HBO’s Game of Thrones has returned to its roots this Sunday evening after the controversial Battle of Winterfell.

Spoilers lie ahead, so proceed with caution.

The episode opened on a solemn note, with the remaining living cast burning those who had died. Even despite the death of the Night King, tradition holds. In typical medieval fashion, the survivors go from mourning their losses to celebrating to fornicating.

Gendry Rivers has been a character in the series since the first season. He went from being a random blacksmith, to being a King’s bastard, to being a King’s known bastard, to being a legitimized Baratheon and Lord of Storm’s End. Despite all his hammering out the kinks, all his titles, all his hard work Arya denies his request to get married. They are essentially the new Robert Baratheon and Lyanna Stark, but will Gendry start a war over her? Speaking of wars, do we know if he’s going to take Storm’s End or if he’s riding with Jon? No, but probably the latter due to a lack of an army and his liking of Jon.

Now on to Jon—I mean, Aegon the Eighth— who seriously knows nothing. It doesn’t take a maester to know that when someone doesn’t like the to-be ruler and you say “Well technically I have the better claim” that they will vote for you. Daenarys knew this, but Jon wanted to be truthful to the Starks, his cousins, because his family is suddenly everything. I understand maybe telling Arya, but Sansa? The one who has been non-stop complaining about Daenarys and did so despite the Dragon Queen risking her life, her children’s lives and her army to fight for her? Nothing good could have come from that.

Now we have Tyrion pondering who of the two Targaryens would be the better ruler. Sansa being the ‘smartest person’ a chunk of the cast knows, told him the big secret. The irony is that Jon, being from the cold North, has a heart and tempered mind, whereas Daenarys is impulsive and easily angered. In the long run, Jon is the better King, but Daenarys will not let that come to pass, whether he is subordinate beside her or willing to take the throne.

I think my eyes watered more from Euron Greyjoy three-tapping Rhaegal than when Viserion got one-shot by the Night King. And my eyes do not water. It came out of nowhere. As a viewer I understand the symbolism: Jon denies his heritage and birthright so he doesn’t get a dragon. Now Daenarys is left with one child, as is Cersei.

I honestly wanna call PETA on Euron Greyjoy. He doesn’t even get clout for slaying a dragon because he was already wounded. The only thing he’s been good at in the series is being the next Ramsay, who was the next Joffrey, who was the next Mad King Aerys. He’s cruel, knows what he wants and doesn’t care how he gets it as long as he gets it.

Missandei’s death was one of the most expected events in the series. We all saw that coming, we saw it the minute she talked about settling down with Grey Worm. The characters are not given happy endings, no matter they be the noblest man or the most tactical general. What we didn’t see coming was how Euron managed to sneak up on Daenarys’ fleet and dismantle them so easily, or how Missandei herself was captured.

After learning of Cersei and Euron’s newest exploits, Jaime rides to King’s Landing. This is despite his newfound connection to Ser Brienne, who he leaves crying in Winterfell’s courtyard. Whether he will directly aid Daenarys and Jon or pull an Arya and slip into the castle is yet to be determined. Will we see the Lion of Lannister clash with the Kraken and Lioness?

Now Daenarys gathers her army outside of King’s Landing, which has been cut down significantly since her arrival to Westeros. The odds have been turned heavily in Cersei’s favor and so the battle for the throne will not be the slaughter we thought, but the struggle Game of Thrones is.