‘Game of Thrones’ power rankings: It’s couples week!

The Game of Thrones power rankings decide who is most likely to rule Westeros at the end of Season 8.

We’re making these predictions based on what the showrunners are likely to think is the best possible story. You can see the rankings for the previous episode, “The Dragon and the Wolf,” here.

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Though it may have seemed like a low-key episode that concerned itself mostly with reuniting characters, Game of Thrones‘ Season 8 opener “Winterfell” has in fact introduced plenty of new options that could tip the final balance of power in Westeros.  

Chief among these: The possibility that we will see two monarchs in charge of Westeros at the end of the series, an option that has many powerful antecedents in real-world history. Think of the Catholic monarchs in Spain in the 15th century, Ferdinand and Isabella, or the Protestant co-regents in Great Britain in the 17th century, William and Mary.  

This possibility was mentioned explicitly in the case of Dany and Jon, but there are a couple of other power couples we could see occupying a pair of Iron Thrones at the end of the show. Here’s the least likely:

10. Cersei & Euron (new entry)

Now that the Queen in King’s Landing has found herself a new lover, what could possibly go wrong? Surely this lovable and upstanding pair will get it together, unite their banners and ships, and never once think of stabbing each other in the back.

I’m kidding, but only kind of. The lure of leaving this volatile couple in charge at the end of it all may be irresistible from a story perspective. Not only would it subvert our expectations if these two could make it work, but Euron’s ignorance of Cersei’s pregnancy — along with his promise to put a king inside her — would make for some nice symmetry. 

As in Season 1, Cersei would have fooled a powerful and arrogant military leader into thinking that her and Jaime’s kid was his. Letting a man think he’s in charge while pulling the strings and grooming the next generation: This is a more comfortable and familiar position for Cersei than ruling solo, which continues to paint a giant target on her back.  

9. Daenerys Targaryen (-5) 

Blinded by love and by her own arrogance, Dany cannot see a whole bunch of threats to her position. The people of the North hate her, which doesn’t bode well for the coming siege of Winterfell. Her dragons are off their food. And while they can smell a secret Targaryen in their midst (Jon), she doesn’t suspect a threat to her rule — not even when he turns out to be a pro dragon rider on his first time out. If there’s one thing Game of Thrones likes to punish characters for, it’s puffed-up cluelessness.    

8. Jaime Lannister (unchanged)

Sure, Jaime looks like he’s walked into a whole pile of trouble. He just encountered the creepy grown-up omniscient version of the kid he threw out of a window eight seasons ago. And from the look of the teasers for the next episode, one or two other characters may have one or two other bones to pick with him — such as Dany, whose father he killed. The Kingslayer’s ravens are all coming home to roost at once. 

But this is all happening so early in the season that there’s plenty of opportunity for Jaime’s fortunes to turn again — and for the most redemptive story arc in the whole series to reach a surprising end. After all, Jaime still has a greater claim on the throne than his sister-lover. 

7. Sansa Stark (-4)

As she did at the end of last season, the Lady of Winterfell once again proved herself the most eminently sensible person in Westeros. Who else is thinking about provisions for the Long Night? Who else sees Cersei for what she really is, even after the treacherous Queen’s promise of troops to fight the White Walkers? 

We still think Sansa’s in with a shot of being the last leader standing in Westeros by default. Especially if she teams up with an old frenemy in the shape of … her husband.  

6. Sansa & Tyrion (new entry)

Much of the audience had the same realization when Sansa and Tyrion met again for the first time since Joffrey’s wedding: oh yeah, they never actually divorced, did they? And while Sansa’s line about “I used to think you were the smartest man in the world” was played as a dis, it was also the closest she has come to a flirtatious compliment. 

Maybe she can learn to love being married to the Imp, at least for the sake of jointly ruling the kingdom. Tyrion was indeed dumb to trust Cersei, which is why he needs a partnership with someone like Sansa. 

In short, these two are looking like the cleverest couple of survivors in Westeros at the moment. They were both forced to play the game, and both learned a lot from it. Putting them in charge at the end would be the smartest ending, if not the most satisfying. 

5. Samwell Tarly (new entry)

It’s the Revenge of the Nerds scenario: shy, bookish Sam so driven to rage by the actions of sorority queen Dany that he enters the power game himself, and wins. It would make for a hell of a plot twist — and a realistic one, since we’ve never seen Sam as mad as he was in “Winterfell.” 

As the new head of wealthy House Tarly, Sam presumably has a few banners he can call — not to mention the newly homeless Night’s Watch, a Valyrian steel sword, and a friend whose claim to the throne Sam thinks he’s upholding. In the chaos that would ensue after a human victory or ceasefire with the White Walkers, with everyone racing to resume internal conflict, that may be enough. 

It would also make for one of the more satisfying endings, story-wise. The significant Sam-like portion of the nerd audience would just love to crow about this former crow’s unexpected last-minute victory.      

4. Dany & Jon (new entry)

As any good political adviser would, Varys, Tyrion and Ser Davos saw the value in selling Jon and Dany as a pair of monarchs. What will keep the commoners of north and south united through the Long Night of Winter better than a good-looking young royal couple they can stan — the William and Kate of Westeros?

With a brains trust like that behind them, and a mainstream TV audience that also stans the couple, we have to give this possible ending its due. Of course, it wouldn’t be in keeping with the original theme: Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin specifically designed his story to subvert the “happily ever after” endings of high fantasy, particularly the ones about kings and queens ruling wisely with no further incident until the end of their days. 

Much more likely that one of them will rule while lamenting the loss of the other, which brings us to:   

3. Jon Snow, a.k.a. Aegon Targaryen the Sixth (+2)

Now he knows his true name, there’s no turning back. Informed by Sam that he alone is the rightful ruler of Westeros, Jon’s face went through a galaxy of turbulent emotions. He has repeatedly been promoted far beyond the roles he asked for; this would be the ultimate example. 

Jon has always tried to do the right and honorable thing. Here the right and honorable thing basically involves usurping his girlfriend’s usurpation. Will he end up betraying her and holding her in his arms as she dies, mirroring what happened with his wildling love Ygritte?

What a bind! What an ending, Jon alone, heartbroken and miserable, stuck on a throne he hates, for the rest of his days!   

2. No One (-1)

It’s still one of the most satisfying curveballs the story can throw us. Either annihilate everyone with no last-minute redemption — which, let’s be honest, even an audience schooled in Thrones‘ ability to slaughter characters does not actually expect to happen for real. Or set up a Night’s Watch-style democracy, as Tyrion suggested a season ago. 

If it’s the latter, Gendry the Baratheon bastard blacksmith would be a natural choice to melt his dad’s nasty sword-filled chair down once and for all — which would make for one hell of a final scene. 

1. The Night King (+1)

Although he was a no-show this week, the mysterious leader of the White Walkers left a hell of a gruesome calling card. It’s the same severed-limb spiral pattern seen in Season 1, Episode 1, and it reminds us that the most stoically silent Thrones character may have agency of some sort beyond resurrecting corpses. Perhaps he does intend to rule an undead zombie version of Westeros after all! 

Plus the repeated mentions of the Iron Islands as a fallback location for living humanity makes us think that the entire remaining cast may end up there, shivering in the constant fog, lamenting the loss of all the trees Euron cut down to build his insta-fleet. Alive but in exile across the sea, just as Dany was in Season 1: What’s more bittersweet an ending for our remaining heroes than that?