It’s time to dig in
Now that the Game of Thrones finale has aired, it’s fair to say that plenty of people have questions.
Granted, the majority of them might be explained by the storytelling decisions that the showrunners decided to pursue and while some fans might be obsessing over Hot Pie’s fate, we’re going to limit our questions to the most pressing ones.
Also, we’re basing the following points purely on what unfolded in the 73 episodes of the TV show, so the novels aren’t in play here.
As always, consider this to be your spoiler alert warning.
Green eyes
Who was the person with green eyes that Arya was supposed to kill from Melisandre’s prediction? Did it mean anything? After all, Arya has killed plenty of people/wights before, so maybe the prophecy was already fulfilled.
Perhaps that line from Melisandre was only significant in the context of the Battle of Winterfell?
The Lannisters
Why didn’t Cersei and Jaime move five feet over and avoid being killed by bricks?
In the end of the penultimate episode, we see them being crushed by bricks as the Red Keep collapses but in the season finale, Tyrion is able to walk freely through the rubble.
Perhaps someone moved the debris since it fell?
Also, wouldn’t their heads be crushed by the rocks?
Bran’s incredible story
When the Lords and Ladies of Westeros are electing a new ruler, Tyrion asks who has a more interesting story than Bran?
Ok, Jon Snow went from being the Bastard of Winterfell to Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch and King in the North. He was murdered, resurrected, and fought the dead.
He also fought during the battles of Winterfell and King’s Landing. He killed The Mad Queen, a woman that turned out to his aunt that he was having sex with.
He was able to fly on the back of a dragon and there’s another thing that we’re missing, oh yeah, he’s also the rightful heir to the bloody throne!
We know that Jon didn’t want the throne and that his claim might cause tensions – more on that later – but for such an intelligent man, Tyrion’s question was poor.
Jon’s claim
In the Dragonpit sequence, nobody mentions the fact that Jon is the rightful heir to the throne.
Granted, having Jon on the throne might piss off those people that are still loyal to Dany, but after her genocidal display over King’s Landing, Jon would surely be viewed as a hero by 99% of the Westerosi people.
Ok, the main point of the Dragonpit sequence was to ‘break the wheel’ and ensure that the future Kings/Queens of the Six Kingdoms are the right candidate. Surname and succession means nothing.
That’s ok but Tyrion said that if they let Jon Snow go free, it would start a war.
Maybe Jon doesn’t want anymore bloodshed on his account? Yara Greyjoy made it clear she wanted Jon Snow’s head, but we’re confident that the Iron Born would get their asses kicked if hostilities grew worse.
Varys knew that Jon would be a just king and while he never wanted the title, his claim is still worth mentioning, especially since his life was in jeopardy.
The Night’s Watch and Jon’s exile
If the Night King and White Walkers have been defeated, why is there still a need for the Night’s Watch? Tyrion says that there must always be a place for cripples, bastards, and broken things, so is Castle Black now a sort of convalescent home?
The North is now free thanks to Jon and a large part of Westeros owes him a massive debt for removing the threat of Daenerys – if you believe that she was an escalating threat.
Surely Jon could just stay in the North and nobody would say anything? After all, it’s now an independent region that’s controlled by Sansa.
Perhaps he’s just happier in the ‘true’ North?
Similarly, if Grey Worm and Yara are unhappy with the perceived leniency that was shown towards Jon, couldn’t he have chosen a trial by combat as a definite way of settling his fate?
We’d fancy Jon to beat the snot out of Grey Worm.
Grey Worm’s future
We know that Grey Worm and the Unsullied are heading for Naath and that he’s happy with the decision to exile Jon.
It’s worth noting that Grey Worm committed plenty of war crimes too like executing soldiers that have already surrendered.
He has just as much blood on his hands as Jon. How come he wasn’t on trial?
Granted, regicide is a more serious crime but still.
It should be noted that there’s a disease on the island of Naath called butterfly fever. Natives are immune to it but all outsiders who remain too long on Naath fall prey to it.
Grey Worm is doomed.
Dany’s security
Why didn’t Daenerys have more of a security detail after winning the throne?
After all, she’s just after being betrayed by two of those people that were closest to her (Varys and Tyrion). Granted, she loves Jon and might not have seen his actions coming, but we’re led to believe that she’s also paranoid that he’s the rightful heir to the Iron Throne.
A little bit of vigilance might have helped.
No revenge from the Dothraki
The Dothraki just let Jon Snow live after he murdered their Khaleesi?
Strength in infinite numbers
Speaking of the Dothraki and the Unsullied, how many of them are there?
After the Battle of Winterfell, David Benioff said that Jon and Dany were looking at “the end of the Dothraki, essentially” as they charged into battle against the dead.
The Unsullied seemed to multiply in vast numbers for the season finale.
Independence of The North
At the Dragonpit, Sansa asks for The North to be an independent kingdom. The representatives of the other territories are happy to be a part of the newly created Six Kingdoms.
A few seasons ago, when she travelled to Meereen, Yara Greyjoy asked Daenerys for the Iron Islands to be an independent territory and Yara’s request was approved by the Mother of Dragons.
Given the hostility that Yara now has to House Stark after Jon killed Dany, surely her desire for independence is even greater?
Why didn’t she ask?
Dro…gone?
Where did Drogon take Dany’s body?
There are theories that he was flying to the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai. Then again, the dragon could have been flying away to meet Hot Pie.
Who knows?
Let the Hand of the Queen speak
Grey Worm yells at Tyrion when he starts talking during the Dragonpit scene because he’s still a prisoner.
Moments later, Tyrion is allowed to give a lengthy speech that’s incredibly important when it comes to selecting the next ruler of Westeros.
Why the change of heart from Grey Worm?
Similarly, would the Unsullied and Dothraki be ok with the newly appointed King of the Six Kingdoms? After all, Bran is related to the man who killed their Queen.
Long live the King
What age is Bran going to live to?
Does his council know that the last Three-Eyed Raven lived to be over 1,000 years old?
We’ve no idea if Bran is going to age in the same way but it’s an interesting point to make!
The prince that wasn’t promised
Who is the new Prince of Dorne?
Dorne wasn’t mentioned in the TV show after Ellaria Sand and the Sand Snakes were killed/captured.
We now know that Dorne has a new ruler but why didn’t they join Dany in her fight against the undead/Cersei?
The prince that was promised
Did the the Azor Ahai prophecy actually mean anything?
After she killed the Night King, there was lots of speculation that it was Arya, however, she doesn’t fit the exact criterion.
Jon Snow is the more likely candidate due to the fact that in order to unleash the true powers of Lightbringer, legend has it that Azor Ahai had to plunge the sword into the heart of his beloved wife, Nissa Nissa.
In this case, Daenerys would fit that description but that match still requires a few leaps.
Speaking of other prophecies, the Valonqar prophecy was very popular in the books but it’s never overtly referenced in the show.
Warging
Was Bran able to warg into a dragon this whole time?
After all, he did say ‘perhaps I can find him’ when he enquired about Drogon’s whereabouts at the small council meeting.
The Three-Eyed Raven
Did Bran let thousands of people burn to death, safe in the knowledge that if he let events unfold, he would be the King?
We’re 99.99% certain that the answer is yes.
Bran did have a vision of Drogon flying over King’s Landing.
We know that the Three-Eyed Raven was primarily concerned with the war against the Night King, he wasn’t interested in the game of thrones. However, you can view his refusal to intervene as a pretty heinous thing to do.
A vacant position
Isn’t the position of Master of Whisperers a bit redundant when the Three-Eyed Raven is the King of Westeros?
A tiny detail
Why did Brienne of Tarth write Jaime Lannister’s eulogy in The White Book, formerly The Book of the Brothers, and then close the book when the ink was still wet?
This tiny detail has bugged so many people.
Ser Bronn of the Blackwater
Bronn is now the Master of Coin on Bran’s small council.
Does he have any experience in that position? Surely the vacant position of Master of War would be better suited to Bronn’s wonderful talents?
Similarly, who will be the newly-appointed Master of Whisperers, Master of Laws and Master of War on the small council?
The sorcerer
What did the voice in the flames say to Lord Varys when he was castrated?
Missing characters
Why did the showrunners feel that Meera and Howland Reed didn’t deserve a mention in Season 8?
Ok, we know that they were against the clock with only six episodes left to wrap up the story, but there are an awful lot of characters that could have had some sort of impact.
Daario Naharis and The Second Sons would have been a huge help to Dany. Quaithe and Kinvara may also have been useful.
The new Mance Rayder
Is Jon now the King Beyond the Wall?
We know nothing.
Direwolf stuff
Where is Nymeria? Is Ghost happy?
The most important questions for some people.
Relationship stuff
Why did Ser Davos never feel the urge to go back and visit his wife? What did Podrick do to those women at the brothel? Why did Season 7 spend so much time referencing Dany’s fertility? Will Tormund ever get his ‘big woman?’
I Am the Resurrection
Was Jon resurrected purely to help Sansa reclaim The North, create a military alliance with Dany, and ultimately, defeat the dead during The Long Night?
After he’s brought back from the dead, the show never explicitly addresses Jon’s connection to the Lord of Light again and how he fits in with any prophecy.
Tyrion’s joke
How does Tyrion’s infamous “honeycomb and jackass” joke actually end?
Nothing official has been confirmed although there’s one belting answer from a fan that’s doing the rounds online.
What’s in a name?
Bran has previously said that he’s no longer Brandon Stark, he’s the Three-Eyed Raven.
Is ‘Bran the Broken’ cool with his new nickname?
Similarly, when Tyrion asked the Three-Eyed Raven if he ever wanted to be Lord of Winterfell, he said that he doesn’t want anything anymore.
Why the change of heart when it comes to the Iron Throne?
Is it purely because Bran knows the evil that men and women can do when they’re in a position of power? By not wanting the throne, is Bran the best person to rebuild Westeros in the spirit of peace and unification?
This tease
It’s a lovely scene but what was the exact point of this moment?
We’d have killed to see a scene that depicted the events that unfolded at the Tourney at Harrenhal – more about that here – and how Lyanna and Rhaegar fell in love.
How did Jon feel about this revelation? It’s one of the strongest events that occurred in Game of Thrones because it impacted who had the strongest claim to the Iron Throne – Jon or Dany.
Jon didn’t want the throne and it appears that his Targaryen lineage was solely used as a plot device to accelerate Dany’s descent into madness.
The show was never overly concerned with Lyanna and Rhaegar but it would have been nice to get an explanation as to why Lyanna fell in love with and ran then away with a married man?
Why didn’t she just send a raven back to Winterfell, informing them that she wasn’t kidnapped?
This decision helped to accelerate Robert’s Rebellion and it’s a pretty big deal.
Supernatural stuff
Was The Lord of Light significant in any way?
What are the true powers behind this religion? After all, it helped bring Beric and Jon Snow back from the dead. Just how many followers does this religion have? Can all those that worship the Lord of Light bring people back from the dead?
Elsewhere, how was Arya and the Faceless Men able to change their physical shape when they did their ‘face swapping’ trick? When it came to kicking ass, Arya didn’t need much help this season but why didn’t we get to see this very cool trick again?
Granted, that’s probably a conscious choice on the part of the writers but still.
The horse
People are asking what was the significance of Arya’s white horse?
That one we can answer. It’s just a horse.
Neigh to all of those bonkers theories.
The big one
What’s the deal with Craster’s sons?
How did he manage to negotiate a pact with the White Walkers and survive? We know that the new prequel show will delve into the origins of the Walkers, will our lingering questions be answered?
We’ve got so many questions about the Night King and the army of the dead.
The biggest one…
When will The Winds of Winter be published?
Game of Thrones, it has been emotional.
