Spoilers ahead for the season-six finale of Game of Thrones.
This season on Game of Thrones, an unprecedented number of big questions were finally answered, from how Hodor became Hodor to how the White Walkers came into existence to who Jon Snow’s mother really is. And yet, we are as insatiable as Cersei Lannister is drinking her revenge wine and want to know more. Ahead, we’ve compiled eight questions we’re still waiting to have answered.
Who died and made Cersei queen? Okay, well, we know who died — Tommen — but a Great Council should have been convened to decide the succession. It seems as if anyone who would have been on that Council was at the trial, and therefore went kablooey in the Great Sept of Baelor wildfire explosion. And anyone who would have been on the Small Council (save Qyburn and semi-honorary member Olenna Tyrell) suffered the same fate, or was killed beforehand (RIP, Pycelle). Say what you will about the fundamentalist Faith Militant, who were brutal in their methods, but at the very least, they did try to impose some kind of justice and hold Cersei accountable for her crimes, murdering her husband King Robert chief among them. Are there any checks and balances left?
What about the Iron Bank? We’re starting to think that if you take out a massive loan from the Iron Bank and default on it, it’s no biggie. Mace Tyrell went to parley with the Iron Bank at the end of season five, and nowhere in season six did he or anyone else mention what happened during those renegotiation meetings. The Iron Bank asked for one-tenth of the crown’s debt. The crown was only able to afford half of that, and only with the Tyrells’ help (which we can assume won’t be coming now). How did Cersei afford her new crown? The realm should be in economic ruin at this point. If we’re going to have a superstar team-up against the Lannisters, it should involve not just Team Dany, the Greyjoy sibs, the Sands of Dorne, and Olenna Tyrell, but Iron Banker Tycho Nestoris funding the whole enterprise. Show them what happens when the Lannisters refuse to pay their debts.
What is going on with Dorne? Here we had a situation that was ripe with dramatic conflict, but for some reason, it was largely ignored that a group of bastard women in Dorne had committed a series of assassinations, murdering the king’s sister, their own prince, and the prince’s son, with no repercussions. (RIP, Myrcella, Doran, and Trystane). Why did Tommen do nothing? Why did the Small Council do nothing? Why did the people of Dorne do nothing? And if the people who are supposed to care don’t, why should we? Does Dorne exist now just to be a landing spot for Dany’s armada, so she can invade from the south?
Will the Night’s King’s mark on Bran break the protective spells at the Wall? The blue imprint on Bran’s arm — a souvenir of his close encounter during a vision quest — made it possible for the White Walkers and their army of the dead to breach the protective magical barriers at the Three-Eyed Raven’s cave. It’s not the only place in Westeros to be protected thusly, either — the wildfire storage space had a kind of fireproofing spell, meant to protect against accidental blazes (Cersei’s was not accidental), and Storm’s End has spells woven into the stones. Now, thanks to Benjen Stark’s handy reminder in the season finale, we know that the Wall has similar protection spells — or wards — which explains why the Night’s King and his army haven’t gotten very close to it, despite approaching it for the past six seasons. So what happens when Bran arrives at the Wall? Will his mark invalidate the wards, just as it did at the cave? And why wouldn’t Benjen (or the Three-Eyed Raven, for that matter) think of alerting Bran to this possibility?
Are we ever going to see any repercussions from Jon Snow’s resurrection? Other than seeming slightly ill at ease, Jon Snow does not seem remarkably changed from his resurrection, not in the way Beric Dondarrion warned about. (“[He’s] a bit brooding … I suppose it’s understandable, considering,” Brienne tells Sansa.) Nobody seems to treat Jon differently, either, other than the stray comment we got from Tormund early on about the folks at Castle Black thinking he was some kind of god. We’re not advocating that folks start worshipping him. But why is everyone so chill about his resurrection? How is this not the first thing that Sansa tells Littlefinger? That Brienne tells Jaime Lannister? That Melisandre tells the head of the Red Temple, her own order? This is news, people.
Did Randyll Tarly not notice that his ancestral sword went missing? If you own a priceless Valyrian steel sword, one that had been in your family for generations, one you value enough to hang up in your home for all to see, what happens when you sit down for your next dysfunctional family dinner and it’s not there? This is spell-forged steel, and almost impossible to replace. If this military-minded man is worth his reputation, he wouldn’t just sit around in Horn Hill and hope for Heartsbane’s return, now would he?
Will someone please let Edmure Tully out of the dungeon? Sure, Arya Stark avenged her mother and brother when she killed Walder Frey (and his sons), and we love that how she slit his throat echoes how Catelyn’s throat was slit at the Red Wedding. But if Arya really wants to make things right, she needs to march down to the Twins’ dungeon and unlock Edmure’s cell. Catelyn Stark’s little brother has suffered enough.
How did Arya bake those pies? Someone in the kitchen must have helped. Hot Pie, show yourself!
