Eight Existential Questions Surrounding Game of Thrones
Was Jaime’s storyline in Winterfell fan service? Should Bronn have trusted the Lannister brothers? What’s left for Gendry? Our staff dissects pressing internal and external conflicts that could define the endgame of Game of Thrones.
With all the expensive CGI, frequent battle scenes, and archetypal high fantasy elements that the later seasons of Game of Thrones have brought us, it’s easy to forget the simple roots of George R.R. Martin’s story. The Song of Ice and Fire author has said on multiple occasions that his guiding principle for writing is portraying the conflict within the human heart. All his characters are governed by some combination of family, loyalty, lust, avarice, and love — all intrinsic, complicated, and relatable desires.
At its core, the series spins complicated story webs and allows the audience to play armchair psychologist, dissecting motivations, personalities, and ramifications. Martin has always wanted to extract his readers from the traditional paradigm of good versus evil and ponder the greater, existential questions within each person. The sophisticated nature to Game of Thrones is part of what makes the story so special. It allows to us wrestle with the gray area of human beings and truly connect with the series’ characters in a way that’s uncommon in the new binge-watching era of storytelling.
If Martin has taught us anything, it’s that the people and personalities left in his story matter above all else. Regardless of how hastily you believe the last season was produced, these are still the same characters Martin has spent decades developing, and each of them is facing story arc-defining conflicts. With Game of Thrones a mere two episodes away from its conclusion, our staff took the time to dissect the pressing internal conflicts and existential questions that could end up defining the end of the show.
Was Jaime’s storyline in Winterfell fan service?
Karim Noorani: There are a few things that audiences have to acknowledge when dealing with this discussion around Jaime. One is that Brienne told him to do away loyalty in Season 7, Episode 7. She said the fight with the White Walkers went “beyond houses and honor and oaths” when Cersei refused to pledge her armies to the war effort. Brienne convinced Jaime to attempt to sway the Queen into sending her troops north. The plot failed in the end, but those words definitely had a lasting effect upon Jaime. When he learned about Cersei reneging on her promise to Daenerys, Jaime almost word for word repeated Brienne’s line to his sister.
He understood the gravity of the situation and wanted to fight for the living no matter the political consequences. Another thread that needs to be considered is Jaime’s observation of Tyrion. Tyrion risked his life twice in Season 7, once to secretly meet with Jaime and another time to negotiate with Cersei in order to convince his family to help in the Great War. Jaime and Tyrion didn’t part on the best of the terms in Season 4 after Tyrion used his brother’s mercy to kill their father, but Jaime has always empathized with his little brother. Seeing Tyrion risk everything for this cause should undoubtedly cause Jaime to rethink his alliances.
Also, we must remind ourselves Jaime stood by Cersei when she made the pledge to Daenerys. Based upon the parting conversation with his sister, Jaime basically took that moment as his own pledge to ride north. Say what you will about the Kingslayer, but if the show has built up one narrative about Jaime, it’s that he keeps his oaths.
Once he gets to Winterfell, it only made sense for Jaime and Brienne’s relationship to have a payoff. The series has been building up the duo’s tension since Season 3. Whether both of them should have survived the Battle of Winterfell is another question. However, Jaime and Brienne’s relationship is one of the purest left in the entire show. It’s why the Kingslayer willingly subordinated himself to Brienne’s command before the White Walker showdown. Yes, the fans have wanted Jaime and Brienne love scene for quite some time, but that’s in large part due to the seeds A Song of Ice and Fire planted in the prior books and Seasons. Author George R.R. Martin said it himself: you shouldn’t change the story just because the fans have started to anticipate it.
Last episode, Jaime ultimately left Brienne to get back to Cersei but the one-handed knight’s love for his sister has always been his ultimate loyalty. He left King’s Landing to honor his pledge, but Jaime shouldn’t stand back and watch his lifelong love be executed. It’s a long, winding path, and Jaime is an admittedly conflicted character. However, this is how the Kingslayer’s arc was meant to play out all along, and the showrunners should defend that.
Can Dany still be Westeros’ savior?
Cameron Peters: Absolutely, yes. Daenerys has gotten a bad rap in the past few seasons for being a bad ruler or for being a Mad Queen in the making, but she can still be Westeros’ savior. Think about the situation she’s in right now: two of her closest advisors and friends have just been killed and her forces have been decimated. She’s lost two dragons — her children — and she’s still no closer to the Iron Throne than when she landed in Westeros. She’s understandably angry, but nowhere near Aerys-level madness, or mad at all for that matter.
And if she can defeat Cersei and ascend the throne, she shows every sign of being a good queen. Even if she’s “home” at last, it’s a home in name only. She’s a stranger in a strange land right now, far from where she grew up. She succeeded in making the people of Meereen love her though, and improved the lives of untold thousands by ending slavery there. Like Jon, she’s shown an uncanny gift for getting people to follow her — first the remnant of Drogo’s khalasar, then the Unsullied and the Seconds Sons, and then the entirety of Vaes Dothrak. If given the chance, she will be able to do the same in Westeros.
Is she a perfect ruler? No. Or at least, not yet. She’s made mistakes — for example, burning the Tarlys (and trusting Varys, apparently) — but she also listens to her advisors. And she can be forgiven for being a little bit obsessive about taking the throne — her brother and everyone around her have told her that her family was destined to rule since the day she was born. That has a way of skewing one’s perspective on things. However, at the end of the day, she’s the best-qualified to rule, if not by blood then by character, and she can still be Westeros’ savior. We can only hope.
Can The Hound and Arya find peace after completing their bucket list?
Ethan Fore: As Karim so eloquently described last week, the Hound and Arya have a convoluted yet strong relationship, and they are far more similar than meets the eye. Both endured complicated childhoods, with one almost being killed by his brother and the other suffering through multiple family deaths. But what began as a spiteful relationship in Season 1 blossomed into one of the tightest bonds in Westeros. And now, both have “unfinished business” in King’s Landing. Clegane presumably is riding south to battle his brother Gregor, better known as the Mountain, to avenge the scars Gregor once left. Arya is heading to the capital to check off the last name on her infamous hit list: Cersei Lannister. Arya’s hatred for the Queen began in Season 1, as she believes Cersei is in one way or another responsible for the death of her father, Ned.
But even if both accomplish their individual goals, I find it hard to believe they will leave satisfied. They both mentioned they have no plans on returning to Winterfell, which is unsurprising for Clegane, but a bit head-scratching for Arya. Their character arcs have been two of the most well-developed of the show, and I’m led to believe that it’s hard for either of these characters to find happiness. Both seemed unamused during the feast following the Battle of Winterfell, despite the fact that Arya was the hero! Being content just doesn’t seem like it’s in the cards for either of them, and I don’t expect that they will find the gratification they may seek.
Can Varys’ ideal leader avoid a fate similar to Ned Stark?
NGL: The question itself is inherently flawed because Varys himself does not have an ideal leader. The Spider is as much a product of the Game of Thrones as he is a catalyst for it! When looking at Varys’ takedown of Dany last episode, I’m left thinking this guy is nothing more than Westeros’ version of Kevin Durant — he’s ring-chasing. Or maybe it’s that he’s bumbling around, unsure of what he really wants, like a bald Kyrie Irving without the third leg.
Either way, yes, I did skirt around the question because I don’t believe Varys’ logic is particularly sound. Let’s say his guy, Jon, wins. How long until he’s back at it, scheming and plotting to get Jon thrown off of the throne? There’s nothing reliable about this guy other than the fact that he’s unreliable. If this show has taught us anything, it’s that no one really wins this game when the next guy is coming for your head constantly (see: Stark, Ned). I’m calling him out on his “for the good of the realm” bullshit once and for all.
Where does Jon really belong at the end of this story?
Noorani: Jon’s life mission since Season 5 has been to defeat to the White Walkers. He risked everything from Stannis’ offer to become a legitimized Stark to his own life multiple times for this war. Jon literally died at the hands of his own men in order to gather a few thousand more soldiers for the cause of the living. He also bent the knee to Daenerys, went on a seeming suicide mission beyond the wall, and negotiated with Cersei in Season 7 — all in an effort to beat the Night King.
He accomplished that goal in Episode 3, “The Battle of Winterfell.” Killed by Arya, the Night King is dead and gone from this series, at least as far as we know. Now, the only commitment that binds Jon’s moral compass is his oath to Dany. For the time being, that loyalty trumps everything, including Jon’s own family. Jon did tell his now cousins about R + L = J, but he believes wholeheartedly that the revelation won’t comprise Daenerys’ power.
The only way I can conceive of Jon vying for the Iron Throne is if he believes it’s his only way to save thousands of people. For that to happen, Dany would truly have to take on the role of the Mad Queen, which is currently building up to be a conceivable possibility. Otherwise, the showrunners have to know Jon will never break his vow in order to gain power; it would be the antithetical to everything his character stands for.
Barring that scenario, a compelling case could be made that Jon’s role is not inside the Seven Kingdoms. His leadership simply isn’t required in a world where Dany is Queen and Sansa rules the North. Assuming they can iron out their differences, Dany and Sansa would make an empathetic and ruthless duo capable of “breaking the wheel” for the time being. If his leadership isn’t required and moral compass doesn’t demand it, it makes no sense why Jon would assert himself in a power-filled position.
Similar to Arya not accepting the role of a lady, Jon simply shouldn’t accept being a leader if he can avoid it. One scenario the showrunners have teased is Jon ending beyond the Wall for some worldly or unfettered purpose. The possibility seems a lot more faithful to the show’s most unmaterialistic character than any other, especially since Jon’s first desire in the series was simply to be a ranger guarding the realms of men.
Lastly, a scenario that entails Jon being being killed in the last two episodes is also entirely possible. If Jon has to die, martyrdom seems like a completely fitting end for him, but the show doesn’t necessarily have to acquiesce to that desire. It would be really felicitous for the series to come full circle and kill off Jon entangled in the same web of morality and honor that brought down Ned Stark.
Should Bronn have trusted Tyrion and Jaime (and vice versa)?
Peters: First thing’s first: as much as I loved Bronn and Tyrion’s excellent adventure in earlier seasons, I’m honestly angry that the Bronn-Jaime-Tyrion subplot got as much screen time as it did with only two episodes left, and I doubt we’ll get to see much of a resolution to it. If we do, though, I absolutely hope we get to see Bronn strolling into Highgarden to claim his payment at last.
Tyrion’s been promising him a castle for seasons now, and he deserves it after saving both Lannister brothers’ lives a decent few times now. After all, Tyrion did tell him that if anyone ever tries to hire Bronn to kill him, “whatever they’re paying you, I’ll pay double.” Tyrion and Bronn understand each other pretty well at this point, and Bronn did exactly what Tyrion told him to.
Plus, the Seven Kingdoms are a short a few lords right now, and if Gendry can be a lord, why not Bronn? He’s shown himself to be smart, ruthless, and cynical — everything Tywin Lannister was — and he’s spot-on about the origins of House Lannister and most of the other noble families in the realm. Lastly, a Lannister always pays their debts, and despite the little crossbow incident last episode, Tyrion and Jaime owe Bronn quite a lot. Assuming any of the three of them survive the season, Bronn will get his castle.
What does Sansa want?
Fore: This feels like a loaded question. I’ll be honest, I was not a Sansa fan during the first few seasons, and I think many Thrones fans would agree with me. But as the show progressed, so did she, and I am now watching Season 8 and thinking to myself, “At this point, is Sansa actually the most fit to be on the throne?” She has endured A TON — more than any other character in this entire show. And the writers still botched her lines when she spoke to the Hound about her journey. The interaction received a lot of pushback on social media, most notably in this tweet from actress Jessica Chastain:
Gennifer Hutchison, a writer for Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad, put it this way:
I realize this isn’t exactly answering the question, but I felt it was important to address.
Regardless, Sansa has learned so much through her experiences, becoming a cunning, clever, diplomatic, and wickedly smart leader and exorcising some of her demons along the way (looking at you, Ramsey and Littlefinger). Throughout her life, Sansa has really only felt safe in one place: Winterfell, with her family. At any other point in her life, whether it be in King’s Landing with the Lannisters, at the Eyrie with Lord Baelish, or even at Winterfell with the Boltons, Sansa has constantly had to adapt to each situation to just to stay alive. And now, with a chance to finally bring balance to her life, she needs to protect her home. It’s why she’s so insistent on Jon putting their family and the North first, and why she worries about Daenerys. After everything she’s been through, Sansa will do anything to keep her home. Now, as Sansa has become arguably my favorite character on the show, I hope she finds her peace. Because she, more than anyone, deserves that.
What’s left for Gendry?
NGL: All his life, Gendry has been an outsider looking in on the world of the rich and powerful. He cut his teeth in the blacksmith trade, forging hammers and swords in the bowels of King’s Landing. His existence plays a pivotal role in early on in the story when Ned confirms the truth about Cersei due to Gendry’s hair color. He still didn’t know his true heritage until Melisandre up and does her voodoo on him… which, tbh, kinda probably ruined what should’ve been the happiest day of his life.
After that, Gendry became a meme, rowing to oblivion until his return in Season 7. Still, he was sent north of the Wall in a near-death trip before returning to Winterfell and finally reuniting with a clearly thirsty Arya. And then Arya cashes in her V-card with Gendry only to later… spurn him? On the day in which he was named the new Lord of Storm’s End!?!?
Was it predictable? Sure. But seeing Gendry absolutely devastated like that was a tough look for Robert’s bastard. With the amount of loose threads to tie up, I could honestly see Gendry kinda just disappearing, his story resolved. But given there’s still battles to come, I think we see him out in the field at least one more time before he settles down and marries a “lady.”
What do you think? Which questions did we snub from the list? Comment below and make sure to tweet at us here!
