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'Game of Thrones' theories and buzz following 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms'

The internet is dark and full of terrors. We'll walk you through all the speculation.
Conleth Hill, Emilia Clarke, Iain Glen in Season 8, episode 2 of "Game of Thrones."
Conleth Hill, Emilia Clarke, Iain Glen in Season 8, episode 2 of "Game of Thrones."Helen Sloan / HBO

The people behind "Game of Thrones" have only four more chances to set the internet ablaze with wild fan theories, feverish predictions, rampant speculation and a Citadel's worth of memes before the series wraps May 19. As the faithful await next Sunday's installment, here's a spoiler-heavy look at what could soon go down in Westeros. (The Three-Eyed Raven already knows the answers, of course, but he stopped returning our calls.)

Get Ready to Rumble

That creeping feeling of dread during the final minutes of this week's episode? Well, brace yourself for more where that came from, apparently. The teaser for next week's edition promises plenty of carnage and mayhem for the brave souls hunkered down at Winterfell. And it's about time — there were zero deaths in the latest episode, and no one of importance has been killed in the final season yet.

The most hair-raising moment in the trailer: Brienne of Tarth, newly-minted knight, hollers at her assembled warriors: "Stand your ground!" It's a more galvanizing line than Jon Snow grimly informing Dany that the Night King is on his way.

Whither Dany and Jon?

Daenerys and Jon Snow (erm, Aegon Targaryen) shared a romantic moment by that Windows screensaver-style waterfall in the season premiere. But their love affair could be doomed, and not just because all the main characters might get ripped to shreds by ice zombies in the Battle of Winterfell.

Dany seemed less than thrilled this week to learn that Jon is the trueborn son of her dead brother, Rhaegar, and Lyanna Stark — lineage that makes Jon her nephew, although she honestly doesn't seem too concerned about that fact. Dany appears more rattled by the knowledge that Jon is the rightful heir to House Targaryen with a competing and compelling claim to the Iron Throne.

It may be the right time to paraphrase Yrigette, Jon's old wildling girlfriend: They should've stayed at that waterfall.

Name That Tune

So what's Dany's next move? Well, this week's episode contained what could be a clue in the form of "Jenny's Song," the somber, mournful, I-just-have-something-in-my-eye ditty sung by good old Podrick Payne amid a montage of grim-faced warriors trudging off to battle. The song was later performed by Florence + The Machine during the closing credits.

The song, pulled directly from George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" novels, refers to a woman named Jenny of Oldstones and her prince, Duncan Targaryen — Dany's uncle. Duncan gave up his claim to the Iron Throne in order to marry his beloved Jenny. (You can read more about the typically convoluted backstory here.)

The very-on-the-nose cameo appearance by "Jenny's Song" harkens back to a prescient question Samwell Tarly asked Jon in the season premiere: "You gave up your crown to save the people. Would she do the same?" And for that matter, would Jon do the same for Dany?

We'll find out soon enough — and that brings us to our next item of business ...

Dany Breaks Bad?

Twitter was buzzing Sunday night with speculation that "Game of Thrones" scribes David Benioff and D.B. Weiss could be positioning Dany as the stealth villain of the final episodes. The proponents of what might be called the "Dany Was a Villain the Whole Damn Time, If Only You'd Paid Attention" theory were thrilled, no doubt.

We know that Dany is strong and a natural-born leader, but she has also shown herself to be ruthless in her quest for power. (Samwell Tarly, whose father and brother were killed by the would-be queen, can tell you all about that M.O.) It's not inconceivable that Dany would dispense with any obstacle in her path to the Iron Throne — even her bearded BF and his sister Sansa, with whom she shared a conciliatory-turned-tense conversation.

Big Man Bran

Bran Stark, who seems to always just ... be there, staring and thinking Deep Thoughts, revealed this week that the Night King is coming straight for him because the dreaded zombie "wants to erase the world, and I am its memory." In other words, Bran knows everything, and he's the Night King's top priority. Humility!

But anyway, Bran tells everyone at Winterfell that he'll offer himself up as bait for the Night King. He also mutters some vague words of wisdom, including this depressing quip about what might follow the violent confrontation with the White Walkers: "How do you know there is an afterwards?”

Does the young seer (who some folks on the internet believe is actually the Night King) know something we don't? Definitely. He knows everything, remember? But specifically, does Bran know that the White Walkers will win the war? It's possible.

Oh, One More Thing

It's been an interesting few days for "Game of Thrones" crossovers with American politics. President Donald Trump tweeted a "GoT"-inspired meme after the public release of special counsel Robert Mueller's report. Presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., wrote a piece for The Cut titled "The World Needs Fewer Cersei Lannisters."

But then there was Chasten Buttigieg, husband of 2020 contender Pete Buttigieg, who laid down the law on Twitter late Sunday. "I’ve waited 18 months, #GamesOfThrones," he tweeted. "If there isn’t an epic dragon scene next episode I’m writing a strongly worded letter to Cersei."