It has been more than a week since the final episode of Game of Thrones. Now the dust has settled it is time to take measured look at it.
On the whole I have been a little critical of the final season, simply because after making us wait, so long, it all feels a little rushed. Rather than working in the constraints of feature films, Game of Thrones has always made the most of, even relished the time it has to tell a story. It goes even further than that though; unlike in earlier seasons, recent episodes have not depicted time and space particularly well, there is no sense of how far apart places are and how long it takes to travel between them. The same is true of Daenerys’ story arc, her decent from entitled, self-important, and slightly paranoid to downright homicidal, while inevitable was very quick. However, the final episode is a fitting end. To bring the dreaded “B” word into the conversation, the conclusion of Game Of Thrones is like Brexit. We will never have a satisfactory brexit, because brexit means so many different things to so many people. Likewise people who have invested (too much) into the outcome of the show will not be happy unless their chosen character ends on the throne. That is why, Drogon destroying the throne was the perfect way to deal with it. Bran is the king the show needed, rather than the one the fans wanted. 
Having finished with the fan pleasing large scale battles in earlier episodes they were able to return to what the show does best, building character and plot through interaction. A highlight for me was the return of the small council and the wit that comes with it. Moments like this have always been the best the show has to offer, far more than the CG action. The other brilliant thing, is the attention to detail. As we have spent more time in the north, and winter has reached the south, the colour temperature, and the brightness of the show has dropped dramatically. This helps give a perfect moment, when Tyrion is led from his cell we do not know how long he has been there, but we see the bright warm light coming from the window above him. This is the first indication that winter is over, and that something new is coming in the next scene.
Given the speed that the Starks were dispatched in the early seasons, you would be forgiven for thinking none would make it to the end. As it turns out, the narrative has always felt like theirs. On the whole, they didn’t do too badly.
Jon Snow, got the best end he could have realisably have hoped for; As Aegon Targaryen and the true heir to the throne (if there really is such a thing), he would always have been a cloud over Bran’s rule if kept in play. The Night’s Watch always felt like the best fit for him. However, I can’t help wondering, what the Night’s Watch’s job is now the wildlings are allies, and the white walkers defeated? 
Sansa has probably undergone the best character arc of the show, going from selfish child to bold leader, but boy did she suffer to get there. By declaring The North independent of the other kingdoms and crowning herself, she got to be queen as she always wanted, but in a more satisfying way than we could have expected. 
Bran was the perfect choice for King, because from his fall from the tower to the first episode via his mystical journey, he was never in the conversation, he was the one person nobody suggested should be king. 
The only member of the family who hasn’t been well served by the last couple of episodes is Arya. After the moment of the series when she killed Night King in “The Long Night”, she hasn’t had much to do. Although, killing the Night King was probably the most significant moment in shows entire run, and in hindsight what her character was building to. To add to this, her ending, leaving to explore the west, beyond the maps is fitting and beyond perfect, it is also prime for a spin-off show. 
Beyond the the Stark family, the other fan (and one of my) favourites, Tyrion’s end was also quite fitting. Hand of the King is the perfect role for him. He was set up early in the show as the cleverest person in the land, then his actions and their consequences proved him to be far from as clever as we were led to believe. This final episode comes full circle proving his brilliance, and showing that his flaw wasn’t his intelligence, it was his misplayed faith in Daenerys. His speech on the power of stories is not only true in the real world but goes to the heart of the success of the show, it is then perfectly undercut when we find he has been omitted from the book telling the history of recent events.
For a long time, it looked like Daenerys would prevail. Each season ended with an image off her as she worked closer to her “destiny”. As mentioned her decent from Breaker of Chains to mad tyrant was inevitable, if rushed. For those who found her genocide the previous episode “The Bells” a little ambiguous, the final episode featured an address to the masses lifted straight from Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the Will. Her end was inevitable.
A long running show is always hard to end. Lost (2004–2010) for example destroyed any good will with a terrible end. Battlestar Galactica (2004–2009) left people with mixed feelings. On the whole I liked it but was not totally convinced. While many dislike the outcome of Game of Thrones, I’m sure in time people will look back at the show as a one of the best TV programs ever, and the ending is part of that!
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