5 Thoughts on Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 6: Let's Dream of Spring [Spoilers]

Here are five thoughts from last night’s series finale Game of Thrones. This story includes spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 6. 

A lot didn’t matter

Herein lies most of my issues with the series finale. After eight seasons, very few things actually mattered. The biggest story was the parentage of Jon Snow that made him the heir to the Iron Throne… which turned out to really mean nothing. He didn’t even get the option to claim it after killing Daenerys and it had zero impact when the council was deciding who would become the next ruler. Nearly Daenerys’ entire journey was undermined by one episode of going Mad Queen and then being slain half an episode later. Nothing from Arya’s path indicated she would become Christopher Columbus. I guess Sansa ruling the North is fitting. The White Walkers never came back into the picture. Many of the prophecies were forgotten. And as far as Bran goes, we will get to him now.

King Bran

This hurts. Bran becoming king could have made sense given his fall, journey, knowledge, and role as the Three-Eyed Raven. Yet they did a terrible job with his story since the moment they ran out of material from George R. R. Martin. There is so much we don’t know about Bran that it makes the thought of him ruling laughable. It’s unclear what exactly he can see and what he knows. Whether or not can see the future is massive and they didn’t even make that clear. Just two episodes ago, he said he doesn’t want to be Lord of Winterfell because he now wants nothing. Last night, he said he came all that way to become king. Then he said he didn’t want it after accepting it. None of that adds up or makes any sense.

Again, Bran ending up ruling could have been a storytelling achievement. Unfortunately, the way it was told, it wasn’t even close to that.

The future

The future of Westeros is certainly up in the air. Without knowing more about Bran and his abilities, it’s impossible to know what he will do as king. Allowing his sister to rule independently can’t sit well with the other six regions. But then again, they strangely just accepted it last night. Outside of last being seen flying east, Drogon’s future is oh so puzzling. We know he can just destroy the world if given the command and it would seem his next move would have been explained. You’d have to assume he will either start wreaking havoc or be in danger of being killed in the near future. A fire breathing dragon can’t just live out his final years in peace, right?

It was a missed opportunity not having something emerge from the far North. Jon is back with the Night’s Watch but with the threat of the White Walkers gone, their role is unclear. Showing a glimpse into the future of a new threat rising would have given the viewers that intriguing feeling of trying to guess how Jon will deal with it. Tyrion’s next decision and what Arya will find out west will remain the subject of much thought for a long time as well.

George R. R. Martin

Like most fans of the show and books, I’ve long felt George R. R. Martin’s reputation is forever tarnished. He is yet to release the final two novels of the series and as each minute passes it feels less likely he ever will. As demoralizing as that option is, last night may have provided some comfort. The fact they supposedly used his ending is key. This was an incomplete ending that needed additional years and seasons to be made successful. Or maybe more than that…

Perhaps there isn’t enough time in one’s life to wrap up a story that detailed, that long, with that many characters, that many directions, and that many possibilities. Clearly, this story wasn’t ready for an ending and I now have doubts if it ever would be. Ramona Shelburne said it best: this felt like a writer that didn’t know how to end this magnificent story. And there might not have been a way to end it.

Game of Thrones’ legacy is fine

Despite that finale and a season most (not me) heavily criticized, Game of Thrones walks away as one of the greatest show of all-time. The show’s legacy was established long ago and will go down as the biggest show most of its viewers will experience in their lifetime. Season 6 is one of the greatest seasons in television history and its previous seasons are not far behind. This was a thrill ride like no other, an emotional investment, and a spectacle of a lifetime. What a journey they took us on the past decade.

The conversation surrounding Game of Thrones will not be positive for the next few months, but at some point, each disgruntled fan will be looking for the same thing: The next Game of Thrones.