The Ending of Game of Thrones has been widely criticized. It disappointed many. Nothing surprising. The fans must have expected to see Jon and Daenerys get together and rule the seven kingdoms in the end. Maybe that's why the final season of Game of Thrones has been called the worst season of the series. However, I loved it. After the first season, I think it was the last that I watched with most focus. The ending of Game of Thrones may have disappointed expectations, but I think it went perfectly with the theme of the show.
I joined the Game of Thrones party very late. I started watching it only after its final season was complete. I had heard it was very addictive. As I had read the first book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, I could very well believe it. The book is amazing. Well, now that I've watched the world-famous series, I can say it is amazing too.
When I read a great book, I try to write about it. The book reviews I write help me in understanding the book better. I am feeling the same urge after finishing the GOT series. So, bear with me as I try to understand the ending of Game of Thrones.
The Ending of Game of Thrones
Lust for power defeats everyone:
When people lust after power, it becomes their greatest weakness. And in the Game of Thrones, nobody wins. Victories are transient, happiness fleeting, and loyalties frail. Pride of power can corrupt even the most innocent. And sometimes we become what we are fighting against.
Cersei Lannister hated her father's tyranny over her children. She became the same towards her people. Daenerys wanted to break the wheel of violence and tyranny. She burnt thousands of innocent people. Danny considered herself the rightful Queen, even when she knew Jon had a better claim to the throne. She became what she was trying to defeat. Her power corrupted her and left her unfit to rule.
End of Cersei Lannister:
Cersei believed her Red Keep is the seat of all power. She believed it can protect her from everything. But her power couldn't protect even her children. And her Red Keep crushed her life. When she dies, it is not just the death of a tyrant, it is the death of her arrogance. And in her last moments she knows she can't save even her last child.
Why was Cersei's death shown so poignantly?
Maybe because she is as much a victim as a tyrant. First caught in an unhappy marriage, then seeing the death of all her children. She is a victim of the game of thrones while being its ruthless player. I actually like her a lot. She is a strong woman, willing and capable of going to any length to protect and avenge her family. She has the intelligence to device ingenious schemes to defeat her enemies. And she never accepts defeat. She's a powerful character. And all through the series, I liked her better than Daenerys.
End of Daenerys Targaryen:
I don't know if I'm the only one to say so, but I never liked Daenerys. Sometimes she's too good, sometimes she's too ruthless. Daenerys thinks herself the saviour of people. But her advisors have to struggle constantly to keep her cruelty in check. Danny's cruelty is not a sudden manifestation. It was always present in her and only grew worse with the rise in her power. She is a dragon. And Dragon cannot be tamed. They will eat whatever they want to eat. So, no, the Dragon Queen was never fit to be the people's Queen. Her righteousness had its own cruelty and might have done more harm than good. Her and Jon's love was doomed to failure too. It was incest, and Danny never cared for Jon's rights and liberties anyway.
She is as unfit to be a ruler as Cersei. In fact, Cersei and Daenerys have more similarities than differences. Both want power because they think it their right. Both are capable of cruelty. Daenerys calmly watches the murder of her brother because he had threatened her child. Cercei wants her brother dead because she makes herself believe he killed her child. BUT, as much as she hates Tyrion, she is not capable of ordering his death face to face. Because in her twisted way, she loves him too. He is family. Danny and Cersei both are Queens, both lose their children and husband. Both love a man they are related too. Danny loves Jon, her nephew. Cersei loves Jamie, her brother. Both women can kill their lovers if they threaten their power. Both let their power blind them.
End of Jamie Lannister:
Jamie loves Cersei even though he knows how cruel and ruthless she is. It is a helpless bond trapping him with Cersei since childhood. Jamie takes up the blame of being a Kingslayer to protect his family and thousands of others. He tries to kill a young boy to protect the woman he loves. He knows it is wrong. But like Cersei, he is willing to take the blame to protect those he loves. But while Cersei remains stuck in her arrogance of power, Jamie develops into a strong man capable of understanding right from wrong. Maybe that's why he is rewarded in his death. He wished to die in the arms of the woman he loves. And that's how death takes him. I can't imagine any better end for him.
Jamie's death is similar to the death of Ser Jorah Mormont. They both were steadfast in their love. They both died protecting the woman they loved, their Queen. Whatever wrongs they might have done in their early life, they atoned for it. Whatever infamy they earned in their life, they died an honourable death.
There are many similarities between Jamie and Jon too. Both love a woman related to them by blood. Neither of them can call her his own. Neither of them has any power over the woman they love. Because both these women are ruthless Queens blind with their pride of their power. Jamie tries to kill a young boy to protect Cersei and himself. Jon kills a young boy to punish treason. Jamie gives up his inheritance of the Casterly Rock to serve as King's Guard so he can be near Cersei. Jon gives up his kingship to be beside Queen Danerys. Jamie is a King Slayer. Jon is a Queen Slayer.
Brandon Stark as a king:
Brandon becoming the King isn't a sudden twist in the plot. Even the poster of the first season of GOT predicts it. If you look at that poster carefully (Image given on top), a raven is sitting on the throne with Ned Stark. Bran is also called a three-eyed raven when he becomes the King.
And why is he chosen? Because he is the memory of the world. He has the past in his heart. Lessons of the past can teach us how to build a happy future. And Brandon lives in the past.
Tyrion says he deserves to be the King because he has a great story. Don't know if that matters at all. Great stories don't make great rulers. Wisdom does. And Bran has the wisdom of the past to help him guide the future. Being broken, he knows pain and helplessness. This will give him sympathy and empathy to be a kind ruler. As he cannot raise a lineage, his being a king breaks the wheel of unworthy people inheriting the throne. When Bran is made the king, it is not the boy chosen to rule the kingdoms. It is the decision to let lessons of the past break the chain of cruelty and build a future of peace, kindness, and wisdom.
The Future of Jon, Sansa, Arya
It is disappointing to see Jon deprived of his love and birthright. But the Wildlings take him with them. We can hope that he becomes the leader of the free folk. He is no longer chained by anything. He is free to guide his people toward a better future. The Wildlings he cares deeply for. He can now lead them to a better life. He may not rule over kingdoms, but he will live with freedom.
The wild North is where he found his first love. We can hope he will find another love there and have a happy life. Danny would have ruled over him. Maybe he will now find the love and companionship that he needs and deserves.
Arya too got what she desired most. Freedom to wander and seek adventures. And Sansa got what she desired. She will be a wise and just ruler of the North.
So, I loved the final season of Game of Thrones and the ending of Game of Thrones because:
It was a bit disappointing to see the Great Battle end within one episode. The reasoning Tyrion gives to make Bran king could have been better too. But overall, I liked the ending of Game of Thrones. It delivers justice and hope.
Cersei gets her arrogance crushed under her own castle. She killed many innocents, she was not able to save any of her children. Ser Jamie and Ser Jorah atoned themselves. They get the death they had wished for. Daenerys' cruelty is put to an end before it can wreak more havoc and obliterate her good work. Her people still love her.
Tywin Lannister always wished Tyrion dead. But Tyrion is his only child that survives. And Tyrion now has the chance to help a wise King to build a better future. Several other characters like Samwel Tarly, Gendry Baratheon too get what they deserved and desired.
As for the characters we love the most, they get a chance to build a better future. Brandon has the chance to use his wisdom to spread happiness across his kingdoms. Arya has the freedom to explore the world and help people by discovering new frontiers. Jon and Sansa have the chance to take care of the people they care deeply about and lead them to betterment. And with Sansa leading Winterfell and Jon leading the Wildlings of true north, we can easily expect peace and unity between the two regions. Maybe this is what's symbolized by the sapling breaking through the snowy ground outside the Wall.
All those who survive have a chance to build a better future and find happiness for themselves and others.
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