The finale of every season of Game of Thrones is a doozy, but the season six finale felt even more climactic than most. It changed the status quo of Westeros in some huge ways and delivered more than a few fan-pleasing moments that have long been promised.
In many ways, it felt like the calm before the storm, albeit a calm that still featured plenty of explosions and bloodshed. Much of the episode worked to wrap up various story arcs for numerous characters, putting their pieces into place before the next season begins. So, what's next for the lord, ladies, soldiers and bastards fans have come to love (and hate) over the past five years? Let's dive in.
Spoilers for Game of Thrones season six below!
The biggest game-changing event coming in at the end of season six is Cersei's new role as queen of the seven kingdoms. To sit on the Iron Throne has long been her ambition, and by blowing up nearly all of her political enemies in the Sept of Baelor via the cache of wildfire stashed underneath, her dream is finally realized. It's unclear if she suspected Tommen might commit suicide and give her a clear path to the throne, but regardless of her intentions, Cersei's ambition to rule is clear.
For six seasons running, Cersei's children have been what has grounded and humanized her. One by one, each of her children have died, resulting in a Cersei that is far more unhinged than fans have ever witnessed before. She is likely to become the new Mad King, drunk on power and with little care or regard for the lives of her subjects. As she showed during the season six finale, she even went so far to use the Mad King's wildfire to kill not only her enemies but plenty of innocent citizens as well. It's not exactly clear how Jaime feels about this turn of events, but given how he murdered the Mad King for wanting to bathe the city in wildfire decades ago, it seems safe to assume Jaime is more than a little concerned about Cersei's methods, not to mention the death of their son.
Cersei, no doubt, believes she's scored a great victory, but in reality, she has only worked to unite the various houses of Westeros against her. As we see in the finale, the Tyrells are already forming an alliance with Dorne against the Lannisters. The Boltons, the Northern house backed by House Lannister, have been defeated, with the Starks once again in control of Winterfell. While the Freys (with the help of the Lannisters) retook control of Riverrun, Arya assassinates both Walder Frey and his sons, throwing House Frey into disarray.
The Lannisters are virtually without allies. While they still maintain a large army, they will soon be besieged by enemies on all sides, including the massive army of Daenerys from across the sea (an army that includes three massive fire-breathing dragons). Considering Yara and Theon have partnered with Dany to help conquer the seven kingdoms, expect their Greyjoy rival Euron to partner with House Lannister.
Dany will need allies, and quickly, when she lands on the shores of Westeros, and thankfully for her, Cersei has given her just that. Dorne has long hated the Lannisters and has been buying its time waiting for a chance to strike back. The Tyrells are now partnering with Dorne after Cersei murdered Queen Margaery Tyrell, Lord Mace Tyrell and Loras Tyrell in one fell swoop with the Sept explosion. That gives Dany a giant head-start. Expect her to land in the south, where she will partner with Dorne and House Tyrell to begin her conquest.
As Dany points out in the season six finale, marriage will also play a key role in forming alliances with those in the seven kingdoms. House Martell of Dorne would have been a major ally to court with marriage had the Sand Snakes not murdered basically all of the men in line for the position. Littlefinger, now in control of the Vale, could be a major potential match for Dany. He has a large army of knights that have largely been unaffected by the wars of the past six seasons. The other major faction Dany could potentially partner with through marriage are the Starks, specifically Jon Snow.
Jon is an interesting position. As the new ruler of House Stark and the new "King in the North," he's now in a role of huge power. It seems unlikely he will march off to war with the South, and it's also unlikely the Lannisters will go North to face the Starks, given how much else they have to deal with. That lets Jon and his allies regroup and come up with a battle plan to defeat the White Walkers. If Dany does seek an alliance with Jon (or Jon seeks an alliance with her), it could mean a number of things. Dany might ask for Jon's help fighting the Lannisters in exchange for her help destroying the White Walkers. If Dany does indeed go on to become queen of the seven kingdoms, she could also elevate Jon to a true Stark (or Targaryen, if she learns the truth about Jon's parents).
Of course, this is Game of Thrones we are talking about. Absolutely nothing could go as fans predict, but if season six proved anything, it's that the show is perhaps becoming a little more predictable in its old age. All of the predictions above seem like fairly safe bets looking ahead at season seven, but it will be another year until fans can learn for certain what Game of Thrones has in store.
What are some of your predictions for next season? What did you think about the season finale? Let us know in the comments below.
