Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells the Story? A Game of Thrones Prediction Post

Friends, the time has come to experience the final season of HBO’s epic adaptation of George RR Martin’s saga A Song of Ice and Fire. And since the show is coming to end before the actual book series, we think it’s fair to say that this final season is also probably the final statement on how the fraught, tragic and painful lives of these characters unfold. Since it’s almost Sunday, Shannis and I thought we’d weigh in with our predictions for how the final season will wrap up, who will live, who will die and how the map of Westeros might look once all the dragonfire and ice zombies are gone.

So with apologies to Lin-Manuel…

Who Lives

Carolyn:

So, look, as the header image implies, I fully believe there ain’t no way everyone’s favorite teenage assassin dies. It’s just… it’s not possible and I don’t think any theory purporting that Arya dies holds water. While neither the show nor Martin himself are above killing beloved characters (see: Ned Stark, Oberyn Martell, Barristan Selmy… I think you get my point here), Arya’s storyline just doesn’t seem headed in that deathly direction to me. The post-Night King world is going to need snarky assassins, and smart, pragmatic thinkers. I think Arya would make a killer advisor to anyone left alive who’s in a position of power.

The only other character I’m certain survives is the Night King – if only because one can never really truly kill Death. Do I think he can be defeated? Absolutely. But I think he can’t actually be destroyed, because the underpinning of this entire saga is the cycle of time, the patterns that repeat and humans boundless ability to both innovate and fail to learn from our mistakes. What can I say? I don’t really do happy endings where everything is neatly wrapped up in a never-changing bow.

Shannis:

I’m with you, Carolyn — there is no way Arya dies. She’s not a tragic figure — she’s the scrappiest Stark and she’ll be left standing.

I also think Tyrion lives. He’ll be the last Lannister. The name will be his to do with as he sees fit.

Also? Samwell Tarly.

And I think Sansa lives. And maybe Podrick. And maybe they eventually marry, and rule in Winterfell, and have some babies…

Who Dies

Carolyn:

As with who lives, there’s not a whole lot I’m 100% sure of. Game of Thrones Season 8 will no doubt have a massive body count, as epic wars are wont to do. But there are a few deaths I feel are guaranteed, no matter what direction the narrative goes in.

Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen are not making it out of this story alive. They will assuredly go out in a blaze of glory trying to save the world, but the world they save is not one either of them will get to live in. And truth be told, they both deserve to lay down their burdens and rest. As much as both of them annoy the hell out of me, like, regularly, they are also both True Heroes, and True Heroes sacrifice themselves for the greater good, to save lives and homes and secure a future for those they know they are leaving behind. Also, once Jon realizes he’s been boning his auntie, I wouldn’t put it past him to simply die in a fit of misplaced, perfectly coiffed guilt.

Oh, and they’re taking those dragons with them. Probably by way of dragging a zombie Viserion to his doom.

Jaime “I know what Honor is” Lannister will almost certainly give up his life to save something pure and good and innocent, like a cart full of kittens being held by orphans, and finally redeem his battered soul. And I will sob, and I won’t even feel the tiniest bit guilty about it. Jaime has always had an interesting arc going on, and Nikolai Coster-Waldau’s measured performance made it even better.

After that, everything gets more uncertain for me. There are plenty of people who I freaking HOPE die (I’m looking at you Cersei Lannister you insufferable monster), but I wouldn’t put it past them to somehow survive out of sheer spite or narrative driven irony. I’m terrified that Tormund will die, and we’ll have to keep a raging Shannis from destroying something expensive.

(If Sansa dies, please report back to this website for a special ALL CAPS post about my incandescent rage. Thank you for your cooperation.)

Shannis:

All the dragons die.

I’m so sorry. I know how much we all adore dragons and wish they could make a huge comeback. But we are all going to be sobbing over dead dragons about five weeks hence.

And Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen are also both goners. It’s funny what this story does to my head — I adore these two characters wholeheartedly but I would feel cheated if they didn’t sacrifice themselves in some way to save everyone else. I would feel like everything I’ve been led to believe about who they are has been a complete lie if they are left standing at the end. But I’ll also feel cheated if it’s owing to some bullshit another character inflicts upon them. It has to be death in a blaze of glory for them both. And Jon has to be exhausted by these many years of having greatness thrust upon him. Death will likely be a welcome respite for the man.

I feel like Cersei can’t possibly survive — I buy into the fan theories in which Jaime winds up killing her (possibly dying himself in the process), as they seem to come from the same school of thought that figured out the whole “Jon Snow is a secret Targaryen” thing. But I was talking to Carolyn about this earlier and I find myself preemptively disappointed by this, and I will probably cry when she dies, and this is all the fault of Lena Headey because she is SO. DAMN. GOOD. at her job. My god, I can’t even explain to you how much I loathe Cersei Lannister as I read the books. She’s clinically insane and I hate being inside her head. But Lena Headey’s portrayal on the show has been at times magnificent, and badass, and ruthless, and vulnerable, and an all around damn delight. I don’t think there’s anything there to redeem, nor would Cersei want to be redeemed, but I will be sad to see her go.

I’ve also got a bad feeling about Brienne. And maybe Tormund will throw himself in front of a sword to avenge her death.

Or MAYBE they’ll live happily ever after.
Oh also I don’t think anyone born a Clegane survives this thing either. Those two are going to murder the hell out of each other.

And the Iron Throne also dies.

Who Wins

Carolyn:

Look, I know that the whole… idea… where the Night King wins, and everyone dies, and the final moments are just images of snow blowing over dead bodies is A Thing. But come on. That’s not happening. Here are my thoughts on what will happen though.

A whole lotta people are going to die, most of them nameless farmers and underappreciated extras. It will be very epic and almost too overwhelming in scope to feel sad about.

The Night King will be (momentarily) defeated at the Trident by a torrent of dragonfire and the power of Kit Harington’s final patented Jon Snow Smolder.

Bran will run away to the far North and pretty much become a tree who talks like The Dude, if The Dude were creepy, and British, and also a tree who can see the future.

Arya will murder A LOT of people. If you don’t like that, she will come through your screen and either murder you, or do some awesome dance moves, depending on Maisie Williams’ mood.

There will be no Iron Throne and no Seven Kingdoms, but rather a patchwork of lords and ladies, despots and survivors who pick up the pieces and dream of spring.

Shannis:

Does anyone ever really win in the game of thrones?

Maybe Lady Lyanna Mormont. Let’s put her on a throne somewhere. But not the Iron Throne. She’s too good for the Iron Throne.

But I think the best you can do is survive. I’ve seen a few theories that end with humanity left standing, while magic has to die. I like that idea, even though it’s also very sad. It’s bittersweet, which is just what George said the ending would be.

Also Bronn better get that damn castle he was promised.

Who Tells the Story?

Carolyn:

I’m a sucker for mythology, and legends, and the powerful lessons of storytelling. And I’m also a sucker for the power of family, whether born or found. So I have this final set of images for this series stuck in my head, and even though it’s unlikely, I’d enjoy if the story ended thusly:

The Night King is defeated. Many heroes have fallen, while others have risen. The Seven Kingdoms are shattered, and the Iron Throne empty. The survivors retreat to their castles, their corners of the world, and do their best to rebuild. Children are born, crops are raised, and spring is no longer a dream, but reality. Slowly, the viewers realize that this montage of bittersweet but optimistic endings is being narrated by a steady, soothing voice. The scene shifts to a young child, listening to a story, a history lesson masquerading as fairy tale. As she speaks, the scene pulls back and up and north, to the cold and frozen wastes, past an ancient tumbled wall, through trees coated in ice until they find a man, with frozen blue eyes staring, waiting. He looks straight at the camera.

“Child, never forget the words of your ancient and glorious house. Winter is Coming.”

End credits.

If anything like that actually happens, I will be stunned, but a Girl can dream.

Shannis:

Well, Carolyn, your ending there just gave me chills and also might have made me a smidge weepy though I will neither confirm nor deny. But yes: somewhere down the road, a Stark is telling this story.

I think there is a lot to be said for the idea that at the end, Westeros is back to being Seven Kingdoms — or some number of kingdoms. Maybe three. Or five. A North overseen by Starks is likely one of them.

Honestly? I almost don’t even care how the whole thing ends at this point. I just want to see where the journey takes us. That’s always been my favorite thing about Game of Thrones — that the story is so powerful, we’re just drawn right into it no matter what. I’m always weirded out by so-called fans who can’t let themselves get lost in it — they’ll be the ones criticizing every single detail and complaining that the ending is all wrong or so-and-so should have died or this thing should have happened and that person should have lived. I can never be that person. I’m not capable of it. I’m too in tune with what it takes to write a story, and too in awe of what went into one of this magnitude. Whatever happens, I’m going to think it’s amazing and perfect. And I’m going to annoy everyone I know saying that I think so.

In Conclusion

At the end, it turns out that we feel just as bittersweet about this show reaching its end as we expect that ending to be. And we think that’s just exactly how good storytelling should be: not every question is answered, not every character you love will survive, and in truth, the story isn’t really over at all. It’s just over for now. We hope you get something close to the ending you were looking for Game of Thrones, and we hope you join us on Twitter, Facebook and right here, to share your thoughts about what shocked you, what moved you, most importantly, who has the best hair in Westeros.