Game of Thrones is over and I am one of the few who loved the final season. Did things go as I predicted back in early April? No. Many of my predictions were wrong, but I also got a few right. This article will look over my predictions and see how well I imagined the final season playing out.
The Dothraki are wiped out immediately – correct
Flaming swords and war cries swallowed by the darkness. A powerful visual scene, which immediately confirmed my first prediction as accurate. While the Dothraki weren’t totally wiped out as a people, their massive horde was devastated.
Cleganebowl will not happen – wrong (with a hint of right)
I loved episode 5. The horror show that was Dany and Drogon burning King’s Landing kept me on the edge of my seat. Stuck right in the middle of its chaos was this long awaited showdown. I was wrong on my prediction, but damn it I loved the scene. Plus, I was sort of right that Drogon’s fire would kill the Mountain. Sandor wasn’t capable of killing his undead brother conventionally, and in the end they both burned.
Daenerys and Jon Snow die fighting the White Walkers – wrong
Daenerys does die, but not at all how I predicted. I wanted to see how the rest of the characters would have reacted to the two “main” characters being taken off the board. A final season version of Ned Stark’s death. Sadly we didn’t get to see such a radical ending, but I do like what we got…even if nobody else did.
Drogon Survives and the Children of the Forest Return – half right
Drogon is the sole survivor, but the Children of the Forest are not mentioned. I call this half-right. Magic is still in the world, through Drogon and Bran the Broken. For all we know, the Children of the Forest are running around the north, free from the Night King.
Jamie kills the Night King – wrong
People hoped Arya would assassinate Cersei, but they booed when she did it to the Night King. I don’t understand the objection. Who better to kill the biggest threat to humanity than Arya the assassin? People called for Arya to sneak into King’s Landing and secretly kill Cersei, but when she assassinates the Night King its bad story telling. To hell with a standard sword fight between him and Jon. Give me the badass instant kill from the rogue.
Jamie the Queen Slayer – wrong
Jamie had every opportunity to live a peaceful life in the North. It would have made logical sense, but Game of Thrones isn’t about logic. Jamie did what so many people do, he fell off the wagon. Is there anything more human and real than falling back into destructive habits? His character arc suggested he’d become a hero, but there are no heroes in Game of Thrones, only people.
Brienne kills Jamie – wrong
Brienne wrote Jamie into the history of Westeros. In a way, this made sure he’d live forever. It takes a very strong person to write kindly about the source of their heart break. A moment ago I wrote Game of Thrones has no heroes, but Brienne comes closest.
Sansa returns North – correct
Sansa returns North and rules as Queen. I called the separation of the North from the South. The only aspect of my prediction to be wrong was Sansa sitting on the Iron Throne and walking away from it. I think this might be among the least controversial aspects of the finale. Love or hate Sansa, this ending aligned with expectations.
Varys rules Kings Landing – wrong
Poor Varys. His death was the only moment in season 8 I truly disliked, and it stemmed from an out of character action. Varys betraying Dany is great, but he wasn’t nearly subtle enough about the whole thing. It made no sense, and he died because of it. My prediction was wrong, including the idea of bringing democracy to Westeros. The show literally laughed at that prediction.
Bronn Proves looking out for himself works – correct
Tyrion did continue his role as Hand, but not too Bronn. Otherwise, this prediction came true. Bronn didn’t do much in the finale season, but his absence kept him alive. In the end Bronn is one of the few characters to get exactly what he wanted. A nice castle, beautiful women and money.
Arya leaves Westeros – correct
“What’s west of Westeros?” Nailed it. Arya leaving on a grand adventure of discovery was the best way to end her story. After many seasons focused only on death, Arya finally sees value in life. Now she must discover what her life will be, so she leaves her past behind and begins her journey into the literal and figurative unknown.
Final score – 4.5 right out of 11
Four and half predictions correct out of eleven. Not a bad result for a show infamous for defying expectations right up to the end. While things didn’t play out entirely how I hoped, I enjoyed the final season of Game of Thrones. Given time, the controversy over the ending will fade and all that will remain is a show that achieved greatness more often than not. What a great story.