HBO

Directed by: Miguel Sapochnik

Written by: David Benioff & D.B. Weiss

A common lament of fans of the A Song of Ice and Fire novels is that Game of Thrones cannot possibly convey the full weight of history, myth, and generational regret that Martin so expertly weaves throughout his prose. And that is true. But once the show was liberated from Martin’s books, it began to embrace its own tapestry of history and myth, evoking events that stretch back to the earliest episodes from the first season. The ability to draw upon years of past episodes is the profoundly satisfying reward of great longform television, and there has been no better example of it on GoT — no episode more rich with the political intrigue, surprising emotional resonance, and deliciously ruthless moral choices that we’ve come to love with this show — than “The Winds of Winter.”

At the risk of harping even further on Ramsay, compare his flat villainy to Cersei’s painstakingly knotted descent this season, culminating in the most brutal power grab to date on the show. Cersei’s actions cleared the decks for her rise to the Iron Throne and irrevocably severed her from her last remaining child — and whatever scrap of humanity that still powered her ice-cold heart. I will miss Margaery’s clever scheming, and even the High Sparrow’s self-serving (and often sympathetic) sermonizing, but what a way to go!

The Stark children, meanwhile, have come so far since their father’s death scattered them across the Seven Kingdoms and beyond. Arya going full Titus Andronicus on Walder Frey was terrifically chilling; meanwhile, Jon continues to underestimate Sansa to his peril, adopting the same impulsive, paternalistic earnestness that ended up dooming his father in Season 1.

Sorry, I mean, Jon’s uncle! R+L=J has become so ingrained within GoT fandom that its confirmation was practically foreordained, and, once revealed, it ultimately transformed into the poison that killed Jon and Dany’s romantic and political partnership. Still, in this episode at least, it was deeply moving to witness finally what was going on inside the Tower of Joy, and it underlined one of GoT’s central themes: The assumptions we make are all too often wrong, and their consequences can be catastrophic.

Just look at what happened to Dany and Tyrion. There was rarely a GoT scene more moving than the one in “The Winds of Winter” in which she makes him her hand. No armies, no dragons, no Lord of Light or wildfire — just two underestimated exiles who have surmounted staggering odds recognizing the profound bond they share, and committing themselves to changing the world. After all that had come before on Game of Thrones, perhaps they — and we — should have known better. But knowing all that came after this scene only makes it more exquisitely sad. I cannot think of a higher compliment for an episode of Game of Thrones, and this, its very best, earned it.