This week, we saw the preparation for the impending war, Jon revealing his identity to Dany, a lot of new or very old interactions, and Arya getting nude with Gendry in an episode called “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”. We also have a new writer this week. I’d like to welcome Johnny to the group. It’s great to have new perspectives on here. Please check out our podcast where we discuss this episode on Kenter At Your Own Risk.
My name is Kent and each week, I will ask some questions that I hope don’t always have a clear cut answer and see what everybody’s opinions are. It’s a super simple concept. Since Chris T. and I do a podcast already called Kenter At Your Own Risk, we are spending the next 6 weeks going on and on about this show before we get back to our typical horror film conversations. If you like what we’re doing, share this with your friends. If you would like to get involved with the blog, please contact me at kent@9deuce.com. Any comments in bold type are made by me. Please enjoy.
1. Did this episode confirm that Jaime is going to die, in your opinion?
Chris T.: Jaime will die this season, but not necessarily in episode 3. Bronn needs to get to him and Tyrion before either die, or all of the tension from that subplot will be lost. (This Bronn subplot is really throwing wrenches into so many of my guesses. I suppose that is a good thing. I even thought about Bronn showing up this week, but I have my doubts.)
Jim: He will die, and I do believe it is in this upcoming episode. I believe that both during this last episode and the change of personality arc he has been in, it is solely for him to be remembered fondly. This episode was just a kiss goodbye. (It felt like the final way to fulfill his quest from one of the most hated characters after episode one, to one of the more beloved ones.)
Raylene: By other show’s themes he had his redemption episode and had a moral compass feel so he is a goner. I will even say Cersei herself kills him why not. (Is he really a moral compass? I’m not even sure if he would crack the top 10 moral compasses still alive on the show.)
Chris B.: I don’t think it necessarily confirmed it, but I think he is going to end up dying. He’s probably going to sacrifice himself to save either Tyrion or Brienne. (What about the possibility of sacrificing himself for Cersei? I can’t help but feel like that is a distinct possibility.)
Johnny: I do believe Jaime has a high chance of dying Ep.3. Season 5 when Bronn asked Jaime in Dorne how he wants to bite the bullet, his response was “ In the arms of the women I love. “ I definitely feel that line there was a confirmation that it was either, of course, Cersei or who I think it is… Brienne. The one thing that makes me question that theory is the prophecy of Maggy The Frog where she says that Cersei is killed by her brother. What that could mean though is through labor with Cersei’s newborn she may die. That way it’s more of a poetic death from Jaimie rather than a literal knife to the heart or such… That or Jaime dies then Arya kills Cersei with Jamie’s face.
(You and I are definitely on board with Arya being the one who kills Cersei. I was trying to figure out what purpose Arya fills moving forward, and that is the best option that I can come up with. I like the labor idea, but I like Arya using Jaime’s face even better.)
Kristi: I do think they set it up that he would die but I also think they may be making it too obvious and someone else major may go. (Yeah, the more I thought about it, and then I rewatched it, they were practically hitting us over the head with Jaime’s story. Too obvious for this episode, at the very least, if ever.)
Kent: If I had answered this 5 days ago, I would say yes, 100%. Now, I have had time to think about it. Jaime doesn’t necessarily have to die. Jaime still has a solid chance at being Cersei’s Valonqar that was prophesied by Maggy. In theory, he kills Cersei. There aren’t a bunch of true threats to Jaime if he survives this battle. Yes, Mountain, Qyburn, Euron, and perhaps others that I am forgetting could pose a threat, but I admit to liking his odds. I am going out on a very stupid limb, one that cannot support my ego or my fat ass and say that I am lowering his death probability to only 40% and I will most likely fall like Bran did at the expense of Jaime.
2. If you had to pick a man for Brienne of Tarth, or Ser Brienne now, would you pick Jaime or Tormund? Also, feel free to discuss Tormund’s great story about milk.
Chris T.: Tormund all the way. As my wife and I watched that scene and burst out laughing at the story and everyone’s responses to it, she looked at me and said, “I bet that they didn’t let anyone other than Tormund read his lines in that scene, to get realistic responses”, and I have to agree with her. (Yup, I agree. As you know, I compare it to the lineup scene in The Usual Suspects for that very reason. We talked about this on this week’s episode of Kenter At Your Own Risk.)
Jim: I’d pick Tormund. The girly romantic reason would be he was struck by her at first sight, and secondly, he may be the only one who could actually beat her in battle, as they have never fought to prove otherwise. The story was fantastic and made us (unfortunately) like him even more ( I say unfortunately because I believe it softened his personality for a kiss goodbye as well). I haven’t read the books, but I do know the one story they only teased in the show, was him banging a bear. I think that should have been told earlier in the show as well. They teased it when all of the wildlings were coming for the wall altogether, but should have told more.
(I just rewatched that episode 3 days ago. That whole part was absolutely hilarious. You talk about a potential showdown between the 2. I have really wanted to set up a fantasy tournament of one on one fights and have people vote on who would win.)
Raylene: Tormund all the way even though she doesn’t feel that way about him but he’s fantastic. (She could be playing hard to get.)
Chris B.: I really want to say Jaime because she loves him. However, Tormund is pretty awesome. I’ll stick with Jaime because there has been a slow build over several seasons, there should be a payoff. (You’re right. Tormund brings enough comedy so I think people want the funny, but the more logical choice is Jaime. I still disagreed with you in my response, but logically, you are correct.)
Johnny: Jaime for me. Tormund’s a good booty call lol, but for a real relationship with history and growth through companionship, you gotta go with Jaime. Or… if I may be so bold… The Hound lol him and Brienne both care deeply for Arya for different reasons, They already bicker like crazy and of course fight, haha so if they had to I think they could make it work. It’d be super difficult and hilarious but it’d work. (We don’t get to say booty call enough in these blogs, so this was an excellent time to do so. Bonus points for somehow including The Hound in an answer to a question that didn’t involve him. Nobody says cunt quite like he does….or as frequently…..or as funny.)
Kristi: Tormund just wants a piece of that big women. I choose Jaime. I feel he would treat her better. (It’s funny because the first 3 responses were for Tormund and I felt like an idiot for asking this question. With your response, you have made it a tie. I will ask this though. Would Jaime treat her better if Cersei remained alive? I can see an argument to be made on both sides of that coin, but I wonder if Jaime would still have those old feelings whereas Tormund only has eyes for the Big Woman. Now all I can think of is A Bronx Tale. I highly recommend that movie for anybody who hasn’t seen it. It is a shame that the door test is pretty irrelevant nowadays.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHGZTV9iK2Y
Kent: Obviously, with me, it comes down to the best hair because I’m the hair expert on this blog. Jaime has gone through some nice coifs of hair over the years, but Tormund is a ginger with dried milk mixed in there. It’s tough to argue against Tormund. Jaime would treat her very well, but it’s not like Tormund would be bad to her. And if Tormund survives, I suspect that he will be given a nice piece of land and perhaps a title. Jaime’s wealth will no longer be a game changer. Plus, as far as we know, Tormund never had sex with his sister or had children with her. That HAS to count for something, right?
3. How did Dany handle Jon’s reveal, in your opinion?
Chris T.: Pretty realistically I think. “Oh, really your bro and your bruh told you that you should be king with their magic powers?” The scene was too short to get a good read, for certain, on whether she was just upset, or angry enough to turn vengeful. (Yeah, the fact that it’s his brother/cousin and his Night’s Watch brother, I don’t think that Judge Judy would rule in Jon’s favor.)
Jim: I think she is stewing. As well, it was cut short, before it was really hashed out. We will see more from their next interaction, presumably after their mutual goal is achieved (defending Winterfell). I think it won’t be as smooth as it seemed. (I sure hope that it isn’t smooth.)
Raylene: As well as to be expected I almost say she’ll have the dragon eat him if she could. (Would a dragon eat a Targaryen? I am curious.)
Chris B.: Pretty much as expected. We were a few minutes from a temper tantrum. (I really wanted to see the temper tantrum to help people realize how horrible she is. Let’s face it, some people are still to deep in the forest to see the trees.)
Johnny: She’s totally being set up to be the other big villain besides the Night King and Cersei. Just like Sam said to John… she cares way more about her title than her people… at least in that moment, she did. (I feel like I keep saying this to people, but if you go back and rewatch the show and think about Dany’s true motivations, she’s a very different character than the sweet sympathetic girl that I think a lot of us saw in her. Or maybe we just accepted her because she got nude a lot.)
Kristi: Exactly how I thought she would. I think we all know her character is not mature enough to handle such news. I would like to see her die and Jon get the dragons. A girl can dream. (I love the vicious side of you in these blogs. Does the girl have a name?)
Kent: Like the petulant child that she is who only cares about securing her fine ass on that uncomfortable looking throne. Like, I want to sit there for a few minutes, but after a few minutes, I’d be wanting a cushion. Yes, I wrote this question so people could talk smack about Dany as they saw fit. She is my second least favorite major character on the show. I just found this article and I like what he has to say.
4. Should Sam be out on the battlefield? Should Tyrion be out on the battlefield?
Chris T.: No and no.
Jim: Though both want to, neither should. Really, neither have anyplace on any battlefield, and Sam doesn’t even have any military strategy. Plus, there is just enough blatant foreshadowing to let us know that the crypt will not be the safest place. So it is better they are there than outside. (I would argue that Sam could be fine with military strategy, just as much as Tyrion, due to the number of books that they have read. Of course, you can read a book on how to properly play chess and still really suck at it. I’m living proof of that.)
Raylene: Neither should be on the battlefield because Sam was never designed to be a real fighter. Perhaps we can have Midget throwing with Tyrion. (The PC crowd won’t be happy to hear that. Also, are you trying to give Tyrion a concussion? Hodor would have been good at that.)
Chris B.: Sam…. no. I know he killed a white walker, but it was really a fluke. He would just get in the way, and Jon would probably die saving him. Tyrion, I think, should be out there. He has a great tactical mind. (A moment of irrelevance. I had a moment of dyslexia and saw Sam B at the beginning of your response. Sam B is the name of a rapper who made music for the Dead Island video game franchise, and one of the catchiest video game songs of all time. See, totally irrelevant. But yeah, I agree that there are people that are going to be on the battlefield that will cause others to be distracted or to sacrifice themselves. More(mont) on that later.)
Johnny: I think Sam has a lot to offer actually. Not so much 1 on 1 combat but he has quite a few tricks up his sleeves I feel we may see in Ep.3. Tyrion I do agree with though. Which I do think it’s possible we may see Tyrion and that badass girl who reminded Davos of Shireen get in on the frey in the Crypts… In my opinion, there may be an MJ Thriller situation from the dead in the crypts being brought to life by the Night King. At least I hope so. Just as long as Tyrion, Gilly, or the girl don’t die.
(I agree on Sam. He’s a better fighter and thinker in battle than people give him credit for. This is probably good because they are gonna need him in the crypt. And now I have to post Thriller. You’re getting the hang of this blog already.)
Kristi: No and No. Their minds are going to be needed to rebuild, if anyone survives. (Because of Sam and Bran, history is gonna live on, it’s gonna survive, just like the president’s speech in Independence Day.)
Kent: This is tough. On the battlefields, not necessarily, but on a perch of some sort directing traffic wouldn’t be the worst idea. With that said, their minds are their true value and should be preserved as much as possible, and I feel that they should have kept someone like Hound or Jaime to protect them. Furthermore, I think they are going to be needed in the crypt, so it may not be as safe as they think. Sam is a badass though and he may not have great stamina, but he can hoss it for a few minutes with adrenaline and trying to protect Gilly and Little Sam. And Tyrion has little man complex. Never underestimate a man who has had to endure dwarf jokes his whole life.
5. Arya and Gendry hooked up, just like I wanted. Are there any other couples that you would like to see before this show ends? If no, pick someone fun for Varys at the very least.
Chris T.: Let’s give Dolorous Edd some love and let him hook up with anyone before he dies a virgin. (I just want to say how much I enjoy Dolorous Edd’s name. I also really like Grenn. The Night’s Watch had some great names. If there are any Wildling women alive, I say that would be a solid first time for him.)
Jim: Theon and Varys? All thoughts no parts…. seriously, I guess Tormund and Brienne, but I really think all boxes are checked. (When I read Theon and Varys, I laughed and then wondered if they would scissor.)
Raylene: I wouldn’t mind seeing Davos with Melisandre I know since he wants her dead at sight still interesting to think on. (I would like to see Davos get some and Melisandre is way above his pay grade, so I say hell yeah. I just hope that the Onion Knight doesn’t smell of onions and I hope she doesn’t smell of assassin shadows.)
Chris B.: I can’t think of anyone, so…… Varys and Theon. So many eunuch jokes…. (You’re right, which is why I went to Google and here are the first 3 jokes that I came across. You’re welcome.
Did ya hear why they’re closing down the eunuchs club?
Cause they lost all their members.
What’s the difference between a man with a vasectomy and a eunuch?
There’s actually not a vas deferens.
I planned to go to the costume party as a eunuch…
… but I couldn’t quite pull it off.)
Johnny: Pod and Sansa I think would be nice. Sansa definitely deserves a good guy after dealing with the King of Little shits Joffrey, not to mention Ramsay. :/ I think Pod would be a great match for her personally. (I agree with you that they would match up really well, and maybe she could finally be a little more chill. I keep reading Pod’s name of potential deaths, and I really worry for him. He needs to live on and please more ladies at the brothel. He doesn’t even have to pay.)
Kent: What about Tormund and Sansa with Melisandre also participating? Gingers could rejoice as it’s a sweet consolation prize for Tormund. I would also like to see The Hound get some strange. So for the sake of me not having many solid female options, I will go with Hound and Quaithe.
6. Speaking of Varys, does he hold any value moving forward? If yes, in what capacity?
Chris T.: Not really. His spy network is gone, there are others who know King’s Landing as well as him. Maybe depending on Melisandre coming back, he might have a relevant scene or two. (Is his spy network gone gone? He has spies in so many locations, so he still has a partial network, right? You got me wondering about this.)
Jim: His value may be information on King’s Landing in the post-Winterfell battles to come. Otherwise, I think he’s filled his purpose by getting everyone together. He could be the one to get Melisandre when she returns. (I loved both of these ideas. Between Varys and Tyrion, they probably know all the locales of King’s Landing. Also, I miss Melisandre.)
Raylene: Perhaps helping deal with Cersei he could be of value but that’s even questionable. He’s been away for some time now. I do hope they keep him around for his witty conversation with Tyrion. (Yeah, I speculate that his knowledge will be helpful in that war to come in some capacity or another. Jaime and Tyrion are the Cersei experts, but Varys thinks outside the box.)
Chris B.: I guess as an advisor. I’m disappointed he’s basically been relegated to the sidelines now. (I share your disappointment. Varys has consistently been in my top 5 favorite characters so I would love to see him get some shine in the next few weeks.)
Johnny: I definitely feel Varys has something crazy up his sleeves he’s waiting to unveil. I only think that because of his last interaction with Melisandre on Dragonstone. There was some definite prophesying there. (Varys always has those roomy sleeves too. I always felt that was….I don’t know the exact word I am looking for. Not poetic, but I think you know what I mean. It just fit his character just right. Maybe he’s Azor Ahai!!! Okay, I know that he isn’t, but that would just be funny in some weird way.)
Kent: I feel that Varys has been criminally underutilized this season and last. Varys has been the man that cared about the realm more than anybody else. Chris and I argued this point a bit on the podcast, but I’m staying stubborn and true on this one. In the aftermath, it’s not like he’s going to just retire. He loves knowledge and gossip. He’ll get himself some new birds and will be on the small council. When you think of the smartest characters remaining, aside from Bran, you could argue that Varys is the next smartest along with Sam and Tyrion. Jon Snow would be last because he knows nothing.
7. Will Grey Worm ever get to take Missende to Naath? (If I misspelled that, please fix it.)
Chris T.: Let yor spelling errors stew in their indignity, just like Theon did for Ramsey (c wut I did their). No, they are probably both goners. (I kinda want to fight you now. You hurt my brain. You also offended my Grammarly plug-in.)
Jim: Nope, he’s gonna die here, and she may as well in the crypts. I think the deaths of Danys close friends will help fuel her anger toward Jon when Kingsgate comes to pass. (I wonder if Missandei speaks the language of the dead. There needs to be more to push Dany farther down her dark path, so you are probably onto something here.)
Raylene: I don’t think so I say he joins the Night King army. She dies at the hands of Cersei. (At least he wouldn’t be freezing his balls off.)
Chris B.: Sadly I don’t think so. The only thought that crossed my mind when they were talking was, “Yeah…. he’s dead.” (I would go so far as to say….)
Johnny: Unfortunately no. Grey Worm’s for sure gonna become a walker and I totally agree with Jim it’s just gonna put gasoline on the fire with Dany. (Well, she is a master at working with fire.)
Kristi: No way. I think they both die. (I didn’t anticipate so many people thinking that she was going to die as well. This is possibly the most surprising thing for me in this week’s blog.)
Kent: Ya know, it’s like these people have never watched a TV show before. You NEVER make plans before something big is gonna happen. We know that is TV trope number 29. So it’s a question of who is gonna die, and I think it’s gotta be Grey Worm. Missandei will end up on the small council, I think. Who knows more languages than she does? She could be instrumental in attempting to broker peace and unite the seven kingdoms.
8. Lyanna Mormont, despite her age and size, is going out on the battlefield. Who do you want to see fight be side?
Chris T.: Anyone who could keep her alive. (Yeah, but that could be anybody.)
Jim: I would like to see Jorah because I think he’s a goner, but I could see him doing something to help his former house. Short of that, I’m not sure anyone should share the screen, because they’d just get overshadowed by her. (If you put her with the little girl from last week’s episode, this war would be over in like 7 minutes and then we could just have a lot of filler.)
Raylene: I say The Hound we know he has experience keeping a child alive. (I concur. He hasn’t allowed a child to die under his watch, I don’t think. Someone correct me if I am wrong.)
Chris B.: Ghost. I have no real reason. I just hope my television can contain that much badass all at once. (Now I am wondering when, or if we will see Nymeria again. Ghost always gets a piece of the action.)
Johnny: Gotta go with Jorah! Cousins back to back! He was even trying to make sure she’d go to the crypts I feel it would make sense for him to fight with her at least some way either big or small. (It feels like the obvious choice here, but I struggle with Jorah dying so quickly after getting the sword. If people are correct in Grey Worm and Missandei both dying, then I think it stands to reason that Jorah is the last man standing in Dany’s posse. I think he gets a bigger moment if he dies. Gut instinct and I have a big gut, so I gotta go with it.)
Kent: I’m going with 2 possibilities because Jorah is obvious. The Hound because it’s kinda his thing. He’s like the anti-Carol of TWD. I will give you another fun option that would make no sense in reality, but let’s get my man Jaqen H’ghar helping her out. I bet he would see a lot of potential in her. She’s got that ruthless aggression.
9. Will this battle stay in the general area of Winterfell or will they have to do a significant retreat or regroup?
Chris T.: There’s no way to retreat. If Winterfell falls all of the people in the North die. That’s all of the remains of the Night’s Watch, all of the Wildling’s, all of the people from the North, and all of Daenerys’s armies. The only ones who could possibly survive would be those who could fly out. And while people will die, I don’t see them killing 90% of the cast
At the halfway point. (So what you’re saying is that there’s no easy way out? There’s no shortcut home?)
Jim: I think that the plan will fall apart somehow. I’ve tried to avoid the internet, but unfortunately, I found something that supported my previous theories. The crypts are full of dead people… so I think some group will need to retreat back there to try and save the children. Because dead people become dead soldiers…. Other than that, I noticed a distinct lack of zombie dragon in the lead-up, so there may be another battle with the dead elsewhere. (Will there ever come a day where we can put a term in our phone that will block out all recent things about a topic in order to avoid spoilers? I feel like that could be the next big thing. A lot of people really go out of their way to avoid a spoiler, but sometimes it is so difficult without going some great distances.)
Raylene: I say two areas of battle somehow things go awry and a group has to get the kids and non-fighters out of Winterfell. (I’m curious where that would be. I need a map of Westeros. Yes, I know I can just Google it, but at this point, I am mentally exhausted.)
Chris B.: I can’t imagine the army of the dead will allow them to retreat. I think it ends in Winterfell. (I’m just getting lazy now. I am listening to it and the music is really good, very foreboding.)
Johnny: I think this is without a doubt the biggest battle the show will ever see in Ep.3, but that being said I think there’s definitely gonna be another one near Kings Landing. Also, I feel the Night King isn’t gonna be in Winterfell Ep.3 but in Kings Landing on Viserion. But yes there will no doubt be a retreat and the survivors will meet up in King’s Landing for the go with the Night King and to also tie up the shows loose ends.
(So I have read about this whole Night King theory. I am struggling to get behind it. Similarly, I am also avoiding the posts on Reddit because I am sure there are people just arguing back and forth. I really wish I knew about this idea sooner because it would have made a good question for this blog because a lot of people are buying it. I came across an article on Forbes that went a little more in depth than I would have, but I thought it was well written aside from a typo here and there. So here it is for people to see. Sorry that I don’t have a link to the original theory or else I would post that too.)
Kent: I don’t think that this battle should go elsewhere and the logistics aren’t really there. I have read the theory about the Night King going to King’s Landing, and it is really full of holes. There are things that we can accept, but that happening would potentially blow too many things and there isn’t enough time to execute it properly. Just no. This will stay in Winterfell.
Final Thoughts – Let’s be real here, some people are gonna die in episode 3. Since it’s episode 3, pick three characters that you think will die in the upcoming episode.
Chris T.: Theon, Grey Worm, Brienne
Jim: 3? Right off the bat, I’ll say everyone at the fire minus Tyrion, Grey Worm, Sansa, Jorah, and Theon (finally). I know there are more, but these are my immediate prediction. This will be a culling…
Raylene: Gendry, Theon, Brie
Chris B.: Grey Worm, Jorah, and Theon.
Johnny: Grey Worm for sure. Jaimie, and Berric.
Kristi: Brienne, Grey Worm, Theon
Kent: The obvious ones are all listed above me. 1. Brienne has now had her moment of happiness and completed her arc. See ya. 2. Theon is worthless and this will complete Reek’s arc. There’s no redemption for him. See ya. 3. Grey Worm because they just had to make plans before a big fight. Seriously, if I’m ever on the verge of some war and somebody tries to make plans with me, I’m just going to kill them for the sake of self-preservation. See ya. Those are all seemingly obvious.
4. Gendry served his purpose, will never have proper support to be king, and then got to nail Arya who also had the look on her face telling me that this will be the last time that happens. Gendry, you brought me so much happiness, but I think it’s over. 5. Beric Dondarrion seems likely because Thoros of Myr is no longer there to save his ass. It’s time to pass the torch…or his flaming sword to Azor Ahai….The Hound. 6. Ghost because a pet will probably die and I know most people think it will be Rhaegal (the other dragon not named Drogon), but I can picture Jon riding him when they take over King’s Landing. So Ghost, it’s your time.
Jorah is going to survive, just saying. He now has the sword and he will get a bigger, more important send-off, if it happens.
Thank you, everybody, for slogging through the biggest Game of Thrones blog that we have written. I will try to try to make next week’s significantly shorter, but I make no promises. Thank you to everybody who contributed. I had a lot of fun, although the past 4 hours of my life have been consumed by this. I don’t own the rights to any of the YouTube clips. The rights belong to their respective owners.