Game of Thrones Death Pool: Dany's Back and Arya's Back in Action
Saturday Night Live—of all places—made a very astute observation over the weekend about this season of Game of Thrones: We get only 10 hours of this show a year and we've spent what feels like two of them roaming around Castle Black. Last night's episode, which followed a day after that SNL sketch, continued to prove its point. Yes, every season of Game of Thrones starts with build up that pays off at the end of the season, but at this point we've had six seasons of build up and it's starting to feel like a drag. Even the characters are bored, as evidenced by the fact that Tyrion tried to play a drinking game with the very sober Grey Worm and Missandei. Alas, this must be going somewhere, so we better keep tabs on who has got a chance at surviving this show. Let us celebrate the return of Jon Snow from the dead, the return of Daenerys Targaryen to the Dothraki (kidding, this is terrible!), and the fact that Arya Stark (aka "a girl") got her groove back by running the numbers for this week's Game of Thrones death pool odds.
Daenerys Targaryen
Oh, Dany, how we've missed you. Not as much as Tyrion, Varys, Daario, and Jorah, mind you, but you were completely missing in the last episode, and it was like a light went out. That said, you came back this week and did ... well, not much of anything. This week, Daenerys was delivered to the dosh khaleen (the widows of various khals), stripped, and told she will either have to stay with her fellow widows forever or face some kind of retribution for the "forbidden" act of having a life after her husband died.
Death Pool Odds This Week: 15/1
Death Pool Odds Last Week: N/A
Chance of death: 5.88%Macall B. Polay/HBOArya Stark
This week's award for Most Dramatic Reversal of Fortune goes to Arya Stark, who went from blind beggar to badass in just one week. (That award, if you're wondering, went to Jon Snow last Sunday.) For the last few episodes she's been learning, thanks to the House of Black and White's masochistic blonde girl, how to fight blind. Well, now she knows how to do that and, thanks to Jaqen H’ghar, she can see again. Arya is back on the path to being unstoppable, though, if the names she gave to the blonde (Cersei Lannister, Gregor Clegane, Walder Frey) aren't a lie, then her little murder list has gotten considerably shorter.
Death Pool Odds This Week: 12/1
Death Pool Odds Last Week: 10/1
Chance of death: 7.69%Helen Sloan/HBO
Cersei Lannister
Cersei, now aided by brother/lover Jaime, seems to have recovered from her Walk of Shame nicely and is currently on a mission to end anyone who so much as snickered at her humiliating trek. She's got Qyburn utilizing Varys' former spys (aka a pack of poor children who like candy) on the streets to find her next targets and is just biding her time until she can send zombie Mountain out to crush the High Sparrow. Her odds of death are pretty much the same, unless it's possible she could die of mortification thanks to another of Lady Olenna Tyrell's sick burns about her not being the queen.
Death Pool Odds This Week: 7/1
Death Pool Odds Last Week: 7/1
Chance of death: 12.5%Helen Sloan/HBOTyrion Lannister
After spending last week making friends with Dany's dragons, Tyrion is now back to doing the two things he knows best: drinking and knowing things. Well, knowing things besides how to have a normal conversation with Grey Worm and Missandei, because he has no idea how to do that. Tyrion pretty much got off easy this week—no dragon-swaying and he let Varys do the heavy lifting of getting Meereen back on track.
Death Pool Odds This Week: 12/1
Death Pool Odds Last Week: 10/1
Chance of death: 7.69%Helen Sloan/HBO
Ser Davos
OK, so considering that Davos has been in Jon Snow's corner for a while now and the fact that Jon Snow is BACK FROM THE DEAD, this dude should be pretty safe for the time being. But considering Jon announced his watch was over and left Castle Black in a huff without Davos in tow, the gods only know what'll happen to Davos now.
Death Pool Odds This Week: 8/13
Death Pool Odds Last Week: 8/13
Chance of death: 61.9%Helen Sloan/HBOJon Snow
As soon as Jon Snow was resurrected last week, speculation immediately began as to what version of Jon Snow we were going to get. Would he be a changed man? Would he be sad? Superhuman? Turns out, he is the first two, not the third. (And, as Tormund noted, his "pecker" is too small for him to be a god. Penis jokes!) So Jon is back, saw "nothing" while dead (or just didn't understand it because Ygritte was always right about him), and is so morosely vengeful he executes four Night's Watchmen, including Olly and Alliser Thorne. (Olly's odds weren't good, but Alliser might've made you some money if you placed the right bet.) Now that he's leaving Castle Black, Jon's future is still in question, but chances are he won't die again so soon.
Death Pool Odds This Week: 16/1
Death Pool Odds Last Week: 16/1
Chance of death: 5.88%Helen Sloan/HBO
Bran Stark
Another episode, another chance for Bran and the Three-Eyed Raven to go back and bring up some old shit. (Stop—exposition time!) Look, these convoluted flashbacks are definitely/probably going somewhere—at some point the fact that Westeros is built on secrets and lies will matter—but lately Bran's Dream World is getting a little tedious. It's nice to know his father, Ned, didn't win his sword fight with Ser Arthur Dayne fair and square, and we're dying to know if that was Ned's sister Lyanna heard screaming from the top of Prince Rhaegar's tower, but let's get. on. with. it. And when Bran says he'd rather just live in the past (who are you, Claire Fraser?), it's just...ugh, stop.
Death Pool Odds This Week: 20/1
Death Pool Odds Last Week: 20/1
Chance of death: 4.76%Helen Sloan/HBOGilly
Gilly! So Gilly and Sam are going to the Citadel in Oldtown. Well, that's where Gilly thinks they're going. Sam is actually taking Gilly and Little Sam to live with his family in Horn Hill since women can't go to the Citadel. She's probably safe. (This week we also learned that Gilly knows what homonyms are, but doesn't know the word homonym.)
Death Pool Odds This Week: 12/1
Death Pool Odds Last Week: N/A
Chance of death: 7.69%HBO
Samwell Tarly
Sam is taking Gilly to his family's home. Then he's going to the Citadel. He should be alright, if he doesn't die from sea-sickness.
Death Pool Odds This Week: 14/1
Death Pool Odds Last Week: N/A
Chance of death: 6.67%Macall B. Polay/HBOVarys
It doesn't really affect his chances of living or dying, but this week Varys proved useful. He found the woman who had been conspiring with the Sons of the Harpy against Dany and the Unsullied. He offered her a bucket of money and a one-way ticket out of town to find out who is funding the Sons. (Unsurprisingly, it was two of the cities in Slaver's Bay and another with an old Targaryen beef.) Varys, you've earned your keep for another week.
Death Pool Odds This Week: 7/1
Death Pool Odds Last Week: 7/1
Chance of death: 12.5%Helen Sloan/HBO
Jaime Lannister
Jaime, like Cersei, is out to get some revenge for both what the Faith Militant did to Cersei and what Ellaria did to his daughter Myrcella. (He brings the latter up in that Small Council meeting where Lady Tyrell cut Cersei down to size, but no one seemed to care.) Jaime's coasting for now, but if he opts to go to Dorne to deal with Ellaria himself, that may not end so well.
Death Pool Odds This Week: 7/1
Death Pool Odds Last Week: 7/1
Chance of death: 12.5%Helen Sloan/HBOHigh Sparrow
Little King Tommen standing up to the High Sparrow didn't really do much to change things this week, but the fact that even the most trepidatious king ever feels like he can step to you doesn't bode well. Zombie Mountain just needs one good shot...
Death Pool Odds This Week: 3/8
Death Pool Odds Last Week: 4/7
Chance of death: 72.73%Helen Sloan/HBO
Ramsay Bolton got a present this week from the former Stark allies of House Umber: Rickon Stark (and Osha, his Wildling friend). How is it that this guy loses one Stark—Sansa—and another one just lands in his lap? It really isn't fair. Anyway, his odds remain the same, but in the meantime, we all live in fear of what he might do to the youngest of the surviving Starks. (Look for Rickon's death pool odds very soon.)
Death Pool Odds This Week: 2/1
Death Pool Odds Last Week: 2/1
Chance of death: 33.33%HBODolorous Edd
Man, was Dolorous Edd even a factor anywhere two weeks ago?! Well, he's about to be one now. As Jon Snow left Castle Black, he gave Edd his cloak, and thereby his kingdom. Will Edd lead the Night's Watch (or at least try to)? Or will he follow Jon? Will he do whatever Davos does? This one is way up in the air until next week, but for now Edd's chances are, um, OK, I guess?
Death Pool Odds This Week: 11/10
Death Pool Odds Last Week: 11/10
Chance of death: 47.62%Helen Sloan/HBO