This article contains spoilers for the HBO series Game of Thrones.
While spring in Ithaca has just begun, for Game of Thrones fans, “Winter is here.”
Will the epic TV series conclude its eighth and final season with peace restored to the seven kingdoms? Or in an icy or burnt wasteland? On Sunday, fans will finally get a taste of author George R.R. Martin and show co-creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss’s vision.
If you are looking to share in the collective experience, here are some community screenings happening on campus this Sunday.
Uris Hall G01
Doors will open at 8:30 p.m. for this screening event jointly hosted by ALANA Intercultural Board and Alpha Phi Omega, and will continue weekly until the final episode is released on May 19 — with the last two weeks hosted in Willard Straight Hall Memorial Room.
Snacks will be served and may include “staples like popcorn, chips and salsa, soft drinks, insomnia cookies,” Kathleen Li ’19, vice president of ALANA, told The Sun. Dressing up in Westerosi costume is also encouraged.
Li said she hopes that the screening will be a “fantastic way to build community as everyone, regardless of their background, gets crazy fanatic about GoT.”
Club leaders said they anticipate around 70 people in attendance on Sunday, though Facebook event RSVPs totaled over 100.
“We’ve received way more positive feedback than we anticipated. I have had acquaintances DM me (knowing that I’m a part of ALANA) saying how cool this is,” Li said. “Even an alumnus who is visiting Cornell said he would come in and watch with everyone.”
Risley Hall – First Floor TV Room
Senior Resident Advisor Matthew Lin will open Risley’s doors at 9:55 p.m. for the 10 p.m. informal viewing party, which will take place in the hall’s first floor TV room.
Dickson 2-5 Lounge
Resident Advisors Gaby Kubi ’20, Natalia Hernandez ’21 and Zain Mehdi ’20 will host a Game of Thrones party beginning at 9 p.m. in the 2-5 lounge. Dickson Residence Hall Director Jamie Hom shared a meme flyer to promote the event that read: “Are you Tyrion out your hair because you can’t wait for season eight of Game of Thrones? Come watch the season premiere in the 2-5 Lounge.”
Residence Hall directors of the remaining campus residence halls did not respond to inquiries by press time.
Fan Speculations
Game of Thrones fans across campus expressed excitement for the conclusion of the long-lived TV phenomenon, sharing theories on what they thought might go down on the small screen.
“I’m looking forward to watching the premiere at the community screening. Honestly I really just miss Jon’s direwolf Ghost and will be disappointed if he doesn’t star in his own episode,” Reed Rosenberg ’20 said.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how each character reacts when they (if they ever do) find out that Jon Snow is actually half Targaryen half Stark and therefore the heir to the Iron Throne. Especially Jon’s reaction himself,” Nathaniel Garry ’21 said.
Melissa Himelfarb ’21 had some ideas about how the season might conclude: “I think it’s going to end with everybody dying except for Jon Snow and maybe his and Daenerys’s baby.”
Viewers will see if any of those scenarios pan out, but what Ramsay Bolton said in season 3, episode 6 may turn out to be true: “If you think this has a happy ending, you haven’t been paying attention.”