The seventh season of Game of Thrones – regarded as the most nail-biting-yet-rushed of the lot – is coming to an end. The HBO show’s writers will build another storyline for season eight, but before that, the finale of season seven is expected to validate some long-standing theories.
So far, here are some of the most significant moments from season seven:
- Daenerys takes over her birthplace, Dragonstone, and plots with Olenna Tyrell, Ellaria Sand and her vipers, and Yara Greyjoy.
- Yara Greyjoy is captured by her uncle, Euron Greyjoy. Ellaria Sand and her vipers are captured. All of Ellaria’s daughters are killed in a planned move by Cersei.
- Olenna Tyrell drinks poison before telling Jamie that it was she who killed Joffrey. The Lannisters capture High Garden, only to be ambushed by Daenerys, her dragons, and the Dothraki army.
- Jon Snow and Sansa reunite, but Snow leaves to meet with Daenerys about the real fight with the Undead army. Sansa now rules Winterfell, with Littlefinger by her side.
- Sansa reunites with Bran; he tells her that he is the three-eyed raven.
- Sansa reunites with Arya, but the two fall for Littlefinger’s cunning plan and as a result, have a cold war brewing between them.
- Snow and Davos try to convince Daenerys about the real war beyond the Wall.
- Davos meets with Gendry, who has stopped rowing and has a war-hammer with him.
- Jamie, who survives after making a foolhardy attempt to kill Daenerys, promises Cersei that he would fight hard, especially since Cersei is pregnant with his child.
- Samwell Tarly, at the Citadel, cures Ser Jorah Mormont’s greyscale. Jorah reunites with his Khaleesi.
- Snow gathers men to go beyond the wall – Gendry, Jorah, The Hound, Beric Dondarrion, Thoros of Mhyr, Tormund and a few Freefolk capture an undead soldier.
- Thoros dies.
- Daenerys rescues the other men at the Wall in the nick of time, but Viserion gets killed by the Night King. Jon Snow is left behind.
- Snow survives and heads to his queen. The two share a moment.
- The Undead army, meanwhile, pulls out Viserion’s body from the frozen lake, and the Night King turns it into an Undead dragon.
Now, speculations are rife as to what might happen in the finale titled ‘The Dragon And The Wolf’.
The coming together of Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen:
Dany and Snow
The news of Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen’s budding romance isn’t much of a surprise. Although speculated to be nephew and aunt (going by the R+L=J theory), it’s hard to deny the chemistry the two have shared, especially in the sixth episode — ‘Beyond The Wall’.
The R+L=J theory talks about how Rhaegar Targaryen (R), Daenerys’ elder brother, married Lyanna Stark (L), Ned Stark’s sister, and gave birth to Jon Snow (J). While it hasn’t been explicitly said in the show, it has been hinted several times, thereby making their romance an incestuous one.
The director of the show, Alan Taylor, in a recent interview even spoke of how their romance is of importance to the story-line.
“When we were shooting season 1 and no one had seen the show yet, we were in Malta. Back then, there was not a lot of secrecy because nobody was paying attention, and George RR Martin came to visit and he was being quite open about his plans. He said something: That it really is all about Dany and Jon. I was surprised because at the time, you know, I thought, well Robb Stark’s going to be king next, probably. And who knows where this story’s going? But it was absolutely clear to him that within this sprawling scale the whole story was coming down to this partnership,” he told The New York Times.
Daenerys Might Get Pregnant With Jon Snow’s Child:
Danyy
This fan theory was recently picked by Buzzfeed, and explains how Dany and Snow’s coming together could result in the Stark-Targaryen Dynasty continuing. Back in season one, Dany was pregnant with Khal Drogo’s son, but she unwittingly traded the life of her son for Drogo.
Mirri Maz Duur, a healer, made Drogo live (even if uselessly), but killed their son in the process, telling Dany that she would have a barren womb.
However, Buzzfeed points to clues in the latest season that her news of being barren might just be hogwash. References to children have been made – the first when Tyrion, her hand, informs Dany about leaving behind an heir, something which she quickly dismisses.
Second reference comes when Ser Jorah gives back Longclaw, his father’s sword that Jon Snow earned, and tells Snow to keep it for the children he might have in the future.
And the final reference comes after Viserion is killed and when Dany talks about how the dragons are her only children. Snow looks at her lovingly and holds her hand.
Jamie Kills The ‘Mad Queen’:
Jamie
King Aerys II Targaryen, popularly called “the Mad King”, was the last member of House Targaryen to rule from the Iron Throne. He was formally styled Aerys of the House Targaryen, the Second of His Name, King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm. Although his rule began benevolently, he succumbed to madness and was eventually deposed by Lord Robert Baratheon in a civil war. Aerys was infamously murdered by a member of his own Kingsguard, Jaime Lannister, during Lord Tywin Lannister’s Sack of King’s Landing. This act earned Jaime the nickname “Kingslayer”.
In what appears to be a similar kind of madness overcoming Cersei, speculations are rife that Jamie might kill her in a similar fashion.
In the Season 7 premiere, Cersei, soon after the explosion of the sept, starts repainting the floor map in the Red Keep and spoke of how they were surrounded by enemies on all sides. According to Jaime in Season 3, the Mad King “loved to watch people burn. The way their skin blackened and blistered and melted off their bones…” – something that Cersei seems to be enjoying lately.
Bran Is The Night King:
Bran
Hodor’s death in season six was traumatic enough, and pretty much explained why Hodor always said Hodor (it’s Hold-the-Door).
Remember when we saw the Children of the Forest plunge a dragonglass dagger into a man’s heart, turning his eyes blue? Now there are theories floating around that Bran may have warged into this man and prevented the Children of The Forest from turning him into the Undead. But with his plan failing, Bran remained and became the Night King.
Several fans on Reddit have debunked this theory though.
According to Reddit user, ‘wheres the revolt’, here’s why Bran cannot be the Night King:
1) Brandon the Builder built the wall. 2) The Wall is protected by magic, it will take someone who knows what protects it to bring it down. 3) Warging is somewhat hereditary (both Jon and Bran can do it, at the least) 4) Once Bran wargs his body just lays there (as proved when Meera was trying to get Bran out of the cave). 5) The connection of Bran and the NK predates the NK touching Bran, that just strengthened it. 6) The NK will have to use magic to get through the Wall. Chances are, Brandon The Builder is the Night King himself.
Another Reddit user points out that the Night King is Azhor Ahai.
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Azor Ahai is the prince that was promised to defeat the darkness. User OjWasFramed12 points out that the show has merely stuck to the story-line from the Other’s perspective and not the Night King’s:
According to prophecy, “our champion will be reborn to wake dragons from stone and reforge the great sword Lightbringer that defeated the darkness those thousands of years ago.” The Night King is the only person other then Dany to wake a dragon (even if it’s from death). There’s also a theory that said Lightbringer could be a dragon instead of a sword and if that was the case he “reforged” a dragon in the only was possible now that they presumed extinct except Dany had three. Also the prophecy says that Azor Ahai defeated the darkness thousands of years ago… remember when the children of the forest said they created him to defeat men?
Littlefinger Will Die:
