This is for show discussion with the show as its own entity. No book talk. Using book knowledge to guess about the ending of the show is the perfect thing to discuss in this show/book thread, not this one.
Open spoilers about the show once it begins airing on the east coast/streaming in a few hours. If you have an actual spoiler (taken from leaks from cast interviews or gossip magazines or whatever) that would be an appropriate use for a spoiler box. A few of us would prefer that if you want to talk about plot points revealed in “next week on…” promos you warn people that you’ll be discussing that first. Thank you.
Previous thread (with links to previous seasons found in the first OP of the season):
I’ll guess that they’ll either compress space and time to move the army in the North almost directly to King’s Landing or that the Golden Company has sailed north to the Crossroads and there’ll be a major battle there. If not the Crossroads, then the Bite, and the battle will be at the Twins.
I can also see Arya attacking the Mountain in a straight-up fight, a more serious version of her bout with Brienne. Since she “can’t” win–dispatching him is likely the Hound’s job–then the Hound will either intervene or avenge poor, dead, mangled Arya (who is, I think, the only living person the Hound cares anything about).
Even though it would make the most sense for Arya to use her magic assassin powers to sneak into the red keep and take out Cersei i seriously doubt the show is going to let her take out the other main villain. Even though it would be so so easy for her to do so.
Whatever the disappointment with last week, at this point I feel glad that we have some time to run with the Night King out of the way; and if that’s the last we hear of Bran flake I won’t be disappointed. All the supernatural stuff is inconsistent and poorly written, quite honestly I think the show would be much stronger without anything supernatural at all, the fun of the dragon show and Arya impersonating people notwithstanding. Complex characters, politics, betrayal, grudges - that’s what the show is about. When the NK glimpsed in the background was a motivation for complex politics, that was interesting. The reality of the actual fight, not so much.
After what they did on the last episode where any sense of realism in this world was thrown out the door for plot purposes the only thing left to figure out is what plot do the writers want to follow?
A showdown between Danny and Cersei? Then everyone else is cannon fodder. The dragons should be quickly dispatched after knowing well that Cersei has the big balista things. The starks besides Jon have no interest in fighting Cersei at this point so they stay behind.
We will eventually get the fight between the Mountain and hos brother. Ser Davos probably will be die in some ship battle, isnt it what he was good at I dont remember anymore!
Theon sister is just a side kick to help destroy Eurion ships and maybe die in battle along the way.
Who am I forgetting? Brienne, Jaime and Tyrion and Bronn… still have this side plot to resolve… honestly it can go either way, with Bronn trying to kill them or not… dont know.
And then we get to the final battle… Danny against Cersei… hard to say which way they want to finish the series…
And for me this is the issue, up until now imo they have not shown Cersei as being that smart nor Eurion for that matter, but of course it will all change now.
Plus Jon bent the knee to Daenerys, and Starks are nothing if not stupidly loyal. Unless Jon’s new knowledge somehow erases an oath he swore, he’ll fight with the Mother of Dragons.
Loved the episode except for one thing. The Iron Fleet is deus ex leveling the playing field. Has nobody ever heard of scouting or anything?
So do we think Dany will burn the city and then Jon will kill her, saving the realm from the Mad Queen? Jon as a ruler wouldn’t be any better. He’d be a far weaker king that Robert was. More interested in governing well, but even dumber and easier to manipulate.
Well that was quite good. The scheming by Tyrion and Varys reminded me of past seasons. I get Dany not wanting to share the throne with Jon, but why not see if they could float the idea to her (after letting Jon know that they know, of course)?
Those trebuchets were badass against Rheagal. Wow.
At the end of that, even I wanted Dany to BURN THEM ALL! Sooooo. . . is this going to end with two queens being murdered? I’m thinking Jaime doing Cersei and Tyrion doing Dany.