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2 • April 14 - 20, 2019 • Brainerd Dispatch By Shona Dustan TV Media T he biggest show on television will soon come to an end, and fans ev- erywhere are hunkering down for six weeks of "Game of Thrones" mania. It's been more than a year and a half since a new episode of this fantasy series aired, which means there's been ample time for fans to come up with all sorts of theories about how the show will end. Thankfully, the wait is over, and we can trade our tin- foil hat theories for the real deal when the eighth and final season of "Game of Thrones" kicks off Sunday, April 14, on HBO. There has been rampant specula- tion about what this season will en- tail, but there are few things we know for sure. We do know that Sea- son 8 is comprised of six installments, and that each one is filled to the brim with Westerosi action — it may be a short season, but some of the new episodes are almost an hour and a half long. We also know that the final sea- son features the greatest, most con- sequential battles and plot twists of the entire series. Now that Jon Snow (Kit Harington, "Gunpowder") and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke, "Solo: A Star Wars Story," 2018) are united (in more ways than one), they will move against the terrifying army of the dead, and most fans speculate that there will be a great battle at Winterfell near the beginning of the season. This battle was first hinted at back in Season 3, when Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane, "John Adams") looked into the flames and saw "a great battle in the snow," and again in Season 6, when Melissandre (Cari- ce van Houten, "Valkyrie," 2008), confused by Jon's apparent demise, said she "saw him in the flames fight- ing at Winterfell." The theory seems to have been confirmed in HBO's Season 8 trailer, which shows Arya Stark (Maisie Williams, "Doctor Who") running for her life through the crypts of Winterfell. Some of these names may be un- familiar to you if you've never seen "Game of Thrones," but even non- watchers are likely still familiar with the show's premise: in Westeros, a fictional world that resembles our Middle Ages, various families and factions ruthlessly fight one an- other for power. Meanwhile, a sinister threat looms in the north as an army of the undead threatens to wipe out all of humanity. Based on the A Song of Ice and Fire novels by George R. R. Martin, the show is a marvel of cinematic achievement, and the character and world devel- opment are second to none. At this point in the series, all but the major plot lines have been left by the wayside. We have Jon and Daen- erys' combined forces dedicated to fighting the Night King and his army while Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey, "300," 2006) plots with other nefari- ous characters to defeat the power couple, seemingly content to ig- nore the threat from the north. While the storylines may have slimmed down, there are a number of long- awaited events that should finally happen this season. Fans are looking forward to see- ing many of their favor- ite characters reunite, es- pecially Jon and Arya, who have not shared the screen since the first episode of Season 1. It says a lot about the quality of the series that their rela- tionship remains one of the show's most endearing. Jon is also expected to finally learn of his true parent- age, a secret that was revealed to viewers back in Season 6, and Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster- Waldau, "Gods of Egypt," 2016) has at long last deserted his psychotic twin sister and is on track to arrive at Winterfell very soon. The reunions will be satisfying, but the most anticipated elements of this final season are the battle scenes. The Night King, who leads the army of the dead, now has his very own drag- on, which most fans assume means we'll get to see a dragon vs. dragon fight. Since we have yet to learn ex- actly what the White Walkers want, the inevitable clash between the liv- ing and the dead remains shrouded in mystery — maybe they just want to kill all living things and take over the world, but maybe there's more to it. We know that the battle will be epic, though, and we'll all be holding our breath hoping our favorite char- acters make it through. This is "Game of Thrones," after all. It's entirely pos- sible that everyone will die. That's an outcome that would suit Cersei just fine, as the mad queen has already adopted an attitude of "if I can't rule the realm, no one can." Judging from the official preview, the mercenaries of the Golden Company are on their way across the Narrow Sea to join Cersei and fight for her cause — for a hefty fee, of course. Will they continue to fight for her when they see what she's up against? Will she make the first move on her foes to the north? Will the White Walkers make it as far as King's Landing? And for the love of Pete, is Cersei really pregnant? These questions and more will be answered this season as we work our way towards the ultimate answer: when all is said and done, who will sit on the Iron Throne? Don't miss the premiere of the eighth and final sea- son of "Game of Thrones" when it airs Sunday, April 14, on HBO. Fire and ice The final season of 'Game of Thrones' is finally here Cover Story this week Maisie Williams as seen in "Game of Thrones" The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon Today, the L.A. Angels signed outfielder Mike Trout to the biggest contract in baseball history, worth $430 million. Wow, 430 million! In a related story, a hotdog at an Angels game now costs $3.2 million. Tonight Americans got to see a "Super Worm Equinox Moon." When they heard that, hurricanes were like, "How come we get stuck with names like Steve and Phil?" The Late Late Show With James Corden The Sheriff's Office in Broward County, Florida, recently announced their newest deputy, former basketball star Shaquille O'Neal. I don't know exactly what Shaq is going to be doing; I think we can rule out working undercover. A brewery in England recently had a pipe burst, causing beer to spray out of the roof and onto the street. This story literally combines the two things Britain is most known for: rain and beer. Jimmy Kimmel Live March Madness is upon us. It is that magical time of the year when people who know nothing about college basketball pretend they know everything about college basketball. The matchups for the NCAA tournament are set. Duke is the No. 1 overall seed. This is the first time Duke has been a No. 1 seed since … every year ever. Late Night With Seth Meyers The Trump administration today proposed limits on student loan borrowing in an effort to cut down the cost of college. "Oh thank God!" said Lori Loughlin. After White House counselor Kellyanne Conway's husband questioned President Trump's mental state in a series of tweets over the weekend, Trump today called George Conway a, quote, "husband from hell!" Meanwhile, on "Real Housewives," they passed a comprehensive immigration bill. Late Laughs Home Care & Hospice Quality Care in the Comfort of Home www.knutenelson.org | (218) 454-1542

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