Now his watch is ended

"And now his watch is ended." — Saying of the Night's Watch, "Game of Thrones"

It has been a harrowing, brutal, and violent season on "Game of Thrones." The game is winding on, and the players are getting fewer. With presumably just two seasons — and 20 episodes — remaining, big chunks of story are being chewed through.

Each season the ninth episode brings tough deaths and battles. But usually the finale is somewhat more of a mop up moment. Not so this season. The final three episodes — featuring the battle at Hardhome, the return of Drogon, and the battle at Winterfell — have crammed a lot of plot in. And there's been far to many casualties.

Last night's finale was no exception. It was a bloody hour that marked a turning for a number of characters. Some found redemption, and some were robbed of redemption. Some were made to suffer, and others got what was coming to them. But no one got away clean.

Daenerys is, in some ways, back where she began — a foreign princess in a Dothraki hoard. Sansa and Theon attempted escape, but we'll have to wait these long months to see the results. Arya finally got her revenge, but it wasn't all she'd hoped it would be. Brienne got her chance to avenge Renly, but may have missed her opportunity to fulfill her oath in the process. And Stannis got to march on Winterfell, but it wasn't the glorious circumstance he'd expected.

But the finale will probably be remembered most for what happened to two characters — Cersei (Lena Headey) and Jon Snow (Kit Harrington). Both suffered in the finale, and in both cases it was a fate of their own making.

Throughout the season, Cersei has looked for a way to rebuff her feeling of impotence in the Kingdom. Her son fell for his wife and started to take advice from her. Her uncle rebuffed her claim to authority. Cersei is alone in King's Landing with few allies remaining. So she turned to the High Sparrow, thinking that empowering him would help her gain an advantage.

But Cersei didn't understand the High Sparrow, nor did she properly gauge the route he would go. And it came back to bit her. She's never been a sympathetic character, but her walk of shame on Sunday's episode was difficult to watch and difficult to comprehend. And Headey, an impeccable performer, was incredible in the scene. It was a moment where she realized her planning had failed and she was laid bare before the city, which mocked her.

Jon suffered an even crueler fate, being knifed to death by members of the Night's Watch, his brothers. It was reminiscent of a scene from Julius Caesar, but was more inexplicable. Jon, much like his "father" Ned, is noble. He follows that nobility to the end, consequences be damned.

Jon began the season being elected Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. He tried to rule with common sense and justice in a world where those things aren't highly praised. Last week his top lieutenant said that outlook would "get them all killed." It turned out the only one who got killed was Jon.

It was a brutal end to an especially dark and brutal season. There is a slight glimmer of hope that Jon might not be gone, but either way it will be a long 10 months as we consider what comes next.