The final season of Game of Thrones has finally started. I’ll warn you right away, if you want to avoid spoilers, stop reading now.
It was a pretty good episode. You should consider go watching it.
Are we alone now?
Great! Not very much happened at all to settle many of the outstanding lines that we’ve covered previously, but we did learn plenty that could help point to a few endings. We’ve got updated odds for you, care of Bodog.
Cersei Lannister is still favored to die, and specifically in episodes 5 or 6 (1/5). I’ve gone on record saying I think she’ll finish as Queen, and I’m not ready to back off of that bet just yet, so I like her to not die at all (11/2). If you think they might kill her off earlier though, episode 2 would a big long shot (50/1), with episodes 3 or 4 slightly more likely (4/1).
The odds have shifted again on the question of if Tyrion will ride a dragon. Considering we saw Jon Snow ride the only available, really alive dragon, I think that can be safely ruled out (1/3), but you could always bet on the long shot (2/1). Maybe he hitches a ride?
A wager we haven’t covered previously was when the Clegane Bowl will happen. I still like The Hound to win (who is now favored), and considering the previews for episode 2 suggest we’ll have plenty of fighting in the north before Sandor and Gregor meet again, I think we’re much more likely to have this near the end, in episodes 5/6 (10/13) than we are in the first stretch of episodes 1-4 (1/1).
Sansa, who’s really starting to become the cunning leader herself, doubted Tyrion’s trust in Cersei. The odds still favor him having a secret pact with the Queen (1/2), but I just don’t want to believe it and bet he doesn’t (6/4).
Speaking of Sansa, if I had to hedge my Cersei bet to rule Westeros at the end of the season, it would be on the Lady of Winterfell, Sansa Stark. She’s shot up the rankings (5/1), passing Daenarys, and she’s really showing a knack for leading her people and considering more than just the big bad white walkers.
She’s still not at the top of the odds though. That honor goes to Jon Snow (9/4), who now knows he’s the rightful ruler of Westeros, and also Daenerys Targaryen’s blood relative. Does that really matter though? Snow hasn’t had a title he’s wanted to keep in eight seasons.
He didn’t want to be a bastard. He didn’t want to stay dead. He didn’t want to be Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch after he was resurrected. He didn’t want to be King in the North after he slept with his aunt.
I just don’t see him fighting to be King of Westeros.
That’s certainly some ways off though. The Night King appears to be coming fast, so if there’s some middling characters in Winterfell who don’t factor into Kings Landing drama (Tormund Giantsbane and maybe Theon Greyjoy come to mind), bet on them to perish first anyway you can; it looks like a lot of blood will be spilt this Sunday.
