Warning: This post is angry and full of spoilers.
With season seven of Game of Thrones coming to an end, it seems like the time to revisit some past predictions. Between missed reunions, and theories that haven’t come true (yet), there was a lot we got wrong about the charted course this season took and honestly, we’re kind of miffed about it.
So Game of Thrones writers take note: you owe us answers to the gripes on this list.
A Stark Family Reunion
One of the most exciting things about season seven was the promise of some long-awaited reunions. A few ended up happening: Jon was introduced to Daenerys and her dragons, Jaime and Tyrion struck a deal under King’s Landing, and Arya finally made it back to Winterfell right after running into her direwolf Nymeria. Maybe it’s too greedy of us to wish for more meetings, but it seems especially cruel that the writers have robbed us of a full Stark family reunion. Jon and Sansa worked together to take back their ancestral seat and Sansa’s been entertaining Bran and Arya for most of the season, but it’s Jon and Arya who had arguably the closest relationship of any of the Stark siblings and whose reunion would’ve brought the most feels.
Jon’s Lineage Is Revealed (To Him)
Much of season seven doubled as a tribute to the popular fan theory R+L=J. For a while now, viewers have speculated about Jon Snow’s lineage and his connection to the Iron Throne. This season, we finally saw the payoff from all of those Reddit subthreads we’ve been scrolling through year after year when Jon had a friendly encounter with one of Dany’s fire-breathing babies. It’s an accepted fact at this point that Jon is actually a Targaryen who may even have a better claim to Westeros than his aunt, but all of the collective ranting at our TV screens means nothing if Jon himself never learns the truth about his roots. The show’s set up a few avenues for the big reveal: Bran’s had visions of Jon’s birth and Sam is conveniently in possession of a book hinting at his legitimate status, but neither have yet to tell the poor bastard.
A Brienne/Tormund Romance
Dragons may have died, Dickons may have been burned, and Littlefingers may still be living, but the biggest travesty of season seven has to do with a failure to advance the story of a certain ginger and his unrequited longing for a wholly uninterested knight. Sure, Brienne and Tormund aren’t really canon and the status of their relationship has been built up more by fandoms on Twitter than any actual writing on the show, but after Tormund’s declaration beyond the Wall, it just feels wrong to deny him his chance at wooing his badass warrior soul mate. Honestly, if this show ended with everyone dying but Brienne and Tormund and the two creating a genetically superior super race to rule Westeros, we’d be okay with that.
Littlefinger Finally Getting His Due
Littlefinger has been pulling the strings since season one on Game of Thrones but his latest maneuverings at Winterfell are particularly concerning. The creep has managed to drive a wedge between Sansa and Arya and to position himself as a confidant for the Lady of Winterfell. There have been fan theories that Sansa and Arya are just toying with Littlefinger, but why? Arya could easily dispatch the traitor or help Sansa do it. What’s even more frustrating is that, for all of his manipulating, Littlefinger’s endgame still seems unclear. Does he want to rule the seven kingdoms? If so, he’s a long way from his goal and he’s got a few roadblocks in his path. Does he just want Sansa? That seems more plausible considering his generally pedophilic nature but it’s also a bit bush-league for a man who set this whole conflict into motion. Either way, can we just murder the guy in some horrific fashion and be done with it?
The Wall Falls
Technically, this prediction could still happen but the how of it seems to be just as murky as when we began this journey seven episodes ago. The show has dropped hints about the magic behind the wall and how the Children of the Forest, the Night King, and even Bran are connected to it. Unfortunately, the writers don’t like answering the vague, sweeping questions they pose so we’ve been left to figure out how the White Walker army will invade Westeros on our own. Some theories deal with book lore that has yet to be mentioned on the show – that mystical horn probably won’t be blowing anytime soon – while others think the newly reanimated dragon will be the catalyst for the wall’s demise. The question is still how. Dragons are big but they’re not that big and whether Viserion spews fire or ice, it shouldn’t be able to make a dent in something as strongly reinforced as that damn Wall – but knowing Game of Thrones, the final shot of the season will probably be the icy barrier crashing down while all of our burning questions remain.
Time Travel (Or Time And Travel)
It’s a bit ironic that the biggest complaint of season seven has nothing to do with fantasy elements like dragons, White Walkers, and ice bears but with something as mundane and boring as time. The show has struggled to fit the action into just seven episodes and the writers have sacrificed believability for fireworks on more than one occasion. From Jon being able to travel from Winterfell to Dragonstone to Eastwatch in a single season to Arya making it home, Dany burning Lannisters in Highgarden and managing to rescue the suicide squad beyond the wall, time has more than often been on the characters’ sides this year. Actually, scratch that, time has ceased to exist this season. On the one hand, it’s nice not to spend entire seasons watching characters try to get somewhere. On the other, expecting fans to believe that ravens can travel hundreds of miles in a day, that dragons can travel just as far in a few hours, and that entire armies can cross the whole of Westeros in one episode, is a bit too much to ask — which is really saying something since bringing people back from the dead is no big deal at this point.
That Greyjoy Battle
Another letdown this season dealt with our favorite seafaring family, the Greyjoys. With bad boy Euron Grejoy siding with the Lannisters and Yara and Theon repping team Targaryen, the siblings were bound to clash with their uncle at some point. They did so early in the season and the entire battle was one big letdown. Besides the framing being too dark to even see what the hell was going on during the face-off, somehow, Euron was able to sneak his entire armada past King’s Landing and then sneak up on his niece and nephew, destroying their fleet with gigantic flaming balls of fire – which, where the hell did those come from? Game of Thrones has put pressure on itself to deliver grand battles and that show has sometimes sacrificed logical timelines and plots to do it. It’s difficult to believe, no matter how seasoned her opponent, that Yara wouldn’t be expecting an attack from her uncle, whom she predicted would align with Cersei in season six. It’s also hard to comprehend how an entire armada can somehow “sneak up” on a fleet of ships, even in the middle of the night. No one’s keeping lookout? I may not have much nautical knowledge but I’ve seen all of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies so I feel pretty confident that silent attacks aren’t a thing when it comes to warships.
Arya’s List
Season seven of Game of Thrones had a jaw-dropping opening. Watching Arya deliver her own brand of vengeance on the Freys who murdered her family was extremely satisfying. It made us long for the little assassin to finish crossing off the names on her ever-present list. In fact, she was on her way to doing just that before Hot Pie delivered some news that changed her course. At first, it was nice to think that Arya hadn’t gone so far off the deep end to not care that her siblings were still alive but now, after witnessing what’s happened at Winterfell, is it wrong to wish she just continued on her journey and made good on her promise to kill the queen?
Bran’s Purpose
Much has been hinted about Bran’s true purpose on the show. After discovering he’s the three-eyed raven, learning how to time travel, and facing the consequences of trying to alter the past – R.I.P. Hodor – Bran’s now made it back to Winterfell where he basically just sits by a tree all day and looks stoned. The character has gone through a confusing transformation over the past two seasons and his altered personality would make sense if he was actually using his gifts to help in the battle with the White Walkers or to keep Arya and Sansa from daggering each other. Instead, he’s been mostly absent this season save a few strange encounters with relatives. Maybe there’s a good reason he’s so secretive and bizarre – a lot of people are running with the theory that he actually is the Night King – but we need to delve into his story more in order for that twist to really make sense.
That Dragon Prophecy
If there’s one thing George R. R. Martin loves – besides torturing his characters – it’s prophecies. His books are filled with them and a few have made the jump to the TV series. Cersei’s prophecy that she would lose her children came true and so did some of the foretelling Dany heard in the House of the Undying all the way back in season two. Of course, another prophecy about a certain prince who was promised is shaping up to be real as well, but plenty of fans speculated that one prophecy from the book, the one about the dragon having three heads, meant that we might get to see someone besides Dany flying on the back of a scaly beasts. Jon Snow would be an obvious choice to ride one – he’s a Targaryen after all – and some thought Tyrion might be the third head. Considering hints at his Targaryen lineage have been nonexistent on the show, that’s probably out and since the Night King successfully turned Viserion, he might be the third “head.” Either way, it’d be nice to see someone other than Dany getting to take a joyride on a flying creature this season.
