8 Questions after the ‘Thrones’ season finale
Season 7 of Thrones came faster than Jon getting to Dragonstone. I have questions about how the series will continue going forward. Let’s speculate!
**SPOILERS**
Game of Thrones ended just the other day and although it hadn’t ended on an intense cliff-hanger, it did leave us with questions. (I’m not counting the Wall coming down as a cliffhanger on what the White Walkers will do next because obviously we already know what they’re headed for).
But I have questions! Do you have questions? Cause I definitely have questions and we’ll be forced to ponder these questions for a possible 18 months. *Pours out some Dornish wine.*
Let’s touch on some of these questions that I had pop up over the course of the season, possible implications, and what could come next.
Why does Jon have the strongest claim to the Throne?
Short answer: he’s a dude.
Longer answer: The Seven Kingdoms of Westeros run on a patriarchal line of succession. This precedent was largely set forth due to the first Great Council of 101 AC. Jon being the son of the Prince who was technically next in line would be able to take the throne over Daenerys. So the line of succession would have gone Rhaegar, Jon, Viserys, and then Dany if it got to that point. This patriarchy is why Tommen Baratheon was able to leap frog Myrcella Baratheon after Joffrey died, despite being younger, and why Bran (before he turned it down) would have been acting Lord of Winterfell despite Sansa being older.
With that being said, will things get a little awkward between Dany and Jon?
Daenerys’ entire existence to this point has basically been to reclaim the Iron Throne for the Targaryen family and since she is the Mother of Dragons, she believes she is the chosen one to do so. This is notable because she didn’t think Viserys was strong enough to lead as his new molten gold crown was taking his life. So not only is she being trumped by Jon’s stronger claim, but everything she’s done to this point in the show will essentially be for nothing (except for freeing slaves, good job by you Dany).
I say it’s useless because not only is Jon a male and true born heir (not just a best option as Dany is), but he’ll likely have the full support of the North to rule the Seven Kingdoms. This is huge because the North has historically been very hard to rule due to it’s vastness and proximity to King’s Landing.
We’ve already seen some impulse control and anger out of Dany and it’s hard to tell how she takes this news. Ultimately, it comes down to whether or not the Song of Ice and Fire is true love between Daenerys and Jon. Because then they’d both be rulers and that’s the easiest way to get around the animosity.
Speaking of that Song and Ice and Fire, what was up with Tyrion during the love boat scene?
In the last episode, we were subjected to an incest sex scene that everyone appeared to be okay with and actually were even rooting for. During the scene, we saw Tyrion appear to be taking Littlefinger’s role as the resident Westerosi that stands down dark hallways. He appeared to be sulking. This was a surprise to many viewers because we thought Tyrion was actually an architect of the romance after suggesting that Jon loved her just an episode before. Looks like Tyrion developed a crush and actually has feelings for Daenerys.
This does line up with Tyrion’s character, though, because he seems to be all about the love that he truly can’t have, from his first “marriage” to the whole thing with Shae. Just about every male that isn’t a eunuch has fallen in love with Dany, too, so this makes sense.
The problem, is whether or not it goes against Tyrion’s character to make a fuss about this and to cause problems with the Alliance that has been forged. I say: yes. It would be a strange arc for Tyrion and the Jon-Tyrion ‘Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things’ understanding has been one of the more heartwarming aspects of the show.
What’s the Night King’s beef?
We know that the Night King was made from a human by the Children of the Forest to fight against man, but we don’t know where this human came from or when exactly they turned against basically all living things. The Night King kind of needs a motive here. Otherwise, it’s a Skynet situation of a groups creation getting out of control and dooming humanity. Game of Thrones has always worked in the gray area between pure good and pure evil. It’s why an audience viewer can feel a little empathy for a broken Theon despite all he’s done and how Jaime and The Hound can go from assholes to show favorites.
I’m not saying the Night King needs be to avenging a dead daughter or something, but a little backstory will help the story.
Oh Theon, let’s talk about him.
What’s Theon’s purpose?
I was visually upset at the 10 minutes that the Season finale spent on Theon fighting random Iron Born dude. First of all, the Iron Born value strength and Theon displayed his weakness time and time again. So they were right to not want this chicken shit leading them on a mission. I’ve talked to several friends who, like me, could care less if Theon finally redeems himself or if he falls over board and drowns.
So what’s the point of setting him up for his own side story that will undoubtedly give us fits next season?
I’ve thought about it and this is what I came up with. Theon is heading presumably to the Iron Islands to save his sister, Yara. Big who cares, right? Well, actually it could be useful to the greater good. Every one else at the meeting in King’s Landing saw Euron “bail” on Cersei and head to the Iron Islands. Come to find out later, he’s actually sailing to retrieve the Golden Company to fight on Team Lannister. Why is this significant? Because if Theon arrives in the Iron Islands before Euron, that means Theon can send word to Jon and the others that Cersei’s forces aren’t as weak as they appear.
It could be some useful intel from a now useless character.
What is the Golden Company?
Take a trip into the archives with me. The Golden Company is a sellsword company full of mercenaries. Their roots start back with Aegor Rivers one of King Aegon IV Targaryen’s bastard sons. He fled to Essos after the first Blackfyre Rebellion (instead of taking the black) and then started the company as an honorable group of sellswords. This is contrary to the usual mercenary groups that will flip sides during the middle of a war if the price is right.
They pride themselves on never breaking a contract and using military training techniques. They’re skilled and organized fighters. The company participated in the Fourth and Fifth Blackfyre Rebellions and their ranks have slowly grown with many being Blackfyre loyalists that were exiled from Westeros. They’re also expensive! So either Cersei got enough gold from Highgarden to repay the Lannister debt and hire the Golden Company (which would be a RIDONKULOUS amount of gold) or she’s taking out another loan with the Iron Bank, which will likely cause another issue down the road. The Lannister mines are dried up and there’s not another Highgarden to sack. Where’s this money going to come from?
On a smaller note: How will Sam react to meeting Daenerys after she roasted his father and brother?
Sam’s father was a dotty old racist and Sam hated him, but by all accounts, Sam and his brother DICKON seemed to be quite fond of one another. Sam may be upset about this, but I doubt he’ll be outraged. Jon on the other hand, may be really mad about this. Jon has already shown that he’s a merciful king by not punishing Northern Houses that fought with Ramsay Bolton. This could provide trouble in paradise.
Also, Sam is not the Lord of Horn Hill now that his father and brother are gone. Sam renounced all his titles when swearing an oath to the Night’s Watch. Unless you’re Jon Snow, you don’t get out of that promise.
On an even smaller note: Where’s Bronn?
Is he going with Jaime to the North? My guess is yes. Bronn’s head is likely to be on a pike with Cersei there and there’s no way she’s paying him. Jaime and Bronn are bro’s. Also, rumor has it that Lena Headey (who plays Cersei) won’t be in the same scene as Jerome Flynn (who plays Bronn) because of a past romance that went sour. It’s also rumored that it’s in their contracts to not share any scenes together.
Maybe that’s why he and Podrick went to go get drinks in the finale rather than participate?
We have months and months of speculation ahead so the questions are bound to pile up.
Until then, my watch has ended.
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