Choose Your Own Adventure

Published May 28, 2019 · Updated July 6, 2022

Hi guys,

Love the podcast and have been with you through all discussed shows expect American Gods.

In my opinion, GoT had a great ending if we treat it as what I believe the writers had to provide – a choose-your-own-adventure wrap-up. I understand that this is a super mainstream product and they have to make attempts to satisfy a broad and diverse audience. Some people look for at least traces of an epic black and white heroes tale with the forces of good prevailing in the end, many love twists and darker notes like me and all want to be debriefed on how each of their favorite characters ends up.

The battle of Winterfell satisfied the first impulse and gave us the Lord of the Rings ending. While that’s, not my personal taste it was a unique experience to see the crowd cheer for the forces of the living like they did during the last soccer World Cup. (Which other TV show is fit for large open-air screenings like we had here in Manila?)

When Daenerys went genocide later the cheers got stuck in our throat and that’s the adventure that was tailored for the part of the audience that is wired like myself and appreciates ballsier storytelling. The twist seems well deserved. When rewatching the first 2 seasons I see the Khaleesi socialized from a young age among the Dothrakis, ready to give birth to the Stallion that mounts the earth and repeating Westworld like Targaryen loops of paranoia, repeatedly being betrayed and conquering by blood and fire. We asked ourselves all along how her spiral would play out once moved from far off lands into a setting populated by familiar characters.

What I appreciate most is the political commentary on war when her liberation conquest is transferred from the exotic southern/eastern hemisphere into the west and our perspective suddenly changes when listening to the same liberation rhetoric almost word by word just with a point of view closer to the stomping boots and human casualties.

Ending Jon’s narrative with him being stuck with his honor inbetween two unethical choices is fitting and has been his own westworld style loop throughout the majority of his arc subverting typical hero cliches.

I understand that a mainstream show needs to hit a broader range of emotional notes and if I could choose my own adventure my rewrite suggetion would be only small. In order to make this a truly great and uncompromising ending the credits should just roll right after Jon stabs Daenerys.

All the epiloque can be added as bloopers while the Cheers-theme-song is playing to lighten the mood and leave it open how serious each is to be taken

…cartoonish throne burning …credits/music
…brothels need to be rebuild with donkeys and honeycombs …credits/music …LOL’s about democracy suggestion… credits/music
…Sansa while stitching her royal robe …credits/music
…Jon rolling around in the snow with direwolf … credits/music

Thanks for taking the time. Keep doing what you are doing

Regards,
Mathias from Manila

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