"The Dragon and the Wolf," the season 7 finale of Game of Thrones, delivered moments fans have awaited for many years and it did not disappoint. What it was shockingly light on, especially in lieu of the carnage of the season, was deaths. Season 7 was notable for how several major ancillary players were wiped off the map of Westeros, including Lady Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg), Ellaria Sand (Indira Varma) and the Sand Snakes (Jessica Henwick, Rosabell Laurenti Sellers, and Keisha Castle-Hughes), and Thoros of Myr (Paul Kaye). Season 7 saved its biggest death for last, though: farewell Lord Petyr Baelish a.k.a. Littlefinger (Aiden Gillen)!After the events of the last couple of episodes involving Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) and Arya Stark (Maisie Williams), fans were divided in terms of this story. It seemed like the Stark sisters were going to go to war after six long seasons apart, all manipulated by Littlefinger in order to maintain his control over Sansa. Littlefinger made sure Arya discovered the letter Sansa was forced to write in season 1 after their father Ned Stark (Sean Bean) was executed by the Lannisters. Arya learned what part Sansa played in Ned's execution, and it seemed like she was poised to take vengeance in her father's memory. However, after consulting with Littlefinger and being fed more of his self-serving lies, Sansa - who has grown to be much smarter than anyone gives her credit for - came to a different conclusion and put a plan into action.Under the guise of bringing Ayra before the bannermen of the North to be tried to treason, Sansa, Arya and Bran (Isaac Hemstead-Wright) together revealed it was Littlefinger who was truly being tried for treason and his many crimes against the Stark family. Sansa laid all of Littlefinger's acts bare: He conspired with their aunt Lysa Arryn (Kate Dickie) to murder her husband Jon Arryn; he pushed Lysa through the Moon Door of the Vale to seize power as Lord Protector of the Vale, and he of course conspired with the Lannisters to have Ned Stark arrested, tried and executed on false charges of treason against the Crown. And, as Bran reminded Littlefinger, he held a knife to Ned's throat and said "I did warn you not to trust me."Abandoned by the Lords of the Vale and proven guilty by the Starks, Littlefinger, the master manipulator who rose from a minor House in the Fingers to become Master of Coin of the Small Council and later Lord Protector of the Vale, became a pathetic beggar, dropping to his hands and knees and pleading with Sansa to spare his life. This is where having a Faceless One being member of your family comes in handy - with brutal swiftness and efficiency, Arya slit Littlefinger's throat with his own Valyrian steel dagger. The story of Lord Petyr Baelish has come to an end, and the havoc his greed and ruthless ambition wreaked over the Stark family has been avenged.The only other deaths in "The Dragon and the Wolf" occurred in the episode's climactic moments when the White Walkers finally breached the Wall. Thanks to the dragonfire of Valerion, piloted by the Night King, the White Walkers were able to bring the part of the Wall over Eastwatch castle down and finally march through its remains into Westeros. This was witnessed by Tormund Giantsbane (Kristofer Hivju) and Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer), who may have been among the Wildling casualties when the Wall came down. But there was no confirmation Tormund and Beric met their end, so it's likely they survived to fight for the living in the Great War of season 8.With Winter now truly arrived in Westeros, we have an untold number of months to brace ourselves for Game of Thrones' 8th and final season, and the deaths of some more of our favorite characters yet to come.
When Jon Snow (Kit Harington) led an ersatz Suicide Squad of consisting of Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen), Gendry (Joe Dempsie), Beric Donarrion (Richard Dormer), Thoros of Myr (Paul Kaye), Tormund Giantsbane (Kristofer Hivju), and The Hound Sandor Clegane (Rory McCann), along with some members of the Brotherhood Without Banners beyond the Wall to capture a White Walker and bring it back to King's Landing, no one really expected this plan to succeed without a hitch. After all, they were marching right into the domain of the White Walkers specifically to face the Army of the Dead. It was always going to be a disaster and we always expected that not all of them would make it back alive. We didn't quite expect who and what would end up falling to the White Walkers in "Beyond the Wall." The death count of the penultimate episode of Game of Thrones season 7 includes thousands of Wights, the unnamed Red Shirts from the Brotherhood accompanying the Suicide Squad, and some bigger names: Thoros of Myr, Benjen Stark (Joseph Mawle), and - shockingly - Daenerys' dragon Viserion!
Thoros of Myr was, like Melisandre (Carice Van Houten), a worshiper of the Lord of Light, though there's been no indication he's anywhere near as ancient as Melisandre. Thoros was from the Isle of Myr but fought for Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy) in Robert's Rebellion. As Jorah, who fought alongside him mentioned, a very drunk Thoros wielding a flaming sword was the first man leading the attack on Pyke that broke the Ironborn during that war. As a member of the Brotherhood Without Banners, Thoros used his magic resurrect Beric Dondarrion six times. Thoros was mauled by an undead Wight bear, and with his death, it means Beric is now on his last life. Thoros is also now scratched off Arya Stark's list, though she's not aware of this yet.
Benjen Stark, the younger brother of Ned Stark, has been a mystery since he disappeared when he went North to investigate the rumors of White Walkers in season 1. Benjen took the black and became a member of the Night's Watch, briefly mentoring Jon before his ill-fated mission. Benjen suddenly reappeared in season 6 to rescue Bran Stark (Issac Hemstead-Wright) and Meera Reed (Ellie Kendrick) from the White Walkers. Benjen was pallid-skinned and seemed like he was turned into a White Walker himself, though he retained his personality. After disappearing again, he reappeared to save Jon from the White Walkers in deus ex machina fashion in "Beyond the Wall," ultimately being swarmed by the army of the dead. The answers to what happened to Benjen and how he managed to survive for so many years beyond the wall go with him to his grave.
After Gendry was somehow able to run back to Eastwatch in time to send a raven with a desperate SOS to Dragonstone, Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) came to the rescue with all three of her dragons. Daenerys rode Drogon while the other two dragons, Rhaegal and Viserion flew north on their own. Together, the dragons were able to incinerate hordes of Wights and save Jon, Jorah, Beric, the Hound, and Tormund, but the Night King was ready for the dragons. The Night King hurled an ice spear into Viserion, killing the dragon and proving that greatest weapons on the side of the living could also fall at the feet of the White Walkers. Daenerys wisely fled along with her remaining dragons before the Night King could kill them too. The worst was yet to come, however, when the Wights used chains to raise Viserion's corpse from the waters beneath the ice of a frozen lake. The Night King then used his powers to touch Viserion, resurrecting it as an ice dragon!
What the Night King's terrifying new weapon will mean for the rest of Westeros remains to be seen. "Beyond the Wall" ended with Jon (figuratively) bending the knee to Daenerys, cementing the alliance between Dragonstone and the North (and possibly a love affair along with it). The mission was also a success in terms of Jon achieving his objective and bringing back a Wight, which they plan to show Cersei at the armistice they have scheduled in the season 7 finale. With all of the deaths season 7 has reaped, it's hard to believe next week's season finale won't bring more shocking death to herald the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones.
When last week's episode of Game of Thrones, "The Spoils of War" ended, we were lead to believe Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) was sinking down to the bottom of a lake to drown in his heavy Lannister armor. This week's episode, "Eastwatch," wasted no time revealing the fate of Jaime - he's not dead. And neither is Bronn (Jerome Flynn), who pulled Jaime's fat out of the fire (or rather, out of the water) and saved the Lord Commander's life. Some Game of Thrones fans had differing theories as to why Jaime charged at Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) even though her dragon Drogon was right next to her, but Jaime confirmed his suicidal charge at the Dragon Queen was his Hail Mary attempt to end the war in one fell swoop. Lucky for Jaime that Bronn was there to save him from a fiery death.
Though one of the series' most popular duos was spared death after all, that doesn't mean another considerably less popular duo didn't meet a gruesome demise by dragonfire. In her victory, Daenerys had the Dothraki round up the surviving Lannister and Tarly soldiers. She was there to issue an ultimatum - they could either bend the knee and pledge their loyalties to House Targaryen or they could die. Many of the soldiers immediately submitted, but others did not. Chief among the resisters were Lord Randyll Tarly (James Faulkner) and his son Dickon Tarly (Tom Hopper), who are this week's primary victims.
The Tarlys of Horn Hill, one of the most prominent families in the Reach, were pledged to House Tyrell before the late Lady Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg) joined her House in support of Daenerys. The Tarlys then switched sides to fight for Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey), with Lord Tarly being promoted to general of the Lannister and Tarly armies. They successfully sieged Highgarden and conquered it; Olenna Tyrell accepted a death sentence by poison, wiping House Tyrell from the face of Westeros. The vast Tyrell fortune was then appropriated by the Lannisters as payment to the Iron Bank of Braavos.
However, that victory at Highgarden was soon met with an epic and decisive defeat at the hands of Daenerys, her dragon Drogon, and the Dothraki. When called upon to bend the knee and pledge their loyalty to Daenerys, Randyll Tarly refused, even though Daenerys' Hand Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) pointed out that the Tarlys' loyalty has proven to be rather flexible lately. Yet Randyll was inflexible on the matter of Daenerys being a foreigner with no ties to Westeros - though this is incorrect as Daenerys was born on Dragonstone, which, though an island, is considered part of Westeros. Still, the Dragon Queen spending most of her life on Essos and then bringing Dothraki to Westeros makes her a foreign invader and Randyll Tarly couldn't accept rule by a foreigner.
Randyll (and Tyrion) wanted Dickon to bend the knee, however. Dickon was heir to Horn Hill and was needed by Randyll to continue the Tarly line, as he hated and rejected his other son Sam (John Bradley). Yet Dickon also refused to bend the knee and chose to meet the same fate as his father. Daenerys was deadly serious about her ultimatum and the Tarlys had indeed made made their choice. By Daenerys' command "Dracarys!", Drogon roasted Randyll and Dickon alive and reduced them to ashes.
The only other deaths in "Eastwatch" were two Gold Cloaks in King's Landing who tried to stop Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham) from escaping the capital with Tyrion. Both met gruesome deaths at the hands of the returning Gendry (Joe Dempsie) and his warhammer. Now, with Jon Snow (Kit Harington) leading a contingent past the wall in a quest to capture a White Walker and bring it south to King's Landing - and with the Army of the Dead marching ever closer to the Wall - no doubt much more death is coming in the penultimate episode of Game of Thrones season 7.
This week's episode of Game of Thrones, "The Spoils of War," set a record (according to Entertainment Weekly) for the most people burned alive on television. After two weeks of surprising losses in her war for the Iron Throne against Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey), Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) finally went on the offensive and personally lead her Dothraki army against the Lannister and Tarly forces, riding her dragon Drogon into battle. Amidst the flames, swords, and arrows flung, the episode ended with a shocker: the apparent death of Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and possibly Bronn (Jerome Flynn) as well!
Back in the first season of Game of Thrones, King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy) had a rare civil conversation with his wife Cersei. Against the advice of his Hand Ned Stark (Sean Bean), Robert had sent an assassin to Essos to kill Daenerys Targaryen. As Robert spoke with Cersei, he described the horrors he feared if the Dothraki were to ever make landfall on Westeros and attacked their cities and castles. He asked Cersei which was the bigger number: five or one? The correct answer for Robert was one: One army united under one ruler, which is what the Dothraki would be - and indeed are - under Daenerys.
Robert would be glad he never lived to see one of his greatest fears come to pass in this week's episode. As Jaime led his army back from their triumph at Highgarden with all of the Tyrell gold, which is payment for the Lannisters' debt to the Iron Bank, they were met with the fearsome sound of horses shaking the ground from a distance. For the first time in history, the Dothraki Khalazar had arrived in the mainland of Westeros and were there for war. The Lannister and Tarly armies could hardly defend against the Dothraki onslaught. "Your people can't fight," quipped one of the Dothraki to Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) as they observed the carnage from a distance. The slaughter by the Dothraki was already difficult for the Lannisters to defend against. Daenerys' dragon made it impossible.
While many Dothraki died in the battle, those losses paled in comparison to the number of Lannister and Tarly men Daenerys and Drogon roasted alive with dragonfire. It's impossible to estimate how many died engulfed in flames. However, the Lannisters were at least prepared with a counter attack: Qyburn, the Hand to Queen Cersei, packed along the Scorpion - the enormous crossbow intended as their dragon slayer. With Bronn manning the Scorpion, Qyburn's theory about how to kill a dragon was put to the test. Bronn managed to hit Drogon with an enormous arrow from the Scorpion, injuring it and causing it to land, but not before Daenerys made sure the Scorpion was roasted. Bronn barely survived the dragonfire.
However, once on the ground, Daenerys dismounted and struggled to remove the arrow from Drogon's torso in full view of Jaime, who was nearby. Rather than flee as Tyrion hoped, Jaime saw his chance to kill the Mother of Dragons and end this war once and for all - so he charged, only to be met with Drogon's open mouthful of dragonfire. Luckily, Bronn also saw what Jaime was planning and rammed into him, knocking him out of the way of the fireball. Both Bronn and Jaime plunged into a lake. In their bulky armor, they were both shown to sink quickly to the bottom, though the focus was on Jaime apparently drowning.
Was this the unexpected end of the Kingslayer? Or does he survive to fight for his sister another day? What about Bronn? Does he die an untimely death, having lost the bag of gold Jaime paid him and having never gotten the castle he was promised? Hopefully we'll find out in next week's episode "Eastwatch."
This week's episode of Game of Thrones brought forth the long and hotly anticipated first meeting of Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and Jon Snow (Kit Harington), as well as a reunion of Jon and Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), but as far as the episode's tally of major character deaths goes, the real star of "The Queen's Justice" is poison. Both Olenna Tyrell and Tyene Sand were forced to drink poison in their defeat, though their deaths ultimately occurred off-screen.
For all the killing that's been done in the series - by sword, by fire, and all the other violent ends the citizens of Westeros and Essos have met, poison has been the quietest... but no less pivotal. The Lannisters have suffered the most tragedy by poisonings. Cersei (Lena Headey) lost two of her children via poison, and indeed, the past poisonings of King Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) and Myrcella Baratheon (Nell Tiger Free) have come back to haunt the poisoners.
Captured last week by Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbaek) in the successful attack that annihilated the Iron Fleet of Yara Greyjoy (Gemma Whelan), Ellaria Sand (Indira Varma) and her biological daughter Tyene Sand (Rosabelle Laurenti Sellers) were brought to King's Landing and presented in chains to Cersei. This was Euron's gift to his prospective future bride, and it was gratefully accepted. The last time Ellaria was in King's Landing, she watched her paramour Oberyn Tyrell (Pedro Pascal) murdered by Gregor Clegane (Hafþór JúlÃus Björnsson), AKA The Mountain. Ellaria's revenge was to poison Myrcella, who was a "guest" in Dorne, when Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) came to the southernmost kingdom in Westeros to return his daughter to King's Landing at the conclusion of season 5.
Cersei taunted Ellaria with all the ways she could have Ellaria killed before she suddenly kissed Tyene - thereby exacting her revenge. Cersei poisoned Tynene with "The Long Farewell," the very same, slow-acting poison Ellaria used on Myrcella. Thus, Ellaria's punishment will be to watch her own daughter slowly die from the poison and rot into nothingness right in front of her. With the rest of the Sand Snakes dead and Ellaria's allies a long way from mounting a siege, much less taking King's Landing, expect her to be in the Black Cells for quite a while. Technically, Tyene has not died yet, but her death is all but assured.
As for vengeance for Joffrey's poisoning, this came inadvertently and to Jaime's surprise. Jaime and Cersei withdrew most of the Lannister Army from Casterly Rock, allowing Daenerys' Dothraki and Unsullied to take the castle, only to face a siege by Euron's Iron Fleet in turn. Jaime led the Lannisters, along with the army of Randyll Tarly (James Faulkner) to Highgarden so the Lannisters could finally eliminate the Queen of Thorns, Lady Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg). The Queen of Thorns has long been a thorn in Cersei's side and allied herself with Daenerys after Cersei used Wildfire to destroy the Sept of Baelor, killing both of her grandchildren, Margaery (Natalie Dormer) and Loras (Finn Jones).
The Lannisters and Tarlys easily decimated the Tyrell Army before Jaime confronted Lady Olenna. Like his sister, Jaime presented a few different but violent ways Olenna could meet her end (Cersei's ideas) before offering poisoned wine as a painless death. Olenna drank the poisoned wine, then dropped the bombshell to Jaime that Joffrey was poisoned under her orders, which Jaime and Cersei never knew (they and their late father Tywin blamed Tyrion and had him sentenced to death). Jaime stormed off, leaving Olenna to her fate. Olenna was the last Rose of Highgarden, meaning that ancient family has met its final demise.
The war goes badly for Daenerys, with three of her major allies captured or killed, most of the Iron Fleet destroyed, and the Tyrell Army wiped out. The Lannisters Army also suffered losses, but the bulk of their forces remain with Jaime and are able to defend King's Landing. The war will only claim more lives, likely including Tyene Sand's, once The Long Farewell takes hold, in next week's episode "The Spoils of War."
When "Dragonstone," the season 7 premiere of Game of Thrones concluded, Daenerys Targaryen returned home to the place of her birth - the island fortress Dragonstone - and asked her war council "Shall we begin?" In this week's episode, 'Stormborn,' the war for the Iron Throne of Westeros did indeed commence in earnest, but, shockingly, it wasn't via a blow struck by Daenerys' forces in their quest to invade Westeros. Daenerys has chosen, on the advice of her Hand Tyrion Lannister, not to attack King's Landing head on, despite the overwhelming force she's acquired. She prefers, instead, to take a more strategic and political approach to avoid becoming, in Tyrion's words, the "Queen of the Ashes." By the time the episode ended, it seems Daenerys' reticence has actually cost her dearly - and may even jeopardize her ability to win the war.
As Daenerys' fleet was preparing to make landfall on Dragonstone, Cersei Lannister summoned Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbaek) to King's Landing. Finding herself surrounded by her sworn enemies - Ellaria Sand (Indira Varma) of Dorne and Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg) of Highgarden already allied themselves with the Mother of Dragons - Cersei needed some allies of her own, though the pickings are pretty slim for her at this point. Enter Euron, usurper of the Salt Throne of Pyke after the murder of his brother, Balon Greyjoy. Euron openly declared a desire to marry Cersei and consummate their kingdoms. Cersei refused his proposal, despite needing the Iron Fleet, which he built in spectacular haste, considering his niece Yara Greyjoy (Gemma Whelan) fled Pyke with the original Iron Fleet to join forces with Daenerys after her father's death. Euron left King's Landing promising Cersei that he would return with a gift that would prove the honor of his intentions.
Shockingly and brutally, Euron wasted no time in making his point to Cersei in this week's episode, mounting a devastating attack on his unsuspecting niece Yara and her Iron Fleet. Yara had been charged by Daenerys to ferry Ellaria Sand and her daughters, the Sand Snakes, back to Dorne. The plan was for Yara's Fleet to collect the Dornish Army and sail them to King's Landing to join the Tyrell's in a siege of the Westerosi capital. As the best-laid plans often go up in flames on Game of Thrones, so too did this gambit - literally - when Euron's Fleet mounted a surprise attack and fireballed Yara's Fleet.
Storming Yara's flagship, Euron mounted a horrifically bloody battle, resulting in the season's first major deaths (not counting the entire Frey family Arya Stark executed in season premiere). It seemed at first Euron was attacking to get revenge on and kill his niece Yara, but it turns out he was actually there for Ellaria Sand, the "gift" intended for Cersei, since Ellaria poisoned Cercei's daughter, Myrcella, as revenge for the death of her paramour, Oberyn Martell, the Red Viper at the hand of the Lannisters' brute, Gregor Clegane, A.K.A The Mountain.
Naturally, the Sand Snakes - formidable killers in their own right - rose up in defense of Ellaria. Tyene Sand (Rosabelle Sellers) remained below decks with Ellaria (her biological mother), while her half-sisters, Nymeria (Jessica Henwick) and Obara (Keisha Castle-Hughes), fought Euron on the ship's deck, where they were slaughtered by the King of the Iron Islands. Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) abandoned ship to save his own skin and sees Yara's fleet in flames and the corpses of Nymeria and Obara. Nymeria was hanging from the bow of the ship while Obara was impaled by a spear through her back.
As for Yara Greyjoy, instead of simply killing her to end her claim to the Salt Throne, Euron seemingly took her hostage, along with Ellaria Sand. Euron presumably plans to torture his niece, but he may have some heretofore unknown purpose for keeping Yara alive. For now, Euron plans to deliver Cersei's "gift," Ellaria, to her at King's Landing, where it's doubtful the Queen will show the woman who murdered her innocent daughter any mercy.
Euron's victory is a severe early blow to Daenerys' chances at winning her invasion. By destroying Yara's Iron Fleet so decisively, Euron completely eliminated Daenerys' naval advantage. Without the Iron Fleet, Daenerys loses her ability to easily transport the Unsullied and Dothraki armies on Dragonstone to the mainland of Westeros. She'll also be unable to bring the Dornish Army to join the Tyrells in a siege of King's Landing, forcing the Dornish to travel by land across half the continent. Ellaria's capture and certain execution at the hands of Cersei also begs the question of who will rule Dorne, as the Game of Thrones television series hasn't introduced many Dornish characters compared to George R.R. Martin's novels.
The climactic and tragic battle at the end of "Stormborn" also highlights the importance of the Ironborn and the Iron Fleet to the future of Westeros and the two Queens battling for control of the country. The Ironborn have always been looked upon witheringly by the other major characters, and the Ironborn themselves have often lamented their disregard by the other Kingdoms of Westeros. Now, after 'Stormborn' shows how the Iron Fleet is as important to the war effort as Daenerys' dragons or any army of soldiers, there's only one Iron Fleet ruling the seas and it's under the command of the newest power player, Euron Greyjoy, in service of Cersei Lannister.
With next week's episode titled 'The Queen's Justice,' it appears that Ellaria Sand isn't long for this world, so expect to add at least one more major character to the season 7 body count, with the possibility of another still if Yara Greyjoy's fate is also sealed at the hands of her swarthy usurper uncle.
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