Hello, Game of Thrones fans! Tonight, Sunday April 14th at 9:00 pm on HBO, marks the moment so many of us have been waiting for: the premiere of the final, six-episode season. What kind of answers are in store for us? Will we be happy with the ending? Who lives? Who dies? What theories are left to confirm or deny?
As a way of getting back in the mood (and to get a brief recap), I thought it might be fun to resurrect a season seven reaction post that never got published on the site. Why wasn’t it published? By time J.L., Venessa, Gina, and Shara finished theorizing, it was a little late to publish a season seven reaction post. However, now feels like a perfect time to reflect on our serious and silly reactions to the show, and where it’s going next.
Needless to say, this post is long and full of spoilers, so if you aren’t caught up with the show, please don’t say we didn’t warn you. Also, there may be some book talk floating around here, but primarily, this reaction post is limited to HBO’s adaptation (just remember, these were our 2017 reactions). Enjoy!
Shara: Okay, I know a bunch of us had OPINIONS about season seven, so let’s start airing them out. First and foremost, let’s talk about the biggest NON-REVEAL EVER: R+L=J, and he’s legitimate. SHOCKING. No, wait, it’s not. Book readers have been speculating this for-freaking-ever, and whether he’s legitimate or not means nothing in light of him and Dany getting it on. She’s still his aunt. They just don’t know it yet. So here’s the question: does the incest bother anyone at this stage of the game? Because personally, I’m more bothered by Bran’s creepy-ass voice-over hammering the revelation over our heads.
J.L.: Anyone who was bothered enough by the incest to be screaming about it now stopped watching GoT somewhere during the first episode. Being bothered by it is a different question than being accepting of it as part of the mythos of Westeros. And while I haven’t read the books, I follow enough theories online to know that Targaryens aren’t that bothered by the whole incest thing anyway. Poor Jon/Aegon might lose his mind a bit when he finds out, though.
Shara: Leaving aside who has a better claim to the throne (seriously, Jon does because he’s a dude? He’s the grandson of the Mad King, but she’s the DAUGHTER), I do wonder just how bothered Dany will be. I suspect she’ll be more concerned by his claim than their blood relation. She keeps saying she wants to break the wheel, so what would that mean if they survive both the Night King AND Cersei?
J.L.: Jon has a better claim to the throne because of how Targaryen lineage works, and if we’re going to put our modern American sensibilities on that, then we need to back slowly away from the entire incest conversation. Honestly, I think a discussion about who gets the Iron Throne after Dany is completely jumping the gun, because they do still have to survive the Night King…and Cersei. Based on how life works in Game of Thrones, I’m not convinced both of them will survive the next season for it to matter.
Shara: I have to say, I’m not too worried about who survives AFTER Dany…more like wondering how it’s going to work if she and Jon survive ALL THE THINGS, which includes Ceresi and The Night King, and whatever is left of Westeros is left for the both of them (yes, I know this is extremely optimistic, considering). Will Dany cede to Jon? Doubtful. Will Jon give it up? Likely. He’s never wanted leadership, which in theory might make him the best person for the job, but I really hate how much time has been spent on Dany as the rightful ruler, only to have guy being a king in hiding all along (doesn’t matter if he doesn’t know. Doesn’t matter that he’s a sympathetic character) be the “rightful ruler” after all. To me, it’s making this fantasy a more stereotypical than it started, and that bothers me a bit. That it undermines Dany’s journey bothers me a lot.
Venessa: The incest doesn’t bother me at all (honestly, Cersei and Jaime have been doing it for decades and have gotten almost-4 kids out of it). I agree with Shara that the part that bothered me most about the scene was Bran’s voice-over. Talk about ewww.
But, really, the thing I’ve had the most trouble with this season has been the writing. It’s painfully obvious that we’re outside the scope of Martin’s work. Most things seem heavy-handed and some stuff makes absolutely NO sense. Like the Hound throwing rocks at zombies that have them surrounded. The Hound is a seasoned warrior and they are in an incredibly vulnerable position, with nowhere to retreat and no possible way of winning a battle. The idea that he would throw stones at them feels so out of character. But the writers needed the zombies to be coming across the ice so that Dany could swoop in with her dragons at the most perfect moment. So there was the Hound, throwing rocks. Ugh. And that’s really just one example. I mean, as soon as the group hit the frozen lake with the center outcrop, the entire scene was predictable, from beginning to end (well, except for the Hound throwing rocks 😛 ), including the loss of the dragon.
I’m actually glad we’re only going to have one more season, because I’m not sure they’d be able to sustain on the current writing.
Gina: So, are we just not going to talk about the potential product of said incest? The whole J/A + D = Baby Targaryen thing? I mean, Jon/Aegon did accept Dany’s challenge after she said that she can’t procreate. We could potentially have two pregnant queens in the last season that only promises six more episodes. If you think they sped up season 7, then I think that we’re really going to get whiplash this time.
I have other questions about how this whole show will end:
- How will Cersei use The Golden Company?
- Is Cleganebowl going to happen?
- Is Tormund alive? He better be!
- What’s the point of mentioning that Cersei is pregnant?
- Will Jaime fight with Dany’s army?
- Is Tyrion a Targaryen?
Shara: SO MANY QUESTIONS!!!!
Pregnancies: yeah, the whole telegraphing Dany’s future pregnancy is so obvious it hurts. I think Tyrion bringing up her lack of heirs was really out of left field, and then her stressing to Jon over and over that her dragons are her only children (though she didn’t seem THAT devastated over losing one; you should be more devastated, Dany!), and then Jon calling the witch’s bluff (and that’s a fair call to make)…. yeah. If Dany doesn’t end up pregnant, I’ll be shocked. But here’s the thing: a child may be what that makes him get over being in an incestuous relationship with his aunt. And if he survives, he may be the father to this kid that Ned was to him. More interesting, if Dany DOESN’T survive and Jon and the baby DO, this kid may be the new Snow, with Jon promising to tell him about his mother “one day,” like Ned did. Only Ned got killed before he could reveal the truth.
But then there’s Cersei. People online have been wondering if she’s faking it as a means to manipulate her brothers into doing what she wants. I suppose that’s certainly possible, though I never once thought her pregnancy was a lie; at least, not when she told Jaime. Her pointed gestures to her belly toward Tyrion might give way to the lie, because why would she be so obvious about it if it were true? Hard to say there, but two Queens duking it out (presumably after the Night King is defeated), both with heirs growing in their bellies? This could be interesting.
I’ve heard that each episode next season will be extended, so instead of 6 hour long episodes, we’ll probably get six 1.5 hour episodes, which will help in some ways.
Also, I no longer believe Tyrion is a Targaryen. That was a fun theory, but now with the third dragon having gone over to the Dark Side, and Jon confirmed as a Targaryen, we know who’s going to actually be riding the dragons in the final season. The biggest question I want answered regarding Tyrion right now? What was UP with the look on his face when he was staring at Dany’s closed door? He knew she was having sex with Jon, but why was Tyrion THERE? Was he going to try the same thing? Is he jealous? Concerned she was making a mistake? I wish we’d gotten Jorah’s face instead, because that would’ve made more sense. Tyrion’s expression was just…. horrified, as if he could hear Bran’s narration with the rest of the audience.
And speaking of Bran’s voice-over, I remember hearing or reading somewhere that the reveal of R+L = J needed to come at a really dramatic moment, but I’m sorry, that didn’t do it for me. I don’t feel it was a dramatic reveal for the viewers (even if the actual reveal was that he’s legitimate, not a bastard). I felt the reveal needed to be dramatic for the CHARACTERS, not the audience, or maybe both at the same time, as in we should be really looking forward to having the theory confirmed once and for all when Jon and Dany find out. Not before.
Sorry, I’m a bit of a broken record here.
Gina: I think that Tyrion is concerned about what a bastard offspring between J/A + D would mean for his new Queen’s rule during and after the Great War with the army of the dead.
I’m totally okay with the dramatic “reveal” during the sex scene. I absolutely love Jon Snow’s intensity during these moments. Kit Harington is absolutely perfect for this role and that scene made it as one of my Top 5 with him.
Well, I don’t know about Cersei being pregnant for real, but I can see her being the Night Queen. She’s got the evil leanings and the Night King could totally bend her to his will. It wouldn’t take much.
J.L.: And I’ve over here completely convinced that Cersei’s pregnancy is a giant, stupid ruse. She knew her hold on Jaime was slipping, and exactly how to manipulate him to stay (even if it didn’t work out in the end). At the same time, she already blamed Tyrion for essentially all of her previous three children’s deaths, regardless of how true it is — so why would she ever give Tyrion that sort of information to use against her? Again, to manipulate him into thinking that she truly had a better future in mind rather than just more power for herself.
In a way, Cersei is the Night Queen. She’s working toward the destruction of the Seven Kingdoms during this oncoming winter just as much as the Night King, even if in a roundabout way.
Shara: Cersei as the Night Queen theory is one I literally just stumbled upon online, so someone’s going to have to explain it to me. How does this work? I can see her being nihilistic enough to want to rule and destroy the world, and I’m down with there being a Night Queen for a change, but how is this supposed to happen, logistically speaking?
Gina: Now that winter has come as far south as King’s Landing, it is perfectly possible that the Night King can come south with the new Ice Dragon Visarion to conquer the sitting royal on the throne: Cersei. The Night King is a collector of things, so I can see Cersei dying and the Night King raising her from the dead as his new queen. I mean technically she’s already an ice queen with her evilness intact now that Jaime’s not there to check her.
J.L.: Which would involve Cersei getting anywhere close to the Night King, and I don’t see that happening either. She’ll be in Essos, the Mountain in tow, and start plotting to take over that continent before she’s in that immediate danger.
So, we’re down to four Stark siblings — admittedly, the most badass of them at this point. We didn’t lose any this season, and even got some reunions! Do we think these four are going to make it for the long haul?
Shara: On a show like this, I almost don’t even think about survival anymore. I mean, Jon has already come back from the dead, so the impact of him dying for real feels robbed (people who watched the television show Sleepy Hollow might know what I mean). I’ve always loved Arya, but the writers treated her terribly this season, and even knowing it was all a big scheme doesn’t erase it, because we don’t know if it was a scheme all along or, as a recently described deleted scene suggests, if it was a last minute save by Bran telling Sansa that Littlefinger was the problem all along. If it was truly the latter, then Arya was being written out of character, and that makes me less inclined to care if she lives or dies. Then there’s Bran himself: he’s supposed to see and know all things, but not unless he knows to look for them? He’s such a powerful character that he’s immediately at the mercy of the writers. Reveals happen not when they make sense, but when the writers WANT them to happen, so him surviving or not, meh. So that leaves Sansa herself, the only character who doesn’t really have a destiny, or magic, or anything else except a particular skill: it’s how to survive no matter what the cost.
So if she dies, I’m going to be pissed.
Gina: As long as Jon Snow/Aegon and Daenerys Targaryen survive, I’m so there for a happy ending to GoT. The End.
Venessa: Jon and Dany are the main characters, so I don’t see them dying, unless the writers go for unnecessary tragedy. I think if Arya dies, it’s going to be defending Sansa. And I don’t even know what to do with Bran.
It seems like his sole purpose is to be a McGuffin. He’s only there to feed plot points to people who would have no way of knowing them otherwise. I doubt they’ll kill him off, because I don’t see viewers as really caring much about him now that he’s the Three-Eyed Raven. He’s not even remotely likeable anymore, so killing him won’t really have any emotional impact on the viewers, unless maybe he sacrifices himself for someone. But I don’t see that happening, since he no longer cares about anyone. Hmm… He does care about history and the future though, so that could be a reason for sacrifice for him. That could be something, I guess. I don’t actually care much about him anymore, myself.
I’m interested to see what happens with Cersei. I am not 100% sure that her pregnancy is fake. I don’t think she meant for Tyrion to know she’s pregnant. While it’s possible her hand on her belly was deliberate, it didn’t look deliberate. (But we all know that doesn’t mean anything; Cersei as a character is a good actress when she wants something.) In thinking about what she gains from him knowing, the only thing I can think of is that it was a way for her to come back to the table without losing too much face. When she left initially, it was with the refusal of help, which could leave Dany splitting her forces between Westeros and the North, though Cersei can’t know whether Dany will decide to do this or just throw all her forces at one or the other. Cersei coming back to the table allows her to commit her own forces to help, which ensures Dany will march north, rather than stay in Westeros proper. So that gets Dany out of Cersei’s hair so Cersei can prepare more. That is the only real reason I can see for Cersei letting Tyrion know of the pregnancy deliberately. And even that is a weak reasoning, because she could have come back to the table at any point during Tyrion’s pleading for her to do so. She didn’t need to use her pregnancy. And if she didn’t let him know about it deliberately, then that supports the idea that she really is pregnant.
I don’t know whether Cersei will end up the Night Queen. (Though it would be interesting, especially if she’s still pregnant when she’s reanimated. What would that mean??) I do think Cersei is going to die, though. And I think Jaime is going to do it. I don’t have any predictions beyond that though.
Shara: Cersei dying by Jaime’s hand? Absolutely yes. I can’t remember if the “brother” part of the prophecy has been on the show or not (I can’t keep the book and show stuff straight, because the stuff I’ve forgotten about from the books gets brought up in context of the show and it all bleeds together), but I do believe Jaime will be the one to kill her, not Tyrion.
But speaking of Tyrion: what do we make of the rumors that he’s going to betray Dany? Anyone remember season two’s prophecy that she would be betrayed three times, and one of those times the prophecy referenced a lion? Of course, the lion very well could be Cersei. That seems too easy though: to be betrayed, you have to be emotionally invested in the betrayer.
J.L.: In a perfect world, Jaime will kill Cersei and he and Tyrion will repair their relationship. Tyrion will live out his days as the respected Hand of the Queen, with lots of wine. Jon and Dany will live happily ever after and their kids will grow up with new dragons that will appear from *makes hand-wavy motions.* Sansa will reign as Warden of the North, with Arya as her staunch defender. (I honestly don’t care what happens to Bran at this point. He’s served his narrative purpose. It’s Game of Thrones and someone has to die in the final season, so it can be him.) Brienne and Tormund will make adorable, tall, red-headed babies, and Missandei and Grey Worm will have to parent all of the Unsullied, who suddenly have to live civilian lives. The Hound, Ser Friendzone — er, Ser Jorah, and Sam will ride off into the sunset, and then we’ll get an epic spinoff of them solving crimes together.
Yeah, that’s my perfect world and I’m sticking to it.
Venessa: I can get behind this perfect world. (Though I still want to see Jaime and Brienne together; but I can get behind Tormund if I have to.)
Shara: I’m not sure I believe in happy endings for a show like this one, but if I had to pick one, this sounds as good as any!
How about you, Game of Thrones viewers? If you’re still watching, how did you enjoy season seven? What theories are you still rooting for now what we’re rolling into the final season? How do you hope the show will end?
Images from IMDB.com
No Comments