The ending of Game of Thrones wasn’t all that bad

I know, I know; I am three and a half years late to have an opinion on the subject, but after watching Game of Thrones for the first time over the course of six months, I have a strong point of view on the conclusion of the show. While I am definitely a minority in my overall approval towards the ending, there were certain elements I did not initially know how to interpret. 

Perhaps one of the most shocking, yet perhaps the most cliché, plot points at the end of the show was the death of Daenerys Targaryen, one of the show’s main characters. It seemed that throughout the entire show she was relatively level-headed and dedicated to helping others, which seemed to entirely contradict her decision to destroy an entire city. While it could be argued it was in the name of destroying the enemy, it nevertheless seemed out of character for her to be so willing to slaughter so many civilians. I feel that had she only targeted the tower Cersei Lannister stood in, this would have been more justified, but the way she toppled everything in sight, seemed to in a way foreshadow the way she planned to rule. 

If there was one character who remained consistently black and white “good” throughout and never stepped out of line, it was Jon Snow. This in a way led to the true tragedy of him killing Daenerys; it is clear he felt it was best for the remaining kingdoms that she not be the ruling queen. It is difficult to say how someone would act in a situation like that, but I think his decision was the right one; while his thinking was that there was to be no more war, she instead felt the fighting was not over, and the rhetoric she was using showed that her attention was becoming less focused on liberating people ruled by tyrants and instead shifting towards conquering other lands. 

With a title like Game of Thrones, there is inevitably bound to be someone ruling on a throne, and I feel the ultimate choice, Bran Stark, was a satisfying result. As opposed to having someone who was expected to lead throughout the entire show, it was interesting to see a boy bound to a wheelchair capture the iron throne, especially since there was never any foreshadowing of that occurring. In the event a character who was expected to win the iron throne did in fact do so, there would be no winning; had Jon Snow taken it, many would argue Daenerys deserved it, and vice versa. Having an entirely unexpected character left little room for fans to claim Bran stole it from another person, as there was no longer an obvious heir to the throne. 

If there was one character that I consistently dreamt of seeing fall from power, it was Cersei Lannister. Instead of dying a prideful Queen, her life ended in the same way she ruled, by fear. Watching her witness the collapse of King’s Landing, as well as her reign, left me with more than enough satisfaction. Her brother, Jamie, grew on me over the course of the eight seasons, though his death with her seemed like a perfect way to cement their story. 

Aside from Bran ruling, the remaining Starks also had satisfying endings. With Arya off exploring, Sansa ruling the north, and Jon returning to the Night’s Watch, all of their personalities seemed to align with their ultimate destinies. 

These collective outcomes made me thoroughly enjoy the ending of Game of Thrones.