Game of Thrones Predictions Part I: Queen Cersei
In the lead up to the premiere of Season 7 of Thrones, I will be writing about 7 predictions for the upcoming season. We’re looking deep here and reflecting on past seasons to refresh. And remember, Winter is Coming.
We’re in uncharted waters entering the upcoming season for Game of Thrones. Over the course of last season, viewers started to drift into a part of the story that wasn’t already detailed in the books authored by George R.R. Martin. It was a very fan service-y type of season, and many popular fan theories were confirmed. HBO is so notoriously tight lipped about leaking any information about the show that you’d think anyone affiliated with the show was subject to be imprisoned by the Militant Faith if they spoke of the show’s details. With all of this in mind, it makes predicting what will happen next kind of a fools errand, but I’m going to do it anyway.
These predictions will also be assigned a percentage of their likelihood to happen. Whether the percentage is high or low, we do have to talk about the possibility because it’s important to know how the question could even be conceivable. We’ll dive into a little backstory, rehash old plot points, and ultimately come to a conclusion.
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
So in honor of the Seven Kingdoms, the Faith of the Seven and Seven episodes of Season Seven; here are 7 predictions for the upcoming season of the critically acclaimed drama. Starting with the first:
Chances Cersei stays on the Iron Throne for over half the season (4 episodes)
We left season 6 with Cersei and her Caesar haircut planted firmly on the Iron Throne after she went full Mad King on the Sept of Baelor. Not only did it cost the Lannisters the allegiance of their bank rollers for keeping the kingdom afloat (the Tyrells), but young King Tommen lept from his castle’s window, overcome with grief.
Cersei is evil, this much is certain. However, no matter how bad things got with Cersei in past seasons, her heinous acts were always coming from her desire to do right by her children. Of which she has none now. Joffery was poisoned, Myrcella was a victim of Dornish revenge, and Tommen, as stated above, could not fly. Cersei without her children and driven by revenge? Not a good look for the rest of Westeros. One of Cersei’s defining characteristics is that she has super bad impulse control. As in, she’ll put a plan into motion and is generally too short-sided to see the negative repercussions of that plan. Cersei once told Joffrey:
“Everyone who isn’t us, is an enemy.”
Tywin is long gone, the Baratheon/Lannister children are dead, Tyrion is team Targaryen now, and Jaime may not hold much love for Cersei anymore now that she did what he had stopped the Mad King from doing many years ago, sacrificing his honor and being labeled King Slayer.
With no family to rein her in and a “shoot first, ask questions later” mentality, this doesn’t bode well for Cersei’s longevity, does it? Couple that with the fact that during this story, those who sit on the Iron Thrones are hardly there for more than a season.
Season 5 introduced show viewers to the prophecy for Cersei by Maggy the Frog, a witch that she visited in her youth. So far, everything predicted has come true for Cersei including her being married off to a king and the death of her golden haired offspring. Maggy also states that although she would be Queen, she would eventually be replaced by a younger and more beautiful queen. Her contempt for Queen Margaery finally comes into full focus as Cersei fully believes that this is the person who has come to replace her, not just with her last child, but also with her position of power.
The last part that hasn’t come true (yet) and is only stated in the books, is her death by the Valonqar which is High Valaryian for “little brother.”
Now what does this all mean and who is the Valonqar? The most popular theories include her immediate family members: Tyrion and Jaime. Tyrion is the youngest Lannister child and his flip to the Mother of Dragons puts him directly in opposition to Queen Cersei. Jaime on the other hand was always thought to be less likely until the last season. Although, the two have been incestuous lovers, Cersei’s actions cost the life of their last living child and Jaime’s face during the coronation scene of season 6 is all you need to know about the contempt he may now hold for the former Queen Mother. He and Cersei are twins, yes, but it’s also stated that Jaime was technically second out of the womb following Cersei. The death is described as being a strangulation, but no one ever said the Valonqar needed two hands to do this.
There are other theories including that Valonqar could be more gender neutral in that the Valaryians may have used the masculine form of words when generalizing. This means that Valonqar could still mean younger sister. Cersei doesn’t have any younger sisters so this opens up the interpretation to possibly mean someone else’s younger sister (i.e. Sansa, Arya or Daenerys). Branching off of that, it could also mean someone else’s little brother such as The Hound or Bran Stark.
It seems that Cersei’s allies are very limited and a prophecy that most are confident will conclude the way it was told. The current regime’s only allies are the Frey’s that are leaderless (HELL YEAH!) and the kingdom still owe the Iron Bank of Braavos a whole lot of coin. Olenna Tyrell is coming back like John Wick with Daenerys and Tyrion, too.
With all this in mind, will Cersei stay on the throne for more than 4 episodes?
Prediction: 80% likely
Reasoning: I have several reasons for this answer and they mostly have to do with the way that the show is constructed. Game of Thrones, as a show, has a way of leaning away from the direction in which a viewer is rooting for before eventually veering back. This is evident in Tyrion being imprisoned, but then escaping; Sansa enduring torture before making her captor dog food; and Stannis receiving his just desserts for sacrificing his own daughter. My guess is that Cersei remains in power with The Franken-Mountain and Qyburn by her side much to the dismay of the realm, until about the Season’s penultimate episode to the finale (Episode 6).
I say this episode because that’s when the big shit usually happens. We’re talking about the Battle of Blackwater Bay, The Red Wedding, #BastardBowl2016, and Wildlings vs. The Night Watch all occurring during the Seasons’ 9th episode out of 10.
I’m confident that it’s 100% likely she’ll stay on the Iron Throne for more than half the season and maybe even into the final season, but given the new structure of the season, I’m giving myself the liberty of some wiggle room.
Now that Queen Cersei is ruling the Seven Kingdoms, she’s likely to get more than 4 shows to reveal if she’ll rule with mercy or madness.
Long may she reign.
Hadn’t had enough? Then please M’Lords and M’Ladys, go on to check out Part II below and more!!
