GoT Season 8: A Preview
Warning: thar be potential spoilers in these here waters, sail with caution.
GoT Season 8: A Preview
27th August 2017. The last time that a new episode of this glorious show last aired. But now the wait is almost over. A mere 595 days later, the final season will begin and I for one cannot wait.
In the intervening 19 months I have gleefully watched Joffrey die umpteen times, celebrated the Battle of the Bastards over and over and spent countless hours pondering how Bran got such a tidy haircut when he was lashed to the innards of a tree [seriously, this really bother me – had they packed some clippers and scissors on Hodor, just in case or something?!].
And I am still yet to come to terms with the Red Wedding.
My one lament is that this is it – once this season ends, a mere six weeks after it begins, that’s it. It’s done, gone, over forever. The harrowing months of waiting will all have been warm-ups for this – the cold, hard end.
But the end is nigh and GoT is coming to an end, as all great things must.
Although the withdrawal may be hard, I actually celebrate the end coming. It’s far better to go out as a phenom than to peter out into dull obscurity. To have people excited for the finale, not just trudging along, desperate for the end. Finishing things on their own terms and (hopefully) closing things off once and for all (if that’s even possible in Westeros).
Well, we’ve been promised a few things already.
We know that although there will be fewer episodes, each one will have a longer run time than pretty much every episode before (shortest episode will be episode 1 at 54 minutes before ads, with the final two episodes chalking 80 minutes each [that’s a feature length Agatha Christie special right there!]).
We’ve also been promised the longest battle sequence ever to feature on screen. This will almost certainly be the battle for Winterfell and is going to be one big, bloody mess. Just think of Helms Deep, but dialled up to 11 (although probably with less dwarf tossing [I will lose my mind if someone launches Tyrion mind you]).
It’s safe to say that this season is going to be brutal. We still have a good number of major players left knocking about and not very long to resolve their tales. Given that they’re largely in only three or four locations now, expect to see a few of them die in each episode. Probably best to emotionally detach yourself from your favourite characters now (click here to see my forecast for these geezers now [or don’t, I’m not your mum]).
Is there actually an ending which will tie things off and satisfy (if not please) everyone?
Probably not – even the wonderful finale of Breaking Bad left a small few with a sour taste, and let’s face it, that was far less complicated than GoT.
So, what will they do?
Well, simply sticking someone on the Iron Throne and telling us everything will be hunky dory thereafter just won’t fly.
We’ve spent seven seasons already establishing that backstabbing, scheming and generally screwing everything over to sit in that chair is par for the course. Popping anyone there and assuming it all won’t just kick off again (assuming humanity isn’t decimated) would feel like a kick in the balls.
But what alternatives are there?
Well, a quick one [which I will have to credit to my darling wife, lest she throw all of her toys out of the pram] is that the throne itself will be killed. No throne, no scheming, no problem. To knacker everything up to the point where the throne itself is no more would mean the war against the Dead has really gone south [top quality word play there, even if I do say so myself]. It could all easily go pear shaped, but it’s a long shot.
How about the Night King though? He’s got to have some sort of motive – could it be that he just wants a cosy seat made of the swords of his foes? He’s got to have a motive surely?
Perhaps this is it. Or perhaps I’m clutching at straws.
What if there’s some sort of uneasy alliance between a few of our ruling characters? This one might work for me – I’m thinking of Dany in Kings Landing, with Sansa as Lady of Winterfell, both united by Jon Snow (who, let’s be honest is obviously the eponymous song of ice and fire). Plausible, but problematic. I mean, Jon isn’t Jon anymore, he’s Aegon Targaryen and rightful heir to the throne. He’s a natural leader and has been plopped into ruling positions over and over. Thing is, this has often been against his will. He didn’t want to be Lord Commander, Sam nominated him for it. He didn’t want to be King in the North; he was simply named as such. He’s a decent leader, but terrible when it comes to peer pressure. Perhaps if he’s given the chance to shirk the throne, he will. If so, he could easily be the super glue holding together a heavily cracked realm.
Alternatively, we could play around with time. There’re a few options with this one, which are fun.
Bran has been faffing about for a long time, getting steadily duller and harder to be around as he transitions from a carefree child into the Three Eyed Raven (via a quick pitstop at child with spaniel style hair). As things have moved on, we’ve seen him wield his powers more and more and this would be a cool way of tying things up. I’m convinced that Bran will have a huge part in this season and his shenanigans will be key.
A nice easy way to wrap everything up is for Bran to simply greensight into the future as things look to be wrapping up and for him to see everything that will come to pass. Probably not the most mouth watering of endings, but one which should be palatable at the very least.
This one’s much more fun and one which I’m thinking may occur in some fashion. Bran, through all his fiddling with time and space, ends up creating a paradox. Pretty much like he did with Hodor, only on a far grander scale. Ever since he took a gap year to explore the insides of an oak and finish up some puberty, Bran has seemingly been wearing a false nose. Why? Well, my thinking is to look more like a certain Night King.
We’ve seen him survive run ins with him before unscathed, so it’s not implausible that they are somehow linked. My thought is that Bran tries to use his powers to stop the Wight Walkers ever being made, but somehow winds up becoming the Night King. This doesn’t entirely explain the frosty bastard’s vendetta against the living, so there’re some cracks to paper over in this one, but let’s see.
Finally, my favourite. And this one is probably the most plausible. The whole of the series has been told in the past tense and is, in fact, a tale being told (think Lord of the Rings or How I Met Your Mother). In this case, It’s Sam’s tale. In his sort time in the Citadel, it was eluded to that Sam will likely have a story of his own to write and that it would have a poetic title (you know, something like “A Song of Ice and Fire”).
It would be a lovely way to end things off for me, no matter who is on the throne at the end, seeing Sam sitting in a study, quill in hand, simply closing his book. Wonderfully satisfying.
I guess we’ll have to see.
This would be badass wouldn’t it? Dany on Drogon, Jon on Rhaegal (aptly named after his own dad). It’s got to happen, surely. Perhaps in their battle against the Night King, or maybe as Jon’s right of passage as a true Targaryen.
This one’s a no-brainer. The Hound vs The Mountain. It’s been brewing since before season one. Now they’re not just feuding brothers, but they’re fighting on opposing sides. If this doesn’t go down, I’ll be furious. We need this; it’s the GoT version of Undertaker vs Kane and it must happen.
I’m calling it that the Valonquar Prophecy will come true. Cersei has been holding onto this for a long time now, convinced that it has foretold Tyrion killing her. There are many that point to the fact that Jaime is also her younger brother and has a reputation for regicide.
What’s been brushed to one side a little now is that this very prophecy declared that Cersei would only have three children and that she would outlive them all. Now it’s established that she’s not feigning her pregnancy, I don’t think she will survive to see her child.
It could be as easy as a classic sisterly stabbing from one of her brothers, but I have another idea.
My thinking is that she will die in childbirth. This ticks all the boxes of her prophecy for me. Jaime is the father of her baby – her dying in childbirth would be his fault [another sort of sisterly stabbing there] – and would also lead her to only having had three children.
He’s smashed up The Wall and he’s coming to play. This lad will be back and up to mischief. Will he wind up in battle with his brothers, or will something else come to battle him…
Qyburn’s tool of war, the Scorpion (aka the Dragon Muckeruperer) would be the perfect weapon against any dragon, alive or (un)dead. Drogon properly ruined the original, but why can’t they just build more? Could King’s Landing be caked in the things? Or could we just see one or two at a key moment?
We don’t know a whole heap about these guys, but they are a mercenary army that Euron has gone to recruit for Cersei. From the sounds of things, they are good at what they do and ride elephants. They could be handy (either for Cersei’s personal war, or for the war for life itself), or they could find that elephants and style aren’t much of a match against zombies and dragons.
Let's not forget, these guys are being hired using a loan from the Iron Bank (who always win) - they could easily switch allegiance at some point, especially if funds run low.
There’s going to be a lot of death in this season and I’d be shocked if there weren’t a few characters who die a noble death for the greater good.
Jon Snow has been clamouring for a hero’s demise right from the off – could he finally get what he’s after?
Could Jaime die sacrificing himself for the living?
How about our resident queen of honour, Brienne?
Or will Theon gain his redemption by dying to save Yara [head’s up, I’m certain this will happen]?
Of course, this being GoT, we're almost guaranteed to see someone we love breathe their last. Tyrion? Ser Davos? Tormund [if this ginger prince suffers at any point, I'm kicking off]? Let's face it, plot armour won't keep people safe for long this time around, especially if we adore them.
There are few better ways to prove that plot armour won't help than to kill off a big name early on. Think Mance Rayder in season 5, except bigger. I'd keep a close eye on Sansa, Jorah (the Explorer), Bron and Brienne.
This one won't necessarily yank our heartstrings and won't have to particularly progress the plot - it's going to demonstrate that nobody is safe any more.
Old favourites returning?
Being the very end, will we see some of the greatest hits reel coming back?
The Night King can raise pretty much anyone to fight for him, after all. Could we see any of the Stark's dragged from their crypt to battle their kin?
What about the Faceless Men? Syrio Forell and Littlefinger may have been "killed", bu they both had strong links to Braavos - what if they have survived their dalliances with death and have been waiting for their moment to return?
Personally, I don't think any of them are popping up (save for flashbacks/forwards). But I could be wrong.
Emotions
Like any normal person, I have six emotions (three of which are variations of apathy). I am fully expecting to need all of them this season. GoT isn't one for sentimentality, nor for giving two hoots about traumatising us. It'll be a rollercoaster and certainly not all sunshine and rainbows. And to quote a former Warden of the North "If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention".
Whatever we have coming in the next few weeks, it’s going to be fantastic and I’m going to be there, filled wit child-like excitement, every step of the way. I may have to blog through tear streaked eyes, all puffy and red, but I cannot wait!
Valar mughulis.
In the intervening 19 months I have gleefully watched Joffrey die umpteen times, celebrated the Battle of the Bastards over and over and spent countless hours pondering how Bran got such a tidy haircut when he was lashed to the innards of a tree [seriously, this really bother me – had they packed some clippers and scissors on Hodor, just in case or something?!].
And I am still yet to come to terms with the Red Wedding.
My one lament is that this is it – once this season ends, a mere six weeks after it begins, that’s it. It’s done, gone, over forever. The harrowing months of waiting will all have been warm-ups for this – the cold, hard end.
But the end is nigh and GoT is coming to an end, as all great things must.
Although the withdrawal may be hard, I actually celebrate the end coming. It’s far better to go out as a phenom than to peter out into dull obscurity. To have people excited for the finale, not just trudging along, desperate for the end. Finishing things on their own terms and (hopefully) closing things off once and for all (if that’s even possible in Westeros).
 |
| Why does this still hurt so much? |
What’s Coming?
So, what do I think will be coming in the next six weeks?Well, we’ve been promised a few things already.
We know that although there will be fewer episodes, each one will have a longer run time than pretty much every episode before (shortest episode will be episode 1 at 54 minutes before ads, with the final two episodes chalking 80 minutes each [that’s a feature length Agatha Christie special right there!]).
We’ve also been promised the longest battle sequence ever to feature on screen. This will almost certainly be the battle for Winterfell and is going to be one big, bloody mess. Just think of Helms Deep, but dialled up to 11 (although probably with less dwarf tossing [I will lose my mind if someone launches Tyrion mind you]).
It’s safe to say that this season is going to be brutal. We still have a good number of major players left knocking about and not very long to resolve their tales. Given that they’re largely in only three or four locations now, expect to see a few of them die in each episode. Probably best to emotionally detach yourself from your favourite characters now (click here to see my forecast for these geezers now [or don’t, I’m not your mum]).
How will it all end though?
I mean, this is it, there must be an ending.Is there actually an ending which will tie things off and satisfy (if not please) everyone?
Probably not – even the wonderful finale of Breaking Bad left a small few with a sour taste, and let’s face it, that was far less complicated than GoT.
So, what will they do?
Well, simply sticking someone on the Iron Throne and telling us everything will be hunky dory thereafter just won’t fly.
We’ve spent seven seasons already establishing that backstabbing, scheming and generally screwing everything over to sit in that chair is par for the course. Popping anyone there and assuming it all won’t just kick off again (assuming humanity isn’t decimated) would feel like a kick in the balls.
But what alternatives are there?
Well, a quick one [which I will have to credit to my darling wife, lest she throw all of her toys out of the pram] is that the throne itself will be killed. No throne, no scheming, no problem. To knacker everything up to the point where the throne itself is no more would mean the war against the Dead has really gone south [top quality word play there, even if I do say so myself]. It could all easily go pear shaped, but it’s a long shot.
How about the Night King though? He’s got to have some sort of motive – could it be that he just wants a cosy seat made of the swords of his foes? He’s got to have a motive surely?
Perhaps this is it. Or perhaps I’m clutching at straws.
What if there’s some sort of uneasy alliance between a few of our ruling characters? This one might work for me – I’m thinking of Dany in Kings Landing, with Sansa as Lady of Winterfell, both united by Jon Snow (who, let’s be honest is obviously the eponymous song of ice and fire). Plausible, but problematic. I mean, Jon isn’t Jon anymore, he’s Aegon Targaryen and rightful heir to the throne. He’s a natural leader and has been plopped into ruling positions over and over. Thing is, this has often been against his will. He didn’t want to be Lord Commander, Sam nominated him for it. He didn’t want to be King in the North; he was simply named as such. He’s a decent leader, but terrible when it comes to peer pressure. Perhaps if he’s given the chance to shirk the throne, he will. If so, he could easily be the super glue holding together a heavily cracked realm.
 |
| Is this the ending we all really want? |
Alternatively, we could play around with time. There’re a few options with this one, which are fun.
Bran has been faffing about for a long time, getting steadily duller and harder to be around as he transitions from a carefree child into the Three Eyed Raven (via a quick pitstop at child with spaniel style hair). As things have moved on, we’ve seen him wield his powers more and more and this would be a cool way of tying things up. I’m convinced that Bran will have a huge part in this season and his shenanigans will be key.
Option 1
A nice easy way to wrap everything up is for Bran to simply greensight into the future as things look to be wrapping up and for him to see everything that will come to pass. Probably not the most mouth watering of endings, but one which should be palatable at the very least.
Option 2
This one’s much more fun and one which I’m thinking may occur in some fashion. Bran, through all his fiddling with time and space, ends up creating a paradox. Pretty much like he did with Hodor, only on a far grander scale. Ever since he took a gap year to explore the insides of an oak and finish up some puberty, Bran has seemingly been wearing a false nose. Why? Well, my thinking is to look more like a certain Night King.
Finally, my favourite. And this one is probably the most plausible. The whole of the series has been told in the past tense and is, in fact, a tale being told (think Lord of the Rings or How I Met Your Mother). In this case, It’s Sam’s tale. In his sort time in the Citadel, it was eluded to that Sam will likely have a story of his own to write and that it would have a poetic title (you know, something like “A Song of Ice and Fire”).
I guess we’ll have to see.
My Predictions
I’ve come to terms with the fact that at least some of my favourite characters will snuff it, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some things I’m hoping for/expecting while they’re still about.
Jon and Dany to ride dragons side by side
Cleganebowl
This one’s a no-brainer. The Hound vs The Mountain. It’s been brewing since before season one. Now they’re not just feuding brothers, but they’re fighting on opposing sides. If this doesn’t go down, I’ll be furious. We need this; it’s the GoT version of Undertaker vs Kane and it must happen.
Cersei’s prophecy
I’m calling it that the Valonquar Prophecy will come true. Cersei has been holding onto this for a long time now, convinced that it has foretold Tyrion killing her. There are many that point to the fact that Jaime is also her younger brother and has a reputation for regicide.
It could be as easy as a classic sisterly stabbing from one of her brothers, but I have another idea.
My thinking is that she will die in childbirth. This ticks all the boxes of her prophecy for me. Jaime is the father of her baby – her dying in childbirth would be his fault [another sort of sisterly stabbing there] – and would also lead her to only having had three children.
Undead Viserion
He’s smashed up The Wall and he’s coming to play. This lad will be back and up to mischief. Will he wind up in battle with his brothers, or will something else come to battle him…
The Scorpion
Qyburn’s tool of war, the Scorpion (aka the Dragon Muckeruperer) would be the perfect weapon against any dragon, alive or (un)dead. Drogon properly ruined the original, but why can’t they just build more? Could King’s Landing be caked in the things? Or could we just see one or two at a key moment?
The Golden Company
We don’t know a whole heap about these guys, but they are a mercenary army that Euron has gone to recruit for Cersei. From the sounds of things, they are good at what they do and ride elephants. They could be handy (either for Cersei’s personal war, or for the war for life itself), or they could find that elephants and style aren’t much of a match against zombies and dragons.
Let's not forget, these guys are being hired using a loan from the Iron Bank (who always win) - they could easily switch allegiance at some point, especially if funds run low.
Noble deaths
There’s going to be a lot of death in this season and I’d be shocked if there weren’t a few characters who die a noble death for the greater good.
Jon Snow has been clamouring for a hero’s demise right from the off – could he finally get what he’s after?
Could Jaime die sacrificing himself for the living?
Or will Theon gain his redemption by dying to save Yara [head’s up, I’m certain this will happen]?
Of course, this being GoT, we're almost guaranteed to see someone we love breathe their last. Tyrion? Ser Davos? Tormund [if this ginger prince suffers at any point, I'm kicking off]? Let's face it, plot armour won't keep people safe for long this time around, especially if we adore them.
Big deaths, early doors
There are few better ways to prove that plot armour won't help than to kill off a big name early on. Think Mance Rayder in season 5, except bigger. I'd keep a close eye on Sansa, Jorah (the Explorer), Bron and Brienne.
This one won't necessarily yank our heartstrings and won't have to particularly progress the plot - it's going to demonstrate that nobody is safe any more.
Old favourites returning?
Being the very end, will we see some of the greatest hits reel coming back?
The Night King can raise pretty much anyone to fight for him, after all. Could we see any of the Stark's dragged from their crypt to battle their kin?
What about the Faceless Men? Syrio Forell and Littlefinger may have been "killed", bu they both had strong links to Braavos - what if they have survived their dalliances with death and have been waiting for their moment to return?
Personally, I don't think any of them are popping up (save for flashbacks/forwards). But I could be wrong.
Emotions
Like any normal person, I have six emotions (three of which are variations of apathy). I am fully expecting to need all of them this season. GoT isn't one for sentimentality, nor for giving two hoots about traumatising us. It'll be a rollercoaster and certainly not all sunshine and rainbows. And to quote a former Warden of the North "If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention".
Whatever we have coming in the next few weeks, it’s going to be fantastic and I’m going to be there, filled wit child-like excitement, every step of the way. I may have to blog through tear streaked eyes, all puffy and red, but I cannot wait!
Valar mughulis.
 |
| Be honest, this is the ending you didn't know you wanted |
To find out how I rate our main characters chances this season, click here.
You can find my review of Episode 1 here.
I would be interested to see the Golden Company betray both Cersei and the Bank, after all...they were formed by a Targaryan. A bastard son sure, but a Targaryan nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteI think that would be really cool. I'm half expecting them to betray Cersei alredy, but it would be sick if they started decimating everyone who thought they were untouchable! Or better still, siding with Jonaeys. Although, that could be a little hopeful considering GoT ;)
Delete