Warning: This article contains spoilers.
“When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground.”
That’s how Queen Cersei (Lena Headey) famously summed up the wildly successful HBO series (in Season 1). Following last night’s flabbergasting finale, we look at who is up and who is down at the end of the fourth season, and who stands the best chance of TV triumph in Season 5 and beyond.
Lannister
Tyrion Lannister
Up: Rescued by his brother Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and shipped out of Kings Landing just before his execution on charges of killing King Joffrey (Jack Gleeson), Tyrion has lived nine lives: The haters, led by his own father, Tywin (Charles Dance), have tried and failed at everything from assassination to kidnapping to beheading — and gotten their just desserts. You can’t keep the Half-Man down!
Cersei Lannister Baratheon
Down: Her Haughtiness has told off her powerful father, and also fallen out with Jaime Lannister (Cersei’s BF, baby-daddy and twin brother). We don’t know if it’s a lovers’ quarrel or sibling rivalry, but it’s definitely gone from bad to worse.
Jaime Lannister
Down: He’s helped his brother Tyrion out of a life-or-death jam — with his father as a casualty — and that’s not going to help him . . . especially not with his Half-Man-hating sister/sweetheart! Even worse, there are not a lot of openings for a sword fighter with a missing right hand! Poor Jaime, we were just starting to like him — as much as one could like a guy who throws small children out of windows.
Stark
Sansa Stark
Up: She’s stuck in a tower so high, it makes Rapunzel’s castle look like a ranch house, with a jailer, Petyr Baelish, a k a Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen), who makes the Brothers Grimm look like optimists. But everything’s relative, especially when your relatives are Lannisters, and you’ve escaped them. It’s just too bad she doesn’t recognize her now-estranged husband Tyrion for the awesome imp that he is.
Arya Stark
Up: She missed the boat on reunions with her mother, brothers and sister, but Arya’s finally cast off her kidnapper, Sandor “The Hound” Clegane (Rory McCann). Since things usually get worse on “GoT” before they get better, it probably won’t be smooth sailing ahead for her, but we think she’s got the spunk and smarts to weather the storm.
Jon Snow
Up: He’s in a tough spot, charged with defending the realm from Wildlings and White Walkers. But it’s a first-rate life for a guy who grew up feeling like a second-class citizen: the illegitimate brother of the Stark children. And while trouble lurks on all sides, he’s proved his mettle in the Battle of Castle Black. Make way!
Brandon Stark
Up: He’s crippled and his family thinks he’s dead. But hey, he’s alive. And while he can’t walk, he can fly, since he’s learned how to use his “warg” superpowers to enter the bodies of ravens. Plus, he’s gained an entourage, the supernatural-seeming siblings Meera (Ellie Kendrick) and Jojen Reed (Thomas Brodie-Sangster).
Greyjoy
Theon Greyjoy
Down: It doesn’t get much lower than this: He’s lost his birthright, his wits, his private parts and even his name, as a sort of slave/pet to the sadistic Ramsay Snow (Iwan Rheon). Even if he turns things around, it would be a long way up.
Bolton
Ramsay Snow
Up: Call him Ramsay Bolton. Sadly, Roose Bolton’s (Michael McElhatton) sadistic son has made a scary and spectacular climb this season. His battle victories gained him sufficient notice from Dad to change his status from bastard son to legitimate heir. This made him almost as happy as he is when he’s torturing people.
Clegane
Sandor ‘The Hound’ Clegane
Down: This fan fave never catches a break, and now he’s gone over the cliff — literally. As in, “thrown off one.” He may be the evil henchman who kidnapped Arya Stark, but he’s so personable, we can’t help but feel sorry for him. Too bad it’s a long way down.
Tarth
Brienne of Tarth
Up: Jaime Lannister didn’t give Brienne his heart, but he did hand over his Valyrian steel sword. She’s used it well, especially in separating Arya Stark from Sandor “The Hound” Clegane. We don’t know if she’ll ever win Jaime, but she will certainly gain lots of honors and acclaim.
Mormont
Jorah Mormont
Down: He was Daenerys Targaryen’s right-hand man, and the chemistry between them was palpable until the Mother of Dragons saw what a snake he truly was — a double agent. This was one of the bigger falls from grace of the season.
Tyrell
Margaery Tyrell
Up: As King Joffrey’s widow, Margaery’s made a nice recovery with his brother, King Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman). And she’s got the Tyrells, one of the most powerful families in Westeros, behind her. Beautiful, bright, filthy rich: The smart money’s here.
Tarly
Samwell Tarly
Up: Once disowned by his noble family for being afraid of his own shadow, Sam Tarly showed bravery, skill and lots of heart in the Battle of Castle Black. He even got the girl. And he did it all with good humor. We’re definitely rooting for this most-improved “GoT” player.
Baratheon
Stannis Baratheon
Up: He’s the true heir to the Iron Throne, he’s had a fruitful meeting with Westeros’ answer to the IMF, Iron Bank, and he has a psychic, if not psychotic, lover at his side. He’s also got an army. Don’t rule Stannis out.
Tommen Baratheon
Up: That’s Your Majesty to you! Even though he’s not a true Baratheon, but rather the son of the incestuous Lannister twins Jaime and Cersei, the death of older brother Joffrey left him boy king of Westeros. Plus, he’s got hottie Margaery Tyrell as his confidante. Not bad for an illegitimate youngest brother!
Targaryen
Daenerys Targaryen
Up: A trusted adviser has betrayed her, she’s a long way from claiming Westeros, and she’s lost one of her three dragons. But she still has two left, which is two fire-breathing beasts more than anyone else in the Seven Kingdoms. Most important: She’s the last of the Targaryens, that ancient Amazonian family who created the Iron Throne. We’d be crazy to rule her out.