Hodor is no more. The big guy’s shocking death occurred at the end of last week’s episode, much to the dismay of every single Game Of Thrones watcher. What’s even sadder, though, was that Hodor wasn’t included in our weekly dead pool, meaning that we couldn’t even make fake money off his demise. Thank heaven, though, for the field, which is where our old self-sacrificing pal Leaf sat, earning quite a few of us some decent money.
But what about this week? Is this Sunday the night that the High Sparrow finally gets his just desserts? As he does for us every Friday, nationally syndicated oddsmaker and Hodor lover Benjamin Eckstein of America’s Line has placed some odds on this week’s Thrones deaths. We’ll bet our Westerosi bucks accordingly, and we’ll see who comes out on top at the end of the season.
2-1 The High Sparrow
The oddsmaker says: It’s on! He’s going down, and I cannot wait to watch his head fly.
The A.V. Club says: He’s definitely going sometime soon. The only real debates are whether it’ll be this week and who’s going to do it.
2-1 Septa Unella
The oddsmaker says: Oh, hell yeah.
The A.V. Club says: She’s in the trailer for this week’s episode, so at the very least she’s going to be on screen. If Cersei and Margaery have anything to do with it, she won’t make it out of this episode alive.
3-1 Loras Tyrell
The oddsmaker says: I still have this emaciated lord near the top of my list.
The A.V. Club says: There are two ways his storyline could go this week: He could either get dragged out, barely alive, while the High Sparrow burns, or he could die, thus spurring on the Tyrell/Lannister vengeance even more.
4-1 Kevan Lannister
The oddsmaker says: It’s just a matter of time before they pick more weeds out of King’s Landing.
The A.V. Club says: He’s going. It’s just a matter of whether he’s going to die or, because he’s a Lannister, if they’ll just banish him to some far-off land instead.
5-1 Meera Reed
The oddsmaker says: She just escaped death, but the White Walkers are closing in quick.
The A.V. Club says: Now that Hodor’s gone, someone’s got to drag Bran around. It might as well be her.
8-1 Tommen Baratheon
The oddsmaker says: It looks like the boy king might stick around until the next battle, unless of course his mother gives him some poison breast milk.
The A.V. Club says: Gross. Plus, someone’s got to be Cersei’s puppet.
10-1 Daario Naharis
The oddsmaker says: He didn’t get lucky last week, so maybe this is his week to roll around in the tent with the dragon queen.
The A.V. Club says: While the khaleesi doesn’t need help, per se, getting back to Meereen, it would be nice if she had someone to talk to now that Jorah’s off looking for the greyscale cure.
10-1 Any of the Greyjoys
The oddsmaker says: Take your pick.
The A.V. Club says: Theon and Yara are on the run now, with big targets on their backs, but it doesn’t look like they’ll show up in this week’s episode. Then again, you never know.
15-1 The field: Samwell Tarly, Randyll Tarly, Gilly, any of the people in the pyramid at Meereen (Tyrion, Varys, Grey Worm, or Missandei), any of Daenerys’ new khaleesi friends, or any of the wolves
The A.V. Club says: The field paid off last week. And at these odds, even a $10 bet would yield some pretty solid results.
20-1 The Mountain
The oddsmaker says: He’s not ready for the big cage match just yet.
The A.V. Club says: Assuming The Hound comes back to kill The Mountain, then yeah, it’s not the monster’s time. On the other hand, if he happens to get it at the hand of, say, the High Sparrow, then we could be in dead business this week.
25-1 Margaery Tyrell
The oddsmaker says: She still has some work to do, like killing the High Sparrow.
The A.V. Club says: Her livelihood depends on how she comes out of this High Sparrow thing. Will she be the one to end him? If so, Cersei might keep her around as a kind of sister in arms. She is the queen, as well. But is she too strong, and thus a threat to Cersei’s vengeful puppet-master rule?
25-1 Olenna Tyrell
The oddsmaker says: Does anyone really want to kill Diana Rigg? Have you seen The Avengers?
The A.V. Club says: Eckstein’s right in that no one really wants Diana Rigg to die. But did anyone want Hodor to go? Sometimes, even the most revered characters are going to get it.
25-1 Littlefinger
The oddsmaker says: We will officially be renaming him “Sneakyfinger” in Las Vegas.
The A.V. Club says: Unless he redeems himself, and soon, he’s operating on borrowed time.
50-1 The Night’s King
The oddsmaker says: This won’t happen yet, because the battle is a few episodes away.
The A.V. Club says: Can the dead die again? And what would even kill this guy?
50-1 Jaime Lannister
The oddsmaker says: His new commercial for Verizon is fabulous.
The A.V. Club says: Great commercials aside, things are looking pretty rosy for Jaime Lannister. He’ll probably make it out of this week alive. At least, we hope.
100-1 Bran
The oddsmaker says: I still need some Bran with my coffee every morning.
The A.V. Club says: He is a bit of a sitting duck out there in the woods with no one but Meera to take care of him. Hopefully he can pull it together.
100-1 Any of the dragons
The oddsmaker says: How are you going to knock off a dragon? I don’t see it.
The A.V. Club says: Solid point. We can’t argue with it.
Over/under on total deaths: 5.5
Prophecies for profit: (Note: These can happen at any point over the course of the season.)
5-1 Bran, Jon Snow, and Sansa end up together at the end of the season.
The oddsmaker says: It’s got to happen eventually.
The A.V. Club says: Agreed. It’s going to happen, assuming they all stay alive. Bran’s on the move now, as are Sansa and Jon. Hopefully they won’t just pass each other like cold, sad ships in the night all over again.
Previous prophecies:
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.
Our picks this week are:
John Teti ($1,680 in his bank): $80 on any Greyjoy, $100 on the field, and $74 on Olenna Tyrell.
Marah Eakin ($648): $100 on the High Sparrow, $100 on Septa Unella, $5 on the field, $50 on the over, and $10 on the prophecy. “I’ve got to keep betting high to keep making the big bucks.”
Erik Adams ($595): $20 on the field, $100 on the over, $50 on the High Sparrow, $50 on Septa Unella. “There are an awful lot of spears pointed in the direction of The Great Sept in this week’s preview.”
Katie Rife ($585): $30 on the High Sparrow, $30 on Septa Unella, $20 on the over.
Nick Wanserski ($515): “I haven’t seen last week’s episode yet, so I’m going to sit this week out.”
Caity PenzeyMoog ($480): $50 on the High Sparrow, $30 on Loras, $50 on the field, $30 on the over, $30 on Meera Reed. “I just don’t think Septa Unella’s going down. She’ll lose her composure over the High Sparrow’s crumpled body, hopefully.”
Alex McCown ($245): $10 on the High Sparrow, $10 on Septa Unella, $10 on the over, $10 on the field.
Josh Modell ($165): $40 on the under. “That’s it.”
Danette Chavez ($100): $20 on the High Sparrow, $10 on the over.
Also, David Anthony is back in the game after we mistakenly eliminated him following a grave and incredibly stupid bookkeeping error. (There’s a reason we’re writers, not mathematicians.) Like Jon Snow, David has risen. Please welcome his return.
David Anthony ($80): $20 on the High Sparrow, $20 on the over. “Back from the dead, baby!”