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Why 'Game Of Thrones' Fans Shouldn't Believe Cersei's Big News
We’re in the final stretch of Season 7 of Game of Thrones and, even though it seems like just yesterday we were worrying about the fate of Jon Snow, things are now more intense than ever before. And while Episode 5 of Season 7 was filled with many surprising revelations, one of the biggest standouts being Cersei’s pregnancy claim. However, there are definitely clues Cersei isn’t pregnant on Game of Thrones, so I wouldn't start worrying about a potential Joffrey Jr. just yet.
As a whole, the timing couldn’t be worse. Cersei’s army just took a massive hit at the battle with Daenerys and her own army. Then there's the fact that the White Walkers are currently marching by the thousands to make their way over The Wall. (Or maybe they’re going around it?) Either way, as Jon reminds us every episode, the dead are coming and with that in mind, there’s no way Cersei could be pregnant right now. It’s difficult enough to think about Little Sam being around in the North when it all goes down, so an infant Lannister somewhere in King’s Landing while war rages throughout the continent is pretty bad timing.
But there are definitely some other indicators that suggest Cersei may not be pregnant, including the fact that she’s Cersei freaking Lannister — a master manipulator and undoubtedly one of the most calculated villains on Game of Thrones. So it's not exactly easy (or smart) to take everything that she says at face value. But that's not the only reason I feel like she could be lying...
Maggy The Frog’s Prophecy
At the beginning of Season 5, viewers got to see a flashback to Cersei’s childhood. She visited a woodland witch by the name of Maggy the Frog, who told an adolescent but still kind of intimidating Cersei her future. According to Maggy the Frog’s prophecy, Cersei would grow up to have three children with golden hair, who would all die. Check and check.
She also prophesized that the king Cersei married would have way more children than that, and thanks to the number of bastards that were sought after and killed in Season 1, that’s another check on Maggy the Frog’s list. So if Cersei was only supposed to have three children and the prophecy has been proven true so far, then it’s difficult to see how this alleged fourth child factors in.
The Timing Is Too Suspect
I know that when it comes to getting pregnant, surprises happen, but as far as Cersei’s pregnancy goes, it’s the most inopportune time for her to be pregnant. For her enemies, that is. Really, for anyone who would want to go against her, including Jaime. It’s a lot harder to imagine your enemy as this big bad when they’re carrying a child, which would make it easy for them to potentially underestimate her.
When it comes to Jaime, she revealed her pregnancy to him right after he’d urged her to make a temporary alliance with Daenerys and after she’d learned of his secret meeting with Tyrion. What better way to reel in your lover/brother than to make him feel even closer to you?
Her Conversation With Jaime About Betrayal
When Cersei told Jaime that she’s pregnant with their child, she revealed that she knew about his secret meeting with Tyrion under the Red Keep because of course Cersei knows all. "Never betray me again," she said quietly. And it led some viewers to believe that the whole pregnancy thing was a ploy that rests solely on the shoulders of Cercei’s desire to make sure Jaime stays true to her from here on out.
Even though she never admitted it to anyone else, Jaime knew about their three children being his over the course of their lives and it was something that held them together. Obviously he’s still a devoted lap dog now, after their children have all died, but Cersei felt his betrayal. Faking a pregnancy could be the thing to ensure that Jaime stays loyal and under her control.
She Would Never Announce An Illegitimate Child
Jaime’s first concern when Cersei revealed her pregnancy was who she would say was the father. Without skipping a beat, she made it clear that she would tell everyone that it's Jaime. I find it hard to believe that Cersei would announce an illegitimate child to their subjects when she tried so hard to ensure the false Baratheon identity of her other children over the years.
If Cersei admits to having an illegitimate heir, as soon as she and Jaime die in the future, that heir’s right to the throne would be immediately questioned and there’d be a whole other war for the Iron Throne. There’s no way Cersei would ever admit to that, so if she’s not really pregnant, that’s definitely something she’d say just to please Jaime for right now. She’d have nothing to lose by that claim.
Using a surprise pregnancy as a way to shake things up is a classic move for TV dramas, but Game of Thrones is already shook. There’s way too much going on and far too many clues to suggest that Cersei made up the whole thing to keep what little control she has left. Since there are just a couple of episodes left of Season 7 though, the truth will no doubt be revealed soon.