Just as inevitably as winter arriving in Westeros, Game of Thrones, the HBO fantasy epic series that has captivated us for eight years, is drawing to a close. To quote from another massive fantasy series, we're in the endgame now, so much so that the threat of the White Walkers has been dealt with definitively.
Here's what we can expect in episode five of this final season:The last episode was all about picking up the pieces, and saying goodbye to some characters as they completed their arcs. For the likes of Jon Snow and Daenarys Targaryen, this meant heading south for one final showdown with Cersei Lannister, but the episode was also about those who were left behind.
Samwell Tarly, Brienne of Tarth, and countless others are likely to have a reduced role moving forward, but ahead of the finale, attention is already turning to several spin-offs of the Game of Thrones universe - several already in production, but one that fans really wish was in production.
In the past few episodes, Tormund's making quite the case for himself as a Game of Thrones fan-favourite, while Ghost, the last surviving Direwolf of the Stark family not to run away into the woods, got a haphazard goodbye from his lifelong friend, Jon Snow. It's okay. We're not hurt.
Actually, fans were furious at Jon Snow's goodbye to Ghost:But now, could those two characters be teaming up in a Game of Thrones spin-off? Probably not - the fatcats at HBO would probably deride such a premise as "stupid", but that hasn't stopped fans from clamouring for the most unlikely of Westeros extended stories.
That could be a lot of fun, right? Tormund and his giant dog friend hanging around beyond the Wall. Solving mysteries, maybe? Ghost could listen to Tormund cry about Brienne? Who knows, folks! I guess we'll find out once Game of Thrones wraps, which isn't too far away at all now!