Continued from PART 1 – Spoiler Alert for those who have not watched all of GOT series.
This blog covers:
8) That the Hound kills his brother and himself?
9) That Arya doesn’t kill Cersei but goes exploring what’s West of Westeros?
10) That Jon is able to live after murdering the Queen, and the justifications of how? That he has to serve at the Night’s Watch, again?
11) That Grey Worm and the unsullied are okay with Jon living after he knows he killed Daenerys?
12) Did Vaharys the Master of Whispers need to be sacrificed? (This question also involves whether Tyrion would have turned him in).
There is also a 13) note of a “mystery character” I will reserve at the end.
8) Is it fitting that the Hound kills his brother and himself?
Okay he totally fulfills his planned revenge, so, boring. The surprising thing is that, at first, he can’t kill the
Frankenstein that is his brother, the Mountain. After giving him blows that would normally be fatal he bounces back (sort of like Trump and scandals). He can only kill his brother, who melted half his face as a child, gave him a lifelong fear of fire and endless bitterness, by also killing himself. This would be a sacrifice if he had anything he wanted to live for, but the only thing is this revenge. So, bottom line, it fits the character to get the chance, but too predictable. I think this is because The Mountain is one of the handful of pure evil characters we have no context for so we go to the cliche of the Fantasy genre that all evil characters must die in the end, boring. This is where I wish there was more of a back story to the Mountain’s unending evil. He hates his bother. Why? He hates him so much and wants to kill him so much that he refuses to listen to his masters: Queen Cersei and her Hand, Qyburn. We have some context for other seemingly purely evil characters such as, Roose Bolton, a bastard raised by a sadistically bent family. Walter Frey the crotchety bitter patriarch who designed the Red Wedding and whose huge inferiority complex we see. We even know how the Night King was created, but not the Mountain. It seems to me the self hating Hound is also metaphorically wanting to kill himself when he kills his brother, much like the moment where Luke and Darth Vader are foreshadowed in The Empire Strikes Back to have the same face, we confront there is a dark side to all of us. We get the Aha! in Star Wars, not so much here. We don’t see this final struggle bro on bro as a struggle for the dark and light, as we should.
9) That Arya doesn’t kill Cersai but listens to the Hound and gives revenge up (and later goes exploring what’s West of Westeros?)
We know the Hound and Arya have a love-hate relationship but by the end it is respectful. She takes him off her list. But Cersei is another matter. I don’t mind that she gives up her revenge, because characters are supposed to grow and change, if it’s justified. We have to believe it. She is already the heroine for killing the Night King, and a number of others on her list, including her killing of Walter Frey which was GOT gruesome. So why would she stop at Cersei? Something has to really bring it home to her that she can give it up, AND the Hound may be the perfect person since they rode into King’s Landing together both on a quest for revenge. However, simply telling her not to do it, I did not buy. Not Arya’s style. Not the Hound’s, not their relationship. Here is an Alternative ending idea for this one, almost the same but not quite. I would like them to have a conversation about their quests on the way to King’s Landing. Through Arya’s well known curiosity she can ask and we can learn why the Hound thinks his brother the Mountain hates him so. He doesn’t know, doesn’t care, but her question sticks in his brain and ours. Likewise, he can ask her if she would risk her life for her revenge on Cersei (basically having the conversation they have in the finale but much earlier) she turns it back on him and they both say they will risk their lives for revenge. Then, when they are in the middle of battle and the Red Keep is crumbling around them, they catch a glimpse of Cersei and Jaime running away together but only one can get to them, its The Hound. The walls crumble and she calls out to him are you still alive? He is. She asks if Cersei and Jaime are still alive? He looks and sees nothing but lies to Arya and says Cersei is dead. He tells her to save herself, but he has to find the Mountain. Then, he can have his death scene with his brother, but I really think he should ask the Mountain before he kills, why did you hate me so much? And, for the first time we hear the Mountain speak. That would be the surprise. It may work. And, if you wanted Arya to show up at the end at his death, that may be just too much over the top, but could work if done right. However, the reason she goes on the sailing trip at the end is that in a previous episode, I think season six, she asks someone, What is West of Westeros? But gets an unsatisfying answer. PLEASE DON’T HOLD BACK, TELL ME IF YOU PREFER THIS ENDING.
10) That Jon is able to live after murdering the Queen, and the justifications of how he lives?
That he has to serve at the Night’s Watch, again is problematic, yet, I actually love the irony that he goes back to the Night’s Watch and north of the wall, but how they do that, by simply telling us is inadequate. First, do they need a Watch anymore? They need to explain that better. Do they want to rebuild the wall? Do they want to have someone watch the free folk? Also, I would love to see it taken to the point where Jon is prepared to be executed, head on the block, and then saved, last minute by Tyrion sending him to the Night’s Watch, with Tyrion giving a new mission for the Watch.
11) That Grey Worm and the Unsullied are okay with Jon living after he knows he killed Daenerys? I do not buy that they are okay with their Queen’s murderer going to the Night’s Watch. They, after all are the actual rulers now. It is their forces that hold King’s Landing. This just has to be resolved better and I have no idea how, but not cool at all that they have no resistance. Are they still being slaves that need masters? Grey Worm sails off to Missendei’s home land and that seems like a good place for him to grieve and start over, but he never gets vengeful satisfaction for the deaths of the only two women he has loved, Missendei and Daenerys. He is a warrior, people!
12) Did Vaharys the Master of Whispers need to be sacrificed?
(This question also involves whether Tyrion would have turned him in). I know there is a prophecy from Melisandre that Vaharys is going to die, but I thought his death lacked drama. Knowing Tyrion’s problem solving ability, before he even goes to the Queen with a charge of treason, he should have a fix ready, perhaps even allowing his friend a chance to escape, then something can go wrong in that escape. But, a pleasant goodbye and cue the Dragon doesn’t work for me.
AND NOW, drum roll…
13) The Mystery character is…
The Lord of Light. One can say that this deity is caught up with the witch Melisandre, whose ending is perfect. However, The Lord of Light is still unexplained. Of all the many belief systems and all the magical deities presented in GOT, there are only two that seem magically and directly involved in the Game of Thrones war. The first is the mysterious Children of the Forest who we find out started the whole thing in the first place by creating the Night King and then are using Bran, as the three-eyed Raven as their next hopeful keeper of their knowledge and culture. But then there is The Lord of Light, made most known in the character of
Melisandre to the folly of Stannis Baratheon. The Lord of Light is the mystery character we never have an answer for why. The Lord of Light is attributed for bringing back the characters of Jon Snow and Beric Dondarrion (Who? The guy with the eye patch who the LoL has brought back from the dead several times), and possibly bringing back the Hound as well. The books even have one other significant character who is brought back this way, but she is not put int he series. BONUS POINTS IF YOU KNOW WHO. STATE IN COMMENTS. The Lord of light through Melisandre kills Renley Baratheon with a magic shadow. This Deity has the most magic of all and heavily seems to care about who is on the throne. The LoL also seems connected to Daenerys in that she can survive fire–the element of the Lord of Light–and D is the mother of fire breathing dragons. Fire and dragonglass is the only thing that destroys the white walkers. The Lord of Light is clearly there to bring a victory for her and none of the other belief systems seem magically and actively in the war.
Regardless, it is the Lord of Light that is the only deity who has a major hand in the game. Tyrion and Sir Davos discuss that just when the war against the dead has been won, that is when “the Lord of Light fucks off.” But is this satisfying or disappointing? Melisandre kills herself signalling the work is done. My ALTERNATIVE END: I would like at least a hint that the dragon that carried Daernys away is somehow carrying her to the Lord of Light possibly for Resurrection. And perhaps she becomes a deity, a Jesus figure connected to the Lord of Light in which the Unsullied, Grey Worm and all former slaves are her worshipers ever after. Perhaps we see a temple to her int he future world. And so, the myth will always remain and they will always hope for her return.
LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS IN COMMENTS.
NEXT GOT BLOG TO COME: What are the lessons we can get out of all that GOT watching? As writers, and as human beings on a troubled planet.
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