Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
The wait is almost over. Season five of Game of Thrones will finally be here (and on HBO Go, HBO Now, and Sling TV) this Sunday, April 12th at 9 PM EST. But do you need to catch up on where all your favorite characters are before you return to Westeros?
One of the most enchanting — and infuriating — parts of Game of Thrones is that it features an sprawling cast spread across an entire fictional world. Between the intrigues of King’s Landing and the battle for Castle Black, can you honestly say that you remember where we left each and every single one of the major power players? In case you can’t, we’ve compiled the ultimate guide to all of the characters in Game of Thrones that you’re going to want to remember in season five — and where we left them in season four.
LAST KNOWN WHEREABOUTS: King's Landing
STILL BREATHING? Yes
WHAT'S HIS DEAL? Tyrion spent last season being framed and convicted for his vile nephew’s murder. Then, Jaime decided to help him escape King’s Landing on the night before his scheduled execution. The one problem? During his escape, Tyrion ran into Shae cheating on him with his father. So, Tyrion became the monster that his haters always thought he was. He strangled Shae and murdered Tywin. Then, Lord Varys scooped him up and put him in a crate leaving Westeros.Everett Collection
LAST KNOWN WHEREABOUTS: Getting the proverbial hell out of King's Landing
STILL BREATHING? Yes
WHAT'S THEIR DEAL? As soon as Tywin Lannister is dead, Lord Varys flees the city with Tyrion in tow.Everett Collection
LAST KNOWN WHEREABOUTS: King's Landing
STILL BREATHING? Yes
WHAT'S HER DEAL? Cersei has been dealing with her son’s murder by drinking a lot and going after Tyrion for the crime. She and Jaime are drifting apart and she’s pissed off at Tywin because Tywin wants to marry her off to Ser Loras Tyrell.Everett Collection
LAST KNOWN WHEREABOUTS: King's Landing
STILL BREATHING? Yes
WHAT'S HIS DEAL? Jaime is still getting the hang of fighting with one hand. He’s also got a very pissed off Cersei to deal with. Worst of all, in an attempt to do good, Jaime freed Tyrion, which only resulted in The Imp murdering their father. Jaime has a lot to clean up next season.Everett Collection
LAST KNOWN WHEREABOUTS: King's Landing
STILL BREATHING? For now...
WHAT'S HIS DEAL? Joffrey’s sweet little brother is now king…and now torn between his mother’s plots and the seductive Margaery Tyrell’s ambitions.Everett Collection
LAST KNOWN WHEREABOUTS: Sleeping her way around King's Landing
STILL BREATHING? Yes
WHAT'S HER DEAL? Margaery is still in King’s Landing and she’s done a good enough job playing the Game of Thrones to get herself engaged to the young King Tommen. If they wed, that means she’s been the wife of three kings.Everett Collection
LAST KNOWN WHEREABOUTS: King's Landing
STILL BREATHING? She's pretty old, but yes
WHAT'S HER DEAL? We haven’t seen Margaery’s grandmother too much in King’s Landing since she strongly hinted that she ordered Joffrey’s murder. We hope she comes back soon!Everett Collection
LAST KNOWN WHEREABOUTS: The Vale
STILL BREATHING? Yes
WHAT'S HER DEAL? Since she's in hiding from the Lannisters, she has to dye her hair dark and wear badass costumes. This also means that she’s getting some serious one-on-one time with Littlefinger. After helping him cover up her Aunt Lysa’s murder, it looks like she’s finally starting to figure out how to be a player in the Game of Thrones and not just a pawn.Everett Collection
LAST KNOWN WHEREABOUTS: The Riverlands and The Vale
STILL BREATHING? Yes
WHAT'S HIS DEAL? Everything seems to be coming up Littlefinger. He married Lysa and then killed her when she threatened Sansa. So, now Littlefinger has control of the young, whimpering Lord of the Vale and he has Sansa at his side. What could go wrong? Well, this is Game of Thrones, so presumably a lot…Everett Collection
LAST KNOWN WHEREABOUTS: The Riverlands and The Vale
STILL BREATHING?: I guess we'll find out soon enough! WHAT'S HIS DEAL? After a brutal run-in with Brienne of Tarth, the Hound was down for the count — and at Arya Stark’s mercy. Rather than kill her one-time sworn enemy, Arya did something far crueler. She left him to die a slow, painful death. The question is: did he die?Everett Collection
LAST KNOWN WHEREABOUTS: On a boat!
STILL BREATHING? Yes
WHAT'S THEIR DEAL? Arya is so totally done with Westeros. She finally cashed in the mysterious Braavosi coin that Jaqen H’ghar gave her and is on a boat en route to Braavos, home of the Iron Bank, the world’s best swordsmen, and people who can magically change their faces.Everett Collection
LAST KNOWN WHEREABOUTS: The Riverlands
STILL BREATHING? Yes and yes
WHAT'S THEIR DEAL? Brienne managed to stumble upon Arya Stark and fought the Hound in an effort to save the young girl. However, Arya turned Brienne’s help down and snuck off to Braavos. Now Brienne has to deal with her failure and with the fact that Tyrion’s stubborn squire Podrick won’t leave her alone.Everett Collection
LAST KNOWN WHEREABOUTS: Winterfell
STILL BREATHING? He probably wishes he wasn't!
WHAT'S HIS DEAL? Theon has had his psyche dismantled to the point that he not only serves Ramsay Bolton willingly, but he tricked and betrayed his own people to help the Boltons take Moat Cailin. Now, he’s serving them in Winterfell.Everett Collection
LAST KNOWN WHEREABOUTS: Winterfell
STILL BREATHING? Unfortunately, yes
WHAT'S THEIR DEAL? Theon’s sadistic captor’s dreams came true last season: his vile father, Roose Bolton, legitimized him. Now the two hold Winterfell and the North.Everett Collection
LAST KNOWN WHEREABOUTS: Mereen
STILL BREATHING? You betcha
WHAT'S HER DEAL? Our favorite badass queen is contending with the fact that while it might be fun to conquer a kingdom, it’s hard to rule one. Meereen is turning into a disaster zone. She can’t trust any of her closest friends, her dragons are attacking children, and some of the slaves she freed want to return to being slaves. Basically, she’s screwed (and far, far away from the Iron Throne in Westeros).Everett Collection
LAST KNOWN WHEREABOUTS: Mereen
STILL BREATHING? Yes
WHAT'S HIS DEAL? The sellsword charmed himself into Daenerys’ good graces by constantly winning battles and procuring her a bunch of ships — he heard she liked ships! Then, he charmed his way into her bed with his hotness. Now, he’s the queen’s trusted confident, lover, and bodyguard.Everett Collection
LAST KNOWN WHEREABOUTS: Mereen
STILL BREATHING? Yes
WHAT'S THEIR DEAL? The former slaves are still Daenerys most trusted subjects in Meereen. Missandei is her master translator and Grey Worm is her army’s commander. However, the two keep making awkward attempts to flirt that inevitably always circle back to the fact that Grey Worm is castrated.Everett Collection
LAST KNOWN WHEREABOUTS: Mereen
STILL BREATHING? Probably? He's definitely crying, too.
WHAT'S HIS DEAL? Daenerys banished him after learning that he was spying on her and helped organize the attempt on her life in season one. He awkwardly professed his love and she still told him to leave her sights forever.Everett Collection
LAST KNOWN WHEREABOUTS: Mereen
STILL BREATHING? Yep
WHAT'S HIS DEAL? He’s still hanging with Daenerys in Meereen and he’s giving her advice like, “Don’t be like your crazy, mean father.”Everett Collection
LAST KNOWN WHEREABOUTS: Mereen
STILL BREATHING? All three of 'em
WHAT'S THEIR DEAL? No one has seen Drogon, the big black one, since it was revealed that he’s been burning and eating little kids in the Meereense countryside. To quell the public’s fear, and to calm her own nerves, Daenerys chained the other two dragons, Viserion and Rhaegal, in one of Meereen’s big pyramids.Everett Collection
LAST KNOWN WHEREABOUTS: The Wall
STILL BREATHING? Yes
WHAT'S HIS DEAL? He knows nothing! Actually, Jon’s kind of in the crapper. (Not like Tywin, though.) He was able to win over some of his Night’s Watch brethren by successfully holding off the Wildlings during the Battle of Castle Black. However, in the midst of the fight, he had to watch as his lady love, Ygritte, died in his arms. Then, he agreed to go on a suicide mission to kill Mance Rayder. Luckily, Stannis came to stop this…but we’ll get to that much later.Everett Collection
LAST KNOWN WHEREABOUTS: Beyond The Wall
STILL BREATHING? All three of them are, yes
WHAT'S THEIR DEAL? Sam and Gilly (and baby) survived the attack on Castle Black and Gilly gave the adorable nerd a kiss. Now, they are trying to deal with the fallout of the fight while also ensuring that the Night’s Watch doesn’t turn on the Wildling girl and her baby.Everett Collection
LAST KNOWN WHEREABOUTS: North of the Wall
STILL BREATHING? Yes
WHAT'S THEIR DEAL? After languishing on Dragonstone for a while, Stannis has finally made his move. His troops have landed north of the Wall and are at Castle Black.Everett Collection
LAST KNOWN WHEREABOUTS: The North
STILL BREATHING? Some of 'em
WHAT'S THEIR DEAL? They may have lost the Battle of Castle Black, they are still committed to their ultimate goal: to get south of the Wall and far away from the White Walkers and Others before winter comes.Everett Collection
LAST KNOWN WHEREABOUTS: All over the place, actually
STILL BREATHING? Some of them, yes, but others, no :(
WHAT'S THEIR DEAL? Jon’s direwolf, Ghost, is skulking about somewhere in Castle Black. Bran has his direwolf, Summer, with him Beyond the Wall, and has been getting better and better at “warging” into the animal. Rickon’s direwolf, Shaggydog, is with him — wherever that may be. Arya’s direwolf, Nymeria, is presumably roaming the wilds of Westeros. And of course, Sansa’s direwolf, Lady, has been dead since season one, and Robb’s direwolf, North Wind, was murdered during the Red Wedding.Everett Collection
LAST KNOWN WHEREABOUTS: Beyond The Wall
STILL BREATHING? Yes
WHAT'S HIS DEAL? Bran’s vision quest up North led him past Wildlings and White Walkers and Others. He’s finally rendezvoused with the legendary Children of the Forest and he’s met “the Three-Eyed Raven,” aka an ancient dude who has bonded his body with a weirwood tree. Do you think Bran’s going to be a tree? I think Bran’s going to be a tree. That will be good for Bran. He needs some direction in his life, even if that direction is just to grow leaves.Everett Collection
LAST KNOWN WHEREABOUTS: Beyond The Wall
STILL BREATHING? No and yes, respectively.
WHAT'S THEIR DEAL? Jojen (aka the kid from Love Actually) is not in this photo because he did not survive being attacked by Ray Harryhausen-esque skeleton monsters beyond the wall. His sacrifice helped give his sister, Meera, Bran, and Hodor the time to escape.Everett Collection
LAST KNOWN WHEREABOUTS: Beyond The Wall
STILL BREATHING? Yes
WHAT'S HIS DEAL? Hodor Hodor Hodor Hodor Hodor Hodor Hodor Hodor Hodor Hodor Hodor Hodor Hodor Hodor Hodor HODOR! (Translation: Hodor managed to escape the Others and now he’s stuck in that tree cave with Bran.)Everett Collection
LAST KNOWN WHEREABOUTS: Dorne
STILL BREATHING? Yes
WHAT'S HER DEAL? We last saw the Red Viper’s mistress screaming her face off after she saw the Mountain crush her lover’s skull with his bare hands. At the start of season five, Ellaria is back in her native Dorne and she is not very happy about what the Lannisters did to her love. She's not happy at all. Everett Collection
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