Game Of Thrones: 12 Ups And 5 Downs From Season 7

8. Reunions And First Meetings

One of the most notable aspects of the show, now that it's nearing the end, is the way characters are colliding like never before. The vast lands of Westeros and Essos have served to keep major players apart for most of the run, but Season 7 saw almost all the big players having either a long-awaited reunion or first meeting.

There was a real thrill as these characters came together, be it for the first time in years or the first time ever. These are moments we've been waiting aeons for, some of which were dangled in front of us (the close calls between Sansa and Arya), others with a great build-up of anticipation.

There is an element of fan-service to this, but it comes after years of waiting and wondering, which means we're really owed a bit of it. The Starks coming back together didn't lead to a great story in the end, but the initial reunions - especially between the sisters - provided real emotion. Likewise, Tyrion reuniting with first Jaime, then Cersei, gave us two incredible scenes, while it was fun to watch him catch up with Pod and Bronn too.

Gendry and Davos, the Hound and the Mountain, all of the Eastwatch Seven, Jon and Theon, Brienne and Arya, Jon and Tyrion, and of course Jon and Dany - all these meetings had years - in some cases decades - of weight behind them, and it was satisfying to see it all finally happening.