Game of Thrones season 8: The meaning behind “The Last of the Starks”

Game of Thrones has been keeping season 8’s episode titles super-secret — so what can they tell us about what to expect? Let’s look at “The Last of the Starks.”

As season 8 goes on, HBO’s decision to withhold the episode titles for Game of Thrones’ final six episodes until each has finished airing just looks more and more bizarre.

Thus far, we’ve seen: “Winterfell,” “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” “The Long Night,” and now “The Last of the Starks.”

Exactly zero of these titles have been even remotely spoilery for any actual episode content, and some of them (looking at you, “Last of the Starks”) do little more than reference a line that occurs in the episode.

At this point, unless the season finale is titled “Watch Out, Daenerys Stabs Jon in the Face,” I’m going to be so annoyed that we actually had to jump through all these hoops for what seems to be no reason.

(And besides, we all know that the series finale is definitely going to be called “A Dream of Spring”, yeah?)

But, seriously, what is the point of this?

Perhaps someone, somewhere thought that this week’s title, “The Last of the Starks,” might send fans into a premature panic attack over the possibility that some or all of the Stark clan perished in the Battle of Winterfell. Which is, as we know now, not at all what happened.

The title is a reference to a line from Arya, spoken to her brothers and sister in the godswood as they’re debating Jon’s freakish attachment to Daenerys Targaryen. According to Arya, the four siblings have to stick together, because they’re the last of the Starks, both their own immediate family and their historical House line.

"We are family, the four of us. The last of the Starks."

Of course, this is also the episode in which Arya learns that there are even fewer Starks left than she previously realized, once Jon reveals that he’s really a Targaryen after all.

Unlike several of season 8’s earlier episodes, there isn’t much of a thematic connection between to the title of this story and, to be quite honest, it doesn’t super fit its action. And all three previous episodes have titles which can be interpreted with various meanings – “Winterfell” is both the Stark keep and the fact that winter has, indeed, finally come after seven seasons of waiting. “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” could refer to Brienne or Jaime, or even be taken as a mediation on morality to some degree.

Yes, these four people are technically the last Starks. But as two head to Kings Landing, one takes the reins of Winterfell, and the other…does whatever Bran does, it’s unlikely that that at least some of them won’t make it to the series’ endgame. So, their House, such as it is, should carry on at least until that point. Hopefully, anyway. Ned’s kids deserve to catch a break.

Perhaps the title a reference to the fact that the four remaining Stark kids will still likely be the last of their father’s house, even if they do make it through Game of Thrones’ final episodes alive?

Sansa seems unlikely to ever marry again – or at least make any sort of union that might produce children. Arya already rejected Gendry’s proposal of a life of ease – and presumably offspring – at Storm’s End. Bran won’t even acknowledge that he’s a human anymore, and Jon’s actually a Targaryen. Should he figure out a way around Daenerys’ alleged barrenness, a child from that union doesn’t exactly keep the Stark line intact either.

Perhaps we’re meant to rejoice that four of our faves are still alive, and have found their way back together for at least one more family moment. But is it a bittersweet reminder that the Starks are doomed, in a larger sense, no matter who makes it through to the end?

Game of Thrones airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.