Small Council

Published May 21, 2019 · Updated July 6, 2022

Hey Guys,

Having watched The Iron Throne twice, I am both ok and hot as Drogon”s fire over it. Big D rightly blasted GRRM for promising the D”s he”d have the book series completed for the show. GRRM crafted a rich, beautifully detailed universe that not even he can seem to find a way to end. I didn’t think the D”s would make a perfect ending but I also didn’t think it would be this frustrating and feel so slapped together and half-assed. Jon Snow-the “tragic hero” of our tale. I anticipated Jon going back to the “real North” but feel like if you”re going to go the trouble of killing and resurrecting a character it should have a deeper meaning. If he”s not the “prince that was promised” then why was he so important? Was it just to rally everyone to take on the Night King so his sister/cousin Arya could be the one to kill him? It appears R+L=J was just a plot device to help drive Daenerys over the edge. Never mind that he could have done that just by being better liked than her. The fact that Jon was Aegon Targaryen, the rightful heir to the Iron Throne, the show”s big “mystery” for 7 seasons turned out to ultimately mean very little. Varys died for the treasonous act of telling the world who Jon”s parents were. Based on the payoff, his death and the whole storyline was meaningless. GRRM agreed to let the D”s do the show when they figured out who Jon”s parents were but R+L=J paid off as much as whatever GRRM ate for lunch that day. The fate of Jon Snow may be where the books, should they ever be finished, and the TV series have their greatest difference. The books, of course, have introduced another Targaryen with a better claim to the throne than Daenerys. Maybe the D”s just didn’t understand how to pull the pieces together but Jon Snow deserved better. I thought that banishment to the Night”s Watch might be a ruse to get Jon passed Grey Worm but it”s clear that based on the two crows in black that took Jon to the wall and the construction activity at Castle Black for some reason the Night”s Watch is still a thing. Seems like Master of Coin Bronn is making a bad investment since the Wildlings are now allies. They need to invest in a Night”s Baywatch along the coast to keep an eye on the return of the Unsullied and Dothraki (who since they follow whoever kills their Khal or Khaleesi should be ok with Jon killing Daenerys). While GRRM deserves shit tons of blame for leaving the D”s hanging on an ending, it was their call to do 13 episodes the last two years when it was clear the story needed a little more fleshing out. Had season 7 ended with the first 3 episodes of Season 8, and this season been expanded to 10 episodes, the finale might have landed better. We would have already had wrapped up the fight with the Night King leaving more time for Daenerys”s fall, Jamie”s conflicted feelings for Cersei, and the humanity of Bran. Maybe the character arcs would have ended in ways that felt more earned. GRRM didn’t give the D”s an ending and they, in turn, didn’t give us a fully realized ending. While disappointed, I’m reminded that none of us are promised a fully resolved ending. We could die today with things left unsaid, goals unachieved and promises not kept. While not happy with the ending, I’m glad I went on the journey that was Game of Thrones. Thanks, guys for making such a great podcast and giving us a place where we could discuss the good, the bad and the ugly of such a great story.

Best,

Eric of House Greybeard
Marion, OH

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