It seems like only two months ago that we were transported back into the scheming, sinister and sanguine world of Game of Thrones for another season. Well, that's probably because it was just two months ago.
Season 5 of Game of Thrones premiered on April 12, and it's already time to put another installment in the can. These 10-episode HBO seasons go by quick, don't they? See you in 2016, Westeros.
And what a season it has been. This is the point in the article where I tell you that there are major SPOILERS ahead, so if you're not all caught up by now, look away.
Season 5 was the first to deviate from George R.R. Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice book series in a major way, which made it an especially unpredictable season for both fans of the book and those who just watch the TV show alike. The highly anticipated introduction of the Sand Snakes finally arrived. We also got to see an epic White Walkers battle scene.
However, Season 5 wasn't without controversy. The first four episodes of Season 5 were leaked online right before the season began. Though the show has long been known for its use of gratuitous sex and violence, Game of Thrones really came under fire for its graphic depiction of violence against women in Season 5, which included Sansa Stark being raped by Ramsay Snow and Stannis Baratheon's sacrifice of his daughter Shireen. This prompted an outcry of fans quitting Game of Thrones and even a major website to end its coverage of the show.
But if you stuck with Game of Thrones until now this season, you're probably pretty eager to see how it all wraps up. What scenes will you love? What scenes will you hate? And who is going to have the misfortune of being the character(s) killed off in the final moments of the season?
You'll have to tune in Sunday night to find out. You know if you don't it will all be spoiled for you by the next morning, so here's how you can make sure to see all of the action live, no matter what your device of choice is.
On TV
If you like to see your political maneuvering, bloody battles and cringeworthy sex scenes on as big a screen as possible, you probably subscribe to HBO so you can watch the show on a traditional TV set. If that's the case, be sure to tune in at 9 p.m. EST on June 14 to catch the Season 5 finale of Game of Thrones.
If there's no way you can watch the show then, you could always watch it later by recording it on your DVR or watching it on demand, although you'll have to wait until Monday to watch it that way. HBO will also replay the Season 5 finale a bunch of times throughout June, so be sure to check the channel's schedule for when it's playing next.
Online
HBO got into the streaming game in a big way just before the Season 5 premiere of Game of Thrones. In April, HBO launched its long-awaited standalone streaming service HBO Now. This lets you stream all of HBO's content live as it airs as well as on demand later. HBO Now costs $14.99 per month and is only available through Apple devices or Optimum right now, although it will be coming soon to Android and Chromecast. But for now, for the non-Apple users among us, you can also use the PlayOn workaround to stream HBO Now on Android and Roku. If you don't feel like shelling out any money, you can start a free trial of HBO Now on Sunday and then cancel it once you know how this season ends.
There's also HBO Go for those who have an HBO log-in. HBO tends to stream major episodes like the Season 5 finale of Game of Thrones live through HBO Go, although you can't always count on it. In the past, so many people have flocked to HBO Go to watch Game of Thrones that the streaming platform has crashed. The Season 5 premiere seems to have gone pretty smoothly on HBO Go, so hopefully that won't be a problem this time around either.
And then of course, if you're patient, don't care about spoilers and have some money to burn, you can always just purchase the episode or the entire season later when the digital HD version is released from your online entertainment distributor of choice, such as iTunes, Google Play or Amazon Instant Video. Though this might not seem like the most desirable option, who knows? The Season 5 finale could be so amazing, you're just going to want to own it.
On Your Phone
This just in: We now live in a world where you can watch video in the palm of your hand on devices called smartphones and tablets. Basically, if you can stream something online, you can stream it on a mobile device too. The same deal applies to watching the Game of Thrones Season 5 finale through the HBO Go or the HBO Now apps as it does watching the show online through those platforms. You can also watch it on-the-go by purchasing it through places like iTunes, Google Play or Amazon Instant Video at a later date.
However you watch the Season 5 finale of Game of Thrones, just make sure you do because you don't want to be the only one who hasn't seen it. That would be almost as bad as having to go do a "walk of atonement."
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