I don't think Cersei meant for Tommen to die. She does in fact love her children. As she has remarked thats her one redeeming factor. I do think she was angry with how much of a spineless twerp hes been and how he essentially hung her out to dry. But with all of her enemies dead she could have easily bent Tommen to do whatever she wanted. So he would have still been the king but she would have been pulling his strings.

Cersei may be queen now. But she has destroyed all her alliances (except the Freys who seem pretty useless) and her own house to get it. As someone mentioned earlier shes not much of a forward thinker. Shes a hammer, if you want to put a nail through a wall, the hammer can get it done. Ask the hammer to build you a ship and the hammer will tell you "I can put a nail through a wall".

Queen of Thorns

This, more or less, is what I expect to happen. I don't think Jon and Dany's forces will ever fight though. She'll threaten to crush them if they don't "bend the knee" and recognize her as ruler of Westeros. Jon is not interested in a fight with her, tells her about the White Walkers and that is who they need to face together.

Cersei. I don't Joffrey even knew that his lineage truly was, did he?

Ned Stark…

I had that thought also, but it is worth noting that Jaime is not on Arya's official list. No doubt he would be if she knew his involvement with Bran's plunge, but Arya has no way of knowing that. You would think he might be due to his sword fight with her father back in season one, but he has never been on it IIRC. Cersei is, was was Walder Frey.

Of interesting note are three other characters who are on Arya's list:

Melisandre
Beric Dondarrion
Thoros of Myr

All related to what happened with Gendry when the Brotherhood Without Banners basically sold him to Melisandre.

Arya is already in the Riverlands where the Brotherhood operates and guess who is now conveniently heading south having been banished from Winterfell? Also of note is that The Hound is now with Thoros and Beric as well. Arya thinks he is dead, but she also removed him from the list and would seem to have at least a little qualified affection for. I think it is very safe to say that Arya's next story arc will involve Thoros, Beric, Sandor and Melisandre.

The Witch's prophecy came true.

too much spring in his step. Tommen's fall was more wooden, no push off.

Faaaaaathhhhhhheeeeeer!

BTW, here's the score:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFK0yG8xG5I



“Light of the Seven”

re: the mystery and no throw away lines.

By having Jon declared King in the North, it sort of presents a problem.

Dany is coming to Wesrteros to conquer and rule it. That, presumably, includes the North. Would she allow Jon to be the King in the North, while she was Queen in the South? It's sort the Robb/Stannis situation all over again. Will Jon pledge fealty to Queen Daenarys? Will the Northmen accept that? Will Jon and Dany need to be united in marriage to prevent another civil war?

I agree with this, only to add that somewhere amidst all that, Dany will find out Jon is actually Targaryen, which will solidify their truce as they take on the White Walkers.

Wouldn't Jon Snow be the true Targaryen heir? He is the only son of Dany's older brother. Her nephew, but he has a stronger claim to the throne if you are going strictly by lineage.

Yes. If Rhaegar and Lyanna were married then Jon has a better claim than Dany. Dany certainly would seem to want it more.

It would also mean that Jon can marry Sansa with no real incest involved. Well, except for the fact that they did grow up together thinking they're bro&sis.

In fact, oddly enough his claim to the North is weaker, perhaps the reason for establishing him as King of the North by acclaim.

Who would know all this though besides the Three Eyed Raven? Hard to imagine the Seven Kingdoms just agreeing with the succession based on an old rumor that goes directly against the history they all learned. Maybe this ties in to Sam in the Library?

Does succession based on birth rights even matter at this point? If you have a big enough army and enough allegiance from your lords, then you have a good claim.

No "real" incest? Jon and Sansa are 1st cousins. Sounds like incest to me.

Wow. Probably my second favorite episode of the series so far. The Cersei power play was epic.

Howland Reed probably knows, Ned's closest friend who was at the Tower of Joy and stabbed Ser Arthur Dayne in the back. He's still alive in the show.

And has a history with Lyanna (from the books) that would guarantee that he would follow Ned and keep the secret.