Warning: This post contains spoilers for all the books and UKepisodes of Game of Thronesto date. Away with you, or dracarys.
Drunk family gatherings are always where the skeletons tumble out of the closet, and the Season 7 finale of Game of Thronesshould be no exception.
The teaser video for the episode titled "The Dragon and the Wolf" sets the stage for all the major players to come together, ostensibly to discuss an armistice that would allow humanity to unite to fight the army of the dead. Cersei already volunteered to bring the wine.
SEE ALSO: 'Game of Thrones' finale photos show Jon Snow out of his elementNow, the chances of this going well are about as high as Littlefinger being honest, but like all good raucous gatherings, the fireworks will be worth watching.
One dry pile of kindling just waiting for the right spark to fly is the the revelation about Jon Snow's real parents. Bran saw that Jon was Lyanna Stark's son in a vision last season, and it's all but confirmed that his father was Rhaegar Targaryen, Daenerys' older brother. The question is: when will Jon learn about it? Certainly Lyanna and Rhaegar could be the wolf and dragon referred to in the finale episode title.
SEE ALSO: Prepare for a super-sized 'Game of Thrones' finale and start freaking out about this episode titleJon and Daenerys Targaryen could also be the wolf and dragon the finale refers to, although who knows whether it refers to their alliance or impending romance, all the more controversial for its incestuous dimensions.
The mystery of Jon Snow's parentage has been hanging over the books and show for years now, and if we accept that it will ultimately be revealed, then the more interesting question is: How will Jon find out?
There are three main ways Jon could learn this information, individually or in concert: from Bran, from someone who was there, or via conflicting memories. The last one is what the show looks to be setting up on Sunday.
Bran found out about Jon's birth by warging into the past with the Three-Eyed Raven. After his return to Winterfell, he mentioned needed to speak to Jon, but the two men haven't been in the same place yet this season. This suggests that perhaps Bran won't be the one to initially spill the beans about the news, but he's in a great position to confirm it.
The second avenue for Jon learning more about who his parents are is for someone who was there that day to tell him. Howland Reed, Meera's dad, is the most likely candidate for this honor, and we wouldn't rule out him making an appearance up North. Reed was with Ned Stark the day Jon was born at the Tower of Joy and is the only other person who knew the truth about Jon. This is also why there's a theory that Jon and Meera are actually twins, Star Wars-style and Ned and Howland split them up out of safety, but it's looking less likely as the show goes on.
But the most underrated opportunity for Jon to figure out or learn the truth about his parents is for the conflicting history about Rhaegar and Lyanna to be exposed. The Starks and the Baratheons told the story that Lyanna was kidnapped and raped by Rhaegar. Cersei would have heard the story of Lyanna from Robert, and it was generally known as one of the key causes of Robert's Rebellion.
Daenerys, however, mentions "Rhaegar and his Northern girl" as a love story to Ser Barristan Selmy, suggesting that she's heard a much happier version of the tale, and one that fits with her vision of her brother as an honorable man.
We need these narratives to clash together, in front of enough people who know enough of the history to wonder about the curious timing of Ned Stark bringing back a bastard son just after Lyanna Stark mysteriously died while guarded by Rhaegar's Kingsguard when the two of them might have eloped out of love. Tyrion's given some terrible advice this season, but I think we can count on him to read between the lines. Oberyn Martell even told Tyrion about Rhaegar leaving Elia for "another woman."
SEE ALSO: George R. R. Martin was dropping clues about the 'Game of Thrones' ending back in Season 1Helpfully, the show has already foreshadowed this possibility. Tyrion told Daenerys that at the summit, Cersei would like say something inflammatory to bait her and she'd need to keep control of her temper. Impugning the honor of a queen's dead brother would be just the thing, and Cersei has good reason to do so.
Book readers will know that Tywin Lannister initially proposed a marriage between Cersei and Rhaegar, but was turned down in favor of Elia Martell. Cersei's definitely not over it, and mentioned in the books that had he married her, perhaps Rhaegar wouldn't have taken Lyanna Stark. One reason given for Rhaegar eloping with Lyanna is that Elia couldn't have any more children and Rhaegar was convinced he needed a third child to fulfill the prophecy of the Prince Who Was Promised.
We can see it now, a testy circle of powerful people with a lot of animosity and ambition, all interrelated and carrying a lot of baggage. Cersei, sipping her wine, getting in a dig at Rhaegar to needle Daenerys, and the Dragon Queen furiously standing up for her brother, when the camera pans to Tyrion as the realization dawns across his face.
Robert's Rebellion was the defining event of each of these players' young adulthood, and it was influenced by the infamous Tournament at Harrenhal before that. Daenerys believes in her right to the Iron Throne because it was her family that was deposed. Cersei rules in her own right now as Tommen's successor but it was Robert who won the throne for the Baratheons in the first place. And he only went to war because Lyanna Stark, whom he was betrothed to, was taken by Rhaegar.
When Ned Stark's father and brother went to King's Landing to protest what they believed was her abduction, they were burned alive by the Mad King and Robert rebelled, along with Ned. Tywin was willing to marry Cersei to Robert in order to distance himself from the Targaryens, who he believed slighted his family by not engaging Rhaegar to Cersei and accepting Jaime into Aerys' Kingsguard.
Basically, what we're saying is history matters. And it especially matters in this gathering, to these people.
So Jon Snow may find out that he is actually the child of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, thanks to someone with the wits to sort through the dueling historical narratives. But so what: he's still a bastard, with no claim to the throne, right?
Wrong, thanks to Gilly's offhand question about what "annulment" means in a scene at the Citadel that Sam Tarly foolishly overlooked. What seems to have actually happened is that Rhaegar set aside his wife, Elia Martell, and annulled their union so he could marry Lyanna Stark instead, making Jon Snow a legitimate Jon Targaryen.
Heady stuff for a guy who's thought of himself as illegitimate his whole life.
SEE ALSO: Sorry, 'Game of Thrones' fans, it’s time to admit that Jon Snow is a terrible leaderThe path to this information coming out could be a bit trickier, as it depends first on the open knowledge of who Jon's real parents were, second on Jon and Sam reuniting (which seems likely) and third on Sam or Gilly remembering that minor detail she read in the maester's book.
But that's a problem for next season. Let's just get through Sunday and hope nobody important dies before they spill their secrets.
Game of Thronesairs Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO.
Topics Game Of Thrones
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