Game of Thrones Season 7

Game of Thrones (GOT) was solid this season. Season 7 is the closest an audience can have of that magical feeling you get when you are at the cinema. Watching a movie at the cinema is an immersive experience. The big screen, 3D and surround sound, base in the speakers and darkened space are the props that aid in drawing the audience into the unfolding story. The audience feels transported, it gets lost in the dialogue and movement on the screen. If that feeling of immersion takes place when you’re at home watching a television series on the small screen then the quality of what you’re watching must be exceptional, because it’s become powerful enough to teleport you even without the aid of a theatre. GOT Season 7 is right there, in that sweet spot.

After watching the first 3 episodes of GOT, I decided to set aside the series, haphazardly dodge spoilers and with the utmost discipline opted to wait until all seven episodes were on the pvr. Then one lazy afternoon I fired up the popcorn and binged on all four remaining episodes at one go. It was worth the wait.

What made GOT unique was the layers, layers, layers brought about by the trials, tribulations, reprieves and triumphs of all the main characters as they interacted with one another in previous seasons. This history added weight to every scene, every conversation and confrontation. Eyes in the room could be seen tearing up as Tyrion argued to save the day bearing out his innocence and plight to a seemingly touched but unrepentant Cersei, how far the little big guy had come in this epic tale. He has had such a rough ride, isn't it time Tyrion got some joy, a little glory and someone to fill the void Shae left behind? C'mon now.

Hats off to creators DB Weis and David Beniof, and directors Jeremy Podeswa, Mark Mylod, Matt Shakman and Anthony Taylor, the writers and originator of GOT GRR Martin. Without doubt GOT Season 7, right now, must be one of the best television series on earth and the numbers attest to this. Well done guys. There was definitely no amateur hour we see in new seasons and sequels here. Though I do enjoy watching many diverse series and have favourites the other television series that hits shots on this epic level for me is the Sci-Fi channel's the Expanse. 

There is very little to fault in this season. Even the fight between Arya and Brienne which could not have been easy to choreograph due to the difference in stature, was well done with the right clips, shots and angles as to make it both believable and entertaining.

Here there be dragons...

Finally, the audience had opportunity to see the three mighty dragons in action...and they didn't disappoint. The CGI for the dragons was awesome. The power of those beasts as game changers on the battle field was palpable. What may have been lacking is more meaningful verbal interaction between Daenerys and the dragons. The only word she seems to speak to the dragons is drakarys. This is unfortunate. It’s clear that the dragons are very intelligent and what better way to demonstrate this than through the ability to converse with them, this would come across very nicely especially if she spoke to them in Valerian. They would not speak back of of course, but through mannerisms and gestures they could be shown to respond to these conversations, by showing they can complete complex instructions they would showcase their level of intelligence. For instance Daenerys could be shown giving the dragons instructions on how to stage an attack, elaborate on how it will take place, what to wait for, who to pick out, where each dragon should be, how they would need to avoid the dragon slaying arrows and maybe who to pick off in the field. They could even improvise if it all doesn’t go to plan. A dragon could be instructed to save a specific person and lift them away from danger albeit roughly, or one could act as a decoy so that while being targeted by a large arrow another approaches from behind and lights it up. The intelligence of the dragons would be demonstrated by their ability to carry out intricate battle strategies. Another interesting stage in the evolution of the dragon tale would be the introduction of armor to protect them from the new vulnerabilities, (even from the night kings spear), Daenerys has now identified on the battle field. In the beginning she has taken the dragons to battle as though they are beloved offspring and this has cost her dearly with Drogon speared, Viserion dead and Rhaegal exposed to weapons that could kill him as a result of being lead into forays unprepared. Therefore, the need has arisen for her to transform from doting mother of dragons to the dragon rider commander of combat ready, armored and finely trained military beasts swooping in from the sky. Flying in formation they should be prepared for the military threats they will and might encounter on the field of battle and in the sky. 

Dragons: Powerful, but lacking armor,
untrained for battle and vulnerable 

Before the first battles Daenarys was rather over-confident and naive in that she seemed to believe she was invincible riding on the back of her dragons to the extent that she even wears normal royal garb whilst in battle. It would be nice to see now she has learned from experience she can be struck by arrows and therefore needs to wear some kind of leathery armor and headgear impenetrable to arrows. She may also have learned she cannot just sit complacently atop her dragons as there are times they may need her protection from missiles hurled at her and her ride, consequently she must carry and master a long bow or cross bow which allows her to pick off anyone on the ground who may threaten her dragons, for instance, someone manning the large dragon slaying cross-bows. With practice she could soon realize she has a significant advantage launching arrows from above, even from impossible distances since gravity is on her side she can consequently make surgical strikes from high above where arrows from the ground cannot reach her and dragon fire might endanger not only the enemy but her own troops.

Wearing gowns to war:
Dany must by now realize she must train, dress herself and her dragons
appropriately for dangerous confrontations on the battle field
or risk their lives.

It would be mice to see a dragon she is riding swoop overhead, then turn over horizontally onto its back as she glides over giving her the clear and perfect upside down shot for a specific target far below. She has also learned from experience that if her dragon is struck it will be brought down. While its on the ground she needs to know how to wield a sword of some kind to protect herself and the dragon, preferably a Dothraki arakh. She must repeatedly practice pulling an embedded lance or large arrow in order to gain the muscle strength that allows her to free the dragon quickly enough to return to the skies. In addition to this if they hear of Viserion being ridden by the night king she must strategize how to battle; defend herself and her flying stead in the air, if she is to ensure she has some kind of advantage over the night king and to make sure she does not lose any more of her precious dragons. She has to recognize, after Drogon's injury and losing Viserion, that she cannot go naively with her dragons.into battle ever again. She has to learn to quickly find defenses for unanticipated threats and must learn the requisite skills of a dragon rider to become a kind of dragon riding Joan of Arc of the skies. This growth and maturity would be great for the audience to see.

There were some strong similarities between this season and Lord of the Rings that add to the richness of GOT this season, especially when Jon puts together a team with the sole purpose of capturing a white walker.

Bran Stark is the only character whose role we suddenly don’t understand

Everyone in season 7 seems to blossom, except for Bran.

The question on everyone’s mind is the revelation that Bran may in fact be the night king. This could very well be true. However, personally I don’t think this is true because though it’s a fascinating idea, it is sensational but with very little value after the fact when it comes to the story telling process. I’d say this because the three eyed raven and the king of the white walkers appear to be polar opposites of one another. They are both representative of entities that have reached heights of knowledge and understanding of the magical realm that others have failed to achieve. Technically this means that the deciding battle between the two sides has to be between Bran and the night king. If Bran proves to be the night king then there is no magical equivalency and the story may lose its way. There would be no one  who could realistically take on the night king and have any hope of winning as it would be poor story telling for him to be taken down by someone who is not his magical equal. Bran’s side probably cannot win this war without him because this is not an ordinary war; they do not have the magic of the three eyed raven – it’s like one of those cryptic messages that goes: this magical being can only be killed by a magical being.  If this is true the audience may not have been made fully aware of just how important Bran is to this war. At some point someone like Melisandre has to say the words: even if we win this battle against the white walkers, if there is no one amongst us who can face the night king then all is lost; Bran is the one who has that power.

Bran, by now, so close to the war, should be so powerful that when he appears a place or room appears to grow brighter and warmer; the grass and foliage should appear to rejuvenate in his presence, he should be able to will himself to walk for short periods, be able to draw the ice out of anything and anyone turned into a white walker, warming them up until they hiss with steam back to life. As the night king is impervious to heat, he too by now should be impervious to cold. However, Bran is not blossoming. Bran is losing the war in his mind. Something has gone horribly wrong. The confidence he once had has fled. Schizophrenia has set in. He is petrified of the night king. Even though, as the three eyed raven his magical power should be equal to that of the night king he fails over and over to demonstrate this. He fails to hold his own when he wargs and is spotted by his nemesis, he fails to sense the night king until he is upon him, he fails to prevent the night king from grabbing his arm and marking him. Since these failings have nothing to do with his being weaker it has everything to do with his inability to overcome the terror. Fear has consumed Bran so deeply from his first encounter with the night king that he is beginning to forget himself. It may even be possible that unbeknownst to him and all around him the mark the night king placed on his arm when he was with the children of the forest has been corrupting his spirit, turning his innards to ice. If Bran were to look at himself deeply in a mirror it would appear as though his skin and hair were turning snow white and his eyes crystal blue. The mark is corrupting him so slowly, were he not the three eyed raven Bran would not have survived the cursed touch this long. The mark and his fear should have been dealt with long before this, but it wasn’t. As a result his thoughts are becoming cloudy, he is giving in to a lie, beginning to forget his friends, trying to flee from his duty to protect the others by subconsciously disassociating from Bran Stark on the pretext that he cannot be both Bran Stark and the three eyed raven and this lie too is consuming him.

The night king seems to sense this collapse of Brans resolve, this has boosted his confidence, encouraging him to do the unthinkable, that is, take the three eyed raven head on, as can be seen by how eagerly his head turns to the crows Bran has warged into when he tries to surveil the wall. At some point Bran may see that though his skin appears healthy, when he looks at himself using magic his inner self shows the icy mark the night king placed on him has spread to almost every part of his body. The mark is affecting him as it has infants touched by the night king.  Bran is turning. He is losing affection for his friends and family. He mistakenly believes it’s because he’s becoming the three eyed raven. Even he may not seem to understand that he’s falling under the will of the night king. He can’t see what is happening to him as there are no external symptoms. Nevertheless, if Bran continues to sink into the fear, he will be overwhelmed by it and the mark at which point he may fall completely under the spell of the night king and like the dragon Viserion become………a wight. He would become like one of the lieutenants that command the night king’s white walkers: an instrument of his nemesis instead of his foe. This would be disastrous and could be happening right in the midst of Winterfell. Wouldn’t it be awesome if he actually turned completely at Winterfell, but was able to somehow fight back at some point. Everyone would think he was turning into the night king when in fact he's becoming a wight lieutenant. To add intrigue wafts of icy mist could be seen emerging from the bottom of a door to a room in which Bran is resting. Having turned he would then force the night king out and regain his body to become even more powerful than he was before as the three eyed raven, now no longer afraid of the night king. The battle between the night king and Bran should be epic, much like the appearance of the dragons on the battle field for the first time. For now the contrast between the two is stark, no pun intended. As the night king soars on his dragon, Bran is crippled sinking deeper and deeper into despair on his wheel chair, unable to even hold onto warged ravens in the presence of his foe, his mind is slowly being consumed by cowardice while the night king burns down the wall and marches his army of doom onward. Against this backdrop Bran’s turnaround would be good storytelling.

Bran and the Avatar

Bran is still a scared boy cowering from the night king.
Fear and the mark may stand between him and the man he must become.

Thus far the night king has shown himself to be the rock star of magic on GOT. There appears to be no one who can challenge him. This is a lost opportunity, since by building up a contender the writers would have the audience spoiling for confrontation between the two. It is unlikely that any human being can take the night king on in direct, one on one combat. The only way to win the coming war is to defeat the night king. This alone is likely to be why the three eyed raven is so important. Bran has plenty of unexploited potential on the magic scale. His most powerful trait as the three eyed raven is his ability to enter sage mode and project himself into an avatar. When Bran emerges from his body in the avatar state he is able to travel back in time, influence people there, he is confident and regains his ability to walk and so on. When he enters the avatar state his stature grows such that he seems more of a contender for the night king. The avatar form for him is like a lucid dream in which the physical world around him becomes malleable, in that he can control it with his mind. We see this when he calls out to Ned Stark in the past, who seems to hear him. In the present Bran's avatar could appear like real flesh and bone. Anyone who saw him could touch him and interacted with him and would not be able to tell the difference. This would allow him to join the others more actively and to fight physically in battle. However, it would also allow him to do mysterious GOT style things like appear in a locked room, speak to someone in Dorne, but then be seen in the North, and suddenly stop a sword about to strike down Jon at the Red Keep and so on. In this state where the world is like a dream to him he is the three eyed raven, the master magician who can do almost anything, he could even fly. His will in the avatar state becomes reality and affects everything and everyone he bends his mind toward. He would be perfectly positioned to face the night king. However, he would have one significant weakness; as is the case when he wargs, his physical body becomes vulnerable. Furthermore, he cannot be everywhere at once and will have to sometimes make difficult choices about how and where to apply his unique abilities.

The writers may have some fun leading the audience on by making it
believe this rumour has actually happened.

This avatar issue raises another question, could the magnificent night king the audience sees, not be the night king himself but an avatar? Could this be why he can see Bran in the same state, be why he has not aged an iota in visage despite hundreds of years, why he could not cross the magic imbued in the wall to travel south, why he cannot be burned by fire, why he can be killed and yet reappear? Could the night king, like Bran bound to a wheel chair and the former one eyed raven trapped in overgrown tree roots, be hidden in some icy cave in the midst of a frozen city far north of the wall, surrounded by veins of ice, a pathetic, aged, shriveled up version of himself with astonishing psychic ability. If this is true then defeating the night king on the battle field would not end the war. They might expend huge resources and manage to kill him on the battle field, cheer in triumph at being able to cut him down only to find him appear again unwounded and pissed off. This would happen again and again as they take their best shot and each time they would lose valuable lives until Bran in flesh and bone appearance of his avatar intervenes and stops them. Frozen in the midst of their attack he would then tell them to conserve their strength, because this is not the night king. Bran would explain that the attacks may weaken him slightly but he cannot be killed physically on this battle field, because he's really not here. The night king is hidden in his lair north of the wall and would have to be found and ended there in order to stop him completely. Bran would say to Jon, while I hold him and his armies back here, you will have to send a team to find him wherever he is hidden and slay him there or this war will not end. Arya, a master of infiltration might volunteer for this mission taking her Valerian dagger, a team that consists of the Hound and a few others to the mountain shaped like an arrow. What manner of perils would they find venturing into the clan of the night king that is populated by many babies he has turned over the centuries, where they have evolved a strange life and culture all their own, protect and venerate his withered body as though he were a deity, deeper into the frozen north than anyone in recent times has dared set foot? This in itself could prove to be a dangerous and bone chilling adventure.

When Bran gets it together, while the
night king takes life with the freezing cold
he may restore life with blazing fire...

Bran seems set for one of the most epic transformations toward either good or evil seen on GOT. Hopefully he may turn to face his innermost fears, summon powers unseen before and rise to the challenge the night king. There may need to be a scene where in a surveillance mission Bran's avatar once again strays too close to the night king. The audience will obviously be appalled and terrified as the night king spots him and grabs hold of him once again, but instead of cowering Bran resists, grips the night king by the shoulder and begins to draw the ice out of him to the point where his face begins to look human again before he breaks free of Brans hold and realizes he has a new threat. Bran could take to the air  if not by using his avatar then by riding some magical beast he creates himself the audience did not even know could exist or be revived. He could even fantastically, having brought the night king to the ground during battle dramatically draw the ice out of Viserion and bring him back to the fire breathing beauty he was before. And as hordes of night walkers converge on him he could draw the ice out in circles around him, and by radiating life return them to flesh and bone, freeing them from the night kings hold such that instead of attacking him they instead turn to his side and begin to defend him from other white walkers. There are so many characters endeared to the audience that Bran would be able to use fire to draw out the ice and bring back to life, including the giants like Wun Wun. We have seen fire used to revive on GOT, Bran should be powerful enough to bring this ability to a whole new level in that anyone claimed by the night king, that is, by ice can be seized back by fire; Melisandre would certainly dance a jig or two, that's for sure.

If Bran's control of his avatar exceeds expectations he may
not need to warg to fly..

Bran looks very lonely in season 7. The night king has imprisoned him in fear in a way that reminds me of the way Gandalf was helplessly trapped at the top of Saruman's tower. The audience is waiting for that subtle moment when an insignificant moth or fleeting butterfly flutters into his hand and causes an event that dramatically changes his outlook. If he will confront the night king on magical terms he needs to find some means to overcome the fear and he has to find the magic with which to remove the night king’s mark. This may not just take power, it may also take knowledge and skill that someone like Tarly could help with, perhaps using some of those scrolls and manuscripts freshly lifted form the Maester's citadel. These two accomplishments would show that Bran has grown enough in knowledge and stature to wield the power of the three eyed raven and would be useful to the story telling process.

Season 8, what may be afoot... 

Towards the end of season 7 we see Tyrion in the corridor as Jon enters Daenary's chambers. That clumsy, fumbly and somewhat awkwardly portrayed hook up was way, way too uncomfortable to watch. What happened to the happy, fun good old romp in the sack approach to love scenes on GOT? It was the same with Missandei. This new oversensitive and overseunsualised approach is just creepy man. What Tyrion witnessed cannot be good for obvious reasons. The Lannisters are responsible for nearly all the horrors the Starks have experienced. They took Ned Starks' head, forced Arya into exile, caused Sansa much pain and caused the downward spiral of the House of Stark. Even though Tyrion himself has been treated poorly by his own House, he remains fond of his brother Jaime, and grudgingly seems to hold some affection for Cersei, he never betrayed his siblings. Jon has every reason to stand against Jaime and Cersei. Tyrion seems to recognize that with Jon in between himself and Daenary's he cannot serve her with absolute loyalty. Without this loyalty his very life is in peril and very presence in Daenary's House places him at great risk of falling out with the mother of dragons. Despite his belief in her it would seem that Tyrion has no choice but to now flee to preserve whats left of his honour, dignity and to avoid being forced to do things that are contrary to the man he has become, for very much the same reasons Jaime has fled Cersei. It is most likely Tyrion will leave Daenary's and link up with Jaime and Bron to seek their fortunes outside the royal houses and prepare in their own way for the arrival of the white walkers.

Tyrion knows his sister. He brokered the truce with her. Cersei betraying the truce must be something that has found its way into his calculus of how events could play out in the unfolding preparations for war. It stands as another reason why he may be uncomfortable remaining too close to Daenarys.  The fact that Cersei's priority is not to prepare for the night king, but to buy an army and prepare to save herself and her unborn child is a critical blow to Daenary's chances of becoming Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. With Bran petrified so late in the game even if she can win the war against the night king with only the Unsullied, Dothraki and the Northerners their numbers may be decimated or they may survive in numbers but remain exhausted after the war. At this point should they meet Cersei in a final war for the kingdoms it will be an uneven fight Dany could possibly lose as a result of Cersei's betrayal. It is most likely that this is how the end may play out simply because this makes very good story telling.

It would make sense that Tyrion would join Jaime who has broken away from Cersei to draw with him Bron and Lannister troops still loyal to him. Together they would try to put together as large an army as they can muster. This would allow Jaime who is a genius in warfare to fulfill his pledge to support the initiative against the white walkers. Tyrion would thus remain in Daenary's service but not close enough as to risk his head as she falls deeper under Jon's influence.

There is another edge to all this. Clearly the night king has built a hierarchy, a society and kingdom of his own beyond the wall. By waging war with the kingdoms south of the wall he is exposing his kingdom and placing everything he has built since the children of the forest created him at risk. The white walkers seem to be expendable pawns during battle, but the night kings lieutenants are different. They are human beings who were turned at birth. At present it is believed the night king only turns males, but this is misleading. He may be doing this for now only to build an army. North of the wall, in his kingdom there may be a sizable society consisting of many different male and female subjects of various ages, depending on when they were turned, with free will who are loyal to him. We do not understand the beliefs he shares with his people or their culture. For all we know the only reason for this war may be the fact that a special child believed to be his heir, known to his people as the hundredth child, was stolen from him. The night kings people exist through his magic. The period has come for his heir to take his place and continue that legacy allowing the magic that sustains them to enter a new cycle through the child. If the night king were to perish before doing so his people would die. If this is true the urgency of their mission and importance of Little Sam to them is likely being severely understated. This is a teaching moment for the writers of GOT, because in all likelihood the audience has the same naivety as Tarly and Gilly and are thinking c'mon an infant couldn't be the cause of a war. As people tend to do Gilly and Tarly took the child making decisions based on their own moral judgement without for a moment appreciating the importance of the infant to those whom they were taking him from, naively relegating them to being a group of walking monsters. They may have taken something thinking only of themselves and set in motion a grave problem outside their understanding. The audience may need to be shown how important the child is to the night king and his people. It may need to see the extent they are prepared to go, not just to get him back but to protect him and ensure no harm comes to him. Foreseeing this problem in visions the night king's campaign against those south of the wall may have began early and in earnest as a solution to this crisis. The night king and his people are in crisis, they not playing, they are in a struggle for their very existence against a naive, obstinate enemy who sees them as monsters or savages, whose inability to comprehend their survival is why those south of the wall are seen merely as an obstacle to their mission that must be cut down. The child he has foreseen will replace him exactly as Bran replaced the three eyed raven and will protect his people as he has done all these hundreds of years. This child is none other than Craster's baby; Gilly's child. The child currently under Tarly's protection, is a child of destiny for which kings and queens are prepared to wage war. By taking this child Tarly may have inadvertently started this war. Would it not be strange if when the night king first speaks he says something ominous like;

"You human beings are a cruel. You are bigots, racists, you turn against your own kind. Your hearts are cold and lifeless. All that you seek is for pleasure. While the few wallow in riches, your poor are plentiful and many starve because you have chosen not to learn how to care for one another. You hold nothing sacred, are heartless and behave like deprived beings with no souls thinking nothing of those whom you deem less than you, seeking only greater weapons, greater power and glory at the expense of all that must share this realm with you. For years the Wall has kept us safe away from you, but I have torn it down. We will not allow this precious child to be raised in your world."

The night king turns Craster's infant

The night king's people may face the possibility of extinction if they cannot retrieve the child. They are in a desperate situation. In the midst of this they have discovered something grave; the possible return of Azor Ahai, the one who in prophecy is seen as their mortal enemy. When they see Jon Snow for the first time his striking resemblance with the prophecy strikes fear in them. He survives death and is revived. They have become wary of him, began to watch him closely and will not waste an opportunity to confront him. Later in one of these confrontations they would discover he caries a Valerian sword and know they are growing short on time. He is a threat, but he has not as yet been taught to swathe the sword's Valerian steel in flame. Their urgency to cross the wall increases, but now they have the dragon and will make haste to take this war south of the wall to recover the infant.

Wouldn't it be odd if all this time that the audience has thought the night king and his marauding army of zombies are cursed, wretched and evil, the simple truth all along has been it is those south of the wall who consider themselves more civilized that are cold and depraved. All these years they believed the wall was keeping them safe from the white walkers, when in fact the night king and his people thought it kept them safe from humans. A tragic twist. What the night king wants back seems so simple: a child he believes is his legacy, a child he has been waiting for, for eons, a child whom he loves. Yet thousands will die if the boy is not given back. It may make absolute sense to the rest of the world to give back this one child to the night king to spare a horrible death and doom for so many. The northern lords would certainly think so. They would expect Jon's loyalty to remain with them. But this situation can become very complicated because Tarly and Gilly are close to Jon's heart. Jon,is in turn allied with Daenarys. They have become attached to Little Sam and may not be prepared to give him up, especially if they do not realize it is not the intention of the night king to harm the child but to, in his own way, adopt him. Jon whose sense of honour would not allow him to abandon his old friend would further complicate this situation. Should the rest of the world (that obviously doesn't want to die) discover this fact things could get very ugly, sides may have to be taken and it could become confusing very quickly. If Jon at first stands by Tarly it may explain why the legend of Azor Ahai strikes fear in the night king and his lieutenants. Jon wielding a fiery Valerian sword in defense of Tarly, Gilly and Little Sam together with Daenarys may lead to the fulfillment of the Azor Ahai prophecy the white walkers dread to have to face. However, even this is unlikely to deter them from their mission as there is too much at stake.

Tarly and Gilly, difficult decisions...

Its easy to imagine that after having done the impossible, that is, overcome the night king's army and survived his magic or returned Little Sam to him the incredible relief of this turn of events that ends the war with the night king would be met with the horror of having to immediately face the Golden Company, a gleaming army of fierce mercenaries raised by Cersei financed by the iron bank. An army that is rested, unscathed and skilled. It has militaristic shamans knowledgeable in how to fight and defend against magic (aka against someone like Bran or the night king). It is armed to the teeth and well provisioned. There has been a lot of talk about the lack of diversity on GOT. However, rumor has it that GRR Martin's Golden Company fights with exotic animals like elephants. Elephants are a strong feature of the African Savannah and landscape. Wouldn't it be great if the entire ten thousand strong golden company consisted of and were led by Africans with a few conscripts of different races who have joined them such as Jorah Mormont once did. They would come from a culture that understands magic, that has developed methods for fighting it, who understand what the night king is, do not fear him as much as other nations as they know how to face the peril he brings. Mormont would know them well, be able to speak their dialect and be able to advise Daenary's about them. They would speak with African accents that demonstrate somewhere in the GOT world there are other races and kingdoms beyond what audiences have seen thus far. Their art, chariots, shields, armor could be styled around that of a modernized version of the Nubians and Zulu tribe. This would be a great twist that adds to the richness of the series.

Many in the audience have been led to believe the penultimate showdown is that between the living and the dead. They seem to think after this war there will be a riding into the sunset so to speak. This confrontation will probably be epic and it may indeed seem the show is drawing to its conclusion, but just when the audience is getting cozy with this ending and thinks GOT is over because this war has been done and dusted they may be in for a shocker when they discover that this was merely a hefty prelude to the mother of all battles. After Daenary's sacrifices all that she has, she is loved by the television audience. She is a monarch who has placed the interests of her people first. And yet left with a ravaged, tired and hungry army tested by the war against the night king she must now face a highly intelligent gloating, treacherous, tyrannical and cruel (yet for some reason still likable) Cersei with a formidable army in the golden company whose fighting style and ruthlessness rivals that of the Dothraki. At this point the gobsmacked audience with their hearts in their mouths must accept Cercei is poised to win the war of the seven kingdoms, the very end game of GOT. The only way out of this mess may be a desperate ploy for Bran, Jon and company to bargain with the night king, the one person capable of raising an army at short notice, to join them against Cersei in exchange for the safe return to him of Little Sam creating both a moral dilemma and supremely tense time of crisis filled to the brim with nail biting suspense. Cersei might find her betrayal yield more than she bargained for and would now need the golden company more than ever. Even with the night kings support bargained for Daenarys it would be impossible to tell at this stage who would win this war. But hey, aren't these the kind of impossible odds, unpredictable outcomes and circumstances that create heroes and make GOT thrilling to watch?!    

How would you like Game of Thrones to end?

We have been told the 8th season is the final one.

If I were asked how I'd like GOT to end my response would be: with nearly all the main characters intact. For closure it would be nice to actually see someone take the main throne. In addition to this it would be satisfying to see the life of everyone we have gotten to know after this, where they settle and what happiness or comfort they find. Even if Cersei lost this war, for her this loss would be worse than death; it would be good to see her survive and placed in some castle or fortress which is decent but way below the station of the queen she once thought she would become. There she can be shown to give birth to the child and as he or she is placed in her arms by a nurse she might look into the child's eyes and say you will rule the seven kingdoms. Even if Cersei does become queen, then it would be Daenary's in a similar scene saying this to her child. The audience understands that just because a king or queen has been crowned that place is one that will constantly be vied for. It would be good to see someone like Arya setting off with a fleet of ships provided by the iron Islands, with someone unlikely, such as Theon Greyjoy and Lord Varys. The vessels might be shown moving into waters beyond the map of the seven kingdoms we have become accustomed to seeing. This would indicate they are sailing into the unknown. Then it would be great to see a scene where a batch of new dragon eggs are found but by people the audience does not recognize, in a place that does not look familiar.

The producers have to reconcile two things about GOT, the need for closure, but also importantly that the fans don't want to see the popular series end. The way to achieve this is to crown the king or queen of the seven kingdoms, which is really the conclusion of GOT. Having achieved closure with this ending, continuity is sustained in the audiences hearts by giving all the characters some kind of scene that shows they are moving on into the next adventure or next chapter of their lives that allows the audience feel that every ending is merely the starting point of a new beginning and in reality beautiful stories will never stop being told.