What is the most satisfying way to end Game of Thrones Season Six?

What is the most satisfying way to end Game of Thrones Season Six?

This season has been all over the place. Half has been pretty entertaining. Half has been kinda disappointing. With the highly anticipated “Battle of the Bastards” out of the way, I thought it might be fun to look at some of the most promising ways that Season 6 could end.

(And I realize that the tenth episode isn’t always a show stopper but I’m really holding out hope that something crazy happens after Bastard Bowl)

Westeros will burn

Game of Thrones has been dropping a bunch of not so subtle hints that Cersei Lannister may be losing her mind and could be very close to turning King’s Landing (or some portion of it) into Westeros’ biggest bonfire. She has repeatedly used the phrase “burn their houses” when referring to her gigantic list of enemies. She also had Qyburn investigate a rumor that could point to the existence of a leftover stockpile of Mad King Aerys’ wildfire. Her trial is also set to take place in the Sept which would be a great place to destroy, both strategically and symbolically.

Then there is the Valonquar theory, which posits that Cersei will die at the hands of the “little brother.” Some people point to the theory as evidence that Jamie will kill Cersei at the end of this season and having Cersei hold the trigger to a King’s Landing sized bomb does give him plenty of reason to do so. That being said, the Valonquar theory could be read as evidence that a ton of characters will kill Cersei. Anyone that is a little brother fits the bill including but not limited to Tyrion, Jamie, Tommen, Bran, Rickon, The Hound, Loras, and sometimes even Danerys depending on how you translate High Valerian.And while the Valonquar theory is a book certainty, the show has never specifically mentioned this part of the theory so we may not ever see it.

The Fall of the Wall

Pretty much the only thing we do know about the finale is its name: The Winds of Winter which refers to the next book in the ASoIaF series. And while that could signify nothing more than the impending doom of the winter season, it seems likely that it has something to do with the White Walkers making their first big move. And I know you must be thinking “But wait. Aren’t the White Walkers stuck in the North behind the Wall?” Well just like Jamie’s oaths, walls are made to be broken.

So how do we bring that wall down? We have a couple of options.

• Bran

Last we saw Bran, he was dashing through the north on a one Meera open sled because he accidentally let the White Walkers into his treehouse. Exactly how it all went down is pretty confusing but it has something to do with the Night’s King touching Bran mid-vision and giving him a magical…brand. This BranBrand let the White Walkers breach the magical barrier around the tree and apparently a similar barrier exists around the Wall. Now the show hasn’t said a word about the Wall magic but it does exist pretty explicitly in the books, so maybe Bran crossing through The Wall’s gates could destroy everything. (Also this supports my theory that Benjen is secretly evil and his goal is to to trick Bran into passing through The Wall)

• The Horn

So this is even less of a show thing but it does have some precedent. In the books there exists a magic horn known as the Horn of Winter that’s sole purpose is destroying The Wall. No such horn has been mentioned on the show but we may have seen it. When Sam and a couple of members of the Night’s Watch went above the Wall near the end of Season 2, Sam stumbled upon a cache of dragonglass. He would eventually go on to take the package with him and use the dragonglass to kill a Walker but this bundle also contained a horn. It is never mentioned again but it seems too coincidental to not be the mythical Horn of Winter. All Sam has to do is accidentally blow it and The Wall may come crashing down.

Arya vs. The World

So Arya finished the last episode by using her “Get Out of the House of the Black and White Free” card to leave Braavos (because the Faceless Men make ZERO sense) but Arya’s actually destination is a mystery. In the show she mentioned said specifically that she was “going home” but that could mean a couple of things.

• Winterfell

Obviously Arya’s childhood home of Winterfell and that is the most likely interpretation of Arya’s goal but it doesn’t have to be. She probably knows that Winterfell is a mess. It is devoid of Starks. The family that killed them is in control. And besides sentimental value, when you take the current state of the North into consideration, it doesn’t make a ton of sense to go there. She could go to take revenge on the Bolton family but they don’t seem high enough on her list.

• The Wall

Now this is a pretty loose interpretation of “home” but it wouldn’t be a bad destination. As far as Arya knows, Jon is the last surviving member of her family and as far as she knows, he is still there. She probably wouldn’t have heard about his death/resurrection since that all happened in a couple of days, so she has no reason to think that is a hostile environment. Maybe Arya returning to the Wall could facilitate the Grant Stark Reunion we have been waiting for since Season One.

Then there’s the cool answer.

• Westeros

Westeros is technically Arya’s home and she will most definitely be returning to the continent in the future but what does Arya want more than anything else? Revenge.

Granted Arya’s list has gotten shorter since we last saw her, there are still plenty of names she has yet to cross off. Characters like Cersei Lannister, The Mountain, and even Walder Frey are still kicking and have no idea that a teenage assassin is looking for them. Imagine a season finale where Arya kills The Mountain. I know everyone has been waiting for the “Clegane Bowl” since Episode Seven but Arya killing The Mountain would be a great way to show the audience how much of a badass she has become. There is also a shot from the Season Six trailer showcasing some sort of Frey dinner where nothing interesting is happening. That is the perfect place of a shape-shifting ninja to get some revenge.

Comment with your thoughts. We look forward to finding out the truth this weekend.

Matthew Nando Kelly is an incredibly cool and handsome Managing Editor of Pop-Break who was allowed to write his own bio. Besides weekly Flash recaps, he focuses on film, television, music, and video games. Matthew also has a podcast called Mad Bracket Status where he discusses pop culture related brackets with fellow Pop-Break writer DJ Chapman. He has an unshakable love for U2, cats, and the New Orleans Saints. His twitter handle is @NationofNando. Did we mention how handsome he was?