The Game of Thrones Fantasy League – 7.07 – The Dragon and the Wolf

Game of Thrones – 7.07 – The Dragon and the Wolf

Ah! We’re over just as we’ve starting to get going!

This was the longest episode of the show, and the second most fruitful for gaining points. I loved everything in King’s Landing. Particularly everything Nikolaj Coster-Waldau did. In my finale blog post last year, I gleefully imagined the look on Cersei’s face when she would be reunited with Tyrion. I was not disappointed. In fact, speaking of predictions, let’s see how I did!

I guessed I didn’t need to add Septa Unella – correct.

Arya went to Winterfell but did not reunite with The Hound – half

I predicted Melisandre would meet up with the Brotherhood – wrong

The Winterfell weirwood tree was used this year – correct

I thought Bran would have told Jon by now about his parentage – wrong

I guessed that Bran crossing the Wall would not allow the undead to cross it – correct

I predicted scenes with the Dornish would be fleshed out now they weren’t filming in Seville – wrong

And I predicted a sea battle with Euron where one dragon would die – basically correct

Not too bad!

For Season Eight, I expect an explosive first episode where the Undead army descends on Winterfell, maybe before Bran even has a chance to tell Jon.

I don’t know how Tormund and Beric will be able to get to Winterfell to warn of the oncoming onslaught before the wights get there but I expect they will. (Maybe they’ll steal some horses.) Although Bran can probably take care of all the warnings.

As Daario was a prominent member of the Golden Company, it’s unlikely that they will take arms against Daenerys. However as Cersei mentions them having 20,000 men, horses and elephants, I expect that was to whet our excitement for a battle episode next year.

Arya and Melisandre and prophesised to meet again. Considering her banishment from Winterfell, I expect the Starks may have to flee their home again.

The Clegane brothers are going to face off. I expect Sandor will kill Gregor with fire. Poetic justice.

Jon will ride Rhaegal. I am crossing my fingers in the hope that Bran will be able to warg into Viserion.

For all the talk of incest being hideous from Emilia Clarke, lest we forget, Daenerys is herself a product of incest. Any denigration from her of her and Jon fucking is only an indictment of her own birth. I’m not bothered by incest in Game of Thrones, it’s produced Rhaegar, Dany, Myrcella and Tommen, all pretty sweet people. Tyrion and Jaime had parents that were cousins. If it now becomes a significant issue on the show that seems a little disingenuous. I feel like Jon and Daenerys as we’ve been shown in the show so far would not be turned off each other.

I would like to see Varys’ reaction to Littlefinger’s death.

I would love to see Jon and Arya reunite and discuss swords.

Can we get some direwolves back?

Theon will rescue Yara and both will defeat Euron.

Cersei will die before the birth of her baby, I’m not sure how. Maybe strangled by Jaime, though a death by Wildfire seems more poetic, all things considered.

I don’t know where Gendry is. He’s unlikely to still be at Eastwatch otherwise we’d have seen him die under the collapsed wall. Hopefully he’s making his way to Winterfell for a reunion with Arya. If he wasn’t getting killed off in Beyond the Wall, they must be keeping him around for some reason.

I do not know what will happen to Sansa next year, but it’s likely if Jon takes the Throne with Daenerys, Sansa will be the Lady of Winterfell. No idea who her Lord will be. Hopefully not Robin Arryn! Is she still technically Tyrion’s wife? I’d like this addressed if they Tyrion arrives at Winterfell next year.

I’m hopeful that Grey Worm and Missandei will get back together, though the odds are against them having a happy ending.

I’m certain Tormund and Beric are fine, they’re seen running west while the Wall falls.

I hope Ser Jorah makes it through Season Eight alive, he’s been through too much to die now! Maybe he could meet Lyanna.

I am a bit bored of battle episodes where we have clear heroes who are basically getting fucked until someone comes up to save them. I want to see people win with ingenuity, not luck. The Lord of the Rings has influenced battle scenes for too long. As much as I love Gandalf/Rohirrim/Ghost Army/Knights of the Vale/Dragons coming in stage left just when you think All is Lost, it’s really overdone. Let’s see some strategy next year.

Who will sit on the Throne next year? I feel that Daenerys and Jon ruling together with Tyrion as an advisor is too simple an ending. One of them’s got to die, right? I would not be happy if Tyrion died, he deserves to be Lord of Casterly Rock with Jaime. I would not like to see the Lannister bloodline die, Tyrion and Jaime need an heir. While it would be massively fanservicey for Jaime and Brienne to make kids, I don’t think Brienne is there. I also get the sense that Jaime and Cersei will kill each other, it’s the poetry of how they came into the world together, they leave if together. I don’t know who Tyrion will end up with but I hope he gets what he wants. If after all the battles, Jon dies leaving a pregnant Daenerys on the Throne, it would match up well to what the show has set up. If the Lord of Light brought him back for a reason and that reason is to defeat the Night King, he’s got to die once he does. That ending is a bit Pirates of the Caribbean. As much as the show terrified me this year that Daenerys might die, I don’t think she will. The show is her story. In the War of the Roses, the Lancasters and Yorks fought each other until Henry Tudor came over from France to defeat Richard II and take the Throne. Dany has been the Henry Tudor of the show. But after all that, the show hasn’t really endorsed having a monarch as giving a stable land. I feel that ending isn’t GRRM enough. It would work in the show, Dany being queen happily ever after. The writing of the books has never been that interested in good people being good rulers.

I don’t know. I’m excited to find out.

Speaking of finding things out – let’s tell you your scores! But first, here’s why some points were given:

Possible points of contention

Euron gains points for visiting King’s Landing as he was last seen at Casterly Rock.

Tyrion gets points for reuniting with Cersei but not Jaime. He and Jaime reunited recently and at no point in each other’s absence was there doubt about their whereabouts.

Everyone in the Dragonpit gets points for encountering a wight, even the Hound as although he’s been at the wight’s side since their first encounter, he leaves the Wight for a brief period.

Jon and Tyrion get points for making an inspiring speech with their plea to Cersei. Although she isn’t won over, Jaime and everyone else is.

Tyrion pours Cersei wine but she does not drink, giving her points for turning down wine.

I’m giving points to Cersei’s false proclamation about the Lannisters joining forces with Daenerys as making an inspiring speech. It wins the crowd over, even though she’s lying.

Theon’s cheer that is taken up by the rest of the Ironborn counts as an inspiring speech.

Bran has two visions plus a flashback and gets points for all three. In order, he has a vision of the wedding between Rhaegar and Lyanna, then has a flashback to his vision of Jon’s birth, then has a vision of Wall collapsing.

Bran gets points for reuniting with Ned, Lyanna and Jon. Lyanna, Ned and Jon do not get points for encountering him. Lyanna and Ned do not also get points for encountering each other as the scene takes place after they’ve encountered.

Jon gets points for being naked twice, first for his sex scene and second for his birth scene.

Jon and Tyrion are the only characters to get points for travelling by boat three times (to King’s Landing, to Dragonstone and to Winterfell). On the final boat journey, only Jon, Tyrion and Daenerys are shown. It is uncertain if Davos, Melisandre et al are with them so the others only gain points for travelling by boat to King’s Landing and Dragonstone. Daenerys gets points for travelling by boat only once as it’s not certain how she travelled from King’s Landing to Dragonstone.

Tormund, Beric, Viserion and The Night King get points for appearing in Bran’s vision.

Tormund and Beric continue to be capped at a maximum of 5 wight encounters, despite the intimidating army beneath them.

We only see two White Walkers, the one of the horse and the Night King, so Tormund and Beric only receive points twice.

Character Scores

Here is a full list of the characters and their awarded points. If one of your characters does not appear in the following lists, this is due to their absence from the episode, for which you shall be deducted five points per character:

Group A – Main Characters

Arya Stark – -5 points: appears (+5), kills (-10)

Bran Stark – 270 points: appears (+5), mentions Rhaegar (+25), mentions Lyanna (+25), 2x has vision (+40), has onscreen flashback (+50), 3x reunites with previously lost blood relative (+30), mentions Iron Throne (+15)

Cersei Lannister – 125 points: appears (+5), reunites with previously lost blood relative (+30), 2 x encounters dragon (+20), encounters wight (+20), turns down wine (+10), makes inspiring speech (+20)

Daenerys Targaryen – 120 points: appears (+5), visits King’s Landing (+15), encounters wight (+20), visits Dragonstone (+15), grimly surveys map of armies (+15), travels by boat (+15), gets naked (+15), has sex (+20)

Jaime Lannister – 90 points: appears (+5), 2 x encounters dragon (+20), encounters wight (+20), grimly surveys map of armies (+15), rides horse (+10)

Jon Snow – 250 points: appears (+5), 3 x travels by boat (+15), visits King’s Landing (+15), makes inspiring speech (+20), encounters wight (+20), mentions dragonglass (+10), kills a wight (+15), visits Dragonstone (+15), grimly surveys map of armies (+15), appears in vision (+40), 2x gets naked (+15), has sex (+20)

Sansa Stark – 5 points: appears (+5)

Tyrion Lannister – 183 points: appears (+5), 3x travels by boat (+15), visits King’s Landing (+15), says C word (+10), reunites with previously lost blood relative (+30), makes inspiring speech (+20), encounters wight (+20), drinks wine (+8), visits Dragonstone (+15), grimly surveys map of armies (+15),

Group B – Supporting Mains

Brienne of Tarth – 80 points: appears (+5), visits King’s Landing (+15), 2 x encounters dragon (+20), encounters wight (+20)

Petyr Baelish – -25 points: appears (+5), dies (-30)

Samwell Tarly – 55 points: appears (+5), mentions Rhaegar (+25), mentions Lyanna (+25)

Ser Davos Seaworth – 100 points: appears (+5), 2x travels by boat (+15), visits King’s Landing (+15), encounters wight (+20), visits Dragonstone (+15), grimly surveys map of armies (+15)

Theon Greyjoy – 140 points: appears (+5), 2x travels by boat (+15), visits King’s Landing (+15), reunites with previously lost blood relative (+30), encounters wight (+20), visits Dragonstone (+15), grimly surveys map of armies (+15), gets injured (-5), inflicts harm (-5), makes inspiring speech (+20)

Varys – 100 points: appears (+5), 2x travels by boat (+15), visits King’s Landing (+15), encounters wight (+20), visits Dragonstone (+15), grimly surveys map of armies (+15)

Group C – Rest of the Mains

Gilly – 5 points: appears (+5)

Missandei – 100 points: appears (+5), 2x travels by boat (+15), visits King’s Landing (+15), encounters wight (+20), visits Dragonstone (+15), grimly surveys map of armies (+15)

Sandor Clegane – 105 points: appears (+5), travels by boat (+15), visits King’s Landing (+15), says C word (+10), reunites with previously lost blood relative (+30), encounters wight (+20), unsheathes sword (+10)

Ser Bronn – 15 points: appears (+5), first line (+10)

Tormund Giantsbane – 255 points: appears (+5), appears in vision (+40), 5x encounters wight (+20), 2x encounters White Walker (+40), encounters dragon (+20), last line (+20), last on screen (+30)

Group D – Side Characters

Beric Dondarrion – 275 points: appears (+5), appears in vision (+40), 5x encounters wight (+20), 2x encounters White Walker (+40), encounters dragon (+20), last on screen (+30)

Grey Worm – 65 points: appears (+5), first on screen (+15), visits King’s Landing (+15), visits Dragonstone (+15), grimly surveys map of armies (+15)

Podrick Payne – 20 points: appears (+5), visits King’s Landing (+15)

Group E – Side Characters to the Side Characters

Euron Greyjoy – 125 points: appears (+5), travels by boat (+15), visits King’s Landing (+15), reunites with previously lost blood relative (+30), 2 x encounters dragon (+20), encounters wight (+20)

Yohn Royce – 5 points: appears (+5)

Group F – Weirdos

Qyburn – 65 points: appears (+5), 2 x encounters dragon (+20), encounters wight (+20)

Ser Gregor Clegane – 105 points: appears (+5), reunites with previously lost blood relative (+30), 2 x encounters dragon (+20), encounters wight (+20), unsheathes sword (+10)

The Night King – 125 points: appears (+5), appears in vision (+40), crosses the Wall (+50), last on screen (+30)

Group G – Animals

Drogon – 20 points: appears (+5), visits King’s Landing (+15)

Rhaegal – 20 points: appears (+5), visits King’s Landing (+15)

Viserion – 125 points: appears (+5), appears in vision (+40), 2x kills someone (-10), crosses the Wall (+50), last line (+20), last on screen (+30)

Group H – Dead but not Forgotten

Lord Eddard Stark – 45 points: appears (+5), appears in vision (+40)

Lyanna Stark – 95 points: appears (+5), appears in vision (+40), gets married (+35), has kiss (+15)

Group I – Are these fuckers coming back?

Ser Jorah Mormont – 100 points: appears (+5), 2x travels by boat (+15), visits King’s Landing (+15), encounters wight (+20), visits Dragonstone (+15), grimly surveys map of armies (+15)

The Leaderboard

Players can see their scores by consulting their initials in the table below.

This week’s points champion is FS, well done for gaining the most points this episode!

This year’s wooden spoon goes to SP. Unfortunately two of her team members didn’t make an appearance this season, Brienne let her down by barely doing anything, as did Gilly, Lyanna Mormont and Nymeria. It was a struggle but she gained over 1500 points anyway (which would have placed her 6^th last year) so well done!

Congratulations to MH, KAK, RCB and SV for making the top five this year! Special props to me, MH, by clinging onto fifth place by a single point.

…and the winner of the Game of Thrones Fantasy League Season Six is…MP! Bravo! He trailed at the bottom for five weeks, climbing up to second last week and snatching victory this week. What an exciting race! Six members of his team fought in the Frozen Lake Battle and that was his Joker episode. Outstanding work, and he managed to come first despite not having a dragon on his team. A magical achievement. I will be in touch about your prizes soon!

Well done, everyone! I loved doing the league this year, and I am reassembling the groups for Season Eight. The Joker episodes were an exciting addition to league play this year and I will be switching up the formula again.

Thanks for playing, it’s been a blast!