We have now seen the death of a dragon, and the internet is buzzing about fast travel. It’s fun to be a Game of Thrones fan and to be here with so many fun people. We will chat about many things from this week as well as launch a lot of predictions your way. Please enjoy as my panel answer my inane questions. Any comments in bold are from Kent.
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- Dany had 3 dragons. We know that one got got by the ice spear. We know that Drogon is alive. What happened to the third dragon?
Chris: It banked right and up when Visaeryon got got, now he’s sipping pina colada’s with Theon (It’s a shame they aren’t wasting away in Margaritaville. It’s like 20,000 miles away so it would only take them like 3 minutes to get there fast and then take it slow.)
Jim: it seemed to be searching for its brother in the lake…. I doubt it will be an ice dragon as well, so I see it showing up later in a pivotal point as an unexpected escape. Like I still think ghost will.. (I like that you are holding up hope for Ghost to be pivotal, so I am formally announcing that I am joining Jim in this wishful thinking.)
Briana: I’m not entirely sure where but to me it looked like he flew off when the other was taken down. I’m thinking he’s just grieving. (I think you are probably right. I wish they could have spent 5-10 seconds showing that, but everything has to be so damned rushed this season. There’s a link at the end of the blog about how this has been the worst season in regards to the pacing. It makes a lot of sense and I feel the gripes are legit. I still love the season, but there have been numerous times where having the extra 3 episodes could have allowed for certain things to be shown to add more depth to the overall story.)
Raylene: I would assume it is with Dany with Drogon but they did a poor job detailing that (Yup, as I said with Bri. It’s worth reading that column.)
Kent: During the podcast, Chris seemed fairly adamant that the other was there, but I still am not seeing it, despite looking for it. That’s not to say that I don’t think it’s not there. I just figured they would have showed that he was okay.
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- Who has the upper hand between Sansa and Arya?
Chris: I see both Stark girls on the same level with one giant Littlefinger hanging over them, kind of like a perverted version of the Pit and the Pendulum (I was hoping you were going for Pit and the Pendulum but then feared you would go for Sword of Damocles. Did you ever see the Lance Henricksen version of Pit and the Pendulum? It’s not bad.)
Jim: Arya has the upper hand, because Sansa does not know what to expect of her. She has no idea what Arya is at this point…. this may be where Littlefinger makes his big play though…(Really, if Littlefinger simply educates Sansa on the powers that Arya now has, that could be enough with the way this particular story has been told so far.”
Briana: Honestly, neither. As long as they’re fighting with each other over Little Finger’s manipulation, they’re both screwed. If I’m looking at it from a perspective that didn’t know they’re being manipulated, I’d say Arya of course has the upper hand because she’s a trained killer and Sansa is a whiney little girl playing lady of the castle. (Believe it or not, one of the other articles I have linked at the bottom kinda talks up Sansa quite a bit, I think giving her perhaps a bit more credit than she deserves. It actually argues that Sansa should sit on the Iron Throne. I seriously found these articles before reading responses.)
Raylene: I think Sansa has the upper hand only because of Little Finger being her in her ear at all times. (“Ear”…..)
Kent: In doing my best hommage to Se7en: Jon Snow…I mean John Doe has the upper hand. I like my lame jokes, deal with it. Time to get over analytical because I can. Yes, we know that Arya can kill and take people’s faces. So she can technically be anybody, as long as she’s willing to kill them. That’s pretty tough to top. The question is, what does Sansa have going in her favor? Well, she’s ruling the North in Jon’s absence, so she should be protected at most times, plus she can order people around, except for Lady Mormont. I also wonder, does Arya have to practice a person’s mannerisms, or does she inherit them with the face. Think about that. If she killed Sansa and wore her face, could she pull off her polar opposite and make it believable enough for either Bran or Littlefinger? I say no. The problem with siding with Sansa is you have to wonder just what lengths she will go to. We know what Arya is willing to do. The thing is, I like to side with the unknown when a person’s back is to the wall, as Sansa’s may be here. I am siding with Sansa and the unknown. I actually believe that Bran is going to shut this shit down soon and reunite the family until Jon can do his thing.
- Would you say that Littlefinger’s plan is working well at the moment?
Chris: If he wants to bang Arya with Sansa’s face, then yes. If he actually wants Sansa to get his Littlefinger, then I think it’s backfiring on him (Always a pleasure to have at least one lewd comment per blog. Chris, I thank you and and salute your efforts.”
Jim: I think it is…. he separated Brienne and Arya from Sansa, and I believe the letter from Cersei came from him…. or from Cersei via him…. this is where he will try and ally with Cersei…. (You are still going with this theory. I am curious if this Cersei and Littlefinger theory is something that you read or concocted on your own. If you read it, send me a link. I’ve been intrigued since you first mentioned it.”
Briana: Definitely! He’s making Sansa feel like he is the only person she can trust and that puts him in a great position. (Yeah, it became even more obvious when she wanted to send Brienne. I find it interesting that given her current state, who does she have to truly trust? Jon is gone playing hero and they weren’t seeing eye to eye to begin with. Arya is not the person that Sansa used to know, she’s practically a stranger in a lot of ways. Bran, well he’s off trying undo his mistakes which will lead to the revelation that he’s really the Night King, which is yet another article that I posted. Really, as much as Sansa doesn’t trust Littlefinger, she also knows that he will be compliant towards her for the time being, and that makes him a strong ally.)
Raylene: I believe everything is coming up Millhouse (Little finger). Things seem to be going just the way he wants them to be.
Kent: Did you not just read what we wrote in the last question? Silly question. Whoever writes this should bend at the knee to a nagging blonde.
- Was it smart for Gendry to give up his hammer to make the run?
Chris: He still had plot armor, after taking a three year break. Next episode, nope it would be dumb (I assume that you meant plate armor, but plot armor just makes me laugh so much more because it’s technically true.)
Jim: it’s smart in the short term (so he could run), but I’m not sure the Hound grabbed it, so it may be lost.. he can craft a new one easy enough.. (His Blacksmithing is definitely at level 50 by now. If you don’t play video games, that was lost on you so just move along.)
Briana: Well my first thought was hell no! As soon as he gave it up I said “well, Gendry’s gonna die” but in the end it proved smart. He barely made it carrying nothing, he wouldn’t have gotten to the gate had he taken it. (Yeah, and I almost feel that if this had been any other season, Gendry would have run into some trouble, but the need to rush everything prevented us from that subplot.)
Raylene: If he hand a secondary weapon on him then yes because the hammer would’ve slowed him down (Well, then comes into the question of why he can’t fast travel. Obviously you can flying with ravens and dragons. On the sea, Euron has proved it. On land, I feel like some army has proven it. So why couldn’t Gendry fast travel?)
Kent: I get that it was something in the moment, but couldn’t Hound have taken it, given Jorah his sword, and Jorah give Gendry the small blades for just in case purposes? I am sure I am overthinking it, but if I’m Gendry, I am going to want a weapon. I say this was foolish. Just because nobody got hurt this time doesn’t mean it was smart.
- Who won the discussion between Tyrion and Dany?
Chris: Tyrion made sense, Dany trumped him by being his queen. I think your questions in these kind of scenes should be who had the more cogent argument, since a lot of the time in this show there is no winning (You make a fair point that I won’t remember come next season. If you remind me though, we can make this blog better.)
Jim: Tyrion won, because I believe he sees that he and Jon were right…. whether that changes how she reacts from now on remains to be seen. (I am curious on the after effects from that discussion. You know it’s going to get brought up again.)
Briana: Well, Dany is his queen and basically told him to shut his face so technically she won. Lol! Tyrion makes a good point though that she’s unable to see out of paranoia. Where I can understand it’s a bit unsettling that he’s bringing this up so early on but he has reason. But I don’t think she has any clue yet who would even be capable of carrying out what she’s trying to do. (I almost feel that it was a situation that she has so many other things going on in her mind, that this relatively big question has been avoided, and the fact that she doesn’t have an answer probably frightens her a bit. It’s questioning her mortality, and really, she’s been super focused on trying to sit on some hard ass throne for years now.)
Raylene: Tyrion made all valid points but in the end the queen won (Eleanor always wins in these games. That’s a Jack of Diamonds reference that nobody is really going to get.)
Kent: Tyrion won on points on all of the cards leading up to the final round and then Dany was like, hold up, I’m the queen, and you will respect my AUTHORITY! Then she won by knockout.
- Jon has now verbally bent the knee. Are you a tad disappointed in him?
Chris: Ha Kent. Like I said in the podcast if it were anyone other than Jon, he would have done it to be taking the mother of dragon’s ride, but it’s Jon, so he’s clueless about that shit (ask Ygritte). This has been coming for the last 21 years though, so I have been ready for it. (Sad but true)
Jim: Yea, because he had already won, as she was to help him without it…. not sure how the North will react but he should have held firm…. ultimately it doesn’t matter as they need each other to survive the Winter apocalypse…(I feel that is getting lost in everybody jacking off at the thought of “shipping” those 2. Damnit, I so loathe that term. My point is that Jon made very valid and reasonable arguments to not do it quite yet. Dany became the horny teenage boy that is trying to get laid for the first time, and no wasn’t an acceptable answer. Dany technically raped Jon. I jumped to that conclusion.
Briana: Nah! I think it will be quite the task to get the north on board but Tormund was right when he brought up Mance and how refusing to bend the knee killed tons of his people. If they’re going to be allies, there has to be concession from one side or the other. (Gosh, that part did feel like a convenient way of having somebody Jon trusted try to talk him into it, and the thing was, Tormund wasn’t wrong. It’s a situation where it’s easy to understand both sides and you simply wish they could have a discussion and really figure out what needs to happen in order to make it a success. This show didn’t have time for that though. So Tormund did all the work.)
Raylene: I was a little sad but he’s doing what he thinks is best for his people. (He is, but as we all know, he knows nothing.)
Kent: Yes. In the podcast, I explained my position, which is simple. I just wanted Jon and Dany to win whatever they are trying to win, and when the dust settled, if Jon decided that it was the right move, then bend the knee and I would have had no issue whatsoever. I hated how this was done. I wish Ygritte would come back and bitchslap Dany. It’s a matter of timing is my main point, and zombie gingers bitchslapping queens
- Thoros is now dead. Do you think that this is the window of opportunity for Melisandre to return, or do you think her involvement will go in a different direction?
Chris: Berric will fight the Mountain and die. The Hound will kill his zombie brother without super human powers, maybe even dying as well in accomplishing it. Remember Berric’s whole mission in the first 3 season was to catch Gregor and bring him back to King’s Landing, and the whole dying and resurrecting stuff happened while trying to do that. Melisandre and Thoros were both priests/esses of the Fire Lord, which is why he could resurrect Berric. No matter how devout Sandor becomes, he can’t learn to bring people back from the dead with no teacher; I would say not in the time left on the show, but with fast travel and seemingly time travel going on, who the fuck knows (Isn’t it funny how a lot of the rules have simply flown, really fast, out the window?)
Jim: I can see her returning, but I think I can see the Hound picking up this role as well. He has never been a pious guy, but after everything he saw, I think he’s more of a believer than ever..(Chris pointed out why that shouldn’t necessarily be the case, but let’s simply accept that the rules don’t apply anymore. This is true in many shows where there are rules and then they start breaking them and before you know it, it is pure F’N chaos!)
Briana: I think she will return but I don’t think it will be this season. I do think she will be the one to perform what ever Thoros was going to be needed for but it’s not happening yet. (I don’t think we will be seeing her until next season either.)
Raylene: I would think she has to now because if we want Hound to have the power who will pass this on to him. (Well, if this was season 1-6, we would know that there is a strict path to learning it. Now, in season 7, Samwell can probably pull out a scroll for Hound to read and suddenly he’s a Red Priest. We love you season 7 and all of your eccentricities.)
Kent: I keep holding out hope that The Hound will pick up Thoros role, but if Cleganebowl is to ever happen, it wouldn’t make much sense. What would make sense is for him to die via his brother, The Mountain, and Melisandre being ordered by the God of Light to bring back the Hound. I am most likely wrong here and fully acknowledge that I know nothing.
- Should Jorah have taken his father’s sword?
Chris: No, because Jon needs it to survive to bang Dany. Jorah is going to kick the bucket saving her ass one more time. Probably dying with Bronn and Davos because I have become so invested in those old men (Admit it, it would be really cool if Jorah was in position to save Dany one last time and he just straight up said fuck it, I’m going back home to get some strange. I just want Jorah to be selfish for once, although his unselfishness is part of what makes him so damn endearing.)
Jim: no, it had a wolf on it. He knew he no longer deserved it, so I’m glad he didn’t take it. He will get his own Valaryian steel soon enough. (“Deserve” is a term that gets thrown around in this series a lot. This isn’t meant to pick on you, by the way. For instance, think about how many people think that they deserve to be on the Iron Throne. It’s borderline comical. I swear that most fans have no idea of how the succession goes in this particular story. I sure as hell don’t. As far as I can tell, Gendry makes the most sense to me as the last blood relative of Robert. Fuck the Targaryans because they lost it. If they, or somebody else wants it, then I would think they should have to off any remaining family members of the last true king, which is Robert since he actually took it. What I think and what others think are not the same. I am sure some would argue that Dany’s claim to the throne is legit, which I don’t. I would love to actually find if there are exact rules to the succession in this show. I’d love Davos to read it to me.)
Briana: I think the point of a sword like that is the honor that comes with having your father pass it down to you. The fact that his father saw fit to pass it to someone else and then that person tried to pity gift it to him would make it a constant reminder of every way he disappointed his father and family and how he was never able to make it right while his father was alive. (I don’t like your point only because it makes my point look terrible. Well done.)
Raylene: Jorah could have always taken the wolf off so ultimately it should have been kept in the family. Jorah has earned respect by now. (Hmmm, I’m not used to people agreeing with me.)
Kent: I get what everybody’s point is, and I don’t disagree fully. Still, I think he should have taken it and built up his reputation to show that he has earned it. Whether you get your father’s approval isn’t the end all be all, it’s about honoring yourself and your family (by and large). I stick with being selfish and fuck what your daddy wants if you can have a cool sword. Yes, I have daddy issues.
- Admit it, you wouldn’t mind if Lyanna Mormont just took over the North right now, right?
Chris: Speak for yourself about liking Arya, Kent. But yes, I feel she would have used 1 dragon to fuck up all her enemies and be home before the first snow falls (I like speaking for people. Then they tell me how wrong I am and we get into delightful conversations.)
Jim: Hell yea, she’d boss that area better than any Stark at this point…. (Well yeah, now that Benjen is out of the conversation.)
Briana: I’m half disappointed she hasn’t already! When Sansa and Arya were arguing and she said “are you going to tell Lyanna Mormont that you were just a little girl” she won right then and there! You just can’t argue with something like that! (It was one of the better lines of the show, beyond the Tormund and Hound stuff.)
Raylene: Oh yes that lady would be a refreshing change for the North (I would just like to see somebody attempt to cross her once.)
Kent: I feel that if Lyanna Mormont took over this week, you would hear this universal noise of rejoice outside as people saw it. We all like Arya, but she shouldn’t be a ruler, and Sansa probably shouldn’t be either.
Bonus Deuce
- Pick at least one character’s death for the season finale.
Chris: If like Kent and I have talked about on the podcast they want to narrow the focus for the last season without making it seem overly contrived, Euron, Theon, and Yara get the Iron Islands out of the way, reducing the characters and locations needed for next season.
Jim: Jaime, Euron’s and Cersei together with everyone else makes my prediction seem even more plausible…. this is where Euron’s messes shit up!! (Whatever it takes to get Euron on my screen more, I am cool with at this point. Just don’t kill Bronn.)
Briana: I hate making these claims because I never want who I assume it will be! Somehow I’m afraid for Lady Brienne or Podrick. Also, there usually seems to always be a huge death so I’ll go with either Cercei, Jaime or Little Finger. (Podrick was somebody that Chris and I talked about on the podcast. He’s a super likeable unimportant character that could easily make somebody more disliked. I fear for his safety.)
Raylene: I say Davos, Jamie, Theon, Euron (Jesus, you want me to be that pissed off? You better be buying me lots of booze if that happens. I will be rioting!)
Kent: Cersei has long been rumored to be the big death at the end of the season. Will Jaime or Tyrion finally do it? I don’t think so. This hasn’t gone the way that I anticipated, so I’m going to pass on Cersei’s death and hope that I am right. Euron on the other hand, he seems like a prime candidate. So let me say Euron, Theon, Podrick, and Arya. Fuck it, I’m going for broke with that lineup. Sansa is going to the dark side while Theon dies trying to save Yara.
- Make one bold prediction for the season finale. Make it bold!
Chris: None of the major cast will die as I can’t see how Clegane bowl happens if Dany, Cersei, Jaime, or Tyrion die. And Bran is going to do something to either disrupt or maintain the status quo in Winterfell (….like we find out that he’s the Night King. I agree!)
Jim: Jaime and Euron dies, the Clegainebowl happens, and the wall falls to the ice dragon!! You want bolder? Littlefinger dies too, via Jon or Arya as Ned to haunt him for what he’s done… (not sure which I believe in more) (You fucking went for it, and I love it. That’s the sort of boldness I like. Just imagine if something actually comes true? You get to brag on that for a year.)
Briana: Night King is going to straight up just ride his new dragon down to King’s Landing! They’re all linked right? So he’s going to track his little minion down to the Red Keep and start some shit. OR they’re going to get to King’s Landing with their proof and she’s going to say “cool. Still not my problem down here” and she’s going to start some shit! (I gotta do it. There’s yet another fascinating article about how Cersei could end up being the Night Queen. I’m just saying, if parts of that theory come true, you could be on to something.)
Raylene: Ceresi will end up with a zombie dragon that Mountain is riding on (A zombie dragon? What does the zombie dragon breathe out? I assume not fire or ice. I am eagerly awaiting your response.)
Kent: Aside from the 4 deaths that I just offered up? Cleganebowl will be set up, but not played out. Also, screw it, Dany gets wounded badly. It’s been teased all season. We know that the 3 headed dragon thing was metaphorical at best now, so we don’t necessarily need Dany anymore. Melisandre could come back to bring back the Hound or Dany. Oh, one last thing. We will see Meera Reed. She’s Azor Ahai…..I hope..
Final Thoughts
Chris: A bunch of burly, hirsute, knuckleheads, trudging through icy wilderness to fight a zombie polar bear, a zombie army, and create a dracolich… fuck yeah! My boy Jon is going to be getting it on, he and Dany actually had a pretty touching scene between the two of them. The chemistry was great between all of the characters north of the wall. Arya is both scary and stupid, not a good combo; Sansa is both desperate and stupid not a good combo; Littlefinger is horny and smart, for him it seems to be a good combo. I can’t wait for next week. As for the chains, they had access to every human settlement north of the wall as well as all of the giant villages. I am sure they have a supply train dragging all the shit they need.. Nah probably not. Just accept that a bunch of ravens flew them in (I know that the main joke has been the speed of the raven and dragon, but the chain thing is equally, if not more funny to really think about it. Even the director acknowledged the plausibility of it. That’s bad when that happens.)
Jim: good episode…. I kinda thought when she brought three dragons, that one would get got. And when the Night King took it down, I knew it was coming back. Can’t wait to see Littlefinger’s big play though. (I have been saying all season that the most intriguing thing to me this season is Sansa and Littlefinger because we didn’t have much to work off of. I’m excited!)
Briana: Tormund talking to the Hound about Brienne was just about the greatest line I’ve heard in the show! “I want to have babies with her! Can you imagine it? They’ll be great big giants and conquer the world!” Loved it! Brienne really out to give the big teddy bear a chance! Haha! Oh! AND! Someone tell me where those zombies got giant chains from out of nowhere like they’ve got a hardware store lying east of those mountains or something! Haha! Seriously, where’d they get the chains though? (I asked Chris about the chains as well. Like, where did they come from? Did they come to the fight expecting 3 dragons to show up and hoped they could spear one and drag it out? Seems like a very specific and bold prediction to make.)
Raylene: This episode was great. I am hoping as well as everyone that we see Tormund finally get Bri. I am hoping that they find more dinosaur eggs. I think we’ll see zombie Hodor. (Lots of zombie things with you this week. Are you missing TWD a bit?)
Kent: Seriously, this season has flew by way too fast. When all of my shitty predictions have been denied and I look like a damn fool, can I still be happy at the end? Probably. Just don’t’ kill Davos, Bronn, Jorah, Lady Mormont, Tormund, Hound, Varys, or Gendry and we can sort everything out down the road. Actually, don’t kill off any more dragons because I am sick of how dumb the internet is with their reactions to the whole thing. Every conversation with Tormund has been an absolute masterpiece this year, so kudos to the writing. On top of the chains that Bri brought up, are we all just accepting that there are portals, portal guns, or some variation of fast travel that they are now implementing. That raven flew pretty fast and then the dragons did as well. I mean, they’re not even trying anymore. They are smart. They have decided that as long as they give us enough action and plot twists, that we will ignore all of this. Let’s not forget how fast Euron’s ships traveled earlier this season. It’s fucking absurd, but hilarious.
All the pictures used in this blog are for review purposes. They are the property of HBO.
Here are the links as promised.
http://nerdist.com/bran-night-king-game-of-thrones-theory/
http://nerdist.com/game-of-thrones-cersei-night-queen/
http://nerdist.com/game-of-thrones-most-exciting-season-has-been-its-worst-but-we-know-how-to-fix-it/
http://nerdist.com/game-of-thrones-iron-throne-claim-jon-snow-daenerys-gendry/