THE ‘SPOILS’ OF WESTEROS
Dany burns her way to the top; where’s Jaime?
Spoiler alert! Details from “The Spoils of War.” 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 a major 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 for Westeros, 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.
2 JON SNOW
Jon Snow has the rare privilege of gaining power while maintaining the moral high ground. His goal, to defeat the White Walkers 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.
3 SANSA STARK
Still ruling in Winterfell, despite the arrival of her siblings. And though her outlook on Arya’s return may have darkened, Sansa is in command of her duties and her people. 4 CERSEI 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 Braavos means she might have an investor, and she’s looking to hire mercenaries from Essos.
5 ARYA STARK
Arya’s homecoming was more 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 be messed with.
6 LITTLEFINGER
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.
7 BRAN STARK
The Three-Eyed Raven’s all-seeing power would be a little more effective if he used it for things other than being weird and reminding Arya that she made a hard choice.
8 EURON 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.
9 TYRION 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. Speaking of...
10 JAIME LANNISTER
If he’s alive, he’s not in great shape. If he’s dead, well, he’s not particularly powerful either.