Warning: This article contains spoilers.
Popular HBO series Game of Thrones came out with its eighth and final season over eight months ago, and I’m still upset about the way that everything played out. I just don’t understand how one of the world’s most popular television series can go from that – the most popular – to literally the most anticlimactic. Ever. I don’t get it.
Eight years. EIGHT. YEARS. That’s how long they spent building up the most intricate, detailed, phenomenal storyline I’ve ever witnessed in a television show, just to botch the ending within the last six episodes, disappointing every single one of their emotionally invested fans. As you can probably tell, I’m mad and so I’m going to rant for a hot second about all the questions they left unanswered in the final season.
First and foremost, the death of the Night King and his army
What the frick, man? They spent years building up the Night King storyline, indicating him to be the most indestructible being to ever walk the earth, and yet all it took was a dagger to the back to end his reign over the dead? It makes no sense. Also, not to mention that he was defeated within the first three episodes, regardless of the Battle of Winterfell being the most anticipated aspect of the entire show. Will we ever know the secret behind the Night King and his army? Why are there so many plot holes left wide open? The babies? The White Walkers? It’s all too much to handle.
Arya, the faceless what now?
Pretty much an entire season was based on Arya’s training with the Faceless Men… all for what? For her to kill Walder Frey and sneak up on the Night King? Yes, what she did to House Frey was absolute genius and needed to happen (R.I.P Robb and Catelyn) BUT we needed so much more from this plotline. We needed her to become Jaime and kill Cersei. It was the only prediction regarding Arya that made sense. Also, Arya is a born fighter, not adventurer/explorer, so I’m unsure as to why she decided to leave Westeros at the end of the season. What’s west of Westeros? Nobody knows because anyone who ever tries to find out ends up dead. Not a smart move on your part, Arya.
Jaime and Cersei…?
Okay seriously??? Jaime’s character arc came full circle just for him to suffer death by rubble? The infamous King Slayer died from pebbles? You’re telling me that if they had been standing two feet over from where they died, this wouldn’t have happened? Jaime deserved a much better ending and Cersei deserved a lot worse. Maybe Arya wasn’t going to be the one to kill Cersei by becoming Jaime, but why didn’t the King Slayer become the Queen Slayer? They missed the perfect opportunity to complete at least one storyline here since they rushed through everyone else’s. And to have Tyrion find them like that…my heart.
Who has a better story than Bran the Broken? Literally everyone.
His sisters are Sansa and Arya, his brother (although, not technically his brother) is Jon Snow, so this argument is completely debatable. We don’t even fully understand the purpose of Bran as the three-eyed raven, so it’s really hard to grasp how this could be the best choice for the kingdom. There is so much mystery surrounding Bran and to me, it doesn’t make any sense. I’m still Team Jon for the throne so I may be a little biased. But seriously, if Bran could have really seen what was going to happen to King’s Landing, why didn’t he do anything to stop Daenerys? But sure, let’s give the kingdom the most useless character as its ruler… Bran the Broken, King of the Six Kingdoms, first of his name, blah blah blah…NEXT.
Speaking of Jon Snow, why did he go North of the Wall?
Yes, we understand that he “didn’t want it”, but why? Why go North when there isn’t anything there anymore? I’m glad he’s with his Wildling friends, but why not just stay in Winterfell with them? And yes, I know he was exiled to the Wall by the request of Greyworm for killing Dany, but Greyworm left. Winterfell is a separate kingdom now and the rules of King’s Landing do not apply anymore. His sister is reigning over Winterfell, he could have lived happily under her protection with his loyal direwolf, Ghost (the best boy). Doesn’t anything make sense anymore?
The one thing they did right
The one predictable thing was the destruction of King’s Landing by Daenerys followed by her death at the hands of Jon. This had been foreshadowed from the beginning: Dany burning people alive in Essos, Dany vowing to take what is hers with fire and blood and her losing everything most dear to her, like Jorah and her dragons. She never belonged on the throne. We all saw her going crazy, just like her father did years before. So of course, Jon had to be the one to stop her because he was closest to her after Jorah died (ugh). But what kills me the most about this specific plotline in the series is the way Drogon reacted when she died. My heart still hurts for him, but I think it can be assumed that he knew it had to be done. The dragons were intelligent beyond measure and that’s why he decided to melt the Throne. He knew it was the reason for his mother’s downfall and if she couldn’t have it, then nobody else could. One thing we’ll never know is where he took her body. We can assume Valyria, which is where they are both originally from, but it is still so heartbreaking to me. In the end, he really was the only one that was truly loyal to Dany, despite her psychotic breakdown.
These questions will likely go unanswered and I’m so upset that I invested myself into a series that left so many plot holes. The entire final season was rushed and a lot of corners were cut. As loyal fans, we deserved so much more. These characters deserved so much more. Nobody is saying we were expecting a happy ending; we know how Game of Thrones works and there is no such thing. Still, so many of the predictions made for the ending could have easily come true if they had just put a little more effort into the writing.
So there you have it, the reasons why I’m still thinking of the ending eight months later. I need a remake but since we aren’t getting one, I’ll be here, thinking about it for another eight months.