Game Of Thrones

It’s about 40 minutes until the third episode of Game of Thrones season 8 premiers. Fans are antsy, organizing their guests and dying to see what happens to the countless favorite figures who survived.

To catch up, the season began by reintroducing the many characters scattered around Westeros and setting the stage for the coming winter of episode two. This second installment marked the long awaited arrival of the Night King and his sea of the dead. In the climactic battle that resulted, nearly all vital characters survived. Viewers were also given, at long last, the dragon fight they had been waiting for since season seven.

Daenerys, the rightful queen to the Iron Throne had nearly ended the Night King’s reign a whole season early with the help of her dragons, until the Night King himself took down one of them with a single well placed spear. This now dead child of the Stormborn was raised up again to fight for the White Walkers and was ridden into season eight’s battle for castle black in episode two. It encountered the two still living dragons and was eventually overpowered. The Night King, however fell victim to a much more unexpected fate. After cornering Bran Stark in Castle Black’s garden and ending the life of those sent to defend him, a completely unexpected blow is made by Arya to end the long night once and for all.

From here, in episode three, viewers got a look into the aftermath of the tremendous battle. The whole of the North’s forces are bruised and battered trying to somehow prepare for the long ride south to King’s landing.

 Cersei Lannister, the current queen of the Seven Kingdoms and the one now seated on the Iron Throne, originally pledged her support for the fight against the dead.

Before they arrived at Castle Black, however, she recalled them to the capital and began defenses against Daenerys’ army in total disregard for the Armageddon of winter that would push south if the living lost the northern fight.

Naturally, this betrayal hasn’t sat well with Daenerys. She makes her way all the way to the gates to see dragon slaying ballistae at disturbingly regular intervals along the wall and one of her lead adviser about to be executed from the top of the same wall. Cersei refuses to surrender and the captured friend of the northern cause is beheaded before falling to the ground right before them.  As the episode ends, Daenerys is seen walking from the wall with more controlled rage, sadness, and pain than any one face should be able to express.

Such an ending to an episode has of course set the stage for a multitude of fan theories and predictions; most of which are speculation. A few of these theories could be true though as another seeming yearly hack of HBO and Amazon network databases released both synopses and full episodes to leaking sources. Regardless of which is true or not, two prevalent theories stand to be that either Daenerys will become the antagonist and have to fight against the armies of the seven kingdoms for “her” throne.

The other theory suggests that the crippled Bran Stark or all seeing Three Eyed Raven will take the place of King In The North while John snow is in the south and become a better, more fair and just leader than them all.

Truthfully though, anything could happen and I surely join the majority of steadfast viewers waiting impatiently for the next episode. Will Cersei rise to the top? Will the iron fleet be obliterated in a well deserved plume of dragon fire? Only seven more days and an HBO subscription will tell.