5?
5 - Lucius: Alive or dead? Any thoughts on why/how?
ooooh boy. That's really what everything hinges on, isn't it? Because Lucius is the character every fantasy/vaguely historical show would kill. And it's not just because he's loudly, openly, and unapologetically queer. It's because literally every other aspect of his character; nothing about him is traditionally masculine. He's not a fighter; violence makes him faint. He's snarky, but more bitchy thank badass. He's often nervous and easily intimidated. He doesn't go for conventional beauty in his love interest. None of that is framed as a negative! But these traits often are, they are what marks a male character as shifty, untrustworthy and ultimately destined to die.
Lucius though. Lucius is the emotional core of the show. he's there to help us, the audience, understand this world, and help the man characters understand themselves. The qualities listed above are just part of his character, and we love him for it. Everyone on this show is just a guy, and Lucius is too; people are like this, and that's fine. There's nothing wrong with him. He's never shamed or ridiculed, he's so cool!
And yet.
They still kill him.
Or do they?
What it comes down to is this: If they did indeed kill him, if he stays dead and Nathan Foad is only involved as a ghost or in flashbacks or whatever, it will be a betrayal of everything the show stands for. There's no wrong way to be a person and everyone deserves a happy ending; except some crimes (like existing while queer) are still punishable by death and except some people don't. If Lucius is dead, it will instantly kill all sincerity, all honesty. I'm not saying the show wouldn't be able to function without him. It would. But everything it said about acceptance, about authenticity, about breaking free from oppression, would ring hollow.
So the answer is this: If we can trust the writers to do the right thing, he is not dead.
Which begs the question: can we trust them?