It might not be immediately apparent, but the place of women in Westerosi society changes forever in this moment as well. Treated like second-class citizens and denied basic human rights since the start, women in Westeros have always had very limited options (and that’s being generous). To gain any leverage they either had to take matters into their own hands or hope the men around them could recognise their potential. After spending years doing so much of the former, Brienne is finally rewarded with the latter. Tormund baulks at any tradition that wouldn’t see Brienne knighted, before Jaime officiates. Ramin Djawadi expertly withholds the full string set in the score until Brienne rises to her feet, tears in her eyes and a smile from ear to ear. It’s a moment of crowning glory not just for her, but also for the women she will surely knight as the head of Bran Stark’s kingsguard. It’s not complete yet, but this represents something of a culmination of the journey women have endured on this show — that Brienne would now be recognised for her abilities by her male contemporaries is the sign of a chapter of history closing. By receiving this knighthood, Brienne makes history by becoming the first woman to ever hold such a title, and there really is nobody more deserving.

But most importantly, it’s the moment Brienne finally believes in herself enough to be surrounded by men and still stand with broad shoulders, accepting the respect she’s earned. Whenever I watch her bursting with pride here, I think back to the story she once told to Podrick back in season 5, about how she came to serve in Renly Baratheon’s kingsguard. Once a young girl, her father Selywn Tarth threw an extravagant ball to find a suitor for his daughter, only for every young man in attendance to laugh at the “lumbering beast” she apparently was. And now look at her, once again finding herself in a room surrounded by men, only on this occasion they’re cheering her on and applauding her achievements while she stares into the eyes of a man who genuinely loves her back. As we all now know, Brienne’s long and difficult journey with Jaime has a heartbreaking epilogue after ‘The Long Night’, but her long and difficult story as an individual culminates beautifully here, and her search for personal autonomy comes to a close on a note so perfect that it’s deservedly made into the centrepiece of the episode. Not only that, but it’s perhaps the most beloved scene of the entire final season.

It should be said, though, that not everything about this episode is beautiful and heartwarming. Death is coming, after all. There’s one character in particular whose journey in the final season holds all of the show’s final clues: Arya Stark. She starts the episode with a bullish confidence, bragging to a smitten Gendry that she, after years of training to be an assassin, “knows death” and is “looking forward” to the ensuing battle. Gendry warns her that she’s never faced anything like this — that they’re not fighting “death”, but fighting “Death”. His pleas fall on deaf ears. But as night descends and Death draws closer, Arya is significantly more subdued as she silently drinks with the Hound, who even remarks that his former travelling companion is unusually quiet. “Guess I’ve changed,” is all she can muster in response. When Beric joins them, Arya skulks off to find Gendry. The two have sex, with Arya clearly desperate to feel something raw and human in her final moments — and who better to receive those feelings from than the person she feels closest to? However, her expression in the aftermath, as Podrick’s rendition of “Jenny of Oldstones” plays in the background, is one that’s completely absent of emotion. She was eager, in the face of Death, to take control of her emotions and feel something human after enduring years of trauma. But her journey has broken her, turning her into a robotic being that’s only capable of exacting revenge. Nothing else fulfils her anymore. As we’ll explore in later editions, that’s the story of the final season: characters failing to recover from the effects of war and abuse. Arya is the heart of this final season.

A character who has just about managed to recover as much of himself as he possibly can is Theon, who reunites with Sansa in yet another emotional peak for the episode. Returning from rescuing Yara (who now holds the Iron Islands in Daenerys’ name), Theon has returned to defend the castle he once stole from the Starks. It’s worth remembering in this moment that Theon and Sansa’s relationship is exclusive to the show. As an audience, we cry in this moment because we can’t forget the torture they suffered at Ramsay’s hands — a decision the showrunners can call their own. The silent expressions the two share in the episode’s closing montage speak a thousand words — neither of them will ever be fully healed, but any recovery they do make will be because of each other. The same goes for Davos and Gilly, who both silently recall their individual relationships with Shireen Baratheon after encountering a girl with a similar facial injury — which also acts as a symbol for the permanent damage inflicted by a continent rife with war. And the same also goes for the former members of the Night’s Watch, who once journeyed north of the Wall with hundreds of brothers but are now just three men and a direwolf. A lot’s changed since Jon’s arrival at Castle Black.