‘Game of Thrones’ Mortality Pool Update: Points Are on the Board
Saying goodbye to a couple of fan favorites gives us our first scoring opportunity
After an uneventful first week, the latest episode of Game of Thrones has given us points to dole out in The Ringer’s Mortality Pool! No longer will we all be tied with zero points. (And if you aren’t in the pool yet, you can still join, though everyone else certainly has a head start.)
This week saw two named characters meet the Many-Faced God: Obara and Nymeria Sand. Let’s give them the send-off they deserve.
And Now Their Watch Has Ended
Even in a two-on-one showdown, Euron Greyjoy made quick work of these two fan favorites. You’d be forgiven if you couldn’t tell Nymeria and Obara apart from each other or from their sister, Tyene, who managed to escape death, but not capture, in this episode. As a refresher: Nymeria carries a bullwhip, Obara uses a spear, and Tyene uses daggers. They are all robust, fully formed characters who were totally different from one another in important ways, though two of them are now dead, so I guess we won’t find out what those ways were. Oh well.
I think Olenna Tyrell commemorated these characters best in the Season 6 finale, when she said, "What’s your name? Barbaro?" and, "Do shut up, dear."
RIP.
The Hall of Faces
Wow, you all really had it out for Ed Sheeran. In the Mortality Pool selections for Episode 2, the Lannister recruit was the most-picked character by a wide margin, and he didn’t show up on Sunday. Meanwhile, Obara and Nymeria were picked second and third most, respectively, so a good chunk of players received some points, with 4.2 percent earning the maximum nine points available for two deaths. Here’s the top 10:
1. Ed Sheeran (43.8 percent)
2. Obara Sand (26.0 percent)
3. Nymeria Sand (25.8 percent)
4. Septa Unella (25.3 percent)
5. Tyene Sand (23.4 percent)
6. Ellaria Sand (22.3 percent)
7. Yara Greyjoy (17.2 percent)
8. Thoros of Myr (13.1 percent)
9. Benjen Stark (12.8 percent)
10. Nymeria the direwolf (12.6 percent)
On the other side of the equation, the characters you thought were safe did indeed stick around. The Night King, picked by barely 1 percent of players, is still kicking, to the surprise of no one. Here’s the rest of the bottom 10:
54. Varys (2.3 percent)
55. Jaime Lannister (2.1 percent)
56. Rhaegal (2.1 percent)
57. Cersei Lannister (1.9 percent)
58. Drogon (1.7 percent)
59. Brienne of Tarth (1.7 percent)
60. Lyanna Mormont (1.5 percent)
61. Tyrion Lannister (1.3 percent)
62. Sam Tarly (1.2 percent)
63. The Night King (1.1 percent)
Dany threatened to use some of these 10 characters to burn another on Sunday. Maybe Varys is in more danger than we think.
The Wars to Come
Euron should have Yara, Tyene, and Ellaria in his possession. Could one of them be the next to bite the dust? On multiple occasions, Euron has expressed his desire to murder his niece and nephew, who oppose him in his quest to rule the Ironborn. Meanwhile, if the preview for next week is any indication, it looks like Euron will roll into King’s Landing, likely with Ellaria as the "priceless gift" he promised Cersei in the season premiere. Ellaria killed Myrcella, so the queen should be out for blood. Will she quickly lop off Ellaria’s head, or give her to the Mountain to torture like she did Septa Unella? Of course, Cersei could use Ellaria as a bargaining chip, but that doesn’t exactly seem like her style. As for Tyene … do you really want to bet on a Sand Snake making it much further?
Elsewhere in Westeros, it appears as though the Unsullied will follow through with Tyrion’s plan to hit Casterly Rock. There are no known characters currently at the Rock, but Grey Worm could be in danger should things go south once the Unsullied arrive.
Jorah might be getting treatment for his greyscale, but since that treatment involves getting flayed alive he could go at any minute. And when Jon arrives in Dragonstone, Davos might execute Melisandre on sight. Who knows if some other surprise is lurking. With only five episodes left this season, the clock is ticking for the Night King to make an appearance. Who will be near the Wall when he does?
Disclosure: HBO is an initial investor in The Ringer.