Game of Thrones season five marks the halfway point of the series, with loyalties irrevocably broken, houses falling apart, and the Iron Throne more vulnerable than ever.

With no one’s life safe as the game continues, the Lannisters still maintain their grip on the Seven Kingdoms – but with Tommen only a teenager, Cersei knows their position is weakening.

As the Lannister position wavers, others are continuing to strengthen their numbers, while dealing with their own issues.

Daenerys has built a kingdom of her own in Essos, with a base in Meereen – but her dragons are becoming reckless and restless.

Stannis Baratheon has a hold at The Wall, but the North and Winterfell is still in the charge of Roose Bolton and his malicious bastard son, Ramsey.

Arya Stark is still on a mission to find a safe place in the world – only now she’s more on her own than ever after the death of The Hound. Meanwhile her sister, Sansa, is under the care of Littlefinger, who has twisted his way into the Eyrie after his marriage (and swift murder) of Lysa Arryn.

It’s truly anyone’s game at this point in time – here’s how the latest episodes play out.

All eight seasons of Game of Thrones are available now – as well as the first season of prequel series, House of the Dragon.

Sky is the exclusive home of the entire franchise in the UK, so it is not available on any other service – such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video or Disney+.

You can watch the series on Sky Atlantic, on demand via Sky Go or by streaming on NOW.

Season two of House of the Dragon starts June 17 and will air weekly.

The key characters of season five are:

• Lena Headey (Gunpowder Milkshake, White House Plumbers) as Cersei Lannister
• Emilia Clarke (Me Before You, Marvel’s Secret Invasions) as Daenerys Targaryen
• Kit Harington (Gunpowder, Extrapolations, Criminal) as Jon Snow
• Peter Dinklage (X-Men: Days of Future Past, I Care A Lot) as Tyrion Lannister
• Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Oblivion, Radioman) as Jaime Lannister
• Gwendoline Christie (Wednesday, The Sandman) as Brienne of Tarth
• Aidan Gillen (Peaky Blinders, The Wire) as Petyr Baelish a.k.a ‘Littlefinger’
• Iain Glen (Jack Taylor, Silo) as Jorah Mormont
• Liam Cunningham (The Wind That Shakes The Barley) as Davos Seaworth
• Isaac Hempstead-Wright (Voyagers, The Boxtrolls) as Bran Stark
• Sophie Turner (X-Men: Dark Phoenix, The Staircase) as Sansa Stark
• Maisie Williams (Pistol, Two Weeks To Live) as Arya Stark
• Alfie Allen (SAS Rogue Heroes, Jojo Rabbit) as Theon Greyjoy
• John Bradley (3-Body Problem) as Samwell Tarly
• Carice van Houten (Temple, Red Light) as Melisandre
• Kristian Nairn (Our Flag Means Death, Ripper Street) as Hodor
• Natalie Dormer (Elementary, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay) as Margaery Tyrell
• Jerome Flynn (Ripper Street, Black Mirror: Shut Up and Dance) as Bronn
• Daniel Portman (Black Mirror, Vigil) as Podrick Payne
• Diana Rigg (Last Night In Soho, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service) as Olenna Tyrell
• Gemma Whelan (Gentleman Jack, Upstart Crow) as Yara Greyjoy
• Indira Varma (Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, Bride and Prejudice) as Ellaria Sand
• Nathalie Emmanuel (Fast And Furious franchise, The Invitation) as Missandei
• Jacob Anderson (Interview With The Vampire, Doctor Who) as Grey Worm
• Tobias Menzies (The Crown, Outlander) as Edmure Tully
• Iwan Rheon (Inhumans, Misfits, The Dirt) as Ramsay Snow/Bolton
• Michiel Huisman (Haunting Of Hill House, The Flight Attendant) as Daario Naharis

Season five is comprised of ten episodes – and picks up in the immediate aftermath of the season four finale. Tywin Lannister has been murdered by his son, Tyrion, who is on the run, Stannis Baratheon has taken over The Wall, and Daenerys has positioned herself in Meereen, Essos, in order to look after the three slave cities she has freed.

As a young child, Cersei encounters a witch, who foretells of a future where she will one day be queen before someone ‘younger and more beautiful’ will cast her down.

In present day, Tywin Lannister’s funeral is held, but Cersei is busy figuring out her next move in order to keep control of Westeros.

Lancel Lannister returns, now part of a cult-like religious subsect known as The Sparrows.

Meanwhile, Tyrion arrives in Essos, and together with Master of Whispers, Varys, heads to someone Varys believes could take the Iron Throne.

Meanwhile, at Meereen, Daenerys is struggling to keep her people happy, with a resistance known as the Sons Of The Harpy building up against her, and her dragons getting angry at being chained underground. One of her councilmen, Loraq, offers her a solution she’s not happy with.

Littlefinger and Sansa decide to leave the Vale, but not before leaving young Robin to House Royce to train him, and Brienne is having doubts about her mission after her run-in with Arya and The Hound.

Finally, at The Wall, Stannis Baratheon continues his efforts to fight against Roose Bolton, and opts to try and recruit the Wildlings in exchange for pardoning them. Jon is forced to help end the suffering of someone he once admired.

Brienne of Tarth finally tracks down Sansa Stark, but her response to her presence is quite not the one she wants as Littlefinger’s grip tightens on her.

Arya attempts to find refuge in Braavos after tracking down Jaqen H’ghar once again, and is inducted into the House Of Black and White.

Cersei convinces Jamie to retrieve their daughter, Myrcella, from Dorne, after news of her betrothal reaches King’s Landing, and he asks Bronn to go with him.

Meanwhile, Ellaria pleas with the Prince of Dorne for retribution following the death of Oberyn at the hands of the Mountain in the Lannister’s trial by combat.

Jon is presented with an offer to leave the Knight’s Watch, and finds himself in a new position among his ranks. He also begins to train young member, Olly.

Daenerys finally reunites with one of her children, as her grip on the slave cities begins to crumble.

Margaery finally gets her crown as she marries King Tommen - and immediately gets to work to try and get Cersei out of their lives.

Sansa is heartbroken by Littlefinger’s latest manipulation tactic, who reveals his plans to marry her to Roose Bolton’s son, Ramsay.

Arya begins her work at the House of Black and White, but finds herself an enemy, and when commanded to rid herself of her past belongings, there’s one thing she can’t let go.

Jon adjusts to life as Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, and quickly has to assert his authority in a grisly way.

Brienne bonds with Podrick, opening up about her past and teaching him how to fight.

In King’s Landing, the High Septon is captured by Lancel Lannister and his Sparrows, and forced to walk naked through the streets for being in a brothel. When Cersei meets the High Sparrow at a slum, she finds herself surprisingly drawn to him and his way of life.

Tyrion and Varys arrive at Volantis, where Tyrion is immediately abducted by Jorah Mormont to bring him to the Queen.

Cersei makes her true power known in King’s Landing to Queen Margaery, with the help of the Sparrows as her new Faith Militant.

In the North, Melisandre tries to seduce Jon Snow in an attempt to win him round to Stannis’s next mission to Winterfell to battle the Boltons. At Winterfell, Littlefinger continues to push Sansa into marrying Ramsay, telling her she can still get her vengeance on the Boltons by taking them down from the inside.

At Dorne, Bronn and Jaime arrive to get back Myrcella, prompting Ellaria to jump into action against the King’s command for peace.

Over in Essos, Tyrion deduces the real reason Jorah kidnapped him for Daenerys, while the Queen continues to ignore pleas from her council to reopen the town’s fighting pits. The Sons Of The Harpy ambush a team of the Unsullied, leaving some critically injured.

In Essos, Daenerys is heartbroken by the death of one of her confidantes, and finally relents on one of her council’s requests - but not before she makes a surprising commitment to Loraq, and makes use of her dragons to assert her authority.

At Winterfell, Sansa is reunited with an old friend, but he is no longer the person she once practically called a brother, while she struggles to settle into her new engagement to Ramsay.

Stannis’s army leaves The Wall for Winterfell in preparation for a face-off against the Boltons. Jon finally comes to an agreement with Tormund Giantsbane about the future of the Wildlings.

Over in Meereen, Grey Worm is struggling from his injuries and is tended to by Missandei as the pair grow even closer, while Tyrion and Jorah face an attack from an unexpected foe while at sea, creating a deadly consequence.

In disguise, Jaime and Bronn complete their mission to get to Myrcella in Dorne, but are met with a fight, while Jorah and Tyrion run into more conflict on their way to Meereen.

Littlefinger returns to King’s Landing with news about Sansa’s betrothal, and to propose his next move for power in the realm.

Cersei asserts her position as the person pulling the strings at King’s Landing by putting Loras Tyrell on trial for homosexuality - and making Queen Margaery take the stand.

A further darkness falls on Winterfell as Sansa Stark marries Ramsay Snow, and quickly thereafter discovers his true cruel nature.

The Wall deals with tragedy with a heartbreaking loss, just as Jon leaves for Hardhome with Tormund. Sam and Gilly take their relationship to the next level after a terrifying attack.

Sansa becomes desperate to escape Winterfell and the clutches of her husband, Ramsay, but she puts her faith and trust for escape in the wrong hands with devastating results.

Stannis Baratheon begins to push back against Melisandre’s requests to win favour to the Lord Of Light, with one request going too far.

Jorah and Tyrion finally reach Daenerys - but not before one last (literal) fight or two.

Bronn is given a lifeline in Dorne by Tyene Sand after discovering a lethal catch to their sword fight.

The High Sparrow’s grip on King’s Landing increases, with even Cersei proving not immune from his commands.

In Meereen, Tyrion gets the opportunity to talk to Daenerys and line himself up for a new, powerful position, but where does that leave the shamed Jorah Mormont, who she banished from her kingdom for his betrayal?

A new Lannister is appointed as Tommen’s Hand Of The King, as Cersei continues to push back against the Sparrows and their bid for her to repent.

Arya takes on her first task under the guidance of H’ghar.

In Winterfell, Theon/Reek finally gathers the courage to make a confession to Sansa Stark that can change everything, while Ramsay prepares for war against Stannis.

In the new land of Hardhome, Tormund helps Jon recruit Wildlings to become a united force as they prepare for a new battle against White Walkers who threaten them both. Back at The Wall, young Olly shares his disappointment in Jon’s protection of the Wildlings with Sam.

After Stannis’s settlement is attacked in the night by the Bolton army, he is coerced into committing his biggest ever sacrifice in the name of blood magic to win the war for The North by Melisandre, while Ser Davos is away getting supplies. However, his decision proves even more devastating for his cause.

Jon returns to The Wall with the surviving Wildlings on side, much to the anger of Allister Thorne, who is making eyes of control of the Night’s Watch.

Over in Dorne, pacifist leader Prince Doran reaches an agreement with Jaime so he can return to King’s Landing with Myrcella and her betrothed, Prince Tyrene. Ellaria Sand is left furious as she continues to push for justice for Oberyn’s death.

Arya spots a familiar face from the Baratheon/Lannister Kingsguard arriving in Braavos as she continues to keep a low profile.

Over in Meereen, Jorah finds a new home in the fighting pits, to the shock of Daenerys, but her visit descends into chaos when she finds herself under attack.

The true extent of what Stannis has lost in his desperation to win the war becomes apparent, as Melisandre goes on the run to Castle Black and the Boltons finally arrive for their battle.

Brienne gets the opportunity for justice for Renly Baratheon’s murder she’s been craving.

At Winterfell, Sansa seizes her opportunity to escape Ramsay’s clutches, and she won’t be alone in her efforts.

Cersei is forced to do a walk of repentance through the streets of King’s Landing to the Red Keep by the Sparrows, after finally confessing to her crimes against the Gods.

Ellaria Sand gets her cruel vengeance on the Lannisters at an innocent’s expense.

In Braavos, Arya is punished after killing for personal gain.

Things look bad in Meereen as Daenerys is captured and her council have to track her down.

Finally, at The Wall, a mutiny rises against Jon Snow’s position as Lord Commander, and not everyone makes it out alive.

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