'Game of Thrones' Season 7 Preview, Release Date and Spoilers: What to Expect as the Game Wraps Up

By CP Contributor, Wednesday, August 03, 2016

The Game is slowly coming to an end.

HBO's "Game of Thrones" comes up on its twilight as it reaches the final stretch of its story. As earlier reported, showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss had already called its time of death after its eighth season, saying the series can't just "keep going on just because it can."

Moreover, GoT will be running on a different schedule now. Benioff and Weiss said they were debuting Season 7 during the summer months to accommodate the shooting schedule.

"We're starting a bit later because at the end of this season, 'Winter is here,' and that means that sunny weather doesn't really serve our purposes any more," they said

So far, Season 6 saw too many central plotlines extending well beyond its source material, George R. R. Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice series. The widespread narratives are all quickly becoming condensed, and they all seem to converge towards one point: Kings' Landing, where Cersei Lannister, now bereft of a moral compass as the last of her children died in a tragic suicide, reigns as Queen.

Of course, the biggest threat to Westeros is no dragon nor battalion, but the creeping threat of the Night King, whose legions of white walkers were last seen taking down one of the show's beloved characters, Hodor.

A few predictions can be made as to how Season 7 could go:

Kings' Landing

In the season finale, Daenaerys Targaryen has finally sailed towards Kings' Landing in order to take the Iron Throne. It's Queen against Queen, and with the combined forces of the Martells, Tyrells, the Dothraki and her three dragons, Cersei's odds do not look good. Moreover, with Tyrion now wearing the silver Targaryen as Hand of the Queen, the Lannisters are in for an overdue reunion.

King in the North

As Jon Snow cements his place in Winterfell as presumptive King in the North, viewers can expect a little tension between him and his sister, Sansa, who has been feeling unappreciated after saving Jon during the Battle of the Bastards with the help of the Knights of the Vale.

Beyond Winterfell, though, Jon is expected to play a more central role in the series: as fans have predicted, he is the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, which means the show's bastard is actually of two noble lineages. Given his distaste (and lack) of political savvy, though, it remains unclear whether Snow will make his play for the Throne.

The Wall

There is a bigger, looming threat to everyone, however, and only Bran Stark and Meera know it: the ancient Night King, who have breached the Raven's sanctuary and is now capable of finding Bran wherever he goes. As the duo approaches the Wall, which is magically fortified against the white walkers, we can speculate that him getting on the other side is likely to break down its defense, leaving the entire North vulnerable to the White Walkers.

Season 7 is different as the series have already used up all its source material and have now begun creating its own new narrative. As such, viewers are going in pretty much blind--which only adds to the suspense on one of TV's most beloved shows.