Game Of Thrones Season 8: 7 Last-Minute Predictions For Episode 4

2. Winterfell Falls

And here you were thinking that the worst threat to Winterfell was the Night King and his Dead Army. In the end, all they did was put a big hole in the outer wall. There were some fires, naturally, but the whole place is still standing and by the look of the trailer for episode 4, a bit of elbow grease will have the place back to its usual standards pretty soon.

Yet, we know the place was supposed to burn down, so what gives?

Well, back in February 2018, set photos from Ireland seemed to show that the House of Stark's future was going to be very bleak indeed. It seems that the entire set was engulfed in flames on a level that meant there was no way that active filming was going on. In other words, the set leak was capturing the end of the Northern stronghold...

Imagine if the Starks and their allies get through the Battle of Winterfell only to see their home destroyed after the fighting is done... It works way too well again. And George RR Martin was quoted as saying he was a massive fan of the Scouring Of The Shire chapter of The Lord Of The Rings.

For those not in the know, that episode - the penultimate chapter of the LOTR - sees the Hobbits returning home to find that their victory over Sauron is short-lived because Saruman (in disguise as Sharkey) has decimated the Shire. There's something just very Martinian about that immediate switch from victory to further despair and it would not be a surprise if that part of Tolkein's work has influenced what he does to Winterfell.

No matter how the episode's big shock happens - and there WILL be one, trust me - expect to see Winterfell burn to the ground one way or another. So does anyone get out?