Our watch has almost ended as the Game of Thrones finale looms ahead. It's fair to say our team of fans, Andy Vandervell, Sophie Charara and Will Bedingfield, have mixed feelings about season eight. We might have called last week's episode the worst ever, but we still love Game of Thrones and want it to end well. Here's our look at some of the theories and questions we want answered in the final episode.

Is Jamie still alive and if so why?

The biggest rumour ahead of the finale concerns the fate of Jamie Lannister. Unlike other characters who have died this season, there's been no official goodbye or farewell interview released for actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. This has lead fans to speculate he may have survived the rubble to make one final decisive intervention. I'd normally dismiss this on the grounds of plausibility, but this season of Game of Thrones proves that's not a viable defence anymore. Still, I neither hope nor expect this to occur. Having given Jamie and Tyrion the perfect goodbye, keeping him around for one more swan song would be a silly choice... so he's probably still alive after all. AV

Will Arya kill Dany?

Last week, I predicted that Arya would kill Daenerys. This wasn’t just because she’s a master assassin, the only person who could get near Dany other than Jon (more on him in a sec), but also because Melisandre told us she would. Not directly, of course. But Melisandre prophesied Arya will shut brown, blue and green eyes. She’s done the first two. And after last week’s much-anticipated reveal of Cersei’s killer turned out to be some falling bricks, Daenerys has got to be the green-eyed queen to go. Arya also escaped on a white horse at the end of last week’s episode, another symbol that keen-eyed Twitter fans are associating with this bible verse: “And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death”. Arya is death incarnate, and she’s coming for Dany. WB

Who will Jon side with?

Character-wise, it makes the most sense that Jon would side with his sisters over the monarch who has just committed major war crimes. Yet Jon has acted moronically throughout this season. How could he have not foreseen that Sansa would spill the beans about his heritage? He’s stubbornly supported Daenerys’ claim to the throne, which has pissed off his family, while betraying Daenerys over the one thing that undermines that claim. It’s also worth remembering, though poor writing often masks it, that Jon loves Daenerys. I predict that before the episode ends and Game of Thrones finally draws to a close, we will see one last act of stupidity from Jon Snow. WB

Could Jon be the one to end the reign of terror?

An alternative theory for Jon is he'll be the one to ensure Daenerys doesn't take power. It's fair to say he's been about as useful as a chocolate teapot this season, so he's due a little redemption for the mess he has made. And, while everyone loves to rag on the lad these days, let's not forget falling in love with Daenerys did lead to the demise of the Night King in the end.

Unless the Night King is still alive, as some believe, Jon hasn't been a total failure and he will try and do the right thing most of the time. Ned Stark taught him “the man who passes the sentence should swing the sword” and Jon has lived by that credo ever since. Of course, the saying could apply to any of the Starks, but Jon is the most likely to take it to heart, especially if the victim of said sentence is a blood relative. AV

Will there even be a Kingdom of Westeros in the end?

After last week's mass murder, Game of Thrones seems more like a battle for who will be king of the ashes. Sound familiar? It is, of course, how Varys (may he rest in peace) described Littlefinger (may he rot in peace) and his boundless ambition. As we've often been reminded in recent weeks, Game of Thrones loves some foreshadowing and this outcome has been hinted at on numerous occasions, not only in that description but most obviously in the vision Daenerys saw when trapped in the House of the Undying. At the time, most people saw a snow-covered Iron Throne, but last week's events prove it was actually ash.

With so many historic houses destroyed, does Westeros even need a ruler anymore? Given the huge number loss of population – it's suggested there were a million people inside King's Landing when it burned – and the general chaos among the houses, a more fractured and disunited land seems more plausible. Assuming Daenerys doesn't hold onto power, our money has been on Sansa to step into the monarch's role, but is that what she wants? There must always be a Stark in Winterfell, after all. AV

Does Bronn have one more job to do?

Bronn must be alive for a reason and my bet is Tyrion will have one more job for him in the finale. Tyrion surely knew Highgarden wasn't in his power to gift before he promised it to Bronn and, after the events of 'The Bells', it's implausible Tyrion would dare suggest it to Daenerys. More likely, Tyrion will be plotting to end her rule and what better man to assist than his favourite sellsword? Bronn won't do it willingly, but what other choice does he have? If Bronn really wants Highgarden, he'll need to get his hands dirty again. AV

Will Gendry contribute anything?

He's a long shot, admittedly, but Gendry, everyone's favourite blacksmith, bastard son of Robert Baratheon, and new Lord of Storm's End, was conspicuously absent from 'The Bells' despite the fact he fought side by side with the Starks at the Battle of Winterfell. I find it more plausible that he might end up on the Iron Throne than, say, Bran. If the finale is a showdown of Stark women versus Daenerys, Gendry will obviously side with the girl he likes to smooch, Arya, even though it was Daenerys who made him a lord. What will he contribute to the denouement? Possibly nothing, but like Jon, he's a good guy through and through and there would be much worse rulers of Westeros. SC

Will all the magic disappear from Westeros?

In discussions of the books and now the show, the question of whether magic will leave Westeros is always a fascinating one. Melisandre walked off to die after the Battle of Winterfell, the White Walkers are gone and two of Daenerys' three dragons have been killed – one by the Night King, one by Euron Greyjoy's men. Who's left? There's Bran, the Three Eyed Raven who could either survive as a one-boy history of all we've seen these characters go through or else meet his end in the finale.

More thrilling, no doubt, will be if we get to see someone kill Drogon. Logically that someone has to be Jon, I mean Aegon Targaryen. He's not only a Targaryen by blood but he's now very much a friend to and rider of dragons and probably the only character who'd be able to get close enough to do the deed. SC

This article was originally published by WIRED UK