【Ongoing Archives】

Game of Thronesis ending. But there's still plenty to talk about -- and Ongoing Archivesthat's what we're going to highlight every Sunday until the final episode airs.

Season 8 is now one week old, with the April 14 premiere -- titled "Winterfell" -- focusing most of its attention on the Stark stronghold in the north. Paths from all across Westeros are crossing as mostof your faves prepare to stage a last-ditch effort to push back the White Walker threat.

SEE ALSO: Here's a 'Game of Thrones' episode 2 bingo card

"Most" is the operative word there. Way down south in King's Landing, fresh plots are a-brewing as Cersei Lannister prepares to double-cross her would-be allies in the White Walker fight, with Euron Greyjoy and his Iron Fleet at her side.

We don't know what surprises episode 2 has in store, but "Winterfell" certainly got fans talking.

What's the deal with Tyrion?

Tyrion Lannister used to be a central presence on the show, and one of the few people of Westeros who seemingly everyone could get behind as Good People. But as The Atlantic's Spencer Kornhaber points out, his star has fallen quite a bit.

When you look back over the résumé Tyrion has assembled across Game of Thronesseven previous seasons, there's a lot of red marks. Sansa even dragged him for it in the premiere, pointing out that the willingness to trust Cersei's promise to help is a mark of his lack of cleverness. (To Sansa's credit, she's entirely correct.)

The Atlantic piece delivers a close read of Tyrion's track record leading into Season 8 and makes some informed guesses about how his story might end -- for better or for worse.

Cersei handed a crossbow to Bronn. Why?

Whatever's coming for Tyrion, he's probably going to have to deal with his old pal Bronn and a familiar crossbow before it's all over. Cersei wants her brothers Tyrion and Jaime both dead, and GameSpot's Phil Hornshaw took a look at why she's so interested in having Bronn use that crossbow to do the deed.

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You probably remember the weapon as the one Tyrion used to ice his dear old dad Tywin while he was on the crapper at the end of Season 4. GameSpot's breakdown explores the significance of that crossbow and its symbolic power as the intended instrument of Tyrion and Jaime's downfall.

The Night King's message to Westeros

Episode 1 ended on a creepy note as Tormund, Beric, and their crew came across a disturbing sight: dismembered body parts affixed to a wall in a spiral formation with an extremely dead Lord Ned of House Umber propped up right in the center.

There's been a lot of talk about that moment and its significance since Episode 1 aired. Polygon's Jordan Oloman ran through theories concerning the sigil's meaning and its connection to the Night King. The Verge's Shannon Liao (linked above) considered the mathematical significance of spirals and other symbols that pop up in Game of Thrones. Vulture's Nina Shen Rastogi also mulled the significance of the symbol in a separate write-up.

Throughout the series, the White Walkers and their leader have been one of the most enduring mysteries. The symbols associated with them are among the few clues we've been given, so there's a lot of speculation about what they might mean and how they'll inform our knowledge of this story's endgame.

What is Cersei's endgame here?

Cersei Lannister seems content to betray everyone up north to the White Walker threat and then... profit? It's not clear. If the zombie army destroys the forces assembled at Winterfell, a weakened King's Landing then becomes one of the next targets for a newly strengthened White Walker army.

And what if Jon and/or Dany emerge victorious? Where do you think those dragons go once the betrayal from King's Landing is made clear?

It doesn't make much sense, as Dan Jackson pointed out on Thrillist. There are lots of questions here about Cersei's motivation. Is the queen just so consumed by her lust for revenge at this point that she's blind to her own self-interest? Or does she have another surprise cooking? There are no definitive answers at this point, but asking that question out loud forces us to think about it.

Arya might have a secret weapon

During Arya's brief encounter with Gendry in the premiere, the youngest living Stark asked for help making... some kind of weapon. But what is it?

Vanity Fair's Joanna Robinson pointed out that Game of Thronesweapon master Tommy Dunne called the to-be-revealed instrument of destruction a "showstopper." It's probably enhanced with dragonglass, the only way to really shut down a rampaging White Walker.

But when will we see it? The VFarticle has some thoughts on that -- as well as why Arya even needs the thing when her Valyrian steel sword, Needle, has served her so well.

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Topics Game Of Thrones HBO