Game Of Thrones Season 8: 12 Details You Might've Missed In 'The Last Of The Starks'
1. Echoes Of Old Targaryens
While the episode was called The Last of the Starks, there was a lot of focus on Targaryens, and that extended to Jon's opening speech. Jon, who adopted a much more regal manner as he spoke, gave a moving tribute to those who had fallen in The Long Night:
"We’re here to say goodbye to our brothers and sisters. To our fathers and mothers. To our friends. Our fellow men and women who set aside their differences to fight together and die together so that others might live. Everyone in this world owes them a debt that can never be repaid. It is our duty and our honour to keep them alive in memory for those who come after us and those who come after them for as long as men draw breath. They were the shields that guarded the realms of men and we shall never see their like again.”
That speech is very much a Night's Watch-style goodbye, and closely echoes one given by Maester Aemon, who - unbeknownst to him - was Jon's great-great uncle, from back in Season 4:
“They came to us from White Harbour and Barrowtown, from Fairmarket and King’s Landing. From North and South, from East and West. They died protecting men, women and children who will never know their names. It is for us to remember them. Our brothers, we shall never see their like again. “
That's not the only link between Jon and Targaryens though. Bran mentions Daeron Targaryen and his crippled nephew in this episode, and while there isn't canonical evidence of this nephew, Daeron himself was a big influence on Jon Snow, who cited him as being one of the reasons he wanted to join the Night's Watch.
What did you think of The Last of the Starks? Let us know down in the comments.