her from the North with the caveat that she would be "hanged as murderer" if she ever returned, and Davos promised to carry out the sentence himself.

He allowed her to stay and help their army, but by the time dawn was breaking Davos was clearly ready to kill Melisandre before he saw what she was doing.

She walked into the rising sun, removed her magical necklace (which concealed her real, hundreds-year-old body), and succumbed to her fated death.

When Old Nan was telling Bran his favorite "scary story," she mentioned "the Long Night" and how the White Walkers had first come to terrorize Westeros.

HBO has four "Game of Thrones" spin-off series in the works, with the first of these in the pilot stage. That prequel would take place around the Age of Heroes, which just so happens to be the lead-in point to the legendary Long Night.

The opening credits changed yet again following the destruction of Winterfell.

The week before, the Army of the Dead was shown right outside the walls of Winterfell, but now a collection of funeral pyres was stationed in that spot. The main keep of the castle was also shown in disarray, with the interior all smashed up as part of the battle's aftermath.

Read more: Every new change in the 'Game of Thrones' opening credits you might have missed

For Winterfell's celebratory feast scene, Daenerys was dressed in a fully red dress/coat with a black panel running down its front.

The House Targaryen colors of red and black have had a presence in her costumes, though never before was it this pronounced.

Costume designer Michele Clapton told INSIDER last season that each "little bit" of clothing or jewelry worn "says something about the character."

At the start of the seventh season, as seen above, Daenerys was only just starting to wear hints of red.

"With Dany in particular, finally we're getting the [Targaryen] red," Clapton said. "She was a confused woman, she was wandering ... trying to seek something. And now she's finally got her armor, she's finally got everything, and she can finally echo the style of her brother with the extended shoulders and the red and the symbolism."

Read more: Michele Clapton reveals how the seventh season costumes reflect Daenerys, Cersei, and Sansa's journeys

The red dress Daenerys wore for Sunday's episode is the most extreme version of this we've seen yet, and we doubt it's coincidental she was in full-Targaryen mode when she was pressuring Jon to never speak a word about his claim to the Iron Throne.

As Benioff and Weiss point out in HBO's "The Game Revealed" video, they were made up to look like battle-worn wildlings for Winterfell's feast scene.

You can spot them smiling and saluting Jon Snow as Tormund brags about the former-King in the North's accomplishments.

Maintaining his reputation as a master in the arts of seduction, Podrick was shown in the background wooing not one but two women at the feast. They leave the room together just as Sandor and Sansa begin to talk.

Read more: 'Game of Thrones' star Daniel Portman teases his 'intense and sad' final day on set as Podrick Payne

Gendry asked Arya to marry him after he was made Lord of Storm's End, but the youngest Stark girl wasn't interested.

"I'm not a lady," Arya said. "I never have been. That's not me."

When Ned told Arya that Bran would grow up to be the lord of a castle, Arya asked if she could be a lord, too.

"You will marry a high lord and rule his castle," Ned said. "And your sons shall be knights and princes and lords."

"No," Arya replied. "That's not me."

While Tyrion was exercising his power as acting Hand of the King, Varys came to him with a riddle. If a sellsword found himself in front of a king, a priest, and a rich man, which person would the sellsword obey?

This, of course, was a trick question.

"Power resides where men believe it resides," Varys told Tyrion. "It's a trick, a shadow on the wall. And a very small man can cast a very large shadow."

The gates of King's Landing got a small upgrade for the start of "The Bells." Two small scorpions (those massive, dragon-slaying crossbows) popped up on either side of the main gate.

Those didn't appear on last week's episode, "The Last of the Starks." Now that Daenerys destroyed them all, we're sure the credits will change yet again for the finale.

Signaling the dark turn the Mother of Dragons was about to take, the showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss selected a set of seven lines from previous episodes that all showed the internal conflict plaguing Daenerys.

We heard quotes from Dany's best advisers over the years as well as a few choice lines spoken by her enemies or, in the case of Aemon, relatives she never met.

Here's every line and the episode it was pulled from:

• "Every time a Targaryen is born, the gods flip a coin."— Cersei Lannister (season two, episode seven)
• "The Mad King gave his enemies the justice he thought they deserved."— Barristan Selmy (season five, episode two)
• "Children are not their fathers."— Tyrion Lannister (season seven, episode three)
• "Be a dragon."— Olenna Tyrell (season seven, episode two)
• "You have a gentle heart."— Jorah Mormont (season two, episode five)
• "A Targaryen alone in the world is a terrible thing."— Aemon Targaryen (season five, episode five)
• "You don't want to wake the dragon, do you?"— Viserys Targaryen (season one, episode one)

As revealed on last week's episode, Varys had every intention of killing Daenerys and placing Jon Snow on the Iron Throne in her stead.

His letter is reminiscent of the correspondence Ned Stark sent to Stannis Baratheon back on the first season. That letter, detailing how King Joffrey was Jaime and Cersei's bastard born of incest, was part of the inciting incident for the War of the Five Kings.

Here's part of what Varys's letter said: "...is not the only Targaryen left. Rhaegar and Lyanna [...] their son lives still — hidden by Eddard Stark. His name [...] and he is the true heir to the Iron Throne."

Varys called her "Martha" and reminded her that "the greater the risk, the greater the reward" she would get for her spying efforts.

When the Night King reanimated the dead Starks buried in the crypts, Tyrion and Sansa ran past Varys hiding in a corner with a group of children. Martha was among them, though at the time we didn't know she was one of his "little birds."

Daenerys used Drogon to kill Varys, as she promised him she would back on the second episode of season seven.

"And I swear this," Daenerys had told Varys. "If you ever betray me, I'll burn you alive."

Like Daenerys, Stannis Baratheon believed that he was destined to rule the Seven Kingdoms and that the Iron Throne was his by birthright. He turned out to be woefully mistaken and died after losing everything he loved.

Will Daenerys meet the same fate? Or are their chosen paths different enough for her to avoid this parallel?

Fans had been hoping to see this moment of a dragon flying over King's Landing come to fruition ever since it was foreshadowed back on season four.

On season four, episode two, "The Lion and the Rose," Bran Stark touched a weirwood tree and had a series of important visions. Not only did he see this future moment, but that was the first time we saw the Night King and another key motif.

Some fans previously wondered whether this scene showed ash, and not snow, since the roof of the Red Keep appeared blackened and destroyed.

It could have been both, but part of it is most certainly snow based on the texture and the way the material is falling in the scene. Plus Emilia Clarke herself referred to it as snow on the season-two DVD-commentary version of the episode.

We long believed this was foreshadowing of Jon Snow's Targaryen parentage and claim to the Iron Throne.

Read more: 'Game of Thrones' has been hinting at Jon Snow's true parentage since season one — here's every clue we spotted

When Daenerys entered the House of the Undying, she saw a vision of the Iron Throne for the first time in her life. She reached for the throne's snow-covered armrest but pulled away when she heard her dragons crying.

Though we certainly saw ash falling in King's Landing after Daenerys' attack, the weather forecast for the finale looks snowy to us, so we might see actual snow inside the Red Keep next Sunday.

The upper sleeves of her metallic blackish-purple gown have a scale pattern. Combined with her deep-red sash, this is one of the most Targaryen-themed looks she's ever worn on the show.

Seems as if Daenerys finally took Olenna's advice (which we heard in the opening segment) to "be a dragon."

The episode's director, Miguel Sapochnik, said in HBO's "The Game Revealed" segment that Daenerys pushed forward with the slaughter in part because the surrender felt too easy. She and Grey Worm came for blood, wanting to avenge Missandei and her other fallen followers.

"She feels empty," he said. "It wasn't what she thought it was. It's not enough."

Once Daenerys decided to continue punishing the city, she vanishes from the episode's perspective. We only see the dragon and destruction — never our Mother of Dragons herself.

Back on the fifth season, Jaime told Bronn he wanted to die "in the arms of the woman" he loved.

While some (us included) may have hoped this really meant Brienne, in the end, Jaime died holding his twin sister, Cersei.

In George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" book series, both Jaime and Cersei say they will die together.

"I cannot die while Cersei lives," Jaime thinks to himself in the third book. "We will die together as we were born together."

Their deaths also seem tied to a prophecy revealed in only the books called "The Valonqar," one that was omitted from the show. You can read all about that particular twist here.

Arya was saved by this mother during the chaos, and she later tried and failed to return the favor. When Arya saw the young girl's blackened white horse still clutched in her incinerated hand, she cried. The white horse Arya rides away on is a symbol of her new motivations.

As expected, King's Landing was shown in ruins for the finale's opening credits following the previous week's massive battle. The gates were crumbled, and the entire castle was in tatters, with the Lannister Lion sigil removed from above the Iron Throne.

But our favorite little detail was the crack shown on Cersei's map floor during the overview shot of the Red Keep.

Since we hadn't seen the state of the Red Keep on the actual episode yet, it was fun to see how this cracked floor was actually part of the set design.

Plus, it foreshadowed the way Sansa would reclaim the North's independence by the end of the episode.

Read more: Every change in the 'Game of Thrones' opening credits you might have missed this season

"Love is the death of duty," Jon told Tyrion.

The last living Lannister flipped that, saying that sometimes "duty is the death of love." Jon Snow killed Daenerys minutes later — but before we get to that important scene, it's worth revisiting Aemon's full speech to Jon Snow.

When Jon Snow first joined the Night's Watch, his vows were tested when he heard about Ned Stark's capture and how Robb had called the banners to march south. Aemon summoned Jon and spoke to him about the tragedy of love and honor.

This question frames many of the series' most consequential relationships. Jon Snow's own parents, Rhaegar and Lyanna, forsake their families for their secret love. Jon himself found his first great love in the wildling Ygritte and broke his vows. Robb Stark cast aside his oath to Walder Frey to marry Talisa.

Some of those choices had a costly effect on not just the love-stricken couple but the entire realm of Westeros.

Ned Stark knows the answer to this question. He held baby Jon Snow for the first time and promised his dying sister he would protect him, even if it meant bringing dishonor on his wife, Catelyn, and his own reputation as Lord of Winterfell.