We have an all-female top 3 in this week’s “Game of Thrones’ rankings, as Margaery’s magnificent way with words puts her on the podium with Daenerys and Sansa. Elsewhere on our rankings, The Hound highlights our newcomers to the rankings, while Davos and Cersei move in opposite directions.
Also, check out our past rankings for Episode 5 and Episode 6
Dropping off:
Jorah Mormont (Last week: 14)
Samwell Tarly (19)
Walder Frey (20)
20.) Cersei Lannister (Last week: 17) — Cersei continues taking humiliation after humiliation. This week, she was on the business end of a Dowager Countess-esque verbal beatdown at the hands of Olenna Tyrell. The only reason she doesn’t drop out of the rankings altogether is because next week, she plans to unleash Gregor Clegane in a last-ditch, throw-the-chessboard-across-the-room power grab.
19.) Lyanna Mormont — (NR) How bad does Cersei look? A little girl is running her house better than she is. Lyanna Mormont’s declaration that her clan is a small but proud one doubles as an apt description for herself. She’s definitely no Robin Arryn.
18.) Benjen Stark (18) — Idle this week, but stays right where he is because of his new role as Bran’s mentor and because of how big an impact he has left with his return. And speaking of big returns…
17.) Sandor Clegane (NR) The Hound is back! He tried to give pacifism a chance, but that was never going to last long. The younger Clegane is back to spill some blood, but where will his quest for vengeance take him in a Westeros that has changed a lot since Arya left him for dead?
16.) Brienne of Tarth (15) — Next week, Brienne will finally arrive at Riverrun, just in time to reunite with her frenemy, Jaime. She must help defend the Tullys so they can aid Sansa, but will she have to clash swords with the Kingslayer along the way?
15.) Brynden Tully (NR) — Every attempt Jaime has made to reclaim power has been casually rebuffed. First, Kevan and the small council walked out on him. Then, his march against the Faith Militant got him kicked out of the Kingsguard by his own son. Now it’s the Blackfish’s turn to emasculate him. The Red Wedding couldn’t take House Tully out, and Brynden’s message of defiance shows how they are still major power players in the Trident.
14.) Arya Stark (10) — She’s not going to die. Really, she isn’t. The writers wouldn’t have Arya go all the way out to Braavos and have a major change of heart just to kill her before she can head back to Westeros. Still, those stab wounds and that blood loss cost her a few spots in the rankings.
13.) Tyrion Lannister (13) — Two episodes without the Imp?! Good thing Bronn was in this episode to give fans their fix of biting, hilarious sarcasm. Tyrion stays where he is, though, because when we do see him again, he’ll have a lot of big decisions to make, including possibly what to do with the approaching Greyjoys.
12.) Petyr Baelish (12) — Who was Sansa sending that letter to? We think it was Littlefinger, who may not be done helping Catelyn’s daughter just yet. For now, he stays where he is.
11.)The Waif (11) Ow. Just ow. The Waif has moved from whacking Arya with a stick to attempting to carve her guts out. A final showdown between the two is coming soon…or we may discover that The Waif is actually the “Game of Thrones” version of Tyler Durden.
10.) Euron Greyjoy (6) Still nothing from Euron. We know he’s coming, but there’s no telling just how far along he’s come in his plans to kill Balon’s kids. He takes another slide this week.
9.) Jon Snow (8) Come on, Jon. We can’t keep you in the top ten forever — not at this pace. The goodwill he built with the wildlings was enough to sway them to fight for him, but he needed Tormund to stump for him to seal the deal. Without Tormund around, his negotiation skills with the smaller houses in the North left a lot to be desired.
8.) Davos Seaworth (16) — Davos, on the other hand, was masterful in gaining the support of House Mormont, and his battle experience is proving invaluable in helping the determined but green Sansa and the shellshocked Jon in preparing for war. He moves into the top ten this week.
7.) Yara Greyjoy (9) — For all the mocking she did at Theon’s expense when she was introduced, Yara proved to be quite the sister this week. Her tough-love pep talk is the first time we’ve seen her show respect towards her beleaguered brother. What’s more, she’s planning to meet with fellow power woman Daenerys in Essos. But what will she do if she finds a dwarf, eunuch, and Red Priestess instead? Also, imagine the talks that Theon and Varys might have.
6.) Bran Stark (4) — The last two episodes have been rough for Bran, so he gets this one off. He drops a couple spots as others move up.
5.) Ramsay Bolton (5) — The Lord Bolton isn’t just sitting around planting daisies (though Iwan Rheon is). He’s gathering his forces, so much so that Jon and Sansa are debating whether they should strike now or continue to try to recruit allies. Ramsay doesn’t need to be onscreen to make his presence constantly felt.
4.) High Sparrow (2) — The HS’s thinly-veiled threat against Olenna was enough to get her out of the picture, leaving him with one less enemy in King’s Landing. But does he know what Queen Marge is really up to?
3.) Sansa Stark (3) — Major props to Sansa for not even flinching at the snide remarks about her shotgun marriages to Tyrion and Ramsay. She is a Stark, and she knows it through and through. Her letter to someone — we suspect Littlefinger — shows that she may not be too proud to rescind a dramatic banishment when she knows she needs help.
2.) Margaery Tyrell (7) — Like we suspected last week, Margaery knows exactly what she’s doing. Her drawing to her grandmother shows that she has inherited Olenna’s penchant for playing the long game. Still, with the eyes on the Faith Militant on her at all times, Marge is walking a tightrope.
1.) Daenerys Targaryen (1) — Though Marge is looking more and more impressive with every week, her hold over King’s Landing is still tenuous. There is no doubt over who is in charge in Essos, which is why Daenerys keeps our top spot despite being absent this week. It will be interesting to see what she does if Yara reaches her and offers an alliance.