Before I indulge into my thoughts on the biggest finale in television history, let me preface by saying I have liked geeky shit since I can remember. I have always known who Superman and Batman are. When I was four or five, I was at my cousins’ house and they were watching Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace. I remember going home and asking my dad about Star Wars. I then binged the original trilogy on VHS and became a lifelong fan. Then, I grew to love Lord of the Rings, Spider-Man, X-Men and eventually the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I did not even become a fan of Game of Thrones until 2016 and I binged the entire show just to see what he hubbub was about.
I have seen all these beloved properties at their peaks and at rock bottoms. The original trilogy of Star Wars is phenomenal and a classic of cinema (minus the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi). The prequels, for the most part, are a poorly constructed series of something we already new: Darth Sidious (Emperor Palpatine) turns Anakin Skywalker to the dark side which causes him to turn on the good of his friends (Obi-Wan Kenobi) and family (Padme Amidala). This new trilogy, so far, is quite good. The Force Awakens (Episode VII) was quite good and I unabashedly love The Last Jedi (minus Canto Bight).
I have seen many divisive films in all these franchises I love. As I said, I love The Last Jedi. The director’s cut, or as it’s called The Ultimate Cut, of Batman V Superman is an absolute masterpiece (although even I will admit Jesse Eisenberg was completely miscast). The Dark Knight Rises is one of my three favorite comic book movies of all time along with the previous two movies in that trilogy. Man of Steel is a beautiful story about a person, albeit an alien, who is lost and different and struggles to find his place in this world. Aquaman is an underrated, insanely fun, but moving story that is an allegory for biracialism. And, I am a fan of the Hobbit trilogy. It may not be “holy crap” amazing like Lord of the Rings, but I like it.
However, I will also say films like Iron Man 3, while good for two-thirds, was a massive slap in the face to fans with the (spoiler alert) Mandarin reveal. Rogue One, while having an awesome final battle, is a mediocre, unimaginative tread until that point with characters nobody cares about. The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Suicide Squad, Superman Returns, and Justice League all range from very disappointing to nearly unwatchable. Heck, I find the Christopher Reeve Superman movies and Michael Keaton Batman movies entertaining, but very dated.
So now is where we get to my view on Game of Thrones. Again, I did not become a fan until roughly 3 years ago. I do not have the attachment to this show as I do to the other properties that I have had a lifelong or decade-long attachments to. With that being said, it probably is my favorite television show of all time. I have seen Seasons 1-6 three times, Season 7 twice, and now 8 once. Season 1 started off a bit slow, but gets gripping after Episode 4. Season 2 is a great progression of characters and really demonstrates the threats to the throne. Seasons 3-4 might be the most conniving and dramatic seasons in the entire series when you include the Red Wedding, the Purple Wedding, Tyrion’s trial, and Oberyn vs. the Mountain. And let’s not forget Arya and the Hound forming a fantastic bond. Season 5 was a step down, but was still vastly entertaining. Hardhome was an incredible episode. The down side was the Red Sparrow storyline that ended in Season 6 was probably drawn out for too long. And then Season 6 ended with a bang with Battle of the Bastards and Winds of Winter, two of the greatest episodes in television history.
Now is where we get into the division. Seasons 7 and 8 are considered by the overwhelming fandom population as “rushed”. Nobody liked the idea of 7 episodes for one season and 6 episodes for the other. “Why not 10 episodes a season like the others? Budget isn’t an issue.” This is the most common complaint I here roaring from the masses.
Let’s look at movies for a second. All of the Lord of the Rings films are each 3 hours long (especially the director’s cuts which we hardcore fans watch). However, the first Star Wars is only about 2 hours long. One of my favorite films in recent years, A Quiet Place, is only 90 minutes including credits.
What’s the point? Runtime does not dictate how great something is. Avengers Endgame is not great because it is 3 hours long. It is great because it is a well-crafted film (despite its time-travel plot holes). What made Game of Thrones great was not 10-episode seasons. Heck, it was not even great because of its giant battle scenes it would have every now and then. What makes this show incredible and must-watch TV are the characters and what they go through.
Every plot point in this show revolves around character choices and decisions. Some movies, like Inception and most Christopher Nolan movies, revolve around the plot and the concept. In Game of Thrones, the characters are everything. They are all complex, FLAWED (I’ll come back to this) people we can relate to or feel great emotion for. This includes intense hatred for someone like Joffrey or Ramsay or great admiration for Jon Snow or Davos.
Many character arcs this season have been in question, most notably Daenerys and Jaime. Daenerys has been an impulsive, egocentric, throne-hungry conqueror since SEASON 1! “But, she burned bad people alive, but not the innocent.” In Season 8, let’s look at a series of events:
- She is not welcomed warmly by Winterfell.
- Tyrion fails left and right which makes her paranoid.
- Jon Snow learns he is Aegon Targaryen and the rightful Targaryen heir, thus a challenge to Daenerys’ ambition.
- He feels conflicted about loving her and does not give his undivided love towards her.
- Jorah, one of her most trusted allies, dies fighting the White Walkers.
- Missandei is beheaded on Cersei’s orders and her last word was “dracarys”.
- And let’s not forget two of her three dragons died.
Daenerys has always been a character tempted to do the easiest and quickest way to success. That is her fatal flaw. That is what makes her relatable. We all try to do things the easy way out. We lack patience because we are entitled human beings. We all want the “magic formula” to success. Dany is no different. When all of her trusted advisors are dead or unreliable, she is left unchecked. Missandei’s last word was “dracarys”. That is what Daenerys did.
As for Jaime, his fatal flaw has always been his love for his sister-lover, Cersei, and has always been loyal to House Lannister, which is what he stated at Winterfell. That has never changed. When he left for Winterfell, his intent was to protect his brother, Tyrion, and Brienne.
Jaime has also been a character who has done what he has felt what was best for the Realm. That is why he killed the Mad King. He went back to Cersei because that is his fatal flaw. Cersei is not only the woman he loves, but also carries his baby. Jaime went back to insure their safety. Later, both Jaime and Cersei left the world the same way they were brought into it: together.
Characters have flaws and arcs. It is important to know arcs do not necessarily erase flaws. Jaime has had one of the biggest arcs on the show. He has been as despicable as possible and also incredibly noble. He has never been a totally good person. (He did rape his sister by Joffrey’s casket.) He has not been totally bad either as he has been loyal and kind to Brienne and Tyrion. Jaime’s character has never garnered redemption, but has never warranted this epic comeuppance either. His and Cersei’s deaths were perfect literature-wise, but not the fan-servicey way many of us wanted.
That is where I want to discuss something that has been brewing within me for years. Fan theories are fantastic. It makes us more invested in what we love. Speculation is always fun. But, WE ARE NOT THE WRITERS! I did not Bran on the Iron Throne. He has been my least favorite “major” character this entire show. His entire arc was meandering and he became an exposition plot device.
However, “King of the Iron Throne” is just a title. Our favorite character does not DESERVE the throne because he/she is our favorite character. The person who deserves the throne is the person who deserves the throne. As Tyrion stated, Bran knows the history and the Realm better than anyone. He is the logical choice to make executive decisions.
Our leader or politician does not need to be somebody we love or want to have a beer with. Our politician needs to be the most qualified for the job. Nobody in Westeros is more qualified than Bran.
This leads into a key word: epic. “Bigger equals better.” We all want the biggest and most epic ending possible. We want our socks blown off and say, “Holy shit!” Did that happen in this finale? Obviously not. Does that make the ending poor or lackluster? Not necessarily. This show was hardly ever about large, epic battles. Star Wars is not about lightsaber battles. Superhero movies are not always about the action. Action is just a byproduct of the drama. Game of Thrones is a dramatic, Shakespearean, political thriller set in a Realm with dragons and magic.
The battles and large scale are the icing on the cake. But, it is not the cake. If you want straight up violence and action, watch John Wick. The Star Wars prequels may have more elaborate lightsaber fights than the original trilogy. That does not make them better movies. When the first two episodes of Season 8 are called “slow”, it makes me question if these people have watched Game of Thrones. Later, when people question the character motivations and the rushed pacing, it is like, “Did you not see the first two episodes of the season?”
When we watch a piece of entertainment, we have to throw our expectations out the window. The only thing we should want is for that piece of entertainment to be of good quality. It does not need to match our theories or what we want to happen. We are not the writers. Does it need to be consistent to the rules it sets up? Absolutely.
One of the criticisms of The Last Jedi is that (spoiler alert) in a flashback scene, Luke ignites his lightsaber and almost thinks about killing Kylo Ren because he senses great darkness in him. Many fans have clammored that Luke would never do that. Luke Skywalker has always been a character who acts out of impulsiveness instead of logic. In The Empire Strikes Back, Obi-Wan and Yoda tell Luke to not go save his friends because he needs to complete his training in order to defeat Darth Vader. Luke goes against their wishes, fights Vader, loses his hand, tries to commit suicide, and miraculously survives and is saved to fight another day. In Return of the Jedi, Vader says he may turn Luke’s sister, Leia, to the dark side and have her help rule the galaxy. This makes Luke attack Vader in pure rage and he would have killed him after he chopped Vader’s hand off if the Emperor did not say, “Good! Good!”
Luke having an impulse to kill Kylo is absolutely consistent with his character. Does Luke have a character arc in the Star Wars franchise? He goes from whiny brat in A New Hope to a naïve, wannabe hero in The Empire Strikes Back to a calculated, noble Jedi in Return of the Jedi to a jaded mentor in The Last Jedi. He clearly had an arc, but still had the same inherent flaws that he had originally. You and I will still have our biggest flaws from now until we die. That does not mean we don’t evolve and change as people. We will go through our progressions, but our critical flaws will always be there.
When it comes to Daenerys and Jaime, their arcs were eventful with several twists and turns, but they never broke the foundation of who they were. Tyrion Lannister, who was always seen as the “common sense meter” on the show, was always blinded by love for whether it was Shay or Daenerys. It always took something drastic like Shay sleeping with his father or Dany killing children for him to see truth behind rose-colored glasses.
Lastly, I want to touch on fulfillment. Jon Snow is probably my favorite character in the show. He reminds me so much of Superman because he is such a good dude and just ultimately wants to do the right thing. He is a great leader because he is a reluctant one with a good heart. Him being Aegon Targaryen did not change who he was. He was never the smartest tactician. He is a great soldier and maybe the best one-on-one swordsman in the show. But he is not suited to be a politician.
Jon not getting the Iron Throne and ending by leading the Night’s Watch is perfect because that is his identity. He is a somebody who has lived the life of a nobody. Does him being Aegon Targaryen serve a narrative purpose? Yes, because it made Daenerys more paranoid and it made Jon a more interesting character. Jon is an introvert who wants to do good without the spotlight. It made his character more interesting if he had to fight the spotlight than never see it. If he is just Jon Snow, then he is a regular good guy doing good things. But, characters need challenges because without challenge, there is no plot. Jon choosing to fight against lineage and birthright is the ultimate breaking of the wheel.
Also, in the end, Jon Snow was brought back to life to bring people together to stop the army of the dead and kill the Mad Queen. Jon’s arc was ultimately completed and it made sense for him to go back to where he essentially started and build from there.
My grandparents grew up in Las Vegas and moved to Southern California in 1977. In 1998, they retired and moved back there. They both have served on neighborhood committees and have been involved in the local politics ever since. Their lives went included rough childhoods, teenage parenthood, no college degrees, lots of work (both in the job market and relationships between each other and kids), put three kids through college, accumulated wealth, and then got a lucky break which allowed them to retire. They went back to home to start a new endeavor in their next chapter because that is where they came from.
That is exactly what Jon Snow did. He is a man of the Night’s Watch. He is a bastard that the rest of the world shunned. That did not change and making him Aegon Targaryen does not change that. It made him stronger as a character to deal with a truth with such a heavy burden.
At the end of the day, art is subjective. Is Game of Thrones without flaws? Of course not. Nothing is (except The Dark Knight). However, to call the writers “lazy” because what happened didn’t match your expectations is irresponsible and pompous. These are still the same writers since Season 1. The dialogue has been a massive strength throughout the show’s run. You cannot call writers of a great show “bad” or “lazy” if the dialogue is well-crafted. They may have some weaknesses, but these general attacks and labels are flat out irresponsible.
Game of Thrones has been a pop-culture sensation since 2011. It is probably the most popular television show of all time. It has unforgettable characters and moments. Sure, it has its weaknesses, but it also has its strengths. What matters is do the strengths outweigh the weaknesses. Are you judging the show by its actual content or by the amount boxes it checked off in relation to your theories, wants, and/or desires? This applies to anything in film, literature, sports, etc.
Fandom is what makes these things fun. We are all going to have different perspectives because we are all different people. This is why so many things in life are subjective. If you disliked this season, I’m sorry you feel that way, but your opinion is no less or more valid than mine. We can still be fans together in spite of disagreement.
I love Game of Thrones. I thank George R.R. Martin, David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, and everyone else who helped make this series possible. To all the people I have enjoyed talking Thrones with throughout the years even if we disagreed, Valar Morghulis.
The Josh Toussaint Blog 