Game Of Thrones: 5 Winners And 5 Losers In 'Mockingbird'
4. Cersei
For the very same reason that Tyrion is a winner this week, Cersei is a loser. In her efforts to prevent Tyrion getting away with ruining the trial for her, Cersei has employed a champion of the deadliest caliber to represent hers and the crowns interests against her hated brother. Ordinarily, getting the Mountain to do your killing for you is an incredibly sound investment, except in this one, singular case, when the opponent he will face is the one man in all of Westeros with not just the skills, but the motivation to risk everything to beat him. Despite his obvious advantages over any opponent, Cersei cannot be assured of the Mountains victory against Prince Oberyn the Red Viper of Dorne is not only famous for his carnal appetites. Cersei was already cautious about allowing Bronn to represent Tyrion, so she will be harbouring serious doubts when she sees Prince Oberyn step up to the plate. Of course, we arent suggesting that Prince Oberyns victory is guaranteed and the Mountain still weighs in as the overwhelming favourite, but if there was one man who could realistically do it
In that respect, perhaps Cerseis best choice for a champion would have been Bronn himself. Shed already bought him enough to keep him out of the fight, but could she have gone a step further and bought his services for her own use? It would be a steep price to convince Bronn to actively play a hand in Tyrions death, but Cersei certainly doesnt lack for motivation or resources. Despite their friendship, we feel that eventually Bronn would have his price, and if Tyrion couldnt double Cerseis offer to keep him out, he certainly wouldnt be able to double whatever it is that keeps him in. With Bronn fighting on Cerseis behalf, Prince Oberyn would have no reason to volunteer to fight for Tyrion, and we already know that Bronn can beat Jaime easily. Its also unlikely that Tyrion would be able to recruit the Mountain for himself, as Cersei would no doubt find a way to intervene, so Bronn would stand an almost certain chance of victory. If only Cersei possessed the cunning of the man she wants dead, she might be well on the way to realising that outcome, but instead, she saw the biggest, meanest, kid in the playground and went with him, without considering every angle.