Game of Thrones season 8 episode 3: Who will live and who will die?
(L to R) Kristofer Hivju as Tormund and Kit Harington as Jon Snow – Photo: Helen Sloan/HBO
Tormund Giantsbane
This one is hard for us. Our heads tell us that he will die, in much the same way that Lyanna Mormont will. We love him, and lovable characters just don’t get to live that long in Westeros. There’s a reason Game of Thrones has made us take him to our hearts and that reason is they want to make us suffer when we lose him — when Jon (his “little crow”, we’re sobbing) loses him.
Our hearts, however, have hope that he might live. We thought we might have lost him on the Wall, but we didn’t. But that is as likely to work against him now as it is for him.
Oh, please don’t make us watch this ginger prince die.
Chance of survival: Tormund would live 100 years, if we could show him how. We won’t desert him now.
Gendry
Like Grey Worm, Gendry had a romantic emotional breakthrough moment in the last episode, which puts a target on his back in this one. It also removes him from contention for the Iron Throne, but we’re not really sure how in that he is anyway (it would make a lot more sense than Jon on the Iron Throne, but maybe that’s just us).
Alas, we think he’ll probably die, especially if Arya doesn’t. We like him, he’s meaningful to other characters, and he’s probably reached the end of his usefulness to the plot in building the dragonglass weapons. Unfortunately, he meets all the killing criteria.
Chance of survival: Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is (nothing but) a dream.
Jorah Mormont
We don’t know exactly why, but we think he just might live.
But also…maybe not. It just doesn’t make sense to kill him now, with all the dragonscale nonsense and everything, and also wouldn’t it be funny if Jorah “Khaleesi!” Mormont ended up being the only man alive at the end of all this?
Chance of survival: We don’t have a clue, honestly.
Daenerys Targaryen
Can you imagine the uproar if Daenerys died in the third episode, with so much more to go afterwards?
Her business feels unfinished (surely there will be more fallout from Jon’s confession), but that alone would be enough to make her death Game of Thrones’ most shocking moment. That has to be tempting, especially if she’s not going to end up on the Iron Throne anyway.
It throws a lot of things into the mix, destroys a lot of popular plans and theories for the season as it progresses, and it would fully consolidate Game of Thrones’ position as the show you ought to be watching, even if you’re not.
It is perhaps convenient that we now know Jon can ride her dragons and is the actual heir to the Iron Throne. Everyone from Tyrion to Jorah is so sure she will win but let’s be honest: Game of Thrones doesn’t like sure things.
Nothing is promised.
Chance of survival: We’ve talked ourselves out of this one. Flip a coin.
Theon Greyjoy
We’re so happy to see Theon back at Winterfell, but we can’t help but feel it won’t be for long. When he chose to fight for the Starks instead of staying with Yara, the choice felt a bit final. And with a plan in action for him and Bran to lurk in the Godswood as bait and things more than likely to go utterly awry, Theon will be directly in the Night King’s javelin firing line (if he turns up…).
Could this episode see his redemption arc through to completion? Theon’s betrayed everyone, been sorry about it (for extremely good reason, although we’re still a bit mad), and suffered for it. It would make sense for his journey to end here, with an almost heroic death for something he cares about.
Chance of survival: What is dead may never die. But Theon might. (Something tells us he might just make it for now.)