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How do?

First up, no spoilers from me, as I’ve studiously avoided them all so far. I’d rather watch each episode as it comes, and witness the twists, turns and surprises as they occur.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t speculate! And I’ll kick us off.

I don’t think anyone is going to win The Iron Throne. Rather, I fear Westeros is already lost. Not only are forces hopelessly divided and denuded following years of internecine conflict, but they’re fighting The Undead. So every loss only adds to the foe’s might. The best chance is to take them on as a cohesive whole, in one massive battle. So instead, I can see Daneyrs and Jurn Snurr potentially returning to Essos to rule there instead.

Or? The Night King is dealt with in relatively short order. After all, he has one Dragon. Dany has two. And he’s kinda lynchpin to the Undead, in the greatest of Undead traditions. Take him out, and who knows what havoc that’d wreak on his forces? Get in quick enough (likely around Winterfell, given jog’rphy), and there’s a real potential the Undead threat is stopped right there and then.

I also really cannot see Cersei making it through this. She’s alienated everyone. Even her brother. I suspect she may lose the child she’s carrying - and that will finally drive her full on tonto over the edge hatstand frying pan. And I’m fairly sure Magy’s prophecy does not relate to Tyrion. We discovered in Season 7 that High Valyrian’s word for Prince is gender neutral. Mayhap it’s the same for siblings? Either way, there’s a lot of younger brothers that’d quite happily choke the life from her (including Jurn Snurr/Aegon Targaryen).

It’s really difficult to call. Not only are there lots of irons in the fire (and ice. Teehee) but the show is known for bucking predictability!

Right, what are your predictions? If any are based on spoilers for the coming season, I’m sure I don’t need to tell you to use Spoiler Tags. But I just did. There. Did you see?

I really do think that the Undead get dealt with in the first half of the final season, and then the second half is the survivors battling it out until someone is left in charge in the Iron Throne.

And that someone might very well be no one we expect to be there.

And weren't there rumors of 'an even bigger threat' getting kicked about a while back?

I honestly don’t know. So studious in avoiding all spoilers have I been, Ive even scarpered at the merest mention of a rumour!

Golden Company? I really don’t think they’re gonna work out for Cersei. Indeed, one suspects Daario Naharis, left in Mereen (I’m sure it was in Mereen) still has a role to play. I’d piss myself if he’s arranged for The Second Sons to take the place of the Golden Company. Mercenaries......attack! No! Not meeeeeeeeee!

I was hugely disapointed they are making Cersei a obvious villian - far more interesting to have a be a vital part of the defeat of the dead and then get betrayed herself.

Agreed - I really hope the dead are defeated quickly and we look at the more brutal human world.

What I want:
The Dead are destroyed, the following die: Jon Snow, Cersei (see above), fat Sam,
Dany, her dragons and Tyrion rule the seven kingdoms.

What I think will happen
Everything will hinge on some nonsense that Sam unvcovers and bloody Jon Snow will end up being king, everyone else of any worth (Dany, Sansa, Missandre, Grey worm etc) having sacrifced themsleves for him and won his battles for him (as always)

If they kill Sam, Gendry or Pod, I riot.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
If they kill Sam, Gendry or Pod, I riot.

I would raise a glass to the screen and smile.

Then I’ll put my screen through you, and send your glass the bill!

No killing Sam, Gendry or Pod. Spesh not Sam.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Then I’ll put my screen through you, and send your glass the bill!

No killing Sam, Gendry or Pod. Spesh not Sam.

I can't see him dying as he has a sickeningly deep layer of plot shields.

I'm predicting they are setting up Cersi as the big villain, but she will do a complete 180 and save the day all the sudden and be like "i have returned to you at the turn of the tide" gandalf style. Then hopefully get eaten by an undead giant right after.

Cersei will die in childbirth. The prophesy was she'll have three children and younger brother will kill her.

My thoughts since end of last season were:

Jon Snow and Daenerys share the throne (which is a shame as they are the two most insufferable characters going).

Sansa is warden of the north, married to Tyrion (she's come a long way and my favourite at the moment).

Jamie kills Cersi. Either he or Brienne get killed, but we have to put up with some uncomfortable will-they-won't-they emotional connection stuff first.

Mountain kills the Hound.

 Eldarain wrote:
Cersei will die in childbirth. The prophesy was she'll have three children and younger brother will kill her.

Oh, clever there!

Clever indeed!

I like it!

And suitably GRRM and grim too!

Didnt she have three children already? Geoffry, Tommen and the girl?
And I feel as if killing her in childbirth is a bit of a copout, she has been destroying westoros from the beggining, this entire chain of events started with her.
My speculation is that after the war with the undead the kingdoms are left is disarray and all fighting amongst themselves, creating the same situation from what happened before all of westoros was captured. The North will gain the territory north of the wall and become a powerhouse.

Both her and the child could die. Bonus karma points if the baby is a dwarf. Only see it playing out if they give her a somewhat redemptive storyline. If she stays the Mad Queen it will probably fall to Jaime yet again.

Good point - loophole potential if here child dies before birth, killing her too?

Too explainy though - so the current child must not make it to birth, and then Jamie offs her.

Jamie is the younger twin, right?

 Alpharius wrote:
Jamie is the younger twin, right?

Yes. They mentioned several times in the books that Jaime is younger by a few minutes.

My guesses:

Bran becomes the Night King via time travel shenanigans

Sam kills him, because Sam is Azor Ahai

The Hound kills the Mountain but is mortally wounded

Jaime kills Cersei but dies himself at some point later

I don't see a happy ending for Jon Snow and Daenerys. If that is what happened, it would be a pretty big letdown after the whole thrust of the show being about subverting tropes. I think they both die somehow but I can't really guess how.

Bronn, Tyrion, Brienne, Pod, and Arya are too popular to kill and I bet they make it. I'm not so sure about Gendry.

The ending I'd like to see would be the Night King wins, sits on the Iron Throne, and permanent winter, forever.

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
And I feel as if killing her in childbirth is a bit of a copout, she has been destroying westoros from the beggining, this entire chain of events started with her.

Hardly. In some ways Cersei is a victim of circumstance as much as anyone. Petyr Baelish is who started it all - by killing Jon Arryn and framing the Lannisters for it the letter to Catlyn and the attempt on Bran's life. While Cersei did some monstrous things later, you should reconsider her actions the beginning of the show while she was being accused of things she did not do.

 Ouze wrote:

The ending I'd like to see would be the Night King wins, sits on the Iron Throne, and permanent winter, forever.

That would be...

...awful.

Potentially 'appropriate' but yeah, awful.

It would be amazing! All of that, and then evil triumphs anyway! No rabbit out of a hat, no last minute hail mary.

In a way, yes.

But I can't see the ultimate payoff of this whole thing being that.

We're bound to get something dumb like all the heavy hitters dead, and...Sam on the throne.

Or something similar.

I have a theory that Cersei's baby is actually already dead....

There's a scene where Qyburn comes in for Cersei's "treatment" which I think is related to the baby.

I think he is using the same forbidden knowledge that he used to resurrect the mountain.

I don't know where or why I came up with this theory, and I'm not saying Cersei's somehow bringing back her dead children, but I think maybe the baby died in the womb and Qybur has somehow kept it "alive" because Cersei is a bit unhinged about losing her other children.

I think this somehow also gives her some sort of connection to the undead via Qyburn and that once Jaime finds out how far gone Cersei is he will kill her, if her baby doesn't kill her first.

Anyway, that's my bonkers theory out there in the open, lol..

 Ouze wrote:
Bran becomes the Night King via time travel shenanigans

I really, really, really hope this doesn't happen. Like, at all.

I don't see a happy ending for Jon Snow and Daenerys. If that is what happened, it would be a pretty big letdown after the whole thrust of the show being about subverting tropes. I think they both die somehow but I can't really guess how.

Yeah, I don't see Daenerys making it out of the story alive. Jon I think is a little more of a tossup.

Bronn, Tyrion, Brienne, Pod, and Arya are too popular to kill and I bet they make it. I'm not so sure about Gendry.

Ayra dies and dies in the first half of the season. The others have a good chance of making it though.

The ending I'd like to see would be the Night King wins, sits on the Iron Throne, and permanent winter, forever.

 Alpharius wrote:
In a way, yes.

But I can't see the ultimate payoff of this whole thing being that.

We're bound to get something dumb like all the heavy hitters dead, and...Sam on the throne.

Or something similar.

I think GRRM has said that his ending will be bittersweet.

Of course, who knows where the showrunners will go with it.

I remember GRRM saying that, but since GRRM will never actually finish the series, we'll be left with what the TV series tells us!

Well, in terms of the ending? It is an ending, so less concern about future viewing figues - if we discount the spinoffs.

Got to be a hard job though, providing a non-predictable, but still satisfying conclusion.

At the end of the almost everybody is dead, cut to

GRRM is sitting at a writing desk surrounded by books, notes and piles of screwed up paper,

he shakes his head, mutters 'well that won't work'

fade to black

...while a Journey song plays over the credits?

The Night King is defeated but without him the undead run unchecked. Jon takes the title of Night King and keeps the undead threat contained to the north.

 LunarSol wrote:
The Night King is defeated but without him the undead run unchecked. Jon takes the title of Night King and keeps the undead threat contained to the north.

There have always been plenty of dotted lines between Jon, Bran, Benjen, the Night's Watch, and the Night King. Thing is, GRRM works countless dotted lines into the text. And the showrunners elevated the Night King to give the show its Darth Vader. He's only mentioned in a story in the books, and although it *could* be meaningful or foreshadowing, it could easily be a red herring. I dunno how much GRRM's vision even matters anymore, though.

Based on what we saw from the showrunners last season, I expect a fairly straightforward resolution, with 'good' guys mostly triumphing over 'bad' guys, and BIG! STUFF! HAPPENING! to keep the masses happy. Past performance doesn't predict future results with investing, but it should be strongly considered with most other disciplines. I don't expect much subtlety, (intelligent) scheming, or many interesting twists with GRRM not involved and the big twist (Jon's parentage) already mostly resolved. *shrug*

 Alpharius wrote:
I remember GRRM saying that, but since GRRM will never actually finish the series, we'll be left with what the TV series tells us!

Oh, he'll never finish it. He took his eye off the ball and wrote himself into a Gordian knot that he can't untangle. The showrunners pulled an Alexander and clove it in two by introducing teleportation, 'splosions, weird pacing shifts, and other randomness. It's highly possible that the showrunners' ending won't be the ending that GRRM told them about. For instance, I'm not sure that Daenerys would have survived in the books, but the (much different) show version probably will.

 Alpharius wrote:
...while a Journey song plays over the credits?

Don't forget Arya trying to park a horse for 5 minutes.

 gorgon wrote:
[Oh, he'll never finish it. He took his eye off the ball and wrote himself into a Gordian knot that he can't untangle.

I agree with the latter but disagree with the latter. I think he did indeed paint himself into a corner, but I think he's going to finish the books eventually, assuming he doesn't die. He simply is going to wait to see how what the showrunners do is received and then tweak that as needed.

So far as the show, seeing a "happy" ending (or maybe we should say a traditional one?) where either Jon or Dany takes the Iron Throne and all of the well-loved heroes survive would be kind of a copout, I think.

Are people really still going on about "teleportation"? Jesus...