Kicking off with the long-anticipated fight by fans between the living and dead, the series’ writers brought an end to the villainous white walkers, which have been mentioned since the first scene of the show.
The conclusion of Arya Stark killing the Night King at the beginning of the season has been hinted at by past GOT writers, and many fans cheered for this beloved character on various forms of social media.
The Great War spanned the rest of the season, depicting the struggle between Circe and Daenerys for the Iron Throne, as well as Jon Snow’s internal battle on whether he should claim the throne as his own or follow Daenerys as his queen.
Episode five brought a shock to Game of Thrones fans, as Daenerys decided to burn down the city of King’s Landing despite the city surrendering without bloodshed.
This angered many fans as they felt this destroyed Daenerys’ character arch as a champion of good and justice and many even began petitions to remake the last season.
Daenerys’ choice to burn and kill thousands in the city was rationalized by Tyrion in the finale, as he explained Daenerys’ past ruthless actions and how she was applauded as she killed evil men and fostered her thirst for power and blood.
Many fans felt that Jaime Lannister’s character was derailed in the season finale. Although in past seasons Jaime’s growth from Circe’s evil to his friendship with Brienne was charted, he rode back to Circe in episode five and died with Jaime in Kings Landing during Daenerys’ siege.
The finale concluded with multiple twists including the death of Daenerys, who is killed by Jon Snow, in order to end her tyranny. As sad as it was to part with a character as interesting and powerful as Daenerys, it fulfilled the warning given to Jon by the maester at the wall: love is the death of duty, and duty is the death of love.
Although many fans believe Daenerys’ fall to tyranny illustrates anti-feminist sentiments, powerful and justified characters such as Sansa and Arya Stark still embody strong female rulers and warriors.
The season concluded with the final shocking decision to make Bran the new king and to make Winterfell an independent nation. The writers also brought an end to the family lineage of kings.
The season closed by showing the satisfying endings of many fan favorite characters including Sansa , who became queen of Winterfell, Arya, who sailed west of Westeros, Brienne, who became commander of the kingsguard, and Jon, who traveled north with the freefolk.
Though filled with sad deaths of many beloved characters, this final season closed with entertaining twists and a satisfying ending.
