It's hard to believe, but we're fast approaching the end of Game of Thrones. HBO's massively popular fantasy series will air its eighth and final season sometime in the next two years, finally bringing the story of Westeros to an end. For fans of George R.R. Martin's novels, this is decades in the making. With little information about when Season 8 will finally arrive, fans are left to dissect and discuss every bit of footage and interview from the team for clues. Most recently, visual effects producer Steve Kullback has excited fans on the DVD/Blu-ray commentary, when describing Cersei's map room in King's Landing. Regarding the specifications he had to follow, Kullback revealed he was instructed to
...make it an exterior location in an upcoming episode, but I can't tell you why. But that'll pay off. [The courtyard] used to be at least a story taller, but there was a need to see the sky in this coverage.
Well, color me interested. It looks like Season 7 of Game of Thrones was setting up some major moments for the show's final set of episodes, especially when it comes to Queen Cersei's newest quarters. Specifically, the theory Dany might soar above King's Landing and possibly burn it all down.
Steve Kullback's comments (via Uproxx) seem to point at the map room, specifically how its an outdoor courtyard, will factor into a significant moment in Game of Thrones Season 8. If Dany were to lay siege to the capital with her two remaining dragons, it would be a powerful vision to watch Cersei realize it all by simply looking up. This potential scene would also be a callback to Dany's vision back in Season 2.
While still in the early stages as a conquerer and queen, Dany's dragons were stolen while she was given sanctuary in Qarth back in the show's sophomore season. Upon entering the House of the Undying to rescue her children, she has a vision walk. During this sequence, we see Dany walking through a crumbled and burned down Great Hall. She sees an empty Iron Throne as ash falls like snow around her. Since then, fans have been waiting for the Khaleesi to burn the place down.
There's also a common theory that Bran might warg into one of Dany's dragons to help focus their attack on the capitol. During his vision in Season 4, Brag flew above King's Landing as the shadow of a massive dragon followed. Since it's getting increasingly dangerous for Dany to physically ride on Drogon's back, maybe Bran will be used to keep her out of harm's way.
This is yet another reason for Game of Thrones fans to be psyche for Season 8, and the story's conclusion. The pressure is on to deliver a satisfying finale, wrap up the myriad storylines in the series.
Game of Thrones doesn't currently have a return date, but CinemaBlend will keep you updated. In the meantime, check out our midseason premiere list to plan your next binge watch, an our cancellation list to see if your favorite show got the chop last year.
