Photo : HBO

We learned a lot from Game Of Thrones’ “The Last Of The Starks,” like how coffeehouses are already gentrifying the North, you should never sit near Tormund when he’s drunk, and the guy who makes giant crossbows is now the richest person in Westeros. But the episode raised plenty of questions, too, and in this Mailbag Of Thrones we’re answering yours about why Jaime really left Winterfell, if a defeated enemy could make a surprise return, and which allies and foes are coming for Daenerys. As always, be sure to send any questions that arise during or after this week’s episode to mailbagofthrones@avclub.com.


Lou asks: Will Jaime be fighting with or against Cersei? I am getting mixed answers from other fans.




Jaime’s attempt to pull a reverse Harry And The Hendersons on Brienne, by saying he’s a bad person she shouldn’t love, seemed to show he knows that his co-dependence on the evil twin he’s been banging for decades is unhealthy. Yes, Jaime, it is. It really is.



That goodbye also felt like both he and Brienne knew he was unlikely to survive the trip to King’s Landing, so he’s either heading there to die with Cersei so she’s not alone at the end, or it’s a desperate attempt to save her and their unborn child he believes (maybe falsely) she is carrying, one he knows is almost certain to fail.


Photo : Helen Sloan ( HBO )

That doesn’t mean he won’t end up murdering his sister, though. If she lied to him about being pregnant, it could finally open his eyes to how awful she is. Also, if Cersei looks like she is about to lose King’s Landing, there’s no way she’s going quietly. She’d rather see everyone in the capital die than let her enemies win, and there’s plenty of the Mad King’s wildfire she used to blow up the Sept of Baelor still hidden under King’s Landing.


Jaime once saved millions from that fiery fate by putting his sword through Aerys II’s back. What better ending could Jaime get than to once again be the hero who stops another mad ruler before they can “burn them all?”



Jenna asks: Is anyone left in House Mormont or did Lyanna and Jorah end the family?




Like the Tyrells and the Martells, they are now completely extinct (on the show). You’d think families that survived thousands of years might have produced more offspring (no one has any freaking cousins in Westeros) for just this reason.

Unless House Mormont has their own Gendry to save the family, they’re completely gone. At least they went out like heroes though. The Tyrells were blown up alongside a bunch of dirty guys in potato sacks.


Photo : Helen Sloan ( HBO )

Jim asks: The showrunners apparently have alluded to the White Walker threat not being completely vanquished for all time. Could the Night King’s mark on Bran be some form of transference, and that’s the big “shock” some of the actors have been saying is coming in the last several episodes?


Hopefully not, since that would mean we aren’t actually getting the “definitive ending” we were promised. The battle for power is always going to rage in Westeros, no matter who ends up on the Iron Throne at show’s end, but the Night King represented something very different, and that existential threat was dealt with.

I hated the way Game Of Thrones handled the defeat of the White Walkers, but turning around now and saying, “Wait! Bran kinda was the Night King all along,” would feel cheap and unearned. The Night King was so determined to kill Bran that it distracted him from a victory thousands of years in the making. Why lose your focus if Bran was secretly one of them already?


That “shock” would also make it seem like HBO wants to leave the door open for a potential sequel, which would diminish the impact of the finale. Fortunately I think David Benioff and D.B. Weiss were being coy when they refused to say the White Walkers were done forever. Whatever big surprise they have left for us will be some kind of massive betrayal more in line with the story the show wants to focus on at the end: who gets to rule.

Photo : HBO


Jeff asks: I really appreciated the seeming metaphor for global warming that was the White Walkers and the impending winter. If we choose to believe that was a real metaphor, what the hell was the conclusion to it?

Whether it was intentional or not, I also thought it was a great metaphor for global warming. That would mean the show said, “There’s a silver bullet that will take care of everything right before we all die, so the whole thing isn’t as important as we think.” I no longer think the White Walkers were a great metaphor for global warming. Not unless Valyrian steel can stop the ice caps from melting.


Keegan asks: Why didn’t Dany use dragonfire on Euron’s fleet? And how in the seven hells did she hear what Missandei’s last words were from that far away?


What? You didn’t think her strategy of dive-bombing all of those dragon-killing crossbows for no reason was wise? Let me guess, you also expected her to fly behind them and burn them instead of fleeing? What are you, a military genius?

No, seriously, are you? The leaders of Westeros could really use your help, after Jon inexplicably sent the Dothraki off to die last week, and Daenerys, despite being able to fly high above any possible threat, couldn’t see the most predictable ambush in history coming. Why did they assume Dragonstone, which isn’t far from King’s Landing, would be safe? It’s a big-ass castle with huge strategic value. No one considered the possibility Cersei would see its value or Daenerys would return to it? “Hey, Tyrion, what would you say you do here?”


Photo : HBO

Just like with the Loot Train Attack and Euron’s nighttime attack on veteran Ironborn, clearly no one in the Seven Kingdoms has ever heard of advanced scouts.


As for Missandei’s final “dracarys,” Daenerys could hear her for two reasons. One, King’s Landing is now inexplicably located in a desert, so the sound traveled. Second, Daenerys wasn’t that far away. She thought it was a good idea to stand with a tiny force near her fortified enemy, a vengeful mad queen who then decided not to murder Daenerys and put an end to the war. It was… it was weird. Seriously, are you a military genius? The realm should be accepting applications.

Lauren asks: Who would/could Varys use to kill Daenerys? When does Dany call on her other armies to come help?




Varys seemingly has no spies or people secretly in his service around him, but that’s what makes him the Spider. We likely won’t see his assassin coming. Unless he tries poisoning Daenerys himself, it could easily be some nameless soldier, maybe a disillusioned Northerner who comes south with Jon who Varys took under his employ while at Winterfell. Littlefinger sent a nobody to kill Bran in season one, so it’s not unprecedented to have someone like that try to kill an important character.

The only well-known person who might make sense is Davos, someone loyal to Jon who spent a lot of time with Varys and can get close to Daenerys, but that seems too wild and out of character for the Onion Knight.


Screenshot : HBO

Someone anonymous killing Daenerys might seem anticlimactic (which is why it probably won’t happen), but it would fit with a theme of the show. Those who seek power are always in danger, from everyone everywhere. Good thing for Daenerys I expect her to call her other armies—Yara Greyjoy and that new anonymous Dornish prince—to join her immediately.


Daniel asks: Who shit in Tormund’s pants?



The coward who left that takeout cup on the table. Coffee will do that to you.