Elizabeth Eckhart Guest Blogs: Game of Thrones Wrap-up

Writer Elizabeth Eckhart Stops By: Game of Thrones Wrap-up

There are only three more episodes left on this season of Game of Thrones and fans of the series certainly found themselves twitching this week, since the series paused for Memorial Day. This pause means, of course, that there’s no better time to recap the season, point out the highlights of HBO’s greatest show (available through select TV packages and streaming online) and discuss what the rest of the season hopefully has in store for us.

Now, with Lysa Arryn pushed out the Moon Door by Petyr Baelish, we’re left to wonder mostly about the outcome of Prince Oberyn’s battle with The Mountain, a trial by combat meant prove or disprove Tyrion’s innocence regarding the murder of his nephew King Joffrey, and whether or not anyone will ever actually focus on the impending White Walkers or the Wildling army. So, what can we predict for the future of Game of Thrones, and season five? Not much without giving away the best bits, but there have been some clues as to what we can look forward to.

The Red Viper

Also known as Prince Oberyn. Fans may be wondering why this prince thinks he can take on a man like The Mountain (played by actor, Hafþór Júlíus "Thor" Björnsson, who is 6’9 and the sixth strongest person in the world), but Oberyn’s reputation suggests he’s more than meets the eye. When he was a young boy he used to fight with a poisoned sword, and he’s skilled in the art of combat. He has fought in duels and battles around Westeros, and a significant amount in Essos as well. He’s wiser than most princes, since he’s also traveled throughout the Free Cities and spent time fighting with the Second Sons (who are now in service of Daenerys Targaryen and led by Daario Naharis, if you can recall) before heading on his current path to King’s Landing. Oberyn is a force to be reckoned with, and even if he does perish at the hands of The Mountain, what he also represents is a whole new cast of characters for season five, which leads us to the next point...

Will We See Dorne?

Prince Oberyn’s legion of eight illegitimate daughters are enough on their own: they are referred to as the Sand Snakes, and each are rumored to possess their father’s “viper eyes.” The early descriptions of the daughters in the book are quite fierce, and while not much is known regarding their future roles in the series, they aren’t likely to be happy if their father perishes fighting for a Lannister halfway across the world. Prince Oberyn was also our first physical connection with the kingdom of Dorne, home of Prince Doran Martell, ruler of Dorne, and current location of the rest of the Martell clan. Prince Trystane Martell (the fiance of Princess Myrcella) is rumored to have been casted and aged up to 18. Also on the leaked cast list are mentions of the three oldest Sand Snakes, Obara Sand, Nymeria Sand and Tyene Sand, and it has been confirmed that the show’s producers have scouted locations in Spain to film. All signs point toward significant amounts of time spent in Dorne next season, which means Princess Myrcella may be the latest Lannister to become a key player.

Will Daenerys Make A Move?

No one can argue that logistically, Daenerys’ time spent ruling away from King’s Landing will only better prepare her for possibly taking over Westeros if the time comes. She’s also been doing some very humanitarian inspired work by releasing slaves and “freeing” cities. Granted, she has had to learn the hard way that retribution isn’t always as clean cut as it appears to be. Still, even with her honorable efforts and growing dragons, her plotline has slowed considerably. Long gone are the days where she watches her brother die or walks through fire with her baby dragons. So when the rumor mill begins churning regarding Daario Naharis (now played by Michiel Huisman) and Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel), both of whom are ever-present at Daenerys’ side, being regular cast members for season five, we can only hope that this means her story will take on a larger scale. Her dragons will get bigger, of course, but there’s also the chance that she’ll rule more than two cities!

More Magic

The one guarantee, at least, is that the sheer amount of magic is increasing with every episode. For non-magic fans, this may not be as exciting, but the mystery behind the Red Woman’s powers, the White Walkers, Daenerys’ dragons, and more, seem to be becoming more prevalent each airing. What makes this interesting is that in general, like in our own world, most of the people in Westeros and surrounding areas don’t truly believe in magical forces. The stories they have heard have become so distant that they are viewed as legends, or remnants of a long ago, lost past, which should provide an interesting pivot when they are finally fully confronted with powers they hardly knew existed... 


Elizabeth, another amazing post!  I love how the HBO people are making scenes out of things that happened in the book that the reader learned through conversations.  And I totally agree-Danyrs got pretty boring!  I love her anyway.  Thanks for stopping by!