He Who Wanders

Having already discussed many of the issues in the final season of Game of Thrones, I think it’s time to see how I would have ended the series. I’ve prepared an in-depth look at how the series should have ended. Of course, there will be spoilers.

First off, Season 8 would be split up into 10 episodes as per usual. I would’ve done the same with Season 7, but we’ll forget about that. And although I don’t think they’re perfect, I would keep the first two episodes of Season 8. They were the only two episodes of the season not written by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, and I think they were pretty good.

The only change I’d make would be to show little Lord Umber getting to Last Hearth. There’d be some discussion. Then we’d see the army of dead completely overrun the place almost immediately. It would give us an idea of just how screwed our characters are when the White Walkers come to Winterfell.

Episode 3

Next we’d have the Battle at Winterfell. There would be some slight changes. Civilians and characters that could not fight would flee to a more southern city/town, not gather in the crypt, surrounded by dead bodies waiting to be reanimated. In addition, Melisandre wouldn’t come from where the dead are supposed to be. She would arrive beforehand. Also, there would be some smarter strategies. Catapults would not be placed on the front line. They’d be placed far behind. The Dothraki cavalry wouldn’t just charge in. The dead would be allowed to attack the front line. Then the Dothraki would go in from the sides with a pincer move.

I do love the image of the Dothrakis’ flaming arakhs getting snuffed out, so Melisandre can be there to light the arakhs before the Dothraki charge to their death. Then when Dany and Jon see the Dothraki all perish, they go in on their dragons. Just like before, they are be pushed back and blinded by a blizzard. Then the Night King attacks them on his undead Viserion. The dragon battle is the same as before. Drogon and Rhaegal tear up Viserion’s face, Rhaegal gets injured, and the Night King is knocked off the dragon.

Daenerys tries to burn the Night King with dragon fire, but it doesn’t work. Jon tries to attack the Night King, but the Night King slows him down by raising the dead. As the Night King goes to find Bran, Daenerys rescues Jon with Drogon. This gives Jon the chance to chase after the Night King. Just like in the actual episode, Daenerys gets knocked off Drogon and Jorah comes to her rescue.

Meanwhile, the White Walkers hang back until the dead finally break into the city. Only then do we see the White Walkers join the fight. We see some extras attack the White Walkers, but they get defeated with ease.

Jorah defends Daenerys from a bunch of wights. He gets a little cut up, but he is mostly okay. Drogon also comes back to defend Daenerys by burning up the dead. But then we see a White Walker come. He has a spear like the Night King used to kill Viserion. Drogon is distracted and doesn’t notice the White Walker. Daenerys panics as it looks like the White Walker will throw the spear at Drogon, but Jorah steps in to fight the White Walker. It’s a tough fight. Jorah gets mortally wounded, but the White Walker doubts his fighting spirit. As the White Walker aims at Drogon again, Jorah kills it with his Valyrian steel sword. The rest of the wights around them die. Daenerys is safe.

Beric, the Hound, Arya, and Melisandre are somewhere inside Winterfell fighting the dead. Melisandre raises walls of flame to protect them from getting flanked, but she is not a fighter. She gets overrun and killed by some dead. Arya is also getting overrun. Beric steps in to save her, but then he gets killed by a White Walker. Now Arya and the Hound fight the White Walker. They are tired. The White Walker is taking both of them. Some wights come and the Hound fights them. Meanwhile, Arya fights the White Walker alone. The White Walker grabs her by the neck, but Arya kills it just like she killed the Night King in the actual show. The wights around them die and they are safe.

Brienne, Jaime, Sam, Pod, Grey Worm, and Tormund are also shown fighting in this episode. They struggle but they are safe. We see shots of Viserion burning things and White Walkers killing people. Brienne and Tormund don’t want to give up, but everyone else wants to retreat. Jaime convinces Brienne to retreat and Tormund follows along.

The Night King gets to the Godswood where Bran is. Theon tries to kill the Night King, but dies easily. As the Night King approaches Bran, Jon comes to defend him. Bran tells Jon they need to leave, but Jon insists he can kill the Night King here and now. Bran says he can’t. Jon is stubborn and fights anyway. The Night King’s armor is a bit of a mess from falling off Drogon, getting burned, and fighting others, but he doesn’t feel pain or exhaustion. The Night King plays with Jon. He is beating him easily, cutting him, throwing him across the Godswood. During the fight, we see Bran’s eyes go white, but we don’t see what he’s warging into.

Jon fights more. The Night King stops Jon’s Valyrian steel sword by catching it in his hand. He shouldn’t be able to do that. Jon is thrown back again. As the Night King approaches, he notices a scar on his chest where the Children of the Forest stabbed him with dragonglass, turning him into a White Walker in the first place. The scar is pale, pink, and white, like human skin. The Night King raises his spear to kill Jon, but he is pushed back by Viserion. We flash back to Bran and realize that Bran has warged into Viserion.

The Night King fights off Viserion and is forced to kill him. However, this gives Jon the chance to get himself and Bran out of there. Everyone flees south. As we see just how few survivors there are, the Night King raises all the dead. It is clear they cannot win another battle against his army.

Episode 4

Most of the episode will take place on the road. Traveling takes time. So characters won’t simply teleport as in Season 7. Instead they will discuss their feelings after losing their friends, their family, and their home. It will be a dialogue heavy episode, but these past two seasons have been light on dialogue. So after such an action intense episode, dialogue is needed to give the audience a break. Besides, it gives the characters a chance to bond and deepen their connections.

We see conversations between Jaime and Brienne, for example, to show them bonding more. We see Arya and the Hound discuss the people on Arya’s list. The Hound comments that the Mountain is his to kill, and Arya comments that she still has to kill the queen.

Near the start of the episode, Jon mentions the scar he saw on the Night King’s chest. They wonder if it’s a weakness. Bran disappears into his visions, presumably to find out.

But one of the most important conversations will be the one shared by Jon and Dany. They have to discuss the love they share and the whole Jon is the true heir to the throne thing. This time the conversation will be a bit more intelligible. Jon won’t simply say, “You’re my queen” again and again.

They start out by talking about other things. Perhaps they discuss Dany losing Jorah or Jon losing his home. During this conversation, they show affection. This is important because it shows they love each other instead of telling us they love each other. Show, don’t tell. Jon says how he imagined living in Winterfell with Dany. But of course Dany is destined for the Iron Throne, so this transitions into talking about Jon being heir to the throne.

Jon says he doesn’t want the throne, but Dany argues that people will want Jon to be king if they find out. He says he won’t tell anyone, but he has to tell his siblings. Dany says if he does, everyone will find out. She begs him not to tell. They argue about this a little, but then Dany suggests they get married. It won’t matter who’s rightful ruler if they’re both rulers. Jon hesitates because they’re actually related. In the end, Jon agrees because Targaryens used to wed each other, and because they love each other. They embrace. They look happy, but Dany’s smile fades. She’s visibly worried it won’t be enough.

At the end of the episode, we go into one of Bran’s visions. It depicts the capture of the man who becomes the Night King. It happens when there are tensions between the Children of the Forest and man. But this capture is especially important because the captured man is the Three-Eyed Raven. Unlike the Three-Eyed Raven we know, he is a weapon of humanity against the Children of the Forest. So there is a debate among the children about what to do with him. The Three-Eyed Raven is sure he will be killed because he says he can see into the future up until his death.

However, the Children of the Forest seem to agree that it is wrong to kill him. They seem about to let him go. Bran is confused. This is not what happened. Bran says aloud that they’re supposed to plunge a dragonglass dagger into his heart and turn him into a monster. Leaf, the child who lived with the Three-Eyed Raven in the previous seasons of Game of Thrones, doesn’t appear to notice Bran, but she says exactly what he says. It’s implied Bran actually has control over people in the past.

This is an interesting concept. On the one hand, Bran isn’t actually changing the past. “The past is already written. The ink is dry,” as the Three-Eyed Raven once said. As far as we know, there is no other way the events could have gone. But on the other hand, these events are a direct result of Bran’s actions. It leaves the question what else Bran may be responsible for. If you’re confused, the concept is similar to the time travel in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Another thing happens. As the Three-Eyed Raven of this time period, the captured man is able to see Bran. He asks Bran who he is, what he’s doing, and so on. Bran doesn’t answer, except to say, “What must be done.” The Children of the Forest of course dismiss the man’s ravings and turn him into the Night King.

We then end the episode with a shot of the Night King in the present. He looks angry. And he is. The whole reason he’s after Bran is not to erase Westeros’s memory or whatever. He wants to kill Bran for turning him into a monster.

Episode 5

In this episode, our band of survivors from the Winterfell battle meet up with the civilians that sought refuge farther south. They discuss the people they’ve lost, emotionally and also in terms of numbers. The people will mourn together. Sansa will be shaken by Theon’s death.

At some point, Jon splits off with Arya, Sansa, and Bran. Jon tells the truth about who he is. Arya and Sansa suggest that Jon should be king, not Daenerys. He says they need Daenerys, so there’s no way he would betray her. He also says that they will get married and it’s not a problem. Arya says, “But she’s your aunt.” Bran says some historical information about Targaryens wedding each other and different historical cases of incest to rationalize it. Arya seems assuaged, but still offput. Sansa still thinks it’s a mistake. If he’s king and she’s queen, who’s in charge? Jon says both of them. Sansa says, “Are you sure?”

Later they discuss strategy. After losing so many people, they know they’re screwed. They agree that they can’t win another battle by themselves. They also discuss killing the Night King. They tried dragon fire, which didn’t work. Jon says the Night King caught his Valyrian steel sword, so that doesn’t work. But he saw a scar on his chest and thinks maybe it would work. Bran mentions how the Night King was created. He of course leaves out the part where he influenced the Children of the Forest to make him. Nonetheless, Bran suggests that stabbing him with a dragonglass dagger in the same place would do the trick.

Regardless, they won’t have the opportunity to do so if they’re simply overrun by the dead. They need to join forces with Cersei. Dany, Tyrion, and Sansa all agree that she can’t be trusted. Jon agrees as well, but they have no choice. Tyrion says that even if they convince Cersei to help, she’ll plan something to permanently remove Dany as a threat.

Dany suggests that maybe she should just kill Cersei and take her army. She then prods Jaime by asking if he’d be opposed to that. The question makes Jaime, Tyrion, and Brienne all visibly uncomfortable. Jaime admits that Cersei is a monster who cannot be trusted, but they can’t kill Cersei just yet. They need her army to fight the Night King. So Daenerys wants to kill her afterwards. Arya is fine with assassinating her, but the others convince Dany and Arya that assassination is dishonorable. Also, Dany can’t simply burn King’s Landing to the ground. Everything they’ve done has been to spare lives and look like a savior. Daenerys is impatient and says something fiery about how a quick death would be mercy for her enemies or something of the sort. Jon says how they need to be honorable. Daenerys basically ignores what he says and declares that she is the rightful ruler. Jon backs down and agrees that she is because he is whipped. Regardless, Daenerys relents and agrees to get the throne as initially planned.

However, if they beat the Night King, they won’t have enough troops to defeat Cersei. They don’t really decide on a solution to that issue. Tyrion comments that hopefully Cersei will lose most of her army. Then they’ll be even. With no other choice, they all start going to King’s Landing.

After the meeting, Tyrion stops to chat with Bran who has been noticeably silent throughout the meeting. They have a similar discussion compared to the one they had in the show. Tyrion implies that Bran will be Lord of Winterfell if they all survive, but Bran says he doesn’t want to be Lord of Winterfell. He doesn’t want much of anything. Tyrion seems a bit suspicious, but he walks away. Bran smirks.

We also get a conversation between Tyrion and Sansa. Sansa questions Tyrion about Daenerys. She suggests that Dany is impulsive and violent. Tyrion argues that others check her worst impulses, so it’s fine. Dany has a good heart and protects the people when it comes down to it. Sansa argues that the people don’t want Daenerys. Tyrion says they will. But Sansa implies that there is someone else that is not so impulsive and is loved by the people. She then tells Tyrion about Jon being the rightful ruler.

Tyrion is suspicious of the information coming from Jon’s best friend Sam and his brother Bran, but he has no reason to distrust either of them. So he accepts it. Tyrion says it’s basically meaningless because Jon and Daenerys will get married. But Sansa worries that Daenerys controls Jon too easily and she is not to be trusted.

Tyrion then talks to Varys. Varys expresses concerns in Daenerys and says that Jon seems a better choice. He hasn’t decided to commit treason just yet, but it’s clear the wheels are turning. Tyrion says he is committed to Daenerys and thinks everything will be fine if Jon and Daenerys marry. But Varys agrees with Sansa that Daenerys would control Jon.

Daenerys and Sansa then have a conversation. Daenerys tells Sansa about her plans to marry Jon. She tries to build a relationship with Sansa, but there is still clearly tension. They also dance around the issue of Jon’s true heritage. It’s clear Daenerys knows that Sansa knows and Sansa knows that Daenerys know she knows. No one mentions the issue directly, but Sansa sticks by Jon and tensions remain between her and Daenerys.

Finally we skip ahead to their arrival at King’s Landing. Cersei stares down from the walls with a smirk. She has a massive army and scorpions and catapults lining the wall. Meanwhile, Daenerys and Jon have a tiny army with Drogon and an injured Rhaegal.

Episode 6

The episode begins with a back and forth between Cersei and Daenerys. Cersei threatens to kill them all with her much larger army and her scorpions. Meanwhile, Daenerys threatens to burn them all with her dragons. Jon, of course, reminds everyone about the greater threat. But it takes Jaime to truly convince Cersei to let them in. Even so, she only agrees to let them in if Daenerys bends the knee.

At first, Daenerys tries to bargain with Cersei. After all, without each other’s help, they will all die. It’s no time for political squabble. But Cersei doesn’t care. Daenerys is obviously upset, but she sucks up her pride for the betterment of her people and all the people. She bends the knee. Cersei smirks devilishly while Daenerys is clearly humiliated. Tyrion places his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. Under her breath, Daenerys vows to get the throne one way or another.

Before everyone has a serious meeting about the impending battle, several characters meetup. Arya approaches the Mountain since he’s still on her list. The Hound joins her to remind her that the Mountain is on his list too. The Mountain isn’t impressed and can’t talk anyway. But the Hound threatens him and says he will kill him whether or not the dead win. Arya meanwhile looks at Cersei.

Bronn and Tyrion talk as well. Tyrion questions why Bronn is still with Cersei since she’s obviously crazy. Bronn says it’s because of money. But Tyrion thinks there are more important things than just money, and he thinks Bronn agrees. “Like what? Family? Friends?” Bronn asks. He says Daenerys’s army was destroyed. Even the mighty Dothraki were decimated. Bronn says friends get you killed and that he chose the right side. But there is a bit of conflict on Bronn’s face as if he knows what he’s saying is true, but it feels wrong all the same.

Cersei talks to Jaime and Brienne, who are together at the time. She basically calls out the elephant in the room, which is the romance between Jaime and Brienne. Jaime and Brienne both deny any relationship, but their awkward responses tell it all. Cersei asks to talk to Jaime alone, perhaps leaving Brienne with Tormund. Cersei and Jaime talk about after the war. She wants Jaime back. Jaime asks about Euron, but Cersei lets on that she’ll have Euron killed in someway once the war is won and he is no longer needed. She tries to seduce Jaime, and says stuff about their baby needing its father. She talks badly about Daenerys and how she needs Jaime by her side. But after a few kisses, Jaime resists. He feels used and he doesn’t trust her, especially after she threatened to kill him before. He leaves.

There may be some other funny discussions. Maybe Euron flirts with Missandei and busts Grey Worm’s balls (or lack thereof) for being a eunuch. He asks intrusive questions about their relationship and tries to provoke Grey Worm, but Grey Worm keeps his cool.

Or maybe Sam and Qyburn talk about both turning their backs on the Citadel. They seem to bond for a second. But Qyburn’s story is a bit darker and more twisted than Sam’s. Sam begins to feel awkward.

Eventually they all meet up to discuss plans. They estimate how many men they have together. The Night King still has more. They can build trenches and light them with fire, fling flaming projectiles with catapults, and so on. Qyburn mentions that they still have wildfire. It’s not enough for the entire army. Tyrion says he’ll think of something to do with it.

But Cersei gets fed up because she knows it’s all pointless if they can’t kill the Night King. They say that dragon fire and Valyrian steel don’t work, but Jon mentions the scar. Cersei thinks it’s ridiculous that all they have is an unverified idea.

There’s another problem that Harry Strickland, leader of the Golden Company brings up: his men, the majority of their army, don’t have any dragonglass. They mention that there is still some in Dragonstone. It’s only a short sail away and Euron has the fastest ships.

They don’t know where the Night King is though. Bran’s eyes go white. He says the Night King is in Harrenhal, a few days’ ride. But Jon reminds them the dead don’t stop since they don’t get tired. Bran says that they have stopped. The Night King has sent armies to other cities to build his army even more. It gives them a little time, but it’s also bad news. Cersei doesn’t understand how Bran could know that. Qyburn is curious. Bran just says he is the Three-Eyed Raven.

“If that’s the case, we don’t stand a chance,” one of them says about the Night King. But Jon tries to rally hope and says it means they need the dragonglass more than ever. They agree to send Euron’s fleet, but Cersei says Daenerys must go with him. She suspects something, but Cersei asserts her power as queen. Daenerys agrees, but is bothered.

Still, it’s not enough dragonglass. People express concerns that the dead will breach their walls and without enough dragonglass, they’re screwed. What will they do? Bran says, “Burn them all.” He says it a few times. The camera shows Jaime’s concerned/confused reaction. Bran’s eyes are still white.

Episode 7

Daenerys and Euron set out on the Iron Fleet. Drogon follows along, but Rhaegal must stay because he is still weak. Euron appears intimidated by Drogon, which Daenerys points out. But Euron points out the scorpions on his ships. If anything goes wrong, they will take Drogon out.

While they leave, people prepare King’s Landing for defense. Sam, Qyburn, and Tyrion plan something with the wildfire. Jon and Grey Worm oversee construction of the battlements. It doesn’t give away too much about what will happen, but it shows you that war is coming.

As Jon walks around, some people stare at him like he’s a celebrity. Jon finds it strange, but he knows nothing, so he just keeps going about his day. He eventually goes to see Rhaegal who is healing up. They clearly have some type of spiritual bond. Maybe Ghost is with Jon and he’s a bit jealous that the dragon is getting all the attention.

Tormund comes to see Jon. He tries to play the tough guy, but he’s terrified by Rhaegal. Once Rhaegal flies away, Tormund says something about it being true. He and everyone else have heard the rumors that he’s Aegon Targaryen, the true heir to the throne. Jon is surprised that everyone knows, even though he obviously shouldn’t be. He says he doesn’t want the throne, but Tormund explains that people follow whomever they see as most fit to rule.

Sansa and Cersei talk. Cersei pretends to be nice and calls Sansa “little dove” again. Sansa isn’t having it. She has no time for niceties. She basically tells Cersei that her rule is over. Cersei laughs because she thinks she has all the cards, but Sansa knows she’s weak. She pushes all of Cersei’s buttons: tells her she’s alone and unloved. Even Jaime doesn’t love her anymore. She tells Cersei that there are others more fit to rule. Sansa means Jon, but Cersei assumes she means Daenerys. She says something mean about the dragon queen. Instead of talking about Jon, Sansa talks about how Daenerys will crush Cersei. It seems unlike Sansa, who clearly dislikes Daenerys, but she is essentially goading Cersei into doing something stupid. We see signs of Cersei’s cool exterior cracking.

Jaime and Brienne talk about Cersei. Jaime says she tried to seduce him and that he refused her. He says that he’s done awful things for Cersei. Everything he hates about himself is connected to Cersei. But Brienne convinces Jaime that he is in fact a great guy. Whatever man he was, he is no longer. Brienne also almost admits she loves him, but stops short of saying it. Jaime reacts by kissing her. They have sex.

Meanwhile, the main action of the episode is Daenerys and Euron getting the dragonglass. They arrive at Dragonstone. Euron forces Daenerys to show him to the cave, where they have extra dragonglass and dragonglass weapons. Drogon can’t fit in the cave, so Dany and Euron go alone. Some of the Ironborn stay behind the scorpions, ready to attack Drogon.

When Dany shows Euron the dragonglass, he pulls a knife on her. He says Cersei told him to kill her and her dragon. Daenerys explains that they need her and her dragons to fight the dead. She also says that Cersei will turn on Euron when she gets the chance. He already knows that, though, so he tries to use the opportunity to convince Daenerys to marry him. He’ll use his fleet to defeat Cersei. But Daenerys refuses. Euron says it must be because of Jon, but he heard the rumors about Jon. He criticizes Daenerys for incest. He also says how Jon is the true heir to the throne. They’ll want him to rule, not her. Euron says that maybe after he kills Cersei, he’ll kill Jon.

It’s a tense moment, but the camera shows the opening of the cave. The weather has suddenly shifted. Snow is falling and the wind is wailing. Drogon roars in the background as if to warn them of danger. The White Walkers are coming.

Euron lets Daenerys go. They don’t have time to argue. They quickly load up all the dragonglass. They’re about to leave, but as the White Walkers approach, the water begins to freeze. They start walking towards the ships.

I know. If the White Walkers could freeze the sea, why didn’t they do that to get around the Wall? Because the Wall is magic and they couldn’t get past it until they had the dragon to melt the Wall and break the magic. What about Hardhome? Well, the Night King didn’t want to fight just yet. He just wanted to intimidate Jon.

Euron tries to hit the White Walkers and wights with his scorpions, but they don’t care. They just get up and keep coming. Euron is desperate to leave, so now Daenerys has the bargaining power. She makes Euron promise to kill Cersei and fight for her instead. He promises. So Daenerys gets on Drogon and uses dragon fire to free the ships. They get away.

Daenerys rejoins Euron on the ship, but Drogon continues to fly closely. Euron reacts to the White Walkers since it was his first time seeing them. Euron is thankful, but he’s also a creep so he gets a bit close and implies that he wants to thank Daenerys. Dany doesn’t accept his advances, but she doesn’t move away either.

Daenerys explains to him how she and her dragons are the most powerful weapon against the dead. It appears she is trying to convince him to stay loyal because she goes on about how Cersei has nothing to protect them with. But Daenerys goes on about how useless the Iron Fleet is. There are nothing his ships can do against the dead. She also says that Euron himself is useless. He is a bit offended, but he’s also very close to the very beautiful dragon queen, so he just laughs. Daenerys goes on to insult Euron, calling him honorless and untrustworthy. Then she takes a dagger and stabs him.

The Ironborn look ready to kill Daenerys. Euron’s crew is full of mutes if you remember, so they don’t say anything. Daenerys tells them how Drogon is ready to burn them alive if they move against her. They wasted their scorpion bolts on the White Walkers, so they can’t kill Drogon. Besides, Daenerys saved them. So they follow her.

Episode 8

Daenerys returns to King’s Landing. She says everything that happened. She is pissed off at Cersei and threatens to bathe her in dragon fire. Cersei doesn’t deny ordering Euron to kill her, but she knows Daenerys needs her and her army. Daenerys wants to kill her anyway, and take her army herself. But Jon persuades her to back down to prepare for the dead.

People prepare for the final face-off with the Night King. They don’t bother evacuating people because if he wins, they’re all screwed anyway. There are some conversations between characters. For example, Arya and Gendry talk about what happens after the war. Arya wants to be with her family and Gendry wants to be with her because she’s his family.

Meanwhile, it’s still day when a snow storm clouds the sky, casting everything in shadow. The Night King is here. The camera pans over his army. There are thousands upon thousands of zombified men and creatures: from giants to bears. For the first time, we see a look of genuine terror on Cersei’s face. She and the civilians are rushed into the Red Keep while others prepare to fight.

Without a dragon, the dead must siege King’s Landing the old-fashioned way. They have catapults and arrows to mirror the living side’s flaming catapults and arrows. They exchange several volleys. Although the walls hold steady, the dead are without number. They just keep advancing.

There are flaming trenches, but the dead just fall on top of them to make a bridge for the rest. The whole army advances and we see a glimpse of the White Walkers and the Night King. Meanwhile, the dead pile up at the walls. Burning oil is poured down on top of them, but they keep coming. Soon some make it onto the ramparts, where some of our favorite characters fight them back.

But then a signal is given and there is a massive explosion of wildfire in front of the castle. It sends shockwaves all the way to the Red Keep, where the civilians look worried. But our characters at the walls seem happy…for a second. The camera pans out and we see that regardless of how big the explosion was, the Night King’s army is bigger, much bigger. Also, the White Walkers are unharmed. “Did we miss them?” someone asks, but no. They’re just immune to fire.

Since the dead keep coming, Jon and Daenerys get on their dragons. Rhaegal is still a little weak, but they have no choice. They need him. Everything goes well for a while. They clear away a lot of the dead. Archers shoot at them, but the arrows just bounce off the dragons’ hard, scaly bodies.

But as Jon and Daenerys get closer, the White Walkers start throwing ice spears. Drogon dodges all the spears and Rhaegal seems to dodge most of them. But eventually Rhaegal gets hit. He and Jon glide down into the city, where they collide into some buildings. Jon is okay, but Rhaegal is clearly dead. It’s a big loss for Daenerys who follows after them. She and Drogon are visibly upset. But it also puts a damper on the rest of the characters’ spirits.

To cut up the action, the camera cuts away to people inside the Red Keep. For example, we might get a scene like the one during Stannis’s siege of King’s Landing. Instead of Ser Ilyn Payne, the Mountain stands there silently to protect the queen. But this time Sansa is calm and collected. She gives the others strength by talking about Daenerys and Jon protecting them. Cersei isn’t happy about that.

Tyrion is there as well, by orders of Daenerys. He would’ve stayed, but everyone knows he’d die. Cersei belittles him, but Sansa stands up for him. Cersei makes a comment about them still technically being married. Neither of them are totally disgusted by the idea. Sansa is obviously a strong, beautiful woman, and Tyrion always treated her kindly.

We also see Bran and Varys. Bran assures people that everything is happening as it is supposed to happen. Varys questions how he could possibly know that. Bran says he can see the past, the present, and the future. Varys thinks it’s bullshit, but he mentions something about a conversation he had with Ned Stark and Bran is able to finish the sentence.

Varys is slightly impressed, but perhaps not completely convinced. He muses about the power Bran could wield with such an ability. It would put even the spider to shame. Bran could use it to take the throne for himself. But Bran says power resides where people believe it resides. They don’t believe he, a cripple boy, is powerful. In fact, many thought him dead. But Varys says he is a highborn lord that helped organize the fight against the dead. They will see that.

Back to the action: the Night King’s giants bring a giant battering ram to the gates. The people on the wall kill a couple giants, but the giant keep chipping away at the gates. So the Golden Company is there to prepare for the giants to break through. They kill some of the giants, but many of the men are killed.

They are forced to retreat to the Red Keep. As the dead filter into the city, people are chased through the streets. In the retreat, many people die, including Gendry. Others appear doomed to the same fate, but Daenerys swoops in on Drogon to save them. She continues to burn the dead, but in turn burns much of the city as well.

While the wights are all in the city, the White Walkers and the Night King are still outside the walls. Jon appears to gather a few people such as Grey Worm, Arya, Jaime, Brienne, Tormund, and some of their best fighters. He leads them out a side gate of the city and together they ride at the White Walkers. But Daenerys must stay to defend the city and keep their focus there.

They do successfully sneak up on the White Walkers and begin to fight them. Since Jaime kinda sucks without his hand, I think he should fight some wights instead of the White Walkers. But everyone else will take a White Walker. Jon, of course, takes the Night King.

It’s a bit of standstill. We see some extras die, but the others hold strong, even Jon. A few people actually kill the Wight Walkers, perhaps Arya and Grey Worm do. But as some extras die, Brienne gets doubleteamed. She gets disarmed and is about to be killed. Jaime looks worried, but Tormund jumps in to save her. He kills one White Walker, but gets killed by the other one.

We cut back to Daenerys who is burning the dead while on Drogon. Drogon is perched atop a building. Some of the dead crawl up from behind and clamber all over him. He gets distracted, allowing wights from the other direction to get on top of him. They all overrun him, stabbing at him (though to no effect), and start crawling towards Daenerys. He tries to take off, but there are just too many of them on his wings.

Then we return to Jon, who’s still fighting the Night King. The Night King pushes him around, but Jon manages to get in close and pry off a piece of armor. Seeing what Jon is trying to do, the Night King kicks him back and raises his spear to end him. The others are too busy getting their asses kicked by the other White Walkers to save Jon. Only Arya is able to rush to his aid. The Night King just pushes her away, though. It gives Jon a small window to get up and stab the Night King in the chest with dragonglass.

All the White Walkers and wights shatter. Daenerys, Drogon, and everyone else are saved in the nick of time. The camera shows Bran smirking to himself. Then it flashes back to the Night King. Blood trickles down from the chest wound. All the ice on his body slowly turns back to flesh. The Night King collapses dead, but there is a slightly satisfied smile on his face as if he’s relieved no longer to be a monster.

Episode 9

With the war finally over, people mourn the dead and then celebrate the end of war. There is a huge feast and everyone gets drunk and has fun. The queen doesn’t because she’s pregnant. She also isn’t having fun. Jon is the big hero. People congratulate him and thank him for saving everyone.

Daenerys also isn’t happy. Everyone is giving Jon attention. It’s him they want as a leader. It’s him they follow. This is especially the case with the Wildlings and the northerners. They will never follow Daenerys like they follow him. Plus, someone calls him Aegon Targaryen and says he is the true heir to the throne. Jon tries to get him to shut up, but Daenerys overhears. Cersei leaves early, so she doesn’t mind making a scene. She calls out this man who is supposed to be loyal to her. The man yells loud that Jon is the true heir to the throne. He expects people to back him up, but they see Daenerys’s face. She is pissed. She threatens to have him killed for treason. He doesn’t stand down, so she has Grey Worm take him away, much to Tyrion and everyone else’s objection. Varys tells her she is making a mistake, but she doesn’t listen.

Daenerys and Jon have a fight about this. He never should have told his sisters. Now no one respects her even though she is their queen. During the fight, Jon mentions that technically she’s not queen because she bent the knee to Cersei. Clearly that was just to make peace to unite before the war. Daenerys says they need to leave at dawn and prepare for war again. Jon says they can’t fight a war again, not so soon and with so few men. They should also let their soldiers rest just a day or two longer. But Daenerys is paranoid. If Jon won’t bring his men, she will go to Dragonstone by herself. But she is bringing the Iron Fleet, which is now hers, her advisors (Tyrion, Missandei, and Varys), and the Unsullied. Jon and his men can walk to Dragonstone.

Speaking of Cersei, during the feast, she sees her brothers enjoying themselves. The sight of both of them happy makes her upset, so she leaves. Later she talks with Bronn and asks him to kill Tyrion. She tells him to make it look like he got drunk and had an accident. Bronn is a bit taken aback, but Cersei says Daenerys may have bent the knee but she won’t rest until she gets the throne. Killing her main advisor would be a big loss for her. Bronn doesn’t look eager to do it, but Cersei commands him and also offers him Highgarden as a reward.

Bronn actually comes back and tells Tyrion what Cersei said. Tyrion assumes Bronn is going to go through with it, so he just nods and contemplates different ways to die. But Bronn says he isn’t going to. He wants to go with Tyrion and Daenerys. The way he sees it, Daenerys still has one dragon and Cersei has no allies. War is coming, and when it does, Daenerys will probably win. Then Highgarden will go to someone else. Even if he does do it, Cersei will just ask him to do something else he doesn’t want to do. And when he finally says no, it’ll be him who’s killed.

Tyrion assumes Bronn wants him to make a counteroffer. He said that whatever they’d pay, he’d pay him double. But what’s double of Highgarden? Nothing. Bronn doesn’t want anything, however. He doesn’t want to kill his friend. It’s a touching moment only slightly undercut by Bronn mentioning that Tyrion doesn’t have the authority to just give away a kingdom.

Also, at some point during the feast, we see Varys get up and leave. We don’t really know where he’s going. It’s quick. We think nothing of it. But Tyrion tracks him down later and he suspects that Varys is up to something. They discuss how fiery Daenerys has become. Tyrion is still committed, but Varys is clearly not. Tyrion is a bit shaken by Varys’s words, partly because he’s right. But Tyrion tells him not to do anything stupid since they’re friends and he wants nothing bad to happen to him. Varys makes a look that says it’s too late.

We flash to the next day. Daenerys and her advisors are all at the docks getting ready to leave for Dragonstone. Daenerys and Missandei talk. We get to see their close, tender relationship. Daenerys, for once, seems soft and happy.

Bronn is there as well. Tyrion must speak for him. They explain that Cersei wanted Bronn to kill Tyrion. He refused and can’t stay there either. Missandei questions Bronn. She is wary while Daenerys isn’t trustful at all. Dany’s in the middle of arguing when two of the scorpions on the ships of the Iron Fleet fire at Drogon.

Drogon whines as he gets hit in the wing and get scraped across the chest with another bolt. He tries to take off, but he can only move so far before he must land. Grey Worm throws his spear at one of the men behind the scorpions. Drogon dodges another bolt and bathes the final assassin in fire.

Amidst all the commotion, a man with a knife approaches Daenerys. Missandei and Bronn see the man, but Missandei is closer. She steps in the way of the man and tries to stop him. She gets stabbed as a result. The man steps past Missandei, but Bronn is there to kill him.

Daenerys is distraught. She holds the dying Missandei as Grey Worm rushes over. Her final word is “dracarys.” She wants fire and blood. Daenerys’s sadness quickly grows into rage. As Grey Worm mourns Missandei, Daenerys screams to ask who is responsible.

Obviously, Cersei is behind this. But the question is how did she find out? Who told her they were leaving? Varys points out that the Iron Fleet is mute since Euron cut out their tongues. It was clearly not Grey Worm. Jon knows, but Tyrion says Jon loves her. He has no reason to tell Cersei. Daenerys thinks it’s Bronn. He is clearly the most suspicious. Bronn tries to defend himself. He’s running away from Cersei. Besides, why would he show up if he knew this was going to happen? They’d obviously blame him. Daenerys says to hide his guilt. Varys reminds them that Bronn was a sellsword. He’ll do anything for money. His word can’t be trusted.

But Tyrion has a sad look on his face. He says it’s Varys. Tyrion recounts his conversations with Varys. He says it was Varys who spread the rumor about Jon. Varys wants Jon on the throne, so he wanted Daenerys executed and wanted to frame Cersei and Bronn.

Varys looks betrayed, but he fesses up. He explains he did want Jon. Daenerys says he doesn’t want the throne. But Varys echoes her fears when he says that people want him on the throne regardless.

Tyrion says goodbye to his friend Varys. Daenerys has him dragged towards Drogon. Varys does not beg or show fear. He says it doesn’t matter. His death only brings Daenerys closer to her inevitable end. He does not die in vain because the right ruler will come to power. Then Drogon burns him and eats him.

Tyrion says they should still leave, but Drogon cannot fly in his condition. They must stay. Daenerys is also angry at Tyrion. She blames him for not telling her the things Varys said. She says he is just as much to blame and it is a mercy she doesn’t have him killed.

As team Daenerys regroups together in a specific part of King’s Landing where they all stay, Jon comes to comfort Daenerys. He is tender. He is comforting. But Daenerys is angry. She lost her best friend, was betrayed by her advisor, and almost lost her last dragon. Also, Drogon is injured. They are vulnerable. Even though the war against the dead took a big chunk of Cersei’s army, she still has more men than Daenerys. And Drogon is too weak to fight. She has the Unsullied watching over him until he can heal.

Daenerys imagines Cersei is laughing at them while they destroy themselves. She doesn’t even need to do anything. The thought makes her filled with rage. She wants fire and blood. Jon tries to calm her, but he can’t. Daenerys calls into doubt Jon’s loyalty and implies he may want the throne. But he assures her he loves her and is always loyal to her. Daenerys accepts his love and makes out with him. Jon is a bit hesitant, but Daenerys forces herself on him, showing that she controls Jon.

Later we see Jaime talking with some people like Brienne, the Hound, Arya, and others. Qyburn and the Mountain come by to say Jaime’s presence is requested by the queen. Brienne is upset, especially when Jaime decides to go. The Hound tries to provoke the Mountain and asks what the queen wants. Qyburn answers for the Mountain that it is none of his business. Jaime goes off with them. We see the Hound watch the Mountain as he leaves. He grimaces and squeezes the hilt of his sword. Arya watches the Mountain and Qyburn with a curious eye. She and the Hound exchange a glance.

Jaime gets to Cersei. The Mountain takes his guard outside. Qyburn walks off somewhere. The camera holds on him just a bit too long as if we should wonder where he’s going. Cersei and Jaime talk.

Cersei basically says that she’s going to win so Jaime should join her. Her belly is getting bigger every day. She makes Jaime feel her belly. Jaime has a mix of love, hate, joy, and disgust. During her speech to Jaime, she reveals that she is having Daenerys and her army eliminated. They still have some wildfire and it’s planted under Daenerys’s section of King’s Landing. Qyburn left to go put the plan in motion.

Jaime is surprised. He says that Daenerys is said to be immune to fire and that Drogon will probably be okay. But Cersei says the rest of them will be eliminated in one fell swoop. Then they have scorpions to finish off Drogon and Daenerys if they survive.

Jaime says he can’t let her do this. Even so, Cersei appears to convince him it’s too late and that he has no choice but to be with her, his true love. She repeats what he once said about nothing else mattering but them. Cersei turns on the charm. There’s even a crackling fire in the fireplace. Jaime puts his hand on Cersei’s cheek in a loving manner. He says that he has loved her, killed for her…and he hates himself for it.

Jaime slides his hand down to her neck and starts to choke her. Cersei is confused. She tries to resist, but Jaime smacks her with his golden hand. He pushes her back and squeezes her neck harder and harder. We see the passion and the rage on Jaime’s face as he murders his sister. Cersei’s face changes color as she dies.

After the deed is done, there is a moment of peace. Jaime feels relief. But he is grabbed and flung by the Mountain who came after hearing Cersei’s cries. He looks down at Cersei and looks at Jaime. He comes towards Jaime, but the Hound steps in. Arya is there as well.

Yes. It’s time for Cleganebowl! The Hound tells Arya and Jaime to fuck off. Arya doesn’t want to, but the Hound tells her a second time and she listens. She and Jaime run off while the two Cleganes fight. Before the battle commences, Jaime tells Arya they need to stop Qyburn. But Arya says they followed him and killed him when they found out what he was doing. The camera shows Qyburn’s dead body somewhere in the tunnels by some wildfire.

As for Cleganebowl, it’s a brutal battle. Both get injured, but the Mountain won’t seem to die. Eventually the fire from the fireplace gets involved. It spreads around the room, growing more and more. The Hound gets his face pressed down to the fire just like his brother did to him when he was a kid. But the Hound faces his fear of fire and uses a burning piece of debris to stab the Mountain in the face. He burns his hand in the process, but it’s enough to distract the Mountain, who is still somehow alive. Just like in the actual show, it takes tackling the Mountain straight into the fire to finally kill him. But they both die in the process.

Episode 10

The final episode begins with a look at the smoke rising from Cersei’s room. Jaime and Arya tell Daenerys everything. Tyrion is sad because it is still his sister who died even if she was a monster. Jaime explains it to him with tears in his eyes. He had to kill her. Daenerys mentions that he is now a king and queen slayer, but Brienne sticks up for him. She calls him a hero for ending needless bloodshed and for doing the right thing, no matter how hard.

But Jon says it’s not such a sure thing. How will the Lannister soldiers react? What about the Golden Company? Are they just going to hand the throne to Daenerys?

So Daenerys and company go to the Red Keep with their army. Drogon follows along, but he’s kinda hopping along the buildings. Outside the Red Keep, the Golden Company and Lannister soldiers are defending the castle. Daenerys tells them their queen is dead and she had no heirs, so the throne is hers by default.

They obviously don’t agree. But Tyrion talks to them. He convinces the Golden Company they have no reason to be there since the person responsible for paying them is now dead. Harry Strickland says they can’t leave without certainty they’d get paid, but Cersei would have paid in increments. Tyrion explains they won’t have money to give them until they get the throne, but afterwards, much to Dany’s chagrin, he promises to pay in increments. Daenerys just wants to kill them all but they don’t have the men to do so.

Tyrion tells the Golden Company they can come back and kill them all if they don’t pay as promised. Yet, they say that Daenerys will have rebuilt her strength by then and they won’t stand a chance. It’s better to just eliminate the threat while they can. But Tyrion says if they do that, they’ll waste precious men and resources without getting their money. Then whoever sits on the throne next will leave them in the same predicament. Eventually the Golden Company accepts and they all leave.

Now it’s just the Lannisters. Their forces are roughly equal to Daenerys’s forces. The Lannisters don’t trust Daenerys and refuse to back down. Daenerys tells them to bend the knee or there will be blood. Tyrion and Jon try to calm her down but Daeners says she can’t be soft against her enemies. They weren’t soft to her and they won’t be in the future. Grey Worm agrees. Tyrion tries to deescalate the situation and says that many of the Lannister soldiers are just following orders. He says she cannot kill them. He begs her. But Daenerys just accuses Tyrion of being loyal to his kin instead of her. Then she has Drogon burn them all. The Unsullied finish off the survivors.

Afterwards, Dany has a coronation and a big speech. She depicts herself as a kind, just, and merciful ruler, but her words show she is clearly delusional and cruel. Or at the very least she is tone-deaf because the crowd of people are fearful of her.

After the speech, Tyrion says he will no longer serve her. He calls her out in front of everyone. They argue. She calls him treasonous and says he wanted to dethrone her too. That’s why he didn’t tell her about Varys. He only betrayed Varys when he saw that the assassination attempt had failed. Tyrion says that’s not true. Jon assures Dany that Tyrion did nothing wrong. But she won’t have it. She has Tyrion imprisoned.

Jon visits Tyrion in prison. As in the show, Tyrion points out that Daenerys is dangerous. Her whole life she’s destroyed her enemies and been applauded for it because they deserved it. It’s made her cruel and convinced that the Iron Throne is her destiny. Now she will do anything to keep people from having it. She’ll even kill the innocent. Jon says he’ll talk to Daenerys to help her see reason. But Tyrion says it’s too late. Jon must kill her. However, he lovers her, so he can’t do that. Tyrion says someone must.

The other Starks approach Jon to talk about the same thing. Jon gets a little testy and tells them that Tyrion told him all of that. Sansa says that’s because Tyrion is smart and Jon should listen to him. She asks Jon to think about the future. First it’s the Lannister army, then it’s Tyrion, then who’s next? Jon is a threat to Daenerys since he is the true heir. He’s next. Arya says it won’t just be Jon. Sansa and Daenerys have never gotten along. If she does not kill Jon, she will most surely kill Sansa.

Jon gets angry and tells them to stop. He then asks Bran what he thinks since he’s been silent. Bran just says Jon will do what he needs to. “But what if it’s not the right thing?” Jon asks. “Then you were meant to make the wrong choice,” he says.

As Jon leaves, he is clearly quite conflicted. Arya tells Sansa he’s not going to kill her. They both look concerned. Then Arya leaves too. But her expression is one of determination.

We see Jon enter the throne room. Daenerys sits in the Iron Throne with a satisfied smile. Grey Worm is by her side. When Jon approaches, she tells Grey Worm he can leave so he does. We follow Grey Worm out of the throne room and down the hall for a bit until we see him meet Arya. She is holding her dagger. They exchange a look.

We cut back to Jon and Daenerys. Daenerys talks about how she dreamed of the throne and now how it feels to sit in it. Jon humors her, but quickly brings up the subject of Tyrion. Dany’s joy quickly fades. She gets up from the throne and talks to Jon about Tyrion’s treason. She gets close to Jon as she speaks about the hard choices and strict actions she must take as queen. She tells Jon he must also make those choices if he wants to be her king. She tells him she wants him by her side when she’s on the Iron Throne. It’s sweet, but Dany is also letting Jon know she’s in charge and she will sit on the Iron Throne.

Although Jon is conflicted by her words, he grabs her and kisses her passionately. As they kiss, Jon reaches for a dagger on his hip. His hand lingers on the hilt. He starts to draw it out. Then he stops. He wraps Dany tight in his arms and kisses her with such intense love. We are certain he won’t kill Dany.

But the doors to the throne room open, disturbing Jon and Dany. They separate as Grey Worm comes storming towards them. Jon look nervous and steps away from Daenerys. Daenerys asks Grey Worm what’s wrong, but he says nothing. He has an angry and determined expression on his face. He pulls out a dagger. Jon panics and steps back. But we see it’s Arya’s dagger.

Grey Worm stabs Daenerys. Both Jon and Daenerys are shocked. But Grey Worm removes his face and we see that it’s Arya. She tells Jon she’s sorry, but she needed to do it because he wouldn’t. Jon says she could’ve changed. Arya says she couldn’t have and that it had to happen.

Jon holds Dany’s body. He starts to carry her out of the throne room. Arya tells him to leave her, but Jon says he can’t leave her there. She should be buried. Besides, Jon said he will take the fall for Arya. He feels responsible for what she became and for not stopping her sooner. But Arya says she’s already in trouble for killing Grey Worm. She should take the full blame. Jon wants to take full blame though.

They go outside. Drogon is there. Jon lays Daenerys before him. Drogon looks ready to kill him. Instead he just takes Daenerys’s body and leaves. He can kinda half-flies away. But no one stop the big, scary dragon.

The Unsullied question Jon and Arya. They both confess to killing Daenerys and Grey Worm, so they both get imprisoned. Since the Unsullied don’t know who actually did it, they can’t just kill them.

While in prison, Jon and Arya talk. Jon mentions Ygritte, how he never thought he’d love again until he found Daenerys. But their relationship ended the same way. Arya talks about Gendry. But she’s not as depressed as Jon. She’s always been independent. They conclude that family is what matters. They have each other, so they’ll survive somehow. Jon looks around at the prison cell and says he hopes she’s right.

With no clear idea who’s in charge, the high lords of Westeros convene with the Unsullied. At the meeting are Bran, Sansa, Tyrion, Jaime, Sam, Brienne, Yara Greyjoy, Robin Arryn, Yohn Royce, Edmure Tully, and so on. The new ruler of Dorne would be there. His name would actually be mentioned. We’re not just going to throw some random extras into the mix.

First they discuss what to do with Jon and Arya. The Unsullied want to kill them both. No one allows that. They don’t know who’s responsible, and some actually support the deaths of Daenerys and Grey Worm. Also, the Unsullied aren’t lords of Westeros. So why should they listen to them? Even if they kill Jon and Arya, then what? What will they do? Where will they go? Yes, Daenerys was their queen and Grey Worm their commander. But they’re both dead. They have no purpose. The Unsullied don’t really know what they’ll do or where they’ll go. Everyone tables the discussion for after the next ruler is chosen.

Speaking of the next ruler, someone says Jon is rightful heir to the throne. But people are hesitant. Either he killed Daenerys and Grey Worm or he didn’t, which is just as bad in some people’s eyes. Besides, Jon doesn’t want the throne. Even if he is a good leader, he doesn’t want to be one.

They run through all the possible candidates. There are some new people like the new Dornish guy that no one knows. There are terrible candidates like Edmure, who is useless. Robin isn’t interested or capable. Yara only really cares about the Iron Islands. No one wants the Lannisters on the throne, especially not Jaime who is a king and queen slayer. Sam, Brienne, and Royce all belong to minor houses and none of them want it. So it basically comes down to Sansa and Bran.

Not all of this is said, of course. But eventually there is a long silence. Bran breaks the silence and says he will take the throne. Again people are hesitant. But Bran says he has knowledge no one else has. He can prevent history from repeating itself and begin a new age of peace. Sam speaks up for Bran, who was instrumental in the fight against the dead. Likewise, Tyrion casts his vote for Bran. One by one, everyone comes around. They proclaim him king.

Sansa is disappointed, but he says she will be Warden of the North and Lady of Winterfell. The North is hers and Bran will support her and their people. There is no need to separate from the Seven Kingdoms.

Bran then must decide what to do with Jon and Arya. Obviously he lets them go free. The Unsullied aren’t happy. But he offers them homes in Westeros and ships should they wish to return to Essos. And if they want to put their skills to use, they can join his Kingsguard. None of the options are particularly pleasing because the Unsullied still want justice. They could technically just kill everyone there, but if they did that, everyone else in Westeros would want them dead. They’d gain nothing. It’s better for them to keep their lives and find purpose in other ways.

The finale wraps up everyone’s story. Jon and Arya are in Winterfell with Sansa in charge. We see some Unsullied get on a ship. The Wildlings go to the patch of uninhabited land called the Gift, which Jon originally promised them. Bran has his Small Council, which largely resembles that of the one in the show. Tyrion is hand, Brienne is Commander of Kingsguard, Ser Davos is Master of Ships. I might also add Jaime as Master of War. I like the idea of Sam being on the council, but he wouldn’t be Grand Maester since the Citadel must choose the Grand Maester. So perhaps he could take Bronn’s place as Master of Coin. As for the Master of Whisperers, Bran can handle that himself.

Everything seems to be going swimmingly. We see some interactions in the Small Council. They discuss Drogon moving southeast towards Valyria. Regardless, the end of the episode follows Bran. When he is finally alone, we see his eyes go white and a satisfied smile on his lips. We’re shown several pivotal events in the history of Westeros like the creation of the Night King, the Mad King yelling burn them all, and maybe even Joffrey ordering Ned’s execution. Their eyes are all white like Bran’s. Then we end with another shot of Bran smiling and his eyes white. It becomes clear that he has guided the course of history to gain control of Westeros.

Final note: although there are some key changes, the story is largely similar to the one in the show. However, with ample pacing, characters are given the time they deserve and the final season feels all the more satisfying. I hope you agree.