New Game of Thrones Finale Details Indicate the Dorne Plot May Not Be a Colossal Waste of Time 

Will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy

There will be some spoilery speculation in the post but we won’t get to it until the end. Keep an eye out for the spoiler warning, you can’t miss it!

this season has been the Dorne plot. Despite the beautiful location—it was largely shot in the Alcázar of Seville— the fine costuming, and high-profile casting, scenes in Dorne have fallen flat for many show watchers and downright irritated book readers expecting more from the daughters of the beloved Oberyn Martell. All that frustration came to a head last Sunday when Jaime, Prince Doran, Ellaria Sand, Bronn, et. al. seemed to wrap up their conflict with a tidy bow. Is this it? Is this all the Dornish plot will amount to? Well according to a new interview with Sand Snake actress Jessica Henwick, there is still something big coming from Dorne in the season finale. Will it be enough to redeem this side mission?

Henwick plays the whip-cracking Nymeria Sand—she’s the one with the longest hair, if you’re still having trouble telling the apart—and, in a recent interview with Yahoo! News Singapore, she teased her role in the finale saying:

What happens with the Sand Snakes is . . . extreme. Very extreme. So I’m really curious to see how people take it. I don’t know what else I can say! Episode 10 sets the rest of the show on a very certain path. It’s a big move in

We’ll get to some book-enhanced speculation of what that could mean, but before we do here’s a quick refresher. When last we saw the Sand Snakes they were looking none too pleased that their ringleader Ellaria Sand bent the knee to Prince Doran.

Doran says he believes in second chances but not third ones, meaning the women are safe for now if they don’t do anything else out of line. But check out the look on Obara’s face. That certainly says “I’m not done here” to me. So it’s possible—though not likely given all we’ve seen from Dorne so far—that something

yet happen to make this plot feel vital and necessary. As to what that something may be, we’ll explore it after the spoiler warning. Since this is a Dorne post, we’ll bring back an old friend.

The most intriguing thing about Henwick’s comments has less to do with the alleged extremity of the finale (I imagine we’ll have more than enough of that to go around) and more to do with the “big move” and “very certain path.” In the books, Prince Doran reveals that while he might not want to start an immediate war with the Lannisters, he has been working behind the scenes for 15 years to get revenge for his sister Elia’s murder. His plan? To ally House Martell with none other than Daenerys Targaryen. It’s a great speech in the books and would finally justify casting a fantastic actor like Alexander Siddig in this largely thankless role.

To make this happen, the Doran of the books has sent his older son Quentyn Martell to Essos to meet with the Dragon Queen. We know from Doran’s comments that according to show canon, Trystane is his oldest son and heir. There is no Quentyn. So if this Targaryen/Martell alliance goes forward, who might Doran send in his place? One of the Sand Snakes? Surely not, they would be the

diplomats. Ellaria? Maybe. But she’s also a loose cannon. Maybe this is where Arianne Martell, Doran’s fabulous, dynamic daughter whom book readers have been missing all season, comes into play. They haven’t mentioned her yet. Could they be keeping her as a surprise reveal? There are some rumors that there was a mystery woman on the set of

in Dorne that reporters weren’t allowed to talk about. Could they have possibly kept Arianne Martell as a surprise for the finale? According to Dornish law she, not Trystane, would be the heir to Dorne but I’m still holding out hope she’ll appear anyway. That would be extreme and unexpected for

Then again, I’m not sure the reveal of the Targaryen/Martell alliance would count as “extreme” enough for Henwick to remark on. Her comment sounds more like we can expect some violence from Dorne in the finale. In the books, Myrcella gets her face disfigured and her ear lopped off as part of a botched kidnapping. Could the pretty Baratheon princess be headed for some torment at the hands of the Sand Snakes in the finale? That’s certainly what the show needs: more injured young women. Another possible victim is Ser Bronn of the Blackwater, who seems quite disposable given he’s not part of the books at this point. I’m actually surprised he’s lived this long in Dorne. There’s also the slim, slim possibility that it’s Jaime who will die. If Lady Stoneheart takes him out in

, they might swap that out for a Dornish death—nobly defending his daughter/niece—on the show.

There’s also the likelihood that one of the Snakes will die. Perhaps as punishment for brutalizing Myrcella. Areo Hotah hasn’t had a chance to swing his axe this season. Now which of the Snakes might be slow enough to fall victim to his blade? Hmmmm.

If Tyene dies because she’s “too slow” then that inane clapping game will actually have a purpose. Tyene is also Ellaria’s only natural daughter. Losing her in the finale would tie into both Prince Doran’s threat and the theme of “Mother’s Mercy.”

Finally there’s the question of Trystane Martell, supposedly on his way to King’s Landing to take his uncle Oberyn’s seat on King Tommen’s small council. In the books, this is Nymeria’s role, not Trystane’s. And as disappointing as the Sand Snakes have been, I think I’d much rather see her (or better yet, Indira Varma’s Ellaria) mixing it up in King’s Landing rather than Trystane whose most intriguing feature so far is his luscious hair. So no matter what the ”extreme“ events of the finale may bring, I hope they shake the line-up a bit. Jaime, Bronn, Myrcella, and Trystane safely trotting back to the Capitol makes for the kind of mundane, happy ending that renders Dorne completely inert this season. But a mysterious Martell daughter reveal, a Targaryen alliance, a Sand Snake in King’s Landing? These are the silver linings that might make this endless trip to Dorne actually pay off.

For more high-profile interviews, stunning photography, and thought-provoking features, 

Game of Thrones: Here’s Who Will Probably Ride the Other Dragons

New Game of Thrones Finale Photos Reveal a Humiliating Ending for Cersei Lannister

New Game of Thrones Finale Details Indicate the Dorne Plot May Not Be a Colossal Waste of Time

Caitlyn Jenner Talks Her Mother’s Reaction and Transgender Fans (NEW PHOTOS)