Andrew Robinson
As of May 20th, 2019, Game of Thrones is off the air, never to return (though a prequel series is on the way). The eighth season has been a mess, and the finale has been slammed by critics and fans alike. Read on to find out why.
Spoilers WILL be present for the episode and series as a whole, so read at your own risk.
Summary
After making the decision to massacre King’s Landing, Daenerys is faced with the consequences. Jon and Tyrion struggle with next moves. Later, all the lords and ladies remaining attend an important meeting.
Analysis
After the absolute mess that is “The Bells,” “The Iron Throne” attempts to pick up the pieces. It doesn’t fully succeed, but the episode isn’t quite as bad as the rap it’s getting suggests. A few main gripes remain, however.
- What the heck is the white horse from “The Bells” that shows up for Arya supposed to symbolize if she isn’t going to be the one who kills Dany? This reviewer decided not to get worked up over the horse last week because he thought it was there to symbolize one thing: Arya – not Jon – is the Prince Who Was Promised. The horse being white (which has long been a symbol of purity in literature), showing up out of nowhere, and the lasting image of Arya leaving the wreckage on it seems to indicate none other than she is the Prince Who Was Promised. However, for reasons unknown to this reviewer, GoT instead decides to have Jon kill Dany, making one wonder: why is Arya in the episode at all? Did her Faceless Man arc have no meaning whatsoever? What was the point of Melisandre saying that the “Prince” Who Was Promised could also be translated as “Princess” back in season seven if the writers were simply going to let this major prophecy go for nothing? And, most annoyingly, what the heck is that horse doing unscathed in the wreckage in “The Bells” if it isn’t meant to be a symbol? Mind-boggling and frustratingly poor writing.
- Speaking of poor writing, the Dothraki and Unsullied sure look pretty formidable in “The Iron Throne.” Ummmmm weren’t almost all of them supposed to have died in the Battle of Winterfell?
- This reviewer finds it hard to believe that Jon would murder Dany, even though her death seemed like a foregone conclusion after the events of the penultimate episode. Tyrion is correct in everything he says to Jon when he’s locked up – that’s not really debatable. However, Jon hasn’t seen the light all season; why does he suddenly see it now? Even if he does understand that he made a mistake following his Queen, does he really have it in him to essentially be the Kingslayer 2.0? This reviewer doesn’t think so. Considering Arya is already in King’s Landing for a confusing reason (thanks, writers), it truly makes no sense that she isn’t the one to end Dany’s reign.
- Finally, the last of the major gripes: why is Bran chosen as King? He is all-knowing, yes, but hasn’t power in Westeros shown us one major thing over the course of GoT? Those in power will be hated and someone will always want to kill them. Bran may be loved by most now, but how can one believe that people will stay loyal to him? Being that Bran is literally the keeper of all knowledge and history of civilization, wouldn’t it make sense to, you know, make sure he stays safe for as long as possible? One can only assume that another Three-Eyed Raven will present him/herself at some point in the future, but Bran needs to survive long enough to train his apprentice, just as he was trained. If he is murdered early on in his tenure, the country loses the one person who knows everything. It just doesn’t seem smart to name him the King. Maybe an advisor to the King (Master of Whispers would have made too much sense for this season’s writers), but certainly not the one in absolute power himself. “When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die,” according to the late Queen, master manipulator, and GOAT character (until S8, that is) Cersei Lannister. Bran doesn’t seem willing to fight for the Throne if and when it becomes necessary.
Jon reuniting with Ghost is heartwarming, especially after he spurns his direwolf for absolutely no reason earlier in the season. Him being the leader Beyond the Wall is nice. It sucks that he is banished to the Night’s Watch, but it makes sense. GoT has always been bittersweet at best, heartbreaking at worst, after all. This reviewer thinks it would have made more sense if Grey Worm or Drogon killed Jon after the murder of Dany, though.
Speaking of the Night’s Watch… is there really a need for it now that the Night King is dead and all? It looks like the Night’s Watch is made up nearly entirely of Wildings, which makes sense since the Watch is decimated in the season seven finale when the Night King destroys the Wall. (A Wall that suspiciously doesn’t look too destroyed in “The Iron Throne,” by the way). It’s a cool full-circle kind of moment for Jon, even though it is bittersweet.
Arya the Explorer is a character development that many probably didn’t see coming, but it makes sense. She enjoys traveling, can adapt and survive in nearly all cases, and is very independent. Now go discover the New World, everyone’s favorite assassin.
This reviewer was hoping Sansa would end up on the Iron Throne (or the equivalent, since Drogon burns the Iron Throne), but her being the Queen in the North is a nice consolation prize. She quietly is one of the smartest characters left in the show, and deserves to be treated as such. The North gets it.
Finally, Tyrion being named the Hand is fitting. Bran doesn’t want to be King (or so he says), and Tyrion doesn’t want to be the Hand (or so he says). That’s a match made in heaven.
Verdict
Season eight of GoT would have been better if the Night King survived until/through the finale. The best episode of the season is easily the Battle of Winterfell, and the two lead-up episodes to said battle are also pretty good. Where the show falls off the wagon is when the threat is decimated, and the Iron Throne is once again up for grabs. The final season, clearly, should have focused much more on the threat of the dead defeating the living. Instead, the show decided to be about the Iron Throne most of all. As this reviewer stated after the Battle of Winterfell, this wasn’t necessarily a horrible decision… as long as they did it correctly. They didn’t.
“The Iron Throne” : 5.5/10
Season eight : 5/10
Game of Thrones : 9.25/10
I’ll still love you, Game of Thrones. But, man, did that last season suck.
