In honor of the season finale of the greatest show of all-time, J4G and site contributor datgirlcshelle broke down the storylines to look forward to tonight.
J4G: Do you think Tyrion is going to die this episode? If no, why not/how will he evade?
datgirlcshelle: So we all know the GRRM does not believe in sacred lambs. He prefers to sacrifice lambs at the slaughter house. Knowing this, it would be easy to predict that Tyrion dies. I think there's too much at play with the other characters for that to happen though. I think the best way to look at Game of Thrones (and not have your feelings spoiled and thrown out with those month old leftovers you finally decided to take out of the refrigerator) is to think about what machinations a character can add to securing the throne. In Prince Oberyn's case, his sole purpose was revenge. His motive was too short-sighted to survive the game. Much like Rob, though he was charismatic, his pursuit of what he considered justice did not let him see the long game.
I think because Tyrion can read the other characters (arguably even Little Finger), he can adjust his value to meet the needs of a character most likely to help him. Maybe. It might be wishful thinking, but Tyrion's head seems safe to me for now.
Q: In the last episode, we saw the Black Brothers successfully hold the Wall.... for a night. We also saw a lot of their weaknesses. Many couldn't handle the weaponry and at one point I saw a Black Brother jump on a Thenn's back and summarily get sliced through with a battle axe. Do you think they will stand a chance in the next round? If so, what do you think will change at Castle Black? Who will be the main players?
J4G: A good question you posit, re: the Night's Watch (btw, is Black Brothers a term from the books or did you make that up?). My feeling is this: we have barely seen Mance Rayder at all over the course of the show, so it feels illogical that he would all of a sudden become the one dude to crack the Wall. That being said, we had barely seen the Mountain, yet he killed Oberyn (I'm still not over that, btw). So basically, the normal rules of television don't apply to GRRM. He doesn't give a fuck about your feelings, your hopes, your dreams, or your favorite characters. He punishes characters for making mistakes (see Stark, Ned, Stark, Robb, Martel, Oberin, Baratheon, Joffrey, et al), and there is no reason to think the Night's Watchmen will be any less screwed than anyone else. They do have the strategic advantage of that massive buzz saw which swings across the wall, but if 100,000 wildlings come to the front gate, it is all over.
We know John Snow (who, by the way, knows nothing) is going to find Mance (without his sword, smh), and we know Mance is a tricky bastard who will likely not be fooled again by Ned's bastard. John thinks he will just get Mance in a room alone and kill him. I think John is going to die this episode, and that without him, the Night's Watch will crumble like the Miami Heat in home games against the Spurs. Perhaps the Lannisters will send reinforcements from King's Landing, but as of now, the Night's Watch seems on the verge of defeat. I in fact am going to predict that not only will John die, but that the wildlings will kill everyone at Castle Black before the end of the episode.
Speaking of killing, one of the best sequences of the season (and frankly in the history of the show) came when Lil Finger told Sansa why he helped her, said that in a different world she would have been his daughter, then kissed her while crazy ass Lysa watched. When Baelysh subsequently stopped Lysa from throwing Sansa down the sky door then told her he loved her sister and pushed her to her own certain death, I think everyone watching felt good (only on this show do we feel good when someone gets thrown 1000 feet down a mountain). Now that the Hound and Arya are at the Erie, what do you think is going to happen? Are we looking at a reunion?
datgirlcshelle: Well, first I'd like to say that I would have felt better had Sansa pushed Lysa out the door. I'm a little perturbed that she is the only one that doesn't have blood on her hands (except for accidentally setting up Ned to die). That said, I'm glad she finally got some backbone (and I do mean SOME with her simple self). I'm not sure a reunion will happen the the Stark sisters. The Hound seems like the type to wander elsewhere and I don't see Arya leaving his side any time soon. Also, no one is supposed to know that Sansa is in the Vale except the Council, Little Finger and Robin. Arya has no reason to believe her sister if there. Likewise, Sansa would have no clue Ayra is outside. Barring a gossip-girlesque gate soldier telling either sister about the arrival, I see this as being a Missed Connection of the Jon Snow/Bran Stark nature. I do hope The Hound and Brienne meet up eventually. I'd like to see that go down.
Let's head back to King's Landing. How do you think Dorne will respond to the death of Prince Oberyn? What, if anything, can Tywin do to prepare for a response?
J4G: Don't forget that Sansa's dumb ass also caused the death of her dire wolf, Lady (RIP), when she lied about what happened between Joffrey, Arya, Arya's dire wolf, and the butcher's son.
As it pertains to Dorne, it is an important question. We have to remember that Cersei/Jaime's daughter Myrcella is in Dorne, and although she seems sweet, she is still a Lannister. There was a scene earlier this season in which Tywin asked Orberyn to join the Small Council, citing Dorne's military prowess (he said it was the only of the Seven Kingdoms to resist the Targaeryns and their dragons. Thus we can extrapolate that Dorne is not to be trifled with, and losing one of their princes would certainly constitute a big deal. Given that Oberyn himself (a famed warrior and prince) came to avenge his sister, we can assume that the response to losing another member of the royal family will be serious. I think Myrcella is a goner. I hope Dorne goes in hard against the Lannisters.
As it pertains to Tywin, I am not really sure what he can do. Myrcella is already there, and the Martell family hates the Lannisters to death. If he can't buy them off, there is nothing Tywin really can do, except (inshallah) lose a granddaughter.
Speaking of people who hate the Lannisters, what do you think will happen with Stannis' attempt to get the Iron Throne? Last time we saw him, he had successfully (well, more the Onion Knight than Stannis himself) convinced the Bank of Bravos to give him money to go take King's Landing. Do you think he will be back in King's Landing soon?
datgirlcshelle: I think Stannis has a ways to go before heading to King's Landing again. I know he has bought the pirates and possibly more sell swords along with more ships, but I don't see his strategy other than having the Red Witch and a prayer. Also he needs to figure out how he's going to deal with having his wife/family and his side chick on a long boat trip. Pimpin can't be that easy and his wife is about 2 steps from the edge of sanity. Stannis needs to get all of his life in order before we see him attack the crown again. I also wonder how he plans to enter King's Landing. Surely not the way he came the first time.
Let's talk about the Throne. We know the players who are pursuing it, but, maybe with the exception of the Lannister family, we don't know what each would do with it given the chance to sit the Throne. How do you picture Westoros under Little Finger? Stannis? Dany?
J4G: As for Lil Finger, that is a scary thought, no? He is super clever, merciless, unscrupulous, and self-made. Maybe he would actually be good for the realm. He kind of hates the Lannisters, which I respect, he knows how to build alliances, and his business savvy developed as a pimp would certain be useful for running the Seven Kingdoms.
Stannis would bring Sharia law to Westeros. We know from what he did to the Onion Knight that he is serious about justice. He doesn't seem to be an easily corruptible type; let's not forget that during the siege of Blackwater Bay, Cersei was going to kill herself because she didn't think she would be able to seduce Stannis. His reliance on witchcraft is slightly troubling; it would be interesting to see how the red priestess would impact any future reign. Would he ban the other gods and make everyone worship the God of Light? Who knows.
We know from Dany's moniker of "breaker of chains" how she feels about slavery and injustice. That in and of itself doesn't mean she would be a just queen, but she has been ruling in Mereen, and showed some pragmatism dealing with the burial of the crucified master whose son wanted to bury his father. Now that she is without Sir Jorah, I am not sure if her pragmatism will remain. He was her closest advisor for a reason. If she were to get to King's Landing, she would probably have to murder thousands of people to take the city, and she would likely be fine with that, as she believes in the righteousness of her cause.
Speaking of Dany, what do you think is in store for her in the season finale? She is sans Sir Jorah, has a big army, and is getting a taste of the queen life. Do you think she will cross the Narrow Sea? How do you think the loss of Sir Jorah will effect her efficacy?
datgirlcshelle: I guess a multi-party system isn't any better than a two party system when all the choices suck.
On Dany: Wee little old Dany. She's getting too big for her britches... or whatever gown she wears now. Pragmatism isn't her strong suit. Jorah balanced her rashness, and even then, she barely listened to him. Now she has a former King's guard ( who wasn't banished and can trade up any time), a translator, an unsullied who is little more than a yes man, and a foolish sell sword with a hankering for adventure on her advisory committee. On top of that, she can't seem to manage the cities that she "freed". She was shortsighted in the long-term care of the freed people who weren't marching with her, and thus put them in arguably more danger, facing the resentment and bitter wrath of the remaining noble people. Her mid-level management staff choices are pretty questionable too. Pitting Jorah against Daario? NO, girl! Perhaps the only good thing to come from Jorah's dismissal is that Daario wasn't there to make it worse, and the possible backlash of having 2 advisers vying for Dany's attention/trust/favor MIGHT not happen. Sending the son of the nobleman that was crucified as an ambassador? NO, girl! I need Dany to understand that she is NOT the only one who can plot a coup. For all of Dany's potential greatness, she's acting like the teen queen that she is.
Dany barely has a grasp over Mereen and can't really control her dragons. She's not crossing the Narrow Sea. Someone will have to bring the war to her cause she has 99 problems and she's not trying to make an offensive attack on King's Landing one.
