With the eighth and final season of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” premiering Sunday, the question remains: When all is said and done, who will sit on the Iron Throne? If you haven’t caught up by now, it’s too late — spoilers are coming.
The Night King is the clear favorite
By Ryan Israel, Associate Scene Editor
Throughout the seven seasons of “Game of Thrones,” the Night King and his band of merry (not so merry?) undead minions, known as the White Walkers, have made a slow but steady advance toward King’s Landing and the Iron Throne. Despite this, the Night King still remains the most underdeveloped character on the show. In seven seasons, he’s had approximately zero lines of dialogue and no real chance to explain himself or the cause of his clan. Maybe he wants to kill everyone and establish a kingdom of cold, unfeeling zombie monsters? But is that really any different from what any other character is trying to do? Would that really be so bad?
What makes the Night King the clear favorite to sit on the Iron Throne is the unstoppable nature of his ruthless army. No army, especially not any army led by Jon Snow, has been able to put up a fight against the Night King. And now he has a white-walker dragon! And the wall has fallen! Sorry humankind, sorry Westeros — there’s no stopping the Night King.
Podrick Payne ascends by default
By Mike Donovan, Scene Editor
Factually speaking, all dogs are good dogs. That said, there are some dogs who rise above the rest — who exemplify, in word and deed, the values (loyalty, perseverance, lovability) for which dogs are cherished. Podrick “Pod” Payne is one of these exceptional dogs (disclaimer: biologically speaking, Pod is a human). In fact, the devoted squire, first to Tyrion Lannister, then to Brienne of Tarth, stands out as the only figure in the entirety of the “Game of Thrones” pantheon who deserves the title of “Good Dog.”
While the others lie, cheat, pillage and burn in their respective quests for dominance, Pod (natural-born servant) happily attends to his master’s every desire. He aspires to be useful and nothing more.
Here’s my theory: As Winter sweeps across Westeros, the heavyweights (Lannisters, Starks, Targaryens) will make a spirited attempt to form a coalition and fight the Night King as a cohesive unit. But, before long, the stress of imminent demise will get the better of them. The coalition will disintegrate, and they’ll be at each other’s throats. Jealousy and revenge plots will kill them off before the Night King even has a chance to mobilize.
When the ashes clear, only Pod (the most likeable of all Westerosi, the best of all dogs) will remain. Nobody has beef with Pod. How could they? He’s just such a good dude. So good that even the Night King won’t be able to find it in his frozen heart to condemn the innocent lad to death. Thus, Pod, the most innocent of pure boys, will survive the Winter and take the Iron Throne by default.
There will be no Iron Throne
By Brian Boylen, Scene Writer
The entire question of “who will sit on the Iron Throne at the end” is a flawed one because there will be no Iron Throne. If people are expecting this show to have a simple ending with one of the fan-favorite Mary Sues (Jon Stark, Daenerys Targaryen) ascending the throne to a wise and long reign, we have not been watching the same show. The world George R. R. Martin has crafted is centered around the fact that the good guys don’t always win and most people don’t get a happy ending. The best we can hope for is that the world isn’t left off too much worse than it was when we watched the Stark children find their Direwolf pups so many years ago.
Ask yourself if you really want that happy ending anyway. Did you really struggle through all the highs and lows of this show just to watch everything be tied up in a neat little bow? A happy ending will only serve to delegitimize the show’s already waning status (thanks to seasons 5-7) as a TV classic.
Scene Selections: ‘Game of Thrones’ predictions
Claire Kopischke | The Observer
Claire Kopischke | The Observer
