Ready or not, Game of Thrones is coming to its end this Sunday. After the controversial and world-shattering penultimate episode, the series finale now has the difficult task of moving through that messy aftermath to deliver a satisfying end to one of the biggest shows of all-time. While fans eagerly wait for what's to come, we all have a lot of questions we need answered in this final episode.
With the Night King gone and Cersei defeated, a new villain seems to have emerged late in the game. This has made the turbulent final season even more difficult to predict. With so much up in the air, there here are some of the biggest questions we have before Game of Thrones comes to an end.
Why Did Daenerys Do It?
Daenerys transition into the so-called Mad Queen was one of the most disturbing moments in a show filled with disturbing moments. We have seen many times that Daenerys is a caring person who takes special care to protect the innocent and vulnerable people. So seeing her murder thousands of men, women, and children felt, as some have thought, unearned.
There certainly have been hints that Daenerys has this dark side to her, but the drastic transition seems very abrupt. The show dropped the ball in setting up this turn, relying on Emilia Clarke's wordless performance to sell it. We want to hear the reasoning from Daenerys herself to give some context for the upsetting character change.
Are Jaime And Cersei Really Dead?
Along with Daenerys suddenly going evil, many people were upset by the show seemingly bring Jaime and Cersei's story to an end in an unfulfilling way. But is this really the end of the two Lannister twins?
Sadly, since the show has tricked us and reversed deaths in the past, fans are unlikely to accept any character's demise on the show without a body being shown. Lack of confirmation aside, it does seem like they are good and dead. Not only would the Red Keep's collapse be hard to survive, but she show seemed wrap up their together, no matter how unsatisfying it might have been to some.
What Will Tyrion Do Next?
As the evidence began to build that Daenerys might not be fit to rule, Tyrion has struggled with remaining by her side. He has clearly had his doubts about her, but he believed that with the right advisors, she could be a great ruler. Now, it is clear he made a terrible mistake.
The look of horror on his face as Daenerys begins burning King's Landing solidified his disillusionment with her. But what will his next move be? Will he attempt to flee back to the North? Will he confront Daenerys about what she has done? It seems likely he'll try in some way to make up for this terrible mistake.
Where Is Bronn?
Despite being a fairly involved character since the first season, Bronn has been rarely seen in this final season, so far appearing in only two scenes. We first see him as he is hired by Cersei to kill her treacherous brothers, then he appears again to have Jaime and Tyrion pay him to not kill them. After that, he leaves to wait out the coming war.
It's hard to imagine this storyline will go anywhere, especially now that Cersei is presumably dead. It seems as though the writers just wanted an excuse to get Bronn out of the way until the end of the show. Hopefully, he'll get something worthwhile to do before the end but for now, he feels wasted.
How Will The North Respond?
Ever since Daenerys arrived in Winterfell, Sansa has not trusted her a bit. As it turns out, that distrust was well-placed. You can bet that despite Jon's previous pledge to Danerys, she has lost the Northern support. So how will the North respond to Daenerys taking King's Landing and killing thousands?
Jon will likely try to march his army home, but will they then go to war with Danerys? As mad as she seems now, she is still very dangerous. Will Sansa try to keep the North out of any further fighting? Or will the Starks' honor compel them to act?
Can Daenerys Be Redeemed?
It is still hard to believe that the Daenerys we have come to know throughout the eight seasons of the show is capable of this genocide. Clearly, this was one of the worst acts ever done on the show, if not the absolute worst. But is there any chance she can be redeemed at all?
It would be a mistake for the show to have scrubbed all of the humanity from Daenerys. We can't just forget the person she was only a season ago who sacrificed her life to save Jon and the others. Will the show allow her to have remorse or will she just be an uncaring killer from now on?
Will The Realm Support Jon?
The truth about Jon Snow's parentage is one of the main contributing factors in Daenerys' rampage. She believes that since there is a contender for the throne that is more loved than she is, she can only rule by fear. Perhaps her actions will convince Jon he must take the throne, but will he have support?
We saw Varys writing several messages to unknown parties about Jon's heritage. Presumably, he is informing the other Lords of Westeros. Given the destruction Daenerys just caused, it's hard to imagine many lords will want to defy her. But perhaps they see Jon as the safer choice as their ruler.
What Is Arya's Next Move?
We were able to get a front-row seat to the horrifying destruction of King's Landing thanks to Arya. After abandoning her quest to kill Cersei, Arya finds herself in the midst of the mayhem as countless people died around her. Needless to say, the experience likely formed a bad opinion of Danerys in Arya's mind. The question is, what will she do next?
The logical guess is that she has added Daenerys to her kill list. It makes sense that after not killing Cersei, Arya would realize there is a bigger threat. But does that feel thematically satisfying? Arya and Daenerys have barely shared a scene together, so it might feel odd for it all to come down to these two.
Who Will Kill Daenerys?
Whether or not Daenerys can be somewhat redeemed remains to be seen, but it's clear that there is only one suitable end for the character. There is no way she is going to be sitting on the Iron Throne when this is all done and, after what she did, death seems like the appropriate price to pay.
So who will it be that finally kills her? Arya is certainly a possibility, but again, doesn't seem right. While Tyrion could take it upon himself, he's more likely to die trying. Jon Snow would seem like an obvious choice as it would be another compromise for his honor. Of course, it's entirely possible that Daenerys kills herself.
Will Anyone Sit On The Iron Throne?
Who will sit on the Iron Throne has been the central question of the series since its beginning. If the final episode answers any question, surely, it will have to be that one. While Daenerys seems to have a strong hold on it right now (unless it's been destroyed) she is not likely to hold it for long.
Other strong contenders include Tyrion and Jon. However, Tyrion's ties to Daenerys probably make that unlikely and Jon has proven to be kind of dumb these past few seasons. Sansa would be a good rule but it's unlikely she'd leave the North. Perhaps it would be better if the throne was kept empty as it might be a nice suggestion that no one person is fit to rule all.