THE ‘ SPOILS’ OF WESTEROS
Dany burns her way to the top; where’s Jaime?
Spoiler alert! Details from “The Spoils ofWar.”
Never bet against a dragon. Daenerys Targaryen the Unburnt stayed true to her name in the fourth episode of
Game of Thrones’ Season 7, nabbing amajor victory in her war with Cersei by riding a dragon into battle and laying waste to her enemies. She also completely upended the status quo.
We ranked the top 10 characters from Sunday’s episode based on how well they’re winning the battle forWesteros, and their own survival.
1 DAENERYS TARGARYEN
Dany was never as weak as she seemed, despite losing two battles in her war with Cersei. Those battles were lost by her allies and advisers. Dany doesn’t need help. The Dothraki aided in her victory against Jaime’s army, but it was the dragon that won the battle, both physically and emotionally, for Dany. It seems like there’s little to nothing in her way now.
2JON SNOW
Jon Snow has the rare privilege of gaining power while maintaining themoral high ground. His goal, to defeat the WhiteWalkers and save humanity is unimpeachable, and his methods are noble. He’s managed to gain dragonglass and get a step closer to allying with Dany, even if she might not be the best ally for him. Oh, and he got to knock his old tormentor, Theon, around a little bit.
3SANSA STARK
Still ruling in Winterfell, despite the arrival of her sib-
lings. And though her outlook on Arya’s returnmay have darkened, Sansa is in command of her duties and her people.
4CERSEI LANNISTER
Cersei suffered a huge defeat, but as Jaime and Lord Tarly pointed out before the battle, the gold is secure in King’s Landing. Plus, returning that gold to the Iron Bank of Braavosmeans she might have an investor, and she’s looking to hiremercenaries from Essos.
5ARYA STARK
Arya’s homecoming wasmore a show of her new skills and power than an emotional reunion. Between giving the gate guards the slip and sparring with Brienne, Arya proved to her family and any other interested parties ( cough, Littlefinger, cough) that she is not to bemessed with.
6LITTLEFINGER
We may not know what he’s up to, but Littlefinger has, well, his little fingers in all the pies in Winterfell. The master manipulator is still at Sansa’s side and he tried out his skills on Bran. It seems like he knows something or is trying to learn about Bran’s powers, and possibly use them to his advantage.
7BRAN STARK
The Three- Eyed Raven’s all- seeing power would be a littlemore effective if he used it for things other than being weird and reminding Arya that she made a hard choice.
8EURON GREYJOY
He may not have been in the episode, but he wasn’t a part of the losing army and he still has Yara captive. We guess he’ll be called upon again to help Cersei.
9TYRION LANNISTER
When your value to an aspiring ruler is advice and strategy, it would help if that advice and strategy worked. Unfortunately for Tyrion, his plans have led to Dany’s defeats so far, and her trust in him is waning. She goes against his wishes and goes into battle herself, possibly killing his brother in the process. And speaking of ...
10JAIME LANNISTER
If he’s alive, he’s not in great shape. If he’s dead, well, he’s not particularly powerful either.