S8E1: Winterfell

Cersei Lannister is the honeybadger of The Game of Thrones.

The Table is Set!

The first episode of Season 8 — Winterfell — is behind us and has left for us much to chew on. I need to watch it again but I will throw out a few observations and comments based my surely imperfectly recalled first viewing. Overall, I thought it solid, interesting, and a little surprising that there wasn't more mayhem. Mayhem or no, however, they have certainly set the table. Before we dig into the feast, I'll note that I was happy to see they stopped the cavalcade of ok now how in TF did *that* happen that proliferated at the end of Season 7 (cough, cough Jaime and Bronn "swimming" a mile in armor; cough, cough Night King happens to have a couple of miles of chain fit for a destroyer laying about North of the wall and special amphibious wight SEALs to hook 'em up to Viserion and haul him out of the frozen lake). I seem to remember there was something a little bogus in the episode, but it didn't launch me to the edge of outrage, and I don't remember what it was.

Will Tyrion snap out of it?

Tyrion has really been off his game since the Joffrey's wedding/assassination if you think about it. He was on a roll up to the defense of King's Landing at the Battle of Blackwater Bay. But since then, he really has kind of just muddled through not doing much. In their reunion at Winterfell, Sansa smacks him around for thinking that Cersei is actually going to send troops, and dismissing him with her line "I used to think you were the cleverest man alive." Something like that. Clearly, he's not as it stands. Does this mean he can be dispensed with? Not easily, I think.
He's not whoring and swilling wine with his usual gusto, and this may be a reflection of an unrequited love for Daenerys. Cersei has set up an "exit" for Tyrion by having Qyburn give Bronn the crossbow Tyrion used to whack Tywin and hint that if Cersei did for Qyburn after his merely rote service, what would she do for the man who would rid her of that troublesome Imp? I don't see Bronn killing Tyrion in some linear plot line, but Bronn is very clearly in the game, which I welcome because he's one of my favorite characters.
Finally, I don't think the sniping between Tyrion and Varys bodes well, and Tyrion does not want to take on Varys if he's not on his A-game.

Arya and Gendry

OK. Did not see that coming. Arya in some ways will always be that super cute little girl with the marvelous facial expressions that would go from mischievous delight to exasperated frustration when she's busted for her hijinks, but she's a woman now and they aren't going to throw that interaction into the hour that they had only to throw it away.
Here's the problem. What marriage between main characters in Game of Thrones not come to ruin? Hell, who's even married? Maybe Sansa and Tyrion, but as I said, I am not on the Westerosi bar and am not qualified to speak authoritatively to their notions family law, but they certainly could be. Think about it. Ned and Catelyn Stark. Robb Stark and Talisa Stark. Littlefinger and Lysa Aryn. Tommen Baratheon/Lannister and Margaery Tyrell. I mean, who in Sam Hill is actually still married?
Currently, I don't have Arya making it, but this was a big episode for her, and the Gendry thing could get interesting.

Arya and Jon

The reunion of Arya and Jon was well done. These two have gone off since Jon gave Arya Needle and have had insane adventures. Arya was blinded by magic and Jon died and was resurrected. It's nice to see them back where they started and ferociously close to one another. Now, this could go a few ways. One is to get into the Stark clown car (Ned, D'OH!, Cat, D'OH!, Robb, D'OH!) and self-destruct. Another is for Arya to use her superpowers on Jon's behalf or to save him. Still another is for Arya to turn on Jon, perhaps siding with Sansa in some plot twist. If Arya is going out, she's going out with a bang; there is no way they could have spent this much time focusing on her without her doing something big.
Remember, Jon and Arya are the only Starks whose direwolves are still alive.

Arya and The Hound

The reunion of Arya and Sandor Clegane aka The Hound was pitch perfect. I think that he is off her list because we know she could have killed him where he stood before anyone knew what happened. His "insult" was a compliment and a show of respect in his inimitable Hound way. Might this portend them going off on some mission together? Some of the best parts of the series has been the Arya-Hound adventures and interactions, and now she's a fully operational death ninja, the potential for mayhem is Batman meets Deadpool and they go on a bender.

Samwell Tarley drops the Bomb

To have the revelation that Daenerys burned his father and brother and destroyed House Tarley followed by Sam telling Jon he's really Aegon Targaryen and rightful heir to the Iron Throne, they may have set him up for a quick exit. Alas. They did mention Gilly and little Sam, so there may yet be a role for one or both of them. I could see Sam dying, but Gilly coming through with the proof of Jon's lineage and legitimacy (does Sam actually have the book with him?). There is yet hope for him going full wizard, since he asked to be pardoned for stealing the books from the Citadel, which leaves and opening for "why do you need a pardon for stealing books?" or some such to which he replies "Because, magic!" Sam introduced dragonglass, he figured out the dead were wights, he figured out how to save Ser Jorah from Greyscale… he may yet have a trick up his sleeve.

Jon rides Rhaegal

That Jon would ride a dragon at some point was easy enough to see coming. What I didn't see coming was the young Targaryens in love cavorting on dragons sequence and spending some significant screen time letting them make eyes at each other and smooch and what not. That's some serious Robb and Talisa sittin' in a tree, k i s s i n g stuff right there, and we all know how that ended. I don't think there is a this isn't working but let's be friends ending to this; the only question is do they turn on each other or are they parted because one of them die?

Cersei and Euron hook up

Here's another one I didn't see coming: Cersei and Euron Greyjoy hooking up. It worked, kinda sorta, in that it's not implausible given Cersei's estrangement from Jamie. The part that wasn't clear was the status of Cersei's baby. That she was drinking wine isn't definitive, because she's Cersei, the honeybadger of Westerosi politics. Moreover, was Euron's boast to put a king in her belly an attempt to lure Cersei to accelerate a marriage so that the baby she'll have will be seen as legitimate?

Yara and Theon

With his successful rescue of Yara, Theon has finally done something major right and with agency. However, the only explanation I have for his desire to go and fight with the Starks is that he's going to be on some sort of redemption tour for all the bad stuff that he's done, figuring he's gotten right by Yara by saving her, and now needs to repay old debts. I am sticking with my prediction that Theon is beyond full redemption, but he may come to be accepted while not being fully embraced.

A summary of all original and current predictions with pointers can be found at the WBC Prediction Status page.