Strangely enough after this last season I have changed my mind about my preferred ending. Did any one else's?
if you are interested in how mine changed and if you agree/disagree see my own reply below.
hmm maybe I was too long winded in my opening post. :/
shareYeah in the age of 'Too-Long-Didn't-Read', sometimes a long essay post is missed and it's devastating to the writer when it appears no one has read the co, but that's the Internet and we move on.
It seemed pretty clear in the vision that Daenerys will reach out for the Iron Throne, be within grasp, but then decide it's not for her. Meanwhile you have the roof of the Red Keep destroyed, snow falling on the floor of the court, and ice hanging from the sides. Obviously, this is going to be the setting of a pretty fierce battle.
I don't think Dany will be a villain, or become a villain, at least not on the scale of Cersei, who we as viewers found ourselves being annoyed at in that very first episode, and then disgusted when we saw the Tower scene with Bran, and then not being able to control her own son throughout Seasons 1-4.
Whether the throne even remains by the final episode of Season 8 is up for debate.
Yeah you are right about long posts. I thought the title would attract attention and get the discussion going and then if people were interested they could read about how my preferenced changed. Maybe I should edit it and have the opening just ask the question and then respond to my own post with the longer part.
I agree that Daenerys vision had a lot of symbolism in it; but I am not sure if it is metaphorical or literal at this point. I think the last battle with the night king will either happen at Winterfell and never reach kings landing and therefore the vision was metaphorical. Or it will end at kings landing and it was literal. we will see.
I also agree that Dany will not be the villain but that changed only after this last season. Up to this point I thought/preferred that happening but now, what's the expression?, I 'ship' Jon and Dany. Which is unlike me because I usually don't like corny feel good.
Agreed also with it being up for debate if the throne stands. We will see. Thanks
Well it was a long post but it was a good one MX ;)
Id kinda like to see several of your faves survive too
And Dany and Jon (Jany?..Danjo...?we gotta work on this...) surviving to co-rule and have some more sexy time would be great
But i suppose its all gonna end in tears
:(
Thanks, I am going to rework it so the longer part is in a reply.
Yeah, don't get me wrong though; I don't want them to survive for the story value. In fact I think some of them dying would serve the story well, like honestly Tormund should have died in episode 6 but damnit I want to see those giant monster conquer the world. I just like the characters and performances so much I want them to get rewarded with a happy ending.
I am surprised by how much I like their scenes together and how much I liked the way they did their romance. which I will admit was corny. But sometimes corny can be good.
I don't know if it will be all tears. Bitter sweet is what Martin promised; that means there is going to be some sweet to it. I wonder how much different it will be from the books too. Thanks.
My preferred ending:
I always wanted Daenerys since the 3rd book and 4th season to turn into the villain by the end and for Jon to die fighting and defeating the night king. In the other characters' mad quest for power the seven kingdoms is undone and the iron thrown destroyed. The series would end in the immediate after math of the war for dawn and the few survivors are beginning to pick up the pieces. The audience/reader would be allowed to make their own speculation on where the survivors go from there.
But after this season and seeing Jon and Daenerys together, I actually became more fond of them and now kind of what a more traditional 'happy' ending more akin to the ending of Lord of the Rings.
For example in LOTR Sauron is defeated, Aragon made king and middle earth saved. The bittersweet comes about in the form of 1. Frodo not being able to find peace and leaving middle earth and 2. the knowledge that even though victorious life goes on for the loved characters and eventually they die or fade away. For example Aragon marries his love Arwin and they rule happily and peacefully and have at least 1 son that becomes the next king. Aragon lives to an old age but still dies and Arwin is left empty and roams the now empty Lothlorian for all her days. Also Marry and Pippin both die, Sam's wife dies and he leaves middle earth. Legolas and Gimli both leave middle earth and the fellowship even in victory and peace is ended with the natural death or passing of all the characters.
Continued:
This is now more akin to my preferred ending. Jon and Daenerys either both survive and become King and Queen (have children etc) but are more benevolent and start drawing up concepts that will one day lead to individual rights. Similar to how in our own real history individual rights was not a concept that grew overnight, it took hundreds of years with hundreds of great thinkers building of the ones that came before. if not this, Jon dying to save Westeros but Daenerys, with his child, rules and attempts to lay the ground work for liberty sort of akin to rulers like Queen Elizabeth. as much as I disliked her character (which was only a slight dislike) I now want Daenrys to survive at least.
The remaining characters I do not really care as much if they survive to the end. Theon, Jaime and the Hound (my #1 favorite character) I want to see get a satisfying arc conclusion before(if) they die. Tyrion, Arya, Sansa, Bran, Breinne and most of the rest I do not even really care about anymore unless they are part of completing the story arc or completing the arc for first 5 characters I named; they seem to be nothing more than support characters and do not really have much of an arc or their arc is already complete. Davos, Show Bronn and Show Tormund I would like to see live; not because of their characters but the actors made them so enjoyable and because they are kind of irrelevant for the most part.
Since the book characters in many cases are vastly different and I suspect many of the show characters are blends of book characters; for example a lot of what Tormund is doing I think Mance will be doing in the books since he is still alive. Stannis, Young Griff, the other Baratheon bastard, and all dorne stuff from the books is so vastly different I do not know what preference ending I have for the books yet so this is mostly how I would like the show to end now after the 7th season.
Yeah ...at first i thought Jon would die killing Dany cuz i thought she was going crazy
But THAT sexy scene...hawt as hell!!!
Shes so fine id like them to start a dynasty together...
lol Yeah, that is sort of similar to how I thought it would go down.
I really liked Dany in the first 3 seasons as she 'rose to power' sort of speak; but I really started to dislike her when she actually had power. Too entitled, ungrateful and egotistical. And she showed/still shows an unhealthy mentality when it comes to punishment, she goes too far and this suggest she has a touch of the madness on her.
When it comes to 'sexy' I thought Dany was beautiful in the first few season; but as the character became less attractive in her actions she became less attractive physically. The character I mean not the actress. Obviously Emilia is a beautiful young woman. But I think her scenes with Jon re-hylighted her more beautiful qualities and even though she still has the unattractive qualities "for example burning the Tarly's" and still gives her "i was born to rule" speeches too much; we also have a showing of again how attractive she can be.
This might be the reason why I want them to rule together in the end. They seem to bring out the best qualities in each other.
That was a good read and I totally agree with your take on Dany except for the extreme punishment part. People are fairly sensitive to any kind of punishment she doles out due to her relation with the Mad King. People have done far worse than quickly roasting people with dragons. That fire is so hot, death comes very shortly after; plus, fuck the Tarlys.
I personally would like the entire kingdom to fall to the Night King, however with Jon and Dany as rulers along with Bran having the most epic battle to end the war.
Thanks,
Well with Dany I think the judgement are within reason, considering the setting. However the actual punishments I think go too far and she is obviously trying to terrify would be decent. For example Randle Tarly was being stubborn and Tyrion was right that maybe giving some time to think about it in a cell would change his mind. Burning the father and son together was just insane. And you can tell by Varys and Tyrion's reactions. Also we don't really know how long it takes to die by dragon fire. while it is fast, beheading is definitely less painful.
I am not sure if i agree with the "fuck the Tarlys". In all honesty they were not bad. Randle even acknowledges the difficulty in choosing and choose the person that was not for all appearances a foreign invader. Dany pretty much confirmed all the horror stories cersy had been spreading about her. Now Randle was definitly harsh, to Sam especially and had his prejudices. But remember not to judge him based on 21st century standards. He, given his time and setting, was totally reasonable albeit stern. To say he deserved such a fate and to die along side his son like that is totally unfair in my opinion. Not to say he didn't deserve to be taken down a peg or 2 and get taught some humility.
I am not sure how the kingdom all falling to the night king would be bittersweet or a proper fantasy epic ending. that would be like Sauron getting the ring back and conquering middle earth. I do not suspect that will happen. I am not sure yet to what degree the night king will move through westeros. I suspect the final battle will either be at Winterfell with less night king damage; and if that falls then it will end at Kings' landing and it will be near totally catastrophic destruction of westeros.
Thanks for the feedback.