How It Should Have Ended: The Specific Game of Thrones Edition

MASSIVE! SPOILERS! AHEAD!

If you’re behind on the finale of the TV show (which aired last night), and don’t want to know anything, then don’t read on. If you don’t mind, or if you already know and are here to commiserate, then do go forth. This will be an EPIC rant, protecting no information of a possibly unknown kind. You have been warned.

I’m also sure this is only one of many posts on this topic that will be released this week. Hope you won’t wear out on the screaming too fast.

To say I was disappointed by the series finale of Game of Thrones is beyond an understatement. There should have been plenty of action, much better dialogue, character development that MADE SENSE, and a much BETTER (there’s no other word) ending for a series that we poured our hearts into for 8 seasons.

Now, I admitted recently that I was late to the party on this show, and I’ve spent several months catching up on past seasons, between DVDs and streaming. But after being intensely on the fence about it, one read of the books, and I was hooked, and love for the show developed quickly. So, while I haven’t been involved as long as other fans, believe me, I am still involved.

And this is exactly why, on a scale of 10, my ire is at 14.

For those of us that have been watching through the faithful adaptations of our favorite plots from the books, to witness the show running out of books to follow and doing a pretty good job of creating character arcs that worked afterwards, most of us were a little nervous and pleasantly surprised by season 8 thus far. Starting in season 7, when there really wasn’t anything left from the books to draw on that the showrunners hadn’t already featured, there were many ways it could’ve gone very wrong. But generally the show was still good — or at least okay, and we kept plugging along.

There were even plenty of moments in season 7 that I wanted/needed to see — Dany finally returning home to Dragonstone, Tyrion and Arya making it back to Westeros, the Stark children at last reunited in Winterfell, and ships we weren’t quite sure about — such as Jamie and Brienne — definitely landing on the radar.

And I have to say, as someone who was absolutely not a fan of Cersei Lannister, after what the power-crazy religious fanatics in the Sept put her through, I actually felt a tiny bit sorry for her. And Margery Tyrell went from being the girl we stood behind to fix the corruption in King’s Landing, to a flatout brainwashed hypocrite that deserved to get blown up. This sudden flipflop in characterization was the start of me beginning to worry that the show could be capable of turning accepted facts on a dime…at the drop of a hat.

Therefore, here we come to the downfall of Daenerys Targaryen.

This is the Mother of Dragons, the last of her line, the girl who was supposed to be sitting on the Iron Throne, not in exile half the world away, suffering one hardship and setback after another. We cheered her on for 8 seasons, knowing that not only was she better than the Lannisters, she was better than everybody else who might possibly take the crown. And there were plenty of contenders in the early seasons — after all, it was called the War of the Five Kings. But after the early/tragic/expected demise of Ned Stark, I knew it wasn’t just important enough to beat the Lannisters — we needed someone deserving to rule Westeros.

And Dany was it — she was the orphaned child of the Mad King, the only member of her family to survive (since her own brother, sadly the absolute worst prospect for monarchy — yes, even more than Joffrey — was killed by Dany’s husband). Dany wasn’t just a heroine in the making, she was a symbol of making it through impossible odds, of putting the world to rights. People have literally named their children after this character. She was an inspiration.

We don’t know yet what actually happens to Dany in the books, since the written series isn’t finished. (The author has promised the last publications are finally on the horizon, but no concrete news on release dates has surfaced as of the timing of this post.) But I am positive that whatever George RR Martin puts together for her will be a MILLION times better than what the TV show did.

Last week, we were all shocked when an early surrender at King’s Landing led NOT to Dany triumphantly at last walking up to the Iron Throne and taking her birthright. It led to her, for absolutely no reason at all, opting to burn down the entire city — with all its innocent elderly, women and children inside — and nearly destroy the very building holding the one piece of uncomfortable furniture she’s spent 8 seasons trying to get back to.

HOW in any world does this logically follow the motives of a woman who, on her long quest, freed slaves, saved innocents, forgave trusted advisors who betrayed her, and had promised that she’d limit the casualties in the final war against Cersei?!

Her suddenly going all Mad Queen and Jon Snow having to kill her resulted in the realm being left in chaos.

ALTHOUGH JON SNOW IS THE LOST CHILD OF PRINCE RHAEGAR AND HAS A TOTALLY LEGIT CLAIM TO THE IRON THRONE, AND REALLY ALL HE HAD TO DO WAS REVEAL THIS TO THE WORLD AFTER HE KILLED DANY. The Kingsguard and the Northern Armies would have united behind him, kicking the Unsullied and remaining Dothraki out of their country, and we all know Drogon would have obeyed Jon — because he did in previous episodes, and in the finale, too — so then Jon would’ve been the unbeatable, rally-behind-able King of Westeros, and order is restored. Boom.

To have the Iron Throne simply melted by Drogon is RIDICULOUS, and invalidates the entire series. To have the remaining lords and ladies — even ones who have committed heinous crimes as part of this war (or who haven’t been seen in years) — determine who becomes King is completely irrational in the context of a medieval world that has always operated as a monarchy. The last-minute-plug-for-democracy was just stupid, so out of place and modern-agenda-y that it just pissed me off. And having Samwell Tarly speak such ludicrous words put a stain on this beloved character, adding insult to injury.

And, seriously, seriously, BRAN as King?!?! Are you ******* kidding me?!?! (Yes, feel free to mentally insert rude words at this point — heaven knows that’s what I thought to myself.) That was the last straw for me. The ONLY things that made sense about the ending was Tyrion as Hand of the King (just it was the wrong King), Brienne finishing Jaime’s entry in the book, and Ghost and Jon being reunited.

But everything else…

Arya leaving Winterfell, after HOW MUCH she went through to get back… Sansa not making sure Jon took the throne… Jon ending up back on the other side of the Wall… Bronn on the Council!?!… Cersei not being publicly executed for her crimes… Jaime not returning to Brienne… INSERT RUDE WORDS HERE. LOTS. OF. THEM.

I’m sorry, boy. I truly am. You, Ghost, should be at King Jon’s side in Winterfell, hunting and keeping order over those silly, squabbling Northern lords, and lending your strength vicariously to Tyrion the Hand, holding it all together marvelously in the South. You know who the true King is, that House Stark was meant to become superior, and not scattered, and I bet you would’ve helped Lord Tyrion woo back Lady Sansa as well.