10 years, eight seasons, a whole lot of deaths and the final series of Game of Thrones is actually, finally here.

The excitement is almost too much to bear as the Mother of Dragons, Jon Snow and the gang are once again brought back onto to our screens. But there is of course also the knowledge that saying hello, also means saying goodbye, as this will be the final time they do so. 

The first episode has now aired in the US (with the UK drop happening later today) and Twitter is already alight with musings, opinions and a whole lot of memes.

And because we want to squeeze every last tiny drop out of the last season of Game of Thrones that we’ll ever get, we’ve picked out some of our favourite Twitter reactions to get you giggling and savour this opening episode as much as possible.

For some it was all about the preparation…

After two years of waiting, GoT fans have had time to prepare, and gather their favourite GIFs to show just how excited they are for the new season.

One fan had to really work (literally) to get their GoT fix, tweeting: “After 10hr shift. I am finally off to watching #GameofThronesSeason8 yuh leggo.”

While another decided to make it a family event, which was not necessarily the best move: “When you sit down to watch #GameofThronesSeason8 with your parents AND grandparents and the R rating hits you with ‘contains nudity and strong sexual content’”

The love for Sam is so strong…

Sam Tarly has always been a legend, supporting Jon Snow and generally being a lovely chap, so it was pure genius that he was the one to tell Jon the truth about his heritage and Twitter couldn’t be more excited about it.

The shade between Sansa and Daenerys was almost too much to take…

Both Sansa and Daenerys are not to be messed with, and after their first meeting it was clear that it will take some time before they warm up to each other. The perfect way to describe this according to the Twittersphere? Shade. Absolute and utter shade. 

“The shade between Sansa and Daenerys is sooo delicious,” remarked one fan. 

“Daenerys vs Sansa is the drama I never knew I needed,” tweeted another. 

Cersei’s disappointment at a certain lack of elephants had viewers in stitches…

One stand-out moment for Twitter-loving audiences? Apparently that Cersei really, really wanted elephants on her side in the upcoming battle. As she’s pretty hellbent on getting her way 100% of the time, viewers thought it was kind of hilarious that her instruction to bring elephants to the fight was ignored by the Golden Company. 

“euron: did i please u? cersei: i really wanted those elephants,” said one Twitter user. 

While others used all many of brilliant memes to show her over-the-top disappointment. 

Bran and Jamie’s reunion was rather brilliant to watch…

Another important moment? Bran’s ominous mention of his “old friend” Jamie, and just how terrified Jamie looked to see him. Audiences couldn’t get enough of how the tables have turned on the dastardly Lannister.

Still don’t feel like you’ve got your Game of Thrones fix? Check out our interpretation of this secret fashion detail in Daenerys Targaryen’s costume and every single hint and important moment from episode one.

Images: HBO / Twitter