‘Game of Thrones’: 6 burning questions we want answered in season 7 finale
The season finale of “Game of Thrones” has come with a swiftness — shocking the systems of its fans. How can seven episodes have sped by in a dragon’s heartbeat?
The HBO series based on George R.R. Martin’s epic fantasy novels now is out there on its own, well divergent from the books and in the hands of series creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. Starting Sunday at 9 p.m., we get the last episode of season seven, with one season more to go.
These questions are for the initiated, but here’s a quick setup: A battle is being waged for the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, with Daenerys Targaryen and Cersei Lannister each claiming the throne. Jon Snow, the ruler in the North, has heralded a more important fight for all involved.
The trailer for the finale shows armies and armadas gathering and a long-awaited reunion of the Lannister siblings — Cersei, Jaime and Tyrion — meeting with Jon Snow. He tells them what he has been saying for several seasons now: “There is only one war that matters.” That would be the one against the marching White Walkers, an army of undead that had been kept at bay in the tundra of the far north.
In the penultimate episode, Viserion, one of three fire-breathing dragons that are the children of Daenerys, has been killed and resurrected as a White — Flyer? At any rate, he will be available to the Night King, leader of the White Walkers, while Dany still has two dragons at her beck and call.
With that in mind, here are a half-dozen burning questions that we hope will be answered in Sunday night’s episode, which at almost 80 minutes is the longest of the season:
1. Fire can kill a White Walker, so what does that mean for undead dragon Viserion? Will a blue-eyed dragon destroy with ice instead of fire? (Side note: We don’t think it will be explained why Jon Snow & Co. faced the White Walkers with six comrades and no plan, but it would be nice.)
2. Daenerys and Jon Snow are related, but through a labyrinth of deceit and good intentions, Jon’s true parentage is unknown to them
and most everyone else. They also obviously are attracted to each other, so the idea of Dany and Jon hooking up comes with a little bit of ewww. But then again, this is a show in which twins Cersei and Jaime are lovers. So, what are they waiting for? (Side note: Are Samwell Tarly and Gilly the keys to Jon learning the truth?)
3. Cersei, the ruthless queen in King’s Landing, has arranged for a supposed truce to chat about “the game of thrones” for Westeros. Is this a trap? We expect so and also expect that question to be answered.
4. The Greyjoy family — siblings Theon and Yara, and Uncle Euron — is one big mess. Theon is sorely in need of redemption for his cowardice when Yara was kidnapped by Euron. Their uncle delivered Yara to Cersei as part of a “gift,” hoping to gain the queen’s favor. They were forgotten in the penultimate episode, so we’re wondering if their family drama will play a role in the finale.
5. Jon’s “sisters” — as it turns out, his cousins — Arya and Sansa Stark, are back home at Winterfell, the land closest to the White Walkers. They are feuding and being manipulated by that snake in the grass Littlefinger. Will Arya, a supposedly intuitive warrior, wise up? Sansa knows Littlefinger is a creep, but she owes him. Will she see the light? (And how could Sansa send Brienne of Tarth away at a time like this!) OK, that’s more than one question, but an outcome for the Arya-SansaLittlefinger scenario has to come before the final minutes, doesn’t it?
6. And then there’s the other surviving Stark sibling, Bran. He still looks like a brooding, paralyzed teen, but he actually has morphed into the Three-Eyed Raven. In a dream state, he can insert himself into the past. His visions may include the future, but “GoT” has not made that a definitive power — at least not yet. Bran does have knowledge of past events in which he was not present. Shouldn’t his powers be put to use as one war or the other approaches?
Sunday night can’t get here soon enough for the answers. And no matter how much we learn, it will be torture for fans until next season. How long will we have to wait? The only answer we have is that it will begin filming in October.