The Ending We Needed: A Mile-High Finale Perspective and the Biggest Clue Everyone Missed

Published May 22, 2019 · Updated July 6, 2022

Big D and Gene,

I am a long-time listener (Westworld, Game of Thrones, American Gods, and Shat the Movies), but the first-time writer. My boyfriend Vince (yes, the same Vince that commissioned The Natural) and I listen to you all the time and truly enjoy it.

First, and most importantly, I want to thank you for your hard work. Thank you for being truly great hosts and making a connection with your audience that is rare. You have lived with us through a cultural phenomenon that is not likely to happen again.

The ending of Game of Thrones is bittersweet, particularly for me. My dad was a huge Game of Thrones fan. After hating the show at first, he slowly started asking questions and eventually was hooked. He watched it constantly on repeat (can’t tell you how many times), bought himself a Targaryen t-shirt (even though he was obviously House Stark), the whole nine yards. He passed away in 2016 from cancer and didn’t get to see the last two seasons. I mourn the ending of Game of Thrones, but I try to celebrate it in my dad”s memory.

Turning to the finale itself. I’m going to look at this from a mile-high perspective. Was it perfect? Absolutely not. Did what I personally want to happen come to fruition? Nope. Do I feel satisfied with how it ended? Yes.

The first half of this last episode was beautiful and haunting. Some of the visuals we got were the best in the show. Jon walking up to a pile of snow/ash that gets shaken off to reveal Drogon guarding the door. The celebration of the Dothraki horde contrasted with the stillness and thundering of the Unsullied spears. Dany getting some badass dragon wings. The Iron Throne, created by dragonfire, now destroyed by it.

The second half of the episode wasn’t the greatest. Sure, there were some gaps. How did everyone learn that Jon Snow killed Dany? Who called the council to pick the new ruler? How did Bronn, the Lord of Lofty Titles, get his lofty titles? Valid questions, but they weren’t necessary to tell the story. I would have loved to see all this in action – as we all would have – and Gene”s Season 9 would have been great. But at this point, the show could only give us what we needed to see, not exactly what we wanted to. It”s up to GRRM to give us the ending we think we deserve (maybe if he lives that long).

The Small Council scene was campy and cliche, with Davos now throwing down the grammar hammer and the Song of Ice and Fire book. (Side note: Does everyone forget that Frodo decided to write a book about what happened in the Lord of the Rings?) Plus, we never got to hear the end of Tyrion”s weird “I brought a honeycomb and a jackass into a brothel” joke. Life has to go on with some semblance of normalcy, and I think that”s what the end portrayed.

George always told us the ending was “bittersweet.” He turned fantasy novel tropes on their head. Things we thought were important weren’t. Characters we thought weren’t importantly shaped the course of history. Dany, the queen that everyone loved, ended up a ruthless murderer. The hero of Westeros, Jon Snow, ends up in exile but ultimately free to hang out with his BFF, Tormund and Ghost. Bran, the crippled boy, is now king. Who better to rule than the kid who literally knows everything that ever happened and the consequences? Sansa is Queen in the North (the details of her dress are AMAZING and worthy of an email of its own). Arya is now Arya the Explorer. As Bran said, everything that happened got us to where we needed to be.

Also, how did we all miss the biggest hint in all of Game of Thrones of what was to come, that Bran”s direwolf was named Summer? He named his direwolf after having one of his first dreams of the Three-Eyed Raven. It’s as if the seed was planted in Bran’s head from the very start, but it just took him a while to realize it. It was right in front of our faces the whole time. After winter…and a dream of spring…comes the long Summer.

Thank you again for everything. Can’t wait for Westworld (that trailer tho) and Watchmen!

Kindest regards,
Brooke from Cleveland

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