Game of Thrones writer breaks down biggest moment in dramatic season 8 premiere

Spoilers for season 8, episode 1 ahead

Monday 15 April 2019 08:22 BST

Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 2 Preview

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Game of Thrones has finally returned.

The season eight premiere featured a host of long-awaited reunions, including Arya and Jon Snow finally seeing each other for the first time since season one.

Perhaps the biggest moment of the episode came towards the end, when Samwell Tarly finally revealed to Jon his true parentage.

This, as fans know, will have a huge impact on the show, as Kit Harington’s brooding character now has a better claim to the Iron Throne than his aunt Daenerys Targaryen (read more about the significance of Jon’s true name, Aegon Targaryen, here).

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, the writer of the episode, Dave Hill, broke down the moment, speaking about Jon’s thought process upon learning the news.

“One of the things Jon always clung to is that at least his father is Ned Stark — this incredibly honourable beautiful man,” Hill said.

“Ned was his idol growing up. Now ‘my father is not my father, my father lied to me, and I’m actually the thing I want to be least in this world — an heir to the Iron Throne and a rival to the woman I love.’”

Hill also discussed Arya and Jon’s reunion, saying: “They’re the two Starks that had the clearest connection in the pilot. He gave her Needle. He knew she was back last season but couldn’t do anything about it.”

Elsewhere, the reunion-heavy episode featured a hilarious reference to last season’s controversial Ed Sheeran cameo as well as a terrifying death at the hands of the Night King.

The final season of Game of Thrones continues every Sunday. You can watch the trailer for season two here.

The show will be available on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV in the UK.