Welcome to Burning Questions of Game of Thrones, a weekly recap of the HBO series devoted to theories and speculation. In other words, nerdgasm central.
Theories include plot points from both Game of Thrones show and A Song of Ice and Fire books for a deeper interpretation of things that happen in the show. I’m a book nerd that is watching the show first this one time. So please watch where you step because
During the Long Night until season 8, I will continue to post Game of Thrones material about once per month, because the night is dark and full of terrors.
This is Part 1 of BQ of GoTS7E7. Go to Part 2
The Season 7 finale came much too soon. The word on Season 8 is that it may be as late as 2019 before we see new near feature-length episodes. Judging by all the questions there are, those episodes will be packed with information.
Holy army of the dead! What an episode! This is the Game of Thrones we know and love, the show that has raised the bar in film and television production: it had everything: murder, betrayal, revenge, horror, sex and death. Not to mention dragons, white walkers and wights. And a wight dragon. Yaaaaasssss! But oh so many questions now.
Which Reunion Was Your Favorite?
As all the main characters arrive in King’s Landing, we’re treated to reunions of characters who had had stories together. Tyrion and Bronn (I so want Bronn to switch sides). Tyrion and Pod, Tyrion and Sir Jorah, Tyrion and Jaime (damn, Tyrion gets around). Tyrion and Cersei, The Hound and Brienne and Brienne and Jaime. the Hound and The (zombie) Mountain. My fave? Brienne and the Hound bonding over their little killer Arya. After so many stories, it was so wonderful to see most of the main characters together.
Did Anyone Else Think Cersei Would Kill Them All?
Cersei orders slaughter as if it’s a latté at Starbucks.
The Queen casually ordered the Mountain to kill Daenerys, Tyrion and Jon “in case anything goes wrong,” like the true sociopath she is. “The rest of them you may kill in any order you see fit.” The casual ruthlessness with which Cersei conveys these directions to the Mountain shocks even Jaime. Qyburn didn’t even look up.
Logically, another bloodbath couldn’t happen because then there wouldn’t be anyone left to fight the Night King. But as all the players arrived at the dragon pit, who didn’t get nervous watching? Cersei is capable of anything (Wildfire, anyone?). While the characters were busy sizing each other up, we were panicking about another massacre. Well done.
So Clegane Bowl Confirmed?
The long-awaited meeting between The Hound and The Mountain, the brothers Sandor and Gregor Clegane teased a future violent final confrontation between the two. This is what fans have been howling for, for the past six seasons. “You know who’s coming for you,” says the Hound to his brother. “You’ve always known.”
The fraternal showdown would avenge not only Sir Gregor (as Cersei still refers to him) burning of his brother’s face, but the numerous other brutal cruelties that the mountain has committed, mostly off-screen. Like the rape and murder of Elia Martell Targaryen and the infant Aegon; and the brutal on-camera murder of Elia’s brother Oberyn Martell and numerous other atrocities during the war of the five kings. In other words, this bastard needs to die, zombie or no zombie.
Two more questions about this: How exactly can Clegane Bowl happen with the brothers on opposite ends of Westeros? And does The Mountain even have a working brain after Qyburn brought him back? Does he recognize his brother, or understand what’s happening? Can he/it feel pain? Because yeah, we want him to suffer.
How Beautiful is Drogon?
I love how HUGE Drogon is, and how protective of his Mommy. Every time he touches down with Daenerys on his back he growls at the entire perimeter before Daenerys dismounts. Good boy.
The visual effects have been spectacular this season, especially the rendering of the dragon babies, who have been front and center more than any other time. This is the first time I recall seeing Drogon’s colors as strong as they are here. Black, Red, and Gold.
Speaking of Babies, Is Cersei Carrying or Nah?
This is the picture that tells me she’s lying. Cersei’s body language as the wight heads straight for her.
Wouldn’t a pregnant woman automatically place her hands over her belly when faced by a physical threat? Not everyone reacts the same, I know, but I think it would be automatic and completely unconscious. And yes, I’ve been pregnant. The fact that her hands don’t touch her stomach seems off to me. Feel free to disagree in the comments.
Also interesting: Neither the mountain nor Jaime to protect Queen Cersei as the wight sped toward her. Their swords should have been the first thing that wight’s face hit. But they didn’t move. Cersei needs new guards.
Why Do I Get the Feeling that Cersei Will Team Up with the Night King?
At first glance this shot is hilarious. Of course, the man who was expelled from the Citadel for deviant science would be fascinated by wights. This is Qyburn’s sweet spot, that twilight between the life and death. He’s already made a zombie or zombie-adjacent creature, and he’s a scientist. Qyburn is brilliant, has zero scruples and works for the evilest woman in Westeros. Nothing good will come from his study of these monsters. I see three possible outcomes, and all of them are terrifying. He could devise a way to control wights so that Cersei could wipe out all the competition and perhaps even the White Walkers. Or, he could figure out how to create an army of the dead for Cersei so that she can go dead-to-dead with the Night King (the Mountain is proof he can do it); or he could figure out a way to use them to form an alliance with the Night King. I’m sure Qyburn is capable of myriad other atrocities if he’s allowed to study wights, but I can’t yet imagine what they are.
How Epic is Stark Justice?
This was the cheer-out-loud moment in which all the evil that Littlefinger has unleashed on the Stark family is finally avenged. This scene was beautiful. Beautifully acted, beautifully written, beautifully paced and beautifully executed. The writers did a great job of misdirecting us with the earlier scene between Sansa and Littlefinger, in which she seems to parrot everything he wants her to think about Arya.
In my last post, I mentioned that
1. The scene between Arya and Sansa in the bedroom was not what it seemed, and
2. Sansa had the ability to destroy Littlefinger with the information about Lysa.
It looks like the Starks have been playing Littlefinger for quite a while. When Littlefinger gifts the Cat’s Paw dagger to Bran in episode 1, Bran responds: “Chaos is a Ladder,” a major clue that he knew the truth about Littlefinger’s role in House Stark’s downfall.
The Starks took time to build a case against Littlefinger, something they had to do in order to preserve the loyalty of the Knights of the Vale, crucial allies of the North. Sansa sent Brienne to King’s Landing to get her out of the middle of the supposed conflict between herself and Arya. They let Littlefinger do what he does best, sow discord, letting him think he had the upper hand while all the while plotting vengeance and justice. Bran had receipts, Sansa was both a witness and a victim of his scheming and no doubt the Maester at Winterfell found a copy of that letter Lysa wrote to Katelyn in season 1 episode 1 that started everything. The letter falsely accusing the Lannisters of Jon Arryn’s death.
After seven seasons of watching this master schemer and manipulator lie and double-cross every house in Westeros to get what he wants, after watching him steadily amass more power, more wealth more influence,after watching House Stark almost completely destroyed because of his machinations, we finally finally get to see this bastard pay for his deeds. It’s a sublime moment, watching the man who’s always prepared for every eventuality finally be caught by surprise. For the first time in his life he has miscalculated and it’s beautiful to watch him try to recover. He’s never had a moment of uncertainty before, so this moment is sublime. His progression from
shock to defiance, to disbelief, to denial, is delicious. When he falls to his knees to beg Sansa for his life, it’s shocking, satisfying, and sad. Aiden Gillen was spectacular in this scene. I watch it over and over simply to enjoy his progression of emotions. When he begs Sansa for a private talk and she throws back his own words “sometimes when I’m trying to understand a person’s motives, I play a little game…” was as satisfying as a three-course meal. It told us that Sansa had never been under his thumb and that justice had arrived. Hoist on his own petard, Baelish knows he’s a dead man. He tries one last desperate plea to the Knights of the Vale, but they refuse. And the way Arya slashes his neck as if he’s not even worth the effort — EXCELLENT! Littlefinger died on his knees begging those he betrayed for his life. Sophie Turner’s barely restrained rage during the scene was perfect and downright royal. RIP Lord Baelish.
Will the Direwolves Fight the Zombie Polar Bears?
Please please let this happen. At a projected budget of $15 million per episode, I think the producers can afford to give us at least a one on one confrontation. It would be so cool. The two mascots of the North turned against each other, one good, one evil. HBO, please make it so.
Who (or what) do you want to see throw down in season 8? Tell me in the comments.
Thanks for Reading! Check back for more Game of Thrones content during The Long Night.
