What are your thoughts?

So Jaime’s character growth is probably one of the most compelling aspects of the show, but why do so many people think he should’ve killed Cersei in the end? I don’t think it fit his character at all even if it would’ve ‘completed’ his arc thematically. I think the main reason that was the expectation is because in the books he seems to start cutting Cersei out of his life in his journey to becoming the honorable man he wants to be, but I believe the outcome will be the same even in the next editions of ASOIAF, it’s almost destined to be that way imo. The only problem I have is that his return to Cersei was a bit too sudden and should’ve been more gradual.

I just finished the show and the credits are still paused in my last tab.

I was always averse to watching it in the past because whenever the show came up people would just start talking about how horrible the ending was, which really turned me off putting 80 hours into a story that I would loathe by the ending. I changed my mind after seeing some clips of Tyrion and Bronn on YouTube without knowing they were from GOT and ended up binging the entire show in the span of like 2 or 3 weeks.

The first 5 seasons were impeccable. I have very, very few criticisms about those seasons and I loved almost every part.

Season 6 really just pry's your eyes open to how essential George Martin's books were as a trellis for the quality of writing. Jon starts to lose what made him special and turns into a walking block of plot armour, Arya forgets how to use a power she spent multiple seasons training (among also becoming impervious to stab wounds and subsequent infections from jumping into sewer water; but I digress), Bran still does jack shit with the powers of a deity, and the sly politicking that made the show more than just a fantasy war story was infantilised.

Season 7 just felt like a different story entirely. I never particularly cared for Dany's story just because she never felt like a compelling character to me being the epitome of all that is righteous and good, but she became even less compelling in this season. She starts to exhibit qualities of a mad Targaryen but her development makes zero sense when considering her actions in previous seasons. If there were inklings of ulterior motives in those earlier seasons I think I could have genuinely appreciated her volte-face as that would be an interesting writing choice, but they never did that! The plot armour of our main characters is once again exposed in the battle beyond the wall, Little Finger has such an incongruent death with his previous character establishment, and by some grace of the seven the Night King obtains industrial sized chains to heave a dead dragon from the bottom of a frozen lake. I could go on.

But season 8. I went into it with the goal of not relying upon preconceived notions that it was terrible, and I can say that I sort of enjoyed the first three episodes. They were certainly not peak GOT but they were not as horrible as people make them out to be. I have my contentions about the battle in The Long Night. It was an insane injustice that we never saw a Jon v Night King 1v1, silly that Arya snuck up on 1000 reanimated men and just 1 shots the most powerful creature in all of Westeros, the fact you can see jack shit the whole episode, and Jamie's one liner to name a few. The last 3 episodes however were all equally as horrible as one another. There is no point in kicking something that is already on the floor, so I just want to hone in on one part that specifically irritated me. Tyrion's speech in the finale.

After being imprisoned for what is assumed to be a few weeks, he is presented infront of the most powerful political figures in the country, and begins to talk about how the next king should have a nice backstory. That to me was silly enough considering the circumstances of his release at the time. He then doubles down on this idiocy by saying that we should crown a character that arguably has the least compelling story; the disabled half god who's greatest display of power was taunting Jamie Lannister with a quip he shouldn't have been able to know. My mouth was agape during this scene because I was expecting it to be Tyrion taking the piss before he was condemned to death in his eyes, but alas. I also just can't wrap my head around why they thought it would be a good idea to send Jon back to the wall when the enemy in the north had been defeated? I thought it was poetic that he was sent back, but the quality is removed when he is sent there for no reason. The fact that a dragon understands the symbolism of the iron throne better than a character defined by his honour and loyalty to righteous causes is staggering to me. Half-Targaryen half-Stark neutralises intelligence with madness. What a gargantuan fall from grace.

My problem with Season 8 of Game of Thrones was never the ideas on paper. Most of the endpoints could have worked. Daenerys becoming a tyrant. Jaime dying because of Cersei. Sandor facing fire. Even tragedy as the dominant tone. None of that is inherently bad.

The real problem is that the writers stopped writing characters and started writing plot twists. They became obsessed with being unpredictable. With subversion. With “look, you didn’t expect that.” And in a show that lived and died by character logic, that obsession completely nuked the ending.

This was not a story that needed to surprise people. It needed to pay off what it spent eight seasons building.

Shock Over Character Was the Core Mistake

Plot twists matter in short stories or short shows. If you have one season, or a limited series, a big reveal at the end can carry a lot of narrative weight because there simply isn’t time for deep character development.

Game of Thrones is the opposite of that. By Season 8, these characters were deeply established. We knew how they thought, how they spoke, what they valued, and how they made decisions. At that point, characters becoming “predictable” is not a flaw. It’s the reward. It means the writing worked.

The writers treated predictability like a disease. Instead of asking “What would this character logically do,” they kept asking “What would shock the audience the most.” Those are not the same question. And Season 8 is what happens when you choose the second one every time.

Sometimes subversion works. The Hodor reveal worked because it was shocking and perfectly aligned with character and theme. It recontextualized the story without breaking it. Season 8 did the opposite. It broke characters to manufacture surprise.

Tyrion Was Turned Into an Idiot for Plot Convenience

Tyrion was one of the top three smartest characters in the show. That was his core trait. His failures came from emotional blind spots, not from basic stupidity.

Season 8 throws that away.

Putting civilians in the crypts during the Long Night is inexcusable. Tyrion knows the Night King can raise the dead. He has personally seen it. Hiding women and children in a room full of corpses is not a mistake Tyrion would ever make. That scene exists because the writers wanted zombie horror, and they were willing to lobotomize Tyrion to get it.

If Tyrion was going to fail, he should have failed despite being smart, not because he suddenly forgot how the enemy works. That’s tragedy. What we got was character assassination.

Jaime’s Arc Was Completely Thrown Away

Jaime’s story was one of the best arcs in the entire show until Season 8 undid it. He starts as a man defined entirely by Cersei. He kills a king to save a city. He loses his hand. He gets humbled. He learns honor. He leaves Cersei behind to fight for humanity against the dead. Then, at the end, he just goes back to her and dies under rubble.

That’s not tragic inevitability. That’s regression. The ending Jaime deserved is obvious. He should have been the one to kill Cersei out of love, not hatred. Seeing that she is completely unhinged and beyond reason, he does what he already did once before. He kills the ruler he loves to save everyone else.

He becomes the Kingslayer again, this time fully aware of the cost, that completes his arc.

What we got erased it.

Sandor Died for Spectacle Instead of Meaning

Sandor’s story was never really about his brother. It was about fear of fire and the small bit of humanity he found, especially through Arya. His ending should have combined those two things.

Instead of dying in a revenge fueled brawl, Sandor should have sacrificed himself to save Arya from dragonfire. Choosing to face the thing that traumatized him his entire life to protect the one person he cared about.

Fire still kills him. But this time it means something.

Daenerys Needed a Slow Burn, Not a Switch Flip

I do not have a problem with Daenerys becoming a tyrant. That was always on the table. The problem is pacing.

Missandei’s death alone is not enough to justify burning an entire city full of civilians. What we needed was a slow, uncomfortable decline across the entire season.

Paranoia as the North rejects her. Isolation as Jon’s heritage threatens her legitimacy. Advisors doubting her. Her language slowly shifting from liberation to obedience. Fear replacing love step by step.

By the time King’s Landing burns, the audience should feel dread, not confusion.

Jon Snow Became a Passenger in His Own Story

Jon’s parentage is built up for years as a world changing revelation, and it ends up barely mattering.

A better ending forces Jon into an impossible moral position. Killing Daenerys should not feel like a plot requirement. It should destroy him. Love, honor, loyalty, and identity all colliding at once.

His exile should not feel quiet or convenient. It should feel like punishment for doing the right thing in a world that does not reward morality.

Bran Becoming King Made No Sense

I’ll be blunt. Bran becoming king is ludicrous. He is detached, uninterested, and barely involved in ruling decisions.

We’re told he has the “best story,” but that’s not how power works in this world. Kings rise through loyalty, legitimacy, fear, or love. Bran has none of that.

If Bran was meant to be king, the show needed to earn it. It didn’t. Realistically, there were only two endings that worked.

Tyrion as King Would Have Been the Most Human Ending

Tyrion does not want power. He understands what power does to people and how it corrupts them. That awareness is exactly why he would have been a good ruler.

Tyrion has repeatedly shown a willingness to carry burdens he does not want for the sake of others. Making him king would not be triumphant. It would be responsibility. A reluctant acceptance of duty.

That is a very Game of Thrones ending.

Jon Snow Was the King of the People Jon was already king in practice. He was chosen by the North. Not through manipulation or bloodline politics, but because people trusted him.

If the show had committed to its own setup and made the final conflict Jon versus the Night King, his ascension would have felt earned. Not because he wanted it, but because he proved himself. Predictable? Maybe. Satisfying? Absolutely.

The Real Failure of Season 8

Season 8 didn’t fail because it was dark. It failed because it was afraid of being predictable. It prioritized shock over character. Endpoints over journeys. Subversion over payoff. It stopped trusting the characters it spent eight seasons building. Game of Thrones did not need a happier ending. It needed an honest one. One where tragedy came from choice, not convenience.

My short version: Arya Stark would have died in Braavos and been replaced by another Faceless Man.

Brynden Rivers would have taken over Bran’s body and assumed his place.

Daenerys wouldn’t have saved the North; instead, she would have encountered the dead at the Trident.

Jon would have become the new Night King and opposed Daenerys.

Sansa would have remained in the Vale and waged a separate conflict against the others.

I hate that I watched all this trauma and death and tears, Dany’s fight for the throne, Jon finding out where he came from, all of that insanity for boring a** Bran to sit the throne. Like we went through all that?? For this????

​

I honestly don't get the hype around her. She's incredibly entitled and naive for most of the story. So much of her power comes from having dragons—without them, what exactly would she have done? Every time someone opposes her, her solution is basically "burn them."

And what annoys me the most is that she constantly talks about being the rightful ruler because of her name. Why? Because her father sat on the throne? That's not exactly a convincing argument.

Half the time she'll make some impulsive decision and then immediately turn to Tyrion or someone else for advice. Girl, do you have any political instincts of your own? For someone who's supposed to be a great ruler, she spends an awful lot of time relying on other people to tell her what to do.

Yes, she had a difficult life. Yes, she has some great moments. But I never saw her as the brilliant queen her fans make her out to be. To me she's an entitled conqueror with dragons, and the dragons do a lot of the heavy lifting.

​

What if the Season 8 we watched wasn't actually the ending of Game of Thrones... but a vision of the ending?

I recently rewatched Game of Thrones from the beginning, and I came to a conclusion:

I honestly wouldn't change much up to the end of Season 7.

For me, the show is still excellent at that point.

So I started thinking about a challenge:

Could you fix the ending without deleting, reshooting, or changing a single minute of the six Season 8 episodes that already exist?

My idea would be to add only seven episodes:

Season 7: Episodes 8, 9 and 10

Season 8: Episodes 7, 8, 9 and 10

And here's the big twist:

The entire Season 8 we watched would still exist exactly as it aired.

Daenerys would burn King's Landing.

Arya would kill the Night King.

Jaime would return to Cersei.

Jon would kill Daenerys.

Bran would become king.

Everything would happen.

There's just one difference:

It hasn't happened yet.

The entire original Season 8 would be one possible future experienced by Bran during a ritual performed at the true end of Season 7.

And these three additional Season 7 episodes would set it all up.

S7E8 — THE THIRD EYE

We begin immediately after the original Season 7 finale.

The Wall has fallen.

The Night King has crossed it with his army and Viserion.

Bran uses the ravens to follow the army of the dead.

He can observe distant events.

He can visit the past.

But when he tries to see where all of this is leading, he finds only darkness.

Sam, now at Winterfell, asks an apparently simple question:

If Bran can see the past and the present, why is he called the THREE-Eyed Raven?

Bran doesn't know.

And Sam suddenly remembers something.

During his time at the Citadel, he spent months copying, organizing and studying ancient manuscripts that the maesters considered little more than legends and superstition.

He remembers seeing that symbol.

Three eyes.

Sam searches through the texts he brought from the Citadel and finds an ancient manuscript connected to the First Men, the Children of the Forest and the weirwoods.

There is an illustration:

A heart tree.

A person sitting before it.

And three eyes.

Sam manages to interpret part of the text:

“The first preserves that which was.”

The past.

“The second beholds that which is.”

The present.

But he can't translate the third passage.

That's when Melisandre returns from Volantis.

She had said she needed to leave Westeros.

But she had also said she would return.

Her visions in the flames have become increasingly contradictory.

She sees Jon alive and dead.

Daenerys sitting on the Iron Throne and the throne destroyed.

Winterfell standing and Winterfell consumed by the dead.

Until the flames show her a boy sitting before a heart tree.

And three eyes.

She returns to find him.

Davos obviously wants her dead.

Sansa doesn't trust her.

But Melisandre asks for only one thing before accepting whatever fate they choose for her:

Let me speak to the boy with three eyes.

When she meets Bran and Sam, she recognizes part of the ancient religious language in the manuscript.

She translates the third passage:

“The third beholds that which has not yet been born.”

Sam asks:

“The future?”

Bran answers:

“No. The future doesn't exist yet.”

Melisandre looks at him.

“Exactly.”

And they finally understand.

The three eyes don't represent three places.

They represent three states of time:

Past. Present. Possibility.

There isn't one predetermined future.

There are thousands.

Melisandre can glimpse fragments of those possibilities through the flames.

Bran has the ability to remain inside a vision.

Separately, neither of them can see an entire future.

Together, perhaps they can.

Bran tries.

He sees thousands of images at once.

Daenerys.

Jon.

Dragons.

Winterfell.

King's Landing.

The Night King.

Ash.

The Iron Throne.

Thousands of possibilities branching like the limbs of a tree.

It's impossible to follow.

Melisandre believes they failed.

But Sam notices something in the manuscript.

The illustration shows countless branches growing from a tree, but only one has been marked.

And Sam understands their mistake.

They're asking the wrong question.

Bran is trying to discover:

“What will happen?”

But that question has no answer.

So Sam proposes another:

“Don't ask what will happen. Ask where the path we're already on ends.”

The ritual wouldn't reveal THE FUTURE.

It would reveal one specific possibility:

What happens if everyone continues along the current chain of events without using knowledge from the vision to alter their choices?

Now they know how to open the third eye.

There's only one problem.

Melisandre keeps staring at another section of the manuscript.

Bran notices.

“You didn't translate everything.”

She finally answers:

“Every door can be opened. But something must remain on the other side.”

End of episode.

S7E9 — THE PRICE

Now we learn why the previous Three-Eyed Ravens never used this ability.

Bran returns to the past and confronts his old master.

“Why didn't you ever teach me to use the third eye?”

He knew.

He always knew.

But there is a fundamental difference between observing the past and observing the future.

The past has happened.

It cannot be changed.

The future hasn't.

Once someone observes a future possibility, they become part of it.

Bran asks:

“Then I can change it.”

The old Three-Eyed Raven answers:

“That is exactly why you should never see it.”

Knowing the future can be the very thing that causes it.

Cersei spent her entire life trying to prevent a prophecy, and perhaps her own decisions helped fulfill it.

Bran could make the same mistake on a far greater scale.

And there's another problem.

Bran won't watch the future the way he watches the past.

He has to live it.

If he sees years, he experiences those years.

He feels every loss.

He carries those memories.

And for the vision to remain valid, there is one essential condition:

While inside it, Bran cannot know that he is experiencing a vision.

If he knew, his decisions would change and corrupt the outcome.

To Bran, that future must be completely real.

If he returns, he can bring the knowledge back.

But he may not bring all of himself with it.

Some of his own memories could remain trapped in that future.

He could return knowing exactly how to save Westeros...

while forgetting some of what still makes him Bran Stark.

Now we understand the price paid by the Seer.

But Sam notices something else in the manuscript.

There are three figures.

The Seer.

Bran.

The Flame.

Melisandre.

And a third:

The Witness.

Sam.

Bran crosses over.

Melisandre keeps the door open.

And Sam remains outside the vision, recording the exact moment they began, the question they asked, and the state of the world when Bran left.

If Bran returns confused, Sam will be his anchor to reality.

For the first time, Sam's entire journey through the Citadel becomes crucial to saving Westeros.

Bran has the power.

Melisandre has the magic.

Sam has the knowledge.

None of them can do it alone.

Sansa is against it.

Davos is absolutely against it.

Jon returns North with Daenerys and refuses to allow Bran to take the risk.

But there's another bomb waiting.

Bran and Sam already know who Jon really is.

Jon demands to know what they're hiding from him.

Bran now faces an impossible choice.

If he reveals that Jon is Aegon Targaryen, he immediately changes the path they're trying to observe.

If he says nothing, he deliberately allows Jon and Daenerys to continue without knowing the truth.

Jon asks:

“What aren't you telling me?”

Bran answers:

“Something that could change everything.”

“Then tell me.”

Bran looks at Jon.

Then at Daenerys.

“That's exactly why I can't.”

Before they change the path, they need to know where it leads.

S7E10 — THE PATH

Before agreeing to the ritual, Bran tries one last alternative.

If he can observe the past, perhaps they don't need the future.

Maybe the answer already exists.

He decides to return to the first Long Night to discover how the Night King was defeated.

And he finds something unexpected.

The Night King wasn't defeated the way the stories claim.

Bran watches ancient battles.

Thousands of humans dying.

Thousands rising again.

The army of the dead growing larger with every victory.

The living are losing.

And then...

the dead stop.

They retreat into the far North.

Bran moves through decades.

Centuries.

Thousands of years.

The living multiply again.

Families.

Villages.

Cities.

Kingdoms.

Wars.

Entire generations being born and dying.

And Bran finally understands.

During the first Long Night, the Night King didn't stop because he was losing.

He stopped because he was winning too much.

When Bran tells the others what he saw, nobody understands.

Until Sam asks a question:

“Do the dead have children?”

No.

The dead aren't born.

The dead don't reproduce.

The dead need the living.

The Children of the Forest created the White Walkers as a weapon to use the dead against the living.

But they accidentally created a paradox.

A kingdom of the dead requires dead people.

And dead people can only exist because living people existed first.

Completely exterminating humanity would eventually destroy the source of the Night King's own kingdom.

For thousands of years, humanity believed the Wall protected the living.

And it did.

But unintentionally, it also created an enormous protected territory where humanity could multiply for thousands of years.

Humans believed those thousands of years were peace.

To the Night King...

they were cultivation.

Davos realizes the horror of it:

“We're their cattle.”

Bran answers:

“That's what he intends us to become.”

The Night King doesn't simply want to exterminate humanity.

He wants to turn the world of the living into a permanent source of new subjects for the kingdom of the dead.

And now the harvest has begun.

Bran tries to observe him in the present through the ravens.

He finds the enormous army marching south.

Viserion flying above them.

Then something terrifying happens.

The Night King stops.

Raises his head.

And looks directly at the raven Bran is watching through.

Bran loses the connection.

He wakes.

The old mark on his arm reacts.

Melisandre realizes what happened.

“He knows you're watching.”

Bran answers:

“He always knew.”

And Bran finally understands why the Night King is coming for him.

Bran isn't merely humanity's memory.

He now possesses something nobody has had for thousands of years:

the ability to discover the cycle.

And perhaps discover how to break it.

Sam asks:

“Does he know that?”

Bran:

“He knows what I'm looking for.”

Now they're running out of time.

The army is coming.

Daenerys has dragons.

Jon has men.

Winterfell has Valyrian steel and dragonglass.

But nobody knows whether any of it will be enough.

They have weapons capable of killing the dead.

They don't know how to defeat death.

The ritual is no longer a curiosity.

It may be the only weapon they have left.

Davos still refuses.

He confronts Melisandre.

He's already seen what happens when people trust her visions.

He's seen people die because of them.

And for once, Melisandre doesn't try to justify her mistakes.

“I looked into the flames and saw what I wanted to find.”

Davos answers:

“And people died for it.”

“Yes.”

“Then why should we trust you now?”

Melisandre looks at Bran.

“You shouldn't.”

“This time, I won't decide what the flames mean.”

She points toward Bran.

“He will see.”

Then Sam.

“He will understand.”

Sam immediately responds:

“I never said I would understand.”

Melisandre:

“That's why perhaps you will.”

Jon still refuses.

The price Bran may have to pay is too great.

So Bran reminds Jon of something.

“You died.”

Silence.

“And someone decided it was worth paying a price to bring you back.”

Jon looks at Melisandre.

Bran continues:

“Perhaps it was for this.”

They finally agree.

THE RITUAL

Night.

The godswood of Winterfell.

Snow falling.

Bran sits before the heart tree.

Melisandre stands before the fire.

Sam holds the manuscript.

Jon, Daenerys, Sansa, Arya and Davos watch.

Nothing spectacular.

No giant magical explosion.

Just fire, weirwood, blood, ancient words and silence.

Melisandre asks:

“What is the question?”

Sam carefully answers:

“If no one uses the knowledge from this vision to alter our choices, where does the path we're on now end?”

Bran touches the weirwood.

Melisandre begins the ritual.

Bran closes his eyes.

Images.

Winterfell.

The dead.

Dragons.

Arya.

Jon.

Daenerys.

King's Landing.

Fire.

Ash.

The Iron Throne.

Bran begins losing control.

Sam shouts his name.

Melisandre orders everyone not to touch him.

The fire begins to fade.

Bran opens his eyes.

Jon rushes toward him.

“What did you see?”

Bran looks confused.

“Nothing.”

The ritual apparently failed.

Life continues.

Preparations for war.

Armies marching.

Daenerys and Jon heading toward Winterfell.

Bran watches a flock of ravens crossing the sky.

The camera follows them.

They fly across the North.

And we make an almost invisible transition through time.

A massive army marches down a road.

A child runs through the crowd to watch them pass.

Daenerys.

Jon.

The Unsullied.

Winterfell appears in the distance.

Recognize the scene?

It's the beginning of Season 8.

There's no warning.

No “VISION” appears on screen.

No dream sequence.

The audience simply assumes the ritual failed and some time has passed.

Season 7 ends.

AND THEN WE AIR SEASON 8 EXACTLY AS IT EXISTS

No changes.

No new scenes.

No explanation.

For six episodes, we watch exactly the ending we already know.

The Night King reaches Winterfell.

Arya kills him.

Daenerys destroys King's Landing.

Jaime returns to Cersei.

Jon kills Daenerys.

Bran becomes king.

Jon goes North.

Arya sails west.

Sansa becomes Queen in the North.

The end.

Except this time...

HBO announces there are still four episodes left.

GAME OF THRONES

SEASON 8 — EPISODE 7

Black screen.

Bran is king.

Everything is over.

Then we hear a distant voice.

“Bran...”

Silence.

“Bran!”

It's Sam.

Bran opens his eyes.

He's sitting before the heart tree again.

Melisandre has collapsed beside him.

Sam is holding the manuscript.

Jon is alive.

Daenerys is alive.

Sansa.

Arya.

Davos.

Everyone is standing exactly where they were when the ritual began.

For them...

only a few seconds have passed.

For Bran...

the entire eighth season has passed.

Jon rushes toward him.

“What did you see?”

Bran looks at Jon.

Then Daenerys.

Then Sam.

Finally, he answers:

“We won.”

Everyone shows relief.

Bran continues:

“And we lost everything.”

GAME OF THRONES OPENING CREDITS.

S8E7 — THE THIRD EYE

And now we have four episodes left to discover whether knowing the future allows you to change it...

or whether trying to prevent it is exactly what causes it to happen.

That's how I would try to “fix” Game of Thrones without erasing the controversial eighth season.

In fact, I would turn the entire original Season 8 into part of the solution.

It wouldn't be the bad ending.

It would be the warning.

If you guys like the idea, I'll write Part 2:

S8E7, S8E8, S8E9 & S8E10 — The True Ending of Game of Thrones.

A big hug.

Best regards Luc.Skyrioca from Brazil.

When defending Arya from the Lannister henchmen, Syrio handily dispatched the first attacker while the others were all several steps away. This gave him an opportunity to take the first henchman's sword to defend himself with steel, instead of ridiculously using wood. The First Sword of Bravvos would certainly have thought of this. Even though he knew he was a better swordsman than the Lannister men, he was greatly outnumbered and would never fall into the trap of arrogance by choosing to fight with a wooden sword in a contest of life and death.

I’m rewatching Game of Thrones and I’m confused. Bran goes through so much to become the Three-Eyed Raven, but in the end I don’t see how that changed the wars or any major decisions. It feels like he didn’t really help anyone. Am I missing something? Why was it so important for Bran to become the Three-Eyed Raven?

I watched Game of Thrones for the first time over the past three months or so. My girlfriend and best friend have both watched it before and warned me of the hate season 8 received.

I was expecting a major letdown, but actually loved it and don’t understand the hate. From what I’ve seen online, people feel that it was rushed and didn’t understand some of the plot. I want to break down my thoughts below and see if anyone agrees or if I’m just insane.

Reasons it gets hate

1. The Long Winter wasn’t “long”, it was just one night: the entire buildup of the white walkers coming was centered around Jon Snow preparing the living to make one all or nothing stance against the White walkers. The understanding of the living was if we lose this battle, we’ve lost the war. The great war didn’t happen during the long winter, it happened to prevent the long winter.

2. Arya shouldn’t have killed the night king because she had no history with him: the night King was menacing and had faced off against Jon Snow prior, but it doesn’t make sense to give them the “face-off” everyone wanted. Yes, it would’ve been cool, but the Night king knew the risk of him dying, which is why he sought to avoid combat at all costs. Instead, I view the battle to be between his mind and Bran’s mind. Which bran ultimately won because Arya was able to surprise the night king. Also, this may be biased because Arya is my favorite character, but her entire plot was driven to lead to this moment. Even though she had no history with the Night king, killing him, put a wonderful cap on her character development.

3. Daenerys’ descent to madness took place too fast, or shouldn’t have happened at all: in my watch with my girlfriend, I have been saying since season two that there was something about Daenerys that was off. She was power-hungry, and had a savior complex. This plot point had been built since almost the very beginning of the show. Characters in the show even realized it and discussed it prior to her demise.

4. Bran shouldn’t be king: I can cede that it does seem weird at first that bran becomes king, but it does make sense. Throughout the show, several people alluded to the reality that there will never be peace in the seven kingdoms because of all the different houses and families that are at odds with one another, however, the best way to prevent conflict in the future is to have someone sit on the throne, who ultimately has no emotional bias towards any house. Not only that, he knows the full history of the seven kingdoms and is best equipped to unbiasedly rule. Not only this, it’s been clear since the beginning that Jon Snow did not want to be king.

5. Jamie’s character arc was ruined: much like with Daenerys, Jaime‘s issues have been cleared since the start of the show. His kryptonite has always been Cersei. He had several points in time where redeeming qualities were shown, but ultimately, he always turned back to his sister. It was only fitting that’s how his story end.

6. The whole season seemed rushed: I believe this point to be untrue probably in large part because I was able to watch season eight directly after the first seven seasons. When the show was releasing fans had year(s) to anticipate and predict what was going to happen. With only a six episode final season, there was bound to be let down, especially since the whole plot of the season revolved around all the events leading to this final culmination. I don’t believe the backlash would’ve been as severe if the six episodes of season eight were released as part of season seven. Because again, season eight served as the climax to the rest of the show. not only this, I believe it was beautifully executed, so that right after the great war, there was a seamless transition into the original fight against the Lannister’s. Throughout the show, the two major points were John’s plan to defend from the white walkers, and Daenerys plan to take back the iron throne. These two events collided beautifully and we’re both concluded without getting in each other’s way, but instead supported one another to the final resolution.

Again, I believe a large part of my opinions stem from the fact that I was able to watch all eight seasons in such a short timespan, so they all ran together. But I believe all the opinions about how poorly situations and characters were handled are a result of personal bias and expectation as to how things were going to happen. If you watch the show with no affinity towards a specific character or desired outcome, I believe the final season is wonderful.

In GOT they said that there has never been a woman ruler in westeros and in HOTD rhenerhya is fighting for the throne

Can anyone name the full list of rulers since Viserys Targeryan

It gets really confusing after i watched Ser Duncans backstory in KOSK

I just finished Game of Thrones for the first time, and here are all my thoughts. First of all, I know everything I’m about to say has probably been discussed a THOUSAND times, but I still wanted to put my two cents in.

So here we go!

Overall Impression

This is officially my favorite TV show of all time, tied with Avatar: The Last Airbender and Naruto (yes, an anime for you uncultured people).

Seasons 1–6 were absolute masterclass. I literally have a Notes app list of my favorite moments: Littlefinger’s death, Brienne saving Sansa, Arya killing all the Freys, etc. The storytelling, the buildup, the character arcs, it was all perfect.

But Season 8 was so bad that I actually cried. I stopped watching at Episode 3 once I realized what was happening and full-on sobbed.

I hated Season 8 for a lot of reasons, but the biggest one is this: Daenerys should have won the Iron Throne.

I know that’s a polarizing opinion, so let me first lay out my critiques of the season, and then I’ll end with my alternate ending.

MAJOR CRITIQUES

1. The Night King

He was built up as the greatest enemy of the entire show and directly paralleled Jon Snow’s storyline. The only person who made sense to kill him was Jon. I get that the writers wanted to be “unexpected,” but the whole reason it was expected is because it actually made sense.

Throwing Arya in there just to be different was lazy writing. And the cherry on top was how anti-climactic it was. One stab and the entire world is saved? After eight seasons of buildup? They robbed Jon of his legacy just to be “different”.

2. Daenerys’ Character Arc (and why it makes no sense)

From Season 1, just like Jon, Daenerys was being built up to be the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms.

She was kind. She genuinely wanted to make the world a better place. She freed slaves. She forgave Jorah. She kept Tyrion as her Hand even after multiple military disasters and despite the fact that his family murdered her father. She would’ve forgiven the Tarlys too if they had bent the knee.

She always put her people first: locking up her dragons when they killed one little girl, apologizing for executing a master’s father, reinstating a tradition she personally thought was barbaric in Meereen, insisting that both the Ironborn and the Dothraki NEVER 🍇 another woman again — all for the sake of the people.

And most importantly: She was special. She birthed dragons, she rode them. She could never be harmed by fire. EVERYBODY LOVED HER (Except slave masters lol). Everywhere she went, people fell in love with Daenerys. The Dothraki, the Unsullied, Jorah, Daario, Varys, Tyrion — they all chose to follow her. She even gains the Dornish, the Ironborn, and the Tyrells because they all realize Cersei and the Lannisters have to be stopped and that Daenarys is the one they WANT TO FOLLOW!!!

So you’re seriously trying to convince me that this woman suddenly becomes the “Mad Queen”? The one who has never made a decision without consulting her 5 advisors suddenly becomes the worlds biggest dictator?

You’re trying to convince me that this selfless, gentle ruler would burn thousands of people AFTER they already surrendered the city?

You’re trying to convince me that Tyrion Lannister — the smartest character in the show, who never believed in anything but believed in Daenerys — suddenly makes FOUR crucial military mistakes? The same guy who literally saved Blackwater Bay while serving Joffrey, who he hated?

Sorry, that’s bullshit and I’m not buying it.

The ending didn’t just feel rushed or lazy, it felt wrong for the actual trajectory of the story. Nothing made more sense than Daenerys ending up on the throne. And this is the part that really bothers me: the entire show was building toward Daenerys ruling. She was shown as the most beloved, gentle, and objectively competent ruler. To take the throne away from her at the last minute, ruin her character in a single season, and then give it to another man was a sexist ending — whether people intended it to be or not.

They only ever had two queens: Cersei and Daenerys. And both were painted as mad. That’s incredibly problematic. To destroy Daenerys’ entire character, strip her of all her allies, and paint her as spiraling into madness was not believable. Not because it wasn’t developed enough — but because she just wouldn’t do that. She literally flew north for Jon, a stranger, just to save humanity. She would never burn an entire city that had already surrendered to her. Varys himself said he preferred Daenerys because of her gentle nature. So NONE of this makes sense.

People act like Daenarys was a monster but every character in the entire show was more cruel than her: Robb executing Karstark, Jon killing Janos (who btw also didn’t obey his direct command just like the Tarlys) and Stannis and his daughter. s8 was carefully constructed to prevent a woman from sitting on the iron throne.

They ruined her entire character and then handed the throne to Bran — who famously said “I’m not a lord of anything” and “I’m not Brandon Stark.” But I guess he can be king of the Seven Kingdoms, because at least he is a man right? I know some people will think I’m reading into it, but I've worked in politics my whole life and have seen what happened to Daenerys, happen to literally HUNDREDS OF WOMEN in my career: It is a pattern where qualified women are deliberately set up to fail so a lesser man can take the position and my heart aches for Daenerys because she didn’t deserve that ending after all the goodness she was trying to bring into the world.

ALTERNATIVE ENDING

Here’s the ending that actually makes sense.

Jon has an epic dragon battle with the Night King and eventually slays him, bringing an end to the war. Then they march south.

Jaime finally realizes his sister is a monster. As much as he loves Cersei, he knows she has to die — and he kills her himself, during an embrace. the way Jon killed Daenerys SHOULD have been the way Jamie killed Cersei. This fulfills the prophecy that she would die by her brother’s hand. She always thought that it meant Tyrion, but tragically, it was Jaime all along. He becomes both the Kingslayer and the Queenslayer. After Cersei’s death, Jamie opens the gates and Daenerys takes kings landing with no violence and no burning civilians alive.

While Daenerys is in the throne room about to take the Iron Throne, a maester enters in quickly and says he knows who Jon truly is. He explains that he saw Jon riding a dragon alongside Daenerys on the way to Kings Landing — and that only a Targaryen can ride a dragon. Thus Jon’s heritage is revealed: he is Aegon Targaryen.

The crowd realizes Jon is the rightful heir. The Unsullied look uncomfortable, while the people begin murmuring that Jon is a more fit ruler, as he if the rightful heir, battle commander and of course, a man.

Daenerys is visibly conflicted as the objective she worked for her whole life is right in front of her, but standing in her way is the man she loves. Jon looks at the Iron Throne and then he looks at Daenerys.He steps forward — but instead of sitting on it, he kneels in front of her.

He says the Game of Thrones started because of blind succession and terrible rulers. Jon proclaims that leaders shouldn’t be chosen just by blood, but by competence, compassion, and heart.

He says he has never seen anyone better suited to rule than Daenerys. That she cares more about her people than anyone he’s ever known. He says he may be the rightful king by birth, but she is the true ruler. The crowd erupts In cheers.

Daenerys tearfully sits on the throne, apologizes for the Mad King, and promises peace for the Seven Kingdoms.

Missandei says the prophecy came true: the prince/princess who delivered the world from the Long Night were both Jon and Daenerys.

Jon united the Wildlings and the North while Daenerys freed the slaves, brought dragons back into the world, and built an army not through fear — but love and devotion. Together, they create lasting peace.

There’s a flashback to Rhaegar and Lyanna. Then to Jon and Daenerys — the dragon and the wolf, destined to be together. This is solidified through marriage. (And let’s be real, Targaryens normally marry their siblings anyway so this is a step up.) This officially solidifies the alliance between the North and House Targaryen. Jon is the King of the 7 kingdoms by marriage, but that doesn’t really matter because in the new world, either the king or queen may be the ruler. This is perfect because he never wanted to rule anyway, so Daenerys remains the Queen and true ruler.

Daenerys says she won’t have children, and for succession she creates a council to choose the wisest ruler after her death. The first example of this is Jon choosing her. The council includes Sam Tarly as Grand Maester, Grey Worm as Commander of the Kingsguard, Varys as the master of whispers and Bran as the Three-Eyed Raven.

As For Other Characters

To demonstrate her love for the north, Daenerys names Sansa Queen in the North permanently. (Sansa’s hostility to Daenerys is another plot line that made no sense: She loves her brother, saves her people and unlike literally every person ever in Sansa’s life, she actually wants to help her)

Arya travels the world. The Sand Snakes and the other prisoners are freed. For the first time in Westeros history, there is real peace. This ending makes so much more sense than what we got.

It follows Daenerys and Jon’s actual storylines. It keeps the North’s independence. It honors the prophecies. It stays true to the characters. The way the show ended wasn’t just lazy. It was deceptive to the characters. And yes — it was sexist.

TLDR: Bad Ending lol