Thank the Old Gods and the New, as Season 6 of Game of Thrones is almost upon us and threatens to dominate all of our waking discussion once more.
We should be in line for another big season, with lots of chess pieces on the move, sex galore, and violent, unexpected murders. It’s probably not a bad thing that none of us ever lived in Westeros.
We’re optimistically anticipating a theme of revenge this season, as the more morally righteous characters, or at least those that are fan favorites, finally start to emerge from the knee-deep sludge they’ve trudged through for years and find some success and happiness at long-last.
Or maybe we’re just ready for the torture porn to wind down a bit and for our heroes to rack up a few wins. What is fan theorizing if not wish-fulfillment, after all? Expect many of these to be wide off the mark, because Game of Thrones is constantly full of surprises.
We won’t touch on every storyline, as we’d be writing up until that familiar music kicks in on the season premiere date. Here, then, are 10 (Potentially Hazardous) Predictions For Game of Thrones Season 6.
Warning: SPOILERS may follow!
10. Brienne and Pod take residence at Winterfell
When we saw them last: The odd couple had arrived at Winterfell and sought to aid Sansa Stark, who the Boltons are holding prisoner at her family home as Ramsay’s wife. As Brienne was about to rescue Sansa, Stannis Baratheon and his army arrived, and she ended up killing him.
Where they’re going: It’s a waiting game as we prepare for Brienne to have an opportunity to free Sansa, but the elder Stark daughter will probably find a way to let her mother’s sworn sword enter and behead the wretched Ramsay - perhaps with the aid of some allies. From there, Sansa accepts Brienne as her guardian and the pair, along with Pod, Theon, and those in the North loyal to the Starks, rebuild Winterfell as the White Walkers march towards them.
9. Sam finds a home in Oldtown and a lethal battle with his father
When we saw him last: Sam leaves Castle Black for Oldtown along with Gilly and Little Sam, as he aims to study and become the new Maester of the Watch with Jon Snow’s permission.
Where he’s going: Sam does make it to Oldtown and hits the books, but his father, who sent Sam to the Wall for his preference of reading over combat, learns where Sam is and travels to confront him. Randyll is furious that his son is still reading books and threatens to kill his son, his partner, and her child. But Sam is a different man from the one he dispatched to Castle Black - he slayed a White Walker, after all - and defends Gilly by killing his father in a struggle.
8. Tyrion reigns successfully in Meereen, but loses Varys
When we saw him last: After Drogon carries off Daenerys to parts unknown, Daario and Jorah Mormont head off in search for her. They leave Tyrion to rule Meereen in Daenerys’ stead, with the aid of Varys, Missandei, and Grey Worm.
Where he’s going: Tyrion is unquestionably one of the smartest men in this world and he’ll prove a competent proxy for the Mother of Dragons. With a more heavy-handed approach to governing than Daenerys, he’ll make it his first priority to conquer the Sons of the Harpy, who so nearly killed him and his companions.
However, he’ll have to rule without Varys, who will fall at the hands of the Sons of the Harpy. He’s been around too long with too little impact. While his spies will come in handy for Tyrion, the Imp is more than capable of commanding the Spider’s army of eyes himself.
7. Walder Frey meets a sticky end
When we saw him last: We haven’t seen Walder Frey since the end of season 3, after he broke everyone’s hearts (and Stark bodies) at the Red Wedding. He’s been widely despised for his part in that Stark massacre, but we know we’ll see the Freys again in season 6.
Where he’s going: You didn’t think he’d ever stay completely off the hook for the Red Wedding, did you? His harem of oppressed wives/daughters rises up and takes him out of the equation, perhaps through a sprinkling of poison in his dinner to make him suffer far longer than he would with a few knife wounds in the chest or a slit throat. Walder’s second son is a new cast member for this season, so perhaps we’ll see Emmon rise up to take over the Crossing.
6. Daenerys and Drogon make amends and she commands a khalasar again
When we saw them last: At Meereen’s largest fighting pit, the Sons of the Harpy emerged and killed many spectators. Just as it seems they’re about to kill Daenerys, Missandei, Tyrion, Jorah, and Daario, Drogon takes away Daenerys. However, soon after he lands it seems he has no interest in finding them food. As Daenerys looks for something to eat, Dothraki bloodriders surround her.
Where they’re going: We have three options here - Daenerys falling into Dothraki captivity and Jorah and Daario rescuing her, the Mother of Dragons taking charge of her new Dothraki cohorts, or her subjects trying to free her and dying in the process. Option 2 opens up more possibilities, as Daenerys may finally have complete control over her dragons and a Dothraki khalasar. Next stop after that: King’s Landing.
5. Littlefinger dies
When we saw him last: Petyr Baelish informed Cersei of the Boltons’ plot to marry Sansa and Ramsay, and she sent a troop of knights to kill the Boltons. He also set the chain in motion for the Faith Militant to imprison Cersei.
Where he’s going: Although Cersei had promised he’d become Warden of the North on the deaths of Stannis and the Boltons, that won’t fit in with the rest of our predictions. Instead, it’s about time things start to go very bad, very quickly for one of the snakier characters in Westeros.
He’s operated under the radar successfully for a long time, but with the loss of his brothel, his house of cards is about to start tumbling. The Lannisters will finally cotton onto his scheming and opt to dispatch of one of the genuine threats to their power closer to home, alongside those in the North and overseas, which will leave the Vale and young Robin Arryn in disarray.
4. Arya gets her sight back and becomes one of the Faceless Men
When we saw her last: Arya paid a steep price for her decision to assassinate a man she was not ordered to - Meryn Trant, whom she believes killed Syrio Forel. As punishment, she loses her sight.
Where she’s going: Arya will keep training with the Faceless Men until she is able to take on the appearance of someone else. However, to become no-one, she learns her mentor, Jaqen H’ghar must die so she can take his place.
Arya’s on a protracted version of the classic Hero’s Journey. She has a big role to play in determining the fate of the Seven Kingdoms, and a few more names to cross off her list. She won’t get to Walder Frey, as we’ve seen earlier in this list, but to eventually get close enough to Cersei and The Mountain to kill them, she’ll need to find a way to bypass guards at King’s Landing. What better way to do that than by looking like one of them?
3. Bran masters his Warg abilities with both Hodor and raven
When we saw him last: It’s been some time since we’ve had Bran on our screens, having been kept out of the picture for the entirety of Season 5. We most recently saw him finally meeting the three-eyed raven, who is actually a man, and learning that he will never walk again, he will “fly.”
Where he’s going: Bran has a potent weapon in the gentle giant Hodor, whom he’s been able to take over with his Warg powers to some success. It seems likely that the focus for season 6 will be on Bran learning to use his powers specifically to control a raven of his own. Yet it’d be surprising if he did not continue to take over Hodor again and use his size and strength effectively in battles. Where the group goes from there is unclear, but fingers crossed for a Stark family reunion sooner rather than later.
2. Cersei gets revenge on the Faith/High Sparrow with the aid of The Mountain
When we saw her last: Cersei was stripped naked and forced to walk the streets of King’s Landing as punishment for her adultery with Lancel Lannister. During the walk, citizens hurled insults and filth at her, an intense moment of group shaming.
Where she’s going: Once her torment is over, she immediately reunites with Grand Maester Pycelle, Kevan Lannister, and Qyburn, and what looks like the reanimated behemoth of the Mountain. It’s clear that she has revenge on her mind and the High Sparrow is in her sights.
Thankfully, for her sake, she has a mammoth, mutated war machine at her beck and call, who, as a lowly human, could easily crush a man’s skull with his bare hands. She’ll do whatever it takes to wrest Tommen away from the Faith’s grasp, but right now it looks killing the High Sparrow himself is her utmost priority.
1. Jon Snow is alive and Ser Alliser is first on the list
When we saw him last: Jon was the last person we saw in season 5, dying in a pool of his own blood. Brothers of the Black Watch, furious that he’d opened the doors of Castle Black to Wildlings, stabbed him in turn.
Where he’s going: He’s not dead. There’s no coincidence that he had a conversation with the newly arrived Melisandre shortly in the Season 5 finale. With Stannis dead, Melisandre needs a new would-be king and revives the Stark bastard.
Jon will spend a few episodes on the sidelines before returning to kill all the Brothers who stabbed him - even Olly. Since his death freed him from his oath to the Night’s Watch, he heads south to warn everyone of the threat of the White Walkers. Heck, he might even help Brienne and Bran take back Winterfell.
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What else do you think will happen in the upcoming season 6? Let us know in the comments!
