"The Winds of Winter" is the final episode of the sixth season of HBO's fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the sixtieth overall. It was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Miguel Sapochnik.
Cersei Lannister destroy her immediate enemies with one swift stroke and crowns herself Queen of the Seven Kingdoms; Jon Snow is declared King in the North by the lords of the Northern houses; Bran Stark learns that Jon is actually the son of Lyanna Stark; Arya Stark wreaks vengeance on House Frey; Samwell Tarly arrives at the Citadel; and Daenerys Targaryen begins sailing to Westeros alongside Tyrion Lannister, her entire army, three dragons, as well as the Ironborn loyal to Yara Greyjoy, the Tyrells, the Sand Snakes, and their respective fleets. The title of the episode, named for the book, references the awaited winter finally beginning in Westeros.
"The Winds of Winter" was widely praised by critics, listing it as one of the series' best episodes as well as one of the best television episodes of all time. The Great Sept explosion, Lena Headey's performance, Arya's revenge, the resolution to the Tower of Joy flashback, Daenerys heading to Westeros, and the music scoring were dubbed highlights of the episode. In the United States, the episode achieved a viewership of 8.89 million in its initial broadcast, making it the highest rated episode in the series's history at that time. It was nominated for several awards, including Headey for the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, and won the Emmy for Outstanding Costumes for a Period/Fantasy Series, Limited Series or Movie.
This episode marks the final appearance for Natalie Dormer (Queen Margaery Tyrell), Dean-Charles Chapman (King Tommen Baratheon), Finn Jones (Ser Loras Tyrell), Eugene Simon (Lancel Lannister), Ian Gelder (Kevan Lannister), Jonathan Pryce (The High Sparrow), Roger Ashton-Griffiths (Mace Tyrell), Julian Glover (Grand Maester Pycelle), and Michiel Huisman (Daario Naharis).
Plot At the Twins Arya Stark gets revenge on Walder Frey by killing his sons and baking them into a meat pie. Disguised as a servant girl, she serves him the pie before slitting his throat, after identifying herself to the confused Walder by removing the servant's face and revealing her own, as a Stark.
In King's Landing Qyburn summons Grand Maester Pycelle to his laboratory, where his child spies stab Pycelle to death.
Ser Loras confesses to his crimes and atones by giving up his name and title, and joining the Faith Militant. After Cersei and King Tommen fail to appear, Lancel finds a wildfire cache about to explode. The wildfire destroys the Great Sept, killing everyone inside, including Margaery, Loras, Mace, Kevan, Lancel and the High Sparrow. Septa Unella is tortured by the Mountain at Cersei's orders. Tommen witnesses the explosion from the Red Keep. After being informed of Margaery's death, he commits suicide by jumping out of a window. Cersei visits Tommen's body and orders Qyburn that Tommen's body should be burned and buried in what is left of the Great Sept of Baelor, where his grandfather, brother, and sister are buried. With her last child dead, Cersei is crowned Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.
In Oldtown Samwell and Gilly report to the Citadel, and Sam is scheduled to meet the Archmaester. In the meantime, he is granted access to the Citadel's library.
At Winterfell An enraged Ser Davos confronts Melisandre about her role in Shireen's death; she admits to burning her alive, but declares that she did it for the Lord of Light. Jon banishes Melisandre from the North and he and Davos threaten to execute her if she ever returns. Jon and Sansa discuss who will lead the united Stark forces, with each deferring to the other.
Littlefinger reveals to Sansa that his ultimate goal is to sit on the Iron Throne with her at his side. Sansa rejects his offer.
Jon gathers the various Northern lords, the Knights of the Vale, and the Wildlings to plan for the fight against the White Walkers. After Lyanna Mormont shames the Northern lords that did not come to Jon's aid, all lords present declare a reluctant Jon the new King in the North.
At Water Gardens Olenna Tyrell, devastated after the death of her son and grandchildren, meets with Ellaria and the Sand Snakes concerning the possibility of an alliance against Cersei. Ellaria presents Varys, who offers Olenna vengeance by allying with Daenerys.
Beyond the Wall Bran re-enters the vision of Ned Stark at the Tower of Joy. Ned finds Lyanna covered in blood from childbirth. With her dying breath, Lyanna pleads with Ned to protect her son, who is revealed to be Jon Snow.
In Meereen Daenerys informs Daario that he will not accompany her to Westeros, as she needs him to keep order in Meereen while she invades Westeros. Daenerys proclaims Tyrion the Hand of the Queen, and the two of them, along with their extensive forces, depart for Westeros.
Production
Writing
"The Winds of Winter" was written by the series' creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. The episode was the longest in the show's history, to that point, with a run time of 68 minutes.
In the "Inside the Episode" segment published by HBO shortly after the airing of the episode, Benioff spoke about the relationship between Sansa Stark and Jon Snow at this point in the season, saying "Over the course of this season they've come to really rely upon each other, but she doesn't really trust him completely. She didn't tell him about the meeting with Littlefinger, she didn't tell him that she summoned the Knights of the Vale, there's definitely a little hint of conflict there. So I think there's a little bit of anger about that and a little bit of jealousy, and that relationship will be crucial to watch." Benioff continued by referencing the declaration of Jon Snow as King of the North, noting "We see the second 'King in the North!' scene with Jon and I think it was important to us that it evoked in that first 'King in the North!' scene. Very different circumstances, different environment. In some ways, the evocation of the first one is meant to be a little worrisome because it was a very triumphant moment when Robb is named King in the North but it didn't go so well for the previous King in the North. So I think we have to be a little worried for Jon and at the same time it's a pretty big reversal and, you know, for a character who was dead at the beginning of the season to be declared king at the end of it. He's done well. He's done well in ten short episodes."
Weiss also noted about the death of King Tommen Baratheon, "Meanwhile, while the explosion is happening, Tommen is alone. This fragile, malleable, devastated child, basically, is sitting there without anybody to comfort him, and if she had been there, he wouldn't have gone out that window. She failed him, and she alone failed him here." Benioff continued about portraying the mindset of Cersei Lannister, saying "I think the idea of Cersei without her children is a pretty terrifying prospect. It was the one thing that really humanized her, you know, her love for her kids. And as much of a monster as she could sometimes be, she was a mother who truly really did love her children, and now those children are gone, and all she's got is power." In a subsequent interview after the episode airing, Weiss stated that Cersei's mindset following the ramifications of this episode will play an important role in the story for the next season.
In an interview with Isaac Hempstead-Wright, who portrays Bran Stark in the series, Wright was asked about the significance of Bran witnessing the scene at the Tower of Joy, saying "I don't think Bran knows why this is significant, but he knows that it is significant because he wouldn't have seen it if it wasn't earth-shattering, because everything we've learned so far during his visions has been pretty big and important, from the creation of the first White Walker to the origins of Hodor. This is clearly another important milestone in the history of Westeros. For Bran, he sat there thinking, 'This isn't my brother. This is my cousin somehow, but who's the dad? And why have I been shown this? If I find out who the dad is and why I need to know who the dad is, then let Jon know quick.'" The scene reveals neither Lyanna Stark's son's name nor his father's, with the transition between the newborn's face and Jon Snow's visually conveying the identity. HBO released an infographic shortly after the episode aired, confirming Ned Stark as Jon's guardian, and Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen as his parents.
In regards to Arya Stark's transformation following her time as a disciple of the Many-Faced God, Weiss noted in the "Inside the Episode" featurette, "We all see where she's coming from, she's seen so many atrocities. It's a worrisome narrative; she started as this tough and plucky girl and turned into someone who's capable of slitting a man's throat and smiling as she watches him as he bleeds out."
For the final shot of the season, Benioff felt that the shot of Daenerys making her way to Westeros was a monumental part in the series's history, saying "That shot of Dany's fleet making its way out of the Slaver's Bay towards the Narrow Sea and home is probably the biggest thing to happen on the show thus far, that's the thing we've been waiting for since the pilot episode of the first season." He continued, "It hasn't been a smooth road. That's the shot we're going to leave everyone with; it was a real thrill to see her, with Tyrion by her side, heading west."
Casting
"The Winds of Winter" saw the departure of several cast members and recurring guest actors from the series. Notables included Dean-Charles Chapman, whose character, King Tommen Baratheon, commits suicide in the episode. Before appearing in the role of Tommen, which was originally portrayed by actor Callum Wharry, Chapman appeared in the third season of the series as Martyn Lannister, a minor character who was also killed off. Chapman stated that he found out about his character's death the night before the initial table read for the season, saying "I was in my hotel, minding my own business, and I got a phone call. I picked up the phone, and instantly, I knew it was coming. It was David Benioff and Dan Weiss, the two creators of the show, and they stated the facts. But they did it really nice. I couldn't have asked for a better way to have that news broken to me. Them telling me beforehand really helped me out, otherwise I would have been in a state when I read it in the scripts. I probably would have cried."
Actress Natalie Dormer, who was cast to play Queen Margaery Tyrell in the show's second season, also made her final appearance as a main cast member for the series. In contrast to Chapman, Dormer found out about her character's impending death approximately six months before the rest of the cast, saying "I requested while making season 5 that showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss release me from working on the show earlier than usual so I could do another project, and they ended up phoning me — and that was The Call. But I got it six months ahead of normal. They were like, 'We weren't going to tell you this for a few more months, but we're not going to release you now, so you can't do that job you really want to do and we're really sorry about that. But on the bright side, we are going to release you proper in the not-so-distant future.' It was good news, bad news — no you can't do this, but don't worry, you're going to have lots more opportunities very soon." Dormer also stated about her departure, "It's the longest time I've ever spent playing a character. I'll always have a little yellow rose after my heart, and I think it was just the right length of time, to be honest. It's time for the Westeros story to move on and it's a perfect time for her to exit."