content: 
  === Critical response ===
  The episode received mixed to negative reviews; on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes it has an approval rating of 58%, based on 107 reviews and an average rating of 7.01/10, with the critics consensus stating: "'The Last of the Starks' strains to set the board for ''Game of Thrones'' conclusion, but serves up enough political intrigue and touching character interactions to satisfy".
  Among the positive reviews, Spencer Kornhaber of ''The Atlantic'' wrote, "despite all of the logical head-smack moments ... I'm not brimming with complaints. The episode recaptured some classic ''Thrones'' qualities, really." Chris Barton of ''Los Angeles Times'' praised the storytelling and the interaction between characters and believed that "the bulk of this episode was filled with the sort of palace intrigue and character dynamics that made the show more than the sum of its dragons." Sean T. Collins of ''Rolling Stone'' believed that the episode did a good job of showing the conflicts between humans and wrote, "It hasn't missed a step thematically, moving from humanity's need to stop killing itself and face a common threat to its compulsion to annihilation even after seeing what it can accomplish as a united front." Sarah Hughes of ''The Guardian'' wrote in her review that the pace of the episode was just right and added, "Where a lesser show would have hurried the action, moving us swiftly on to the battle with Cersei, The Last of the Starks took time to show what the true cost of the Battle of Winterfell was."
  Among the negative reviews, Shirley Li of ''The Atlantic'' wrote that she wasn't impressed by "The Last of the Starks" and criticized the "nonsensical storytelling" in this episode. David Malitz of ''The Washington Post'' also questioned the logic in this episode, and, referring to the confrontation between Daenerys and Euron, wrote, "Maybe it was just good luck on those initial kill shots, though, because the next few dozen arrows that fly toward Daenerys and Drogon all miss their mark. Every single one of them. Yep." Steve Johnson of ''Chicago Tribune'' believed that the show had lost its exciting storyline and, referring to the downfall of the Night King in the last episode, wrote, "How are we supposed to get thrilled about fighting mere Cersei again when we've already bested the greatest enemy of all time?" Alan Sepinwall of ''Rolling Stone'' labeled the episode as a "structural oddity", and wrote, "It never feels solid enough. The script races through the transition, piling one personality-altering event on top of the next so that none of them gets to breathe." Longtime ''Game of Thrones'' reviewer, Erik Kain of ''Forbes'', stated that "so much happened and so little of it felt right, that today I'm left feeling letdown more than anything, and dreading the next two episodes instead of eagerly awaiting them."
  On the "Inside the Episode" featurette for "The Last of the Starks", showrunner David Benioff explained that Daenerys lost Rhaegal and her fleet because "Dany kind of forgot about the Iron Fleet and Euron's forces". Amy Jones of ''The Daily Telegraph'' described the explanation as "so stupid", while fans ridiculed Benioff by turning the statement into a meme.