SPOILERS for last night’s episode of Game of Thrones 8.4 “The Last of the Starks.”

In an alternate universe, how different would it have been if Daenerys had listened to the women in the room rather than the men? Sansa gave better advice: rest your men, rest your dragons, take a breath and just reorganize and come up with a good (better) plan. If asked, the Hero of Westeros (perhaps even Azor Ahai herself) Arya Stark would have told Dany that Cersei still exists on her kill list and that Arya would definitely take care of some sh-t, ninja-style. Instead, we’re going Full Mad Queen and I’m not quite sure why. BUT HER DRAGON EMAILS. Some highlights:

Saying Goodbye. The opening with all of the bodies stacked up and the survivors grieving was beautiful – Sansa crying over Theon’s body was especially touching, and I loved that she put her Stark pin on his body. Within the GoT world, it must have take nforever for them to stack up the bodies, right? I feel like weeks have passed since the Long Night.

Most Awkward Victory Party Ever. Everyone’s drinking in the Great Hall and people are pairing off to discuss various things – Davos and Tyrion discuss Melisandre, Tormund tries to make a play for Brienne (she shrugs him off for the final time), and Sansa finally speaks to the Hound, who tells his Little Bird that if only she had come with him, none of the Littlefinger and Ramsay Bolton sh-t would have happened. But then she’d still be his Little Bird, she tells him. This is as close as the Stark women get to thanking the Hound for his years of service to them.

Toxic Masculinity at the Party. Dany makes Gendry Lord Baratheon and they all do a toast to him and to the North. The Northerners are okay with Dany, but they LOVE Jon. Jon, Tormund and some dudes sort of break off and Tormund is hyping Jon, calling him a king, all within earshot of Dany. She doesn’t like that AT ALL. Varys is watching. Dany also doesn’t like seeing Tyrion and Jaime sitting together, playing a drinking game with Brienne and Pod. The drinking game goes on… and Tyrion is like “Brienne is a virgin!” It was such a weird note for this moment in the show, my God.

Gendry Proposes. He tells Arya he loves her and he wants her to be Lady Baratheon. She’s like, dude, I care about you but I’m not about living that life, I’m not a lady. Gendry took it pretty well, right? He seems to understand.

Two Knights Banging In a Warm Room. Brienne rejects Tormund and Jaime finds her in her warm room. He immediately begins stripping off his clothes because she’s got the room so warm. The scene was such a light, funny moment and yes, Jaime and Brienne finally did it. They had sex. We didn’t get to see any of it, other than Brienne fast asleep after that gold hand gave it to her.

Hey Auntie. Jon and Dany try to kiss but it’s not happening, he’s too emo, but he tells her he loves her and that she’s his queen and that he doesn’t want his claim to the Iron Throne. She tells him what he needs to do then – never tell Arya or Sansa, never tell anyone else about who he is. He’s like “But…” and she’s like “I SAID WHAT I SAID.”

The Last of the Starks. Dany is all “on to Kings Landing” and no one but Sansa has the balls to contradict her in the slightest, suggesting that the Northern men need more time to heal and rest. Dany takes this one piece of advice as a total affront. Sansa, Jon, Arya and Bran break off and go the Godswood to talk. Sansa and Arya are basically trying to convince Jon not to go South, not to go all in with Dany, appealing to his Stark-ness. He looks at Bran who is like “your decision, cousin.” THEN THEY CUT IT. We never get to see Jon telling Sansa and Arya. Terrible decision from the writer/director.

Goodbye Ghost & Tormund. Tormund tells Jon he’s going back “North” meaning North of the Wall with the Free Folk. Jon tells Tormund to take Ghost with him. The doggo survived the Long Night just for Jon to give him away?? ARE U KIDDING?

Sansa’s Tea. Sansa swore to Jon that she would never tell a soul and like an hour later, she spilled that tea to Tyrion, OH MY GOD. Tyrion and Varys put together everything they know – all of the last forty years of throne bullsh-t because Robert loved Lyanna and she loved Rhaegar. I mean that, and the fact that Rhaegar’s dad was looney-tunes cray. Varys and Tyrion have two conversations in the same vein – and they really get into it, how they wish they were following Jon Snow, basically, and how Dany is really bugging them, and how the people of Westeros would find it easier to follow a male ruler and But Her Dragon Emails.

Return to Dragonstone. The music cue here was amazing – they did Dany’s theme when she’s having dragon fun as she rode saw Dragonstone. Just then, Euron sent multiple spears through Rheagal, killing that poor dragon. Euron and his fleet were waiting for her at Dragonstone. Grey Worm orders Missandei to get away, get in a smaller boat (where Missandei is captured by Euron). Dany for a moment acts like she’s going to set fire to all Euron’s fleet, but she doesn’t. She flies off on Drogon.

Tyrion Gives More Terrible Advice. He’s a terrible Hand of the Queen, have you noticed that? He was a better hand when he served his family, but serving Dany, he just makes bad decision after bad decision. He advises her to offer Cersei the chance to surrender. Dany agrees.

Poor Brienne. She basically only got a few nights with Jaime before he decided to ride off to be with Cersei. This was Jaime showing Brienne every part of his soul – he calls about Brienne, maybe even loves her, but he’s been pulled to Cersei every time. Brienne is devastated.

Dracarys. Qyburn and Tyrion have a little discussion about who should surrender to whom and Tyrion tries to plead with Cersei directly to think of her future child (who I guess she’s claiming is Euron’s). Bitch is unmoved. She asks Missandei if she has any final words. Missandei cries out, “Dracarys.” The Mountain beheads her. Grey Worm can barely breathe. Dany can barely walk away, but manages to.

We’ll talk more and more about this in the coming hours and days but obviously, Dany is changing and Westeros has not been good to her – her army is significantly depleted, she’s lost Jorah and now Missandei, two of the people she trusted the most in the world. She’s lost two dragons, and people are seeing how vulnerable she really is without those dragons. The war of Kings Landing is going to remind people of Stannis’s last stand. That’s who Dany reminds me of at this point – Stannis Baratheon, someone who sacrificed their child for something they didn’t really understand or even want.

Photos courtesy of HBO/Game of Thrones.