Eight years and 73 episodes later, Game of Thrones ended with a shrug. 'The Iron Throne' typified the oddness of season eight. It starts with what would have made a great ending to episode five, undercutting a huge moment, then goes all Return of the King as it attempts to give characters a fitting send off and reset the world of Westeros. Showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss clearly imagined season eight as a series of feature-length films and, more than ever, 'The Bells' and 'The Iron Throne' feel like one installment awkwardly cut in half.
For one final time, our team of increasingly disillusioned Thrones fans Sophie Charara, Will Bedingfield and Andy Vandervell convene to dissect one final question: who won the Game of Thrones?
This piece contains spoilers for the Game of Thrones finale.
The Winners
The finale gave several characters redemptive endings, but there was one clear winner above all others...
Somehow, he got what he wanted. Not only is he Lord of Highgarden; he is, inexplicably, Master of Coin to boot. He may have gone missing for the entirety of season eight, but he's definitely the biggest winner in the whole Song of Ice and Fire. The moral of the story? The most 'meme worthy' character always wins. AV
After two seasons of lurching from one huge mistake to another, Tyrion ended up with a chance at redemption. And, despite his protests, he's doing the job he enjoyed the most: running the country and King's Landing. He's no good at invading countries and winning wars, but give him some sewers to overhaul and coins to count and he's right at home. This felt like a fitting end for Tyrion who, one or two mistakes aside, always had the best interests of the realm in mind. AV
Queen of the North! Why the Stark siblings decided to split off Winterfell from the other six kingdoms remains fuzzy, but it did give us the glorious scene of Sansa being crowned at the end. A lot of people (myself included) thought she would be the one sitting on the Iron Throne but, this way, Sansa can continue her admirably sensible rule in the North and correspond with Tyrion when the need arises. SC
A lesser person would take serious umbrage at Tyrion’s suggestion that Bran has the most compelling story of the major players of Westeros. Arya, though wasted again this episode, shows herself the most enlightened of them all, choosing to sail “west of Westeros” to where the maps end, armed only with Needle, no doubt never to return. It’s a satisfying point to leave her. The only other real option for Arya would probably have started with ‘dra’ and ended in ‘carys’. SC
Even more so than 'The Bells', the wrapping up here allowed us more chance to appreciate everything else aside from the frustrating writing. The opening scenes of Tyrion and Jon walking through King’s Landing (while unnecessary to the plot) were beautifully lit and shot. The costumes for Daenerys, Sansa and Jon were impeccable as ever, likewise the sets – stray water bottles aside – and the acting as strong as it’s ever been. Even the theme coming in over the final montage of Jon, Sansa and Arya felt right. SC
If there's a saving grace for the underwhelming end to the TV series, it's that fans are more likely to pick up the books to fill in the huge gaps in time, space and credulity left by the last two seasons of Game of Thrones. George RR Martin has reportedly finally finished the last two books in the series, so now is a good time to get into the books and enjoy the true depth of storytelling and character we've lost in recent episodes. AV
Not only did he survive, he's Grand Maester and, presumably, still a lord. Strictly speaking maesters don't hold titles, but Samwell's broken every rule in the book already, so why not one more? AV
He didn’t take the throne like I terribly predicted, but got a lordship, took his rejection by Arya amicably, and somehow wasn’t called upon to fight the final battle at King’s Landing. Better than forging dragon glass. WB
Has anyone survived more huge battles Davos? He has survived through sheer likeability and because his talent for smuggling meant he was a vital plot cog. Now Master of Ships because... boats. AV
Jackson is the master of twee, bittersweet scenes and the Game of Thrones finale, particularly the last 20 minutes, was Peak Tolkien: the calligraphy, the gentle jokes, the farewells and one-way voyages by boats, not to mention the Iron Throne being destroyed by fire. When the imitation is that obvious, it’s only fair to make comparisons and, well, Jackson did it slightly better. SC
Finally he’s his own dragon. Spin off?
The Losers
While many characters lost out in the end, the biggest losers were the fans and showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, who will probably live to regret one very important decision.
When the dust settles on the petitions, the vicious memes, the harsh reviews and the horrendous IMDB score, Game of Thrones will go down as a good show that botched its final season. Daenerys, handled with greater care, could have been added to the pantheon of American television’s anti-heroes, along with Walter White and Tony Soprano. Whatever the reasoning behind it, the decision by Weiss and Benioff to turn down HBO’s offer of a full season will go down as the mistake that precipitated this rushed ending. WB
Jon’s defence of Daenerys to Tyrion is enough to put him in the loser camp: he attempted to justify genocide by saying that Daenerys' “best friend was killed”. So was pretty much everyone’s in the show, Jon. He also supported Daenerys, like Tyrion, and in doing so brought said genocide down on King’s Landing. Then he had to kill his lady love, mass murderer though she may be, and got banished to the Night’s Watch (the purpose of which now remains unclear). Jon got the final scene, though: off he rides into the frozen north, where it all began, 73 episodes and eight years ago. WB
Ah Daenerys, what a waste: she wasted her chance at the Iron Throne by committing genocide, and the writers wasted her epic character arc. Daenerys is a loser not just because she died, but because she will be remembered like her evil father: as a mad and murderous despot. History is filled with Danys, narcissistic tyrants who preached liberation to justify their heinous acts to their allies and themselves. Her transformation is deeply sad; too bad the writers rushed it to its conclusion before we could care. WB
It's hard to view Grey Worm as anything other than a tragic figure. Murdering surrendered soldiers wasn't a great look, and yet for somewhat vague reasons (read: convenient for the plot) he chose to imprison Jon instead of executing him on the spot, which is surely what the character would have done? AV
Bran might get to (metaphorically) sit on the Iron Throne, but he isn't a popular choice for King of the Six Kingdoms among viewers, which makes him a loser overall. One of many characters who made little sense by the end thanks to a sparsely written part. AV
"Sit down, Uncle." AV
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
