The season six finale of "Game of Thrones" hada tonof big moments that fans have been waiting years to see:Arya slit Walder Frey's throat, Cersei finally got revenge on the High Sparrow and the Tyrells, and Jon Snow was revealed to be part Targaryen. "The Winds of Winter"might have beenexciting, but it also lacked any of the major twists that "Game of Thrones" is known for, like the shocking death of Jon Snow that closedseason five.I watched the episode with a large group of friends. In our discussion after the show, one friendargued that Cersei, not Daenerys, might end up being the "fire" in the Song of Ice and Fire. Her reasoning'That havingDaenerys be the "fire" would be too obvious. We've all expected Daenerys to fly to the wall and fight the White Walkers, so maybe theshow would throw a big twist in there, as it has done so many times before.I can understand my friend'slogic. After all, Cersei has wildfireand she clearly knows how to use it. Maybe Cersei actually defeats Daenerys and goes on to fight Jon and/or the White Walkers. After the deaths of Ned, Robb, House Tyrell and all the Lannister children, would such a twist really be out of the ordinary for the show'Yes it would. It would be really stupid too.Its time for "Game of Thrones" fansto admit it: The show is going to be pretty predictable from here on, and thats okay. When Ned and Robb Stark died, it may have been shocking, but it was also thematically relevant. Ned died because his old-fashioned honor had no place in the cutthroat game that Littlefinger and Cersei were playing. Robb died because he betrayed an oath for love, which is political suicide in the show's world. Their deaths may have been shocking, but they made sense.The reason no one believed Jon was really dead at the end of season five is that it didnt make thematic sense, nor did itserve to teach any other characters a lesson. At this point in the shows run, a large twist like, say, Daenarys falling off her dragon and drowningon her way to King's Landingwould certainlybe shocking, but it would also be completely pointless.Does this mean that "Game of Thrones" hasbasically become a fan service delivery system' (Hi there, Lady Olennashooshing the Sand Snakes!) In a sense, yes, but it's alsothe result of good storytelling. One of the reasons I stopped watching The Walking Dead midway through season four is that I couldnt stand how the characters kept acting irrationally simply to move theplot forward. With a few exceptions (Sansa, why didnt you tell Jon about the Knights of the Vale'') "Game of Thrones" hasn't sacrificed its characters' integrity in the service of story.There's a storytellingconceptknown asChekovs Gun, which essentially states that if a gun is introduced in the beginning of astory, it needs to be fired by the end of it. What we're beginning to seeis the show firing all theguns it has introduced over the past six seasons. Think of them asChekovs dragons: Daenarys is finally sailing toKings Landing. Jon and his bannermen will face the White Walkers. Cersei has the power she's always coveted. Littlefinger is ... well, he's still scheming and being creepy. "Game of Thrones" may have built a reputation forsubverting expectations, but it's always done soin service of the greaterstory arc. Cersei won't be the "fire" in the Song of Ice and Fire because it doesn't work thematically. Cerseirepresents the "game"the Machiavellian power struggle amongst the great houses for the Iron Throne.As the real battle between the living and the dead begins to unfold, Cersei will find herself as outdated and irrelevant as poor old Eddard Stark. And we all know how that turned out.The fact is, "Game of Thrones" simply may not have anything left to subvert. I have no doubt more major characters will die in the final two seasons, but their deaths probably wont be very surprising. So instead of trying to guessthe next big Red Wedding-like twist, lets all just sit back and enjoythe ice and fire.Weve earned it.Join the conversation about this storyNOW WATCH: These secret codes let you access hidden iPhone features
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