SPOILERS - GoT Finale thread

[Bibijayne]

Anyone else think Jon got a really terrible deal in the end?

I know IABU to want a happy ending. It was never going to happen, but I'm still bummed about it.

Well this may well be the only ending we will get so have to live with it. But I liked it better on second fifth viewing.

I am guessing the fans love the fact that Samwell presented Tyrion with the book

Personally, I thought that was excruciatingly cringeworthy. Happy to accept I'm in the minority though.

Disclaimer: I haven't watched the last season so I may be way off.

GOT is based on the War of the Roses. Bran as Henry VII, the guy whose claim to the throne was spurious at best who spends years in exile in France, suddenly appears fights 1 battle and hoicks the crown out of a bush. I don't know King Bran seems kind of fitting.

Dani dying again doesn't really phase me. I didn't much like her and found her mother of dragons stich a tad nauseating. The seeds of her madness were definately planted earlier in the series. Tyrion and Varys spotted it and were uncomfortable.

In the end, Tyrion, Bran, Brienne and Sansa came out as winners. Each one of these characters was mocked and belittled at some point for being a dwarf, a cripple, too girly, not girly enough. There is a certain satisfaction in seeing the meek inheriting the earth.

Sounds like the whole thing was a bit rushed and not well thought out.

I didn't feel like Jon's honor would have allowed him to stab Dany like that,he had a moral code like ned and ned was disgusted by Jamie stabbing the mad king in the back even tho the king had murdered his father and brother. Ned was about honor and Jon tried to be like ned, ned even give Cersei the chance to leave with her DC which led to his downfall, ayra the assassin would have been a better choice, I felt Jon got shafted I think the ended was ambiguous in that there was really no nights watch it was a front for him to go with tormund who was waiting for him I wanted it to be Jon's choice to refuse the throne and go back north with the wildlings in the way ayra choose to travel. Jon was a bastard but he had a name and could had lands a title and it should have been his choice if he wanted it or not otherwise what was the point in him finding out his heritage all this would have meant nothing anyway. I much rather gendy or a republic been formed like Sam's suggestion than bran who had zero character development and had a personality of a fly.

I think it wasn’t executed well and was very rushed in the last season. This is the problem.

What annoyed me was that Tyrion got away with it and poor Jon got punished. I think in the end bran, sansa and Tyrion were the true winners of the game of thrones - at the expense of the others

@Yamayo

Sansa didn’t want to lose her home again after it had been taken away from the Starks and then regaining it back. That I understand. However this is no different to Daenerys wanting her home back and fighting for it, something that in my opinion Sansa should of understood and had respect for. Daenerys did not turn up in the north to take anything away from the Starks or the north, only to help save them from the Night King. Something that every person in the north should of been thankful for as without her they likely would of had no hope of winning therefore losing their home through death anyway. At this point in time, after gaining the throne, Daenerys had no intention to take anything away from Sansa or the north. The Starks would still be wardens as it was when it was originally their home, as it was before them and as their King - who they had chose to make decisions for them - had made it so. Not a bad price to pay for their lives and the peace that would likely follow by becoming allies. So no, I don’t agree with the aminosity between them given the actual circumstances.

As for Daenerys not being a stable queen when she arrived in the north, I don’t understand where you have got that from. Up until Kingslanding she had done no worse then any other person in power but possibly a lot more good than most. Ned beheaded men from the wall just for trying to escape because it was the law. He and his family started a whole war for justice for what happened to Bran and the events that followed. Arya’s whole story arc was based around revenge and killing her enemies, let’s not forget the slaughter of all of house Frey. Jon himself hung a child for what he had done with no empathy or mercy for why the young boy had done what he did. He also became everything his father/Ned hated by killing Daenerys the way he done so - as evident in his opinion of the King Slayer. Tyrion killed his own father for revenge which ultimately lead to the destruction of his whole house. Sansa herself broke an oath to her own brother/cousin in the hopes of overthrowing Daenerys regardless of the war and lives it would likely cost. Bran himself allowed thousands to die just to become king.

However, Daenerys wanting her home back and justice of her own makes her the mad queen and justifies those around her turning on her before she has done anything to fully deserve it and her new title.. yet the same isn’t true for anyone else? 🤷🏻‍♀️

I don’t actually dislike the outcome they wanted for any of the characters, it’s all the inconsistencies of how they had got there that are frustrating.

re-watch - Daenerys has been like that from the start - we just didn't mind because she was mainly targeting 'the bad guys' - she didn't just want to rescue the north - she wanted to rule it - she was a stranger rocking up and demanding everyone treat her like her followers did - when they didn't she chose to destroy instead - she's always been like that.

I loved the ending - it was right - Jon didn't want to be king, neither did Arya, Sansa wanted to remain north, it worked for me - the Starks won and the remaining children got the lives they deserved.

I agree @yamayo dany is called a mad queen cause of her actions but the starks and other characters have pretty much done the same.

Imo bran was the worst he knew what would happen and as it would enable him to be king he let it happen. Sansa knowingly told Tyrion so she could keep the north. They’ve all played the game but Jon gets sent to the wall? It just seemed harsh but I guess that’s life.

I don’t think Jon did get sent to the wall really, did he?

He went off to live with the wildlings-winter was ending and things were growing again. I got the impression that was said just to placate GW and no one will bother trekking all that way to check up on him.

Hopefully he’ll find a nice wildling Ygritte substitute :)

I think those complaining about Dany becoming a "mad queen" haven't been paying enough attention to her character throughout the show. She wasn't a ruler, she was a conqueror. She destroyed places for her own gain- this was her tactic. Since the beginning she was building an army to storm through King's Landing, burn it down and take it back. This was suggested many times throughout the show and yet when she finally does it loads of people don't like it and think it was wrong?
The conversation Tyrion has with Jon about her when he was held prisoner was spot on, the more she destroyed the more power she got. Her character ending was my favorite because she actually did was she set out to do, and it ended in her death.

It took me two (and a half) watches to feel settled afterwards.

I just wish Tyrion and Jon had a choice at the end. But I’d picked up that it was important when Tormund had told Jon, “you’ve got the North in you...” so him waiting with the Wildlings for Jon to arrive was perfect.

I think the thing for me was that essentially we had a lot of characters looking for somewhere to belong, and some that didn’t realise they already belonged somewhere. Dany left her real home to search for something that didn’t exist, Sansa left Winterfell with a dream to be Queen learning along the way where she really belonged was the North, and Jon never knew who he was until he met the Wildlings.

Brienne giving Jamie the ending he truly deserved was possibly my favourite scene because I was devastated that he never truly believed he had become a good person and she did.

Also, people complaining Bran should have stopped everything earlier. I think people are forgetting about fate. In fantasy genre, things often need to play out in their natural order. You can't expect someone to come in and "mess with time" otherwise a load of shit gets fucked up. I know this may sound a bit soppy but honestly the phrase everything happens for a reason can be applied here. Its easy to say Bran should have stopped it but its not really a logical or practical solution.

Bran being King makes the most sense, he is neutral. I also don't understand the Sansa hate. She went through a lot in this show and she has come out a leader. I like her.

I think overall, the best way to look at this last season and ending is: I liked how it ended, but didn't like how they got there.

I think Sansa is still a very self centred person. She was livid that people didn't suggest her for the throne. There was no need for a seperate North - Bran was being crowned, he was a Stark, a northerner.. She just wanted it for herself. That's all she ever wanted, to be a queen.

The more I think about it, the more I think Bran is fantastic as King. Because in reality he isn't, Tyrion is. Bran knew nobody would accept Tyrion as King because he was a Lannister and up for treason, but in making him hand he has pretty much handed the reins over to him - he didn't even stay at the council meeting, he left Tyrion in charge. He knows Tyrion is decent, listens and learns, has travelled the kingdoms, spent time all over with different people from the Wall to Dorne to Kingslanding, he tries to understand (spent what he thought may be his last night at Winterfell learning from Bran). He has stood alone in front of various angry, unhinged rulers and tried to talk them down when they were wrong (Dany, Cersei, Joffrey) despite knowing they would probably kill him. He's a good and fair man and probably the best person for the throne under different circumstances.

She just wanted it for herself. That's all she ever wanted, to be a queen.

And what is wrong with that? Other characters wanted to be a King or Queen but they don't get labelled selfish. What exactly would you suggest Sansa to have done? Just been someone's wife? I think she is brave for wanting a throne, she also went through a lot of shit and at the end of it she defended Winterfell and matured into a good woman. If she was male I doubt she would have gotten the criticism she has been receiving.

I think the independent North is a symbol- it's back to a time pre-Targaryen and it's more in the order of things in Westeros. The northmen are essentially the wildlings of Westeros.
That's why Sansa was so keen to get it back properly- Bran is going to be King for a little while, but who knows who would take over after him?

As for Dany wanting her home back- it wasn't her home though. She never lived there and she arrived with her foreign army. Whatever her rights were, to the people of Westeros it was back to foreign Targaryens invading with dragons.
As we have seen in the past, once a king is deposed they get rid of all his family/supporters rather swiftly.
She was never going to fit it- ironic tragedy of the story.

In the books the plan was to marry her to a hidden Dorne prince, precisely to give her arrival more legitimacy. That would have made more sense. In a more logical show she would have offered marriage to Jon back in season 7. She did it to a random nobleman in Meereen after all

If she was male I doubt she would have gotten the criticism she has been receiving.

People cheered when Robb and Jon were made Kings in the North.

Defended Winterfell? She hid in the crypt! I appreciate she went through some hideous tones, but she wasn’t a team player, that’s why I didn’t like her. What did I expect her to do? “Expect” nothing, but I’d like to have seen her swallow her pride (like everyone else did) and work together alongside the others from the seven kingdoms- who had also done a lot and lost many men (it wasn’t even the Winterfell soldiers on the front lines at Winterfell, it was others who went to help..

Probably in the minority but I liked Cersei and Jaime’s ending. He wanted to die in the arms of the woman he loved and her ending semi fulfilled the prophecy given to her by the witch- "And when your tears have drowned you, the Valonqar (little brother) shall wrap his hands about your pale white throat and choke the life from you."

Actually in the deleted scenes you see her fighting the wights with the dagger Arya gave her... 😁
But seriously, what did you expect her to do? She's not a soldier and in a non- Hollywood last season she did what was expected of her. Even Eowyn didn't fight in Helms Deep- she was hidden with the women and children.

In fact the most ridiculous thing in the battle was Daenerys picking up a random Walker sword and suddenly fighting like Brienne.

We’ll have to disagree on that then!

Sorry @Honeyroar but I do disagree with your thoughts on Sansa. Ah well, all the fun of TV shows :D

She was livid that people didn't suggest her for the throne.

Where are you getting that from?

And on another note was her actions and contacts that ensured the Starks could reclaim Winterfell in the battle of the bastards.

I thought they made it pretty clear at the end, that Jon wasn't going to wall, but beyond it to live with the wildlings and Ghost. It was the only place in the series where he seemed to have been actually happy. And I don't think he would ever have gotten over killing Dany, however much it needed to be done - Kings Landing would forever remind him of what he had done. I loved the way they played the theme tune as they were all heading north of the wall - is that the first time we've heard it set to words?

I really like Bran as king! He's clearly not going to be in any way involved in the running of the country, leaving all that to Tyrion and his council. He's really just a figurehead with no real input - much like QE2 - and I think it was the best outcome in terms of 'breaking the wheel' - given Westeros was really not ready for democracy or a peoples vote! Not a threat and therefore not someone needing to be overthrown. And IIRC the thee eyed raven has a long life span, so Westeros is sorted for many years to come.

I loved the final episode. I think I am very much in a minority among people I know though !!

I'd not watched any of the previous seasons but watched series 8 as DP loves it. Like a PP I also saw spoilers of the final 2 episodes and even as a non-fan I thought it was a bit rubbish!

There were some things in the leaks that didn't happen that would have been better than what did happen though. For example, the leak stated that Jamie stabbed Cersei who then took off his face to reveal Arya. That would have been interesting and made use of Arya's whole face wearing thing! The real Jamie died after the fight on the beach in that spoilers.