Game Of Thrones: Characters Who Survived Season 8
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ARYA STARK
HIGH POINTS | Getting her own sword, Needle, from Jon; learning how to fight with Syrio Forel; besting Joffrey in a dustup; gaining Jaqen as an ally who helps her make inroads on her kill list; making her own kills (Polliver, etc.) from the kill list; traveling to Braavos; avenging the Red Wedding by killing multiple Freys, including Walder; briefly reuniting with Nymeria; reuniting with Sansa, Bran and Jon at Winterfell; killing Littlefinger at Sansa's behest after his trial; gifting Gendry with her virginity on the eve of the Battle of Winterfell; killing the Night King, thereby winning the Battle of Winterfell for Jon and Daenerys' side; leading her own voyage to see "what's west of Westeros"
LOW POINTS | Having to drive off pet direwolf Nymeria in order to save her from Cersei's rage; being present at her father's beheading; posing as a boy to travel north with Night's Watch recruits; arriving at the Twins too late to see her mother and brother alive; basically everything about her time in Braavos, including being blind, begging to live and constantly fighting with The Waif; inadvertently getting civilians killed during Daenerys' attack on King's Landing; never getting the revenge on Cersei that she'd earned
EPITAPH | Passionately loyal and deadly focused, Arya was the Stark child you'd most want to back you in a fight — but, seven hells, the circumstances that shaped her into such a cunning warrior would've leveled men twice her age and three times her size.
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BRAN STARK
HIGH POINTS | Learning he has the ability to warg, or inhabit the minds of animals (and sometimes people); communing with the Three-Eyed Raven; eventually meeting the Three-Eyed Raven; learning the truth about the Tower of Joy and Jon's parentage; becoming the new Three-Eyed Raven and being able to "see" events throughout time; conferring with Samwell Tarly to confirm that Jon Snow is Aegon Targaryen, true heir to the Iron Throne; leading the Night King to his own death; becoming king of the Seven Six Kingdoms
LOW POINTS | Watching his father, Ned, behead a traitor to the Night's Watch; being shoved out a window by Jaime Lannister, resulting in a severely crippling injury; nearly dying from an assassin's blade while comatose; inadvertently allowing the Night King and his army entrance to the Three-Eyed Raven's cave; turning Wyllis into Hodor by breaking his brain during a warg session gone bad
EPITAPH | According to the teen himself, Bran Stark left the building a while back... and the Three-Eyed Raven that inhabited his body wasn't exactly the life of the party. But his otherworldly abilities proved crucial on more than one occasion, and without him, we'd still be wondering exactly with whom Ned Stark cheated on Catelyn.
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SER BRIENNE OF TARTH
HIGH POINTS | Being named to Renly Baratheon's Kingsguard after winning a tournament; becoming Catelyn Stark's sword champion; besting Jaime in a swordfight; receiving Jaime's gift of his sword, which she named "Oathkeeper," and a new suit of armor; defeating The Hound in a fight; avenging Renly by killing Stannis for his role in his brother's death; saving Sansa and Theon from Ramsay Bolton's men; testifying to save Jaime from Daenerys and Sansa's wrath at Winterfell; becoming an official knight on the eve of the Battle of Winterfell; gifting Jaime with her virginity; becoming head of the Kingsguard under Bran's reign; filling in Jaime's White Book pages
LOW POINTS | Being constantly mocked for her looks and her gender; being unable to save Renly Baratheon from Melisandre's shadow monster; having to flee after false accusations that she murdered Renly; becoming Locke's prisoner; nearly being raped; wearing that terrible dress at Harrenhal; fighting off a bear in a pit with only a wooden sword; losing Arya after defeating The Hound in a fight; dodging Tormund Giantsbane's blatant and unreciprocated romantic interest; sobbing after Jaime left her at Winterfell to return to King's Landing
EPITAPH | Though those stupid boys in her youth meant it maliciously, Brienne truly was a beauty: in loyalty, in love for those who would never fully be able to return the sentiment and in fight-to-the-death spirit. The lady knight was one of Westeros' finest warriors and best souls — a rare combination, indeed.
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BRONN
HIGH POINTS | Emerging victorious from Tyrion's trial by combat; becoming commander of the City Watch; playing a crucial role in the Battle of the Blackwater and getting knighted by Joffrey as a result; saving Jaime from death by snake; helping command the Lannister army that sacked Highgarden; saving Jaime (again) from death by dragonfire at the Loot Train Attack; choosing not to kill Jaime and Tyrion, despite Cersei's offer; finally getting Highgarden and becoming Bran's Master of Coin
LOW POINTS | Abandoning Tyrion to take Cersei up on a bribe; learning that Cersei had reneged on said bribe, which involved his marriage to Lollys Stokeworth; getting arrested, thrown in a dungeon and nearly killed by a poisonous knife in Dorne; repeatedly being denied Highgarden; being enlisted by Cersei to murder Tyrion and Jaime
EPITAPH | Yes, Bronn was selfish, cocky and irreverent. But he secretly had a heart made of the one thing he loved almost as much as himself: gold.
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SER DAVOS SEAWORTH
HIGH POINTS | Being named Stannis' Hand of the King; getting rescued after the Battle of the Blackwater; learning to read while in the dungeon for trying to kill Melisandre; putting Gendry in a rowboat to freedom before Melisandre and Stannis could kill him; lobbying the Iron Bank to support Stannis' cause; convincing Lyanna Mormont to support Jon's cause; acting as Jon's hype man upon meeting Daenerys; convincing Grey Worm to sail away with the Unsullied, ending another potential war before it began
LOW POINTS | Watching Melisandre give birth to the horrifying shadow baby that then murdered Renly; sailing right into Tyrion's trap at the Battle of the Blackwater, where Davos also lost his son, Matthos; failing to kill Melisandre when he had a chance; learning that Shireen had died; learning that Stannis and Melisandre had sacrificed Shireen; nearly getting crushed to death during the Battle of the Bastards; not getting to avenge Shireen's death
EPITAPH | Despite spending the majority of his life illiterate, the Onion Knight sure knew how to read a situation — and the poor former smuggler from Flea Bottom parlayed that talent into becoming a seasoned voice of reason for more than one would-be ruler of Westeros.
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DROGON
HIGH POINTS | Emerging from his egg after Khal Drogo's funeral and screaming from atop Daenerys' shoulder; leading his brothers in burning Pyat Pree alive; torching Kraznys mo Nakloz after Daenerys acquired the Unsullied; protecting Dany during the Sons of the Harpy attack; ending the Second Siege of Meereen, along with Viserion and Rhaegal; flambéing the Lannister ranks (including Bronn's scorpion) during the Loot Train Attack, then saving Daenerys from death by Jaime's hand; narrowly avoiding the Night King's spear; melting down the Iron Throne with his own breath
LOW POINTS | Getting kidnapped and chained up in the House of the Undying; suffering a spear wound from the Sons of the Harpy; flying away and living out his moody teenage phase away from Daenerys; getting hit in the shoulder with Bronn's scorpion; burning Randyll and Dickon Tarly alive after they refused to bend the knee to Daenerys; watching brother Viserion die at the hands of the Night King; getting ambushed by wights during the Battle of Winterfell; burning down nearly all of King's Landing; discovering his mother had died
EPITAPH | Fiercely loyal from the moment he was born (and a bit of a mama's boy), Drogon was, on the whole, as noble and fearless as the man for whom he was named.
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EDMURE TULLY
HIGH POINTS | Serving as the head of House Tully and the Lord of Riverrun; lifting his bride Roslin's wedding veil to see that she is actually quite beautiful; bargaining with Jaime to win some semblance of freedom
LOW POINTS | Failing to hit his father's funeral pyre with a flaming arrow in embarrassing fashion; getting pushed into marrying a Frey daughter he'd never seen, having his wedding only be remembered as the "Red Wedding" for the rest of time, getting captured and kept as a prisoner by the Freys for several seasons; making an embarrassing (and swiftly interrupted) pitch for why he should sit on the Iron Throne
EPITAPH | Edmure wasn't the most noble soldier — he was kind of the Fredo Corleone of Westeros, honestly — but before all the killing began, his wedding was really quite nice!
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GENDRY
HIGH POINTS | Escaping King Joffrey's purge of anyone with a drop of Baratheon blood (he was the bastard son of King Robert, you see); saving Arya Stark from a mob of bullies and taking her under his wing; reuniting with Ser Davos and volunteering his services to Jon Snow against the undead; running to the point of exhaustion to get help in a climactic battle with the white walkers; engaging in a steamy night of passion with Arya Stark before the undead closed in; being named Lord of Storm's End by Daenerys following the Battle of Winterfell
LOW POINTS | Getting captured (twice) and sold to Melisandre by Beric and the Brotherhood Without Banners for a measly two bags of gold; getting seduced by the Red Woman and nearly sacrificed in a blood ritual before Ser Davos put him on a rowboat to safety; getting turned down by Arya when he offered to marry her and make her Lady of Storm's End
EPITAPH | An unlikely contender for the Iron Throne, Gendry was an underdog worth rooting for, and an honorable soul on a show sorely lacking in those.
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GHOST
HIGH POINTS | Helping Jon protect Sam from Rast's bullying at Castle Black; alerting Jon to the presence of a wight, helping him save Lord Commander Mormont's life; saving Sam from a wight after the fight at the Fist of the First Men; killing Rast at Craster's Keep; annihilating a Thenn when the Free Folk attack The Wall; backing up Sam when he defended Gilly from would-be rapists; standing with Jon's allies against the mutinous Alliser Thorne and his men; being the first to see Jon resurrected from the dead; standing in the front lines at the Battle of Winterfell; reuniting with Jon when he rejoined the Night's Watch
LOW POINTS | Ghosting (heh) on Jon after he joined Qhorin Halfhand's raiders; getting captured by former Night's Watch brother Karl Tanner and his mutinous gang; accidentally luring direwolf brother Summer into a trap at Craster's Keep; generally being absent from the action in most of Season 7; not even getting a proper goodbye when Jon gave him to the wildlings before heading to King's Landing after the Battle of Winterfell
EPITAPH | The runt of the Starks' direwolf litter grew into a formidable four-legged warrior, a passionate defender and the most loyal of Jon Snow's friends, paws down.
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GILLY
HIGH POINTS | Knowing the woods near Craster's Keep so well that she could lead Sam away to safety during the Night's Watch mutiny there; having basic survival skills that kept her, Sam and Baby Sam alive; learning to read; talking up Sam's heroics to his dismissive father; discovering that Rhaegal Targaryen had annulled his marriage to Elia Martell, which paved the way for the realization that Jon Snow was really Aegon Targaryen; becoming pregnant with Sam's baby
LOW POINTS | Having the deep misfortune of having been born a daughter (and eventual wife) of Craster; giving birth to a son she feared would be sacrificed; living in a brothel in Mole's Town, which was attacked by wildlings; nearly getting raped at The Wall; being subjected to Randyll Tarly's hatred of wildlings; becoming a target for the resurrected dead in the Stark crypts during the Battle of Winterfell
EPITAPH | Gilly's huge heart, her devotion to her loved ones and her no-nonsense worldview — delivered with an often hilariously flat affect — made her the perfect counterpart for Sam... who never did give her the proper credit for unearthing the truth about Jon's legitimacy, did he?
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GREY WORM
HIGH POINTS | Earning his freedom after being enslaved since he was a boy; pledging to fight for Daenerys once she freed him and his fellow slaves; commanding an army of Unsullied soldiers to victories in Yunkai and Meereen; winning the heart of Missandei (and not letting a little thing like castration keep him from pleasing her); somehow surviving an onslaught of undead wights at the Battle of Winterfell
LOW POINTS | Nearly getting killed during an ambush by the Sons of the Harpy in Meereen; falling for Euron's trap at Casterly Rock, along with Tyrion, and getting a whole bunch of Unsullied killed; watching Missandei get beheaded by The Mountain; carrying on with the attack on King's Landing even after Cersei's men had surrendered; banishing Jon back to the Night's Watch
EPITAPH | A fierce warrior and a generous lover, Grey Worm left a legacy far nobler than his lowly name would imply. May he and Missandei reunite in the afterlife.
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JON SNOW
HIGH POINTS | Becoming friends with Samwell Tarly at The Wall; getting chosen as Lord Commander Jeor Mormont's personal steward; receiving the sword Longclaw after saving Mormont from a wight; losing his virginity to Ygritte in a cave; giving Mance Rayder a merciful death via arrow as he was burned alive; being elected lord commander of the Night's Watch; being resurrected by Melisandre; reuniting with Sansa, Bran and Arya; somehow escaping death at the Battle of the Bastards; being named King in the North; convincing Daenerys and almost everyone else about the Night King's threat; becoming romantically involved with Daenerys; riding a dragon; learning he is really Aegon Targaryen, son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark; fending off Dead Viserion singlehandedly during the Battle of Winterfell; being championed as a potential king in the battle's aftermath; not getting torched by Drogon after killing Daenerys; reuniting with Ghost after returning to the Night's Watch
LOW POINTS | Living most of his life thinking that he was a bastard; realizing that the Night's Watch really is made up of scoundrels and criminals; getting captured by Ygritte and the wildlings; killing Qhorin; getting hit by Ygritte's arrows after telling her he loved her; holding Ygritte as she died; setting Ygritte's dead body ablaze; coming under white walker attack at Hardhome; being killed in a Night's Watch mutiny; learning he is really Aegon Targaryen, son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark; telling Daenerys the truth about their shared heritage; watching Daenerys descend into power-hungry madness, until he ultimately killed her; getting banished to the Night's Watch
EPITAPH | Jon, you lucky bastard, we don't care that dragon blood ran through your veins: You truly were Ned Stark's son — and you deserved the Iron Throne more than any other.
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MEERA REED
HIGH POINTS | Consistently caring for and defending her brother, Jojen; befriending Samwell Tarly and receiving dragonglass from him; narrowly escaping a White Walker attack at the Weirwood cave, with the help of Benjen Stark
LOW POINTS | Nearly getting raped; watching Jojen die at the hands of a wight; receiving minimal gratitude from Bran after making multiple sacrifices for him; remaining MIA for the entire eighth season
EPITAPH | Bran Stark has gotten plenty of attention all these years, thanks to his transformation into the Three-Eyed Raven. But without Meera's fearlessness in the face of peril, we're certain Bran wouldn't be here at all — and Meera never exactly got the kudos she deserved.
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NYMERIA
HIGH POINTS | Biting Prince Joffrey to protect Arya; escaping Cersei's execution order by fleeing when Arya commanded; becoming the leader of a pack of regular ol' wolves; recognizing her former owner after years apart
LOW POINTS | Not bringing Arya her gloves when asked; inadvertently getting sister and fellow direwolf Lady killed when an angry Cersei demanded justice; choosing not to accompany Arya to Winterfell after their brief reunion (yeah, we understood it, but we're still sad about it)
EPITAPH | If all dogs go to Heaven, we've got to believe that there's a celestial VIP room for the pup who revealed Joffrey as the sniveling, gutless demon that he was.
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PODRICK PAYNE
HIGH POINTS | Serving as Tyrion Lannister's squire; saving Tyrion's life during the Battle of the Blackwater; being touted as a phenomenal lover by a trio of experienced prostitutes; helping Brienne deliver Sansa to Castle Black to reunite with her brother Jon Snow; unveiling a surprisingly lovely singing voice during the drunken night that preceded the Battle of Winterfell
LOW POINTS | Being forced to flee King's Landing after refusing to testify against Tyrion; getting dismissed by Brienne for most of their time together, and then getting quite easily dispatched by her during a light sparring session; never quite earning the rank of knight
EPITAPH | A sweet-natured gentleman who was surprisingly skilled both on the battlefield and in the bedroom, Podrick was one of Westeros' most humble and endearing denizens.
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SAMWELL TARLY
HIGH POINTS | Forming a fast and strong friendship with Jon Snow at Castle Black; killing a White Walker with dragonglass; developing a romantic relationship (and breaking his Night's Watch vow, wink wink) with Gilly; persuading the Night's Watch to make Jon the new Lord Commander; successfully healing Jorah's greyscale; learning of Jon's true lineage from Bran; informing Jon that he's really a Targaryen; fathering a child with Gilly; becoming the Grand Maester to Bran Stark
LOW POINTS | Being forced to join the Night's Watch by his father, then getting mocked by the other men for his weight and lack of fighting prowess; getting trapped in a blizzard with White Walkers; getting a less-than-warm welcome from his family upon visiting with Gilly; being forced to do menial work at the Citadel; interrupting Gilly when she first mentioned Rhaegar's annulled marriage; learning that Daenerys had his father and brother killed; nearly getting murdered by wights (on more than one occasion!) during the Battle of Winterfell; getting mocked for suggesting that Westeros' new leader be elected democratically
EPITAPH | Sam may not have been Westeros' greatest warrior (and trust us, he knew it). But without his intellect, kindness and unwavering loyalty, the Seven Kingdoms' biggest battles would have been fought much differently.
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SANSA STARK
HIGH POINTS | Trying to save the life of her father, Ned, by feverishly pleading with the Lannisters; inadvertently helping in the plot to murder the monstrous Joffrey Lannister; escaping her imprisonment at Winterfell by jumping off the wall; reuniting with siblings Jon, Arya and Bran; saving the day at the Battle of the Bastards by enlisting Littlefinger and the Knights of the Vale; getting revenge on abusive husband Ramsay Bolton by having his dogs eat him alive; overseeing a trial that ended in Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish's guilty verdict and death; serving as head of Winterfell in Jon's absence; persuading Bran to let the North remain an independent kingdom; becoming Queen of the North
LOW POINTS | Not backing Arya more strongly after Nymeria (rightly) bit Joffrey; witnessing Ned's execution at Joffrey's command; being forced to look at the severed heads of Ned and Septa Mordane, on public display; being a Lannister captive in King's Landing; being stripped and beaten in front of the royal court; nearly getting raped by an angry crowd in King's Landing; being married, against her will, to Tyrion Lannister; escaping King's Landing only to wind up under Littlefinger's control in the Eyrie; initially rejecting Brienne's offer to serve as her knight; being married to Ramsay Bolton; being raped by Ramsay Bolton; clashing with Daenerys after she arrived at Winterfell; sobbing over Theon Greyjoy's death
EPITAPH | Though she started out sweet as lemon cakes, Ned's older daughter learned the hard way what it took to survive. What would've destroyed other girls wound up steeling her for multiple battles ahead, and we agree with what Arya said at the start of the season: By the time she left us, Sansa was one of the smartest — and most politically savvy — players in Westeros.
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TORMUND GIANTSBANE
HIGH POINTS | Commanding the wildling army as a lieutenant under Mance Rayder; leading a death-defying climb of the Wall; befriending former enemy Jon Snow and fighting by his side at Hardhome and the Battle of the Bastards; crossing paths with Brienne and dreaming of having many "monster babies" with her; regaling us with the amazing tale of how he earned the name "Giantsbane"; surviving the Battle of Winterfell (and probably vomiting in celebration); taking Ghost under his wing; reuniting with Jon Snow at The Wall
LOW POINTS | Getting captured at the Battle of Castle Black, with half a dozen arrows sticking out of him; being trapped on the Wall as the Night King and Viserion laid waste to it, though he and Beric Dondarrion emerged unscathed; watching Brienne leave the post-Battle of Winterfell celebration with Jaime Lannister
EPITAPH | Tormund was a rough-around-the-edges brute, but he had a heart of gold, a superb sense of humor and maybe the finest beard in all of Westeros. We liked him almost as much as he liked Brienne.
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TYRION LANNISTER
HIGH POINTS | Helping crippled Bran Stark ride a horse by designing a special saddle; winning over Shagga's tribe; winning his freedom from the Eyrie after Bronn's victory in a trial by combat; successfully defending King's Landing during the Battle of the Blackwater; escaping to Pentos to avoid being killed after Joffrey's murder trial; ruling Meereen in Daenerys' absence; being named Hand of the Queen to Daenerys; standing up to Daenerys after her attack on King's Landing; persuading Jon Snow to stop supporting Dany; suggesting Bran as Westeros' new king, then being named Bran's Hand; generally being the smartest person in the room
LOW POINTS | Being constantly mocked for his size; being incorrectly accused of trying to murder Bran Stark; getting knocked unconscious before the battle of Green Fork; getting slashed across the face during the Battle of the Blackwater; hearing Tywin say that he is an "abomination" who never will inhabit Casterly Rock; being forced to marry Sansa Stark; breaking up with Shae to keep her safe; being falsely accused of killing nephew Joffrey; being betrayed by Shae during Joffrey's murder trial; killing Shae after finding her in his father's bed; killing Tywin; getting kidnapped by Jorah Mormont in Volantis; realizing that Daenerys and Jon were becoming romantically involved; getting a public dressing-down from Daenerys for believing Cersei; having to wait out the Battle of Winterfell in the Stark crypts; defending Daenerys against those in her circle who looked to defect, which led to Lord Varys' death; getting imprisoned after Daenerys' death
EPITAPH | Tyrion drank, he knew things and he never forgot what he was. Sadly, he did not die in his own bed, at the age of 80, with a belly full of wine and a girl's mouth around... well, anyway: If there were any justice in the world, he would've wound up ruling Westeros.
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YARA GREYJOY
HIGH POINTS | Seizing Deepwood Motte; helping brother Theon regain his confidence and identity after weeks of torture; aligning with Daenerys and persuading her not to trust Euron; getting rescued from captivity by Theon — and giving him a much-deserved headbutt in return; allowing Theon to leave her and fight in the North
LOW POINTS | Nearly letting Theon seduce her on horseback; failing to rescue Theon from Ramsay Bolton's captivity; losing Deepwood Motte; losing the Salt Throne to Euron; getting taken hostage by Euron
EPITAPH | Though she was often overshadowed by the powerful men in her life, Yara was a tough cookie in her own right, and the prospect of seeing her on the Iron Throne was an intriguing one indeed. After all, iron did run in her blood.