HBO How Game of Thrones Lost Its Way as a Political Drama In its later seasons, the show started relying on heavy-handed historical references to do the difficult work of character-building.

Matt Sayles / Invision / AP Game of Thrones Is Over. Now What About the Books? George R. R. Martin insists that the final entries in his fantasy series are still coming—even though HBO has finished telling his story first.

Macall B. Polay / HBO The Complicated Cliché of ‘Bran the Broken’ Game of Thrones, which always commented on the social effects of disability, ended by selling its final twist as inspirational.

Helen Sloan / HBO Game of Thrones’ Final Rebuke of Anger Dany. Sansa. Bran. Why did the show that used to be so interested in emotion come, in the end, to mistrust it?

HBO Did Viewers Win or Lose in Game of Thrones? Three Atlantic writers discuss the HBO epic’s divisive series finale, which tries to break the wheel one last time.

HBO Why Did Dany Destroy King’s Landing? Some Theories From History A scholar of classical warfare sees real-world parallels to the Dragon Queen’s rain of fire in the penultimate episode of Game of Thrones.

Helen Sloan / HBO Game of Thrones Failed Cersei How the show’s characterization of the Lannister lioness flattened into spiritless villainy

HBO Game of Thrones Delivers Its Most Cataclysmic Episode Three Atlantic staffers discuss “The Bells,” the bloody and fiery penultimate entry of the series.

HBO The Deeper Dilemma for Daenerys in Game of Thrones The heroes on the show talk about saving common lives. The show itself has been cavalier with such lives.

Helen Sloan / HBO Game of Thrones Is Considering ‘Electability.’ It Isn’t Going Well. Sorry, Dany: Jon Snow, it turns out, is just the kind of guy you’d want to have a beer—or at least a glass of Dornish wine—with.

HBO Daenerys Targaryen Makes Her Move on Game of Thrones Three Atlantic staffers discuss “The Last of the Starks,” which explored the fallout from last week’s epic battle and previewed a big showdown.

HBO What Melisandre’s Magic Reveals About Game of Thrones The show has always had a unique take on the supernatural, with the Red Woman as its unpredictable avatar.

HBO The Long Night Finally Arrives on Game of Thrones The much-awaited, epic Battle of Winterfell aired, and three Atlantic staffers discuss what its dramatic conclusion might mean for the show’s last episodes.

HBO How Game of Thrones’ New Song ‘Jenny of Oldstones’ Was Made The composer Ramin Djawadi approached the solemn tune from “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” as Elton John would a set of lyrics.

HBO The Worst Romantic Couple on Game of Thrones The HBO series has served up plenty of meaningful love affairs over its run. But the show’s central couple hasn’t risen to the same standard.

Helen Sloan / HBO Game of Thrones: The One Where Everyone Contemplates Imminent Death Three Atlantic staffers discuss “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” the second episode of Season 8.

Helen Sloan / HBO Why Has Game of Thrones Sidelined Tyrion? Once thought of as the cleverest man in Westeros, the Lannister carried a record of misjudgments and an air of malaise in the Season 8 premiere.

HBO Game of Thrones: Jon Snow Finally Learns the Truth And in the process, he—and the show that has shaped him—reckons once again with the totalizing power of lies.