Small Council: Who’s going to die in Game of Thrones season 7?

Game of Thrones season 7 is almost here, and we’re getting nervous for our favorite characters. Which are going to die? We make our best guesses. Join us!

DAN: Much as I enjoy her, much as I value her contribution to the story, much as I’m kinda-sorta rooting for her even though I know she’s awful, I figure Cersei Lannister has to go.

She’s had an excellent run on this show. Cersei’s gone from battered queen to the Dark Sith Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and pretty much every step on her journey has been interesting. Remember when she ordered Littlefinger to locate Arya Stark under penalty of execution without trial? Or when she traded epic fistfuls of shade with Margaery? I do, and I will keep them close to my heart.

But I think her story has to end in tragedy. She’s finally taken the Iron Throne, but at the cost of her son, any goodwill she still had with the people, and quite possibly her brother-lover. And she’s shown herself to be more than a little like the Mad King, what with her blowing up several city blocks with wildfire. Dramatically speaking, the idea of Jaime killing his sister to prevent her from committing the same crime the Mad King was going to commit is just too good to pass up. It’s Just. Too. Good. If they don’t do it, I’m pretty sure they’re committing writer’s malpractice.

Granted, we may not see it happen until season 8, but with the White Walkers on the horizon, we have a lot to get through, and I think an epic Cersei death scene would work better as the climax to season 7. I dread it. I yearn for it. I feel in my bones that it’s going to happen, sooner or later. I just hope Cersei Lannister gets a death scene worthy of her awesomeness.

SARAH: Sorry, Dan, I have to disagree with you on that one. I’m going to go against the grain and trust completely in Cersei’s ability to pull an ace out of her sleeve, just as it seems that she’s out for the count. It’s what the lady does best.

For me, there is one character who seems destined to make it to the grave this year, and that’s Petyr Baelish. While I can freely admit that I’m not a fan of Aidan Gillen’s portrayal of the character, this has nothing to do with my belief that Littlefinger isn’t long for this world. Nor do I hate the character entirely, because the sleazy, loquacious and calculated Petyr Baelish brought something fresh to the world of Game of Thrones that truly can’t be found in any other character. Quite simply, I think Petyr is going to die because the show has outgrown him.

We always knew that Littlefinger wanted ultimate power, but the man himself was never clear on what exactly he wanted until the sixth season, when he confessed to Sansa Stark his two desires: the iron throne, and her hand in marriage. This is a man who previously advised Sansa to “always keep your foes confused,” but his feelings for her have seeped into his defenses and he’s shown his hand to her — and to us by extension — as a result. The mystery that he so valiantly represented is gone, he’s made an enemy of the crown and Sansa owes him nothing — by helping her to take back Winterfell he merely repaid her for her suffering at the hands of Ramsay Bolton. With the Night King and Cersei Lannister acting as our primary antagonists for the next two seasons, what else is he good for? He’s more over than the killer clown phenomenon.

We’ve seen from the trailers that Bran Stark is headed back to Winterfell, and the likelihood is that Arya Stark will also go home. With Petyr determined to have Sansa all to himself, the arrival of two other Stark children won’t sit well with him. There’s not a person on this earth who can convince me that he won’t try his level best to create a divide between Sansa and her siblings, nor can anyone convince me that this won’t be the sword upon which he is finally impaled.

Petyr Baelish has been instrumental in the betrayal of Ned Stark, placed his eldest daughter in mortal peril probably assisted in the attempted assassination of his son, Bran — his dagger certainly did. Catelyn Tully once begged the elder Brandon Stark to show Petyr mercy when he was young, earnest and determined to fight for her love. Petyr is not that person any longer, and Sansa Stark isn’t going to repeat her mother’s mistake. Rest in Perpetual Agony, bro.

RICHARD: A lot of death is expected and hinted at in season 7, including — in my opinion — pretty much everything Lannister. But if we’re looking for another guaranteed fatality, I’m going with my beloved Yara Greyjoy. Let’s face it–she’s completely expendable, along with her portion of the Ironborn fleet. That may be somewhat callous, but the Game of Thrones producers need to kill off some storylines and blend others as they’re wrapping things up, and the Greyjoys are tangential, low-hanging fruit ready to be eaten.

Yara is a nicely-developed secondary character, intelligent, good-hearted and strong, and I hope she dies a valiant, heroic death. She’s not a throwaway–don’t get me wrong–The Greyjoys are going to generate plenty of drama and pathos in the upcoming episodes, but they are pawns in the great game, and now its time for the big players to bleed off the minions (sacrifice pawns) to gain strategic advantage. Euron will throw a huge wrench into the works, and his fleet will probably ambush and destroy Yara’s, and she will perish in the battle.

Theon will survive Yara’s death (she’s likely to sacrifice herself in order to save him) and her loss will propel his character into deeper emotional and dramatic waters. Bereft of his sister’s steady support and wracked by guilt, Theon will become unpredictable and fascinating to watch.

COREY: This is a tough one because based on some of the spoilers out there, some of my fellow Small Council members (including myself) think we know several of the deaths that occur in season 7. So I will recuse myself from names that we already think to be dead, and venture out towards names that I suspect (and hope). That would be the Sand Snakes of Dorne, along with Ellaria Sand.

The Dorne storyline has been butchered from the start, and I’m just ready to for the whole thing to go away at this point. As a book reader I was looking forward to Doran’s grand plan in season 6, and instead was treated to family members murdering other family members for no apparent reason. I say no apparent reason because despite murdering Doran and Trystane in the first episode of season 6, with the stated intent of waging war on the Lannisters, the Sand Snakes did nothing the rest of the season.

Anyways, allying with Dany at the end of season 6 certainly made for a fairly impressive coalition, but let’s be honest there are going to casualties. Assuming Tyrion and Dany are safe, I’m guessing some of the lesser members of the alliance are going to  meet with some nasty ends. We’ve already seen from the trailer the armada will be attacked at sea by Euron Greyjoy, and that guy does not play around.

Also, consider that the Sand Snakes are responsible for Myrcella’s death. That has to put them fairly high on Cersei’s must kill list, which can’t bode well for their future. Cersei isn’t likely to forget their involvement, and now that she sits on the Iron Throne, with no one else to answer to, I imagine Cersei is going to be gunning for everyone who has ever done her wrong.

Coupled with the Sand Snakes’ tendencies to act impulsively (like murdering your own family) instead of intelligently, and you don’t have a good equation for a long life. This + That = you’re dead.

RAZOR: I’m basing my choice on what we’ve seen from the season 7 trailers, and since we know the army of House Lannister will attack Highgarden, I believe Lady Olenna Tyrell will most assuredly die in Game of Thrones season 7.

It’s not that I don’t like the character of Olenna, because I do love her ever so much, it’s that she’s the last living Tyrell, according to the show, and if she stubbornly stays in her family’s ancestral home of Highgarden, then she’ll be there when Jaime and Bronn lead a large force to her gates, to take it over.

With season 7 being the penultimate season of the series, second tier characters like Olenna have got to be pushed aside so the spotlight can shine on the characters that are central to the final plot. And, since we all know she’s proven she can steal any scene she’s in, not having Olenna after this season will ensure the main characters will get center stage, all to themselves. R.I.P. Queen of Thornes, we will miss your biting commentary and your blistering burns of people we don’t like, like the Sand Snakes.

Who do you think will die in season 7? Let’s discuss in the comments below. And, since this is more of a fluid topic, there won’t be a poll in this Small Council.