'Game of Thrones' recap: 10 things you NEED to know before watching S8

Winter is here! After nearly two years, the much-hyped final eighth season of Game of Thrones will premiere in SA on April 15.

The plot is thrillingly complicated, so we don’t blame you if you need a reminder of what went down in season 7 before diving into the new season.

This recap recounts the major storylines that unfolded and and contains SERIOUS SPOILERS - turn back now if you haven’t watched season 7 yet.

1. ARYA STARK EXECUTES LITTLEFINGER

Pint-sized faceless assassin Arya discovers her siblings have defeated the vile Bolton clan and taken back Winterfell. Jon Snow has been declared King of the North but Sansa Stark will act as his regent.

Arya heads home and her arrival sees her ticking another name off her long, long list of people who've wronged her family: Lord Petyr Baelish (Littlefinger).

His latest crime? He tried to turn Ayra against Sansa with a planted letter but the sisters cottoned on and Littlefinger got this throat slit for his efforts.

2. EURON GREYJOY PROPOSES TO CERSEI LANNISTER

Cersei has claimed the Iron Throne and Euron (Theon Greyjoy's uncle and King of the Iron Islands) wants to rule Westeros alongside her.

He hopes to charm the queen into marriage by promising her the use of his mighty Iron Fleet and a "priceless gift". The gift turns out to be Ellaria Sand and the Sand Snakes, who murdered Cersei's daughter.

Cersei gets to exact her revenge and Euron gets into her good books.

3. CERSEI DROPS A BABY BOMBSHELL

Cersei reveals she’s expecting a baby and tells her brother Jaime Lannister he is the father. But is this just a clever ruse to keep him loyal to her?

4. MISSANDEI AND GREY WORM MADE LOVE

When two of Daenerys Targaryen's chief advisors tumbled into bed together, it nearly broke the internet. The fact that Grey Worm, the commander of the Unsullied, is technically a eunuch might have had something to do with it.

5. SAMWELL TARLY MADE THREE IMPORTANT DISCOVERIES

Sam starts training to be a Knight of the Mind at the Citadel. This gives him the opportunity to clean up a lot of human excrement and, more exciting, to steal books from the restricted section of the Maesters’ library.

These books are jam-packed with interesting stuff. Sam discovers:

• How to cure errant knight Jorah Mormont of the horribly contagious disease, greyscale; 
• The fact that Dragonstone has a huge trove of dragon glass which, as we all know, can kill White Walkers. (He immediately gets word to Jon.); and
• That Rhaegar Targaryen annulled his first marriage and secretly wed Lyanna Stark. (See point 6.)

6. WE FIND OUT WHO JON SNOW’S REAL PARENTS ARE

During one of his visions as the Three-Eyed Raven, Bran Stark discovers Jon is not his half-brother but his cousin. What's more, he's not the bastard everyone thought he was.

Thanks to Sam unearthing a Targaryen family secret, we learn that Jon is actually the legitimate son of Rhaegar Targaryen (Daenerys' older brother) and Lyanna Stark (Bran's aunt).

Jon's real name is Aegon Targaryen and he’s the true heir to the Iron Throne. Oh, and he’s also Daenerys’ nephew.

7. THE KING IN THE NORTH AND MOTHER OF DRAGONS TEAM UP

Jon heads to Dragonstone at the invitation of Daenerys. He uses the opportunity to convince the Mother of Dragons to let him mine the region's dragon glass and to help him use this powerful weapon to defeat the army of undead.

However, the pair realise they’ll need Cersei's forces if they want to triumph over the Night King.

To get this rival queen on board, Jon comes up with a crazy plan to capture a wight (zombie) so they can show Cersei proof of the threat that’s brewing beyond the wall.

Jon manages to bag a wight, but needs to be rescued by Daenerys, who swoops in to save the day with her dragons.

Afterwards Jon bends the knee to Daenerys — something he previously refused to do — and the two make love.

Although this show has never shied away from a little incest, this sex scene had the internet abuzz as fans tried to work out exactly how the pair were related. (See point 6.)

8. THE PRINCELY PROPHECY IS GENDER FLUID

According to a prophecy, a “price that was promised”, called Azor Ahai, will save humanity during the Long Night when the dead rise up in the North. But this legendary White Walker-slaying hero might not be a he.

Daenerys' advisor Missandei points out that the prophecy is written in High Valyrian, a language with no gender, and so Azor Ahai could refer to either a prince or a princess.

Various magical red women are betting on Azor Ahai being either Daenerys or Jon.

9. THE NIGHT KING GETS A DRAGON AND DESTROYS THE WALL

During Daenerys' mission to rescue Jon from beyond the wall (see point 7), her dragon Viserion is killed. He’s soon brought back to life as a zombie creature under the control of the Night King.

The undead dragon destroys a large chuck of the wall that had been keeping the White Walkers out of Westeros for centuries.

10. CERSEI BETRAYS EVERYONE, AGAIN

The leaders of the houses vying for the Iron Throne meet to discuss the possibility of a temporary truce that’ll see them joining forces against the Night King.

After Jon unleashes a wight as proof that White Walkers exist, Cersei pledges to support their cause, but Euron takes fright and flees back to the Iron Islands.

This is all a ruse, however. Cersei has actually sent Euron to hire mercenaries called the Golden Company so she can conquer Westeros once and for all.

When Cersei’s brother, Jaime, learns of her treachery, he abandons her and heads north to join the battle against the undead.