With season eight around the corner, Entertainment Weekly is in full Game of Thrones mode, coinciding with their cover story. They were the first to break the news that critics wouldn’t receive review copies for this final season (which isn’t surprising, as there haven’t been advanced review copies since season five), and now they also have interviews with Sean Bean (Ned Stark), as well as pretty much everyone involved in season four’s The Mountain and The Viper, including Pedro Pascal (Oberyn Martell) and Indira Varma (Ellaria Sand); both as timely retrospectives before the story is at an end.
Speaking to EW, Sean Bean confirms he definitely was not told about Jon Snow’s parentage: “Like with everything with Game of Thrones, it was kept very dark and secret,” Bean says. “I think that’s the kind of magic and the glory of Game of Thrones — that’s why it’s so stunning and breathtaking when these secrets are revealed.”
“We had a really good chat, and I was very thrilled to be asked to play the role,” Bean says of the showrunners and he first got involved with the show. “I think it was only myself and Peter cast at the time. I was very thrilled by the whole idea. I didn’t actually know at that time how enormous and massive this series would become. I was just getting my head around the part, as we all were. None of us really could’ve imagined it would be such a big-scale, tantalizing drama. Yeah, that was the beginning of the story for me. And, of course, I knew I wasn’t going to last very long. I accepted that.”
Sean Bean also discusses what Ned Stark meant to people, the unaired pilot (including what sounds like a very cute scene with Bran), and his last day on the role. Read it here!
In EW‘s The Mountain and the Viper retrospective, Pedro Pascal, Hafþór Björnsson (Gregor ‘The Eponymous Mountain’ Clegane) and director Alex Graves discuss the intricacies of training for and shooting the sequence, while what Indira Varma remembers most is that “the heat was unbearable,” though there was a silver-lining of sorts: “I was really lucky because I was barely dressed compared to everyone else in their corsets,” Varma admits. “I remember [Björnsson] was dressed in all that armor, and he had to be fed extra food because the pounds were just dropping off him in that heat and [with] the exhausting nature of the fight. They were all knackered. That was grueling for them, but I just sat there and enjoyed the sun, trying not to burn.”
“The squish! The squish that I will gladly take to my grave!”, Pascal happily exclaims. Thankfully, he didn’t have to get his actual head squished; instead, a head cast was made: “The funniest thing about it is that you never see yourself three-dimensionally that way. In photographs or staring into the mirror, you do not get a real sense of what you look like until there’s a very detail-oriented cast of you. I remember just sitting there and staring at it and being like, “Holy sh—, I look so much like my dad.” I learned that from staring at the cast of my head, right before watching it repeatedly get squished.”
At Men’s Health, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau admits he hasn’t fully felt the emotional hit of the show having ended, and he doesn’t know if he ever will: “Maybe this fall, when we’re not going back to Belfast, that’s when you go, ‘Oh, I guess it really is over.'”
It really is over, though, and he commends the showrunners for making it that way: “D. B. Weiss and David Benioff stuck to their guns and said, ‘This is the story we wanna tell; we’re not gonna extend this’—because I’m sure HBO would have loved another couple years of this show. There’s an audience for it, for sure. But I think everyone who watches the show will appreciate that it’s finished—that it was one story … and we told it.”
“The last season was so intense,” he admits, especially as it pertains to the massive battle of Winterfell that was teased in the trailer, which took more than 50 muddy nights to shoot: “It was brutal, but because it was the last season, it was like, ‘Yes, we can do this.'”
Finally, because this is Nikolaj we’re talking about, he can’t go through an interview without trolling us a little bit, especially when he’s pressed for spoilers: “I can’t tell you anything about it,” he tells Men’s Health, smiling: “He grows out his arm. His arm grows back. Yes. It grows back, but not in the way you think. It’s a claw,” he assures them, “It comes out as a claw. No—it’s a paw.” Whatever you say, Nikolaj. Whatever you say.
Before you go: if you’re itching for more Game of Thrones-adjacent content than HBO is delivering, you may tune in to Saturday Night Live on NBC this upcoming April 6, the week before the season eight premiere, as Kit Harington will be acting as host.
#ForTheThrone
Watched someone on YT called Because Geek and she says that Jaime yells “Bronn” in the trailer. I’m just rewatching the episode of Joffrey’s wedding whereTyrion asks Bronn if he put Shae on the ship and watched it sail away. Bronn says yes, and that the only other people who know about it are Tyrion and Varys. Of course, Shae never left, so I’m wondering if Bronn double-crossed Tyrion, or if Varys did. There’s another option, that is that Shae’s ship got caught up in the blockade of the ports after Joffrey’s wedding. I would think her ship was long gone by then, however.
Who is Bronn, really? Tyrion met Shae through Bronn. Tyrion met Bronn on his way back from the Wall, presumably they were coming from the same general area. During the drinking game, Bronn said he’d been north of the Wall for ‘work’. What sort of work was he doing there?
He should get a dragonglass hand and just slap the living hell out of the white walkers.
The war is over very soon.
It’s getting to that weird point where I almost don’t want the season to start because then it’ll mean the end has truly arrived.
I remember watching this episode and immediately after a friend texted me couldn’t believe what happened. Oberyn’s one of my favorite characters so this one hurt, but it’s one of many iconic moments that will long be remembered. Pedro was a fantastic Oberyn.
Jack Bauer 24,
_______
Oberyn’s conclusion to his speech to Tyrion in (S4e7), “I will be your champion”, will always be one of the most memorable moments of the show for me. That scene is also one of the reasons S4e7 is #1 on my list of Top Ten favorite episodes. I’d be surprised if any of the six remaining episodes can knock “Mockingbird” off its lofty perch.
About the start of the trailer with a terrified Arya: what if Arya flees an undead Nymeria? That would be terrifying and break her heart too!
GO BEANIE!!!
Pedro Pascal is very near if not the top of my “best casting ever” list. Gods he was perfect.
Sigh.
As long as two of the main characters in the very first episode, Jaime Lannister and Ned Stark, are the subjects of this article, and with the final season just a month away, I thought now would be an appropriate time to revisit the roster of characters appearing in S1e1 who are still alive heading into S8.
By my reckoning (below), there are eleven S1e1 characters who have the chance to go wire to wire.
I assume there are wagering websites that actually post the odds of each character making it out alive at the end of S8e6. I’m more curious what watchersonthewall’s elite fandom thinks.
S1e1 Characters Still Alive Going into S8
(Excluding Extras)
ALIVE as of S7e7
1. Arya Stark
2. Jon Snow
3. Sansa Stark
4. Bran Stark nka 3ER
5. Sandor Clegane
6. Tyrion Lannister
7. Jaime Lannister
8. Cersei Lannister-Baratheon
9. Daenerys Targaryen
10. Jorah Mormont
11. Theon Greyjoy
___________
12. Ghost
13. Nymeria
14. ? Illyrio ?
R.I.P.
i. Ned
ii. Cat
iii. Robb
iv. Rickon
v. Benjen
vi. Maester Luwin
vii. Jory
viii. Rodrik
ix. Septa Mordane
x. Hodor
xi. King Robert
xii. Viserys
xiii. Khal Drogo
xiv. Joffrey
xv. Tommen
xvi. Myrcella
xvii. Ros
xviii. Will (NW)
xix. Waymar (NW)
xx. ? Mikken? WF blacksmith (Boyd Rankin; also credited the show’s “senior supervising armourer” from 2011-14)
Any educated guesses?
@Ten Bears Sansa/Bran. I’m only confident about those two.
And most likely to die are Jaime and Cersei.
Ten Bears! What about Sam?!
My guess:
Arya, Sansa, Tyrion, SAM
Sam wasn’t in the premiere. Varys is another still around from S1, but not the premeire.
Sam is the safest of them all.
Oh, You’re right, Jack.
Ok:
Arya, Sansa, Tyrion.
My guesses are hardly educated, but I’ll give it a whirl.
Chances of Survival:
Arya: 75%
Jon: 50%
Sansa: 50%
Bran: 60%
Sandor: 25% (ow, my heart)
Tyrion: 50%
Jaime: 25% (ow)
Cersei: 25% (BURN!…love you, Lena)
Dany: 50%
Jorah: 25% (ow, ugh, augh)
Theon: 40%
Ghost: 10% (if they remember to put him in)
Nymeria: 25% (see above)
Illyrio: 100% (don’t think we’ll see him again, which is a shame because I love Roger Allam)
I am still definitely not over Jory. ☹
1. Arya Stark: 50%
2. Jon Snow: 25 %
3. Sansa Stark: 95%
4. Bran Stark nka 3ER: 95%
5. Sandor Clegane: 25%
6. Tyrion Lannister: 50%
7. Jaime Lannister: 0%
8. Cersei Lannister-Baratheon: 0%
9. Daenerys Targaryen: 25%
10. Jorah Mormont: 0%
11. Theon Greyjoy: 25%
___________
12. Ghost: 50%
13. Nymeria: 50%
14. ? Illyrio ?: 100%
1) Jon – I thought he had already died. So the question for him is when will be the onset of rigor mortis and decay.
2) Deanerys – She walked through fire “unburnt”. If she is human, then she is also already dead and due for rigor and decay. If she is not human, then death may not ever be an issue for her.
3) Bran and Arya – Both are unfamiliar life forms and so I am unable to assess their risk levels. Waif died, does it need a faceless person to kill another? NK killed the 3R in the cave, can anyone else kill the Bran3R?
4) Others – all at various high-risk levels for death
Sansa and Tyrion are at the lower end of this high risk.
Jaime is at high risk but I will be the unicorn and assert that Jaime lives. (Yes, I can read the internet just you can!)
Cersei, Theon, Jorah, Sandor are very high risk and likely to miss the final credits. Jorah may make it as story wise he does not have a specific enemy that he needs to engage in mortal combat. The other 3 have scheduled “fights-to-death” upcoming. Jorah may be lost in the WF general battle however as he is done storywise.
1. Arya Stark – 95%
2. Jon Snow – 50%
3. Sansa Stark – 95%
4. Bran Stark nka 3ER – 20% (though he might become one with a Weirwood, so not really dead..)
5. Sandor Clegane – 25%
6. Tyrion Lannister – 90%
7. Jaime Lannister – 15%
8. Cersei Lannister-Baratheon – 5%
9. Daenerys Targaryen – 50%
10. Jorah Mormont – 20%
11. Theon Greyjoy – 50%
___________
12. Ghost – 80%
13. Nymeria – 70%
14. ? Illyrio ? – NA
…
15. Hot Pie – 3.1415926%
Enharmony1625,
Love your hot pie %, lol!
cos alpha,
• Sam wasn’t in S1e1. I should’ve been clearer. I figure there may be no more than a handful of characters who appeared in the very first episode, and will make it out alive at the very end.
• Oh, another thing (tinfoil warning ⚠️): I suspect one of the characters – Jon would be the likely candidate – will undergo the Benjen shard-to-the-chest treatment voluntarily, and become a half-wight, half human hybrid. Like Uncle Benjen. Still sentient, but not quite alive anymore. So that character would not qualify as making it out alive. I would’ve put Uncle Benjen on the R.I.P. list even if he hadn’t given his horse to Jon and sacrificed himself.
Enharmony1625,
“15. Hot Pie – 3.1415926%”
_______
😄😁 🥘👨🏼🍳 Good one!
I’m going to average out the responses, and compare the results of our collective wisdom with the actual killed vs. survived final tally once S8 is over.
Lemme go do my predictions for the “Big 11.”
Ten Bears,
Let me give you numbers then:
Chances of living:
Jaime – 75% (as a fighter with one -hand, he should be lower but I am going to give him a mulligan due to Brienne’s arc)
Jon & Daenerys 15%- both already dead or fire treated.
Cersei – 15%
Jorah, Theon, Sandor – 33% (not needed after WF or a combat appointment with a major foe.)
Arya and Bran – 50% (two weird ones)
Sansa & Tyrion – 67% (one or both of these will be a senior leadership position; neither will die in a fire of any sort)
Anon,
I’ve always wondered, and I’ve always been divided about whether I want to find out. On the one hand, of COURSE I want to know; on the other, the best fiction doesn’t grant one all the answers, any more than life does.
Ten Bears,
We just watched it last weekend during our rewatch, and the mix of exhilaration and grief was overwhelming for me. Truly one of the greatest one-on-one moments, and both Pascal and Dinklage are so splendid it’s painful.
Ten Bears, I wanna play the game, but my brain is toast and I’m no good at that type of thing anyway.
All I wanna say is- Jaime’s paw is his F’ing sword hand made anew, once a Valyrian steel blade is forged to the gold. The Lion of Lannister may roar once more!
Also, rest in power, Oberyn Martell.
OT: Did anyone watch Jeopardy! tonight? All the titles of the categories in the first round were GoT-themed (“The Wall,” “River’s Run,” “Kings Landing,” etc.).
Aren’t you guys forgetting Gregor Clegane? Or doesn’t he count as living?
He wasn’t in the first episode, I don’t think? 🤔
Pedro’s interview:
It’s like, “Oh, that’s my face. And there goes my face. Goodbye, face.” 😂
I very much appreciated how Sean talked about the legacy of Ned. Even in the books he is constantly brought up or remembered by other characters throughout the series, including the more “villainous” POVs. I liked how the show maintained that spirit as well through the seasons.
Ahh so Nikolaj was in the Nightswatch as well!
As a young actor, it drove me crazy—like, Don’t put me in this box. I’m not the Nightwatchman.
Ten Bears,
Interstingly, one of my top GoT moments is the exact episode but different scene. It’s when Oberyn explains the first time he saw Tyrion at Casterly Rock. “That’s not a monster,” I said. “That’s a baby.” Incredible acting from both Peter and Pedro in that moment. (Also just realised they have the same name in different languages lol)
1. Arya Stark – 60%
2. Jon Snow – 30%
3. Sansa Stark – 50%
4. Bran Stark nka 3ER – 50%
5. Sandor Clegane – 10%
6. Tyrion Lannister – 50%
7. Jaime Lannister – 0%
8. Cersei Lannister-Baratheon – 0%
9. Daenerys Targaryen – 20%
10. Jorah Mormont – 0%
11. Theon Greyjoy – 0%
To extend this to other characters:
Brienne – 60%
Davos – 70%
Greyworm – 20%
Missandei – 70%
Varys – 0%
Melisandre – 0%
Pod – 30%
Qyburn – 0%
Mountain – 0%
Tormund – 50%
Beric – 0%
Yara – 60%
Sam – 90%
Gilly – 95%
Baby Sam – 95%
Edd – 50%
Edmure – 40%
I always forget characters when I wrote lists!!
Pretty low percentages compared to most, but I am going in to this season expecting the worst in terms of character deaths.
Wolfish,
Off-Topic Too:
Pondering GoT riddles at 4:30 am on a weeknight instead of counting sheep is not a good way to fall asleep. Brain-tired (or brain-dead) tinfoil thoughts:
• A couple of days ago during trailer dissection discussion about what could’ve freaked out Arya,
you and I nearly simultaneously had the same distressing thought. Two words: Wight Nymeria.
Probably because I rewatched Jon & the Wildling chieftains scene in “Hardhome” yesterday, two different words popped into my addled brain a little while ago.
Ice Spiders.
When Jon offered dragonglass weapons to the wildlings, Karsi mentioned there were legends that dragonglass could kill WWs; that cranky Thenn guy (Laboda?) dismissed them as nonsense, just like legends of giant ice spiders. Karsi warned that with all the crazy sh*t they’d been seeing recently it’d be foolhardy to disregard such legends.
Then I flashed back to Old Nan telling Bran scary stories (S1s3), e.g., how the White Walkers had “swept through cities and kingdoms, riding their dead horses, hunting with their packs of pale spiders big as hounds.”
The showrunners gave us Toby the Zombie Polar Bear last season. Why not giant ice spiders hunting humans in the WF Crypts in S8? Anybody, even the brave Warrior Princess, would be scared sh*tless by swarming undead carnivorous spiders on steroids.
• Second far-fetched speculation – about the curious wording of the “Prince(as) Who was Promised” prophecy in this exchange between Melisandre and Dany in S7e2:
Mel: “The Long Night is coming. Only the prince who was promised can bring the dawn.”
****
Missandei: “Your Grace, forgive me, but your translation is not quite accurate. That noun has no gender in High Valyrian, so the proper translation for that prophecy would be the prince or princess who was promised will bring the dawn.”
***
Dany: “And you believe this prophecy refers to me?”
Mel: “Prophecies are dangerous things. I believe you have a role to play, as does another. The King in the North, Jon Snow.”
Mel sounded non-commital – almost evasive. What “roles” does she think Dany and Jon have to play?
Also, how exactly is the Prince(as) Who Was Promised supposed to “bring the dawn”? (She didn’t say anything about a “warrior” drawing a flaming sword from a fire, like she did in S2e1.)
Didn’t the NK actor, Vladimir F., recently say something about
Can it all mean that
Che,
Your percentages for the eleven remaining S1e1 characters are pretty close to mine.
I’m guessing either Dany or Jon – but not both – will survive. I haven’t figured out who should get the edge percentage-wise.
PS I hope Euron gets dispatched early on. I’m not thrilled with his cackling Bond-villain act.
Dark Sister,
“…one of my top GoT moments is the exact episode but different scene. It’s when Oberyn explains the first time he saw Tyrion at Casterly Rock. “That’s not a monster,” I said. “That’s a baby.” Incredible acting from both Peter and Pedro in that moment.”
_______
Actually, it’s in the same scene in the cell with Tyrion. “That’s just a baby” was part of Oberyn’s long speech that concluded with “I will be your champion.”
That episode (S4e7) is chock full of indelible scenes – including Sandor telling Arya how his brother Gregor burned his face.
Co-producer and writer Bryan Cogman confirmed this was what happened.
She’s running away from bipedal people. Wights, most likely.
Luka Nieto,
how can you be sure they are only bipedals?
Ten Bears,
There’s little to no chance that Euron will get dispatched early on. He’ll bring the Golden Company to King’s Landing in Ep 2 (most probably) and Ep 3 should be all in Winterfell. Therefore, Euron won’t go before Ep 4. However, Ep 5 might be even more likely, cause that’s where the whole King’s Landing plot should culminate.
Ten Bears,
1. Arya Stark 100%
2. Jon Snow 10%
3. Sansa Stark 80% (this is a tough one)
4. Bran Stark nka 3ER 100% (ends up back in the tree)
5. Sandor Clegane 90%
6. Tyrion Lannister 50% (this is a tough one)
7. Jaime Lannister 0%
8. Cersei Lannister-Baratheon 0% (If she survives I may ask for a refund)
9. Daenerys Targaryen 10%
10. Jorah Mormont 0% (80% chance dies in Dany’s arms with a few last words)
11. Theon Greyjoy 2%
___________
12. Ghost 20%
13. Nymeria 100% (probably not in the cast s8… i don’t think she’s chasing arya)
14. ? Illyrio ? 100% (won’t appear unless he shows up at the end with more eggs)
Egg,
Direwolfs are hard and expensive to film and the showrunners avoid them wherenever they can. If Arya’s horror can be provoked by bipedals (for instance, wightified Gendry), what’s the point of using Nymeria?
Moreover, Nymeria is not in the North; she’s in the Riverlands. In order to wightify her, the Night King would have to march to the Riverlands, kill her (along with the Riverlands people) and then march back to Winterfell. And he is not doing that: he’s matching directly to Winterfell. He may overrun some northern castles along the way but Riverlands would be a streach.
Egg,
What about zombie Hodor?
I’m almost certain that Nymeria’s pack will join the Battle of Winterfell. GRRM set them up for a reason in the book (he even admitted this when asked by a fan), and D&D made sure to establish them last season. I know that they haven’t set up Arya as a warg in the show but it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that she has a connection with Nymeria like Dany has with Drogon that would cause Nymeria to travel to Winterfell when Arya is in danger.
I don’t think it could’ve been Varys since he already tried to get Shae to leave the prior season.
I still think Arya’s running scene and her fighting scene in the same trailer are connected. When she’s swinging that staff/spear, you can see two more wights climbing over the parapets in the background. Perhaps it wasn’t Arya being frightened particularly, but overwhelmed, and chose to run back into Winterfell to try and lose the wights. During the Night’s Cast episode, I’m not sure if it was Vanessa or Samantha who brought up the fact that she could also be leading any potential wight chasers into a trap.
Also, I’m not convinced Nymeria will return. I thought the whole point of showing her in Season 7 was to resolve her and Arya’s relationship and give us closure by showing she decided to stay with her pack.
Ten Bears,
Im still not convinced Benjen should be on the Dead list, just MIA, he has a “dragonglass heart” like the NightKing, so I think he survived to save the day one more time….
https://twitter.com/noone10247583/status/1103168486249885696
You can see it a little better in this brightened pic. Looks like 2 wights, but who knows. Still hard to make out who or what they are.
So I’m seeing that episode 3 has changed on the schedule to 1hr 22m!!
https://www.hbo.com/schedule?focusId=811557
Clob,
That’s awesome! Hopefully that will quell the bitching and moaning about how long the episode is.
Indeed. It’s very hard to tell who or what they are. If they are wights, they certainly aren’t the type of wights that have started decomposing already. They would be fresh kills from the Battle of Winterfell I would assume. Which would mean the NK would have to be there to raise them.
IF they are wights then I personally think it’s safe to assume that the NK will not skip the battle and go straight to KL. He’ll be there.
Clob,
Cool!!!
YES!! I had a feeling the “60” minutes wasn’t set yet since it was too even of a number.
Inga had a good theory on a different thread that David Nutter probably finished his final cuts sooner so those episodes were set, but Sapochnik would take longer to get his final cuts. It will truly be “the long night” with the longest episode ever at 82 minutes. I’m going to believe this run time (since it makes me happy and it’s not an even number, but I may be sweating like crazy through episode 70)
GRRM often uses names drawn from a relevant source. Of course, many are just meaningless and random. I had a question of the naming of the direwolves. Robb’s is called Grey Wind. Can anybody suggest a source?
The others are a bit clearer;
Ghost: Jon became a dead man walking around. He is a specific type of ghost namely a fire wight.
Lady: Sansa is now the Lady of Winterfell.
Nymeria: Female warrior as is Arya.
ShaggyDog: leading to a pointless dead end as was poor Rickon.
Summer for Bran is interesting as he will combat NK that brings ice with him. Summer in a house whose words are winter is coming and whose brother/cousin is Snow
Is Grey Wind just random or does anyone have ideas why he used that for Robb?
Mr Derp,
I think, the WW and the wights are NK’s ground forces, while he has enough to do with waging aereal warfare. At this point no need for him to show up by himself.
Nice! That’s way more in line with the original 80 minutes for 803.
Jack Bauer 24,
I’ve been seeing that on twitter … Is it for real??
I thought the NK would be at WF? Now I didn’t follow spoilers this time around during the off season, so I’m not sure. I just thought with it being the big battle he’d be there and he would also raise at least 1 or 2 of “our heroes” as wights. Vladimir said in that recent interview that him and Jon have another one of those Hardhome moments, but stronger this time. So I would think that would be at WF? But again, who knows. He could just swoop in on undead Viserion and start torching the place.
It’s as real as the times were from the thread earlier about episode lengths. That’s the same, direct link to episode 3 on the HBO schedule that was put in that thread.
Jack Bauer 24,
There was some speculation here and there that the NK would go straight to KL while the Battle of WF took place. It had nothing to do with spoilers.
Mr Derp,
Perhaps rumors of the GC attacking Winterfell before the NK and his undead entourage arrive are true after all? Those 2 wouldn’t be so fast if they were undead – Arya is running awfully fast in the trailer and she’s petrified…she’d have already seen the undead at the start of the battle when they were outside so the fear factor would be somewhat lower once they got inside, no?
If you recall Hardhome then there shouldn’t be any confusion over the fact that wights can move quickly.
WHy would the fear factor be lower if they were inside vs. outside? I would think quite the opposite. If the wights have penetrated the walls of WF then that means the humans are losing the battle and are losing precious ground to fight on. That should scare everyone, not make them less so.
Mango,
I believe the naming is described in more detail in AGoT.
“This one belongs to the old Gods.” – Jon about Ghost. If I remember correctly, he was named Ghost because he moves silently and he is silent. He doesn’t even snarl or growl (but he does bare his teeth).
You’re basically on point regarding Lady and Nymeria (reflecting the aspirations or role models of the Stark sisters).
Grey Wind was named as such because he was the quickest and biggest.
Shaggydog was named by a three-year old Rickon, which is why he has such a whimsical name. And Summer was particularly important because Bran struggled so much with naming him. He had no name when he was in a coma and when he awoke, he described his direwolf’s eyes as “golden” reminiscent of summer (the season).
I don’t have the books with me to quote specifically but they should be on the ASOIAF wiki.
Dark Sister,
“Also, I’m not convinced Nymeria will return. I thought the whole point of showing her in Season 7 was to resolve her and Arya’s relationship and give us closure by showing she decided to stay with her pack.”
______
I’m with Undead Elephant (8:57 am) on Nymeria returning, mainly because…
Why bother flying Maisie Williams all the way to Calgary for extra filming with real wolf “actors” if it was just for that brief (underwhelming) scene in S7e2?
I did not interpret that scene as resolving the Arya-Nymeria relationship or giving closure to either one of them, although that could very well be because I find the particular director’s style to be distracting. [See also Oblivious Arya strolling around Braavos in broad daylight like a carefree tourist despite knowing FM have targeted her for termination.]
In addition, though I’m not a book reader, I distinctly recall reading in an interview of GRRM, or maybe a transcript of his answer to the fan question Undead Elephant described, that GRRM
Then again, I don’t expect the show to tie up every loose end so I could be wrong. (A quick Kinvara cameo would be nice, however. I still wanna know what the voice in the junk-roasting flames told Varys, whose voice it was, and how Kinvara knew all the details.)
Yeah and HBO changed that time to 82 minutes, so should be close to that. They’re still editing so it could change, but that original 60 minutes seems like it was a placeholder. Episodes 3-6 are going to be huge.
Mr Derp,
I was going to say… Yeah, the wight (on the show) when they’re attacking have been extremely fast with some freaky abilities, i.e. the escape from the cave that led to Hodor’s hodor. !!!
______
So much for my earlier sleep-deprived giant ice spider tinfoil speculation.
Anon,
Ooooooh, maybe Bronn’s one of the Crannogmen, secretly working for Howland Reed behind the scenes to influence the outcomes of the Game of Thrones…. it’s about time more of them showed up.
https://ew.com/tv/2019/03/15/game-of-thrones-final-season-episode-lengths/
It is official. And 5 weeks in a row, no skipping any weeks. I didn’t think they would skip Easter anyway.
Dark Sister,
Thanks, but let me be clearer on the actual question:
This answer is why the characters gave their animals those names – this is what the book would have.
My question is why does the AUTHOR use these names?
This is a different question. The author use of a name is usually different from what he makes the characters say in the book. I hope I am being clear.
_____
My goodness, you’re optimistic about Sandor. I’ve already resigned myself to the big fella’s demise. I’m just hoping he goes out in a literal and figurative blaze of glory. (*Cue sobbing Stark sisters*)
Ten Bears,
I’ve also been considering all of those ties, similarities between the Stark and the direwolf. If Arya will be still working on her internal struggle with who she is and what to do (however Maisie worded that), then perhaps Nymeria is also and should be a part of resolving the question. I think Nymeria should also show up with her pack simply because I think she will be a part of things in the book. They’ve already stripped Arya’s warging dreams through her so it’d be a shame to entirely dismiss Nymeria and her pack.
Mango,
I don’t know why GRRM named them the way he did, but if the fates of the Starks mirror their direwolves then Bran and Sansa’s days are numbered.
I’m not sure if I agree with the theory or not, but it’s interesting.
Of course, it remains to be seen what’ll happen to Nymeria and Ghost.
Enharmony1625,
ha! thanks for the first laugh of the morning!
Mr Derp,
Yes, that is interesting. However, I think the “names” are more indicative than the “fates” of each animal. GRRM has used name-play for some of his other characters. I suppose we will find out.
_____
F*ck! This is all too soon and too quick. I really wish they would’ve spaced out the episodes to run every two weeks. At least skip a week after Episode 3, which is shaping up to be an 82-minute extravaganza.
Mango,
Ah that does make sense and I just misunderstood your question. But I would think there would be some crossover, no? I would assume the direwolves fell under the same kind of character development as the human characters. Why did he name Arya, Arya and Jon, Jon? They probably came to him as he developed their characteristics and background stories – and the direwolves indeed had their own personalities. But that’s just my speculation 🤷🏽♀️
Edit: I do think Summer and Ghost are important as Direwolves go, particularly because Summer was named after Bran had his vision-dreams during his coma. But alas he was cruelly killed off on the show 🙁
Ten Bears,
Yeah, i just couldn’t stop thinking about his line in “The Broken Man”
RAY: No, there’s a reason you’re still here.
SANDOR: Aye, there’s a reason. I’m a big f’r and I’m tough to kill.
And I kept thinking Arya would save him from the mountain. So, I still think his chances are pretty high…Someone has to still be living 😊
Wolfish,
cool, thanks for the heads up, just watched it!
Ten Bears,
I furrrr surrre think Nymeria and her pack will come into play in the books, but I'm not hopeful for show appearances.And I too would like a resolution to Kinvara’s scene, and more specifically, there was not only a voice. That voice said a name, according to Kinvara so I do hope we see a call back to that episode and we find out what name the voice spoke.
I still don’t believe those are the final run time of Episodes 5 and 6 yet. I think they will be close to 120, but not exactly. And to have two episodes in a row end up exactly at 120 (by different directors) is pretty unlikely… But if does end up being right at exactly 120, I am still thrilled… I have a feeling this article is looking at the same schedule we saw from those hidden links. I don’t think there was an actual press release by HBO, but I could be wrong…
Ten Bears,
And I too would like a resolution to Kinvara’s scene, and more specifically, there was not only a voice. That voice said a name, according to Kinvara so I do hope we see a call back to that episode and we find out what name the voice spoke.
Dark Sister,
Yes, those are some useful ideas.
On Jon: I think Jon’s name came from Jon Arynn and should have clued us into the fact Jon was not Ned’s son but a foster son in the same way that Jon Arynn was Ned’s foster father. Now, why was Jon Arynn named Jon? as in John Doe as we never meet him so no real ideas there.
Hibberd said they are official from HBO https://ew.com/tv/2019/03/15/game-of-thrones-final-season-episode-lengths/
Edit: He just tweeted that the last 2 might not be “locked” since the release does say “estimate” for all of the run times, so nevermind lol.
I think there’s actually a pretty solid chance Kinvara will show up with Melisandre, as long as Ania was available. Of course you’ve already read my hope that Mel brings back a bunch of “reds” and the Fiery Hand, so maybe I’m too optimistic. 🙂
Dark Sister,
I’ve been pondering this too & hope we get a resolution
What if it’s been Varys’s intention all along to try to assassinate whoever was named by the wizard?
If that tinfoil idea has any merit, my guess is he’ll use poison himself or hire someone (a faceless man maybe?)
He gets caught & Dany has him burned by dragon fire?
I fear the series won’t have time to address it at all though 😞
ALIVE as of S7e7
1. Arya Stark 68% I think only one of the Stark sisters will make it. Arya has the better chance. If Arya or Tyrion die, the internet will break
2. Jon Snow 50% I don’t think both Jon & Dany survive.
3. Sansa Stark 35%
4. Bran Stark nka 3ER 51%
5. Sandor Clegane 50% he’ll go out a hero, if he doesn’t live
6. Tyrion Lannister 67% I see only one Lannister kin making it. From the high percentages him & Arya are getting, if they don’t live, looks like a lot of us here are going to be shocked & devastated 😬
7. Jaime Lannister 33% so much foreshadowing, but he’ll prob go out a hero
8. Cersei Lannister-Baratheon 33% if she does live, a lot of us will be shocked & devastated, but if Jaime dies, it would be fitting that she has to live out her life without anyone who cares about her
9. Daenerys Targaryen 50%
10. Jorah Mormont 33%
11. Theon Greyjoy 33%
___________
12. Ghost 51%
13. Nymeria 51%
14. ? Illyrio ? 67% it would be fitting if he showed up at the end with more dragon eggs, but I don’t think we’ll see him again on screen
Out of the 5 I gave 33% to, I’m going to guess maybe 3 will have surprise saves & live in the end. I’m hoping for the Hound, Jaime, & Theon.
Ten Bears,
1. Arya Stark 75%
2. Jon Snow 75%
3. Sansa Stark 10%
4. Bran Stark nka 3ER 80%
5. Sandor Clegane 50%
6. Tyrion Lannister 40%
7. Jaime Lannister 50%
8. Cersei Lannister-Baratheon 10% (personal preference would be -%150 if that’s a thing)
9. Daenerys Targaryen 15%
10. Jorah Mormont 0%
11. Theon Greyjoy 5%
___________
12. Ghost 5%
13. Nymeria 90%
14. ? Illyrio ? 0%
Besides the aforementioned reason that Grey Wind was the fastest of the wolves, I’m not aware of any specific reason why George chose that name. The other dire wolf names I believe he chose to reflect and draw parallels with their respective owner.
On a related note, George chose “Arya” because he wanted a name that sounded “like a knife” — harsh and sharp. A lot of people pronounce it AHR-ee-ah, but it’s supposed to be AH-ya. (I pronounce it the “wrong” way 🙂 ). He chose “Sansa” because he wanted her name to sound flowery.
Che,
I’m right there with ya, I didn’t give anyone over 68%. I’m guessing 5 from the premiere survive & 7 from your list here survive.
To extend this to other characters:
Brienne – 55%
Davos – 55%
Greyworm – 10%
Missandei – 33%
Varys – 33%
Melisandre – 10%
Pod – 10%
Qyburn – 10%
Mountain – 10%
Tormund – 33%
Beric – 10%
Yara – 10%
Sam – 68%
Gilly – 67%
Baby Sam – 67%
Edd – 10%
Edmure – 10%
Hot Pie – 67%
Dragons – 10%
Inga:
Direwolfs are hard and expensive to film and the showrunners avoid them wherenever they can. If Arya’s horror can be provoked by bipedals (for instance, wightified Gendry), what’s the point of using Nymeria?
Moreover, Nymeria is not in the North; she’s in the Riverlands. In order to wightify her, the Night King would have to march to the Riverlands, kill her (along with the Riverlands people) and then march back to Winterfell. And he is not doing that: he’s matching directly to Winterfell. He may overrun some northern castles along the way but Riverlands would be a streach.
Exactly!…Nymeria ( and her pack) might be at Winterfell before the big battle. They do have a bigger budget than ever …we have seen Summer fighting wights in a season 6..I don’t see why Nymeria cannot be there, freshly raised by the NK with some other wights, pursuing Arya.
100% agree. Sonofapumpkinpatch, make it every second week!!!!
Egg,
Not impossible, but it would be stupid to put all the eggs into one basket and fire all the hanging guns during the battle of Winterfell. Nymeria may come into play and probably will but not before Ep 4.
Inga,
well…we both don’t know what will happen..my theory is as good as yours.
I don’t think that involving Nymeria in the battle of Winterfell is ‘putting all the eggs into one basket’. There are so many other eggs…
Nymeria at Winterfell would actually make sense tactically, too. Winterfell happens to have the most powerful warg in the world in Bran and his own wolf is dead. Out of all remaining animals in the world that would be most useful for him to warg, one with a thousand other wolves at her command is near or at the top of the list (probably only riderless Rhaegal would be higher). And she isn’t so far as to be out of range. He has warged animals beyond the wall from Winterfell.
I have always thought that Jaime should have had a battle hand consisting only of a sword blade – no hilt or hand. That way, he could fight right handed. Now, as you say, he could enhance the blade with obsidian.
Adam,
I love your idea.
Maisie says it’s Arh-ee-ah 😀 https://twitter.com/skyatlantic/status/1106226121358692352
Ha! I know, I’ve seen another interview where she says the same thing. But Arya herself pronounces it “AH-ya” in the show. Also, in some episode commentaries Sophie talks about D&D correcting her many times for her pronunciation, because she keeps wanting to say “AH-ree-ah”, and they want her to say “AH-ya”. And even though GRRM himself pronounces it “wrong” on many occasions, I do remember him saying once that it is supposed to be “AH-ya”. Still, I’m sticking with “AH-ree-ah”. 🙂
Ten Bears,
All verrryyy interesting tinfoily thoughts… but tbh I’d forgotten about the spiders! YIKES!!! I’m a total arachnophobe (bad thing for someone born and raised in Brazil, lol), so that would freak the SHIT out of me.
I think ASNAWP is made of tougher stuff, though. And I don’t think it’s Wight Nymeria. I think it might be Ned. A week or two ago I mentioned the exchange with Beric way back when, when she asked him if the Lord of Light could bring back a man without a head. And given how important it was that Ned’s remains be returned to Winterfell, welllll…
ash,
😃
(OT: So jealous of you being in AZ and not dealing with this DST shite. This week has been hell on my vampire self!)
Enharmony1625,
I pronounce it Arrr! ya, because I talk like a pirate.
Wasn’t Ned presented to Cat in a rather small box? I can’t see a rattling box of bones being particularly terrifying. 😜
Seriously though, whenever I hear of people expecting the Kings of Winterfell to rise up and be all spooky, I wonder what they expect a bunch of ash and dust and bone fragments to do. 🤔
“You’ve got no arms!”
“Yes I do. It’s just a flesh wound!”
It must be weird for the actors who have been in it from the start, in a few months it will be gone completely from their lives.
I haven’t gone for percentages but I have a bottle of bubbly ready for Cersei’s demise (although I hope she makes it through to the final episode as Lena is amazing in the role) and boxes of tissues ready for Jaime, Jorah and the Hound.
That’s Val, she’s generally great to watch when it comes to GOT theory. Although in the video I watched she was speculating that Jamie is shouting “run” rather than “Bronn”. This makes more sense to me as why would Bronn go North?
If I had to wager I would say Jamie, Cersei, Jorah are very unlikely to survive. Sansa, Arya, Tyrion all very good chance of survival. I don’t expect Dany to survive and Jon could go either way.
I think he’s either yelling “run” or “Pod”.
Looks like Sam and Jaime!
but still…that doesn’t mean Nymeria isn’t there – plus, they might not have finished all CGI.
There are websites? where?
1. Arya Stark 75%
– I think she will live, but nothing is certain in GOT and her death would be a real unexpected shocker to the audience… I just hope she doesn’t do anything irredeemable, it almost felt like they were heading in that direction last season, she was kinda OOC (to me) sometimes. Think of all the real life babies that were named after Arya that will have to live with the comparisons growing up thanks to their fan-crazed parents, don’t be cruel D&W! 🙂
2. Jon Snow 25%
Honestly, I think he is on borrowed time… he should already be dead and the ‘magic’ that helped reanimate him is sketchy… I kinda feel like all, or at least most, of the ‘magic’ will be eliminated by the end of the show.
3. Sansa Stark 75%
– As she will most likely be safe and out of direct harm for most of the battles, at least as far as possible her chances are high to survive, especially if she is always protected by someone fighting for her… IF she dies it will be because she does something that leads to her death, but I don’t think she will die. I really don’t like the idea that she ‘wins’ the throne by default of not dying though. Ideally I want her to end up back in the North to rebuild Winterfell with whatever is left of her family by her side.
4. Bran Stark nka 3ER 50%
– I’m mixed on Bran, I want him to live, but not as the 3ER. Again I think most of the magic should die out, so IF Bran can be recovered and the 3ER ‘dies’ than I want him to live and return home as himself, otherwise Bran is already effectively dead and who knows what the 3ER will have left to do after all is settled.
5. Sandor Clegane 60%
– He is a warrior so the chances of him dying are there, I do think that he has a high chance to live… he has changed so much and I think people would like to see him have some peace in life and for once be proud and happy.
6. Tyrion Lannister 35%
– Initially I thought he would live, but the past few seasons have made me doubt whether he will… like Sansa I doubt he will fight too much, I do not think he will die in battle or fighting… so, if Tyrion dies it will be because of something he does that sets it in motion and all signs point toward Tyrion doing something…
7. Jaime Lannister 20%
– Jamie has also changed, but unlike the Hound, I think his fate is a glorious death. Jamie was changed a lot in the show to make him much more likeable and sympathetic, but I still think he will die. I think Jamie kinda chases death to be honest, remember him attacking the dragon last season? He will do something reckless and impossible and it will get him killed this time.
8. Cersei Lannister-Baratheon 10%
– I think she will die, it will be the only way to stop her from scheming, she will not ‘retire’ gracefully and I think you would have to kill her to get her off the throne.
9. Daenerys Targaryen 50%
– I really think it is 50/50 for her… Again she will be in battle, but kinda safe on a dragon… but I also think all the dragons will die by the end, a desolated Westeros could never keep them feed! So she could potentially die in battle, but most likely not. She will fight for the throne against Cersei and neither will concede to the other. I could see her ‘winning’ but winning will be kinda hollow as everything will be sort of destroyed.
10. Jorah Mormont 10%
– I think he will die. He will die saving Dany, the only person he cares about. IF he lives, he can go and rebuild the nights watch and help them rebuild the wall, if necessary… but i prefer he just dies, it is what he would want, making sure Dany remembers that he died for her.
11. Theon Greyjoy 60%
– Another redemption characters, we hate him, now we feel sorry for him. I hope he can save his sister and also manage to do some good before the season is over. I think he will most likely live, but not necessary. I’d rather Yara live though, she deserves to be the one that does.
___________
12. Ghost 0%
– like Summer, he will die in battle saving Jon or another like Sam/Gilly again, or perhaps Arya/Bran/Sansa. He will get little screen time, but it will be a glorious and quick death. I’m sure Jon will be upgrading to a dragon so…
13. Nymeria 50%
– IF she shows up she will either arrive to die in battle / or help in a battle but then return to the woods with what is left of her pack. Could go either way. Either way, she will not stay with Arya, but she might come to help Arya when she needs it.
14. ? Illyrio ?
– yeah, we will never know… he could be dead already, or not. I’m sure he still has some book threads to be entangled in, but the show he is not important anymore.
This has been analyzed since the books were introduced and people have theorized that they are either simply just names that reflect their owners, to using them to foreshadow the fates of their owners, I’m sure GRRM has fun with this either way. lol
But essentially,
Robb – Grey Wind. He is grey and fast like the wind.
Connection – we know the least about this because Robb never gets a POV in the book, but what we can gleam is that he did have a mental connection to Grey Wind, but it disturbed him, and he didn’t like being compared to a wolf by his followers. He would often send GW away and even ignore his warning behaviors and just dismiss it. ie. GW tried to warn him of the Frey’s animosity towards him, but he ignored it. Perhaps if he had been more receptive, or instinctively trusted his wolf, he might have survived?
Foreshadowing – He is impulsive and like the wind is swiftly gone.
Jon – Ghost. He is white and silent, never makes a noise and moves quietly.
Connection – there is a lot more connection in the books, too much to go though here. But essentially he is able to do what Bran can with Summer in the show. But unlike Robb, Jon does instinctively trust Ghost – although the connection he has does disturb him too, he doesn’t like others to know about it.
Forshadowing – Well, Jon does die and essentially become a living Ghost, others have theorized that Ghost will play a role in his resurrection, but bottom line he is a quiet threat that you don’t see coming.
Sansa – Lady. All the lady like qualities, good and bad.
Connection – Lady is a lady in every sense of the word. She she neat, obedient, never runs or causes trouble, is docile, demure and never troubles her head with anything too serious (fairy tales and romantic dreams). All things the Sansa herself aspires to be. But lady is so demure and obedient she also has little to no defenses, trusts too willingly, and has no ability to sense threats or danger… also like young Sansa. Since Lady dies early, Sansa’s connection is limited, but she does still dream of Lady, mostly when she is in the Vale. But in her dreams Lady is silent and not able to really communicate… but Sansa dreaming of her could also be a reminder of who she is, a Stark, and a reminder to avoid the same fate.
Foreshadowing – It could mean that if Sansa remains a ‘lady’ she will be doomed to die due to her trusting the wrong people, but if she drops the pretense of being too lady like and polite and starts to learn to read peoples intentions she will be able to avoid Lady’s fate. Clearly Sansa has already started down that path.
Arya – Nymeria. Legendary lady warrior.
Connection – there is a lot of connections to Arya in the books, and they are especially noteworthy since she is separated from Nymeria. Arya first starts warging with Nymeria after the Red Wedding, but even though we the reader know what is happening Arya herself doesn’t. Unlike Jon and Bran who have guides to explain what is happening, Arya just accepts them as vivid dreams, and thus perhaps is the most willing to embrace the connections. Arya basically wargs nearly every night, she relishes them and it is though these connections we learn about Nymeria’s wolf pack. There is a lot of unpack here, too much to really dwell on now.
Foreshadowing – If could just prove that she will be a ‘legendary’ warrior in her own right, or that she will command a large army, ie Nymeria’s wolf pack perhaps? Really, the connections she has and how Nymeria’s journey might reflect Arya’s, and how she processes them seem more relevant than the superficial mythical story of Nymeria leading her people to a new land. But time will tell.
Bran – Summer. Bran is a summer child and summer is the opposite of winter.
Connection – Obviously Bran’s connection to Summer is very important, he is the closest to his wolf and perhaps dwells inside Summer longer than he should.
Even though Bran is willing to embrace his connection, it isn’t the connection that is interesting but how Bran uses it that is of interest. Bran purposely uses his power to dominate and control. There are ‘rules’ and Bran breaks many of them, for good and bad reasons. But Bran also has other gifts to develop, that his direwolf connection never seems as important in comparison.
Foreshadowing – To me Bran is one of the key players to ensure there will be a summer after the long winter (night king) – or he will be the hope (summer) during the long winter that there will be a solution, or he will find the solution.
Rickon – Shaggydog. Because he is three, or a funny literary term.
Connection – Like Robb, we don’t get much since Rickon is so young, but we know that he is really close to his wolf, so much so that there barely seems to be a difference sometimes. Rickon is very angry and hurt that his entire family left him behind and never came back… he doesn’t really understand much of what is happening. Thus he is impulsive, lashes out, and generally unable to control his emotions. Basically his wolf reflects his personality and is hard to control, only Bran and Summer seem able to.
Foreshadowing – Shaggy dog is an actual term used to play upon the audiences preconceptions… a lengthy story that is essentially meaningless. Most likely GRRM knows about this and used it as a joke… but since GRRM likes to play with tropes, perhaps book Richon won’t be irrelevant and meaningless… in the books he is the being used as a sort of catalyst for all the Northern Lords to come together to fight the Boltons… clearly not what happens in the show, so who knows 🙂
well, these are the theories i like, but i’m sure there are others – whether they mean anything is anyones guess.
Ten Bears,
1. Arya Stark 90% Arya is a survivor
2. Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen 90% I think will share the same fate with the word “together” so focussed on in S7 plus we got Dany’s obvious pregnancy but I doubt 9 months will pass during the war
3. Sansa Stark 90% Sansa has being groomed to be political
4. Bran Stark nka 3ER 50% could go either way but if he doesn’t revert back to Bran he will either turn into a tree, forever warg himself into the mind of a animal like jojen warned him about or die
5. Sandor Clegane 25% love him but I think he’ll die killing his brother
6. Tyrion Lannister 20% sorry Tyrion lovers but they’ve being setting him up last season to betray the Dany and The Starks I don’t like it but I have a bad feeling it will happen and it will probably be a big shock twist
7. Jaime Lannister 0% he will die in the arms of the Woman he loves whether that’s Brienne or Cersei I don’t know but in my opinion his doomed
8. Cersei Lannister-Baratheon 0% the queen is dead (yep I think the whole Lannister house is doomed after all they’ve done Tywin’s legacy will die)
9. Euron Greyjoy 0% he is so dead
10. Jorah Mormont 35% I really really don’t want him to die and I hope I’m wrong but I can see it happening
11. Theon Greyjoy and Yara Greyjoy 50/0% one will live and the other will die I still haven’t decided which one but leaning more toward Theon dying at the moment
___________
12. Ghost 0% dead sorry
13. Nymeria 0% dead
14. Drogon/Rhaegal 0% dead 🙁
15. Grey Worm/Missandei 70% Jacob was seen at the dragon pit filming which is far later in the season so I think they are safe honestly plus everyone always thinks his doomed but he proves them wrong every time
16. Davos 90% no way is he dying
17. Tormund 30% I like him but I think his a goner
18. Beric, Edd and Pod 25% think they are all definitely goners too 🙁
19. Gendry 75% his the last Baratheon, they didn’t bring him back after all this time just to die
20. The Mountain/Qyburn 0% definitely dead
21. Varys/Melissandre 25% I think Melissandre gave away their endgame last season
22. Brienne 50% i’m Undecided on her honestly
23. Bronn 50% he will either get his castle or die
24. Sam/Gilly 100% they are living no doubts
Yeah honestly I think everyone is too fatalistic, from George’s interviews LOTR inspired him most and he considered that ending bittersweet and yet all the mains in the last book/movie lived, some were just more deeply scarred than others though I don’t see there being a iron throne at the end
YES!! I loved Kinvara, and how freaked out Varys was by her. I thought the actress did a fantastic job of being “gently menacing”, and I’d love to see her again, and know what the voice said, and who the voice was. Maybe Melisandre is going back to Volantis to enlist Kinvara in her mission back to Westeros to die.
A girl can hope.