Everything

If you aren’t caught up on HBO’s Game of Thrones yet, then I really don’t have much to say to you. Other than 1) go watch it, and 2) come back after to read this post. If you are caught up, then read on, because with just over two months to go, the time is right for some bold predictions.

1. Jon Is Resurrected by Melisandre

Carice van Houten as Melisandre – photo Helen Sloan/HBO

The red witch’s arrival at Castle Black was no mere coincidence. She shows up at the gate a defeated and broken woman, questioning her faith in the Lord of Light. Very shortly after her arrival, Jon Snow is stabbed and left for dead. Jon is a man with royal blood (more on that below below), and she is drawn to that like a moth to a flame.

With or without royal blood, one thing we know about priests and priestess of the Lord of Light is that they can resurrect people—even if their own faith is broken. Recall Season 3 when Thoros of Myr tells Arya  how he has resurrected Beric Dondarrion multiple times. Melisandre looked down on Thoros, thinking him less of a worthwhile servant of the light, and wondered how he came to behold such power from their religion. Now it’s her turn. A broken woman with shaken faith comes in to save Jon Snow.

2. Jon Snow is Royalty

This is more of a long-term prediction, as we might not get around to this reveal until later in the series. But, with Jon now resurrected and free of this bond to the Night’s Watch (“Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death.”), his plotline opens up to the whole of Westeros. At some point his mother will be reveled, and my belief is that he’s the son of Prince Rhaegar Targaryen and Eddard’s sister Lyanna Stark. I’m not the only one to think this one may be possible.

3. Daenerys Wins Over the Dothraki

Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen – photo Macall B. Polay/HBO

Let’s not speak about the unspeakable things that will probably happen to Dany as the Dothraki khalasar takes her captive. One thing that GoT is exceptionally good at is unspeakable crimes against humanity—especially against women. Yet here we are, in Season 6, hoping beyond hope that our favorite queen does not get harmed.

Regardless of what happens to her, the arc of her storyline seems to be about her conquering Essos piece by piece, in her quest to get back to Westeros.  After her capture, she’ll eventually win over this particular horde, uniting them and the cities of Slaver’s Bay under one rule: hers. A united Essos, plus a queen with dragons and designs on the iron throne means big battles in the next season.

4. Cersei Goes Berserk

Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister – photo Helen Sloan/HBO

And the start of Season 5 she was just an evil, power-hungry, scheming drunkard, by the end of it she was a broken woman with a glint in her eye that can only mean one thing: revenge. After her imprisonment and humiliation (shame… ding ding) Cersei’s world gets a lot smaller. Her uncle shows only contempt for her, her former sycophantic follower, Pycelle, returns the cold hatred she always showed him, and her son the king did nothing to save her. She still has to endure a trial at the hands of the High Sparrow, and to top it all off, Jamie returns with a dead Myrcella from what was supposed to be a rescue mission.

Her world, which previously revolved around power games and her children, has been stripped bare. There’s nothing left of her. She’ll go beyond simple cold-blooded revenge and sink deep into madness. A madness that will be executed by her new champion, the reincarnated Gregor Clegane and his creator, Qyburn. Look for Cersei to take it to a new level of insanity this season.

5. A Main Character Dies

Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister and Conleth Hill as Varys – photo Macall B. Polay/HBO

Bold! I’m only half-joking. Of course lots of main characters get offed throughout the seasons, and usually in the most shocking ways possible. It’s not really a matter of someone dying, it’s a matter of whom and how many. My lovely wife—who makes a great Daenerys—has made the bold prediction that none other than, Daenerys herself gets killed this season. That’s bold.

I’m of the belief that Varis meets his maker. Someone has to die in the Essos storyline, and I like Tyrion too much and can’t bring myself to predict his demise—which actually makes him far more likely a candidate. That leaves Missandei, Grey Worm, and Varis. We’re starting to like Varis, which means he’s as good as dead this season. Maybe Tyrion and Varis both get killed. Maybe they kill each other!

6. Littlefinger Gets Hunted

We’ve watched the full series through twice, and it’s amazing to see the intrigue and subterfuge that Petyr Baelish weaves throughout the whole story. He is the architect of nearly all the conflict. Without his doing, Jon Arryn would not have died, Eddard Stark would have stayed in Winterfell, and the War of the Five Kings would have never taken place. And that’s just the start of his scheming. We might already hate him for marrying Sansa Stark off to Ramsay Bolton, but my prediction is that he gets found out in the show as the schemer that he is, and hunted down.

Bonus Prediction: Legolas Tracks Down Daenerys

“Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall.”

When Dany dropped her ring at the end of Season 6, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. Sure, it worked for Pippin and Merry, but it took an elf to spot the leaf. I don’t see any elves around, so the only logical conclusion is that Legolas, Prince of the Woodland Realm, arrives on the scene to find the dropped ring, and join the search. And if Legolas is there, that must mean that Essos is the actually the Undying Lands! Look for Elrond on the Small Council in Season 7. You heard it here first.

Taking a break from the Startup Series reposts to put down my thoughts on Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. And yes, major #SpoilerAlert ahead, but if you haven’t seen TFA yet, I have no sympathy for you. Heck, if you haven’t seen it twice by now, I’m questioning your place in my life.

First, the good. I absolutely loved it. It was part fan tribute, part sci-fi action flick, part story continuation, and part stage-setting for new stories in our favorite galaxy. One of the best moments of the whole film is when you see the Millennium Falcon for the first time. Absolutely awesome. And though the entire final sequence of the movie is basically a rehash of RotJ, I didn’t care.

One of the best surprises was that Rey was the awakening. The trailers led me (and many others) to believe that Finn was the new Jedi. They show him holding a lightsaber, and who holds lightsabers? Jedi, that’s who. Ergo: Finn = Jedi. When it turned out that Rey was the force-sensitive, and rapidly learned how to tap into her powers, I was stoked. I absolutely loved that. Good job on the trailer red herring.

However, there were moments that took me out of movie-adoration mode. It’s no fun to be pulled out of suspension of disbelief, especially because I’ve been anxiously anticipating it, and secretly praying every night for a great movie since it was announced on October 30, 2012. Thankfully, the instances of being pulled from excitement and awe in Episode VII were far less than any 20 minute segment of any of the prequels, but there were still a few moments that left me shaking my head.

Another Death Star

Really? Another Death Star? Come on. When they revealed Starkiller Base, my first reaction was the mental equivalent of an eyeroll.  Seven movies and three Death Stars? That’s a bit much. And I must admit that I saw it coming because it is in the movie poster. Even with that, I didn’t think they’d ever possibly revisit the idea of a Death Star a third time. But they did. This plot device (pun intended) needs to be put to rest, once and for all.

Captain Phasma Caves

While the whole scene with Phasma, Finn, Han, and Chewie was funny—from capture to the trash compactor—the fact that she caved and turned off the deflector shields was just too much bullshit for me. This is the Chrometropper who is so unquestioningly loyal that when a Stormtrooper does not participate in mass-murder of unarmed civilians, she censures them and sends them to reconditioning. And you mean to tell me she begrudgingly gives in just because she has a blaster pointed to her head? I’m not buying it. Not to mention the minor details that she a) knows how to turn off the deflector shield of an entire planet, b) has the authority to do so, and c) happens to be in the right place for it. <sigh>

The All-Out Assault

Picture this: the Resistance is backed up against a wall. Their senate—and the moon system surrounding it—was destroyed by a “hyper-lightspeed” weapon of unbelievable firepower. And that weapon is turning its attention to their primary command base. Their only chance to survive: a zany scheme that took about five seconds to concoct (though, admittedly, they’ve already pulled off this plan twice before, which must certainly add a degree of confidence). But it is their own chance to survive; the one and only way to save the entire Resistance armed forces! What do you do? Meh, send about a dozen X-Wings, into enemy territory, to attack a planet-sized based. That should be plenty.  You mean to tell me that with absolutely everything on the line, you can’t muster more than a couple of single-seaters? Even the Rebellion did better in RotJ.

Even with those missteps, I still loved it. My wife and I are heading for our third viewing this Saturday.

Oh, and, Kylo Ren as Han & Leia’s son? I totally called it. #humblebrag But to keep myself honest, I also speculated that Rey was their daughter, and though that is as-of-yet unproven, I’m saying “no” on that one.