Spoilers Game of Thrones: The Final Season

[Kelthaz]

I didn't hate it, but that was weak. Jon kills Dany, we time skip forward about a month, there's a five minute conversation, and everyone lives happily ever after? Yeah, that's lame. The episode skips over major plot threads and character motivations to wrap everything up in a neat little package. I don't have a problem with where any of the characters ended up (except for Bronn), but the execution was lazy and uninspired.

 

[Charles Phipps]

They should have left Daenerys queen and not had her be a monster.

Or Sansa as Queen.

Bran makes no goddamn sense.

(He should have died luring the Night's King into a trap)

 

[Sketcher]

Bran as king makes a lot of sense to me. From a storytelling perspective, the series and books started with him, and it's only fitting it ends with him. In universe, thanks to his abilities, he's also the one person in a long while who can't be manipulated. Sure, he's cold and detached, but you know who isn't? His hand. Hell, the whole small council is made up of decent (well maybe not Bronn), charismatic people who can unify the peoples of Westeros.

 

[Mr Awe]

Bran as king makes a lot of sense to me. From a storytelling perspective, the series and books started with him, and it's only fitting it ends with him. In universe, thanks to his abilities, he's also the one person in a long while who can't be manipulated. Sure, he's cold and detached, but you know who isn't? His hand. Hell, the whole small council is made up of decent (well maybe not Bronn), charismatic people who can unify the peoples of Westeros.

Bran makes the most sense from the perspective of someone who Tyrion could name that everyone would get behind and thus save himself. There'd be objections to others. Tyrion is politically smart enough to know who everyone could get behind, and he picked that person.

It's hard to imagine Bran actually being effective as King though. He's barely present in the moment! If he didn't have such a good council, I'd be worried about bad things happening on his watch. Although, I guess he's all seeing too--so that helps!

 

[Miss Chicken]

Bran as king makes a lot of sense to me. From a storytelling perspective, the series and books started with him, and it's only fitting it ends with him. In universe, thanks to his abilities, he's also the one person in a long while who can't be manipulated. Sure, he's cold and detached, but you know who isn't? His hand. Hell, the whole small council is made up of decent (well maybe not Bronn), charismatic people who can unify the peoples of Westeros.

Also the lords of the realms will get to elect the new king after Bran which means that it is unlikely anyone too despotic will ever be selected. I guess the North will not get a vote. I am a bit surprise that Dorne did not want independence as well.

 

[Charles Phipps]

Bran as king makes a lot of sense to me. From a storytelling perspective, the series and books started with him, and it's only fitting it ends with him. In universe, thanks to his abilities, he's also the one person in a long while who can't be manipulated. Sure, he's cold and detached, but you know who isn't? His hand. Hell, the whole small council is made up of decent (well maybe not Bronn), charismatic people who can unify the peoples of Westeros.

Bran caring about a kingdom versus the apocalypse seems utterly out of character to me. He is above the Game of Thrones.

Also the lords of the realms will get to elect the new king after Bran which means that it is unlikely anyone too despotic will ever be selected. I guess the North will not get a vote. I am a bit surprise that Dorne did not want independence as well.

It should be noted the Senate approved of all of the Emperors of Rome, including the Mad and genocidal ones.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I didn't hate it, but that was weak. Jon kills Dany, we time skip forward about a month, there's a five minute conversation, and everyone lives happily ever after? Yeah, that's lame. The episode skips over major plot threads and character motivations to wrap everything up in a neat little package. I don't have a problem with where any of the characters ended up (except for Bronn), but the execution was lazy and uninspired.

That's fair. Ultimately, I think it comes back to the biggest mistake D&D have made: Shortening the last two seasons. I think the biggest problems people have had with these last two seasons could have resolved most of their (and some of my own) issues if they hadn't decided to abbreviate the last two seasons. I guess we'll never know.

 

[Charles Phipps]

I think Daenerys derrailment was going to be shit no matter what.

 

[Jax]

loved it.

Nothing more needs saying.

 

[Cyrus]

I like Bran as the King. He was my choice too. And probably the only king who would let the North be independent without a fight.

I felt for Tyrion when he mourned over Jaime's dead body.

No new episode next week (sad), but we get a 2 hour documentary (The Last Watch) about making of the 8th season.

I think Daenerys derrailment was going to be shit no matter what.

Agreed. Some people hitched their wagon to her long ago. And any ending but her becoming the queen was going to be a disappointment for them. It wouldn't have made much difference if they spend more time showing this derailment.

 

[FreezeC77]

Honestly, in some ways saying Bran should be King because he is the storyteller who knows the most stories kinda sounds like a writer tooting their own horn a bit.

 

[jenji120]

It was a fairly decent wrap-up, with a few glaring items that bugged me. I didn't like the ham-handed attempt at lecturing us on Democracy, nor did I like Bran becoming King. Queen Sansa was excellent and Jon and Arya's endings suits me just fine.

I'm left wondering why Jon didn't get torched by the dragon. I didn't see a clue in that, except the dragon deliberately didn't burn Jon and they made a big deal of him melting down the iron throne. Do we suddenly have some sort of dragon sentience? Not sure I understand that part, but flying off into the sunset with Dani was fitting.

If you read the other GRRM books (they deal with House Targaryen and the dragons more in depth) it makes sense and it also makes sense in context of the connections the Houses have to their animals/totems that's laid out in the main books. A dragon would no more harm a Targaryen than a Direwolf would harm a Stark and Jon is both.

It's not really addressed on the show but Jon wouldn't have been able to get near, let alone ride, any of the dragons had he not been a Targaryen.

 

[Cyrus]

Oddly, it's still not listed with a title on HBO Now. Soooo weird, this withholding the episode titles policy.

The actual title of the last episode was "The Iron Throne".

 

[Xerxes82]

On the whole, I really liked this. I was, once again, almost completely wrong about everything that happened in it, save perhaps Jon's ending. Though my reasoning was completely crap.

I was surprised how quiet they went with this. I shouldn't have been, after the bombast of last week, but I was. I thought they hit a number of excellent beats here. Sansa gets a fantastic moment at the final council, the final choice for who rules the Six Kingdoms is inspired, Jon gets the happiest ending imaginable given the circumstances. Only Arya left me scratching my head. I don't get her ending, it felt really out of left field. But she gets to go on adventures, so there's that.

Brienne as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard was a beautiful moment, seeing her write in the book to fill in Jaime's deeds. I might have wanted to dwell on that a bit longer, but she ends up being his greatest and most lasting legacy. Fitting, if bittersweet.

The final parallel between Jon and Jaime was beautifully executed. I honestly hadn't thought of it like that, and I should have.

My favorite moment of the entire episode is Drogon. Watching him reduce the Iron Throne to molten slag and then just go. It's honestly the ending I was expecting for Jon, but it works so much better for the dragon.

And, when all is said and done, we finally get Azor Ahai revealed. Jon all along, plunging his blade into the heart of his beloved to save the world.

It wasn't perfect. It felt rushed in a number of places, as so much of this final season has. But it was surprisingly well done.

 

[Mr Awe]

That's fair. Ultimately, I think it comes back to the biggest mistake D&D have made: Shortening the last two seasons. I think the biggest problems people have had with these last two seasons could have resolved most of their (and some of my own) issues if they hadn't decided to abbreviate the last two seasons. I guess we'll never know.

I'd agree with that. They just needed a handful of more episodes. I'm guessing HBO didn't allow them to probably for budgetary reasons. But, not sure.

 

[Mr Awe]

Agreed. Some people hitched their wagon to her long ago. And any ending but her becoming the queen was going to be a disappointment for them. It wouldn't have made much difference if they spend more time showing this derailment.

I agree, but it is so ironic. Those viewers are essentially people like Jorah who never saw through her. Even Tyrion and Jon who were both besotted with her, *eventually* saw through her. It took the destruction of a city to get Tyrion to realize. That wasn't enough for Jon though, he needed the extra pep talk from Tyrion to be convince. Seeing the ruins of the city and dead kids wasn't enough!

So, the fact that people are moaning about it still, even after the ample foreshadowing, is both hysterical and sad. That's the whole freaking point of her story!

 

[Brolan]

Bran as king is a terrible choice in the cutthroat GoT political universe. I give it month before some lord decides it's not fair the the Starks both get to be a king AND the North gets to be an independent kingdom. Plus if the North is independant, why not his lands? Also Bran is a weakling anyway and detached from reality and lacking in charisma so THEY would obviously be a better choice for king. The bloody cycle continues.

 

[Mr Awe]

Bran as king is a terrible choice in the cutthroat GoT political universe. I give it month before some lord decides it's not fair the the Starks both get to be a king AND the North gets to be an independent kingdom. Plus if the North is independant, why not his lands? Also Bran is a weakling anyway and detached from reality and lacking in charisma so THEY would obviously be a better choice for king. The bloody cycle continues.

That is a concern for a weak King. But he does have an excellent circle of friends in his council to draw on--Tyrion will be excellent for protecting the King from political traps while Brienne will be excellent for protecting the King physically.

But, yeah, it's not going to be perfect. You saw Bronn there trying to debase things from the beginning of the new start.

 

[jenji120]

^^Bran was all like I want nothing to do with being Lord of Winterfell and then when he's at King's Landing and Tyrion asks him to be king he's all "why do you think I'm here!" lolwut?!

Bran = Littlefinger Reborn

 

[Xerxes82]

Bran as king is a terrible choice in the cutthroat GoT political universe. I give it month before some lord decides it's not fair the the Starks both get to be a king AND the North gets to be an independent kingdom. Plus if the North is independant, why not his lands? Also Bran is a weakling anyway and detached from reality and lacking in charisma so THEY would obviously be a better choice for king. The bloody cycle continues.

Except Bran can see them coming. The utter irony of him calling for a Master of Whisperers at the Small Council meeting made me laugh out loud. He's the greatest spy in the history of the races of men. It doesn't matter when you plot against him, he can see it. It doesn't matter where you plot against him, he can see it.

And I'm not sure he's as weak as you think. He knew Theon was going to die, but let it happen. Because the larger goal was served by Theon's death. Bran USED Hodor shield his own escape. Hodor didn't make a choice, he was compelled against his own self interest. By a magic so powerful that it literally warped his ENTIRE PERSONALITY across time and space. Bran is not averse to moving pawns.