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jonsafan-blog · 5 years

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Sansa and the Six Kingdoms

Dorne could only be brought into the Seven Kingdoms through marriage. As in, they could never be conquered. That is on repeat with the North. They do not want to kneel into the Seven Kingdoms. But I bet they would be willing to marry into it.

Sansa is an unmarried Queen. She wanted to give them Jon as King. It’s really the only thing she was concerned about in the last season... and I’m willing to bet it’s why she didn’t submit to Bran as King of the Seven Kingdoms.

The tens of thousands of Northmen were only there for one reason: to free Jon Snow... and crown him as King.

That is the subtext of the dragonpit meeting. Only the Six Kingdoms would not bow to Jon Snow because he slayed his Queen... I also think it went unsaid that he was a Targaryen, and no one but a few people know who he is.

But there is more to this than that:

The Wildlings will also only respect Jon, and I’m willing to bet they are going to respect him more after he lives with them a few years. Like the North, the Wildlings will never kneel again... but if they marry into the Seven Kingdoms, I bet they would be willing to accept uniting the continent.

Jon is a Wildling, a Northman, and... the hero of the Seven Kingdoms.

The problem with what he did is that he was a kingslayer, and it’s difficult to know if his choice was the right one after the fact. Tyrion says to ask him again in ten years if it was worth it.

I believe it will be worth it, and I believe that what happens in the next ten years will define the next king (or Queen) just as it defined Bran. He became a story when he went beyond the Wall and came back...

Jon is going beyond the Wall, and he’s going to come back.

Bran will eventually die or abdicate. I cannot imagine an elective monarchy based on choice would choose to keep the same king forever. Bran does not want to be King... and I’m willing the best way to ensure there is not a tyranny is to put limits on how long a ruler maintains the throne.

If you notice in the dragonpit scene, Bran and Tyrion were critical of Sansa but left it at that. They know what she wants. They know what the North wants. But they cannot currently accept it as things are.

Sansa sees no future in a North under the Seven Kingdoms, but Six Kingdoms is just wrong. We know that as an audience... we know something is left undone.

The next ten years requires that the North and Sansa sees a future in joining the Six Kingdoms. In the next dragonpit meeting, I believe they will join the Seven Kingdoms... but in a particular way.

In the Stark goodbye scene we see that Sansa is regretful over what happened... but she’s not regretful for why she did that. We know that already. We know what her intentions were coming to King’s Landing. She failed to achieve making Jon King, and she wishes she could have achieved it in another way.

Jon’s hurt by her actions at first, but we need to remember that it was ultimately Sansa’s misstep, and the consequences of what it would mean for their family, which drove Jon to finally decide to kill Daenerys. Not duty. Sansa and Arya’s life was in the balance (but specifically Sansa’s life, according to the subtext) and he acted.

But he tells her she freed the North. She says they lost their king. Jon reminds her she is what the North asked for... meaning Sansa is the Queen they chose, but we as viewers need to remember Jon was also the King they chose. Both Queen and King are needed going forward, but they have lost one half of their leadership.

He holds onto her tightly in that moment. You really get the sense that she’s important to him.

Jon moves on to Arya and you realize this is their final goodbye... setting into contrast what is being promised with Sansa. Theirs is not conversation that pairs them up as equals in a marriage partnership, but more as friends/siblings saying goodbye for the final time. Arya is leaving Westeros. They will never see each other again. They both know that.

He bows to Bran. Bran seems almost amused and reminds Jon he was exactly where he was supposed to be... but the subtext... is that he is exactly where he is supposed to be now... going North of the Wall.

Did Bran use the R+L=J reveal to divide Jon and Daenerys? Certainly. But I think it has importance going forward as well.

Watch Jon’s eyes. He looks at Sansa for a long time, briefly looks at Arya, and then focuses on Sansa before turning away.

He sacrificed his freedom for his sisters, but Bran is reminding him that he is where he needs to be right now. So everything that happens after that moment is important towards the future:

Jon looks as Sansa twice. That’s not an accident. There is something about their relationship that remains unsaid between them, but which is obvious to the audience. In current Westeros society, they are still considered brother and sister, but I think it is clear there may be hidden feelings there.

Unlike Jon and Arya, Jon and Sansa have a future together. The North has always been interlaced with the Wall, and they will see each other many times in the future because of supplies.

In the small council meeting, Tyrion has assembled a faulty group, but a group that is rebuilding towards something. Bran asks where Drogon is, and we are told he is somewhere in the east.

Drogon is not yet dealt with, and we as an audience know that the only person capable of taming that dragon is Jon himself. Just like Bran went beyond the Wall and came back flying, I think Jon will eventually be reunited with Drogon in some way that will make him legendary... especially since we later see grass growing beyond the Wall, meaning it is melting and dragons can go there.

Bran is intensely concerned about Drogon, just as he was intensely concerned about Jon’s real parentage... about him being the true heir to the Iron Throne. That he hasn’t stopped thinking about Drogon means he is still preparing for something.

Tyrion seemed slightly bothered about Bran’s disinterest in realm matters in favor of Drogon, and if you notice, he’s critical of a lot of things happening from his trial on but which he does not say... as if he is observing something happening but reserving making statements about it - just like when he witnessed Sansa refusing to keep the North in the Seven Kingdoms.

Jon returns to the Wall. He’s clearly upset, but brightens a little upon seeing Tormund.

Then we get the montage. I knew there would be a montage.

Anyway, Jon reaches for Longclaw, which still has the sigil of the Starks. Remember when he asked if Arya would have Needle? Because it was something she would need as she sailed West to protect her.

But Longclaw means more than simple protection... it’s a reminder of Jon’s future. In the scene with Jorah, he did not take it because he was ashamed of the crimes he had committed... but it would serve Jon in the future and his children after him.

Remember also this scene had Tormund reminding us that Jon can never kneel again... because hs is the rightful King.

Sansa is getting ready to be crowned queen. She is wearing a blue dress with vines. Book readers will know the significance of her choice: the winter rose.

The bottom of her dress has red leaves... like when Jon swore himself to the Night’s Watch in front of the Godswood.

One of Daenerys’s book visions in the House of the Undying is a blue rose in a chink of ice... which is clearly meant to represent Jon being at the Wall after killing her. Jon is the blue rose, just as his mother represents it.

However, there is more to blue roses than just that prophecy, but rather an interesting story.

Yeah.

You know where I’m going with this.

Bael the Bard was a wildling who climbed the wall to prove his bravery, traveled the king’s road, and sung a song for Brandon Stark under a false name that meant “Deceiver.” Brandon was impressed him. As a reward, he was given the blue rose he asked for - the most beautiful rose in the Gardens at Winterfell.

But the next morning, Brandon’s Stark’s daughter, the last remaining Stark after him, disappeared with that same blue rose left on her bed. Brandon sent the Night’s Watch to look for Bael and the Stark girl, but they did not find her.

A year later, she appeared with a baby she had conceived with Bael the Bard. The story states they had never left the crypts - as in, they were under Brandon Stark’s nose the whole time.

That bastard boy became the next Lord of Winterfell. Unfortunately, Bael ended up slaying his own son on the battlefield years later when he left the wildlings south. The son brought the man’s head back as a trophy, and in her grief, the Stark girl lept from the tower.

I think it is actually foreshadowing the ending:

Jon will become a “wildling” of sorts, but eventually return to Winterfell. He ends up entering a relationship with Sansa, and they have a son. Jon becomes King, and one day, probably his own time as King ends, his son will rule as well. It’s possible there may be another king or queen on the throne between them from somewhere else in Westeros.

Jon marrying Sansa unites the Wildlings and the North, but him becoming King of the Seven Kingdoms will unite the Seven Kingdoms together as well... especially if he is possibly the only one to handle Drogon in the future.

That said, Jon and Sansa share similarities in their end montage: they are basically treated as leaders as they walk to their own version of a throne: Jon beyond the Wall and Sansa into the Great Hall. Jon sees Ghost, and Sansa is crowned with two direwolves... and sitting in a chair with two direwolves.

I honestly think Jonsa is canon, but future canon. The idea of incest was just a step too far for Martin, and he decided to leave it ambiguous... but the subtext is there. Jon and Sansa will get married, and their union will unite Westeros because is pretty much the only thing that can.

#jonsa

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jonsafan-blog · 5 years

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My Headcanon Why Sansa Didn’t Know How to Fight

In the Battle of Winterfell we see men, women, and children prepared to fight for their lives. Highborn girls like Lyanna and Alys both were seen preparing for battle and even the latter was assumed to have fought in some way.

We know that it was Jon’s policy for everyone to learn to fight, and it seemed like everyone in the crypt was a lowborn woman, elderly man, or child who presumably did not learn or were incapable of learning to fight. We also see Davos sorting the non-fighters before the battle began, so my theory is that most of the women around Sansa’s age in the crypts were from farms who received no training.

So I have this headcanon: Jon never imagined that Sansa would learn how to fight. He assumed she would be far away from the frontlines when it happened. I imagine him coming across her learning from Brienne one morning and put a stop to it because he was “going to protect her” and it’s dangerous for her to learn how to fight.

They argue, but Sansa eventually agrees not to learn from Brienne. Jon goes away to Dragonstone, certain Sansa is protected. After all, there was a Wall between them and the dead.

But then the Wall falls and the Battle of Winterfell happens. Jon learns that he was very, very wrong. Sansa had been stuck in the crypts when the dead came back to life and was mostly lucky she didn’t die since she really didn’t know how to use the dagger Arya gave her.

Think about it - she was never given a weapon because it was assumed she would never fight - even though every highborn lady was.

I can just imagine Jon reuniting with her, horrified to learn she may have died in the crypts because he failed to protect her.

#jonsa

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jonsafan-blog · 5 years

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Jon POV Theory

There’s been this theory around for a while that Jon won’t have any more POV chapters after his death in the books. I can see that - instead, we only see Jon’s actions from the POV of everyone else, and it might explain why D&D had less to go on in their outline... because D&D only gave them information pertaining to the POV of others.

#jonsa

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jonsafan-blog · 5 years

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How Leaks Work

Most highly paid professionals would never leak the ending of a show anonymously. The main cast, the most important part of production... just not happening. They have too many legal risks to do so.

That’s why the majority of leaks have occurred in two waves:

First Wave - Before the episode is sent out to television networks to be closed captioned and prepared for their servers, leaks seem to only occur when a lot of lowly paid people are involved with the scene. The reason we knew so many details about 8x05 is because it took place almost entirely outdoors with a lot of extras and a lot of special effects. Scenes that are filmed indoors without special effects (like Daenerys mourning over Missandei and Varys sending letters) don’t make these early leaks most of the time.

Second Wave - About 1-3 weeks before an episode airs we start getting really accurate leaks, and this occurs primarily because non-studio people all over the world become involved with subtitling and closed-captioning the episode. It takes a lot of people to get these done, and since they are not immediately in the general circle of the showrunners it is difficult to determine who leaked and prosecute them over other borders. This is why most second wave leakers actually tend to be non-English speakers. They can get away with it better. However, many of these leakers wait until the last possible moment to share... likely because it lowers the risk of their managers choosing to punish them. That’s why we only see leaks that take place between a handful of top actors on a closed set the day of or the day before (solar scene and sex scenes).

So what about the leaks going forward?

Here’s what we know.

Jon snow finally sees Arya after they reach the Irone Throne in King's Landing. (I think this means that he hasn't seen her since she left Winterfell ahead of him) Dany starts executing everyone in Kings landing (Tyrion and Jon are upset) Dany has Tyrion arrested for freeing his brother. (his trial is supposed to have neither Dany or Jon present) Tyrion tries to convince Jon to turn on Dany. His family will never be safe because it threatens Dany's legitimacy. Jon is horrified by what Dany has done to King's Landing, and she gives speeches about how she'll keep doing it to free slaves from their chains. He's also convinced by Tyrion that his family will never be safe because he presents a threat to her rule. Jon tries to talk to Dany but she ignores him thinking she is justified. Jon pledges himself to Dany, then stabs her, and surrenders himself. Very traumatic for Jon because he does love her. Drogon should melt the Iron Throne after her death.

All these leaks require a lot of extras to be present or some level of special effects.

However, given the rather concise but comprehensive narrative... I think it likely plays out rather sequentially above, though I think it is going to be prefaced with some sort of Arya telling Jon Dany needs to die and it being reinforced by Tyrion’s public arrest. I also suspect a Jon and Davos conservation before he meets Arya or directly afterward. Those scenes would likely have been private without special effects, so filmed separately from extras without a large production crew involved.

I also believe that Daenerys will be killed with Arya’s dagger. It’s the only way I can imagine Jon getting close enough without raising the suspicion of her men.

There are also three possible endings:

Ending 1

King's Council: A council gets formed to decide who the King should be. Tyrion gives a speech and everyone votes on Bran to become King. The end. In the Epilogue, Jon takes the black again for killing Dany. (I think this is penance for regicide and guilt. People take the black to avoid the death penalty and he would be the 1,000th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch) Arya leaves. (she told Clegane she would) Sansa rules the North. When they're deciding who to elect as king, Sam suggests holding a democratic election and the other nobles laugh at him. That's before they vote on Bran. Bran oversees his council of Tyrion, Davos, Sam, and Bronn. The Unsullied leave to cross the sea and start liberating slave cities on their own, because that's Dany's plan before Jon kills her -- she has this big speech scene, after sacking King's Landing, where she's talking about wrecking the world, liberating all of the slaves from their masters

Tyrion's fate after the beginning of the episode is uncertain, but I think it is confirmed his trial does not happen before Dany's death. Ending 1 does not address Tyrion's trial, but it does have multiple scenes which would have required a lot of extras to achieve, though no special effects:

The council would be formed with numerous bit actors and extras serving as guards. An easy enough leak to imagine. That said, there does seem to be a rather large public vote on Bran becoming King of the Seven Kingdoms, so I think this is pretty much confirmed. Sam also clearly says a lot of lines to confirm this to the extras. Tyrion is also present for this council... likely representing the Westerlands, and Bronn probably does actually get Highgarden.

However, Jon taking the black and there being no trial suggests that Jon simply chooses to leave King's Landing and is not forced to. He likely tells his family on or off screen and then Jon is in the North for a lineless "ending" in which he is reunited with Wildlings and Night's Watch. Extras involved in filming probably were led to believe this was his final ending, and once Daenerys’s death was leaked, him “taking the black” was assumed.

Arya leaving can be a rather private scene as would her saying she is leaving, but likely assumed because she clearly survives the ending but is not present in anyone else's storyline. That is probably the last time we see her in the show.

Sansa rules the North... this leak happens in three ways. The first is that Sansa is simply referred to as the Lady of Winterfell or the Lady of the North or something like that. Extras could easily assume she rules the North even if she doesn't in this circumstance.

However, she could also be "ruling the north" if production saw her on the battlements. If she has a scene in the Great Hall, that would confirm it, but only if her vassals declare her as Lady of the North.

The Unsullied also set sail. We likely see Grey Worm talking to someone before he leaves among a lot of extras or even it just being mentioned in the council. It's possible Jon taking the black is mentioned in the castle, but I doubt it.

My theory for how these leaks came to be is that it was a combination of two factors:

The council with a lot of extras... and production special effects tying together a bunch of mostly dialogue-free shots of Westeros after the council.

Ending 2

Tyrion's Trial: Tyrion's trial in the dragonpit is a major scene and has no Jon, Dany, or dragons. Sir Davos is present not wearing the Hand of the King pin (he wasn't in 8x04 either) along with all 3 stark children. Samwell Tarly, Brienne, Robyn Aryn, Grey Worm, an unknown man wearing golden clothes (likely Dornish), and another unidentified man (an older short bearded one dressed in green) will be there as well. Bran will flash back to season 1 where Tyrion Lannister told Catelyn Stark, "I never bet against my family". Tyrion is filled with anger and resentment against the people of Kings Landing because he saved them against Stannis and they still turned on him. Thinks people of King's Landing deserved it. He saved them and were ungrateful (trial of Joffrey's murder) Will fall to his knees in the middle of the speech dragged down by the weight of his actions. His death was filmed in studio so not sure how he dies.

Tyrion's trial has a lot of extras... that's clear. A trial would need a lot of people present. I think it takes place before the council, and I think he ends up being declared innocent of the charges, but this, like so much of the season, happens off-screen.

I think it was written so that all the charges are laid against him and his jury are present to question him... but after the charges are given and Tyrion gives his public tirade, the director likely told the extras that the death would be filmed in studio. In reality, the ambiguous ending actually transitions to the council and we see Tyrion has been spared. I'm willing to bet his tirade about the city being ungrateful ends up being what saves him - he may have done what he did to save his family, but he tried to do it to save the city too.

Ending 3

Both Endings Combined: King's Council seems most likely as multiple scenes can be cheaply shot however few will have graphic effects or sound added. Friki's leaks were from the 7 months ago when they were filming. Friki is doubling down that it is a trial and because Tyrion's death isn't filmed, it may be both. Tyrion will have a trial, give a speech, and ultimately be spared and raised to the King's Council. On the other hand, if he is killed, it doesn't change the ending too much so it should be interesting.

The person compiling the leaks on freefolk seem to think that one of the endings could be wrong (probably Tyrion’s trial) though I think it’s right to create a third ending in which both events happen... because they clearly do.

Tyrion is eventually vindicated offscreen and receives the Westerlands.

So How Does the Next Episode Go?

We only know about the scenes film with a lot of extras or that have some level of special effects. Any scenes which would be between two people in an ordinary room (like Jon and Sansa’s scene in the solar) would not have been included in the leak. I also suspect Bran is narrating over a montage of scenes.

So unless the entire scene is special effects or has a lot of extras... we have a number of missing scenes. Here is the likely order of events and my speculation on what is missing.

Exposition - establishing the episode’s “normal world”

Tyrion walks through the destruction of the city.

Jon and Davos approach the Red Keep as Daenerys prepares to give her victory speech. They have a tense conversation about the horrors they witnessed.

Arya and Tyrion approach the army as they congregate for Daenerys’s speech.

Inciting Incident - very first conflict that occurs in the plot

Daenerys declares her victory. The Dothraki and Unsullied go wild when she says she is going to keep conquering cities and liberating the people, and it is clear the speech isn’t meant for the people of Westeros she had “liberated” but her two armies - the Dothraki who want to pillage, and the Unsullied who want to end slavery.

We see the reactions of Jon, Davos, Arya, and Tyrion. None of them are happy. It’s clear that Arya has made a decision.

Rising Action - 3 major events leading to the climax

Tyrion is publically arrested and tells Jon that his family will never be safe if Daenerys is Queen.

WINTERFELL/DAENERYS SCENE - Daenerys sends a letter demanding Sansa come to King’s Landing or we see her preparing to deal with Sansa herself. Both scenes wouldn’t need a lot of people and likely be done lowkey in private rooms. However, the audience also needs to know the stakes of what Tyrion said, so there must be another scene involved not yet leaked.

Jon finally sees Arya. She gives him his dagger and confirms what Jon already knows what he must do - kill Daenerys. However, he’s not sure he can and it is uncertain to the audience if he will do it or not. As an audience, we still aren’t certain if Jon is going to just go along with Daenerys or not - though we suspect and hope he will take Arya’s dagger.

Climax - Most suspenseful part of the plot. The turning point for the main character.

Jon confronts Daenerys either because he goes there of his own free will or is summoned to her court in the destroyed throne room. He tries to convince Daenerys not to do what she plans on doing. It could be referring to continuing her war across the world or even just calling Sansa to answer for her crimes.

Clearly Jon says something for Daenerys to believe he is on her side, likely pledge himself to her cause... or maybe agree to Sansa’s execution. Something where the audience isn’t sure if Jon is really going to go through with what Arya asked him to do.

Daenerys believes Jon really is in love with her, and she gets close to him - and that is when he stabs her. It’s clear Jon is choosing his family/realm over Daenerys.

Jon is devastated over his action, and surrenders himself immediately. Grey Worm is likely the person to encounter him first, but hell breaks loose because Drogon likely senses Daenerys is dead/dying and incinerates the room itself, going crazy. It’s possibly Drogon is killed in this moment, and it may result in Grey Worm realizing what cause he nearly pledged himself to - he does seem to make it to end of the show, so I assume he isn’t killed in battle.

Falling Action - 3 events or less that unravel the conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist to lead to the resolution.

Daenerys dying is clearly the climax... so what is Jon’s obstacle after her death? I think it’s going to be the guilt over killing her and everything that led up to that moment that Jon was involved in. He doesn’t think he is a good person. That means we have changed from Jon vs. the Night King and Jon. vs Daenerys to it really being Jon vs. himself - and the one thing he won’t accept about himself is being king... hmm...

The council is called to order from around Westeros, and we see Sansa, Arya, and Bran reunited. Arya probably tells Sansa that Jon has gone to the Wall to take the black... even though there is no more Night’s Watch. Sansa is probably devastated by this news. And also very confused... reminding her family and the audience that he should be King now.

We see Tyrion being put on trial, having been found imprisoned. It is used not to punish Tyrion, but as the final nail in the coffin to Dany’s madness when Tyrion goes into his tirade about trying to save the city. It’s left ambiguous as to what his sentence is.

Change to the council. Sam gives a speech about democracy, and the lords vote Bran in as the King of the Seven Kingdoms (or something like it) because he is memory or something? I think it’s going to be because Jon is supposed to be King, but he left, and now the lords of Westeros wonder what is going to happen to the leadership.

Either way, Sam probably gives a convincing argument. Tyrion is there as Lord of Casterly Rock. Bran gives a final speech, and we see a montage of everyone around Westeros rebuilding or leaving - The Unsullied go east (hopefully with the Dothraki!), and Arya leaves too. We see Sansa in the North. However, there is something clearly missing with this arrangement as Bran being King of the Seven Kingdoms and that doesn’t make much sense.

Let me ask you... has Jon’s final antagonist (himself) been addressed? Nope.

Resolution - The conflict is resolved and we see if the protagonist achieved his goal or not.

We see Jon at the Wall, but he’s not happy. He’s not fulfilled. He’s never accepted that Westeros needs a king like him, but something causes him to go back - probably Tormund.

Jon makes a decision to accept who he is and leaves the Wall because Westeros needs him. I think there is going to be some promise of another threat to Westeros, but I don’t know what it is yet.

Denoument - The tying of loose ends.

Jon still needs to become King. And a King needs a Queen.

Jon returns to Winterfell on his way south. He reunites with Sansa because she needs to reunite with someone to begin pledging his own cause as king... and who better than the woman who tried to make him king?

Jon is crowned in Winterfell alongside Sansa.

Perhaps a letter stating about him ascending to become King of the Seven Kingdoms is sent out, with Sansa as his queen.

I believe we may have a Jonsa ending because of what Sophie was given and has said about what she has given.

Sophie was gifted two items from the last episode: a scroll, and her storyboard. The scroll says something important, and the scroll looks like something banal or something that appears to have happened before.

However, Sophie also stated that it was a scene which resulted in every story arc coming to a really good close. While I may have some bones to pick with that, I really think she is referencing the endings to major characters and specifically what happens to the characters involved in her final scene. Jon has no closure unless he becomes King, and Sansa marrying him just makes a lot of sense.

#jonsa

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jonsafan-blog · 5 years

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This clown thing... You made a post. Can you explain it to me? I'm European and I don't get it

So conservatives used clown pepes for memes for the last year, and a professional clown posted a video which just made the situation worse:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEzdNAAXkuU

Here is a description of clown world:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH-1xZi-wac

GOT fans are using the meme correctly. It seems like GOT is clownworld now. However, radicals will not see it that way if they don’t agree with your GOT interpretation. You will become a white supremacist... even if you happen to be liberal itself.

Honk Honk and get canceled.

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jonsafan-blog · 5 years

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GOT fans... stop using clowns.

I’m a conservative. I know what happens to conservatives when they talk about clowns.

You guys have no idea what you are bringing upon yourself, and if you have your real name attached to your accounts wipe your clown posts immediately for your own safety.

Recently a professional clown posted a video angry that a clown meme was used by conservatives. This caused the meme to become even more popular, and now some radical leftists are accusing people who use clown memes of being white supremacists.

I wish I was fucking kidding.

#jonsa #jonerys

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jonsafan-blog · 5 years

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House of the Undying and Valyrian Daggers

As expected, the prophecy is coming true. Discusses leaks later in the post.

Daenerys walks into the throne room and it is covered in snow/ashes. We now know that is snow. She puts down a torch, and I didn’t realize this before but I think that was foreshadowing she was going to burn it. She approaches the throne but does not sit on it. Then she hears her dragons and departs from the throne room.

My analysis of this scene after the fact is that Daenerys will never really be queen. She won’t stop and rebuild... because we know she is beyond that. She doesn’t see the people of Westeros as people. She can’t liberate people who are already liberated... merely conquer them and cause them fear.

She hears the call of her dragons... because it is the dragons that inspire her. However, my belief is that she will try to fight Jon in the next episode, politically or militarily, and what we are hearing is the dance of dragons.

That conflict will lead to her doom.

Daenerys goes under the Wall and crosses to the other side. It’s whiteout winter over there and she shivers. Then she sees a dothraki hut like the one she shared with Drogo. She enters it, and suddenly it’s like she’s on the Dothraki sea because it is clearly warm outside. She’s in her happy place. And guess who is there? Khal Drogo and Rhaego. Aww. He calls her the “moon of my life.” The rest of their conversation is in Dothraki.

She can’t believe it. She replies, “This is dark magic, like the magic that took you from me.” She approaches, uncertain and adds, “Took you from me before I could even...”

But then Daenerys changes. She’s happy and says: “Maybe I am dead and I just don't know it yet. Maybe I am with you in the Night Lands."

Khal Drogo looks up at her and replies, “Or maybe I refused to enter the Night Lands without you. Maybe I told the Great Stallion to go fuck himself and came back here to wait for you.”

Daenerys smiles. “That sounds like someone you would do,” she says.

She looks down at her baby, and Khal Drogo softly says, “Or maybe it is a dream. Your dream, my dream... I do not know.”

Khal Drogo is about to kiss her. “These are questions for wise men with skinny arms.” And then, “You are the moon of my life. That is all I know and need to know.”

Daenerys is starting to break emotionally as Drogo continues. “And if this is a dream... I will kill the man who tries to wake me.”

They touch foreheads. Daenerys looks at Rhaego. Dragons cry in the background. Daenerys begins to cry as she restates what Mirri Maz Duur reminded her of, but this time in the common tongue: “Until the sun rises in the west and sets in the east. Until the rivers run dry and the mountains blow in the wind like leaves.”

She walks away. Drogo is devastated.

Analyzing this I know why the final book is called A Dream for Spring. It’s not about the seasonal spring... it’s about the future Daenerys longed for herself... and it’s only a dream. It’s her realization that her dreams of the future are not going to happen which drives her mad.

But in the context of the show... here are my predictions.

When Daenerys “goes under” and “crosses the other side” it is referring to two possibilities: 1) She dies. 2) She crosses the line. Hell and immorality are implied in both, and when she goes Beyond the Wall she is becoming the Queen of the Ashes instead of Westeros.

Remember, the “snow” on the throne wasn’t snow at all... it was ashes from the city she burned down. Daenerys is fully accepting that part of herself by choosing to go under and cross to the other side.

That said, there is more to this vision, and it’s the Dothraki part which causes me to splinter on possibilities rather significantly.

We have leaks, but narratively... and based on the books... we have two destinies for Daenerys: she dies in a normal way... or she dies and comes back as the Night Queen.

What?

Oh, I got book evidence for the second one, but for the first, the leaks are pretty clear about what is going to happen: Jon eventually stabs Daenerys because his family will never be safe. Beyond that there is some uncertainty about what happens. It could be a fairly banal ending in which the story is pretty much over at that point.

Or...

Daenerys becomes the Night Queen.

There is some weird inkling of another leak, and given a leak almost noone discusses about a dothraki hut being built for the season yet not appearing in the show so far, I want to talk about my wild theory. It’s kind of bananas, but I’ve been waiting for the House of the Undying ash vision to be confirmed to share it with you.

So other leaks have stated it’s possible that Drogon carries Daenerys body beyond the wall. Jon feels so guilty for what he did that he goes into exile at or beyond the wall. Also, Bran states there must always be a night king.

For this wild theory to happen a few things must occur which nobody has discussed:

Arya is in King’s Landing.

Arya’s dagger is in King’s Landing.

A godswood is in King’s Landing.

Do you see where I am going with this?

What is Jon is given Arya’s dagger... and he kills her in the charred Godswood because BranTree DIDN’T EXPLAIN WHY ARYA HAD TO STAB THE NIGHT KING WITH THAT SWORD... but we keep being reminded of it as an audience.

Drogon takes Daenerys because Daenerys is alive-dead, and goes beyond the wall because that’s what Night Kings/Queens do to build their army.

AND OH GOD THE WILDLINGS ARE UP THERE. And so is the broken wall.

But time to settle down and talk about the book connections.

Because they are fucking interesting.

I am not even exaggerating.

Time for a primer on Dothraki religion! Or rather, religion in general.

I’m not kidding.

So there is one theory most people believe D&D dropped the ball on. And given the leaks seem kind of light on what happens next episode, perhaps Azor Ahai hasn’t happened yet. Perhaps Jon wasn’t supposed to kill that Night King, but Daenerys Night Queen.

So the Lord of Light has this great enemy called the Great Other... a god of death, cold, and darkness. The Lord of Light and the Great Other fight a continuous battle with each other over the fate of the world (A Song of Ice and Fire). Melisandre calls the White Walkers “cold children” in the books.

Are you getting chills? I’m not even to the Dothraki part, I’m building up to it.

We know that Craster sacrificed his sons to the White Walkers, and we know that the Weirwood trees are somehow connected to the White Walker’s creation.

There is also book evidence which suggests Melisandre sees Bran being tempted his teacher towards darkness as leaves flow in the wind. He is reminded the trees are rooted into the darkness and will make him strong like mother’s milk.

Who created the Night King in the show?

The Children of the Forest... who I believe are servants of the Great Other. They carved the trees and signed the Pact for peace between the Children and the First Men, leading the First Men to adopt their religion.

That said, it seems to be implied in the books that the Children and the First Men worked to defeat the White Walkers in the book the first time around, so it is possible that the Children had no idea they were serving an evil God.

When the Andals invaded Westeros, they burned down the Weirwood trees as much as they could, and the Pact ended, though the First Men still followed this clearly evil religion without realizing it.

The Andals believe in the Seven, which like the Christian is one God in seven forms. There is also a Lord of the Seven Hells who performs black arts. I think it is just another iteration of Lord of Light vs. Great Other, and the Lord of Light used the Andals to invade Westeros and try to stop the spread of the Old God religion.

Now let’s get closer to what the Dothraki believe now that it is obvious we are setting up a Lord of Light vs. Great Other fight.

Essos actually has children of the forest. They are called the Ifequevron. They lived in the Forest of Ifequevron just north of the Dothraki sea. The Dothraki did not attack them either out of respect or fear. It is believed they were wiped out by the Ibbense, and once the Ifequevron disappeared, the Dothraki began attacking the Ibbense.

They left one city that the Dothraki call the “City of Ghosts” and people that have visited report seeing trees with carved faces.

Weird how the Dothraki didn’t attack them... super weird.

Maybe because they weren’t supposed to.

But onto Dothraki religion:

They worship a horse god and Dothraki aren’t worth anything unless they can ride a horse. Their god is called the “Great Stallion.” When someone times, their god parts the grass and claims the deceased for his khalasar so the dead can ride with them in the nightlands.

What.

So we know that there is a Great Other who is the god of the dead. We also know Melisandre clearly believes the White Walkers are enemies. The Night King joined the dead to his own khalasar - a nomadic horde. And together they rode into the Long Night... Yeah. Not a coincidence.

One important function of khalasars is that when a khal dies, the groups underneath him (but no bloodriders) either fight to claim it or break apart on their own. I believe that with the Night King dead, if that wild theory is true... Daenerys becoming a White Walker is just part of the Great Other’s plan to replace his general of death.

But I’m just not done yet.

In Daenerys’s vision, she is called the “moon” of Khal Drogo’s life. She is the wife to the sun - which is a star. And I believe the Dothraki are wrong about it being the sun or that the meaning is lost in translation.

Interestingly, the others have a story about a Night King who was bewitched by a Night Queen who had skin as pale as the moon.

Oh to Dothraki death beliefs and funeral customs.

According to the Dothraki, stars are horses made of fire and the starry sky is a great herd of fiery horses running across the sky. These stars are dead Dothraki. The more fierce the Dothraki, the brighter the star.

When a horselord dies, a horse is slain so it can be mounted in death. These dothraki are then burned beneath the open sky. If a child dies before they are old enough to ride, they will instead be reborn to begin life anew.

Drogo was burned to custom: a square made of wood is positioned with the khal’s horse in the middle. Over the horse, another platform is constructed. This platform is laid east to west, from sunrise to sunset. It has three levels. The third levels is set north to south. On that level, the khal is placed with his head in the direction of the Mother of Mountains. His body is only burned when the first star has been seen in the sky.

Why did I give you all those details?

Oh boy.

Guys. I’ve been holding this crazy theory in for a while. I’m not holding back.

So let’s consider for a moment the Mirri Maz Duur prophecy... which we were reminded of in Daenerys’s House of the Undying prophecy and in the last season in the dragon pit.

Let’s remember context: Daenerys wasn’t asking about when she would bear another child... but when Drogo would be able to ride a horse again - thus be a khal again.

Mirri said: "When the sun rises in the west and sets in the east. When the seas go dry and the mountains blow in the wind like leaves. When your womb quickens again, and you bear a living child. Then he will return, and not before."

Now a popular theory and not one I discount because of Daenerys’s similarities to Cersei is that she will become pregnant. However, Daenerys is going to die or she’s going to destroy the world. But that’s not the point of my funeral description.

George R. R. Martin gave those details for a reason.

First, Khal Drogo was burned when the first star rose in the sky... and that was the red comet. That’s what happened in the books, though the show was slightly different (because none of these fine details are shared) and it doesn’t show up until season 2.

However, the show did point out it meant dragons... but back to the pyre and the prophecy.

Drogo’s second platform was laid east to west, from sunrise to sunset. “When the sun rises in the west and sets in the east.” But Drogo died unable to ride a horse... so I believe he didn’t go to the nightlands... I believe he was reborn... as Drogon. Rhaego as Rhaegal. And Viserys, who had to walk because of his crimes against Daenerys for hitting her, was reborn as Viserion.

Okay, that last one is a little silly and I’m mostly joking.

That said, Drogo was reborn on a pyre. That red comet was him rising in the west and setting in the east (dying). He was then reborn into Drogon.

From there, “When the seas go dry” Daenerys left the Dothraki sea for the Red Waste. But the “mountains blow in the wind like leaves” is meant to represent something happening in Westeros. For Daenerys to go west, first she must go east... which she did. Then she went west and the White Walkers came like leaves in the wind.

It’s possible Daenerys becomes pregnant again, but I believe what Mirri’s snide statement is really stating is an unintended prophecy. She will become the Stallion Who Mounts the World.

According to Dothraki prophecy in the books:

As swift as the wind he rides, and behind him his khalasar covers the earth, men without number, with arakhs shining in their hands like blades of razor grass. Fierce as a storm this prince will be. His enemies will tremble before him, and their wives will weep tears of blood and rend their flesh in grief. The bells in his hair will sing his coming, and the milk men in the stone tents will fear his name. The prince is riding, and he shall be the stallion who mounts the world.

The Dothraki also believe in something called “Ghost Grass” which sounds a bit like snow though it is actually a plant rumored to glow with the spirits of the dead. It is supposed to cover the whole world... and that’s how it ends.

But the Stallion Who Mounts the World? The one Mirri tried to stop?

Daenerys brought the largest army in the world to Westeros - including a Dothraki arakh army - like razor grass. He would be “fierce as a storm” like Daenerys Stormborn. Enemies will tremble (like Jon). The Bells... the fucking bells will sing his coming. Or Daenerys coming.

God damn it. I believe my crazy theory... okay? I can see the books ending this way.

Anyway, the milk men (pale people like Westerosi) in their stone tents (hey, castles!) will fear his name.

The Stallion is also supposed to bring everyone into his khalasar... which is what Daenerys basically intends to do. The Great Other is doing this by killing everyone... and Daenerys seems like an enticing general.

Essentially, I believe the Dothraki had similar beliefs as the Ifequeron like the First Men did with the Children of the Forest. Only their beliefs morphed to it Essos. Because they bring death, I think they are actually worshippers of the Great Other whom they call the Great Stallion.

But if Daenerys is the Stallion Who Mounts the World and works for the Great Other... who is supposed to fight against her?

I dunno. Maybe the man the Lord of Light brought back from the dead for some weird reason.

The Last Hero and Azor Ahai are not the same person, just like the Andal Seven are not the same as them. Details on them are pretty light so I won’t get into. They are all iterations of the fight between the Lord of Light and the Great Other though. They may not have even happened in the same places. There may be more.

So let’s look at what happened.

The Last Hero is a Westerosi tradition happening during the Long Night.

Yet here and there in the fastness of the woods, the children still lived in their wooden cities and hollow hills, and the faces in the trees kept watch. So as cold and death filled the earth, the last hero determined to seek out the children, in the hopes that their ancient magics could win back what the armies of men had lost. He set out into the dead lands with a sword, a horse, a dog, and a dozen companions. For years he searched until he despaired of ever finding the children of the forest in their secret cities. One by one his friends died, and his horse, and finally even his dog, and his sword froze so hard the blade snapped when he tried to use it. And the Others smelled the hot blood in him and came silent on his trail, stalking him with packs of pale white spiders big as hounds –

This was alluded to in the Wight Hunt, but it’s possible some iteration could happen again briefly. If Jon goes North, he will have “a sword, a horse, a dog, and a dozen companions.”

Azor Ahai goes a bit like this:

Darkness lay over the world and a hero, Azor Ahai, was chosen to fight against it. To fight the darkness, Azor Ahai needed to forge a hero's sword. He labored for thirty days and thirty nights until it was done. However, when he went to temper it in water, the sword broke. He was not one to give up easily, so he started over.

The second time he took fifty days and fifty nights to make the sword, even better than the first. To temper it this time, he captured a lion and drove the sword into its heart, but once more the steel shattered.

The third time, with a heavy heart, for he knew beforehand what he must do to finish the blade, he worked for a hundred days and nights until it was finished. This time, he called for his wife, Nissa Nissa, and asked her to bare her breast. He drove his sword into her living heart, her soul combining with the steel of the sword, creating Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes.

Although he had Lightbringer, Azor Ahai did not fight alone. The Jade Compendium mentions that when the hero thrust the blade through a monster, the creature burst into flame.

There are similarities to the last one. It’s possible that a Valyrian sword cannot kill a Night King or Queen, merely the sword that created them underneath a Godswood.

It’s possible that the present timeline is mirroring the defeats or lack of personal involvement Jon has had in defeating his enemies: He could not fight the darkness himself, and it took a water dancer to end the Night King. Then he went to fight the Lannisters, but the Lannisters brought destruction upon themselves and died holding onto each other.

The third conflict, Jon will succeed in defeating his enemy because he will kill Daenerys (his Nissa Nissa). But in killing her, he powers the dagger which will later be used against the monster she becomes, and the “burst into flame” is likely alluding to the fact he will be killing Drogon.

As for the dream... perhaps when someone becomes a wight or a White Walker they are tricked into a dream they never wake up from. As Daenerys is destroying the world as the Night Queen, she thinks she is back with Drogo and Rhaego in the Nightlands.

But none of these very discrete details would ever play out in a single episode, at best just some of them, and I am just reviewing them to highlight that Book Daenerys may be on her path to becoming a White Walker herself if Jon uses that god damn dagger.

And we know he is going to stab her. And we know the leaks aren’t long enough to tell us what happens next episode.

So maybe a really unexpected twist happens and Jon accidentally creates another damn Night King and he has to put the monster down.

#jonsa #anti-daenerys #game of thrones #a song of ice and fire

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jonsafan-blog · 5 years

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Sansa started the war.

Let me explain.

Sansa indirectly instigated an irreversible series of events in season one due to her betrothal to Joffrey.

In medieval times, there are two general ways to marry: immediately or through betrothal. Sansa was not betrothed to Tyrion or Ramsay, though she was betrothed to Joffrey. The difference is present and future consent, with a betrothal being future consent.

Generally, betrothals happen between two children or a child and an adult because a large span of time separates their consent to marry with the actual consummation.

When a couple was betrothed, their marriage would be considered valid after consummation - even if they didn’t have a wedding. Consent and sex are what validate marriage.

It should be of no surprise then that a marriage would actually be considered invalid if one of the individuals involved was already previously betrothed to another.

Betrothals were considered semi-permanent contracts. They were not impossible to break, but extremely difficult. Reasons for a break would include a prior commitment, infidelity, and the failure of one side to meet the financial expectations of a betrothal contract.

It is likely that the betrothal was announced at the feast in episode one itself. However, what about the dowry?

It wasn’t money.

It was Ned becoming Hand of the King.

What... you didn’t think Robert could be political? He wanted Ned’s support in the war to come, and the best way to secure that would be to bind their families through marriage and stipulate his presence in King’s Landing.

I imagine that, prior to the revelations of Lysa Tully’s letter, Ned expected to go south with his daughters and Bran. It’s made more clear in the books, but Bran wanted to become a Kingsguard until his fall, and I imagine that Ned only intended to serve as Hand until he found a replacement and Bran squired and joined the Kingsguard to protect Sansa.

However, Lysa’s letter changed everything because it keyed Ned into serious dangers he had no anticipated. Had he received the letter before the offer of betrothal... he would have never accepted his daughter one day marrying Joffrey. The betrothal simply wouldn’t have happened. Ned would have come up with an excuse. He may have agreed to serve as Hand for a while, but not nearly as long as a betrothal would have required.

The promise of a betrothal also necessitated a dowry, and that dowry was Ned’s agreement to serve as Hand of the King.

Yet it should be stated that there was a small window or Ned getting out of his new job following Bran’s injury. He did not take it though because of Sansa.

Put yourself in Ned’s shoes for a moment: he just agreed to marry his daughter off to a prince whose mother may have been involved in a murder. Considering what happened to Ned’s father and brother in King’s Landing before, I can’t imagine him letting Sansa go without his protection.

To break the betrothal meant that not only would Ned refuse to be Hand of the King, but that he was publically stating he did not support the King in the war to come.

Sansa’s betrothal to Joffrey became perilous to the future of the Starks within hours after the feast. And it marked a point of no return for the Starks because of it.

It’s not Sansa’s fault, but it does mean Sansa was crucial to the conflict between the Starks and the Lannisters, and thus an important reason the plot progressed as it did.

Sansa will end the war.

The ending is expected to be bittersweet, but we do know that the Starks are supposed to be considered the protagonists and Sansa appears to be the only Stark likely to have an heir.

We are continually reminded that she is the key to the North. Recently, we have also been reminded of her allies in the Vale, though it’s possible her Uncle may one day regain power in the Riverlands. I imagine they would have a lot in common having both been prisoners because of the Lannisters and both wanting to return to their families and care for their people.

She’s pretty powerful in that case, as Jon has no blood relation to the Tullys or Arryns himself. Sansa, Edmure, his child, and Robin are actually uniquely positioned in that regard to have very powerful and important geographical allies. And all three of these families like each other.

Sansa needs to marry and have children if the Stark line is to continue. Many fans are divided by who Sansa should marry. As a Jonsa fan we know what I might say, but the point of this post is that Sansa’s marriage set the Starks on an irreversible collision... I think Sansa’s marriage might lead to the Starks redemption as well, but also Westeros itself.

#jonsa #sansa stark #jon snow #game of thrones

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jonsafan-blog · 5 years

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Jon’s Story

Jon’s story in the show is about believing other people are monsters and then realizing that there are real monsters in the world.

But then after defeating the real monsters, he learns that people can push others to become monsters.

That’s his relationship to Daenerys - he is going to witness a good person become a monster because of other people... and he going to have to slay that monster.

#jonsa

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jonsafan-blog · 5 years

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I’m a MAGA supporter, so perhaps I can provide some insight:

Starks represent self-sufficiency and honor, two traits which are admired among conservatives. They tend to have a rural aesthetic. Ned and Catelyn also represent the traditional family. The Tullys and Arryns follow closely behind.

The Tyrells best represent liberal values. They favor collectivism and social justice, and there is a strong sense of urban favor among them. Tolerance of non-traditional lifestyles don’t seem to bother them. The Martells come after that.

Can someone explain to me the correlation between Starks Stans and MAGA supporters?

Like how are the two interconnected?

#game of thrones

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jonsafan-blog · 5 years

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The Dark Woman

I guess you could say this is a sequel to lieselstark2′s meta about Sansa, Jon, and Daenerys representing an allusion to The French Lieutenant’s Woman. There will be some minor spoils based on leak speculation.

To summarize what lieselstark2 said, the trio each represent a character from the gothic satire book and movie The French Lieutenant’s Woman as well as its respective storyline.

Sansa is the dark woman - a tragic outcast who has been snubbed by society because of her rumored affair with a French lieutenant. Jon is a paleontologist engaged to the upper-class Daenerys who appears to be the heroine of the story, but is in actuality the foil to Sansa.

As for the storyline of The French Lieutenant’s Woman, it goes a little like this:

The paleontologist is an orphaned gentleman who visits the seaside with his fiance and sees the dark woman as she stares sadly out at the sea. He becomes curious with her and meets with her secretly three times even as he continues to court his fiance. The dark woman tells the paleontologist her story, and they form an emotional bond.

During this time, the paleontologist also learns that he may be disinherited from his uncle because his uncle has remarried a younger woman capable of having children. In a hilarious coincidence due to names, his servant, Sam, also falls in love with his fiance’s aunt’s maid, Mary.

The paleontologist falls in love with the dark woman and tells her to leave town. He then goes to tell his fiance’s father that his inheritance is uncertain, and the author of the book gives three possible endings:

The First

He returns to his fiance because the father accepts his lack of inheritance anyway. The two marry, but their marriage is not a happy one. He enters his fiance’s family business. This is considered to be the traditional happy ending for a gothic novel.

The Gods Flip a Coin

The author then inserts himself into the story and sits beside the paleontologist. He flips a coin to determine the order in which he will tell the other two endings. It is emphasized that are both as likely to be possible.

The Second Ending

The paleontologist returns to the dark woman and they have sex. He realizes she was a virgin the entire time, and he ends his engagement with his fiance and proposes to the dark woman by letter. However, Sam fails to deliver this letter and he is disgraced by his fiance’s father. The paleontologist’s uncle marries and the paleontologist does lose his inheritance when a child is born.

The broken engagement is so scandalous that the paleontologist goes abroad. The dark woman, having not received the letter, flees without telling the paleontologist where she is going. He has his lawyer look for her and finds her two years later living an artistic life with a painter. The dark woman reveals she has had a child by the paleontologist and there is hope that the three may become a family.

The Third Ending

The narrator turns back his pocket watch, and the events are the same until the paleontologist meets the dark woman. Their reunion does not go well because the parentage of the child is not made clear and the dark woman does not express a desire to continue the relationship. The paleontologist leaves and wonders if the dark woman was manipulating him the entire time.

The Previous Meta

Lieselstark talked about a death cloak as well as the opening of the book being tied to Game of Thrones very explicitly to the point it could not be confused for anything else. The meta writer also made a point that the first ending was clearly false and intended to be false because it was a daydream and not in line with the satirical nature of book.

The movie actually disregards the first ending entirely. The third ending is the “real world” of the actors playing the second ending. However, the allusion that D&D make is not to the modern storyline, but to the book storyline... meaning they are heavily hinting the second ending as the ending of the show even though it appears as if the first and third are possible (Jon marrying Daenerys and the now suddenly unexpected but accurate to the allusion of Jon going to the Wall).

I agree with lieselstark2′s observation, and I want to explore this allusion in reference to the final season.

I do not think GRRM intended this allusion, though I do think D&D chose to include it in the show because it helps to frame and foreshadow the ending. The French Lieutenant’s Woman is an older movie based on a novel of metafiction - exactly the sort of story writers D&D’s age would be interested in and be influenced by in the post-modernist era.

Where We Were in Season 7

Season seven starts out with Jon and Sansa ruling beside each other, but Jon ends up leaving to seek out Daenerys for support in the war against the Night King.

Lieselstark2 notes that Sansa has always been the dark woman, and I believe she was pointing this out because the original dark woman is the true heroine of the story. D&D have been subtly pointing out that Sansa is the true heroine of Game of Thrones and the foil to the false heroine Daenerys - because they know how A Song of Ice and Fire ends.

However, we do not see the obvious connection to the dark woman until Sansa is standing at the battlements in season seven, episode seven sadly looking out at the moors of the North while Jon is far away.

Let me explain the context of that scene, because it is a much stronger allusion to The French Lieutenant’s Woman than it appears on a superficial level, and I believe D&D are using the allusion to build Sansa’s character.

In the previous episode, Jon had gone on his infamous wight hunt and pledged his allegiance to Daenerys. Meanwhile, Sansa was plagued by Littlefinger’s schemes to set Brienne against Arya, ultimately leading Sansa to send Brienne to represent her interests at the dragon pit meeting.

Before Sansa’s scene, we have the dragon pit meeting and Jon and Daenerys talking about her cursed fertility amongst the dragon skulls. Once the dragon pit meeting is done, we see Sansa in her solar with Littlefinger. She is upset by the news of Jon bending the knee, and Littlefinger discusses the possibility of Jon and Daenerys marrying.

There is more to this scene than that, and the allusion to The French Lieutenant’s Woman is not the only thing going on, but it is clear that it is also being alluded to in this solar scene - Jon and Daenerys are the traditional couple expected in this storyline, though there is something else that is more difficult to pick up but also part of the allusion:

The rest of the scene has Sansa being manipulated by Littlefinger into believing Arya might kill her because Sansa is a threat to the Starks - an outsider because of her past decisions. It is unclear in the narrative if she caught on or not, but I believe she entertained the possibility and ultimately decided that Arya was her ally and Littlefinger her enemy in her French Lieutenant’s Woman scene on the battlements that echoes the dark woman staring out at the sea.

The original dark woman was an outcast and liked being considered an outcast because she had already broken so many rules and she liked the freedom it gave her. Throughout the story, the dark woman pretty much Littlefingered everyone and I think what D&D were trying to do in that scene with Sansa was establish that Sansa was willing to become Littlefinger and use his political manipulation to secure her own freedom from Littlefinger himself.

While many in the general audience look at Sansa and consider her a snake because of everything that has occured in her storyline so far, it is clear that Sansa’s storyline is about personal independence just as much as the North’s independence is crucial to the plot in season eight.

Sansa is not thinking about Jon in that scene, she’s thinking about her freedom, so when she leaves the battlements and asks for Arya, she has made a decision to become the manipulative dark woman she has always been but never fully embraced - even though it means she will be forever the “dark woman.”

She executes Littlefinger. The episode continues, and Jon’s parentage is revealed as well as him going to Daenerys to begin their relationship. She returns to the battlements with Arya, and I think the key takeaway in regards to the allusion here is that Arya and Sansa are Starks - outsiders in the strange, political world of Westeros. They need to protect and free themselves, but they do need each other - and no one else.

Essentially, they must embrace the fact they are outsiders together to survive. However, Arya is “no one” and Sansa is specifically the “dark woman.”

Going into Season Eight

Fast forward to season eight and Jon and Daenerys arrive at Winterfell effectively engaged. Sansa is standing on the battlements like the dark woman - the allusion continues.

There are some other interesting connections to The French Lieutenant’s Woman as well. The paleontologist is disturbingly similar to Jon - he is a typical romantic hero who is cynical on the outside but actually an idealist on the inside (think Ned’s influence on Jon). He struggles with his sexuality (Jon struggles with the idea of fathering a bastard) and joins the clergy but becomes disillusioned (Jon joins the Night’s Watch and it does not go as expected).

The paleontologist also has a servant named Sam whom he is friendly with. A coincidence, but one which I am certain D&D are reeling over, and one which I think is important to determine the way in which The French Lieutenant’s Woman will foreshadow the framing of the end.

Early in the book, there is a quotation that prefaces a chapter on the fiance: “Loce can only be lust if there is no hope for immortality.”

I think it describes the relationship between Jon and Daenerys well. Many in the general audience believe that Jon and Daenerys are going to marry, have a baby, and rule together. They may not have married before having sex, but that does not mean they will not be together.

The relationship between the paleontologist and the fiance is not sexual, though I think the quote provides some interesting insight into the allusion itself and the ending of Game of Thrones. Jon and Daenerys will not be simply a lust relationship if they get together in the end... if. A relationship can only be love if it lasts... like Ned and Catelyn.

But Jon and Daenerys are doomed from the start, and we know this because of Bran’s reveal that was overlayed on their scene. Their relationship has no hope for immortality because they are going to be at odds by the end due to conflicting claims to the throne.

That is why we know going into the first episode of season eight a few things:

Jon and Daenerys will not be together in the end.

Daenerys is not the heroine of the story, Sansa is.

Sam will somehow be involved, which makes sense considering how he wants to bring Daenerys down.

Building an Ending

In order to get to the second ending and explore the possibility of the first and third happening, Game of Thrones needs to establish its allusion to The French Lieutenant’s Woman stronger.

Basically, the paleontologist and the dark woman meet three times in secret before they are reunited.

The first is accidental, and he leaves embarrassed. The second is accidentally on purpose by the paleontologist, and he is given a false story that intrigues him. The third has that lie continued, but he excuses his interest in the dark woman by assuming he helped her leave town.

In season eight, we see Jon meet with Sansa alone in the solar in order to convince her that bending the knee to Daenerys was the right idea. Sansa does not agree and is clearly hurt.

Although not a perfect correlation since Jon and Sansa know each other well, I do think D&D are going to follow the storyline a little to help foreshadow the ending. The solar scene was part of that. It is an emotionally charged meeting where Jon tries to justify why Daenerys coming to the North is a good thing. However, we know the solar is a private place, and the body language prior to their argument is one of a couple.

The paleontologist leaves that meeting certain that the dark woman is innocent of the accusations, and we do see Jon defend Sansa to Daenerys when she comes up again.

In The French Lieutenant’s Woman, the fiance is determined to have the paleontologist propose to her. She wants no one else in the world, and is effectively going to trick him into doing it.

Which is exactly what Daenerys is doing: she is trying to get Jon to forget his past and stay with her forever, reminding him that Sansa is not the girl he knew and has changed because of her past abuses... similar to the dark woman being outcasted.

Interestingly, the conflict with Sam is mirrored in The French Lieutenant’s Woman. The fiance is not empathic towards Sam, which is a trait shared with Daenerys - and not something which Jon approves of.

The paleontologist begins to realize that the fiance is putting on an act, and I think Jon is realizing that in Daenerys as well. Daenerys wants to be a liberator, but in reality... she wants power.

There must be two more secret meetings between Jon and Sansa, and I believe they will happen in the South as the conflict between Jon and Daenerys heats up.

The Two Meetings

The dark woman encounters the paleontologist and weaves a false tale about her affair with the French Lieutenant. It never happened, but the paleontologist is led to believe it did and is surprised by the dark woman’s acceptance and desire to be outcast... though this ultimately attracts him to her even as he tries to “save her” by convincing her to leave town.

Whether Sansa goes to the south willingly or is kidnapped, I believe that Sansa will ultimately meet with Jon secretly to try and convince him to take the throne for himself. He will reject the throne, but become increasingly attracted to Sansa and even the idea of becoming king as he comes to understand who Daenerys really is. He will also try to convince Sansa to go home for her own good.

Interestingly, the people in that Victorian society believed the dark woman was crazy, even though the reader knows she is sane. The fiance also appears to be well-adjusted at first, but it becomes apparent by the end that she is acting.

I think that dynamic will be echoed with Sansa and Daenerys. The general audience believes that Sansa is a traitor and Daenerys is a hero, though it is quickly becoming apparent in the narrative that Sansa is loyal to her family and Daenerys is actually power hungry.

The third meeting ends with the paleontologist then learning he is disinherited by his uncle and that the dark woman has left town. He fears that his relationship with the dark woman was discovered. However, his disinheritance also leads him to not fear the possibility of his relationship with the dark woman being discovered as much as before his disinheritance happened.

I believe that Jon has always been in love with Sansa, and the reveal that he is actually the heir to the Iron Throne (and thus her cousin) means that a relationship between the two of them is possible. However, like the paleontologist, he already has another commitment to Daenerys and it will ruin him if he breaks up with her.

Interestingly, Sam Farrow ultimately betrays the paleontologist. The paleontologist decides to leave his fiance after being disinherited, and Sam Farrow realizes that a poor paleontologist means getting married to his own lover is more difficult. Sam Farrow is asked to send a letter but chooses not to deliver it.

This leads to the paleontologist and the dark woman being separated. However, the paleontologist breaks off his engagement to his fiance anyway, meaning Sam Farrow’s plot ultimately fails. This leads the paleontologist to be humiliated socially, and he leaves to travel abroad, though he has someone try and look for the dark woman.

What I believe will happen in Game of Thrones is similar, with some important changes.

We know, for instance, that Sophie Turner kept a scroll from the season in her wallet that was supposed to be a major spoiler. We also know that she was gifted the storyboard of her last scenes. No one was able to determine they were a major spoiler for the ending, which means there is something very normal about the setting - and that it appears it had happened before.

Most of the spoilers we have seen so far in leaks seem to be referring to scenes outdoors. We are also never given the more private scenes in leaks, and since Sansa is frequently indoors with only a few people, that means most leaks related to Sansa never occur.

We need to build the ending based on the known leaks so far that appear to be confirmed and determine how Sansa fits into those pieces using The French Lieutenant’s Woman as a framework.

Daenerys captures Jaime

Daenerys executes Varys

Drogon burns King’s Landing and Euron’s fleet

Tyrion frees Jaime to rescue Cersei

Cleganebowl, Hound and the Mountain die

Jaime fights Euron and is mortally wounded after killing him

Jaime and Cersei die together

Daenerys executes innocent people in King’s Landing

Tyrion is imprisoned for helping Jaime

Tyrion tries to convince Jon to betray Daenerys in order to save the Starks from her being a threat in the future

Daenerys does not listen to Jon’s reason in her madness

Tyrion eventually has a trial in which Daenerys and Jon do not attend

Tyrion and Sansa conspire against Daenerys and try to get Jon on their side

Sansa betrays Tyrion after telling him they will rule together

Jon ultimately kills Daenerys by stabbing her

Kit apparently show two endings: Night’s Watch and death

Tyrion’s trial has Davos, Sansa, Bran, Arya, Sam, Brienne, Robyn (really?), Greyworm, a golden man, and a mystery green man present.

Tyrion is angry at being betrayed because he claims to have done what he did for the good of others.

A Theoretical Summary

My speculation based on the links and the allusion to The French Lieutenant’s Woman is as follows:

Episode 5

Daenerys waits for Jon’s army to arrive so she can attack King’s Landing. We know they were about two weeks away the last time it was mentioned, and in the teaser we see Daenerys has returned to Dragonstone and Tyrion approaches her worriedly.

Even though it might seem as if Daenerys will attack King’s Landing immediately after Missandei’s death, we do see that Daenerys is far more cautious during Euron’s attack. She knows she cannot be as impulsive or she will have heavy losses.

We also know from earlier teasers that Jon also ends up in Dragonstone at some point, and just like Tyrion approaches Daenerys from behind, so too do we see Daenerys’s back to Jon.

Some point later, Cersei appears rather smug as she looks out at the city, knowing that she has plenty of bodies to protect the city from being burned down. I suspect this fact was echoed to Daenerys and was another reason she did not attack right away.

We then see Jon and his Northern army, alongside Tyrion, looking at the city. He appears very worried.

Then we see the Golden Company marching through the streets of King’s Landing and a hooded figure walking away from them in the background.

The hooded figure is too tall to be Jon or Arya. The feet are also too masculine to be Sansa (and why would she be sneaking in alone?). That leads me to think it is either The Hound, Brienne, Jaime, or Bronn. My money is on the Hound, and he and Arya are staking out their path to the red keep.

The teaser seems to promise by the end of the episode that the battle at least starts, with the scorpions being loaded and Euron hearing the dragon. Emilia told fans to watch this episode on a big screen, so my bet is that a battle actually takes place and it is fairly long (though not at long as the Battle of Winterfell).

So I assume these sequence of events:

Daenerys mourns at Dragonstone

Tyrion and Varys discuss her unraveling madness

At Winterfell, Bronn discovers Jaime has left for King’s Landing and that Cersei might be winning the war. He goes to kidnap Sansa for leverage, but Sansa promises him a castle immediately by the Umbers in return for helping her and her closest allies escape (Bran, Brienne, Podrick, Sam, and Gilly). He agrees, and the Golden Company assumes that Alys Karstark is Sansa and Winterfell goes along with it on Sansa’s orders. The group escapes, and Bronn heads North to his castle and to recruit the Wildlings that have since left. It’s possible Podrick goes with him so that Tormund trusts his word.

Jon arrives in Dragonstone to terrible news - the Golden Company is keeping his family hostage in Winterfell. Daenerys will not let him go to Winterfell until they have taken the Iron Throne.

Jon and Tyrion land the armies in front of King’s Landing, and he is conflicted about the battle.

Arya and the Hound sneak into King’s Landing. She wants to kill Cersei and he wants to kill his brother.

Cersei sends Qyburn to meet with Jon to surrender. Jon meets with her secretly against Davos’s advice and convinces him to betray Daenerys.

However, Jon isn’t sure he can kill Daenerys in cold blood, even as Varys pushes him to do so. Tyrion learns of the plot and tries to stop it, but it ultimately never happens because Jon is reunited with Sansa as she secretly arrives to tell him she has not been taken hostage. She arrives with more Vale forces (including Robyn Arryn) as well as Tormund, Ghost, and his wildlings. Jon is very relieved to see Sansa, but is worried about her being in King’s Landing and what she is planning. He tries to convince her to do nothing and to go to the Vale until Winterfell is retaken.

Jon agrees not to go through with the plot and confides in Tyrion, and Daenerys learns of Varys going behind his back. She executes him, much to Tyrion’s surprise and horror.

Sansa decides to use this turn of events to her favor and convince Tyrion to join forces with her to have Jon claim the throne from Daenerys. He is at first unwilling, but when Jaime is captured by Daenerys to be executed later alongside his sister, Tyrion agrees.

The battle begins shortly after Varys’s execution and Yara’s arrival.

Daenerys, wary of Cersei plots continuing during the siege and fearing that Jon may betray her if they do not take King’s Landing before word travels to the Golden Company in Winterfell, attacks King’s Landing directly in a brutal way. She disables Euron’s fleet first by using Yara’s arrival to distract them, and then burning the ships in the harbor.

The Unsullied then siege King’s Landing and kill innocents, but this is largely to convince them to escape the safety of King’s Landing and empty the city so Daenerys can make her final attack. Even so, this brutality horrifies Jon - but he must go along with it because Daenerys is unaware that Sansa has tricked Cersei and he is afraid to admit she is nearby for fear of Daenerys acting against her.

Sansa and Brienne help Tyrion to free Jaime in an eerily scene as the one between Catelyn, Brienne, and Jaime in the second season. Jaime admits he came to King’s Landing to save or kill Cersei, and Sansa commands Brienne to help him... knowing full well that Arya is already planning to kill her anyway.

Arya and the Hound sneak into the Red Keep, and Cleganebowl happens. However, the Hound is wounded in the attempt.

Euron survives the burning of his ships and tries to shoot down Drogon using a remaining Scorpion. This injures Drogon, and grounds Daenerys, slowing the attack on King’s Landing.

Episode 6

Daenerys and her allies regroup, and she learns that Tyrion helped Jaime escape, though she is still unaware that Sansa is in King’s Landing. She imprisons Tyrion. She promises to execute him aongside his brother and sister.

Sansa is surprised to learn that Tyrion did not betray her, and she realizes that Tyrion wants her to marry him when they finally get Jon to betray Daenerys.

Jon and Sansa meet again secretly and he is furious to discover she had a role in Jaime’s escape. She tries to convince him that Daenerys is crazy, but Jon refuses to consider her plot.

Jon tries to convince Daenerys not to burn what is left of King’s Landing or to execute the Lannisters. Daenerys refuses to listen to his reasoning, and prepares her second assault.

I think a scene between Yara and Jon is possible, and that Theon will over hear it. Yara tells Jon Theon died for the Starks, but Daenerys helped them protect the North and he isn’t willing to die for his own Queen. I believe Tyrion will then leave a seed of doubt in Jon’s mind by telling him Daenerys would not die for the Starks - would his family ever really be safe?

Sansa and Sam prepare to send ravens to the lords of the realm proclaiming who Jon really is. However, Sansa knows that once she sends the raven there is no going back. We do not see the ravens being sent.

Jaime reunites with Cersei, and Brienne is too hurt to watch the reunion and leaves the room. Jaime tries to convince her to leave King’s Landing, but she refuses. Euron appears and fights Jaime, and Jaime wins but is mortally wounded.

Brienne reunites with Arya and they arrive too late to save Jaime as he begins to die in Brienne’s arms. He asks to be taken to Cersei, and Brienne agrees. Once he dies, Arya kills Cersei. Jaime and Cersei’s bodies lie in wait in the throne room. Qyburn witnesses everything.

However, the two cannot get back to Daenerys’s army before the battle begins, and they struggle to get out of King’s Landing as Daenerys begins her assault in earnest.

Because Cersei and Euron is dead, the defense of King’s Landing is pitiful, especially as Drogon is able to wreck fiery havoc unchecked. This means that all the deaths that occur Post-Cersei were deaths that did not need to happen.

Arya is reunited with Sansa. Sansa goes to Tyrion with the news of Jaime and Cersei’s deaths, and he is grief-stricken. Between Robyn “Let the bad man fly” and Bran doing whatever Bran does, Sansa begins to suspect he may betray her in the future. She is also disturbed about the possibility of remarrying him since he is a Lannister.

The Golden Company learns they are not going to be paid and they defect. Arya and Sansa convince them to fight for their family in return for all the gold the Lannisters have left. They do not agree, so Sansa makes another agreement: do nothing in Westeros and leave. Robyn pays ransom for Winterfell.

Daenerys is able to enter the Red Keep and is happy that she is finally able to take the Iron Throne from Cersei. She is followed behind by Jon and some of her army. She is shocked to find Jaime and Cersei already dead. Qyburn tells her that Euron killed Jaime and a young woman with the description of Arya killed Cersei. He also states that it appeared as if someone bought off the Golden Company.

Daenerys realizes that this means a Stark won the day again, and even though Jon tells her they will rule side by side, Jon remembers what Tyrion said about Daenerys being a future threat, so just like Jaime he kills Daenerys when her back is turned in front of the Iron Throne. Everyone is shocked by this sudden and unexpected murder.

Drogon takes away Daenerys’s body and flies back in the direction of Essos. I assume to Valyria, but it remains uncertain.

Jon does not reunite with Sansa and Arya, but instead seeks out Tormund and Ghost to return to the Wall as an exile for his crimes. Sam tries to convince him not to go, stating that he will send ravens all over Westeros about who he really is, but Jon says he will refuse it anyway, like Maester Aemon.

Sansa and Arya watch Jon leave the Red Keep. Arya is frustrated and turns away. Jon looks back, and Sansa waves sadly.

Now we see Tyrion being taken from his cell. He assumes he is being freed, but he soon realizes he is on his third trial. He is upset, stating that he did what he did “for the realm” though Bran reminds him that he “would never bet against his family.” He is to be executed for a host of crimes, but the trial is clearly used as a show trial to put all the blame on Tyrion and the Lannisters and unite the survivors.

The execution is watched by Sansa, Arya, Bran, Davos, Robyn, Grey Worm, a Dornish man, and some weird green man, apparently. I don’t assume this is the full list. However, it is meant to represent the survivors of the Seven Kingdoms and of Daenerys’s army. Like Littlefinger’s trial, I do not think Tyrion realizes what is happening first until it is too late. It is possible that Bronn returns and serves as a witness - and Tyrion does not have the money or the will to serve him again after already receiving a castle from Sansa immediately after helping her.

The Iron Throne is ruled by a general council for a while with Bran at the head - but not really as a king. More as a Godswood charm that is able to watch over the entire realm as the memory keeper.

Sam returns to Horn Hill and occasionally works with the Maesters.

Gendry rules at Storm’s End and Arya occasionally visits between travels.

Brienne returns to Tarth and has an heir by Jaime. Podrick is helping to train the child.

Bronn rebuilds Last Hearth. He may make mention of wishing he had a bigger castle.

Tormund continues to lead the wildlings North of the Wall.

At some point, Jon is inspired by Tormund to return to Winterfell.

I think it is possible that some external threat is worrying Sansa and the realm about an invasion, though the seven kingdoms are not entirely united in its defense. Sansa does not have the South.

Perhaps fAegon makes an appearance, or Drogon was captured or laid more eggs. Who knows. Either way, the Seven Kingdoms needs a real leader again, and Sansa is sitting on the raven that could unite them... but not have the King to do it. She talks with an advisor about possibly marrying a southern leader, though she cannot imagine Gendry would agree to it because of Arya, and Sansa is not certain she can trust anyone else.

That’s when Jon arrives home, and it is possible the storyboard that Sophie was given may actually be their reunion at the end of the show, and I think their reunion implies two things:

Jon will be King in the North.

Political Jonsa is the only option going forward.

Their reunion is not merely platonic, given the charged meetings between them in the past, though the storyboard Sophie was given may not have the final scene.

I believe the final scene may be Sam receiving a new letter written by Jon and/or Sansa about their marriage and Jon ascending to the throne, and then Sam sits down to write the story of what had happened.

#jonsa #jon snow #sansa stark #actuallyjonsa

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jonsafan-blog · 5 years

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Sansa Made the Right Decision

Before the arrival of Daenerys and her army, winning the “game” for the Starks was to protect the North from the Night King and Cersei. If they were successful in those endeavors, the North intended to live peacefully with their allies as autonomous kingdoms. The Starks were not interested in building an empire.

It is important to understand this because it helps determine the likely series of events had Daenerys not arrived in Westeros - which will, in turn, help us to understand how Sansa intends to play the game going forward.

Surviving the Night King Means Fighting Cersei

Cersei has an unpopular rule and her family has not managed their reputation well in the War of the Five Kings. The people hate Cersei and most of the realm is against her.

However, that does not mean they would accept another monarch in her place. The Seven Kingdoms are just that - a vast empire of culturally unique regions which have deferred their autonomy to a distant ruler. There is no other contemporary political entity as large or as diverse as the Seven Kingdoms.

Only the Dothraki, the Yi Tish, and the Jogos Nhai appear to have as large a swath of geography, and all are minuscule in comparison to the breadth and density of the Seven Kingdoms.

It’s frankly impossible to rule Westeros effectively because of those factors in the traditional autocratic style most of the world is familiar with. Essos is dominated by city-states and nomadic peoples. Yi Ti was once a great empire ruled by a so-called god-emperor, but even that densely populated region is now ruled by decentralized princedoms and has had a relatively decentralized rule since the Long Night.

The Valyrian Freehold was also not ruled by a single autocrat, but rather a host of families who likely had dominion over specific regions.

Simply put, the Seven Kingdoms is an unnaturally large empire that has been brought together under one empire due to the threat of annihilation by an autocrat. But like all other empires, it is doomed to fail because it is too large.

The Targaryens threatened those who refused their rule with death, though Dorne held out longer because of their guerilla tactics, a trait which would have made the Free Folk impossible to conquer too if the dragons did not already do poorly in the cold.

Dorne was never conquered but became part of the royal family through marriage, and they retained their royal styling, becoming effectively autonomous in ways most of the Seven Kingdoms were not - and the Martells brag about it: “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken.”

Unfortunately, the Targaryens failed to make enough marriages with the other regions in order to give the disparate cultures a sense of connection to the throne. It’s no surprise that the Targaryens fell after brother married sister, and the Lannisters fell because of the same.

When houses isolated themselves but tried to control others, it does not lead to effective leadership, but tyranny.

This is where defeating Cersei would have been uniquely a Stark advantage: they listen to their people and rule for their people.

Northern Government in Collaborative and Autonomous

There is nothing tyrannical about the way the Starks have ruled the North. If you pay attention to the way they hold court, Northerners are used to having a seat in a Great Hall and being able to speak directly to their leaders about important matters. Petitioners also work in the same way. Everyone has a seat at the table, and everyone has the right to speak, with only a few notable exceptions (such as the Boltons and the Glovers).

This is likely a result of the North’s harsh winters. I believe that the North is largely autonomous because there is no other option: during the long winters, the lords are cut off from the rest of the region and must rule independently of any overseer. It also appears as if all their castles are much larger than they need to be in order to store food and house peasants during the worst of times.

This has led to the Starks respecting the autonomy of other houses. The Boltons have long been rumored to practice flaying, but it’s clear that as long they did not break the peace, the Starks would respect their rule. The North, in essence, works on a non-aggression principle of governance: you keep your independence if you respect the independence of others.

When Jon and Sansa hold court after retaking Winterfell, everyone has a seat at the table: the Northern lords, the Vale allies, and the Free Folk. Jon and Sansa also openly collaborate with their people when holding court, rather than announcing decisions determined through autocratic decisions or that of a small council.

This is the power of the Starks: building alliances.

Defeating the Night King was not just gathering dragon glass, but recruiting armies all over Westeros to fight together. Had Daenerys not arrived in Westeros this would not have changed.

However, I think it would have been approached differently. Sansa was not willing to ask for Daenerys’s help because she was a conqueror intending to take the Iron Throne - a replacement for Cersei.

Rather, Sansa reminded Jon that even though the Night King was a problem, Cersei was too.

I believe that Jon would have tried to capture wights and send them to various lords all over Westeros to encourage them to fight. However, without Daenerys Jon would have had more time and resources to organize an expedition that would have had fewer losses and more wights to send south.

This would have secured them allies, though I do not believe Sansa would have agreed to Jon seeking an ally in Cersei, and I do not think he would have done so.

But every other house?

The Starks would have sought allies in the most powerful families remaining in Westeros. They would have brought the proof and rallied the Seven Kingdoms to a single cause: survival.

And by bringing them to the table, it would be a lot easier for them to believe the Starks did not intend to conquer the Seven Kingdoms following the defeat of the Night King. Rather, they would have been willing to fight for the independence of the different regions against Cersei - a reverse Targaryen conquest, if you will.

The simple fact is that the fight against the Night King was a grand, world ending fight, but the fight against Cersei was a traditional military fight that only required sieging King’s Landing and killing Cersei. And perhaps it would have been enough to send Arya in to do it.

But that’s not what happened, because Daenerys did arrive in Westeros.

So what happens post 8x04?

The Game Has Changed

It is clear that Sansa has no interest in the Iron Throne. All her actions after escaping Ramsay was to reunite with her family and take back her home. She is concerned with safety, and she felt insecure about the Night King and Cersei before Daenerys’s arrival.

But when Daenerys arrived, Sansa’s goals in the game had changed. She did not want the Iron Throne, but she did see that the defeat of Cersei did not mean security of Northern independence and the safety of her family. Rather, a new tyrant would replace Daenerys.

It is true that Daenerys brought her armies to the North, but she did not do it to liberate them, but to secure the submission to her rule. Sansa knows that submission is a dangerous proposition, and it is not where she wants to be again.

Daenerys did not succeed in winning over Sansa or the North upon her arrival. She brought an army for the battle, but we see in Sansa and Daenerys’s interactions that Daenerys saw the Night King as “Jon’s war” and merely a stepping stone to taking the Iron Throne.

This meant that Daenerys’s help came at a great cost.

But there is another problem, and it is something I believe becomes clear in 8x04 in Sansa’s discussion with Tyrion.

Sansa suspects that Daenerys is not a benevolent ruler and will rule by fear. This is confirmed by Tyrion’s own uncertainty about the prospect of Sansa not acting submissive to a distant ruler.

And while we do not see Sansa talking about it, we learn by the end of the episode that Daenerys sees her purpose in life as overthrowing tyrants.

Notice the plural.

Daenerys believes she has been chosen by some supernatural force to liberate the people of the world from their oppressors. However, this is not limited to slaves, but to all people everywhere - Daenerys does not want to collaborate with anyone, she wants submission... and there are other tyrants in the world.

I think it is reasonable to assume that Sansa fears the Iron Throne is not the last throne Daenerys will fight for, but rather the first of many. What is stopping Daenerys from going to the Free Cities and freeing the slaves? Nothing. And that’s the problem.

But what was Sansa’s plan pre-R+L=J reveal?

She did not have one.

She could not have one.

Simply put, Sansa was at a supreme disadvantage in rallying Northern Independence. I believe she was simply hoping that, as a vassal to Daenerys, the North would somehow outlive her, her dragons, and her armies.

We see the possible future Tyrion observed for the North: Jon would spend most of his time in the south, and Sansa would effectively rule in the North.

But Sansa does not want to rule the North, because the North is not something that can be ruled in an autocratic way.

That is what Tyrion does not understand about Sansa’s motivations in opposing Daenerys, and also what most of the general audience does not see.

Sansa pushed Jon to take back the North to protect their family. They continued ruling in their collaborative, non-aggressive way. They were not autocrats.

Daenerys is an autocrat. She is willing to use fear to make sure the North would respect her rule.

Sansa knows that an autocrat has the power to burn a father and their son alive in front of an entire court of people who will not say a word.

Sansa knows that an autocrat can order the execution of a lord paramount despite the disagreement of his own mother and advisors.

Sansa knows that an autocrat can torment children with crossbows and strip them naked in front of the court to humiliate them.

Sansa knows that an autocrat only has as much control as their state of fear can ensure - the second it slips, everyone connected to that autocrat can be taken down as collateral damage, just as Sansa was nearly raped and killed in the riot.

Sansa knows that an autocrat, even your own aunt, can attempt to murder you because of a perceived slight.

Sansa knows that an autocrat can rape and torture you.

Sansa knows the danger of an autocrat because she has been uniquely positioned to suffer because of them.

Daenerys today might be okay, but the Daenerys of tomorrow might decide that the Starks are a threat to her rule and burn them alive in front of her entire court... and no one will do anything because no one has a seat at Daenerys’s table.

And Sansa recognizes that because she sees even her hand, Tyrion, does not have a seat at the table.

But then something unexpected happens: the autocrat’s claim to the throne is not valid, and the other claimant is a member of her own family who is loved by the people because he is not an autocrat.

Sansa and the Heroism of Truth

In the Battle of Winterfell, Sansa tells Tyrion that the most heroic thing they can do is look the truth in the face. In context, she was referring to the fact they cannot fight against the wights themselves because they are weak. However, I believe this comment extends to the fourth episode as well.

When Sansa tells Tyrion the truth about Jon, she is asking him to look the truth in the face about who Daenerys really is. She is an autocrat on her way to becoming a tyrant who rules by fear... and Tyrion is helping her along that path.

That is ultimately unnecessary because there is another alternative: Jon Snow. Or rather, Aegon Targaryen. If he is on the Iron Throne he will not rule by fear.

Sansa’s entire journey so far was about suffering under the rule of an autocrat, so it is no surprise that until this moment she had not considered taking the Iron Throne for the Starks. What good is it to conquer other people and rule over them? That is not how Starks live.

But the truth is that government in Westeros is broken. Cersei is on the Iron Throne and is about to be replaced with another ruler who will rule by fear - someone who does not bring others to the table.

It is dangerous to fight for the throne and Sansa never wanted that. She is not a fighter - she’s a conservationist. However, the only way for her family to be safe, for the North to be safe, for all of Westeros to be safe, is to fight for the throne and make Jon king.

Sansa started a war before to take back her home, and I believe she will start a war again to protect it. Only this time, it means she will need to make Jon the King of the Seven Kingdoms.

We need to remember that Jon did not want to fight to take back the North before, and only did it because Sansa was going to do it anyway. This was meant to foreshadow what Sansa would eventually plan to do when she stood beside Tyrion in the fourth episode: she is plotting to overthrow Daenerys.

And it is the right decision.

We see that Daenerys is starting to unravel and become the very person she is trying to depose in Cersei:

Cersei had three children whom she loved more than anything else in the world.

Daenerys has three dragons whom she loved more than anything else in the world.

Cersei’s claim to power was through her children.

Daenerys’s claim to power was through her dragons.

Cersei would lose her children because of her own mismanagement of them.

Daenerys lost Viserion and Rhaegal because she impulsively went into battle.

Cersei was not always a mad queen. Tyrion even states as much, but she was driven mad by her losses. And even though her reign could end and her life would continue, Cersei will choose her reign.

Daenerys was not always a mad queen. Tyrion believes her worst impulses could be checked. However, Daenerys continues to lose more and more because of her misrule. If she abdicated some or all her power to Jon, her life will continue.

But Daenerys, like Cersei, will choose power: fire and blood.

Sansa saw that. Sansa is making the decision to act against Daenerys before Sansa is faced with another Cersei.

It is the right decision. The moral decision.

The only decision.

#jonsa #jon snow #sansa stark #anti-daenerys

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