Game of Thrones, Season 8 (spoilers allowed)

I don't consider the source. I never read the books, and even if I had, the show has to stand on its own. Bran was a boring fucking character for 8 seasons. The show didn't establish him as someone who will be a good leader, certainly not to the extent that it did for Jon Snow.

Frankly, it didn't even establish that he has a good and just heart, the way it did with Jon Snow. For all we know, after the end credits rolled, Bran says to Podrick, "All has proceeded as I have foreseen it," and then cackles like Palpatine.

 

Since the first episode.

 

Drogo was challenged early on by one of his riders. They respect power, not chain of command. Since Episode 1.

 

The show had Jon fail every single time he was in charge. He was always bailed out by someone else. It NEVER set him up as a good enough leader to rule. At best, he was someone who could lead a security force (the Night Watch), but he was no General and definitely no king.

 

And if it were known that Jon is the rightful king and had an army of thousands at his back, including the Unsullied who would have followed chain of command, the Dothraki would have respected his power as well.

Horseshit. They set him up as a a king through the entire run.

 

They might have followed him if he had that power. But it would have had nothing to do with chain of command. But the Unsullied were incredibly loyal to Dany. They wouldn’t blindly fall in line behind her murderer.

And if by “set him up all long,” you mean “showed he fails as a military commander and has no idea how to handle the politics that comes with the throne or the everyday issues of ruling,” then, yes, they absolutely set him up as king.

They showed him fail over and over. They showed he didn’t fit the throne. He even knew he didn’t fit it. The bloodline stuff was a swerve, and all along that very thing — rule based on who your mom and dad were and not your actual ability to do the job — was the wheel they were talking about breaking.

 

Who's Jim?

 

Jon. Friggin’ autocorrect on my phone.

 

I was entertained. All I ask for.

Expected Jon to kill Dany. Didn’t expect Bran to get the nod.

Thought Dany would’ve ended up being the Night Queen of the White Walkers to start a new cycle.

I’d watch the hell out of an Arya series “West of Westeros.” Doubt it happens.

Mostly, I’m happy Jon got to pet Ghost and they’re back together. Who’s a good boy?

 

One other nice callback. In Martin’s mind, the iron throne is towering and massive. Good to see that is how Dany imagined it as a child.

 

I have to agree with JRoyal. Jon had a good heart, but he also failed constantly. He was constantly being rescued by others, whether it be Sansa and the Knights of the Vale in the Battle of the Bastards, the Red Woman bringing him back from the dead or his uncle saving him from a horde of Wights.

The Unsullied were loyal to Dany. If we didn't already know that, Grey Worm's readiness to go to war over the right to enforce justice against Jon made that very clear and it was absolutely in character for him. The Unsullied followed orders, but only with Dany at the top. Once she was gone, they were going to follow Grey Worm, not Jon.

The same is true of the Dothraki. They were never going to accept Dany's killer.

Regarding the source material, of course the end was going to follow that. This is Martin's story. He may have entrusted it to the showrunners, but that was always with the understanding that they would land at his ending.