got_finale_fan_review.txt

‘Game of Thrones’ Fans Gripe About the Finale’s Pointy End (and a Water Bottle)

“Game of Thrones” is finally complete. And for many fans, that’s the best that can be said about its final season.

Expectations for Sunday’s finale, “The Iron Throne,” were simultaneously sky high and terribly low — fans have been largely let down by this season’s offerings, but many held out hope that the final installment would bring a satisfying resolution to the various loose ends.

Based on the immediate reaction on social media and by professional critics, the episode offered moments of fan service — Ghost! — but did little to wipe away the problems that have plagued the final season. (It also offered one last apparent continuity error to get raven-eyed watchers riled up, a blink-and-you-miss-it moment you probably didn’t catch on first watch.)

Bran as the king? Him?
For years, guessing who would sit on the Iron Throne — or, at least, who would lead the Seven Kingdoms — at the end of the series has been among the central questions of the show.

So to end up with Bran, who was more memorable for his blank stare than for his one-liner dialogue and was disposable enough to sit out an entire season at one point, registered to some as anticlimactic.

There were arguments to be made for the youngest living Stark: He lacks ego and doesn’t appear to crave power for power’s sake, plus his skills as the Three Eyed Raven seem pretty useful for governance.

Still. Bran? In our recap, Jeremy Egner called him “one of the most unsatisfying characters on the show.”

Did the women of Westeros get shortchanged?
At the dragon pit meeting, quite a few fans were expecting the ascent of Sansa Stark, whose resilience and growth over the course of the show, paired with her experience running Winterfell, made her arguably the most qualified candidate to rule the realm.

Nope. The committee chose the man next to her. The author Roxane Gay noted on Twitter that the show’s creators could “imagine dragons but they can’t imagine a sane, smart woman as ruler of the six or seven kingdoms.”

Some fans saw Sansa’s snubbing as emblematic of the show’s treatment of women, which came under deeper scrutiny after its use of sexual violence in earlier seasons. The small council in King’s Landing was attended by all men except for Brienne of Tarth, whose only other contribution in the finale was recording the history of her male ex-lover, Jaime Lannister.

Sansa got a triumphant final shot as Queen of the North, but to some fans, she and the show’s other female characters deserved more.

“‘Game of Thrones’ was initially built on a premise of subverting established high fantasy tropes, and surely one of the most innate fantasy tropes of all involves the idea that only men are fit to rule,” Aja Romano wrote at Vox. “After a final season that saw two powerful queens reduced, respectively, to going mad and dying whimpering in a cave collapse, the show’s choice to place the future stability of Westeros on a bunch of male shoulders feels deeply regressive and thoughtless.”


Betrayed by the shortened season
Did the final season move too fast? Did the characters’ decisions feel vaguely understandable, but unearned by what you saw on screen?

If you feel that way, you’re far from alone.

While the first six seasons had 10 episodes apiece, the show’s creators, D.B. Weiss and David Benioff, decided to shorten the final two seasons to seven and six episodes, respectively. Writing at The Washington Post, Alyssa Rosenberg said the decision was “a choice that may go down as one of the worst in recent television history.”

Her criticism mirrored a common theme among initial reactions: It wasn’t necessarily the plot turns that were the problem. Rushing toward an ending without fully developing the characters’ motivations was the problem.

“Plenty of developments in ‘The Iron Throne’ landed,” Alison Herman wrote at The Ringer. “They just could have landed much deeper if they’d been preceded by a more meticulous set-up.”

[Here are 9 things we still want to know after the ‘Game of Thrones’ ending.]

Two weeks ago, fans noticed that a modern coffee cup had inadvertently made it onto a table in Winterfell. In the series finale, a plastic water bottle apparently traveled through the same time machine, appearing next to Samwell Tarly’s chair while the leaders of Westeros debated their future.


After the season’s fourth episode, fans were incensed that Jon Snow left Winterfell without petting Ghost. In perhaps the finale’s most satisfying scene, Ghost finally got a scratch behind the ear. Fans were elated.


For a creature that just indiscriminately slaughtered many thousands of people, Drogon was remarkably restrained upon discovering Daenerys had been slain.

“This is quite possibly the smartest dragon in the world, as it inherently understood that it was the corrupting power of the Iron Throne that led to daenerys downfall, and not Jon Snow,” Nate Scott wrote at For the Win. “Or it’s the stupidest dragon in the world, as it saw a knife in daenerys and assumed it was the evil chair made of knives who stabbed her, and then had its revenge.”

One source of widespread agreement: Puberty treated Robin Arryn well, as seen by his brief appearance at the dragon pit.

One unresolved plot hole: Did Brienne make a mess when she closed the book without letting the ink dry?

Is Arya on the same narrative path as Christopher Columbus?

Samwell Tarly seemed to be on his way to inventing representative democracy, until all of the most powerful people in Westeros laughed in his face. It was one of the episode’s few moments of levity.


The much-anticipated final episode of the fantasy drama caused some viewers to declare it ‘atrocious’. But others felt it had flashes of brilliance.

Well, it is over. The show that launched a thousand memes, won 47 Emmy awards, and lasted longer than many marriages, has finished. And reaction has been decidedly mixed.

The eighth season of Game of Thrones has already proved widely unpopular, with more than a million fans signing a petition for a full rewrite. There have been complaints at implausible character arcs, specifically Daenerys’ descent into mass-murderous mania, and the show’s non-white characters getting short shrift.

The final episode, which had a lot of threads to pull together, continued to disappoint some. “I’ve defended it all season but that finale was atrocious. Horrific. A travesty,” wrote journalist Rich Feloni. “The conclusion has no regard for at least three-quarters of all the plot that came before it. And the writing felt at times like a high-school play adaptation. The GoT finale will be a punchline forever. What a shame.”

Among the key criticisms was that the season concluded with an all-too-convenient ending.

Bran getting the throne – albeit obviously not the Iron Throne, which died a fitting death – was not a popular move for a lot of viewers, who didn’t think he had earned it, particularly given Tyrion’s baffling speech about everything really being about “stories” and not, as we have seen over the last eight seasons, about people’s ability to murder one another.

The not-so-subtle references in the episode, especially when Samwell presented Tyrion with a book called A Song of Ice And Fire, came in for some sniping, as did the slow pace, which had multiple moments where chairs were moved slowly, with great meaning.

But not everyone disliked the final episode. In her review, the Guardian’s Lucy Mangan said that the finale “just about delivered. It was true to the series’ overall subject – war, and the pity of war – and, after doing a lot of wrong to several protagonists last week, did right by those left standing.”

Guardian writer Stuart Heritage, who live-blogged the episode, was also positive , writing that it “was a really good episode of television. Still, quiet, reflective. This has always been Game of Thrones’ real strength, not the big buck battle scenes.”

Elsewhere Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun Times described the finale as “satisfying”, while Forbes’ Eric Cain declared that “it was at times brilliant” if quite rushed at others. Finally, somewhere in the middle was CNN’s Brian Lowry, who declared that “overall, it wasn’t a one-for-the-ages finale, held up against the best examples of them and the abundant hype, but it wasn’t an unworthy one either.”






Even if we may have been anticipating Daenerys’ inevitable downfall, Game of Thrones' path forward hasn’t exactly been paved with the most nuanced trajectory, and fans have noticed. daenerys may have made a few missteps of judgment in her time, but it certainly still felt like 0 to 100 (read: genocide) in Game of Thrones’ penultimate episode. And now that the show has had its final chance for a wrap-up, many fans have come away feeling dissatisfied. I mean, Bran, really? Let's take a look at what folks are saying!

The storytelling just didn't hold up at the end at all,” IGN reader tariq319 said. “I'm okay with how the story ended, but the way it was being told just left me completely disappointed.” Reader HillAustinD sees the silver lining of it all: “I feel like after last week’s travesty, this was as good as we could have hoped for.”
According to our own poll results, 43% of those polled (3,221, as of this writing) felt like the ending was satisfying enough, with 38% weighing in on its messiness (currently 2,867 votes). 42% of readers (2,513 votes) felt like Jon should have reigned as King of the seven (six?) kingdoms, with 23% (1,369 votes) feeling O.K. with Bran at the head of the table. I suppose he’s the better choice over Cersei? At the very least, most of us can agree we’re good with Jon being the one to bring an end to daenerys future tyranny, with roughly 63% of readers (3,567 votes) feeling pretty happy with Jon having delivered the final blow.

daenerys has had such vehement support since she decided to step up with aims to take over the throne, both in IRL online conversations as well as in the show. Sadness around her fate has fans feeling like she deserved a better end.

Game of Thrones always shined when we were surprised by story twists, but never in a way that felt like it betrayed characters’ natural progression in the storyline. Many are feeling like Season 8 has been rife with inconsistencies, though.

The stark (ahem) contrast between where we were during Season 1 and Season 8 has people feeling fairly haggard.

In fact, the ending has hit such depressive levels that many would be happier with an arguably worse fate

But, hey, at least we all got that one bit of character redemption for Jon Snow.

Although we never did get the showdown some predicted between Jon Snow and Grey Worm.

Fortunately, we’ve managed to find the real MVP and my personal favorite character now that all is said and done.
Drogon received best character development in this finale—exercising judgement when experiencing blinding anger and grief, destroying the symbol of power and the very source of evil, and choosing to mourn in solitude, now brotherless and motherless.

“I needed Jon and Daenerys relationship and downfall fleshed out more instead of having to use my own imagination to fill in the holes in the writing for that pairing,” Reddit user selladoore said. “That was definitely rushed and it ruined the flow of this last season.”
A need for more episodes to flesh out/sell Season 8’s ending was certainly a theme online: “daenerys death after 8 seasons could not have felt more flat,” Jefrach said. “Just needed more episodes.”

Some people felt like Jon didn’t get a chance to convey his case before his exile. “Jon should have been at the council meeting with Tyrion and been offered the Throne as the rightful heir,” -Teekey- said. “He denies it. He can't be King after what he's done. And Jon is the one to suggest Bran, with Tyrion giving his little speech on why it's a good idea. Jon then goes into exile in the real North.”

Ultimately, many are dissatisfied and perhaps even perplexed by who eventually won the game of thrones. “Can't believe Sam invented democracy and they all laughed, but then they thought ‘Hmm yes, this insane teenager who stares at us all the time...my liege,’” jowilsonks said.




Fans are reacting to the final ever episode of HBO's Game of Thrones, and suffice to say the response to the last few scenes has been "mixed" so far. 

You didn't need Bran Stark's gift of foresight to predict that the last episode would be controversial.

A petition for showrunners to "remake" season 8 has reached a million signatures, after last week’s episode showed Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) follow in her father’s footsteps to become the Mad Queen, killing thousands of innocent civilians in the process.

The controversial plot twist led to Jon Snow (Kit Harington) ending daenerys life in episode six, and watching as her body was carried off by a mourning Drogon – who first destroys the Iron Throne out of rage and grief.

After a meeting of minds between the remaining powers that be, Tyrion suggests that they be the ones who choose the next ruler of the Six (and it is now six, not seven) Kingdoms. 

This leads to Bran being named as king, while Sansa will rule over the North and Jon is sent back to the Night's Watch with the wildlings. Arya decides to go exploring. A reluctant Tyrion is made Hand of the King.

A full review by our critic is on its way, but early reactions to the finale appear to show dissatisfaction with how the pacing became hurried towards the end, and also the individual conclusions for each of the surviving main characters.

daenerys deserved better

Bran doesn't deserve to be king

GOT writers after destroying daenerys and Jaimes characters, giving Cersei a shitty death, giving Bran who didnt do shit the iron throne and completely ruining game of thrones ALL in 6 episodes
So Bran gets to be king, despite the fact that he just put his name on the group project and didn’t do any work. 
TYRION: People love stories. And nobody has a better story than Bran.

JON SNOW, WHO WENT FROM STARK BASTARD TO LORD COMMANDER TO KING IN THE NORTH, WHO WAS LITERALLY KILLED AND RESURRECTED, WHO SLAYED HIS QUEEN/AUNT/LOVER FOR THE GOOD OF THE REALM
TYRION: People love stories. And no one has a better story than Bran

ARYA, WHO LEARNED SHAPE-SHIFTING AND MURDERED THE INVINCIBLE ICE KING OF DEATH: Bran has what now
We went from Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms, the Mother of Dragons, the Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, the Unburnt, the Breaker of Chains...to Bran the Broken 

At least Jon Snow and Ghost have been reunited

My happy ending — Jon Snow and Ghost reunited.


Best scene ever. Jon Snow and Ghost
They heard y’all complaining about Jon Snow not petting Ghost and said 




Worst Episode of the Entire Series
 
The final episode of Game of Thrones on Sunday night left many fans with their jaws on the floor — but not necessarily in a good way.

Despite having arguably the largest cast in television history, there was only a limited amount of players left for the final episode. Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), Jon Snow (Kit Harington), Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham), Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), and Arya Stark (Maisie Williams), Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) and Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) were among the few characters to make it to the end and meet their fate.

The final episode of the award-winning series saw Bran Stark named king after Snow killed daenerys, causing Drogon to burn the Iron Throne to the ground.

Ultimately, The North will remain an independent state ruled by Sansa, and “Bran the Broken” became king of the Six Kingdoms. Jon was sent North of the Wall, Tyrion became hand of the king, Arya went off on her own, and Sam presented the small council with a history book titled, you guessed it, A Song of Ice and Fire.

After taking a moment to process what happened, fans, of course, didn’t hold back their reactions online — and many were disappointed with the way it unfolded.

Many viewers expressed their disappointment in Bran taking the Throne.

“We came all this way for the useless #BranStark to be the new King of Westeros? Let the log show I am displeased,” wrote one Twitter user.

Bran Stark
Best scammer award goes to Bran 
So you’re telling me Bran plotted this entire thing so he gets the throne
We came all this way for useless Bran Stark  to be the new King of Westeros? Let the log show I am displeased

But overall, fans haven’t been happy with the whole season. Despite the major plot developments, viewers were left wanting more from a series that has spent the last eight seasons meticulously building up complex characters.

“So this was very underwhelming,” wrote one fan.

Another dubbed the finale the “worst episode of the entire series.”

“Game of thrones finale is quite possibly the worst finale of a series,” noted another fan.

So this was very underwhelming

Worst episode of the entire series

The closing episode clocked in at a total of 79 minutes, just like “The Bells” last week. The final two episodes tied for the longest running episode of the season, closely behind the third episode, “The Long Night,” which ran for 82 minutes total.

Ahead of the finale, Harington admitted that he expected there to be some mixed reactions to the ending.

“I haven’t watched a single series that has a following like Thrones does where everyone is satisfied with the ending,” he said. “I don’t think that it’ll be any different with this. I think it will divide opinion.”



Game of Thrones is over: Fans react on Twitter, season 8 remake petition passes a million signatures

t’s fair to say that the latest season of Game of Thrones hasn’t pleased everyone. Such is the disappointment felt toward the episodes, some fans have started a petition demanding a complete remake of season eight—and over 1.1 million people have signed it at the time of writing. Then again, the game is over and with it, fans reactions all over. Here are some of the best tweets we could find after the finale aired on HBO.

Drogon understood that the Iron Throne was what killed daenerys

Bronn had a better ending than Jhon snow... Lord of highgardens and new master of coin and didn’t fight any dead walker lol he knew how to play the game 

Drogon destroying the iron throne because he knew King Bran got his own seat

DB Weiss and David benioff you need to be atoned for your laziness

love is the death of duty and sometimes duty is the death of love.

This was bittersweet,he was born dragon but chose to be the wolf.
The lone wolf

And now our watch has ended 

While GoT still retains a 91 percent overall rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the eighth season sits at just 71 percent. The three episodes before the finale—The Long Night, The Last of the Starks, and The Bells—all received some of the worst scores in its eight years on air, with The Bells awarded a ‘Rotten’ rating of 48 percent.

Viewers have complained about the latest episodes destroying years of character development, containing rushed plots, and featuring some poor writing. We've even seen fans abuse Google algorithms to link the search term 'bad writers' to photos of the show's creators.

The Change.org petition organizer believes the problem comes from the fact that the show has passed George R.R. Martin’s books. “David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have proven themselves to be woefully incompetent writers when they have no source material (i.e. the books) to fall back on,” it reads.

"This series deserves a final season that makes sense. Subvert my expectations and make it happen, HBO!" Despite the negativity, a record number of people are watching the final season. HBO said The Bells attracted 18.4 million viewers across all its platforms.

Not everyone dislikes the latest episodes, of course; a lot of viewers are enjoying them. One famous defender is Stephen King, who says part of the problem is that people don’t want any ending.

I've loved this last season of GoT, including Dani going bugshit all over King's Landing. There's been a lot of negativity about the windup, but I think it's just because people don't want ANY ending. But you know what they say: All good things...

With each episode costing around $15 million to create, don’t expect to see a season eight remake—even with the petition fast closing in on its one million signatures target.

Perfect or underwhelming

Game of Thrones is finally over. The season 8 finale brought a fiery end to the on-screen adventures of Daenarys, Jon Snow, Tyrion and the rest of George RR Martin's creations, leaving fans with a lot of feelings.

As we gather around watercoolers and hashtags to discuss the HBO show's ending, here are some of the reactions and opinions being shared in CNET offices around the globe. Was the final episode perfect or underwhelming? Did the right person claim the throne(s)? Was it all about the subtext or the little details? Spoilers to follow...

A game of two halves
By the time we reached the end I was exhausted. The finale itself was an episode of two halves, with the first being remarkably shot and executed. Emilia Clarke -- just give her a thousand awards. daenerys final moments were impeccable. Then she gets stabbed, Drogon thinks the chair killed her (seriously?) and she leaves the show and … everything just goes downhill from there. 

Besides Edmure Tully showing up just to be told to sit down, the back half of this episode was really not satisfying. The wheel, which seemed destined to be broken, ended up just turning a little further, except with one less kingdom to rule over and a slightly different spiky chair. What was all this for? We could have had a succulent Westerosi democracy. Instead, we have Bran the Broken and a runaway dragon.

Hopefully someone takes care of that in the sequel.  

Low-key finale
Well, that was a bit … underwhelming?

I went in expecting a finale with all the punch of the penultimate episode, and instead we got Jon Snow trotting around the Night's Watch again and Bran heading up what was possibly the most low-key cabinet meeting in political history. Although as an editor, mention of a Master of Grammar position almost made the entire snoozer of a session worthwhile.

There were some exciting moments, of course. The makeout session between daenerys and Jon that ended even more awkwardly than the last one. Drogon (who apparently understands symbolism) burning down the Iron Throne that represented so much chaos and bloodshed. But all in all, the episode felt more muted and less emotionally affecting than I had hoped.

Standouts, on the other hand, included Sansa finally getting the crown she deserved -- yassss queen! Seeing Tormund again (call me Tormund?). Ghost getting the nuzzle he should have gotten last week (such a good boy). Brienne making sure Jaime's legacy lived on. And good ol' Tyrion surviving to be a bureaucrat bargaining for brothels and boats.

The perfect ending
I had such little hope for the final episode after the show's collapse last week. I was absolutely ready to be disappointed. But the showrunners pulled it off. I feel complete. 

They managed to layer fulfilling scene upon fulfilling scene: Tyrion throwing the pin of the hand down the stairs. Jon confronting daenerys and being the one to end her life. Drogon annihilating the Iron Throne and flying off with daenerys body. The elite of Westeros choosing Bran as king (though I really never saw that one coming). Sansa declaring the North's independence and becoming queen. Brienne finishing Jaime's story. Sam becoming Grand Maester. Arya heading west on who-knows-what adventure. And Jon playing with Ghost -- hooray!

I also appreciated the moments of humor, such as Sam suggesting democracy and Bronn proposing the rebuilding of the brothels. I am trying to come up with something I hated, and I just can't. It was the perfect ending for me. I can't wait to watch it again.


As good as we could've hoped for
A Song of Ice and Fire ended with the former (Jon Snow) giving the latter (daenerys the dragon queen) exactly what she deserved -- especially after Jaime disappointed us all by failing to do so with his queen.

The first half of the episode was beautifully tense, with the shell-shocked Arya, Jon and Tyrion reflecting how we all felt after last week's horrifying kill-fest. I loved the image of Drogon's wings spreading behind daenerys back, reflecting her demonic nature for a split second -- and looking super cool.

Part two wasn't quite as successful. Wrapping up everyone's plotlines following a few accelerated and mildly disappointing seasons was a tall order and it all felt a bit tired by the end. There was a sense that everyone ended up where they were supposed to be (hi Ghost!), which was satisfying. And that new Dornish prince better build statues honoring Oberyn.

It'll be fascinating to rewatch the whole series and trace Bran's journey to the throne, where he'll undoubtedly spend much of his time warging into Drogon and exploring Old Valyria.

The senseless circle
It should have been a statement greater than any character arc. War and politics are an empty never-ending circle.

Maybe I'm still feeling after-effects of last week's episode. Even though this episode had moments striving for emotion -- and sometimes they got me -- I couldn't help feeling the show's lasting message is that the wheel keeps turning, no matter what. What if everyone died? What if history forgot everyone's names, all the characters we followed for years? Would it be senseless?

A new regime's attempts to make things right, rule wisely and chart bold courses for worlds unknown felt too optimistic for a show filled with chaos. How long would this group last until someone else emerged?

For the characters left, it seemed like they all got the end that perfectly fit. The poetry worked. But that isn't Game of Thrones' usual reality. Plans change. Arcs abruptly end. Courses shift. I didn't want tidy. I wanted a larger-scale sense of history's infinite loops.

Sansa was robbed
Yes, Sansa became queen of the north, but don't you feel like she deserved … more? Her personal growth over the course of the show and the leadership qualities she's demonstrated left her far better qualified to serve as queen of the Seven Kingdoms than Bran. It's not that I don't think Bran had a crucial part to play, but he was off somewhere else most of the time (often in the past) and I think he's only ever been suited to play an advisory role. I've never been particularly invested in him as a character, or in his story arc, so to see him take the throne doesn't feel like a truly satisfactory ending.

The tying up of storylines felt a little heavy-handed overall, not to mention rushed, and I also felt the two halves of the episode weren't fused together particularly smoothly -- almost like we'd missed a scene between daenerys death and the convening of the lords and ladies of Westeros. It's also a shame that Jon Snow doesn't get a bit more credit for everything he did. He's been annoying me all season, but I still felt bad for him in the end.

I'm really glad Tyrion survived though. Tyrion was the best.

The little things
My only real beef this whole season was Daenerys' fire-flinging character swerve. I don't mind that they went there, I just didn't feel like it was properly set up or earned. I'm even good with Jaime's now-confirmed ending. He was always a bad dude, he just experimented with good guyness for a while before re-embracing his bad dudeness. I wasn't surprised, just disappointed in him.

What's done is done and now I'm cool with the finale. King Bran. Queen Sansa. Adventurer "Please Make a Spin-off Show" Arya. Jon Snow as Mance Rayder Jr. riding off with Tormund into the best buddy flick ever.

I've been telling friends and family for a long time I thought there might be no Iron Throne left by the end of the series. I was right about that as far as the physical form of the chair went. Now know-it-all Bran can steer the kingdom when he's not off warging into rogue dragons. Good thing he has Tyrion to keep him grounded.

After eight seasons of stress, drama and blood, I was ready to embrace the embers of hope scattered across the finale. But the little things are what made be happiest of all: direwolf scritches, Ser Podrick, Stark sails and my hero Brienne looking smashing in her Kingsguard armor. You go, girl.

Farewell Tyrion
Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister was one of the reasons I got into Game of Thrones years ago. He has the best story arc out of all the characters in the show. Dinklage's performance in the finale was moving, powerful and satisfying -- something I wish I could say about season 8 as a whole.

Also, Samwell Tarley only invented democracy on the spot, that's all.

-- Patrick Holland, San Francisco

Arya the adventurer, yes please!
The character who deserves a future full of excitement and adventure got her wish. Arya Stark literally grew up during this series, and she ends up as a noble warrior. Unlike other fans who want the whole season to get a reboot, I found myself happily cheering during the series finale all because of Arya.

I loved that revenge didn't make her bitter at the end, because she made a decision to look toward her own future and to explore west of Westeros -- to see the world beyond the map she's always known.  

I can only imagine what kind of adventures Arya will have, like a high-seas Pippi Longstocking. But I know that of all the characters who got out of the series finale alive, she'll never be the one I worry about. While others' lives are in shambles or they're under immense pressure to lead, Arya is only beholden to herself. She may not be the queen of an old world, but she will most definitely succeed as a discoverer of a new one. Safe travels, Arya.

It seemed to be leading up to being about bending the knee to AI in a global one-world government (a surveillance state formed after an ends-justify-the-means genocidal tyranny) and the hope that once nationalisms are ended we can set off to explore the unknown as an "interplanetary species."

Evidence for this interpretation: The new king is Bran, who knew what was going to happen the whole time and therefore must have intended his takeover of the throne, which evokes AI outsmarting us all because the Borg knows all. The Mountain's Terminator-esque Frankenstein is a stand-in for inevitable transhumanism. And finally our heroes set off to explore unknown worlds beyond the walls and seas of Westeros... just like space-exploring Elon Musk would have us do.

I don't think any of this was intended by George RR Martin necessarily, but the subtext is absolutely there if you look for it.

Before the finale: wow, I hope we get reasoning and info and a great ruler and a look into the future, not just indiscriminate death.

After the finale: wow, we're really all just gonna get behind the guy no one listened to and everyone thought was cray. OK.

An unexpectedly happy ending
After the carnage of last week, I thought the stage was set for a decidedly horrific finale: daenerys kills Jon, Arya kills daenerys, Cersei stumbles from the crypt and kills Sansa (who is, remember, still married to Tyrion -- I thought they might grudgingly decide to rule together).

Instead, we got the genuinely surprising death of daenerys at Jon's hand, followed by the incredibly awesome moment of Drogon destroying the Iron Throne. I couldn't help but nod in approval: "Good! Look at all the misery that thing has caused."

All told, it was a quiet, reflective, redemptive episode that I mostly liked. After so much suffering, the Starks finally emerge triumphant. The only head-scratcher for me is why the writers and directors made Bran such a quiet, seemingly mopey character all season. All hail Bran the Sleepy!

Bring on the books!
Now we've seen what happens when you rush the ending of an epic like Game of Thrones, it's time to see what original author George R.R. Martin does with the rest of his story. If the ending is the same and Bran the Broken is king thanks to an assist by Jon, surely Martin will at least take his time building up to it rather than fitting into an abbreviated finale.

No more Targaryen Bad Egg syndrome
Game of Thrones was a big deal -- a series that lodged in our collective consciousness because it was as messy and moving as reality and had nearly as many characters. I'm not as distressed as many viewers about the showrunners' sacrificing that sprawling complexity to find closure. But I couldn't abide the attempt to rationalize Daenerys' murderous streak. Yes, I understand she slaughtered a lot of people on her way to King's Landing -- thanks for the recap, Tyrion -- but much of her story was about compassion for those suffering under a brutal regime. I think we were supposed to see her brutality as some combination of Targaryen Bad Egg Syndrome and a strategy to thwart anyone else who'd try Cersei's human shield strategy. We knew she'd never be a mild queen, but her final burn-the-village-to-save-the-village bloodlust left me unconvinced.

Still, they had to end it somehow, and I was happy that after her death we got more of the Game of Thrones I'd hoped for: plot surprises and characters standing on their own instead of just being tools to advance the Daenerys and Jon story. I'm glad Jon and Grey Worm never had a tidy reconciliation (though the Unsullied's mindless obedience to Daenerys made a mockery of their supposedly voluntary enlistment). Arya's grand adventure west of Westeros was a random send-off, but perhaps there wasn't a good story to build around a master assassin who finally outgrew or outlived her revenge list. I'm intrigued that, although democracy might not have caught on, we did get at least some Westerosi cultural recognition of queens, wargs and women in the military. 

But what was with that sprig of green sprouting north of the wall? Now that the Dead are dead, will Westeros finally get normal weather?

And they all lived happily ever after
There were some totally loopy elements in the Game of Thrones finale -- Tyrion as Chief Meeting Room Chair Adjuster! Sam invents democracy! And so many plot threads were just ... dropped. It didn't seem to matter in the end that Jon was a Targaryen, or Gendry a Baratheon. Or that Cersei was (we think) pregnant, or that Maggy's prophecy said she'd be strangled by a little brother, or that daenerys had her own prophecy about someday bearing a child.

What happened to Varys' final messages? What was up with Bronn threatening Jaime and Tyrion? And don't even get me started on the damn Prince Who Was Promised. Why was The Golden Company even there? Did the Night King's spiral pattern ever get explained? Maybe I was in the bathroom then.

But the part of me that selfishly wants my favorite characters to come through unscathed is OK with the ending. Jon, Tyrion, Sansa, Arya, Sam and even boring old Bran all lived to fight and connive another day. Tormund and Brienne, who both seemed like characters who'd sacrifice themselves in battle for sure, survived unscathed, and even Ghost got his scritches. So now the Game of Thrones story belongs to those who heard it, and you can unwind the plot threads in your imagination however you like. In my version, Syrio Forel and Arya meet up and go off sword fighting together. They have a blast. You'd probably like it.

Not a bad finale
I was prepared to be genuinely upset by the final episode, but I was happy with how everything wrapped up. The twists and turns had a more familiar Game of Thrones taste because they let us briefly dream of a world where Jon was daenerys moral compass, then stabbed that vision in the heart. It reminded me of what they did in the Red Wedding or the Battle of the Bastards.

Bran was the best choice for king even if he was a surprise. Tyrion serving as a hand for a third monarch seems fitting after all the mishaps he had advising daenerys -- third time's the charm, I guess!

The north gaining its independence under Sansa made sense after the huge sacrifice they made to save the world from White Walkers. And Arya needed something that was "her," so why not make her an explorer?

I'm happy Jon kept going north at the end. I would've been upset if he was sentenced to life after saving the world more than once. And that reunion with Ghost and Tormund was a feel-good moment.

The finale doesn't excuse how fast the White Walker conflict came to an end, the poor character development for daenerys fury and the bad writing. But the ending definitely saves the show from being ruined like Lost was.

People Had Incredibly Divided Reactions to the Game of Thrones Finale

Game of Thrones has finally come to an end, and fans had wildly different opinions on the finale.

Many had predicted that Jon Snow would kill Daenerys after watching her burn all of King’s Landing in the penultimate episode. But people were divided on whether that confrontation was earned after an uneven season of rushed plotting.

But the most controversial scenes were perhaps those that took place in the aftermath of Daenerys’ death. Tyrion manages to upend Westeros’ entire political system with one short speech. The rulers of the kingdoms vote Bran to be king. Later on, his council members bicker over whether to spend the government’s money on ships or brothels. Some were delighted by scenes of Tyrion returning to his chair-straightening ways from many seasons ago at the council table again. Others lost patience with such scenes in an episode that had to wrap up many characters’ storylines.

Here were some of the most divided reactions to the Game of Thrones series finale.

TYRION: People love stories. And no one has a better story than Bran

ARYA, WHO LEARNED SHAPE-SHIFTING AND MURDERED THE INVINCIBLE ICE KING OF DEATH: Bran has what now

Yes. It was great. Tied up every storyline. Was surprising and makes sense if you really look at the writing and narrative of the entire series.

Sansa got a crown, ghost got a hug, Tyrion got to tell a brothel story... all good by me

a bittersweet, meditative, ultimately satisfying end to an astonishing technical achievement that launched numerous now-beloved stars into the stratosphere and consistently served so much entertainment to so many of us, for eight years. i’m thankful for it all.




The Most Hilarious Reactions From the Surprising 'Game of Thrones' Finale

The end of Game of Thrones means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Some have found the final season to be frustrating and rushed. Others feel emotional about the conclusion of a show they've watched and theorized over for more than eight years. 

Whatever feelings you have, the final episode of Game of Thrones arrived regardless (though you can still look forward to The Last Watch and the prequel(s)). The show has been inescapable in its final season, and the big finish wasn't any different. You have to feel for anyone who doesn't give a rip about the show and tried to use any form of social media while the show was airing.

To help you digest the end of a massive, sprawling story, we've collected some of the funniest reactions to the finale and its stray water bottles below. 

Upset or not about how the final season has gone, fans struggled with the realization that the last episode ever was coming for them Sunday night. 

The only satisfying conclusion to Game of Thrones is if it ends with a Tormund bottle episode, where he’s up north, just chilling and getting over Brienne, really starting to take care of himself

How Jon, Sansa, Arya, Tyrion, Davos, Bran, Brienne and ghost Varys be coming for daenerys tonight 

Whatever you think of the end of Game of Thrones, we can all agree the series as a whole has been a staggering accomplishment. A while ago, it would have been unthinkable to contemplate telling a single 10-year fantasy story on TV.

As Tyrion walked through the ruins of King's Landing in the episode's opening moments, he passed a cracked bell in the street. It was a clear reference to the prior episode, titled "The Bells" and the destroyed opportunity for peace those bells of surrender represented. 

People were pretty sure it looked a hell of a lot like the Liberty Bell. Though, the memory of that might have been quickly wiped away by the tear-jerking scene that followed as Tyrion looked for the bodies of Jaime and Cersei. 

’ve grown to love Tyrion so much I actually feel sad about Cersei and Jamie’s death

It wasn't just Grey Worm. There was enough frustration with Jon Snow to go around, especially early in the episode when he made excuses for Daenerys to Tyrion and Arya. 


watching Jon Snow continuously be paralyzed by indecision is triggering, honestly

Jon finding more excuses for daenerys

The frustration with Jon morphed pretty quickly once he killed Daenerys, making her the winner of the Westerosi prize for the shortest reign in the history of the Seven Kingdoms. It really pissed off Drogon, who finally did what Daenerys couldn't, and broke the wheel.

Drogon be like: No one is sitting on that throne 

Watching Drogon melt the iron throne

Have to confess I'm a little surprised Drogon can understand a complicated sociological metaphor but not a simple who-dun-it.

All of this with drogon but Jon couldn’t tell ghost goodbye?

It wasn't just the flakes of human ash that made the city a disaster. Daenerys' hours-long reign, Jon's imprisonment, Bran being named king after Samwell Tarly got tarred and feathered for suggesting democracy in Westeros -- there was a lot going on.

Drogon when he saw dead daenerys
The real dragon fire is democracy - Samwell

BRAN HAS BEEN TROLLING US ALL
Brienne out here altering Jaime Wikipedia page

oh man Brienne, I wish I had the power to write the history of the last man who ghosted me 
sansa @ all her haters after outliving all her abusers, getting the north's independence and being crowned the queen in the north sansa


They needed Bran to make things regular again
As Bran was being named king, fans couldn't help notice the return of a few familiar faces like Edmure Tully and Robyn Arryn.

And, importantly, after much hand-wringing, Jon finally gave Ghost a little scratch behind the ears. Good boy, Ghost. 

 did tear up at very good boy Ghost getting a scratch

a GOT spinoff where ghost and drogon team up and solve crimes together as unlikely buddies