Editorial/General/Speculation

Looking Forward, Game of Thrones Ep. 510: Death Odds and No Mercy

Posted on by Oz of Thrones

GOT510_111714_HS_DSC_4488[1]

Don’t look now kiddos, but here we stand at the Wall preparing for our final outing before the long nine months of desiccation.

Time flies when you’re piddling around in Dorne with half naked Sand Snakes.

Yet, we stand here nonetheless.

But we’ve got a fighting chance; an opportunity to finish strong; a revelation for what lies ahead; a favorable conclusion that will keep us engaged through the long cold nights that await; the prospect of redemption!

Are you with me? With me now! Now, with me!!….

Welcome to another round of Looking Forward, where the Dany Unsullied have apparently found a new pastime lying in the friendlier brothel bosoms, but the Unsullied non-book reader army stand ready for battle.

A man goes by Oz, consequential Lord of the small yet powerful House Oz, and is here only for your reading enjoyment and speculative amusement.

No Mercy

And now, for some full disclosure:

For those of you that digest my endless conjectures on a regular basis, you know without doubt that a man is truly Unsullied.

Oh, you’ve heard this before? Understood… but humor me for a moment. There’s a point this time.

I neither own the books nor has my flesh ever come into contact with them. Hell, I don’t even think I have seen an actual copy of any of them other than the ones hidden in the glaring displays exhibited in the middle of the local Barnes and Noble.

Years ago, in another time in another setting, a man took an oath. And a man is only as good as his word, for it is not the oath that makes us believe the man, but the man the oath.

But here is what I do know of the books, trustfully gained through honest Sullied who swore to never spoil:

In a nutshell, books Four and Five were (arguably) good, but had their fair share of wandering and travel from place to place where essentially very little of substance transpired.

Since the bulk of the product we discuss here is based (loosely according to some) on the written verse, a concern developed (in my mind, at least) on what if Season 5 somehow fell flat.

Through the first four episodes, those fears grew exponentially as the show I had been infatuated with since Ned’s head went for stroll had morphed into something I was not sure I recognized.

And let’s be honest: great television series’ are commonly judged by the entirety of the work. I’m not implying that it’s a fair method of assessment, but it is reality. And as beautifully written and constructed as Game of Thrones has mostly been for the first four seasons, it would be contemptuous for the body to be scarred by a couple of miscued beach scenes.

Yet, that is the world in which we live, especially when it comes to the fanatical fandom of GoT. Every scene analyzed. Every casting discussed. Every word dissected. Every miscue aggrandized.

There is a level of expectation, and I hold no shame in saying as much. We the viewer didn’t set the bar… you did GRRM. You did D&D. You did HBO. Hell, you more or less did it too well. To put it plainly, you spoiled us rotten, and then spoiled us in the process.

How many times have we seen the end of an episode and asked ourselves, “How in the world are they going to top this?”

And at times they haven’t. And at times, we’ve complained.

But consider what has been done in relation to what has been done before on other mediums. The whole concept revolves around the fact that no one is safe from anything. Period.

Remember the infamous “if you think this has a happy ending…” phrase?

Barristan Selmy was not going to live forever. Ramsay was not going to become a hopeless romantic just because he married a virgin. Shireen was born to a crazy woman that nurtured jar babies and was cool with her hubby bumping uglies with the Red Witch. What exactly did we expect?

Yet for whatever reason we kept watching, knowing good and damn well something hideous could occur at any given moment to even the most innocent of victims.

And it did. And the internet plunged into a dark oblivion full of terror threats of quitting the show.

Combine all of this with the whole preseason “Sight and Vision” campaign, the pesky screener leaks, the premature releases of the “Inside the Episodes” airing before the actual episode, and rumors of leaked footage and images of eps 9 and 10, and Season 5 seemed to be fucking cursed.

In a limited capacity and in the minds of many, the Kingdom, in a sense, seemed to be cracking at its foundation. Or at least, showing signs of fatigue.

Part of it is on the viewer and our heightened expectation. But part of it is also on the show runners who inadvertently raised those expectations to a height that would be almost impossible to emulate. Those other miscues are all on someone at HBO (and now, most likely, his/her watch is ended).

But then as the cold came flushing in, we were all blown off the La-Z-Boy when we were surprisingly speared in the throat by ice daggers compliments of the White Walkers at Hardhome. Go figure.

And here we stand, in unison, unwavering, waiting to see if the conclusion of this odd season will leave us shaking our heads in criticism or shaking our heads in disbelief. Or both.

One thing is certain: There will be death. And it will likely include someone of popular importance. So let’s not act like we didn’t see it coming, even if it is not yet written and for that reason we didn’t see it coming.

Death Odds

For this segment, specifically requested by @GameOverRos, @Danygonebad and @DeeSensFan, a man invested time and resources and polled a grand total of one (1) Unsullied to get her feedback on death likelihoods, transposed here as betting odds. Ozzette has a distinguished background with numbers and serves as the CFO of House Oz as well as a Certified Public Accountant in her day job.

However, no numbers here are scientific in nature. But they are emphasis driven by character. So, feel free to disagree and add your own. As per the norm, this list is not comprehensive. But no list in GoT ever was.

I am FanMan.

Meryn_Trant_S5Death Candidate: Meryn F Trant

Unsullied Death Odds: 2:1

Rationale: My personal odds on favorite for getting the business, and for reasons that need no explanation. Ozzette believes the situation is too obvious and that MFT survives. She may be right, especially if Jaqen is putting Arya through a test that she is ultimately failing by not taking care of the Thin Man.

BTW, if I ever write a novel, my nom de plume will be Meryn F. Trant.

 

RamsayDeath Candidate: Ramsay Bolton

Unsullied Death Odds: 2:1

Rationale: Ozzette’s odds on favorite for even more obvious reasons. Ramsay has somewhat tipped the bucket on perversion and barbarity to the extreme that has the general viewing public calling for his head. Add in the Shireen factor and the future for the heir to the Bolton leftovers and career as a sausage maker are very much in doubt, even if it ends up having nothing to do with Stannis. (Reeeekkkk).

Roose Bolton in Kill the BoyDeath Candidate: Roose Bolton

Unsullied Death Odds: 7:1

Rationale: The travesty here is that Roose hasn’t been seen nearly enough this season, and that is a damn shame. Apparently, James Bond Bolton has been busy off-screen prepping battle strategies against Stannis and shagging Fat Walda. Even with the Shireen factor now in place, I doubt that we lose Roose at this point in time. Roose has been a major player in the game but has not had enough emphasis this season to justify a finishing blow.

episode-50-1920

Death Candidate: Jon Snow

Unsullied Death Odds: 5:1

Rationale: Why Oz… why would you say such a thing (girls sob, women scream)? Because a mutiny at the Wall is still very possible. And that sneaky little shit Olly continues to saunter around asking questions and passing dirty looks. Going back to the emphasis conversation (see “Roose” and “lack of”), Olly has shown a pattern of discontent since Jon announced the Wildling Proclamation. You can’t blame the kid for holding a grudge, especially after reviewing the death of his parents. And the show runners aren’t throwing this in for shits and giggles. It holds meaning. And remember, Olly shot Ygritte.

It is difficult for non-book readers to fathom this possibility, but add it up: Olly; the disgruntled attitudes of the bulk of the Crows when he arrived back at the Wall; even a potential finale Walker appearance. It just doesn’t look good.

GOT510_120814_HS_DSC_7553[1]Death Candidate: Walker Stalker Sam

Unsullied Death Odds: 8:1

Rationale: Ozzette’s pick for the good guy that goes down. And due to the reasons stated in “Jon Snow,” I would tend to agree. But something tells me that if any of the above transpires, Jon will tell Sam to gather up Gilly and baby Boo and run for the hills. Should there be trouble in Icelandia, I’m convinced this will happen.

GOT509_120414_HS__DSC2864[1]Death Candidate: Stannis Baratheon

Unsullied Death Odds: 7:1

Rationale: Ozzette’s personal wish along with Red, Selyse and anyone who bear witness to the burning of the sweet Princess. And he is on the eve of battle, which puts anyone involved at risk. But nah… not yet anyway.

GOT509_120314_HS__DSC2800[1]Death Candidate: Red Velvet

Unsullied Death Odds: 3:1

Rationale: Davos. He’s taken swipes at her before, and for much less. Should this occur, the Shireen factor might not be a factor any longer assuming the work of Red Velvet dissipates if she bites the dust. Does the Lord of Light get pissed if one of his chosen goes down? If so, all bets are off.

 

 
16Death Candidate: Jaime Lannister

Unsullied Death Odds: 10:1

Rationale: Here is the problem… unfortunately, we are due a major character death, and when I say major I am speaking of a character that the large mass of viewing public perceives as a face of the show. I am convinced that the lacking storyline of Dorne was not time wasted on what amounted to an agreement for Myrcella and Trystane to ride back to the KL with no issue and an elbow to the face of Bronn. Plus, the brief scene with Ellaria and Jaime was inserted for something. Speaking of Bronn…

bronn-game-of-thrones-2Death Candidate: Bronn

Unsullied Death Odds: 5:1

Rationale: I don’t like Bronn’s odds at all, unless I was a betting man betting on demise. See “Jaime” above. If the speculative conflict arises, one stays and one goes.

GoT-s05e078Death Candidate: One or more of the Sand Snakes

Unsullied Death Odds: 3:1

Rationale: Again, assuming things aren’t roses and peaches during the exit of Dorne, Jaime and Bronn are at high risk. But they take a Snake with them. #savetyene

Other potential notables from Dorne: Doran, Ellaria, Areo, Trystane and other unnamed beach dwellers. In fact, a Trystane death might be a good bet should things go further south than they already are, upsetting the bride to be. Not included: Myrcella. You wouldn’t bring a new actor on board just to be killed, would you? Well, maybe. (See: Lord of Bones).

GOT510_110514_HS__DSC0135[1]Death Candidate: Cersei

Unsullied Death Odds: 20:1

Rationale: Cersei will likely be punished. Not executed. Unless that punishment is execution.

30Death Candidate: Jorah Mormont

Unsullied Death Odds: 25:1

Rationale: The man seems to have strategically climbed back into friend zone territory and it is unclear if anymore action awaits Meereen after the pit, other than the safe landing of Dany aboard Air Drogon. But Jorah still has the scale, and although it may not kill him, it’s a loose end that needs to be tied one way or another.

RSP (Raven Search Party) issued for: Varys and Grey Worm. Let’s not leave this dangling for nine months.

w1hVaQxDeath Candidate: Brienne

Unsullied Odds: 15:1

Rationale: Brienne is set-up to be stuck between a Wall and a Winterhell, neither of which is a friendly confine. She has no love for Stannis due to the shadow baby incident with Renly, and once she realizes how her sweet Sansa has been treated, she is likely to attempt to put Ramsay’s sausage on a stick inadvertently inventing the first Westorosi corndog. Should she become stuck in between the two, the outcome may not be favorable. But, emphasis factor. Brienne has been featured primarily camped out on Bolton’s doorsteps, so emphasis logic for death disagrees. Of course, this is also a time where D&D are prone to bend us over when we least expect it. Because, you know, that’s their thing.

Brienne and PodDeath Candidate: Podrick

Unsullied Odds: 12:1

Rationale: The odds on Pod receiving a sword to the sternum are a little better than his counterpart only because of his fighting experience. And his rabbit recipes. And his deficiencies in equestrianism. Brienne likely tells Pod to stay out of it, but if she were to get in trouble… Pod to the rescue (see Tyrion at Blackwater). Only this time, he may not walk away.

GOT510_112614_HS__DSC2095[1]Death Candidate: Sansa Stark

Unsullied Odds: 30:1

Rationale: Sansa is obviously at risk, even stating “If I’m going to die, let it happen while there’s still some of me left.” But D&D wouldn’t allow someone to be raped and killed in the same season, would they? Oh, nevermind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

GOT_MP_090214_EP508-887[1]Death Candidate: Arya Stark

Unsullied Odds: 50:1

Rationale: On the opposite end of the spectrum of Meryn F. Trant is Lanna Del Arya who is almost guaranteed a confrontation with her list headliner. But what if things go awry? What if Trant gets the best of her during the attempt? What if she never makes it that far due to her disobedience to the Many Faced God Tech Moral Code? It’s a shot in the dark, but a shot worth mentioning.

Granted, the deaths of Sansa and Arya are admittedly far-fetched and completely unlikely. But it would send shockwaves through the system putting this Season into a complete tailspin and leaving us contemplating the future of this fine programming.

It would also deem these odds utterly useless, which they are anyway.

Yet, we must hope for the unexpected. With stunning developments come abrupt and unanticipated outcomes, sometimes at the expense of the characters we adore.

But this is what we pay for with the subscription or the internet. This is why we buy the merchandise and the DVD’s and the Hodor & Bran figurines and sport GoT T-Shirts at the grocery store. This is why it’s the most talked about show online and in the office break room.

We’ve got one chance; one shot; one opportunity; one last hurrah!

You had one job, D&D. Nine months at the water cooler is a long time. At least one more time… give us something to talk about. No Mercy.

See you good-looking guys and gals Monday morning for the Ep. 10 recap. Until then, may there always be peace in your realm. -Oz

Find Oz on Twitter.

**SPOILER NOTE: The Management of this fine site would like to remind you that spoilers (book or leak) are not allowed in Unsullied posts. This includes spoilers that may be covered by code or otherwise. Personally, I appreciate feedback from Sullied and Unsullied alike, so long as they do not include any type of hinting or conversation related to the written verse. However, spoiler coded comments do tend to lead to further Sullied conversation and for that reason, we ask that you please refrain from posting any SPOILERY content whatsoever in Unsullied posts. Thank you for the coop. -Oz

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Oz of Thrones

101 Comments

  1. Look to your sins Oz of Thrones, because the night is dark and full of terrors.

    Defying Stannis is heresy.

  4. I’d LIKE it to be MFT or Melisandre or Devil Daddy Stannis but it will probably be somebody I like – I can’t think which one though, just that GRRM seems to have a propensity for sending characters I like to the Night Lands.

  6. I hope there’s not too much death. It cheapens the deaths of those that are going to go. Plus save a bit for the start of season 5…learn from this season!

  8. Ahhh I have been waiting for this all day.
    Although, a girl thanks you for delaying it, because I was super productive all day at the office. My weekend starts now with this lovely piece you have written.
    First, I forgot Ozzette was a CPA also. From one CPA to another, I agree with most of her predictions. Oh, and thanks for the mention! And for delivering my request.

    I have a really bad feeling that JS is done. It would kill me because he is my fave character, and the theory of his parentage seemed important to the story in my opinion. So I wouldn’t have expected this. For him to go at the hands of a psycho child and the rest of the ^&^&$#* night’s watch, is just plain LAME. I am truly hoping that the theory means something. And that JS’s scenes with Aemon, the statement “Kill the boy, and let the man be born”, and the Valariyian steel reveal means something more long term for my man, Jon.

    I think that there will be death in Dorne—KL. Personally, I think it may have something to do with Cersei’ flashback in episode one. Could the young queen be referring to Myrcella?

    I hope MFT dies. And I hope Arya succeeds in her missions. But where will she go from here?
    Stannis and co can go to hell. (although, that may be mel’s fave spot since its on fire)
    I am curious to see Davos; reaction when he finds out about Sweet Shireen. He could have died trying to save Gendry, I cant even imagine what he would have done to save Shireen.
    Unfortunately, I don’t think Ramsay is going anywhere. I am curious to see what happens to Sansa. I predict she runs away to look for her brothers. Sad if she heads to the wall and JS is gone 🙁 TOO MUCH STARK SUFFERING.
    As for Dany, I don’t think we would be seeing to much from her story, except where she will be going next. She cant forget to bring her two other children though!

    I wonder if we will see another WW before the season ends?
    So much will be happening next episode. Sunday cant come soon enough

  9. I think you should post odds that none of them get offed. I bet that’s about 5:1. I can only see Trant getting the business…the rest, probably not…

  10. I love your intro comments. Yes, I think expectations, including mine, have been through the roof, and may have colored reactions. But there were problems with this season – my biggest one was what was done to Dorne and the Sand Snakes.

    I am crossing my fingers that you are right about Mel, Trent and Ramsay. But this being GOT, anything is possible at this point!

  11. I fear for Jon. Now even more. Mutiny seems a bit too popular among the Night’s Watch if you remember Jorah’s dad… That might have been nice foreshadowing if Jon gets backstabbed, too.

    I would have liked to read about your odds for Tommen, Margeary and even Loras, though. There are still some threads dangling there that could easily strangle one of them.

  13. Oz, you forgot to include Myranda in your odds. I would put her up there with MFT for most likely not to see season 6.

  14. TheTouchOfFrost,

    I suppose you have a point – “it is known”.

    Deesensfan,

    Are you familiar with the French medieval chante-fable (any French people looking at this, apologies if I have spelled that wrongly) “Aucassin and Nicolette”. I had an association of ideas reading your “though that may be Mel’s fave spot as it’s on fire”. In “Aucassin and Nicolette”, Aucassin makes a speech about hell – he says he is underwhelmed by the type of people going to heaven. Of course that is all fairly tongue in cheek.

    I’d wondered long-term if Sansa might be the “younger more beautiful” queen but I don’t think we’ll see the resolution of that just yet.

  16. I hope D&D keep the “shocking deaths” to the minimun as possible, if 1-2 characters die in every single storyline, it will cheapen the story, and it will also reduce the impact of each death in particular.

  17. okay – this is pure craziness but why would they show the prophecy at the beginning if Tommen OR Myrcella weren’t going to die?

    So here’s my crazy theory:

    What if Tommen does die (don’t care on the how here).

    What if the sand snakes DO manage to kill Myrcella.

    AND…what if Stannis dies (hopefully at Brienne’s sword)?

    Nevermind who rules – this would create pure havoc as only GOT can.

  19. By and large, I’m pretty positive about the show. However, this next episode is make or break for the Dorne plotline. It’s been more or less a waste so far.

    I’m hoping for a nice GoT-style WTF moment to up the ante.

  20. if I remember correctly- there was an actor/actress who was really mad that they were killed off…

    I figured that was Ser Barristan?

  21. Well, this will likely be your last post as Unsullied, Oz (except for the recap Monday), as we’ll all be in the same boat next year !
    But I’ll still look forward to read your reviews !

  22. Fancy word for a sellsword,

    It was definitely Ian McElhinney/Barristan. I was a little upset by that as well, but I think they might’ve done that to make room for Tyrion (who still hasn’t met Dany in the damn books yet) and because he probably dies in the books anyway. So it is what it is.

  23. Arkash,

    We’re definitely not in the same boats next year- for example, Euron and some other stuff is happening next year that Unsullied people know nothing about. And us book readers do. They delayed Iron Islands (and probably some other stuff) until S6. And we still have book knowledge hinting at endgame that never made it onscreen. We are definitely not Unsullied.

  24. At this point, the only thing that would redeem Dorne is for Doran to be sitting in his chair, stroking his beard and watching Myrcella and Trystane frolick…

    while the Sand Snakes re-enact the end of Godfather.

  25. I had a weird dream and when I woke up I was 100% certain that crocodile tears prostitute is the leader of the Sons of the Harpy. If it’s not Hizzy, it has to be someone whose face we’ve seen, right? I’m betting that she’s the one. Maybe there’s a secret society of prostitutes that runs the whole city underground.

  26. Interesting discussion about the death odds.

    I wish I could contribute more since trying to avoid episode leak spoilers is impeding my ability to spend time on the site. Now I know how you unsullied feel!

    Anyway, we all knew this season might be comparatively weak due to the unadaptable nature of books 4 and 5. There have been some missteps like the rape of Sansa and the seeming pointlessness of Dorne. But they did what they could. I’ll always be grateful to the season for Hardhome alone. Here’s hoping for an impactfull finale.

  27. Why does everyone keep saying “…and Olly killed Ygritte…” like he chased Ygritte down especially because she was Jon’s wilding love? None of the Night’s Watch knew which wilding Jon bedded. They knew he had bedded a wilding, but nobody knew specifically it was Ygritte. Olly killed her because it looked like she was threatening Jon and because she was part of the raiding party on his village. I still don’t like the little shit, but just saying.

    I know I’m being picky here, but I’m feeling a bit of panic that Sunday is the last episode. I will miss your unsullied recaps, Oz, and everyone else as well. Ok, that’s it for now, back to wringing of hands and muttering to myself.

  28. Thronetender,

    The bashing of Olly has been just brutal. And considering it is being done by some of the same people most offended by the Sansa rape, it is just ridiculous.

    Hey, Mary Sues. Olly’s mother was murdered, probably sexual assaulted AND EATEN!!!! And we aren’t sure of the order. And Ygritte was part of that raiding party.

    I’m glad she’s dead and I hope she’s burning in hell. Team Olly.

  30. Sue the Fury:
    Arkash,

    We’re definitely not in the same boats next year- for example, Euron and some other stuff is happening next year that Unsullied people know nothing about. And us book readers do. They delayed Iron Islands (and probably some other stuff) until S6. And we still have book knowledge hinting at endgame that never made it onscreen. We are definitely not Unsullied.

    The Greyjoy storyline should be a small portion of AFFC and TWOW. Just cut short the trip and get them where their true purpose should be. No more, no less.

  31. WorfWWorfington,

    Yikes! Lol, Thanks for the response, Worf, but wow, I didn’t know you were that adamantly against Ygritte. I detect a bit of “end of the season angst” in you, as well. I was sad she died, and thought of the payback Karma when Olly killed her, because of all the reasons you listed. I have a feeling HBO is going to pull a fast one on us, and have Olly defend Jon when someone else attacks him.

    Did anyone else catch Kit Harington’s appearance last night on The Late Late Show with James Corden? They showed that epic scene where Jon twanged swords with the White Walker, then smashed him to smithereens. Of course, Corden asked about the finale. This is a condensation: (there was a lot of audience howling and comment from Corden in the middle)

    Corden: “Lets cut to the chase, Kit. Who is going to die on Sunday?”
    KH: “Oh, 90 per cent of the cast die… (groans) I can’t tell you… There’s HBO snipers everywhere. It’s a brutal finale. It’s dark, its gonna be eventful. It’s going to be shocking. I can’t tell you who dies. I can tell you there’s death. I can’t tell you who it is. … it’s brutal.”

    There were other comments, and talk about Kit’s other work. He’s so charming. They’d better not kill kill him.

    Sunday can’t come fast enough, yet I dread it.

  32. Thronetender,

    Yeah… I kind of went to a bad place there.

    I’m just appalled at the hate Olly is getting. I mean, I get that most shows have a character you love to hate. Kim on “24”; Larry on “Orange is the New Black” and even Ross on “Friends.”

    And if it was JUST that, I’d be OK with it. But then when you juxtapose the Olly hate with the hand-wringing over the treatment of women, it is just bizarre. I read a review of Ep. 9 that dinged the showrunners for the catcall Arya received in the street.

    But hey, Olly has to break bread with the people THAT FUCKING ATE HIS MOM!!!!!!!!!!

    Gah. I’m heading to the bad place again.

  33. Just watched the preview again and heard Jaime say “We don’t get to choose whom we love.”

    I wonder if he’s going to confess to Myrcella that he’s actually her father.

  34. MuchAndMore,

    Options are either that, him accepting Myrcella loving Trystane or perhaps a conversation with Ellaria about Oberyn and/or Cersei. Longshot is him talking about Bronn adn Tyene…which would be ridiculous.

  36. Great post. You lot that run thIs site deserve loads of credit . I’m staying for the long hiatus. I’m going to post more. keep up the good work. My predication for the break the internet moment is Jamie gets whacked by the sand snakes !

  37. What if they call themselves the Sons of the Harpy because the Harpy is just the symbol of Meereen, and not the name or title of a specific person?

    And what if the leader of the Sons of the Harpy is just one of the many nobles, or perhaps even a group of nobles working together to depose Dany and restore control of the city to the noble families?

  38. Stark Ravin’ Rad,

    I agree that they wouldn’t follow her. From the moment he appeared, I had a feeling that Yezzan would be The Harpy in the show (obviously not in the books), just because no one would suspect him. He would benefit from the fighting pits reopening, which Daenerys agreed to in order to try to apease the people of Mereen (who had been carrying attacks and ‘forced’ her to do it).

  39. Thronetender,

    The reason for the mention of Olly and yigrette is a parallel. Olly has been eyeing Jon all season. Understandbaly he hates the wildlings and hates the fact that he has brought them to the watch. I suspect that Olly will try to take a hit on Jon. The parallel here lies between Olly killing yigrette and subsequently possibly kill Jon snow… A coincidence that they reunite in heaven because of him.
    Fuck Olly.

    Excuse the typos
    I’m on my phone

  40. Deesensfan,

    LOL, your text sounded so reasonable, so calm, then … Fuck Olly. LOL, that about sums it up.

    In the meantime, what do YOU think about Kit Harington’s statement TWICE that the finale is brutal? Not that we expected less, but I’d loved to read your take on brutal. Sounds like way more than just Olly taking a stab.

    I’m kind of fearing for Jaime. We had one death, Shireen, that was forecast at every turn, and one that’s kind of expected, but to blow us away and break the internet, they’d need one that wasn’t hinted at at all.

  42. Robb Snow,

    Hey… I know you covered that spoilery part, but Oz’s posts aren’t supposed to have any spoilers AT ALL.

    There’s plenty of room on the other posts for comments like that.

  46. Thronetender,

    Oh… If Jon snow dies.. It’ll break the Internet. Most people I have spoken to think he is safe forever and Olly hasn’t even crossed their mind
    If he dies I would be so pissed
    However, I think there will be more. In my comment above I spoke about what I think will happen in dorne and kings landing. That would be crazy!!!!

    There will be more blood for sure. One of the stark girls would break the Internet .. But it’s way too early.

    Ugh! I have no idea! I’m scared

  47. bekah,

    I hope you are right about that!!! I feared it was Daario, which seemed very unlikely after ep 8, and couldn’t think of anyone else that we’d seen before. Fingers crossed on that one.

  48. In the shower today I was thinking that Daario was the Harpy? We know it wasn’t Hisdahr now and he did go to Yunkai and meet with the masters (his former employers) between season 4 and 5×01… I mean if it’s not him then I don’t think we’ll ever know.

    So I think Daario will die.

    Also I think Olly is a red herring… but I also thought Stannis would sacrifice himself to save Shireen so maybe I’m just optimistic

  50. Mormont,

    It truly did not seem like Daario had any knowledge of the harpies in ep 8. He was surprised to see them, was shocked when Hizzy was killed as he suspected him, and he took out a whole slew of harpies in addition to risking his life the whole time. I’m going with the prostitute theory. Hoping. Dany clearly needs as much protection as she can get.

  51. Deesensfan,

    You know… that honestly wouldn’t surprise me. As you say, he’s got pokers in so many fires already it’s not really a stretch to think he has at least a few in Essos. I like this idea.

    And Daario is definitely not the leader of the SOTH or even working with them in any capacity. He has advocated killing the heads of every noble family several times and has killed so many SOTH himself that it would be pointless to try counting them all.

    As I said, the leader is probably just one or more of the heads of noble families working in unison to overthrow Dany and restore rule to themselves. And the prostitute is almost surely just someone working for them. I can’t see why nobles would follow a prostitute who was probably a slave prior to Dany taking over.

  52. Tag joe,

    Perhaps he was waiting for Jorah to be killed so that he wouldn’t have to fight him to get to Dany? idk I’d prefer it to be Daario rather than some redshirt whore

  53. Robb Snow,

    Not that i subscribe to the theory, but maybe he knew that Dany would say no, or he is really trying to get rid of the masters to be the sole leader? I just want hi to die.

  55. Sue the Fury,

    And because we’ll have read The Winds of Winter by Season 6, right? #hopespringseternal

    Oz, thank you! This was great. I’d love to see a similar but Sullied post, although I’m sure it’s too late to get one in this year.

  58. Deesensfan,

    He would have cause to want Dany dead as well, especially if he knows she’s Varys’s trump card.

    One more thing about Daario: if he’s working with the SOTH and presumably wants the same thing they want, why didn’t Daario kill Dany himself? He could’ve killed her anytime and totally gotten away with it. He was standing right behind her the whole time at Daznak’s Pit. He could’ve totally just gutted her and probably everyone with her right there, especially after they’d already sprung their ambush in the Pit.

    I just think some of you are overthinking the Harpy thing a bit (that goes for book readers as well). I don’t even think there’s a single leader really, just some radical patriotic noble families working in unison to remove a foreign occupier from power. I don’t see why a Tyroshi mercenary or prostitute would have any real weight in a group like that short of just being agents of theirs, which Daario almost certainly is not given how many of them he’s killed.

    Just my two cents.

  59. Mormont,

    I don’t see that Jorah and Daario were that contentious. They have different personalities and methods and didn’t really agree on actions but ultimately they both just supported Dany. Daario did not see Jorah as a threat in my eyes. He had what he wanted being in bed with Dany. Those were his politics and there was no way Jorah could have taken that away from him. Just would not have happened. So i’m betting on the prostitute it someone connected to her.

  61. Guys we need to think BIG for breaking the internet here. People associated with the show who’ve raved about episode 10 being THE one to do it obviously think it’s more of a WTF than those with Hardhome, Daznak’s Pit, Sansa’s wedding and *sobs* Shireen. It’s gonna be an all of those combined shock factor the way they’re telling it. So going on that statement alone and ignoring boring things like common sense, my suggestions are:

    1. Everybody dies. I mean literally everyone; every living thing from single celled organisms upwards. Plus anything that ever was alive or is in any way sentient (should cover the white walkers, wights etc). Some cataclysmic natural disaster like a major asteroid strike, exploding nearby star etc. They could blow series 6 and 7’s combined budget on it as there won’t actually be anything left to show in them anyway. Saves on paying actors, producing costumes, props etc. Will make the rest of the story rather quiet plot-wise but at least series 5 will end with a bang!

    2. No one dies.     A suitable for all ages episode where there is no violence, sexual content, swearing or basically anything other than everyone being really nice to each other. In one of the books there is apparently a 12ft cake, so it can just be an hour of people sitting around with their feet up enjoying a drink and a slice of cake. Boring as hell maybe, but certainly not what anyone would be expecting.

    3. Flying zombie nazi sharks.     What do you mean why? If you don’t know you don’t deserve them! Until the rest of the books are published we can’t know for certain what will or won’t appear in them, so nothing can be completely ruled out.

    4. Sensible guesses. Again just based on the show, not including any book knowledge I’ve picked up from reading spoilers.
    Winterfell has a lot of whaaaat?!?!?! potential. It’s been drawing characters into it’s vicinity all series like a black hole. We’ve got Roose, Ramsay, Fat Walda plus unborn child, Myranda, Sansa, Theon, Stannis, Selyse, Mel, Brienne and Pod all in close proximity and most of them want to kill at least one of the others. If Stannis launches his offensive this episode, which looks likely, all hell will break loose. I can’t believe there won’t be any casualties among that lot, although no idea who. I think Sansa and Mel are the most likely to survive for the time being but I can see any of the others getting whacked, could easily be more than one of them. Please make it the bad guys for a change, this series seems even darker than usual and I need some hope!
    Dorne: something big apparently coming here too. Due to lack of time and our relative unfamiliarity with most of the characters it’ll probably be quite quick with not much warning. Either a mind-blowing plot reveal of some kind or something like a violent ambush.
    Castle Black: bad vibe central there at the moment. It seems they are setting Olly up for something, but there’s a miniscule chance it’ll be a double bluff and he’ll be forced go to the wildlings for help (Tormund if anyone), could conceivably be a lesser of two evils situation? Personally I’m just hoping for more Wun Wun (the giant) and Edd to drop the scythe again (from ep 4.09). There’s no reason to do so, I just thought it looked really cool!
    Kings Landing: No idea, but no one actually seems to be in charge at the moment, it’s an ideal LF chaos is a laddaaah scenario. Maybe the High Sparrow ends up on the Iron Throne in an aaah gotcha! moment?

    Sorry for length, feeling chatty and excitement building for sunday. Well 2am monday, I’m in the UK. Breaking the internet? Bring it on! 😀

  63. Robb Snow,

    I think you are right. He could have killed her at any time. And for what? The only thing that worried me is in the preview Tyrion says “you betrayed your queen” to no one on screen. The logical is Jorah but it made me nervous that they didn’t show the scene to see who he is talking to. If it werent for that I might not have thought about it.

  64. I want Stannis and Bronn to stick around simply because I love the performances of the actors playing them. But Bronn through his desire to retire and Stannis through Brienne’s monologue about wanting to kill him have had foreshadowing. I also on some level want non-tragic ends for both characters, which is probably impossible for Stannis. (The same with Jorah.)

    I love Iwan Theon’s performance as Ramsay, but the writing has been stuck in a holding pattern ever since he was introduced, and I would offer him up to the God of Death. Keep Roose because, as you say, he’s James Bond and nice to listen to.

  65. Ok, so someone told me the Harpy religion is led by prostitutes. It’s a different culture. I really think CTP (Crocodile Tears Prostitute) is the leader. It’s a big twist, but she’ll turn out to be someone important who was just undercover as a street ho.

  66. Both the actors who play Sansa and Ramsay said their fates are ambiguous at the end of the season.

    I wish Dany could die. The more I watch this episode, the more it makes me angry that she had time to exchange a meaningful look with Jorah when escaping the box but no time to send someone to protect Missandei or Tyrion. Jorah could die too because there’s no way he saw that harpy behind Hizdahr. And grey worm. And Daario. Can we just delete that whole storyline?

    People say Dorne was pointless, what about Meereen?

  67. Julia,

    Meereen is totally on point and Dany is the coolest character, no way she is going. If you think about the brutality towards women in GoT and the way the women rank in society (unless you are a Queen or high nobility), I think we can safely say that George is saving her for something big in the end. She is his magic. It would be very unsatisfying if a woman did not ascend to the throne in the end (Valor Morghulis) and she’s the only one that makes any real sense.

  68. Lulu’s Mum:

    2. No one dies. A suitable for all ages episode where there is no violence, sexual content, swearing or basically anything other than everyone being really nice to each other. In one of the books there is apparently a 12ft cake, so it can just be an hour of people sitting around with their feet up enjoying a drink and a slice of cake. Boring as hell maybe, but certainly not what anyone would be expecting.

    I don’t remember the 12′ cake (Joffrey’s wedding?). I only remember the ginormous pies.

  70. Roose On The Loose,
    Why thank you. Much as I would love to claim it’s my idea, it is actually a film some geniuses are making. They exceeded their 75,000 euro target on Kickstarter and are hoping to hit the big screen in 2017, where “the stage is set for the greatest flying super-mutant zombie shark air battle the world has ever seen”. If it comes out the same day as the final ever, ever episode of GoT airs I’m afraid Westeros will have to wait! 😀 http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/86685/sky-sharks-nazi-super-mutant-flying-zombie-sharks-ready-attack/

  71. Ginevra,
    I think it’s in the Alayne sample chapter that was released earlier this year? I haven’t read it but someone mentioned a 12ft lemon cake when commenting about it. I hope they weren’t exaggerating, a 12ft cake is the least she deserves! 🙂

  73. Lord Gendry of the Rowboat,
    And thank you too your rowingness. How have you been? We’ve not seen you for a while, you must have worn the oars out by now! I’m afraid I must turn down all marriage proposals as a sworn member of the Cat’s Guard. I cannot er…..*looks it up on the GoT wiki*…..own land, marry or have children. Mind you, anyone who has ‘owned’ cats can tell you they take all your time and money anyway and humans are basically just glorified slaves for them. Still at least you can have warm, furry, snuggles with them which I doubt any of Westeros’s Kings ever gave their guards, except perhaps Renly and Loras 😉

  74. Lulu’s Mum: 1. Everybody dies. I mean literally everyone; every living thing from single celled organisms upwards. Plus anything that ever was alive or is in any way sentient (should cover the white walkers, wights etc). Some cataclysmic natural disaster like a major asteroid strike, exploding nearby star etc. They could blow series 6 and 7’s combined budget on it as there won’t actually be anything left to show in them anyway. Saves on paying actors, producing costumes, props etc. Will make the rest of the story rather quiet plot-wise but at least series 5 will end with a bang!

    I agree with this ending. Also the Zombie Nazi Sharks.

    I mean GRRM did state at one point that the last book would just be pages and pages describing the icy winds whipping across the snowy remnants of Westeros where everyone has died. (It was sarcasm, in context, but I will misuse that (paraphrased) quote when it suits my purposes.)

    Oz, your predictions are interesting and well thought out.

  75. Lulu’s MuM- Well my arms are as big as The Mountain now from rowing and I’ve decided the water is the safest place to be. No Kings to burn me or White Walkers to worry about.
    I may survive the game after all.
    Anyone still taking bets? 🙂

  76. I think Oz is right about the viewers expectations. I hear a lot of people say ‘lame’ or ‘boring’ when they talk about Season 5. But look at imdb’s ratings: I think S5 tops all the other seasons.
    And I agree with those ratings. S5 just is a very good season!

  78. Nice interview about VFX https://www.yahoo.com/tv/game-of-thrones-dragons-white-walkers-vfx-121365015845.html

    This was particularly interesting paragraph
    Gower was much more cryptic about a mind-blowing VFX challenge that fans will see in Season 6… probably. “Benioff and Weiss, when they write the outline each year, for last two years, we got to this one point and we read this one gag and thought ‘Oh my God, how the hell are we going to do that? But this is going to be incredible!’ And then it got pulled and we didn’t do it in Season 4,” says Gower. “And then, lo and behold, in Season 5 there it was again. And it’s pulled again! But now, in Season 6, it looks like we’re going to do it. Fingers crossed they won’t chicken out.”

  79. Rafael:
    Nice interview about VFX https://www.yahoo.com/tv/game-of-thrones-dragons-white-walkers-vfx-121365015845.html

    This was particularly interesting paragraph
    Gower was much more cryptic about a mind-blowing VFX challenge that fans will see in Season 6… probably. “Benioff and Weiss, when they write the outline each year, for last two years, we got to this one point and we read this one gag and thought ‘Oh my God, how the hell are we going to do that? But this is going to be incredible!’ And then it got pulled and we didn’t do it in Season 4,” says Gower. “And then, lo and behold, in Season 5 there it was again. And it’s pulled again! But now, in Season 6, it looks like we’re going to do it. Fingers crossed they won’t chicken out.”

    Very interesting… what the hell could it mean? A crazy and intensive CGI sequence that at some level feels at home in Season 4, 5, or 6… something with White Walkers? Weirnet? I got nothing else.

  80. Great predictions Oz.

    I don’t know why people think Jon will die. If anything, I think Jon will kill/execute Olly for whatever Olly is going to do. Maybe Olly will kill Tormund?
    And the show already seems to have a hatred towards children/teenagers.

    And I think Cersei is to die or Myrcella or Tommen. Or maybe all three.

  82. Have to disagree with your evaluation of the season thus far, though I understand your arguments. For me it has been the 2nd best (4 being the best for me) season to date. I would say that only the Water Gardens fight was a failure. I have loved Sansa’s storyline and Ramsay’s actions were inevitable (of course this depends on the next episode mostly if I will still love it). Dorne has redeemed itself a bit, but final judgement has to wait for the finale. I think when viewed in one sitting most will see the quality of season 5. Of course, it hasn’t been for the squeamish, but the only gratuitous and useless violence was the torture of the captain by the SS.

  83. Mr Fixit: Very interesting… what the hell could it mean? A crazy and intensive CGI sequence that at some level feels at home in Season 4, 5, or 6… something with White Walkers? Weirnet? I got nothing else.

    Ice spiders

  84. Fancy word for a sellsword,

    I totally agree. A character that’s hated always finds a way to stick around a bit longer.
    I’m really worried it will be Jamie that is getting the axe. This show is so great when a guy and family I totally hated has become one of my favorite characters. I mean the rest of the Lannisters can get bent but Jamie is great!
    Where has Margery’s cleavage been all the second half of the season btw? Off shooting “Mockingjay Pt 2: The Actual Movie You Wanted to See the First Time”?

  85. Tag joe,

    I’d imagine it’s just Jorah confronting Tyrion about what he said when they were taken to Dany the first time and Jorah got exiled again.

  87. The moment anyone says the word “duck”, Bronn’s chances of survival drop to infinitesimal.

  88. Robb Snow:
    Deesensfan,

    You know… that honestly wouldn’t surprise me. As you say, he’s got pokers in so many fires already it’s not really a stretch to think he has at least a few in Essos. I like this idea.

    And Daario is definitely not the leader of the SOTH or even working with them in any capacity. He has advocated killing the heads of every noble family several times and has killed so many SOTH himself that it would be pointless to try counting them all.

    As I said, the leader is probably just one or more of the heads of noble families working in unison to overthrow Dany and restore rule to themselves. And the prostitute is almost surely just someone working for them. I can’t see why nobles would follow a prostitute who was probably a slave prior to Dany taking over.

    Didn’t you see though, that the SOTH were killing indiscriminately in the pit, in fact I only really saw them slaying the highborn in all the chaos (though I could be wrong).

    So this could easily fit with Daario being their leader. And what really made me wonder is when he pauses to look at some of them when they first appear- that look lingered far too long especially for a warrior who would always be on his guard.

    Daario is the ultimate betrayal, least expected and most impactful. Although doesn’t explain why he’d kill his own men ( except as a cover).

    Chances also are-there is no leader or that that they’re insignificant.

  91. martin,

    You can disagree with someone but no need for the name-calling. Comes across as very immature.

    The dragons,

    Cool. Go back there then.

    Ser Matt the Sullen,

    Must say I agree. Don’t think that flashback added anything to the plot or Cersei’s character or motivation. We already get that she loves her kids and being in control. The flashback told us nothing we did’t already know.

    On the harpy speculation, the Warlocks of Tarth seem to have given up on revenge at Dany which is odd. My personaly hope is that Xaro Xhoan Daxos escaped the vault ( perhaps by killing and eating Doreah to survive a little longer to really highlight the ruthlessness and will to survive of his character). Being a merchant, Dany’s disruption of the slave trade would really hurt him, so he could be leading an alliance of the Warlocks and Slave masters against her and causing chaos by funding and organising the harpies. Let’s not forget the personal history between the two for a little more spice! Be a good way to give a figurehead to Dany opposition if they decide to go that way and uses a character teh viewers are already familiar with. Him at the nead of a Astapor, Yunkai, Qarth army at the Siege of Mereen (if it happens) would be good TV.

  92. I am unreasonably certain that this season dragged because there was so little Varys and Littlefinger. The playingest players in the game. Far too many of the other characters seem to be stuck in pure reaction-mode.

  93. There are a lot of Sullied people in this post who need to say either a lot less or just stop talking, period.

    No, you cannot make death predictions in this post if you’ve read the books. Do I have to explain why this is not okay?

    Oh, and no one comes to Unsullied posts to hear BOOK SPOILERS and book reader complaints. Cut it out.

  94. Mr Fixit: Very interesting… what the hell could it mean? A crazy and intensive CGI sequence that at some level feels at home in Season 4, 5, or 6… something with White Walkers? Weirnet? I got nothing else.

    42.

  96. Paul: Didn’t you see though, that the SOTH were killing indiscriminately in the pit, in fact I only really saw them slaying the highborn in all the chaos (though I could be wrong).

    So this could easily fit with Daario being their leader. And what really made me wonder is when he pauses to look at some of them when they first appear- that look lingered far too long especially for a warrior who would always be on his guard.

    Daario is the ultimate betrayal, least expected and most impactful. Although doesn’t explain why he’d kill his own men ( except as a cover).

    Chances also are-there is no leader or that that they’re insignificant.

    I think there are a few possibilities here:

    1) The SOTH considered the other nobles to be supportive or at least complicit in Dany’s rule.

    2) The other nobles might compete with or even fight against the SOTH if they retake the city.

    3) The SOTH just wanted to cause as much chaos as possible and other nobles were fair game.

    I also think Daario froze when he first saw the SOTH because of the sheer number of them. I know it’d probably take few seconds for me to register that suddenly half of an arena was comprised of assassins who intended to kill my queen and probably me as well.

    Now just because there’s no real suspect (IMHO anyway) for a leader(s) right now doesn’t mean there won’t be one later. They just may not have introduced the character(s) yet, and since we’re probably not leaving Meereen for at least another episode (*audience groans*) they could still introduce them. We’ll see.

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