Unanswered Questions Leading Up to the Game of Thrones Finale

I get it. Eight years is a long time and Game of Thrones has a HUGE number of threads to wrap up. But if the first four episodes are any indication, we’re heading towards the finale with rocketing speed, and odds are good that a lot of those threads are going to be left hanging. Here’s some of the bigger ones I’m curious to see. I’m not holding my breath that things will be resolved to satisfaction, but it’ll be a fun ride.

Azor Ahai/The Prince That Was Promised

“According to prophecy, our champion will be reborn to wake dragons from stone and reforge the great sword Lightbringer that defeated the darkness those thousands of years ago. If the old tales are true, a terrible weapon forged with a loving wife’s heart. Part of me thinks man was well rid of it, but great power requires great sacrifice. That much at least the Lord of Light is clear on.”

Melisandre thought it was Stannis. Then she thought it was Jon. Then she told Dany that she and Jon would BOTH play a part in the prophecy. And yet…

Arya, perhaps? Sure, you can twist some of the words to make it seem like Arya, but “born amidst smoke and salt”? She was the one who killed the Night King, but is that the end of darkness?

The prophecy about Dany’s womb

I know, I know. Another prophecy.

At this point, chances are really good that Dany is pregnant with Jon’s baby. I imagine it will be the determining factor in their potential engagement. Except, wasn’t there a prophecy about Dany’s inability to ever get pregnant? Oh yeah.

“When the sun rises in the west and sets in the east. When the seas go dry and 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.”

The writer’s hand-waved it last season of course, with Jon stating, “Has it occurred to you she might not have been a reliable source of information?” I mean, sure, it’s mentioned several times that prophecies can be read incorrectly, but dismissing it with one line of dialogue? COOL.

What is the Three-Eyed Raven?

In the books, the previous three-eyed raven is Brynden Rivers. In the show, that mantle has been passed to Bran. But what does it mean to be the three-eyed raven? What powers does Bran have? They’ve alluded to Bran being a keeper of history, but is that it? What responsibilities does it entail? How is he limited from having a normal life again? How did he help to defeat the Night King, and where did he “go” during the battle?

Who/what is the voice Varys heard in the flames?

When Varys was a boy, he was…surgically altered in a magical sacrifice. During the sacrifice, he heard a voice speaking to him through the flames. This has led him to a serious distrust in magic through the years and maybe even to his overall motivation within the realm. But what did the voice say? Who was it? The Red Priestess Kinvara indicated that she knew, but we never heard.

Who did Littlefinger speak to?

Remember last season when Arya saw Littlefinger give a coin to a stranger in the Winterfell courtyard? Fans have theorized that she was a Faceless assassin who died in his place, meaning he could be still be alive. That’s a possibility for sure, but if that doesn’t play out, who was she and why include that scene?

What happened to the Reeds?

Meera left last season quite unceremoniously. I initially thought she would show up at the Battle of Winterfell with the rest of the Crannogmen, but no. Not to mention the fact that her father is the only person still alive who witnessed the events at the Tower of Joy. Doesn’t Dany need a second source before believing Jon?

Hey guys, remember Quaithe?

“I am no one, but she is the Mother of Dragons. She needs true protectors, now more than ever. They shall come day and night to see the wonder born into the world again. And when they see they shall lust… for dragons are fire made flesh… and fire is power.”

Admittedly, this one doesn’t mean as much without the book prophecies to back it up, but it’s still odd that she was written into the show as a mysterious woman from Asshai who knew about Jorah’s betrayals…and then just disappeared.

Is Kinvara still a thing?

No? Cool.

What about Daario?

Will someone check on Ellaria?

She’s just stuck in a dungeon.

Come to think of it…

So is Edmure.

Whatever happened to Illyrio Mopatis?

He and Varys were last seen plotting Ned’s death in King’s Landing, beneath the Red Keep. Fans have long thought that the two of them were Blackfyre descendants (secret Targaryens) and that they were plotting for a Targaryen rule. But with recent events, including Varys turning against Dany for no apparent reason, it seems that theory is extinguished. Can we agree that “I serve the realm” is a bit of a bullshit dogma?

Daenerys in the House of the Undying

Another prophecy, and another instance of a slimmed-down book version being in the show. But still. Dany sees herself going beyond the Wall—a prophecy we actually SEE come true—but she also saw the Red Keep covered in snow. Or ash. It’s clearly no longer snow since they’ve stopped the Night King’s progression, and if it’s ash, will she be Queen of the Ashes?

The Iron Bank

I was a little shocked they even brought the Iron Bank into the TV show. It’s my feeling in the books that they will play a much larger part in who ends up on the Iron Throne, much in the way that boring accounting is what brought down Capone. That said, have we seen all there is to see from them? They were just a money lender with no further purpose?

The Night King

We learned a few seasons ago that it was the Children of the Forest show created the Night King as a weapon in their fight against the First Men, and since the very beginning, he and his undead minions have been the driving force of evil in the show. The ever looming doom. And now he’s just…dead. What was his purpose? Why were they all marching south? Why was he after Bran? WAS HE JUST TRYING TO GET WARM?