Endgame of Thrones: Season 8, Episode 4
By: Trishna Rikhy
Tags: Game of Thrones, GoT, Entertainment, Game Of Thrones Theories, Game Of Thrones Season 8

Endgame of Thrones: Season 8, Episode 4

Winter has arrived, and it’s in the form of the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones. Fans have been guessing, wondering, speculating at how the iconic show will end for years. Theories from Daenerys and Jon having a baby to Bran actually being the Night King have been in circulation on the internet for some time, and as each week of the six-episode final season passes, we get closer and closer to finding out which theories might be true, and which one’s we’re going to have to throw away.

If the Lannisters and Starks, the Targaryens and Tyrells, the White Walkers and the Crows are all too much for you to keep up with, don’t worry — we have you covered. As each episode passes and more and more plot is revealed, we’ll be able to cross certain theories off our list and narrow down how the final episode will unravel. This is Endgame of Thrones, where all men must die, but not all theories have to.

Season 8, Episode 4: “The Last of the Starks”

The Recap

Last week, the Battle of Winterfell was won when Arya killed the Night King and subsequently the entire Army of the Dead. The North still faced heavy casualties, however; among the fatalities of the battle included Jorah Mormont, Lyanna Mormont, Theon Greyjoy, and Eddison Tollett. In the first scene of this episode, we see the survivors of Winterfell pay their respects to the dead and mourn their loss.

What follows is classic Game of Thrones: partying, drinking, sex, politics, and betrayal. At the celebration banquet for the North’s victory, Daenerys promotes Gendry from being a bastard to being Lord of Storm’s End. When he goes to tell Arya the news, he proposes and asks Arya to be the Lady of Storm’s End, but our heroine declines his offer, saying she never was a lady — that’s not her.

Meanwhile, Podrick, Brienne, Tyrion, and Jaime bond and engage in a drinking game at the celebration (kind of like “never have I ever,” but, like, Westeros-style). When Tyrion assumes Brienne is a virgin, she abruptly stands and leaves — when Jaime follows her, Tormund claims his heart is broken and literally cries. There there, Tormund. Jaime follows Brienne to her room, where, after years of awkward defending-of-each-others’-honor and general freneminess, they finally get together—it seems like Daenerys’ armies aren’t the only ones going south this week.

Daenerys later begs Jon not to ever tell anyone about his true lineage, as she just wants things to go back to the way they used to be between them and she’s certain that if the truth gets out, Jon will be a contender for the Iron Throne, whether he wants it or not. He insists on telling Sansa and Arya, however, much to Dany’s dismay, and he later shares the news with his sisters and Bran in the Godswood.

Shortly after the celebration, The Hound and Arya leave Winterfell together, both claiming they have unfinished business in King’s Landing and that neither of them expect to return — we can assume that while Clegane is going to kill his brother, Arya is going to kill Cersei. Meanwhile, what remains of Daenerys’ army and the Northmen plan their moves against King’s Landing. Sansa insists on holding off to let the soldiers recuperate, but Daenerys strikes down her plan, and Jon stands with her. Though she was sworn to secrecy by Jon, Sansa later tells Tyrion what she knows about his parenthood when she contemplates what would happen if there was someone better than Daenerys who could take the Iron Throne.

When the army approaches King’s Landing, Rhaegal is almost immediately shot down by Euron’s fleet and plummets to his death in the water. The Iron Fleet then turns their arrows to Daenerys’ fleet and sinks a few of her ships, capturing Missandei in the chaos. Daenerys, infuriated by the loss of another one of her dragons, wants to take King’s Landing even if it means the deaths of thousands of innocents, but Varys and Tyrion — who have been growing increasingly wary of her mental state and rightful claim to the throne, now that they both know about Jon — convince her to at least try to make a peace offering to Cersei in public. It goes awry, however, when Cersei chooses not to back down and instead to behead Missandei in front of Grey Worm, Daenerys, and her soldiers. But hey, at least she didn’t let her soldiers shoot Tyrion with arrows — progress, right?

The Theories

Now that we’re back into the political side of things rather than the let’s-not-be-killed-by-the-dead side, a lot of theories are going to be floating around.

It’s safe to say that the marriage between Jon and Daenerys is back on the table, as Tyrion and Varys discussed it several times in this episode as a means of ensuring there will be a tempered ruler on the Iron Throne and that the North will stay part of the Seven Kingdoms. Jon and Daenerys wouldn’t be super opposed to it either, seeing how close they got in this episode.

We can also question again whether or not Arya will be the one to kill Cersei, and whether she will do it by wearing Jaime’s face — or, perhaps Jaime will be the one to kill Cersei, as he left Brienne and Winterfell to return to King’s Landing and his sister, citing his reason as that he and Cersei are both “hateful” people. Both of these seem likely, especially when we consider that Arya left specifically to kill Cersei and that Melisandre said she would shut green eyes as well as blue ones.

Moreover, we can wonder whether Daenerys is becoming the Mad Queen — she seems to be unraveling more and more with every loss she faces, and after losing both her dragon and Missandei in this episode, she’ll probably be back for blood (and lots of it) next week. She’s already willing to sacrifice thousands of innocent lives to get on the Iron Throne and free Westeros from a tyrant, so what extent will she go to now? Would she go so far as to kill Jon to be on the Iron Throne? Or would Jon kill Daenerys instead, fulfilling the prophecy of Azor Ahai by killing his one true love?

We can, however, out rule a marriage between Gendry and Arya; I’m sorry to say it, folks, but it looks like the writers aren’t going to cater to every point of fanservice this season. RIP Gendrya.

We can also cross out the theory that Cersei is pregnant with Euron’s baby — we know she’s pregnant with Jaime’s, but she told Euron the child was his, so while he doesn’t know the truth, we do. Tyrion also knew of her pregnancy before she ever slept with Euron, confirming that the baby couldn’t truly be his.

Ah, yes — it seems that, for the last two episodes of Game of Thrones that remain, we’re truly going back to the old days. Jaime and Cersei back together again, Arya and the Hound traveling through Westeros together on horseback, the Free Folk returning to North of The Wall, and King’s Landing under attack by a so-called usurper. Really brings another meaning to the term ‘full circle,’ am I right?

With only two episodes left, there is still much to be unraveled; who will take the Iron Throne? Who will rule in the North? Who is the Prince Who Was Promised? Who will live, and who will die? And most importantly…who’s going to take care of Ghost?