Lots of SPOILERS have been leaking out of the Game of Thrones season 8 set recently, and we’re going to talk about all of them. Kindly leave the building if you don’t want to know.
Today in Dubrovnik, which has long stood in for King’s Landing, photos surfaced of Kit Harington (Jon Snow) meeting with Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister).
Before that, photos showed Harington, in costume as Jon Snow, filming scenes elsewhere in Dubrovnik. He was seemingly on his own, although a silhouette that may or may not be Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) was also spotted. The question now becomes: why are Jon and Cersei (and potentially Daenerys) meeting?
First, let’s establish some chronology. Game of Thrones director David Nutter, the guy behind shocking moments like the Red Wedding and the burning of Shireen, was on hand for the Jon-Cersei conversation. He’s directing Episodes 1, 2 and 4 of season 8, so this scene falls during one of those. We last saw Jon and Dany headed for Winterfell, so they’ll likely spend some time there before heading back south. Therefore, this Jon-Cersei scene probably happens in Episode 4.
If other SPOILERS are any indication, things won’t go Jon and Dany’s way in those first three episodes. Although we don’t know exactly when or why, we know that, at some point in season 8, Winterfell will go up in smoke:
We’d peg this unfortunate event as going down in Episode 3, which will be directed by Game of Thrones action maven Miguel Sapochnik, the man between epic sequences like the Battle of the Bastards and the Massacre at Hardhome. We think Jon Snow and company will only make for King’s Landing after this has happened. After all, they wouldn’t return to enemy territory unless the circumstances were dire.
Jon could be seeking sanctuary in King’s Landing. If the White Walkers have successfully gotten past Winterfell, they’ll be at large in Westeros, and the capitol city may be one of the few places with walls strong enough to repel an army. It could also give Jon another chance to try and talk Cersei into helping. She pulled a fast one on him the last time he was in the city, but if the army of the dead is on her doorstep, Cersei may reconsider. There’s evidence that Jon isn’t here to fight. He wasn’t wearing Longclaw in his shoot yesterday, for instance, nor is wearing his fancy breastplate from season 7.
Also, Cersei isn’t wearing her crown in today’s shoot. Everyone seems to have cast aside their marks of office.
On the other hand, Jon’s lack of armament could imply that he’s Cersei’s captive. She may not have her crown, but Cersei is surrounded in this scene by the excellently dressed members of her Queensguard, and Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (Gregor “the MOuntain” Clegane) is on the set as well. It’s even possible that Cersei was behind the fire at Winterfell, and captured Jon in the process.
As for what they’re talking about, it’s very intriguing that they’re speaking in front of a window. If HBO was hoping to prevent spoilers, this was a terrible way to do it, as photographers were able to snap plenty of pictures. So filming it in front of a window must be necessary for the scene.
What does one normally do in front of a window? Look at things. What might these two monarchs be gazing at? Our money is on either dragons or the army of the dead.
As we speak, the Game of Thrones production is still building an enormous King’s Landing set, the biggest set it’s ever constructed. The more we learn, the most likely it seems that there’s going to be a huge battle scene there, and this Jon-Cersei scene may be a prelude to it. If Cersei captured Jon, it would follow that Dany’s dragons would be swooping around outside, threatening. If Jon and friends are here to make the last stand, it’s probably the Night King. Either way, Jon and Cersei aren’t looking out that window pointing out funny-looking clouds.
This isn’t the only theory out there, of course. For example, some fans think these two are making a marriage pact together, which would certainly be a twist. What do you all think?
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