Game Of Thrones: 5 Winners And 5 Losers In 'The Mountain And The Viper'
3. Cersei
After a slight road-bump in her attempt to have Tyrion killed by means of a blatantly rigged trial for murdering her son, Joffrey, Cersei affects some much-needed course-correction and comes out on top as the true winner of the highly anticipated trial-by-combat. We discussed in last weeks list how Cersei might have made a losing choice in her selection of champion for the trial, and as it turns out, opponent Prince Oberyn proved more than a martial match for her man, Ser Gregor Clegane. In the end though, it wasnt skill in the field that earned the Mountain his victory, but rather the hubris of Prince Oberyn, who threw it all away.
The manner of victory will not concern Cersei however, only the knock-on effect of its outcome. With the trial concluded, Tryion has been judged guilty of regicide in the eyes of the Gods, and is subsequently sentenced to death, a result that was the entire purpose of the whole charade. Cersei will at long last be able to rip out the oldest weed in her garden of enemies, before no doubt turning her malice upon the next target, most likely Lady Margaery. At the end of the day, Cersei always gets what she wants.