The mighty and the mightily hated fell on last week’s Game Of Thrones, with beloved giant Wun Wun getting taken down by Ramsay Bolton, who later got his just deserts at the teeth of his very own hungry, hungry hounds. While the tyrant’s death was incredibly satisfying for most, Rickon Stark’s non-serpentine dash toward slaughter left others a little cold, both because it’s chilly in the north and because his quick demise was just such a bummer.
But on to this week, and the show’s big sixth-season finale. As always, we’ve asked nationally syndicated oddsmaker and owner of America’s Line, Benjamin Eckstein, to put together some odds on who’s going to meet their maker this Sunday night. We’ll bet with our accumulated Westerosi fortunes, and whoever ends up with the most money at the end of the season will be declared the rightful heir to the office’s Iron Throne. It’s a tight battle, with four or five people still battling it out for virtuous victory. Readers who want to play along can do so over on A.V. Clubber Craig R. Wright’s TV Deadpool site, where a number of you are already earning big fake bucks every week.
2-1 Kevan Lannister
The oddsmaker says: If a Lannister has to go, it has to be Kevan.
The A.V. Club says: With viewers and obsessives speculating that this week will center around Cersei’s manic desire to eliminate every single person still standing in King’s Landing, this seems like a fairly solid bet. On top of that, while it might be hard for her to get to the High Sparrow, for instance, Kevan’s a sitting duck, as long as she doesn’t mind committing Lannister-on-Lannister violence.
3-1 Brienne Of Tarth
The oddsmaker says: It’s going to be sad to say goodbye, but she’s heading north and will have to fight either The Hound or the Brotherhood Without Banners.
The A.V. Club says: Brienne can’t die. She hasn’t even really accomplished her missions yet.
3-1 Any member of the Brotherhood Without Banners
The oddsmaker says: Big B’s going to F up one of these loudmouths.
The A.V. Club says: These guys are disposable. It might not be Brienne, but they won’t all be around for long.
3-1 The High Sparrow
The oddsmaker says: He can’t possibly make it to the next season.
The A.V. Club says: It does seem like the High Sparrow has already survived far longer than any of us would have guessed. With Cersei’s big trial coming this week, it seems likely that something is going to go down with him. Whether he ends up dead or not is the real question.
4-1 Lancel
The oddsmaker says: He made it through the other episode, but his time is drawing very near.
The A.V. Club says: See everything we’ve said above and apply it here.
5-1 Septa Unella
The oddsmaker says: This is more of a personal vendetta than anything, because I just dislike her so much.
The A.V. Club says: Again, see above.
8-1 The Mountain or The Hound
The oddsmaker says: If they do end up fighting, this battle is too close to call.
The A.V. Club says: If anything, their fight will end in mutually assured destruction.
10-1 Tommen Baratheon
The oddsmaker says: This baby is probably going to hang around for another couple of episodes.
The A.V. Club says: He’s been every chance to grow a spine and stand up for himself, his family, and his country. He’s never done it, and so why would this week be any different?
10-1 Loras Tyrell
The oddsmaker says: The meek shall inherit the earth? Nah.
The A.V. Club says: In this week’s trailer, he’s on his knees being asked to repent or pay the price. In other words, things aren’t looking good for poor Loras.
15-1 Jaime Lannister
The oddsmaker says: He still needs to put Cersei on the back of his horse, so to speak.
The A.V. Club says: First of all, yuck. Second, it does seem like Jaime could go this week, especially if Cersei goes insane. In some of the promo pictures, he’s also hanging with Walder Frey, and that guy’s a loose cannon, so who knows?
15-1 The Field: Qyburn, Walder Frey, Meera Reed, Jorah Mormont, any of the Greyjoys, Grey Worm, Missandei, Varys, any of the Sand Snakes, Ellaria Sand, Bronn, Podrick, Grand Maester Pycelle, Walder Rivers, Lothar Frey, Olenna Tyrell, or Mace Tyrell
The oddsmaker says: It’s a good price for the field, but I don’t think it’s going to happen.
The A.V. Club says: This is a pretty extensive list. One of these names pretty much has to go, right?
15-1 Bran or Benjen Stark
The oddsmaker says: No more Starks, please.
The A.V. Club says: We second that emotion.
25-1 Margaery Tyrell
The oddsmaker says: She’s got much work and many more magazine covers to do.
The A.V. Club says: It would be disappointing if we don’t get to watch her schemes come to fruition.
25-1 Daario Naharis
The oddsmaker says: I think the last scene of this season will be him and Daenerys standing Titanic-style at the front of one of her ships sailing off to Westeros together.
The A.V. Club says: We’re not sure about that Titanic reference, but the ship thing could happen for sure.
30-1 Cersei Lannister
The oddsmaker says: She’s not going to die. I think she’s going to run some sort of crazy scheme with Jaime and find someone to kill the High Sparrow and then bootleg it out of town.
The A.V. Club says: If you believe the scuttlebutt on the internet, this week’s episode is going to revolve around Cersei tracking down all the wildfire kept below the city and then using it to set the whole thing ablaze. Jaime, in an attempt to stop it, will kill her, thus ending their epic and twisted love affair. That’s just what some of the internet thinks, though, so take that with a grain of salt and bet accordingly.
30-1 Littlefinger
The oddsmaker says: He won’t die after lending Sansa his army.
The A.V. Club says: In the trailer, he’s seen leeringly telling Sansa she’s known what he’s wanted all along. Wouldn’t it just be great if, in turn, she said, “but that’s not what I want” and then cut off his slimy head? Fingers crossed.
50-1 Ser Davos Seaworth
The oddsmaker says: He’s battle-tested. I see him hanging around.
The A.V. Club says: He’s mad as hell about what happened to Shireen Baratheon last season, and he’s not going to take it any longer.
75-1 Melisandre
The oddsmaker says: We need more red smoke.
The A.V. Club says: We’re not sure that Davos physically can kill her, but if he could, he probably would.
75-1 Jon Snow
The oddsmaker says: Channeling my girl Whitney Houston, I say “hell to the no.”
The A.V. Club says: The only reason Jon Snow gets it this week would be if his contract was up or if he wanted to leave the show. He hasn’t said much to indicate either, so we’re guessing he sticks around.
100-1 Sansa Stark
The oddsmaker says: Double “hell to the no.”
The A.V. Club says: For her to go at this point just makes no sense.
Never-1 Daenerys Stormborn or Tyrion Lannister
The oddsmaker says: We call this “off the board” in Vegas. You can bet on it if you want, but you’re going to lose.
The A.V. Club says: Hey, we had to ask.
Over/under on total deaths: 6.5
Previous prophecies for profit:
5-1 Bran, Jon Snow, and Sansa end up together at the end of the season.
3-1 Jon Snow will find a dragon inside the wall and ride it. It’ll spit ice instead of fire.
3-1 Rickon’s direwolf did not really die. It’s a trick!
3-1 Daenerys Targaryen sleeps with Khal Moro and then kills him. (Nope. —ed.)
6-5 The Hound comes back to life. (Yep. —ed.)
Our picks this week are:
Caitlin PenzeyMoog ($24,802 Westerosi bucks in the bank): $5,301 on the field, $5,000 on Kevan, $3,000 on Daario, $8,000 on Melisandre, $500 on the following: Loras, the High Sparrow, Tommen, Brienne, Davos, Littlefinger, Clegane, the under, $1 on the never. “I am far more stressed about this than I should be.”
Josh Modell ($22,925): $15,000 on the field, $7,000 on Melisandre, $924 on the High Sparrow, and $1 on the never-1
Nick Wanserski ($20,625): $10,000 on the field, $10,000 on Melisandre, and $625 on Loras
Marah Eakin ($19,000): $999 on Cersei, $2,000 on Melisandre, $16,000 on the field, and $1 on the never-1. “I’m very tempted by those odds on Cersei, but I’m too nervous to put all my eggs in that one basket.”
John Teti ($11,678): $11,678 on Melisandre
Erik Adams ($2,115): $1,000 on the field, $500 on a Brother Without A Banner, $300 on Lancel, $200 on a Clegane, $100 on the under, $15 on Melisandre
Katie Rife ($1,295): $500 on the field, $250 on Littlefinger, $250 on Ser Davos, and $295 on Melisandre. “Risking it all, baby.”
Alex McCown ($310): $280 on the field, $10 on Melisandre, $10 on Loras, $9 on Margaery, $1 on the never-1. “Infinite money is worth the dollar buy-in.”
Danette Chavez ($40): $10 on the field, $19 on Melisandre, $1 on the never-1, and $10 on the High Sparrow