Game Of Thrones had viewers enthralled like no other TV show, from its spectacular landscapes and epic battle scenes, to the complex characters and rich universe.
Well, until the final series, that is.
Series eight – and the finale in particular – fell flat for many fans, with some left fuming at character endings that seemed a little out of place at best.
For one, Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) appeared to go from beloved Khaleesi to the Mad Queen at the speed of light, while Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) was crowned seemingly out of nowhere.
Cersei Lannister’s (Lena Headey) death was another point of contention for some fans, with the character being left to die in the arms of her brother (and the love of her life) Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) – despite many predicting she was set to have the most brutal death of everyone.
However you feel about the finale one year on, there’s no denying that there are countless ways it could have gone that would have been pretty epic, with some of Game Of Thrones superfans telling Metro.co.uk what they reckon should have happened.
The Night King taking the Iron Throne
Thrones superfan @DanyGoneBad has racked up a following of more than 90,000 on Twitter thanks to their obsession with the series. They’ve interviewed the cast and crew, and appeared on TV and in magazines to talk all things GoT.
‘In a perfect, fairytale world, I would have loved to see Queen Daenerys sitting victorious on her throne, reconciled with the Stark girls and with her faithful Ser Jorah at her side, Jon her King and ruling as she dreamt of in the early days of her story,’ they explained.
‘But that of course would have been far too predictable and not at all in keeping with the shock and awe tale that we all love, and we were well warned early on by Ramsay Bolton that “If we thought this would have a happy ending, we haven’t been paying attention!”
‘I think it might have been epic for the Night King to have been victorious, let the villain triumph for once, and end the season with him on an icy Iron Throne, surrounded with our faves trapped forever as White Walkers!
‘It certainly would have made for the ultimate shock finale, though perhaps a logistical nightmare for the prosthetics department/budget!’
Jon Snow’s Targaryen heritage being revealed in a big way
Abe Proctor co-hosts Game Of Thrones podcast A Pod Of Casts, with him explaining to us of his love for the series: ‘I found myself ensnared and compelled by this story in a way that transcends almost any other work of genre fiction I’ve ever encountered.’
He said of the finale: ‘For the most part, the resolution for many characters was satisfying. I liked Tyrion, Davos, and Sam forming the moral backbone for the governance of the “Six Kingdoms.” I loved Sansa being crowned Queen in the North. I loved Arya sailing off for parts unknown.
‘But in terms of alternate endings, after Dany’s death at Jon’s hands, I would have loved to see Drogon flame Jon instead of melting the Iron Throne. Jon would have survived due to his Targaryen lineage, and then would have been exposed to everyone as the actual, legitimate heir to the Targaryen dynasty.
‘Watching him deal with that fallout, probably with Tyrion and Davos’ help, would have been great; and the possibility of a power struggle between Jon and Sansa is mouthwatering as well.’
Arya Stark killing Cersei Lannister
Martin Regan’s passion for Game Of Thrones has taken him all over the world, as he visits and blogs about the stunning locations used in the series. So far, he’s travelled to about a dozen countries thanks to the show – and has a Syrio Forel quote tattooed for good measure.
‘The ending felt rushed, so as a bit of a completist, I’d have just really liked to see a bit more about happened to some of the other characters and regions we’d invested time in,’ he pointed out. ‘Where exactly did Meera Reed go? Did the Slave cities in Essos rise up again or did Dany get her wish to end slavery? Where did the Dothraki go?
‘As a Targaryen fan, I would have loved to have seen the continuation of that family dynasty with Jon and Dany. It was always said “Every time a Targaryen is born, the gods toss a coin in the air and the world holds its breath to see how it will land.” It would have been nice if when the gods tossed that coin, it came down on the side of sane rather than mad. It seemed a shame for a whole dynasty to just collapse overnight.
‘I would also like to have seen Arya kill Cersei, but in terms of how the show storylines had been written and the fact she had already killed the Night King, it did make sense for it to not be her.
‘While I thought Theon’s character arc was wrapped up perfectly, a small part would have loved him and Sansa to live happily ever after!’
Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow ruling together
Superfan @JonxDanyy runs a Game of Thrones themed Twitter fan account, describing the series as ‘more than just a show for me’ – however, she was bitterly disappointed by the show‘s ending.
‘The show’s ending was a huge disappointment for me,’ she explained. ‘I’ve impatiently waited 2 years for the final season and I expected it to be epic but the showrunners rushed everything and honestly ruined it. So many plot holes, so many unanswered questions, David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss] did the characters dirty and it’s really sad.
‘As a huge fan of Daenerys, I just wanted her to be happy not necessarily on the throne, but it would have been amazing to see her rule the seven kingdoms with Jon because they’re both good leaders who care about people and have helped others their whole journeys.’
Brienne of Tarth and Jaime Lannister having their happy ending
@gotsdaily is a Game Of Thrones fan account dedicated to sharing the best videos and pictures of Daenerys, with the creator crediting the show with strengthening their relationship with their father, and allowing them to meet ‘the most amazing people’.
While they’re keen to point out the positives of the series, including Emilia’s stunning performance, they were less than keen on the finale.
‘It’s no secret I am a huge Daenerys fan, so her ending messed me up,’ they explained. ‘When it comes to fan theories I really thought the creators would take some inspiration from them (they really should have). I would have really loved to see Daenerys at least sit on the throne whether she ultimately won or not.
‘I immensely disliked Rhaegal’s death and I think this should have happened at the battle of Kings Landing rather in that logic-devoid scene at Dragonstone. I wanted some closure on Brienne’s ending, I think her and Jamie should have been together and Bran’s ability should have been used in a much more effective way. If Bran was to always become king, which I believe will still happen in the books, he should have been more involved in the series.
‘Alternatively, I would have loved to see Jon and the Stark family pay for their betrayal of Daenerys, especially when she played such a huge part in saving the north when they needed her the most, at great cost to her own armies.
‘My biggest annoyance with the final episode was that the North was able to so easily remove itself from the Seven Kingdoms without the other kingdoms joining them. I think the Seven Kingdoms splitting back up into those seven once again would have been a fitting end as they no longer needed to come together to fight the Night King and his army. And of course, I would have loved to see a resurrected Daenerys.’
Faithfully following George RR Martin’s ending (whatever he’s got planned)
@SongOfJon is a well-loved fan account in the Thrones community, with the creator, Sylvia, falling in love with ‘the worldbuilding, the intertwinement of magic and politics, the soundtracks, the visuals, the elaborate subplots.’
While she was ‘sorely disappointed’ by the finale, she explained: ‘I don’t know if an “alternative” ending would have been better or worse than what we got.
‘Various sources seem to have confirmed that the major deaths and plot points of the finale came from George Martin himself; I will not debate on that, but I just wish, as a sincere fan of the series, that the writers spent more time developing the characters and flashing out their motivations, rather than focusing on a desperate rush to the finish line that leaves all the main strengths of the series behind.
‘For now, I will do what everyone else is doing: wait for Martin to finish his book series, and maybe I will get a closure that will not leave such a bitter taste in my mouth.’
Let’s hope so!
Game of Thrones is available to stream on NOW TV.
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