After eight seasons, Game of Thrones has finally come to an end. We may never see its like again. The series finale “The Iron Throne” showed us the corrupting influence of power and the hard choices that are sometimes necessary to protect the realm and the ones you love. Daenerys won, but lost everything. The Iron Throne is no more, and out of the ashes a new order arises. Let’s take one last deep dive together with our final round of episode interviews.
Entertainment Weekly brings us several interviews, starting with Emilia Clarke. She understandably has much to say about Daenerys’ fate, admitting she “completely flipped out” upon reading the final script because “it comes out of f—king nowhere. I’m flabbergasted. Absolutely never saw that coming.”
Despite her shock at her character’s turn, Clarke does have sympathy for Daenerys and believes there was a reason for it. “She genuinely starts with the best intentions and truly hopes there isn’t going to be something scuttling her greatest plans…There’s so much she’s taken on in her duty in life to rectify, so much she’s seen and witnessed and been through and lost and suffered and hurt. Suddenly these people are turning around and saying, ‘We don’t accept you.’” She adds, “One by one, you see all these strings being cut. And there’s just this last thread she’s holding onto: There’s this boy. And she thinks, ‘He loves me, and I think that’s enough.’ But is it enough? Is it? And it’s just that hope and wishing that finally there is someone who accepts her for everything she is and … he f—king doesn’t.”
Co-executive producer Bryan Cogman has mixed feelings as well. “I still don’t know how I feel about a lot of what happens this season and I helped write it. It’s emotionally very challenging. It’s designed to not feel good. That said, I don’t think that’s a bad thing.” He also contends Daenerys isn’t really a villain, but “a tragic figure in a very Shakespearean and Greek sense. When Jon asks Tyrion [in the finale] if they were wrong and Tyrion says, ‘Ask me again in 10 years,’ I think that’s valid.”
Kit Harington has a harsher view on Daenerys, saying that “if you track her story all the way back, she does some terrible things. She crucifies people. She burns people alive. This has been building. So, we have to say to the audience: ‘You’re in denial about this woman as well. You knew something was wrong. You’re culpable, you cheered her on.” He adds, “One of my worries with this is we have Cersei and Dany, two leading women, who fall. The justification is: Just because they’re women, why should they be the goodies?…It’s going to open up discussion but there’s nothing done in this show that isn’t truthful to the characters.”
Clarke also spoke to The New Yorker about Dany’s end, and confesses that as much as she might want her to triumph, “I’m not sure it could [end that way]. Even for a part that I’ve given so much to and I’ve felt so much for, and for a character that’s seen and lived through so much, I don’t know that there was any other way.” For her final moments, Clarke “wanted to show that softer side of Daenerys—or more textured…I wanted to show her as we saw her in the beginning: young, naïve, childlike, open, and full of love and hope. I wanted so much for that to be the last memory of her.”
For more from Clarke and other cast members on the dark Daenerys storyline, check out both articles here and here.
The surprise winner (I suppose) of the episode was Bran, who was elected King of Westeros – except for the once again independent North. Isaac Hempstead Wright tells EW, “When I got to the [Dragonpit scene] in the last episode and they’re like, ‘What about Bran?’ I had to get up and pace around the room. I genuinely thought it was a joke script and that [showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss] sent to everyone a script with their own character ends up on the Iron Throne. ‘Yeah, good one guys. Oh s—, it’s actually real?’” He adds, “I’m happy, though I kind of did want to die and get in one good death scene with an exploding head or something.”
Does Hempstead Wright believe Bran is up to the task of ruling? “I think he’ll be a really good king actually. Perhaps there will be something missing in having real emotive leader, which is a useful quality in a king or queen as well. At the same time, you can’t really argue with Bran. He’s like, ‘No, I know everything.’” All hail King Brandon Stark!
Hempstead Wright also wrote a guest column for The Hollywood Reporter reflecting on the years he has spent on Game of Thrones. He recalls his last week on set, which was the council in the Dragonpit scene. “When it came to the very final shot, it all dawned on me. This was to be the death of my character; it would be the last time I would ever breathe life into him, the last time I would sit in my costume on a Game of Thrones set and think about what it feels like to be Bran…The camera was so far away you could hardly see it and we had a rare chance to act directly across from one another with no machinery or lighting in the way, as if we were on stage. It was a very special goodbye to my character.”
As for the end of the story, he is “thrilled with the way the show ends. At the beginning of the show, Bran is a disabled 10-year-old with slim chances of surviving in this harsh universe. He will never be the warrior who comes in on horseback and saves the day, but he is resilient…I find it an extraordinary character arc to see him go from a vulnerable character totally dependent on others to the one person who holds all the keys to understanding the world.” He adds, “I think Bran presents a valuable reminder to us all in this day and age where sensationalism is rife and anybody can voice an opinion to millions, to sit and consider things a little more carefully.”
The entire piece is a lovely look at Hempstead Wright’s Thrones journey – be sure to read it here.
Bran may be King of Westeros, but Sansa is now Queen in the North. Would she have preferred Sansa over Bran to rule it all? Sophie Turner tells EW that she “wasn’t bummed at all” at the way it ended. “Because ever since the end of season 1, Sansa has not been about the capital or being queen. She doesn’t believe she could rule and doesn’t want to.” I’m not sure that’s a fair assessment given her proven ability to lead during the past two seasons, but I can’t blame her for wanting to stay away from King’s Landing.
Turner continues, “She knows her place is in the North and she can rule the people of the North and rule Winterfell. She’d probably be capable [of being queen of the Seven Kingdoms] with the help of her family and advisors like Tyrion. But she has no desire to be ruler of all of the Seven Kingdoms.” Given how tragically it has worked out for every monarch since Mad King Aerys, that’s probably the smarter option! Hopefully it will go better for Bran…
There are no “Inside the Episode” or “The Game Revealed” videos this week, but there is a video of the cast saying their farewells.
Although the finale has aired, our watch is not quite ended – the 2 hour Game of Thrones documentary “The Last Watch” airs on Sunday, May 26th at 9 pm ET. Check out the preview below.
Hold that Door
For her final moments, Clarke “wanted to show that softer side of Daenerys—or more textured…I wanted to show her as we saw her in the beginning: young, naïve, childlike, open, and full of love and hope. I wanted so much for that to be the last memory of her.”
In a vacuum that’s great. In the context of the episode and season (especially after ep 5) she looks just so damn dumb. Jon literally has a harder time seeing a prisoner than he does walking past a dragon and stabbing the Queen in the heart.
Regardless as to what people think about the finale (I loved it, personally), can we all agree that from a cinematography perspective, this was the most gorgeous episode of the show ever?
What a bright young man.
I’ll forever be disappointed they chose to not take the proper time to set up this ending. Further, there is literally no good reason whatsoever that Bronn would get to make yet one more joke about visiting brothels and Dany couldn’t get any last words.
They spent so much time on things that didn’t matter when they should have been showing us for several seasons things that did matter, but they chose not to. I regret the time I spent on this show. It has nothing to do with my ‘pet theories’, but with how they lost sight of what made GoT so great in the first place. I would have gladly taken less CGI dragons if it would have meant more character interaction and motivations. The glorious cinematography cannot and will not ever make up for the travesty that has been this season’s story line. No wonder D&D are not giving interviews. I wonder if the folks at HBO had the same reactions half the fans do? I imagine so.
Tycho Nestoris,
It made her look legitimately bonkers tbh.
The music in this scene was incredible, when she touched the throne, omg it was amazing. My favourite moment of the episode.
I’m not a Dany fan. Haven’t really liked her much since Season 3 (though I do like her in the books).
But the way they ended her story really makes me feel sick. She deserved better. I’m fine with her being the final “villain” or whatever. Just set it up properly. It needed to be better set up than any turn in fiction had ever been set up, as far as I’m concerned.
And for the love of Christ, don’t make her two final scenes sheer delusion and tyrannical insanity. Give her some humanity, some meaningful words, some sense of regret, of tragedy.
They made her an unsympathetic cartoon villain in this episode, smiling with not a care in the world as she justified her actions.
Then they killed her off unceremoniously and moved on to jokes about Edmure being a dumbass and Bronn building brothels.
The only good parts of her demise, if there can even be such a thing, was Drogon’s reaction to her death and Jon’s grief.
But otherwise it was just …. horrible.
It’ll never sit right with me that this is how they did away with this idealistic young leader, who rose up from nothing. They really couldn’t have done it any worse, for me personally.
Looking forward to next week’s deep dive into the final season. I’m fine with the pace the last two seasons have been at. I didn’t need two seasons of Dany slowly going crazy. Or every prophecy outlined. Or backstories on every character.
The final episode left me at peace. Good endings for all.
Of course there are missing pieces and “I wish they would have done that” moments. But a total waste of time and assassination of character arcs?? Not even a little in my mind.
Excellent show and a fun ride for the last ten years.
I find it very strange that there’s no behind the scenes stuff for this episode.
D&D also aren’t giving any interviews. This is, as far as I know, completely unprecedented for a series finale of this magnitude, maybe for any series finale.
No insight to share, no bonus materials for us to sink our teeth in, just nothing.
Show’s over, pack it up, D&D have nothing to say for themselves and have no desire to share thoughts with the audience.
I really hope the documentary next week is genuine, honest, and insightful about the story and characters, and not just more “look at how great our special effects are”.
While I’m waiting for the Unsullied thread, I gotta say: Thank Gods they didn’t fuck it up! They got rid of the nonsense Dany storyline fast enough and did the expected and reasonable.
One particular nitpick: Umm, what the hell was that with Drogon? I mean, sure, melt the iron throne, but why not Jon along with it? EDIT: Alright, melting Jon would screw up the rest of the plot, but still, Drogon could have melted everything around, only taking care of not killing blood of his blood and then leaving (btw, Drogon definitely flew to Valyria).
But yeah, after the previous 2 nonsensical episodes, finally something that makes sense! And we got Tyrion suffering (yet enjoying it), Brienne as Lord Commander of the kingsguard, Davos surviving (yay!) and Bronn doing Bronn things.
Nick20,
I disagree entirely. Having Dany express regret right after having torched KL would have been ridiculous at this point. She made the decision to rule by fear, and she stood by that decision. Dany saw the citizens of KL as people still fettered to the “old” ways and would not accept her “new world” (as she calls it back in season 5). This was her way of not only ruling by fear but of a kind of cleansing. You don’t have someone that is so hard-wired into their destiny suddenly turn around and express remorse.
Her death was not at all unceremonious. It was heartbreaking, beautiful, and appropriate being killed by someone who loved her, pledged his loyalty to her, and was her family. The image of Drogon carrying her away was very moving, as was him torching the very thing that got his mother killed!
While I can agree that at least a few more scenes of developing this dark side of Dany could have smoothed out this heel turn, on the whole I do think it was earned. When you look at her whole arc and really think about what drove her, her obsession with destiny & entitlement, it’s all there.
Unsure of what people wanted in terms of ending. Stark kids survived and are in charge of various parts of the world. Tyrion is basically the real leader of Westeros. Brianne is a knight! Ghost has his beloved sidekick back. We all knew that Dany wouldnt sit on the throne….and although the sad end to her story makes my heart ache, it is fitting. I look forward to reading these storylines in the books as I know more context will be provided.
Joseph Mobile,
This entire season the cinematography has been incredible. Next-level insane. I hope they sweep the Emmys.
For all the people whove said the cast hated season 8, yall were dead wrong. Ive only seen praise from every cast member so far.
ThisGirlHasNoName,
Agreed. This whole season has been visually stunning.
Can someone explain Jon’s final scenes to me?
I thought he was “sentenced” to the NW at Castle Black. Yet, in the final scene he’s leaving CB and heading off with Tormund, Ghost and a gaggle of young wildlings.
Ten Bears,
I think the his sentence was superficial BS done to appease the Unsullied/Dothraki and prevent an uprising. We all know there is no more AotD and there is peace with the Free Folk. Letting Jon ride out his sentence where he most wants to be, with one of his close friends and his loyal pooch was less punishment and more reward. He was tired of fighting when he quit the Watch and Sansa asked him to help take back WF. The place is pretty stabilized now. He’s backto being King Crow, he’s got the love and respect of the remaining NW and Free Folk. IMO he’s probably already unofficially their King Beyond the Wall, and he was leading them back to their lands. This was how I interpreted it anyway and why I was ok with his conclusion.
Overall, I thought it all worked pretty well. Everything up to and including Jon killing Day worked completely. It’s what happened next that bothered me:
1. It’s hard to think Grey Worm and a thousand Unsullied and Dothraki would have left Jon rotting in a cell for more than a few hours. Once they knew what Jon did, they would have wanted blood. His execution would have taken a few hours, maybe less. Jon could, and should, have either hopped on Drogon himself or walked right out before Grey Worm figured it out and detained him. No one else knew Dany was dead, and Drogon took Dany’s body, so Grey Worm wouldn’t have known what happened unless Jon told him. After walking out, he could have kept on walking — saying his goodbyes along the way — until he got to the Wall. He’s removing himself from the Game.
2. Bran needed to earn his new role a little more. I presume in the books this will work better, as we’ll see more of what Bran does as the 3ER to help things along.
Ten Bears,
The whole point of sending Jon to the Wall was to exile him from the kingdoms. That was the only punishment Greyworm would accept, other than death. It doesn’t really matter to them where Jon goes, so long as he never sets foot in the kingdoms again.
Enharmony1625,
That’s the thing, I don’t see her as feeling any more “entitled” to her birthright, than the Starks or any other noble houses. When Sansa pushed Jon to fight for Winterfell in S6, that was just as much b/c she felt that Winterfell (and the North) were the domain and responsibility of the Starks as Dany felt the IT and 7 kingdoms was the domain/responsibility of the Targaryens. This has always been an underlying issue for me with the series as a whole and why I probably could never be happy with anything short of a (nearly) complete overturning of the old order. None of these houses have a “right” to the lands they control. That coupled with the fact that there was minimal mention of creating any mechanisms whereby the noble class/monarchy would be held accountable to ordinary citizens was extremely disappointing to me.
I may be in the minority, but I didn’t find this season rushed at all. They hit all the right character and plot notes. In the earlier seasons, there were a dozen storylines going on at once, and they kept bouncing between them. In season 8, there were only two, and I think 6 episodes, with 4 of them being supersized, were enough to finish the story and that it worked out perfectly.
Btw, did the Dothraki also sail back to Essos like the Unsullied? Or do we presume the Dothraki horde was really only a hallucination (because all but a couple died before Winterfell) and thus they don’t need to go anywhere?
Ten Bears,
I just took it as him ignoring his punishment of having to return to the NW and deciding to put his lot in with the Wildlings and head beyond the wall. I guess technically he could be considered a deserter, but I don’t see how there’s any organized remnant of the NW that would go to the trouble of holding him accountable.
I’ve been reading this site for years and want to thank you all for creating and maintaining it. This is my first post, and it’s mainly to express my gratitude for the show, to everyone involved in producing it, and to David Benioff and Dan Weiss in particular.
As to the finale: A+. I never found the pacing these past seasons to be a problem. To me they seemed to proceed at a natural pace for the final act/s of such a grand story, and I understood any frustrations with this I might have felt from time to time as a viewer were the result of the necessarily stuttered presentation of its episodic production. I view GoT as a 73-hour long-form film, meant to be watched as such. I believe time will be kind to the showrunners in this regard, that they have created a brilliant drama that will continue to captivate new audiences over the years.
I loved Season 8. Every episode, and the season as a whole. Once again, thank you David and Dan. It was a monumental task. For me it was a smooth flight all the way through, and thrilling for all the right reasons, and you stuck the landing.
I’m so happy Jon basically asked Ghost for forgiveness. Ghost graciously accepted the apology. And everything was alright in the world.
Though we still didn’t hear the ending of the jackass and honeycomb in the brothel joke.
Ten Bears,
I think they left it deliberately vague, for people to draw their own conclusions.
My interpretation was that Jon wanted nothing to do with the Night’s Watch or being a babysitter for thieves and rapists. And so he decided to head north with the Wildlings and build a new life.
They didn’t show him taking new vows. His old ones had expired with his death, so all of Tyrion’s blathering about not being with women or having kids was just that – Tyrion blathering (probably his way of trying to ensure there would be no further Targaryan claims on the throne).
In my mind, Jon is now free. And if anyone comes after him, they’ll have to go through Tormund, Ghost, and an army of Wildlings who are loyal to Jon for saving them from the Night King.
Ten Bears,
Hell, I don’t know. Most of us were saying before the season that there isn’t a reason for the Nights Watch or even the Wall anymore. Their answer in the dialogue was basically that they’d still consider it a penal colony. That’s it eh? They were hardly sending anyone there anymore as it was and why the numbers were declining drastically. If it’s simply to be a prison do they not need to man it with guards now. The existing Nights Watch are essentially all dead with nobody leading, enforcing or even knowing the rules. What the heck would they even have to do now? There’s no reason to man the top of the Wall and watch for anything. Other than just something to do there wouldn’t be much reason to range beyond the Wall either.
What we see when Jon gets to Castle Black is basically a castle filled with the remaining wildlings and a maybe a handful of NW, at most. The wildlings certainly don’t want to live a life in Castle Black. When they leave he’s wearing the cloak of the Lord Commander again. Does that mean he was simply going with to help the wildlings resettle in their old lands and will return or is it his idea that he’ll be on an extended ranging trip and spend years with the wildlings since there’s no reason to sit at CB? Would he wear the black rather than wildling clothes if he was totally abandoning the NW? I guess the answer is up to whatever each of us wants…
Brandon,
Potential rapist/women basher alert.
I am just here to say that I really hate Sansa’s crown.
The asymmetric design looks awful.
Okay, you can all run me out of town now.
Lets start a petition.
I found the ending very satisfying. The only loose end, other than the honeycomb and the jackass, is was Dany pregnant? Perhaps what we all thought was foreshadowing her pregnancy was actually foreshadowing that the death of Rhaegal would further push her over the edge…
ThisGirlHasNoName,
I think I talked myself into believing that he is and will remain part of the Nights Watch because of what I wrote above; he was wearing the black cloak of the Lord Commander again (the likes of which he took off and handed to Edd).
In the costuming on the show they always said there’s meaning behind a lot of what the characters wore. I think if he was totally abandoning the NW to blend in with and/or become a wildling they would have dressed him in their clothing again, as he was seen wearing on a couple of occasions during the series. I think Jon’s honor is still going to make him do his appointed duty and he was just traveling with the wildlings to help them and to know where to find them in the future. He had nothing better to do at the time at an empty CB.
If people want to believe he was leaving to live with the wildlings for good I’m fine with that too. Neither choice sounds very appealing to me. 😉
So Dany never got a crown.
Even the one she got in qarth…. (in the books).
http://img00.deviantart.net/9d6d/i/2010/030/8/2/daenerys_targaryen_by_mahacruz.jpg
I cannot wait for in-depth character motivations articles to come out. I need help wrapping my head around Bran. His abilities, motivations, etc…
Maybe it’s because the show boomerangs Bran out for a season then turns him into a robot at S6.
Is he omnipresent? Did GRRM really create a god-like character to rule over the seven, ahem, six kingdoms.
Then his last scene is him saying maybe he can “find” Drogon.
Find Drogon to do what? Just to see where he is or to warg into Drogon and succumb to the madness power can bring.
I’m glad, for Westeros’ sake, Dany’s no more. Idealism gets people killed. Robert Baratheon was disinterested and largely useless, but he didn’t execute swaths of folks and mostly kept the peace.
I’d have liked more set-up for the end, but I think it was a pretty solid A- after a C+ season. Someone said elsewhere here or maybe on the Reddits, a 10-episode S8 should have ended with Jon and Dany’s last embrace and a shortened S9 should have dealt with the aftermath of that. Ah well. I enjoyed the show, and glad it’s come to a close.
That said, I hope Arya Stark’s considered piracy. She’d make a wonderful Dread Pirate Roberts.
This is my ending. I want to share it with you. Maybe some of you will also find that it fits nicely. I love my version much more. Here I go:
The adventures impact so much (revolutionary) Westeros so that certain key characters become mythical, actually gods.
The Mother – Mercy – Daenerys;
The Father – Justice – Jon Snow;
The Warrior – Courage – Arya;
The Smith – Gendry;
The Maiden – protect the maiden’s virtue – Sansa;
The Crone – Wisdom – Tyrion;
The Stranger – guides the newly deceissed to the new world – Bran;
Death is forgiving/being forgotten. Applying this philosophy, Bran remembers everything, so no one actually dies thanks to Bran. Everybody will always be remembered.
“What is dead may never die” – tribute salute between the ironborn for their sacrifice for Bran so that what is dead may never ever truly die.
“Hodor” – symbol to holding the door, protecting Bran. Bran is “the door” between the living and the dead.
“The North Remembers” – Bran has to be kept alive so that everyone will be remembered. Just like the 3 eyed Raven, he will remain in the weirwood tree at Winterfell and remember everything.
The North only worships the weirwood tree God (Bran), the south worships all the 7 gods mentioned above.
Drogon melts the Iron Throne and The Wall, the nights watch stops at the 999th Lord commander.
Sam is the Meister that writes the book of these adventures.
Westeros will have a democracy with 3 way split power. Justice, Executive (governing), Legislation (some kind of a parlament).
This is where my favorite characters end up. There should be some key moments along the way. Jon Snow should kill the NK. Daenerys should die in her stubborn quest for the iron throne and should be brought back to life by Drogon’s fire combined with her injury blood. Fire and Blood. The 3rd fire for Dany. The fire for love. After rebirth, she will continue the Targaryen family name with Aegon.
This fits perfectly to all these character arcs. Think about it…Re-wach each story separately and you will see it fits.
It does for me. This is my ending for more than a year now and what I saw in the second half of season 8 is already dead (forgotten).
Omg I loved this ending!!! My Starks all survived and it was all about the Starks in the end!!! Woooooooooow
I just watched it so I need time to write proper thoughts. Bitter sweet was exactly what it was.
krupke,
Yeah, that is a fair point and does blur the line between Dany’s sense of entitlement and others’ (Starks, Greyjoys, etc.). However, some distinction can be made in that Dany sought power absolutely. And while it can be argued that KL was in a way Dany’s home to inherit, she never lived there. The Starks grew up in Winterfell, and while it was the seat of power in the north, it was also their home. Sansa fought to retake Winterfell for this reason and to free the north from the Boltons because the north would suffer as long as they were in power. It wasn’t for the sake of gaining power. I guess to put it succinctly, Sansa & Jon fought to retake their home and their rightful place as rulers in the north, while Dany fought for the Ring/Iron Throne — a symbol and seat of power.
In hindsight, I think it was rather used to downplay the ick factor of Jon/Dany (nephewn/aunt) sleeping together. They just wanted us to be sure and remember that there would be no incest babies. Like REALLY sure. Like beat you over the head, sure.
Clob,
I just watched that scene again a few times (okay, a dozen or two lol).
You’re right about the cloak. I had kind of noticed it last night but didn’t attach much significance to it. It did change my mind briefly but…
Upon watching it a few times, there’s a 5-second segment that changed my mind back. Jon stops and looks back just as the wall-door starts closing. Could it be symbolizing the door closing on his past life? Maybe. But then right as the door shuts, he looks like he might turn back, and looks around at the people and hesitates. Then, he focuses intently forward, just as the music kicks into “adventure mode”. He gives the slightest of grins, and then begins forward again.
All that said, I think the writers wanted us to craft our own ending for Jon. For me, all I wanted was for him to have some hope for the future, and I think I got that with the one little grin.
“He also contends Daenerys isn’t really a villain, but “a tragic figure in a very Shakespearean and Greek sense.” – Bryan Cogman
Yeah, ok. Torch a couple thousand civilians and you’re not a villain? No, you may be in a Shakespearean tale but you’re still a villain.
I just can’t even. That end result. Not that I wanted anything specific, but just so sloppy and insensible to me. Yes, it’s all gorgeously shot, and mostly beautifully acted. And when you just get into the moment and forget the larger details, you can enjoy it immensely. I loved so many episodes and so much of this. But in the end, that was just not a well thought out way to wrap this up. It most certainly wasn’t a waste of time. It was a great series and spectacular in parts. I’m glad I invested all these years, even though I’m disappointed in the end.
I especially found the new small council seen particularly cringe worthy. I suppose it was supposed to be humorous. But instead it seemed forced. Tyrion doing the chair thing again, as he did the first time he was named Hand. So Bronn is “Master of Coin” why? Because he likes money? We need a “Master of Whisperers” when the King is supposedly all knowing? Hmmm….Brothel jokes? Ser Pod? Really?
And King Bran just pops in, says hey, and then goes off to look for Drogon? Why? What does he care where Drogon is? What does he care about anything? I thought he lives in the past, mostly. Is it meant to be that his purpose is as a “shadow king” in name only, while Tyrion and the rest truly rule? It’s all stupid.
Every time I heard “Bran the Broken” I just wanted to throw something at my television. Is that supposed to be cool, giving him a name like that? How about Bran the Useless, or Space Cadet? He could have been the 3ER without ever being broken. He did nothing to save Westeros. Zero. If he knew it all, there were so many other ways to get there that didn’t involve all the death. No, his repository of knowledge is not enough to wrap this up in a satisfying way. It’s never used, and never was used by him or any 3ER before him. Where was all this supposed manipulation and game playing? He came back because the NK breached the cave – not because he was planning on coming back to be king. Such a horrible ending.
And no wheel was broken. They just replaced hereditary rule with the puppet masters (Lords/Ladies) doing the selecting. And when one doesn’t agree on the next King/Queen, they’ll jump ship and a new war starts. Just like before. And just like should have happened the moment Sansa declared for special treatment and independence. Everybody just said, “oh, okay….”. And Grey Worm too, who only moments before was cutting throats of anyone opposing his Queen. Now they tell him to take a seat and shut up while they elect a new King, take his prisoners away, and if he doesn’t like it, lump it. Horrible storytelling.
That’s just one or two little picks and there are so many more, as others have alluded too. Dany letting Jon get close after all the betrayals, the clear disapproval and outright horror in his eyes. And she’s supposed to be paranoid and half-mad. Still, we see her pining for his love after being rejected multiple times, and after he flat out screams “child murderer” to her face. Just a mushy little crushy little Mussolini Dragon queen in the end. Shanked for still needing a man to love her after torching tens of thousands. Everyone deserves one last kiss, right Daenerys?
I just really wish they’d have either setup everything more gracefully or tied it all together in a way that at least made most people say, “eh, I can live with that”. Well, I don’t think they did but we still have to live with it. It is what it is, and with the books apparently never arriving, it’s all we’ve got in the end.
Good luck with Star Wars (aka Money Printing Universe)
As much as I’ve been bellyaching about some of the inconsistencies and shortcuts (and expressing my admiration for some of the great stuff too), one thing I love about this ending are the possibilities for the future – specifically, sequels :).
I don’t want HBO jumping into a cash-cow scheme and ruining things by jumping straight to sequels. I’m not talking about sequels now or in 5 years. But in 10-20 years? Bring it!
Our favorite Starks are all young actors. Kit is the old man at 32, and Maisie/Sophie are early 20s. There’s a lot of time and space for someone to do something wonderful long into the future.
I’d watch Jon and Tormund adventuring through the North Beyond the Wall, learning more about the White Walkers and encountering conflicts with people/beings long-thought extinct.
I’d watch West of Westeros, starring Arya Stark exploring a whole new land of people and gods and magic.
I’d even watch Sansa and Bran in 20 years as the next generations of the great houses come of age.
Fun to think about.
I don’t recall seeing a single night’s watchman once Aegon got to castle black.
What annoyed me most is we spent 7 seasons and an epic finale dealing with jon’s Parentage. We had an epic bring him back to life spectacle, all so he could get fake sentenced to the nights watch (which didn’t even exist anymore)
We also had like 3 episodes with everyone urging Jon to be king as the rightful heir, including bran, then when it comes to pick the king not a single person even raises the issue.
Imo it was lame as hell.
The finale was amazing! Everyone who was apart of it did a fantastic job.
Clob,
Part of it was an exact callback to the opening scene of season 1. The gate going up was identical with the opening scene of the 1st season.
I took it that he was going to live with the Wildlings…
Wolfdragon,
I don’t think anyone knew about Jon’s heritage other than the Starks and Sam.
It looked to me that Varys’ scrolls never got out to the kingdoms. I thought they were going to do alot more with the scrolls and others finding out about Jon’s claim to the throne. If people knew, they would have either wanted Jon to be king or they would have wanted him killed as the last Targ. I think the starks and sam ended up keeping it to themselves.
Tron79,
(and Tyrion, but he kept it to himself too)
Dee Stark,
I find it ended rather on the sweet side, actually. I expected quite a lot more deaths in this ast episode. I mean Drogon could go on a rampage through Westeros, for instance.
In the end the only bitter component of GoT are some butchered storylines, including Arya/Sansa, Jaime and Bronn’s dornish escapades, Daenerys’ madness, Jaime’s reverting etc.
Wolfdragon,
Um, Jon did the most important thing by stopping Dany. That’s far more important than him becoming King. He wasn’t meant to rule.
The amazing irony of John’s fate is that in the past, the “rewards” he received (made Lord Commander, brought back to life, declared King in the North, claim to the Iron Throne) were all punishments for him, as he never wanted that power, while the punishment he received (banished to the Night’s Watch) proved to be a reward, as he ends up joining the wildlings. Finally, he was free of the burden of rule and duty, and was given his freedom. And all because of a punishment.
That’s great writing there, no matter what the Twitterati complain about.
You just contradicted yourself twice over by pointing out all the leadership positions he’s had, accepted, and excelled at. We won’t even get into the book stuff, the prince that was promised, or alllllllllllll the characters saying he’d be the best king.
Jenny,
That’s truly what they were trying to portray at that point she only saw what she could see and that’s it!!
Agreed, Dee! A beautiful ending. Every character beat right where it should be. Great Council could have been a bit grander and more elaborately staged, but all in all a better send-off than I dared hope for. Very pleased with the whole season.
My personal favourite ‘review’ was Jason Momoa completely losing his shit on Instagram live. 😆
Anyone else feeling a slight level of grief and emptiness today? I am on vacation with my wife and kids but it feels strange like I’ve lost something important. Thinking I will now finally get around to watching the final season of Daredevil and reading the dunk and egg novels potentially after that maybe GRRM announces Winds and we get prequel news to fill the void.
As for the article I feel the actors and Cogman have it spot on especially Kit. The show runners could have taken the easy route but instead they brought us what GRRM envisioned and taken some crap for it too.
Wolfdragon,
Jon always led reluctantly, and was miserable doing so. His greatest quality is that he was able to bring people together who would otherwise be against each other, however, every time he led, he had to do so to deal with some impending doom, or immediate threat. He never had to lead to deal with day to day issues.
By his own account he never wanted any of those leadership positions and would have been happier not having to held them. So given he choice of being King or being free to live with the wildlings beyond the wall, he’d pick the latter everytime.
Yes, absolutely. It’s a strange, hollow feeling knowing that there won’t be another episode of this show. It’s been such a big part of each of the past 7 years for me looking forward to a new season, so it’s very wistful knowing that won’t happen. Fortunately today has been a holiday here in Canada, so I’ve had all day to grieve without the embarrassment of it playing out at the office. 🙂
NoobTakestheBlack,
oh yes, and since she has so many faces she can become a master of disguise as well.
Iul,
I like your ideas, they do fit. tho I have a question – if there are now only 6 parts, does that mean The Seven is now The Six and which god will they toss out?
I agree btw that we should have seen more of bran, perhaps some of that fireside chat with tyrion would have helped. He obviously knows more than he lets on and certainly can shed light on confusing issues. But I dont see him in conversations that rulers tend to have with subjects, lords, friends and enemies, but I assume Tyrion would do that.
It is weird that such a big thing was made about jons parents, but it didnt matter one iota. (which goes along with the NK being such a big threat but was only in the north and he was finished rather quickly) And its also weird that we know nothing about the rest of westerous (whats up with Robyn and who is the Dorne guy)Lots of loose ends that with a little more time could have been better fleshed out. I am satisfied with the ending, beause each character got what they wanted (well, not Dany) but could have been much better. Ah well Still love the show.
Jon Snowed,
It will feel like that for a while I think. That sense that you lost something important. But it will end as Varys said nothing lasts ☺️
Mr Fixit,
The Small Council was always small and it got smaller by the day if you recall. I found it incredibly rewarding that nothing changed in the style of the Small Council.
Chairs were still important (shout out to the chair fights in the old Small Council and the time Tyrion drunk drags one to the table) and the brothel joke that is so show Tyrion in character and the poking and stepping on each other’s toes (which has always been a trademark of the Small Council members) basically everything really. I don’t get the criticism to be honest but I confess I’m delighted they kept true to what that Council ever was.
Fitting that Tyrion’s joke was the last line of a main character in the show. Basically life goes on.
I’m going to whinge a little more. But I will say I am going to rewatch the whole series soon and see how it feels this time watching it all as a whole.
After reading Emilia’s interview I feel really sad for her. Dany was such a big influence to give her strength during her health struggles (from what I understand). To see her character suddenly turn evil or crazy and then get stabbed in the heart was a huge jolt to her. I think that’s how most of us feel. I love so many aspects of the show but there were a couple major writing issues that can’t just be glossed over IMHO.
In earlier seasons Dany did cruel things but it was always against folks who have done horrible things. It was never just killing all the women and children. I would have been ok with having to kill some of the people since Cersei but them in harms way but after she won she mowed down street after street. That’s just not in her character. I think they could have shown how power corrupts and have Dany give the speech where she’s not done. She needs to keep conquering to break the wheel. When she starts threatening Winterhell and Jon’s family he could start to get conflicted.
It is very much LOTR saying the iron throne is just like the ring. I did like that drogon destroyed it. But there were so many chances for more excitement and more drama in the finale. Every time I thought of something exiting that could happen the writers seemed to just to take a more straightforward path with very little drama.
So I do feel disappointed today on some writing decisions. I still love that they ended with Tyrion in charge and bran being more of a figurehead king with Tyrion and his council doing the governing. Sansa was awesome as QOTN. But I think the writers could have had her play the game even more. I do find it sad that Emilia agreed with my assessment that if the north would have just given Dany some love she wouldn’t have gone down the mad queen path. That’s how it seemed to me too and that was far fetched that she had to feel like the north welcomed her. That’s just the north and it shouldn’t have made that much difference.
Ok I’m done whinging. I do appreciate a chance to get this out because it is emotional. I have many moments from season 8 that I love. As I said in another post I don’t think d&d ever thought they would pass GRRM and have to write so much just based on an outline of a few conversations.
ash,
Arya as a masked pirate?
Have you seen Maisie Williams as The Knightmare. a highwayman who robbed travelers “for fun” in Dr Who?
Tron79,
It wasn’t just the north though. We saw the same attitude with Randyll Tarly, who dismissed Daenerys as a foreign invader. When Tyrion reminded him of Cersei’s crimes, he pretty much waved it away, saying at least she’s lived her whole life in Westeros.
Tarly’s attitude was that he preferred a native monster to a potentially better ‘foreigner’.
And there I was, all this time thinking this was about the restoration of the Targaryens when it fact it was about queen Sansa. What a waste of time.
Thank you for the post-mortem, Vanessa. I personally loved the finale and it had the two things I wanted: the destruction of the Iron Throne, and electing the next leader. And it is soooo great that the Great Council will now be enacted for every new monarch. Lays the groundwork for what Samwell was calling for.
There was also a lovely poetic parallel between Aemon and Jon. One chose to abdicate in order to become a maester and serve in the Night’s Watch, and Jon was sent back to the Night’s Watch despite being the heir.
Regarding Bran’s outcome: “I genuinely thought it was a joke script …” This reminds me of Maisie’s interview where she too thought she received a joke script because of her sex scene with Gendry/Joe Dempsie 😂
Lastly, I read the New Yorker article yesterday (a great read!) and Emilia doesn’t go as far as to criticise the writing but she does pose some interesting suggestions that could have taken place for her character:
I would’ve loved some more scenes with me and Missandei. I would’ve loved some more scenes with me and Cersei. […] I would’ve loved some more scenes between Grey Worm and Missandei. I would’ve loved to see a bit more between Cersei . . . I feel like there was . . . The genocide was there. That was always going to happen. And I just think more dissection and those beautifully written scenes that the boys have between characters—that we are more than happy to contently sit there and watch ten minutes of two people talking, because it’s beautiful. I just wanted to see a bit more of that. But I’m in no position to critique the geniuses that have written eight seasons’ worth of wonderful stuff.
Also I think she was too harsh in calling Dany’s actions as “genocide.” A massacre yes. But not “genocide” mostly because she was indiscriminate in her killing. What Anakin did to the Tusken Raiders – now that was a genocidal act. I did get some major Revenge of the Sith vibes, I was just waiting for Jon or Tyrion to yell at her “YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE THE CHOSEN ONE!”
Well, I was surprisingly okay with most of it… for the show it felt okay, I saw the build up and payoffs… I know they mentioned that this will lineup with GRRM endgame, but he is going to have to write really convincingly for me(readers) that Sansa becomes QiTN, or Bran becomes Ko6K is possible, it is so far removed from anything they are in the books that I really can’t believe it… for the show versions I’m okay with it, but they have altered show!Sansa so much from her book version that I’m not sure they could use her real endgame, so came up with QiTN as an alternative. I can actually buy Daeny and Jon’s more, at these those possibilities have crossed my mind before (yes even bad!daeny – she has been worrying me a while in the books). Perhaps, book!Arya endgame is also different (hope not dead!) but they couldn’t work it into the show convincingly or wanted to change it that they came up with the West of Westeos alternative to fit show!Arya (or not). I thought she might go with Jon, at least for a few years and spend quality time with Jon, they really haven’t had time to chill. I could see book!Arya doing that.
Since the books are not written and they have to try and piece together so many stories and find some conclusion to them and give all the actors something to do… I think it was okay. Would have been better if the source material was there, but it wasn’t. I still like the show for the adaption that it is, mostly for the great performances and moments that the show gave us! There are many things I would have liked to change, or add, or delete (LOL), but over all it was a great spectacle to watch, gave have high value entertainment, great visuals and brought to life so much of the books – sometimes being better than the books, like how they handled minor characters, like Tormund. The rushed ending doesn’t ‘ruin’ any of that for me, I actually enjoyed much of this season, as I just watch it without feeling the need to criticize it – this was the end, I wanted to see how THEY were going to end it, not expecting anything or wanting anything specific – made the experience much more enjoyable. There were more good memories of this show than bad… and I always have the books to look forward to! Now that the show is over, I hope the next book comes out soon.
The only really sad part is that the fandom is becoming even more toxic… wish more people will chill and remember the good stuff, and not just concentrate on the things that they didn’t like. Ah well, to each their own.
TOIVA,
I agree with this more or less 100%.
GRRM has spoken, about the show and the books. Anyone looking for praise or damnation of the writers or “TWoW is finished!” will be disappointed, but he’s certainly being magnanimous here:
http://georgerrmartin.com/notablog/
Whatever we think of his writing pace, the man is owed deep respect for being the creator of this epic rollercoaster ride.
Tim,
I can see your points. There are a number of differences though between burning the Tarleys and burning down all the streets of KL. I thought the Tarley scene was more consistent with how Dany has been portrayed through the years. Her thought was she would use the Tarleys as an example and then the rest of the army would bend the knee and surrender. She was trying to avoid having to burn them all. In her mind, she gave Dickon a choice. She’s made mistakes strategically. She made the same type of mistake when she beheaded Mossador back in Meereen. In her mind, she was right and just, but she really couldn’t see the bigger picture of her actions strategically, and she wouldn’t listen to her advisers. That’s a consistent flaw. But that’s a far cry from just going mad queen and slaughtering everyone after they surrendered. It was a huge jump for me, and much of it seemed to have started because the North wouldn’t give her love. (and Jon rejected her as well)
That being said, I’m letting it go as much as I can. I appreciate being able to “vent” here about certain aspects of the writing. Looking back, the biggest truth is that D&D decided to go the least magical and most straightforward path. This happened in season 6 when Arya was stabbed. There were many great theories of how to explain her survival that involved FM magic and more, but D&D decided to go with Lady Crane being Surgeon Crane. That’s just their decision to leave the magic behind. It was similar with the Night King story, the Lord of Light, the 3ER’s powers, and more. D&D didn’t seem to want to go there. I do look forward to seeing how GRRM gets to the end. I can see the same end game plot points but a very different way to get there.
I’m very much looking forward to the 2 hour documentary on Sunday. I know I will enjoy getting to see behind the scenes and having the chance to live with the actors a little longer.
Tim,
Whoops I forgot to reply to your comment about Randall saying she was a foreign invader. Perhaps that stung a little for Dany to hear this, but it’s a much different situation when your enemy doesn’t bend the knee. I don’t think she expected that Randall would be thankful she defeated him. It seemed that the fact that the North wouldn’t give her love after she risked her dragons and army for them was D&D’s turning point for her (along with the fact that Jon was repulsed by the idea she was his aunt)
I interpreted it as Dany feeling that she spent most of her life in exile b/c she and her only remaining kin were kicked out of their home. No other place was “home” to her through a combination of what her brother told her while raising her and the fact that they were constantly on the run, b/c the people who kicked them out were still trying to kill them. Sansa’s reasons for “freeing” the North from the Boltons mirrored Dany’s reasoning for restoring Targaryen rule. To them, it was their birthright and responsibility and the people who had taken over were causing suffering. Once in power, Sansa had no qualms about exercising power to punish those who had not helped them take back Winterfell. Neither Starks nor Targaryens (nor other Houses) had a “right” to those lands/people. I was hoping at some point someone in the series would admit this, but no. There was a hint of Dany realizing that “home” could mean something else (e.g. her speech to her council in S7E2 as well as her conversation with Jon in the Dragonpit in S7E7), but nothing came of it.
ramses,
I’m not sure why they didn’t explain further the depth/limits of Bran’s abilities. He served as bait during the the war against the AotD and was not utilized afterwards during the campaign against Cersei when his knowledge of the past and warging abilities would have been useful. Why? If he’s the memory of the world, then why not use that memory to learn from the remote and recent past? If he sees the future, then why let the events of the latter part of the season unfold? He DID tell a few people what to do at certain key points as well as that they were “where they needed to be” (e.g. convos with Sam, Theon, and Jon). All this culminated in him being the ruler of 6 kingdoms…He even told Tyrion that he came down to KL for that purpose….I don’t see the power structure in place for Westeros at the end of the series as a “good” thing.
Bran should be viewed as a cosmic version of Varys. He has access to vast stores of information which he releases selectively to ‘prod’ events in the direction he wants.
So, in season seven, he is pleased when Arya returns home because she is the vital cog in his plan. That is basically the Azor Ahai/Lightbringer story, with Jon as the hero, Arya as the sword, and Dany as Nissa Nissa (that began in the very first episode for the first two at least). For this to come about, he needs Dany to commit to Jon with no pre-conditions, but purely for love (a willing sacrifice given for love is the essence of Nissa Nissa’s story). Dany had pledged to aid the north after seeing the cave paintings, but still insisted on Jon bending the knee. It’s after this that Bran sends the message about the dead being near Eastwatch, so setting in train the events which followed. If these events had not occurred it’s likely the Night King would have been able to find his way through the Wall at Castle Black (assuming the mark he placed on Bran to get into Bloodraven’s cave would also allow him to cross the magical barrier at the Wall of course). The revelation of Jon’s true identity – and the realisation that he, willingly or otherwise, could take that which has driven Dany all her life – is the poetic stab through the heart.
There is a whole lot we don’t know about Bran, or to be more accurate the three-eyed raven/crow. Is he, for example, the Lord of Light? Has he been weaving this web for decades; since at least the births of Jon and Dany, if not before?
Jenny,
re: bonkers
I guess she was like a Looney Tunes character at the end
Mr Fixit,
So am I <3
I am so happy with how it ended, but absolutely hearbroken that it is done.
A huge thank you to WotW, GRRM, actors, staff, extras, D&D, HBO, fans for all those great years. 🙂 Wish there was another season or two. Waiting for prequels/a sequel. Love this fantasy world.
Dany: You reap what you sow. If only they respected/loved her more in Westeros.
Jon: Has lost his purpose after defeating the NK. Did what he had to do in the end.
Sansa: Will probably be a good queen. But thank the Old Gods and the New that I won’t have to listen to “What about the North?” anymore.
Arya: Farewell.
Tyrion: I’m glad he is the Hand of the King again despite being such a moron in the last two seasons.
Bran: Was he a good choice? Ask again in 10 years.
Davos: Ripe old age indeed. 🙂
Brienne: Well done. Such a good character.
Sam, Gendry: Glad they survived.
Bronn: You lucky cutthroat.
Drogon: Kudos for the emotional reaction in the finale. Will he bring Dany to Essos where she can be resurrected/given a second chance?
The new system does not seem to be that much better than “The Wheel”.
krupke,
💯to all of this.
Ser Brocolli McBrocolliface,
hahahaha
I want to start a petition that show us some male nudity in the dvd version. Who will help me get that passed?
Tron79,
I’m going to watch the show again later this year. I think first I rewatched lost again (Which is on my to do list 3 years already). Then GoT again. Only if a new good show starts to get my notice I watch that first.
As for Emilia. Emilia is great. And I understand she had difficulty processing the ending of her character and change. but she came around and saw that it was the right way. She only said that there should have been some extra scenes with Missandei and her (Which is true for not only her character). But she praised D&D
With Bran King there is no need to fill in the “Master of Whispers” role. Bran is it himself.
Ser Not Appearing in this Series,
I like his last line, I think he really dislike those angry fanboys. He maybe dislike some of D&D changes but he is always professional about it, he knows the difference between book and screen.
Wonderful man GRRM
I am ok with how every character ended but the journeys to those endpoints had no nuance, no pathos, no build-up of tension. Seasons 7 & 8 presented us with the general points of the last acts of the story and no more. Is it even debatable that the failure to satisfy was due to two showrunners who didn’t want to be in it anymore? What a heartbreak. I don’t feel mad with any of the actors that defend the season, I get it, they’re being loyal and they worked really hard and the production people worked really hard.
Best part of the finale was the Westworld trailer – Pink Floyd song + Aaron Paul! Hopefully this show will fix its own storytelling problem.
Young Dragon,
I agree. Can’t be bothered to type this out again so here’s a comment I left on Facebook this morning:
People criticise the pace of this season but it was about as long as any prior season when you tot up the actual minutes of telly we got. Maybe if it had been split over ten episodes people would feel differently, but then each individual episode wouldn’t have a satisfying beginning, middle and end or internal thematic consistency. As all the characters were in the same place for most of the season it just wasn’t possible to show lots of separate stories taking place concurrently, as in earlier seasons, which would have spread this one out. And do we really need to be spoonfed that people travel from place to place between scenes, and that this takes time? Maybe that served a useful purpose when, for example, Arya and the Hound were travelling together because things happened to them on the way but why show Jon’s army marching to King’s Landing just for the heck of it when it was an otherwise totally uneventful journey?
I’m going to look at it all as a giant human chess match, where the king just sits back and watches everyone else do the dirty work. In the end he can come forward and say I’m still alive because everyone was where they were suppose to be. Okay this may just work for me. As for Jon snow he can do pretty much whatever he wants for three good reasons, first his brother is the king, second everyone left still supports him, and three nobody wants to go that far north to stop him. Its still hard to get over our watching has ended.
The ultimate villain proved to be Brandon Stark. His character had two arcs. Becoming the Three Eyed Raven, and then what he did as the Three Eyed Raven.
He can be forgiven for his quest to become the Raven. He was driven by the circumstances of his visions. But once he became the Raven, he proved to be the embodiment of a self-serving tyrant. Given this gift, imagine all he could have done to save lives. Yet not once, did he use his sight to save others, or minimize casualties. He allowed countless thousands to die, his only goal to place himself upon the throne. Not once, did Brandon Stark use his sight for good. Not once did he use this gift for the benefit of others. Everything he did, was to put himself on the throne. He used everyone. He used his friends. He used his family. Someone put a dagger in this evil prick.
Perhaps more accurate to say the three-eyed raven was the ultimate villain. Bran is just a vessel for him now, like Bloodraven was before. It doesn’t bode well for the kingdoms to have a cosmic Varys on one throne and Littlefinger in a pretty dress on the other. And while we’re on that, how much control does Sansa exert over the Vale? Robyn Arryn is a bit of an imbecile really, and looks to Lord Royce for guidance. He in turn looks to Sansa.