Game of Thrones, in one of the biggest shocks of the series, really didn’t deliver too many shocking moments in the opener of its final season. In no way was it a boring episode; it seemed to instead serve as an episode to ease us back into the madness that is this fantasy-drama.
From the Starks finally all being back together — those that are left at least — to reunions and meetings galore, such as the absolutely amazing Arya and Jon hug, the season premiere delivered in terms of character moments and building the tension for the impending doom.
One of the coolest aspects about this episode were the parallels to season one. Instead of Robert Baratheon and Cersei Lannister riding into Winterfell, we got Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen. Instead of a tiny Arya Stark running to see the troops marching in, we saw her step out of the way for another young boy to get a glimpse of the Unsullied marching through the snow. They were subtle nods, but they made the scenes much more impactful.
In another surprising turn of events, the MVP of this opener has to be Samwell Tarly. In a beautifully heartbreaking scene, he finds out his father and brother were executed, and he, of course, finally reveals to Jon his true heritage. I’m predicting Jon continues to play the good guy act, but there will definitely be tension between him and Daenerys.
And I’m sorry, as much as I loved the How to Train Your Dragons moment between the two of them, I still find myself adjusting to them as a couple. Does their heritage really matter in the grand scheme of things? Not really. But we can’t pick and choose these relationships, especially when everyone hated on Cersei and Jaime so much. Yeah, Cersei’s evil and all, but Daenerys and Jon being fan favorites doesn’t disregard the general ickiness that comes with their lovey-dovey scenes.
Even more surprising than the fact that there are no shocking moments for this episode was the lack of character deaths. I really thought Tormund and Beric were gonners in that castle. But all this serves to tell us is that there are going to be plenty to come, packed in very close increments to each other.
With one episode of the last six done, I’ll leave you all with my predictions for the remainder of Game of Thrones:
- The Hound and The Mountain will fight. It will be bloody. It will be epic. And yes, they will probably both die.
- Tyrion, Jon or Daenerys will die. Not two of them, not all of them, but one. We will all most likely bawl our eyes out.
- Most of the Starks will live. I see no reason for any more to die. In fact, with the Night King being a fan of zombies, we may even see some resurrections in the crypts of Winterfell.
- Cersei will die. Yay! At Jaime's hands. Yay! Jaime will probably also die. Boo. Expect heavy involvement from Tyrion and Bronn in this plot thread.
- I’m going to say it. The dragons are going to die. I’m sorry. They are. The show will rip our hearts out and stomp on them. Just prepare yourselves for it.
- The episodes are about to pick up, real quick. Get ready for that too.
- Winterfell will definitely fall, with plenty of deaths to boot. They will then flee to the Iron Islands, where the conflict with Cersei and the Night King may happen at the exact same time. And there, of course, will be more tears and deaths.
- The ending is going to be bittersweet. Lots of deaths will occur, with some likely tear-jerking candidates being Jorah, Davos, Gendry, Brienne, Bronn, Tormund, take your pick. But, the Night King will also die!
- No one will sit on the Iron Throne. Something new entirely will emerge, perhaps with multiple leaders of the seven kingdoms.
- Or, you know, literally everyone will die. Because what else could we possibly expect from Game of Thrones after all this time?
There you have it. Am I crazy? Maybe. But not as crazy as this show. So, I expect some of these things to play out and much more. Be sure to watch along with the world as this amazing series comes to an end. Hold each other, support each other. We’re going to need one another for this one.
Jackson Horvat is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Do you agree with his rankings? Tell Jackson by tweeting him at @horvatjackson.
