Game of Thrones is back!!

[Telecaster]

My MVP for this episode: Brienne. Her reaction to being knighted was probably one of my favorite moments in the entire series. True, I think it seals her fate, but it was an epic scene.

And the runner up is Jamie, who completed his redemption by knighting Brienne. 

Honorable mention to Bran who had a couple great lines.  When Jamie was defending his prior actions to Sansa and Dany, Bran interjected "The things we do for love."  Which is the same thing that Jamie said when he pushed Bran out the window.  Another one was when Jamie asked Bran how things turn out afterwards and Bran says "How do you know there is an afterwards?”  Awkward silence follows.

[Jon_Snow]

Felt like a second “setup” episode in a row. But that might be the best setup in the history of TV. We were reminded why we love so many of these characters - some I’ve been following since ‘96 - and now we are prepared to have our hearts ripped out I expect.

And did anyone else notice the Ghost cameo?

And well done Arya and Gendry. And Brienne...felt like I had something in my eye during that scene. ;)

Love that they got Tormund’s “Giantsbane” backstory in there. That’s the kind of fan service I devour greedily.

[simonsez]

And did anyone else notice the Ghost cameo?

And well done Arya and Gendry.

Yeah, Ghost looked small and had no interactions.  Wish they could've done a little more there but ah well, great episode.  The audience knows a lot of information at this point and am glad they can imply things we already know without having to spell it out between every character that was previously in the dark about something.  e.g. Jon saying his mother died giving birth with all the bloody details didn't come from Sam, obviously he has chatted in depth with Bran about things even though they haven't shown Bran talking with anyone except Tyrion this past ep.

Glad Ned and Robert finally "joined their houses", especially since Joff didn't even have his DNA. ;-) 

I'm betting something is going to occur next ep that doesn't bring a conclusion to the White Walkers.  I mean, they were the real threat in the pilot episode and their mythology and background has been teased - would be a letdown if they get wiped out in a single episode and it's back to humans squabbling with other humans. 

Spoiler: show

I'm prepared to say goodbye to Tormund, Jorah, Beric, Theon, and Grey Worm next ep - should be brutal! Pod, Davos, Gendry, and Sandor are quite possible, too.

In the preview for next week it looked like Jon drawing his sword in the godswood, presumably to take on the NK after Theon has just died protecting Bran if I had to guess.  I don't think it ends there.  Something either with the crypts (seriously, they mentioned the crypts too often and with the book foreshadowing of the statues seeming to watch passerbys and Robb and Jon's dreams, I feel like something supernatural will happen down there), Bran, dragon-riding, Jon/Daeny, or some combo will create a diversion.  We know Bran is the NK target, if he gets whisked away by Jon or Daeny on a dragon to KL or somewhere south with the NK in tow - does that save Winterfell (since the wights raised by NK would follow) and hold off the White Walker question until the finale? 

[ncornilsen]

And did anyone else notice the Ghost cameo?

And well done Arya and Gendry.

Yeah, Ghost looked small and had no interactions.  Wish they could've done a little more there but ah well, great episode.  The audience knows a lot of information at this point and am glad they can imply things we already know without having to spell it out between every character that was previously in the dark about something.  e.g. Jon saying his mother died giving birth with all the bloody details didn't come from Sam, obviously he has chatted in depth with Bran about things even though they haven't shown Bran talking with anyone except Tyrion this past ep.

Glad Ned and Robert finally "joined their houses", especially since Joff didn't even have his DNA. ;-) 

I'm betting something is going to occur next ep that doesn't bring a conclusion to the White Walkers.  I mean, they were the real threat in the pilot episode and their mythology and background has been teased - would be a letdown if they get wiped out in a single episode and it's back to humans squabbling with other humans. 

Spoiler: show

I'm prepared to say goodbye to Tormund, Jorah, Beric, Theon, and Grey Worm next ep - should be brutal! Pod, Davos, Gendry, and Sandor are quite possible, too.

In the preview for next week it looked like Jon drawing his sword in the godswood, presumably to take on the NK after Theon has just died protecting Bran if I had to guess.  I don't think it ends there.  Something either with the crypts (seriously, they mentioned the crypts too often and with the book foreshadowing of the statues seeming to watch passerbys and Robb and Jon's dreams, I feel like something supernatural will happen down there), Bran, dragon-riding, Jon/Daeny, or some combo will create a diversion.  We know Bran is the NK target, if he gets whisked away by Jon or Daeny on a dragon to KL or somewhere south with the NK in tow - does that save Winterfell (since the wights raised by NK would follow) and hold off the White Walker question until the finale? 

Spoiler: show

I fully expect the night king will resurrect the bones of all the dead starks resting in the crypts, who will kill off a bunch of the innocents hiding there.

[Cromacster]

And did anyone else notice the Ghost cameo?

And well done Arya and Gendry.

Yeah, Ghost looked small and had no interactions.  Wish they could've done a little more there but ah well, great episode.  The audience knows a lot of information at this point and am glad they can imply things we already know without having to spell it out between every character that was previously in the dark about something.  e.g. Jon saying his mother died giving birth with all the bloody details didn't come from Sam, obviously he has chatted in depth with Bran about things even though they haven't shown Bran talking with anyone except Tyrion this past ep.

Glad Ned and Robert finally "joined their houses", especially since Joff didn't even have his DNA. ;-) 

I'm betting something is going to occur next ep that doesn't bring a conclusion to the White Walkers.  I mean, they were the real threat in the pilot episode and their mythology and background has been teased - would be a letdown if they get wiped out in a single episode and it's back to humans squabbling with other humans. 

Spoiler: show

I'm prepared to say goodbye to Tormund, Jorah, Beric, Theon, and Grey Worm next ep - should be brutal! Pod, Davos, Gendry, and Sandor are quite possible, too.

In the preview for next week it looked like Jon drawing his sword in the godswood, presumably to take on the NK after Theon has just died protecting Bran if I had to guess.  I don't think it ends there.  Something either with the crypts (seriously, they mentioned the crypts too often and with the book foreshadowing of the statues seeming to watch passerbys and Robb and Jon's dreams, I feel like something supernatural will happen down there), Bran, dragon-riding, Jon/Daeny, or some combo will create a diversion.  We know Bran is the NK target, if he gets whisked away by Jon or Daeny on a dragon to KL or somewhere south with the NK in tow - does that save Winterfell (since the wights raised by NK would follow) and hold off the White Walker question until the finale? 

Spoiler: show

I fully expect the night king will resurrect the bones of all the dead starks resting in the crypts, who will kill off a bunch of the innocents hiding there.

If anything I suspect it will be the opposite.  The Starks go back to the first men and have some special powers surrounding their family, as seen with Benjen.  Several youtubers also have this speculation.

Cersei also had a line from the first season "I thought the ghost of Lyanna Stark could no longer haunt me" (not exact quote, going off memory).  This could be a reference to Jon Stark or it could be a reference to something else, maybe even your speculation.

[Noodle]

It's seemed pretty likely for awhile that some major (or at least well-loved) characters will get killed off in next week's big battle scene...but what I hadn't thought of until I read an article about it was that it's likely that some of them will come back as wights on the Night King's side. So I predict that there will be at least one death of someone who would be really tragic as an ice zombie and hard for the survivors to kill--someone like Tormund, or Missandei, or Lyanna Mormont

I actually don't think Jaime is on the chopping block in this battle, because he still has unfinished business with Cersei that I think the show will want to wrap up--but Brienne, Podrick, Gendry, Ser Davos--all those folks have a better than even chance of getting killed off.

(Not sure about Sam...originally I would have put him on that list too, but it seems like there also might be unfinished business with Dany over her execution of his father and brother.)

What I am really curious about is how they intend to resolve the battle with the Night King, since ALL the major characters other than Cersei are now at Winterfell...ie, if he wins, they all get killed off, but the third episode seems early to kill off the enemy who was literally set up in the first minutes of the show. It doesn't seem like there are partial successes against the Night King.

[Kris]

Good point about the Night King, Noodle. You’re right that if they don’t win that battle, I don’t know how there’s an episode 4. Unless they lose, and the last episodes are about Cersei, Yara, Euron, etc.
which doesn’t seem very satisfactory at all for viewers.

Hm.

[Nick_Miller]

I also keep wondering if they will wrap up the ice walkers in just a single 80-minute episode.

On one hand, that seems really quick, considering they've been the real "Big Bad" since the very beginning.

On the other hand, if it takes two episodes to dispatch them, then that leaves only one episode to transition EVERYTHING down to Kings Landing and resolve ALL of those issues, and then one episode to put a bow on everything and let us know what all the surviving characters will be doing. Those last two episodes would seem very rushed.

I have no idea how they're going to do it.

[Gondolin]

I actually don't think Jaime is on the chopping block in this battle,

He and Tyrion are safe for now since they aren't going to waste the setup with Bronn from Ep. 1

[simonsez]

I actually don't think Jaime is on the chopping block in this battle,

He and Tyrion are safe for now since they aren't going to waste the setup with Bronn from Ep. 1

Agree, Bronn has to be involved so then Jamie can die in the arms of the woman he loves (or tall blond woman who loves him dearly, whatever).

Based on Jorah vouching this past ep, I imagine that spares the question of Tyrion's fate (like a run-in with Bronn in some manner) to the finale or at least the penultimate.  He could very well live, just the real make-or-break moment won't be for a few episodes.

[Noodle]

Now that I think about it more, I wonder if the sequence of events is something like this:

The humans and the Night King end up deadlocked at Winterfell, neither side able to win.

Cersei offers to trade her game-changer army for, say, the decapitated head of Dany. Or a dragon. This would stir up all kinds of plot-worthy conflict at Winterfell, because Jon Snow, of course, would sacrifice himself without hesitation, but I'm not sure that Dany would. They've already laid a lot of groundwork for the fact that the Starks, and Jon Snow's friends, are loyal to the North and each other in a way that Dany's allies aren't. Plus he's got one younger cousin/sibling who can change faces, and another who's clairvoyant, which could add all kinds of twists to a plot like that.

Of course, I am terrible at this, so it's probably something else entirely.

[HPstache]

Now that I think about it more, I wonder if the sequence of events is something like this:

The humans and the Night King end up deadlocked at Winterfell, neither side able to win.

Cersei offers to trade her game-changer army for, say, the decapitated head of Dany. Or a dragon. This would stir up all kinds of plot-worthy conflict at Winterfell, because Jon Snow, of course, would sacrifice himself without hesitation, but I'm not sure that Dany would. They've already laid a lot of groundwork for the fact that the Starks, and Jon Snow's friends, are loyal to the North and each other in a way that Dany's allies aren't. Plus he's got one younger cousin/sibling who can change faces, and another who's clairvoyant, which could add all kinds of twists to a plot like that.

Of course, I am terrible at this, so it's probably something else entirely.

I'm not sure how this battle head toward a deadlock.  The whitewalker army does not become tired or need to sleep.  This battle can't last much more than 36-48 hours since the army of the living will need to rest eventually...

[BicycleB]

@Lulee, great post! Thanks to all for the fun predictions. Here're mine...

Wild predictions:

Night King reanimates the dead in the crypts.
The little girl down there battles valiantly to save the living.
White Walkers win at Winterfell, but some survivors retreat.
Survivors defeat the Night King by tying together threads of magic, such as:
  Dany sacrifices herself to save Drogon, gets reanimated by NK;
  Jorah plunges that Tarley sword through her heart, destroying his former love;
  Arya kills several White Walkers with her new weapon, enabling Bran to survive;
  Jaime plunges his sword in into Cersei's heart, revealing his sword as Lightbringer while fulfilling prophecy;
  To stave off the Long Night, Jon realizes he is the Prince That Was Promised;
  Jon replaces the Night King, reanimates the new dead, and takes them north to lead them away from the Seven Kingdoms;
  Bran the Rebuilder renews the wall after Jon leads the New Dead beyond it.

Bronn still wants his castle. Jaime says he'll have it as soon as he defeats marauders from the Iron Islands.

***
Watching via HBO Now on laptop.

[Philociraptor]

I'm more and more thinking that the NK will skip Winterfell altogether and instead go straight to KL where he can make an even larger army (they specifically talked about the population of KL in one of the later S7 episodes). This would allow the assembled Avengers characters in WF to win the battle, but then learn from Bronn (who is travelling north on foot) where the NK went with wight Viserion and Bran would then confirm what happens via The Weirnet. This would setup an inverse-seige, similar to the last stand in Return of the King where they drew out Sauron's armies to allow Frodo and Sam to cross Mordor unhindered. It also simplifies the need for 2 discrete wars (living vs. dead and living(-Cercei) vs Cercei), instead transitioning to a large skirmish followed by a final showdown against the same enemy.

[Nick_Miller]

I'm more and more thinking that the NK will skip Winterfell altogether and instead go straight to KL where he can make an even larger army (they specifically talked about the population of KL in one of the later S7 episodes). This would allow the assembled Avengers characters in WF to win the battle, but then learn from Bronn (who is travelling north on foot) where the NK went with wight Viserion and Bran would then confirm what happens via Greensight. This would setup an inverse-seige, similar to the last stand in Return of the King where they drew out Sauron's armies to allow Frodo and Sam to cross Mordor unhindered. It also simplifies the need for 2 discrete wars (living vs. dead and living-Cercei vs Cercei), instead transitioning to a large skirmish followed by a final showdown against the same enemy.

I do like that, especially the "the need for 2 discrete wars" point. It would extend the tension for 3 straight episodes and drive the stakes up higher with the climax in Episode 5!

Because beating the NK IS the climax. So if you beat him in Episode 3, you've "saved humanity" already. Beating up on a queen and her outmanned forces would be a letdown after that.

[Noodle]

I'm more and more thinking that the NK will skip Winterfell altogether and instead go straight to KL where he can make an even larger army (they specifically talked about the population of KL in one of the later S7 episodes). This would allow the assembled Avengers characters in WF to win the battle, but then learn from Bronn (who is travelling north on foot) where the NK went with wight Viserion and Bran would then confirm what happens via Greensight. This would setup an inverse-seige, similar to the last stand in Return of the King where they drew out Sauron's armies to allow Frodo and Sam to cross Mordor unhindered. It also simplifies the need for 2 discrete wars (living vs. dead and living-Cercei vs Cercei), instead transitioning to a large skirmish followed by a final showdown against the same enemy.

I do like that, especially the "the need for 2 discrete wars" point. It would extend the tension for 3 straight episodes and drive the stakes up higher with the climax in Episode 5!

Because beating the NK IS the climax. So if you beat him in Episode 3, you've "saved humanity" already. Beating up on a queen and her outmanned forces would be a letdown after that.

Ooh, good point! We know that at least some of the NK's army goes to Winterfell, given that they arrive just before the end of Episode 2, but we don't really know how close he has to be to his forces to command them. So he might very well send some South (especially given that the countryside is emptied out by people fleeing or getting zombified, word might not spread fast) while another part of his forces are at Winterfell keeping them busy or trying to pick off Bran. Since the NK has a dragon, he could easily catch up with his second army once Winterfell is pacified. And wasn't there some comment about a more southern ally of the Starks (the Tullys, or someone like that) who refused to pitch in at Winterfell? That would be very Game of Thrones for them to get wiped off the map by a second NK army...

[Kris]

I'm more and more thinking that the NK will skip Winterfell altogether and instead go straight to KL where he can make an even larger army (they specifically talked about the population of KL in one of the later S7 episodes). This would allow the assembled Avengers characters in WF to win the battle, but then learn from Bronn (who is travelling north on foot) where the NK went with wight Viserion and Bran would then confirm what happens via Greensight. This would setup an inverse-seige, similar to the last stand in Return of the King where they drew out Sauron's armies to allow Frodo and Sam to cross Mordor unhindered. It also simplifies the need for 2 discrete wars (living vs. dead and living-Cercei vs Cercei), instead transitioning to a large skirmish followed by a final showdown against the same enemy.

I do like that, especially the "the need for 2 discrete wars" point. It would extend the tension for 3 straight episodes and drive the stakes up higher with the climax in Episode 5!

Because beating the NK IS the climax. So if you beat him in Episode 3, you've "saved humanity" already. Beating up on a queen and her outmanned forces would be a letdown after that.

Ooh, good point! We know that at least some of the NK's army goes to Winterfell, given that they arrive just before the end of Episode 2, but we don't really know how close he has to be to his forces to command them. So he might very well send some South (especially given that the countryside is emptied out by people fleeing or getting zombified, word might not spread fast) while another part of his forces are at Winterfell keeping them busy or trying to pick off Bran. Since the NK has a dragon, he could easily catch up with his second army once Winterfell is pacified. And wasn't there some comment about a more southern ally of the Starks (the Tullys, or someone like that) who refused to pitch in at Winterfell? That would be very Game of Thrones for them to get wiped off the map by a second NK army...

Yeah, this is interesting. At the end of the last episode, I was like, "Where the hell's the NK and the ice dragon?" The Winterfell contingent's strategy is to kill him, but... I'm thinking you're right he's not going to come there yet. So whatever happens, I'm thinking Philociraptor is right that he's not headed there yet.

[simonsez]

And wasn't there some comment about a more southern ally of the Starks (the Tullys, or someone like that) who refused to pitch in at Winterfell? That would be very Game of Thrones for them to get wiped off the map by a second NK army...

I don't know if you mean House Glover from Deepwood Motte.  They're in the North and actually a little bit north of Winterfell.  After Jon bent the knee last season Robett took his forces home (after getting scolded by Lyanna Mormont and then apologizing to Jon after not fighting with the Starks in the BotB).  Aside from the Umbers (RIP), I'm not sure anyone else has refused to pitch in at Winterfell, at least from the North.

Edmure Tully could factor in possibly but doubtful (doesn't command any forces), it was a little surprising we didn't see him in the S7 opener after his niece killed all the Freys at the Twins where he was being held prisoner.

I'm trying to think of other southern allies but none come to mind unless you want to count Hot Pie! :-)

[Jon_Snow]

I'm more and more thinking that the NK will skip Winterfell altogether and instead go straight to KL where he can make an even larger army (they specifically talked about the population of KL in one of the later S7 episodes)...

Okay. I have pretty much abandoned any attempt to predict what is going to happen, but would rather just let the conclusion wash over me, whatever it may be, for good or ill.

But THAT...is a bloody brilliant theory. Makes sense on so many levels and I believe it would allow for a somewhat satisfying conclusion...with a mere 4 EPISODES LEFT! *sniff*

[bacchi]

I like the NK marching to King's Landing theory too but he's going after Bran so Bran has to be whisked away via dragon at some point.

There was foreshadowing when Tyrion mentioned that he likely won't be King's Hand when it's all over. Tyrion will die.

Similarly, what Sam told Jorah when he gave him his sword is also important. Sam will die.

Sandor has to stick around. He's going to finally take revenge on his brother.

Grey Worm and Missandei will make it back to the beaches.

[redbirdfan]

I love all the theories.  I'm going to enjoy watching the show in real time so I'll be avoiding spoilers and leaks like the plague. I'm surprised that Howland and Meera Reed haven't made an appearance.  Howland could at least confirm Jon's parentage (i.e not Jon's 'brother' and best friend).  It seems like the Citadel should have heard that an army of the dead was marching south and followed Sam's advice to figure out a strategy? I would think Melisandre (the Red Woman) would/should play an important role in this battle.  She told Varys that they were both fated to die in Westeros so I don't think they survive the season.  This last episode just confirmed that the Battle of Winterfell is going to hurt.  I considered Theon expendable until I saw Sansa's reaction to him.  At this point I'm bracing myself for the inevitable heartbreak. 

My attempt at a prediction is that the Hound will die and Arya will kill the Mountain using his face.   

[Travis]

I'm more and more thinking that the NK will skip Winterfell altogether and instead go straight to KL where he can make an even larger army (they specifically talked about the population of KL in one of the later S7 episodes)...

Okay. I have pretty much abandoned any attempt to predict what is going to happen, but would rather just let the conclusion wash over me, whatever it may be, for good or ill.

But THAT...is a bloody brilliant theory. Makes sense on so many levels and I believe it would allow for a somewhat satisfying conclusion...with a mere 4 EPISODES LEFT! *sniff*

Normally I would point out that it would require a couple weeks to walk from Winterfell to Kings Landing (assuming never stopping to sleep), but the showrunners threw traveling continuity out the window 3 seasons ago.  Now you can walk, ride or sail a circle around the continent in the space of a few days.

I loved this episode, but as a Youtube reviewer carefully pointed out, the entire opening scene with Jamie is revisionist bullshit.  Nobody is remembering their history correctly. 

[Jouer]

I think the living are going to get the shit kicked out of them in the massive battle of Ep. 3. Many of our favourite characters will die. Those that survive will do so by making their way to water and regrouping at the Iron Islands. There's been so much made of the white walkers not being able to swim that the Iron Islands must play a part in this somehow.

Then the final-final battle against the white walkers will happen in Kings Landing. This will be episode 5, I suspect.

Aside: If any dead folks in the crypts are arisen by the night king, I'll be very disappointed. It seems so obvious to everyone watching - I thought of it during season 7 - that having the characters not think of it would be showing how stupid they are. I can't have myself cheering for anyone that stupid.

[Lulee]

I LOVE this thread and all the possibilities here that I wouldn't have thought of on my own.  Makes me anticipate the next installment even more.

I think the episode next week, after having us watch many folks we care about struggle and die in a grueling battle, will climax in the weirwood where the Night King finally confronts Bran and the remaining few leads.  Having wondered since Sunday where Melisandre is and just reading a credible theory of how she could already be inside Winterfell, I think she makes her final appearance to help Bran win, likely involving her own death.  But the actual battle with the living and the Night King will be in the majority of the following episode.

But before that happens, anyone have any intel or theory on the iconography we saw back Last Hearth --- that spiral sun design?  It seems like it must be quite important for the Night King's army to have spent that time and effort on but I can't think what it could mean.

[Philociraptor]

But before that happens, anyone have any intel or theory on the iconography we saw back Last Hearth --- that spiral sun design?  It seems like it must be quite important for the Night King's army to have spent that time and effort on but I can't think what it could mean.

It's a perversion of the stone layout around the weirwood tree where the Children of the Forest created the first White Walker, kinda like a twisted calling card (said the guy who plays the Night King in an interview).

[Wilson Hall]

My predictions after these first two episodes:

Jon will die, again, during or just after the great battle but Dany is pregnant with their child

...

Dany, finding the Iron Throne turned to slag by the fire, returns north to Winterfell to rule from there and raise Jon's child.  Sansa is keeping a close eye on her as the madness that took her grandfather seems to be coming for her.  Arya, pregnant with Robert Baratheon's grandchild, is Dany's hand.  The wheel is set for another round of fights for the Seven Kingdoms with the heirs to the Targareon, Baratheon, and Starks (through Sansa) still around.

This has to be my favorite set of predictions thus far. What about House Lannister? Cersei was told about the death of her children, but as someone mentioned upthread, Maggy's prediction was in one of the books, not the series. What are the odds that Cersei would flee KL, go into hiding, and survive long enough to give birth? If this doesn't happen, might Jaime or Tyrion live long enough to father the last scion of the Lannister dynasty?

[simonsez]

But before that happens, anyone have any intel or theory on the iconography we saw back Last Hearth --- that spiral sun design?  It seems like it must be quite important for the Night King's army to have spent that time and effort on but I can't think what it could mean.

It's a perversion of the stone layout around the weirwood tree where the Children of the Forest created the first White Walker, kinda like a twisted calling card (said the guy who plays the Night King in an interview).

Agreed, same pattern used in S3 at the Fist of the First Men I think when Mance said, "Always the artists."  However, the pilot episode had a different pattern altogether - a circle with a single line through the middle that extends on one side (kinda looked like a tree?? but hard to make out).  I'm not sure if there are multiple patterns that mean different things or if they just abandoned that and are just going with the spiral now - which is definitely from the CotF reveal in S6.

[Lulee]

This has to be my favorite set of predictions thus far. What about House Lannister? Cersei was told about the death of her children, but as someone mentioned upthread, Maggy's prediction was in one of the books, not the series. What are the odds that Cersei would flee KL, go into hiding, and survive long enough to give birth? If this doesn't happen, might Jaime or Tyrion live long enough to father the last scion of the Lannister dynasty?

Pretty sure Jaime told Tyrion that he thinks Cersei lied about the baby so that's a dead end for their house.  Unless her new boy toy Euron does as he promised and gets her "with a prince".  We've lost a few houses in these wars and will likely lose a number more before it's done.  All of them if they don't stop the Night King, of course.

I truly think the only one who MIGHT make it from House Lannister is Tyrion and he's becoming so broken that after losing the remaining ones of his family, he probably won't have a life that would include kids of his own.  I'm pretty sure there was an episode that mentioned the prophecy Maggy gave Cersei but it was a long, long way back, maybe pre-Joffrey death so I've always expected Tyrion to be the one to do her in (though someone else pointed out that Jaime is also her younger brother by minutes).  The only twist would be him doing it out of mercy instead of hate like she's shown him his whole life.

I don't know the whole Westeros history but this bloody Iron Throne is seeming a bit cursed, isn't it?  Mad King - dead by Jaime to save the people of Kings Landing.  Robert Baratheon - dead by Cersei's machincations.  Joffrey - dead and deservedly so.  Cersei is getting less and less human the longer she sits on it and lots of us are predicting her death before it's all over.  I'd love for it to be destroyed so Dany never sits on it but then, it's the power of the king/queen-ship and the struggle to keep it that's really corrupting so physical throne or no, Dany's in danger of becoming the next "mad" ruler.

Thanks @simonsez and @Wilson Hall and @Philociraptor for the info on the patterns.  I found a link on another site (https://decider.com/2019/04/15/game-of-thrones-white-walkers-spiral-symbols-meaning/) that did cover some of the iconography that had been puzzling me.  Having clues spread out over the years makes it hard to pull all the threads together.

[Kris]

This has to be my favorite set of predictions thus far. What about House Lannister? Cersei was told about the death of her children, but as someone mentioned upthread, Maggy's prediction was in one of the books, not the series. What are the odds that Cersei would flee KL, go into hiding, and survive long enough to give birth? If this doesn't happen, might Jaime or Tyrion live long enough to father the last scion of the Lannister dynasty?

Pretty sure Jaime told Tyrion that he thinks Cersei lied about the baby so that's a dead end for their house. Unless her new boy toy Euron does as he promised and gets her "with a prince".  We've lost a few houses in these wars and will likely lose a number more before it's done.  All of them if they don't stop the Night King, of course.

I truly think the only one who MIGHT make it from House Lannister is Tyrion and he's becoming so broken that after losing the remaining ones of his family, he probably won't have a life that would include kids of his own.  I'm pretty sure there was an episode that mentioned the prophecy Maggy gave Cersei but it was a long, long way back, maybe pre-Joffrey death so I've always expected Tyrion to be the one to do her in (though someone else pointed out that Jaime is also her younger brother by minutes).  The only twist would be him doing it out of mercy instead of hate like she's shown him his whole life.

I don't know the whole Westeros history but this bloody Iron Throne is seeming a bit cursed, isn't it?  Mad King - dead by Jaime to save the people of Kings Landing.  Robert Baratheon - dead by Cersei's machincations.  Joffrey - dead and deservedly so.  Cersei is getting less and less human the longer she sits on it and lots of us are predicting her death before it's all over.  I'd love for it to be destroyed so Dany never sits on it but then, it's the power of the king/queen-ship and the struggle to keep it that's really corrupting so physical throne or no, Dany's in danger of becoming the next "mad" ruler.

Thanks @simonsez and @Wilson Hall and @Philociraptor for the info on the patterns.  I found a link on another site (https://decider.com/2019/04/15/game-of-thrones-white-walkers-spiral-symbols-meaning/) that did cover some of the iconography that had been puzzling me.  Having clues spread out over the years makes it hard to pull all the threads together.

No, he told Tyrion that part was real -- that she is indeed pregnant.

[Telecaster]

Here's my prediction: 

The battle for Iron throne is small potatoes compared to defeating the Night King.  We're only coming up on Episode 3, so I think the Night King needs to remain in the picture for a while longer.  So....

The Night King wins at Winterfell!  But emerges greatly weakened.   The survivors fall back, but now Cersei realizes that she is that last thing between humanity and the Night King (and her goal of ruling the Seven Kingdoms) and she must mobilize the Golden Company and the Iron Fleet against the Night King.

There is another epic battle, where the Cersei-led forces emerge victorious, and then the battle for the Iron Throne begins.

[BicycleB]

This has to be my favorite set of predictions thus far. What about House Lannister? Cersei was told about the death of her children, but as someone mentioned upthread, Maggy's prediction was in one of the books, not the series...

...I'm pretty sure there was an episode that mentioned the prophecy Maggy gave Cersei...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6kQJ9HPpQ4

[bacchi]

I considered Theon expendable until I saw Sansa's reaction to him.

Yeah, I thought Theon was a goner too but Sansa really missed him (and forgave him). He has more atonement to do but it could be gained by defending bran.
 

My attempt at a prediction is that the Hound will die and Arya will kill the Mountain using his face.

Yes, and it fulfills (book) prophecy too. Does Arya gain stature, though, when she takes a face? It won't fool anyone if the Hound has shrunk to 5'0".

[simonsez]

This has to be my favorite set of predictions thus far. What about House Lannister? Cersei was told about the death of her children, but as someone mentioned upthread, Maggy's prediction was in one of the books, not the series...

...I'm pretty sure there was an episode that mentioned the prophecy Maggy gave Cersei...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6kQJ9HPpQ4

Valonqar is book-only, no mention of that part on show.

[Psychstache]

I don't know the whole Westeros history but this bloody Iron Throne is seeming a bit cursed, isn't it?  Mad King - dead by Jaime to save the people of Kings Landing.  Robert Baratheon - dead by Cersei's machincations.  Joffrey - dead and deservedly so.  Cersei is getting less and less human the longer she sits on it and lots of us are predicting her death before it's all over.  I'd love for it to be destroyed so Dany never sits on it but then, it's the power of the king/queen-ship and the struggle to keep it that's really corrupting so physical throne or no, Dany's in danger of becoming the next "mad" ruler.

Iirc, in the books there was mention of a past king who was literally killed by the Iron Throne. Accidently impaled on one of the swords.

[wenchsenior]

And did anyone else notice the Ghost cameo?

And well done Arya and Gendry.

Yeah, Ghost looked small and had no interactions.  Wish they could've done a little more there but ah well, great episode.  The audience knows a lot of information at this point and am glad they can imply things we already know without having to spell it out between every character that was previously in the dark about something.  e.g. Jon saying his mother died giving birth with all the bloody details didn't come from Sam, obviously he has chatted in depth with Bran about things even though they haven't shown Bran talking with anyone except Tyrion this past ep.

Glad Ned and Robert finally "joined their houses", especially since Joff didn't even have his DNA. ;-) 

I'm betting something is going to occur next ep that doesn't bring a conclusion to the White Walkers.  I mean, they were the real threat in the pilot episode and their mythology and background has been teased - would be a letdown if they get wiped out in a single episode and it's back to humans squabbling with other humans. 

Spoiler: show

I'm prepared to say goodbye to Tormund, Jorah, Beric, Theon, and Grey Worm next ep - should be brutal! Pod, Davos, Gendry, and Sandor are quite possible, too.

In the preview for next week it looked like Jon drawing his sword in the godswood, presumably to take on the NK after Theon has just died protecting Bran if I had to guess.  I don't think it ends there.  Something either with the crypts (seriously, they mentioned the crypts too often and with the book foreshadowing of the statues seeming to watch passerbys and Robb and Jon's dreams, I feel like something supernatural will happen down there), Bran, dragon-riding, Jon/Daeny, or some combo will create a diversion.  We know Bran is the NK target, if he gets whisked away by Jon or Daeny on a dragon to KL or somewhere south with the NK in tow - does that save Winterfell (since the wights raised by NK would follow) and hold off the White Walker question until the finale? 

Spoiler: show

I fully expect the night king will resurrect the bones of all the dead starks resting in the crypts, who will kill off a bunch of the innocents hiding there.

Dammit, my husband said the same thing.  I don't want it to be true, but it wouldn't surprise me.

Great episode (which we had to watch a few days late).  I've been waiting for these kind of scenes for soooo long.  Also, I have fully expected Grey Worm to die SO MANY times before, so you'd think I'd be fully emotionally prepared going into this battle...but I felt stupidly weepy every time he was onscreen. Who knew I'd get so attached?  Damn you, show. ETA: Obv knighting Brienne was great, but I was also surprised how I welled up at Theon's scene.  That little asshole has come a long way.

[itchyfeet]

I actually don't think Jaime is on the chopping block in this battle,

He and Tyrion are safe for now since they aren't going to waste the setup with Bronn from Ep. 1

I think Jaime could be killed. It would really isolate Cersei even more. The last person she cares about killed. Then it’s Cersei v the world. They’d still have Bron v Tyrion to play with. That would be an interesting scene.

I think there will be quite a few deaths. Beric for sure. Maybe Davos. Gilly and little Sam to be turned to Whitewalkers, and little Sam to attack Sam - that’d be stuff of nightmares. I am interested to see what happens with Sansa. They can’t really kill her off yet after setting up the tension with Dany. So she survives. No idea about Arya. Maybe killed trying to save the Hound. The Houmd has to survive. Surely there will be Clegane bowl. Jon and Dany definitely both survive I’d say.

[boy_bye]

Great episode (which we had to watch a few days late).  I've been waiting for these kind of scenes for soooo long.  Also, I have fully expected Grey Worm to die SO MANY times before, so you'd think I'd be fully emotionally prepared going into this battle...but I felt stupidly weepy every time he was onscreen. Who knew I'd get so attached?  Damn you, show. ETA: Obv knighting Brienne was great, but I was also surprised how I welled up at Theon's scene.  That little asshole has come a long way.

Hahahahah that was EXACTLY my reaction to Theon's return. I was like, damn, I have been over his shit for so long, why is there water welling up in my eyes???

[Travis]

I don't know the whole Westeros history but this bloody Iron Throne is seeming a bit cursed, isn't it?  Mad King - dead by Jaime to save the people of Kings Landing.  Robert Baratheon - dead by Cersei's machincations.  Joffrey - dead and deservedly so.  Cersei is getting less and less human the longer she sits on it and lots of us are predicting her death before it's all over.  I'd love for it to be destroyed so Dany never sits on it but then, it's the power of the king/queen-ship and the struggle to keep it that's really corrupting so physical throne or no, Dany's in danger of becoming the next "mad" ruler.

Iirc, in the books there was mention of a past king who was literally killed by the Iron Throne. Accidently impaled on one of the swords.

Not impaled, but nicked and cut enough to die from infection. In the books the throne is described as not just a chair with swords sticking out of the back, but rather having sharp or incomplete edges all over the place.  Aegon's philosophy was that nobody should sit comfortably on so important of a seat.

[FIRE Artist]

A little gem.

https://youtu.be/jsYAYXeVtoM

[redbirdfan]

Does Arya gain stature, though, when she takes a face? It won't fool anyone if the Hound has shrunk to 5'0".

I believe so.  No one seemed to think anything was off when she took out House Frey.  The magic that allows her to change faces must somehow allow a complete physical transformation. 

I really don't trust Varys right now.  I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to take Dany out bc he thinks Jon would be better "for the realm".  We had a lot of feel good moments from the main characters last episode and Varys was barely in the show.  He hasn't seemed to trust Dany ever since she fried the Tarlys.  It probably wouldn't take much to convince him that Dany was beginning to exhibit "Mad Queen" tendencies. 

[doggyfizzle]

Does Arya gain stature, though, when she takes a face? It won't fool anyone if the Hound has shrunk to 5'0".

I believe so.  No one seemed to think anything was off when she took out House Frey.  The magic that allows her to change faces must somehow allow a complete physical transformation. 

Does Arya have to kill the person to assume their face?  I don’t have much in the way of ideas on how it ends (because my favorite characters from the book - Dorne - kind of seem to have been left out and I would have figured they would be important to Dany and Jon somehow as loyal to the Targaryens), but I think Arya will kill Cersei using Jamie’s face after he dies in battle somehow.  Thus, The prophecies surroundings Cersei’s death (killed by younger sibling, someone “more beautiful”) will be fulfilled.  I’m also a bit annoyed at the lack of involvement of the Iron Bank and citizens of Essos, since so much wealth has been tied up in keeping the Lannister’s in power in Kings Landing.

[Kris]

OMFG.

I’m gonna need therapy after that.

[wenchsenior]

I pretty much called the deaths...actually, I slightly overestimated the body count for this ep.  And I thought I was ready for this whole shebang to be over, but now that characters are dying I realize I'm not really.  Nope. Really not ready.   Great moment for Sansa and Tyrion...both actors giving their all with no dialogue. 

[Longwaytogo]

Looks like I chose an appropriate night to break out the White Walker special edition!!

What a freaking episode, so GOOOOOD.

[Philociraptor]

Not gonna lie, that episode upset me. Not because of deaths, but because of lazy writing. And I know they may have been forced into some plots due to time constants and other factors, but there were just so many issues with the episode... I sure hope there's a book announcement soon.

[Nick_Miller]

I'm also more than a little disappointed. It just feels like everything that happens in the next 3 episodes is more just the resolution instead of the climax. But maybe the writers will prove me wrong! I hope they do! I guess we'll see how decimated the good guys' forces are (look to be pretty damn decimated). How do they even have an army left? (no Dothraki, at least 50% of the Unsullied had to die, probably more. That leaves Northerners and Wildlings (fighting not for their home anymore, but for this Dragon Queen? really?)

I still give it a 7.5/10 for the cool visuals (Dothraki flaming swords going out; damn that was an AWESOME scene), the Ayra scene (no, not THAT scene, but the scene where she's hiding from the wraiths in the library; that was TENSE), and the Night King raising allllllllll the dead like 2/3 into the battle, thus making the insurmountable odds even more insurmountable.

But it was a shame that so much of it was so hard to see. I mean, the Battle of Helms Deep took place at night too, but we could make out what was going on. With all the fire and snowstorms and the darkness, oh the darkness!, I think it all actually lessened the tension as opposed to heightening it. I couldn't get too nervous for Jamie and Brienne and Tormund and others because I couldn't f'ing see what they were doing most of the time.

MVP: I could say Arya, but that would be too easy. So, I say Melisandre! She...

1) flamed up the Dothraki! (didn't help)
2) flamed up the barrier! (this did help! bought them a bit of time!)
3) reminded Arya of what she needed to do (sort of important!)

[Cromacster]

Not gonna lie, that episode upset me. Not because of deaths, but because of lazy writing. And I know they may have been forced into some plots due to time constants and other factors, but there were just so many issues with the episode... I sure hope there's a book announcement soon.

I really enjoyed the episode.  The tension and the cinematics were great.  A very fun watch.  It was also sad that we essentially watched the end of the Dothraki.

But yes, looking back on it there are many convenient survivals (the dead can swarm and almost take down a dragon, but a knight backed into a corner with a sword can fight them off....).  One of the reasons I love GoT is they have tried to avoid this, but it's a TV show.  And this episode was entertaining if you avoid thinking too hard about it.

I figured the crypts would have played a more pivotal or symbolic role.  I was wrong on that front, no magic stark powers.

[Cromacster]

But it was a shame that so much of it was so hard to see. I mean, the Battle of Helms Deep took place at night too, but we could make out what was going on. With all the fire and snowstorms and the darkness, oh the darkness!, I think it all actually lessened the tension as opposed to heightening it. I couldn't get too nervous for Jamie and Brienne and Tormund and others because I couldn't f'ing see what they were doing most of the time.

I felt like I was able to see just fine, although my TV really struggled to keep the picture right.  The brightness seemed to be flickering from dark to light constantly without the scene even changing.  My TV is from 2007 so I don't have high expectations with my 720p 60hz refresh rate.

I didn't really notice it once the fighting started, but the calm and dark scenes before the fighting started really had me wondering if something was wrong with my TV.

[BicycleB]

I actually thought the frequent dark was a decent choice. It conveyed that part of the battle's difficulty is, it's just so hard to see. We felt as the characters did, lost and confused by not being able to see what's going on.

Agree re Melisandre. She really came through.

Not sure whether the writing was lazy, but definitely noticed that Arya's final blow against the Night King echoed her movements in her original meet/challenge of Brienne from when she took Brienne as her sparring partner at Winterfell earlier in the series. More broadly, she's always practiced shifty use of small blades as her technique for fighting larger powerful opponents.

I did feel there's been enough tension within and between various story lines, plus enough mystery in general, that when the battle resolved in a manner that could almost reasonably be imagined, it was almost disappointing.

One thing I liked though was the Theon-and-Arya combo. It seemed that in and of itself, Theon's courageous final charge was a useless failure, like many of the hapless attempts that formed his story. But by giving just enough time and distraction for Arya to approach, he enabled her to save the day. (Well, the night.)

[Jon_Snow]

It's very tough for me to be overly critical. It's a miracle that we are getting something like this on television at all. Sure, the show runners could have made some different choices (less shaky cam, more lighting)...but considering the constraints they are working under - limited episodes to work with, and a lazy author who is providing the source material - I found it fairly incredible overall.

I watched this with my DW in Mexico via Slingbox (allowing us to mirror our home TV 3000km to the north), so the picture quality wasn't ideal, making it even harder to pick out details in an already darkly lit episode. Once we get back north, I cannot wait to watch this on our home HDTV.

My DW and I went for a run this morning, and while running I coughed and my chewing gum went flying out of my mouth....but in Arya-like fashion with the dragonglass dagger, my hand darted out and I caught the gum and popped it back in my mouth. It was a delightfully nerdy/athletic moment for me. :)