Just the other day, the internet discovered the cast lineup for the Game of Thrones season 8 premiere, sitting right there for all to see on HBO’s schedule. (Sidenote: You can no longer see the cast list on HBO’s page, but the info is already out there, so…) For the most part, the names don’t come as a surprise (did you know Kit Harington will be in season 8?), but a couple surprised us. Let’s talk more about them, but beware SPOILERS below.
No, Khal Drogo is not returning for season 8, but that would be fun, right?
Anyway, the two actors we didn’t expect to see on the season 8 cast list were Tobias Menzies (Edmure Tully) and Lino Facioli (Robin Arryn). We haven’t seen either of these characters since season 6, and if we’re being honest, we weren’t sure we were ever going to see them again. What might their appearance mean for season 8? Let’s jump in!
The last time we saw Edmure, Walder Frey forced him to help the Freys reclaim Riverrun before chucking him back into a dungeon beneath the Twins. It sucked, but a lot has happened since then. Arya helpfully wiped the Freys out at the start of season 7, and the Frey-Bolton alliance behind the Red Wedding is over, the Starks having kicked the Boltons out of Winterfell. So where does that leave Edmure?
With the Freys out of the way, the people of the Riverlands will need someone to lead them, and who better than a member of House Tully, which has long ruled the area? Sure, Cersei could try setting up some puppet lord in the Riverlands, but she was well and truly distracted throughout season 7 but this new queen and her terrifying dragons. Assuming Edmure really is back in charge of the Riverlands, House Stark probably has another valuable ally in its war against the undead.
And even if Edmure doesn’t march immediately north with any army he rounds up, he stands between King’s Landing and Winterfell, meaning he could make trouble for Cersei if she tries to send her forces north to harass Jon and Dany. With his many ships, Euron might be able to ferry Cersei’s forces around the Riverlands (remember he’s picking up the Golden Company for her), but still, it’s nice to have a buffer.
Then there’s Robin Arryn, whom we last saw getting getting conned into letting Littlefinger take the Knights of the Vale to the North and rescue Sansa Stark. And all it took was giving him a bird. Not a genius, this kid:
Despite his lack of leadership ability (and his stupidity, and the fact that he looks sick all the time), Robin Arryn is still technically the highest authority in the Vale. Since season 6, it seems like he’s been content to let Littlefinger, Yohn Royce and Sansa put the Knights of the Vale to good use, but now that the White Walkers are on their way, he may show up at Winterfell with the remainder of the Vale’s fighting forces. Humanity is threatened with extinction, after all. It’s all hands on deck. Leading some soldiers into battle (or, given his incredible lack of fighting ability, to the brink of it) could help Robin rehabilitate his reputation as a sniveling little man-baby.
Or he could present a problem. Robin is temperamental; what if he comes to Winterfell and insists that he’s the authority and he wants to take his knights and go home? It may take some convincing and cajoling, probably from Sansa, to get him to stay and help. There might even be a strategic marriage in the cards. My pity for whoever draws the short straw on that one.
Sticking with the marriage theme, both Robin and Edmure could be important after the White Walkers are defeated. The realm will need to be set to order again, and as powerful (single) lords, they’ll have to be paired with the right people. It reminds us a little of what Entertainment Weekly’s James Hibberd wrote about witnessing the filming of a key scene from theseries finale. “There are characters in the finale that I did not expect,” he noted. “I gradually begin to piece together what has happened in Westeros over the previous five episodes and try not to look like I’m freaking out.” Are Edmure and Robin two of those unexpected characters?
Or they could appear in a silent montage. We won’t know for sure until April 14. What do you make of their inclusion?
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