A lot of people were unsatisfied with the final season of Game of Thrones, and some of them wrote their own endings. Take a look!
It’s no secret that the final season of Game of Thrones was divisive. As of this writing, a Change.org petition to “Remake Game of Thrones Season 8 with competent writers” has garnered more than 1.8 million signatures.
Now that more than six months have passed since the series finale, it seems a good time to revisit the aspect of the final season that drew the most criticism: the writing. The season was criticized what some fans felt was rushed pacing, illogical character choices and an unsatisfying resolution to established storylines and character arcs.
For those of you who were hoping for a different ending of the show, you’re not alone. Several YouTubers have analyzed the final episodes of Game of Thrones, called out what they saw as missed opportunities, and even written their own versions of the season. Here’s a rundown of some of the rewrites that I thought best addressed abandoned story threads and closed the loop on the journeys of some of our favorite characters.
Arya: Helen Sloan – HBO (6) Official Battle of Winterfell
The Battle of Winterfell
New Zealand author Tim Hickson operates the YouTube channel Hello Future Me. He’s created a good deal of insightful content about writing and worldbuilding, and his Game of Thrones entries are no exception. Hickson’s rewrite leaves the first two episodes intact, and maintains a tight grip on the story by trying to work within the constraints Benioff and Weiss established. E.g. We have the same number of episodes, the Night King must be defeated in Episode 3, the same characters have to die (with one exception), etc.
This episode is focused on the Battle of Winterfell, and Hickson expertly restructures the action to keep the tension and stakes high, address the concerns about “plot armor” for named characters, and make the heroes more competent at battle planning than they were in the actual episode.
What works well: Jorah dies much earlier in the story to establish the stakes. Likewise, Melisandre is torn apart by wights in the crypts, where no named characters died in the aired version. The Dothraki are more appropriately used as cavalry to flank the undead from the sides rather than make a doomed charge in the darkness. Characters have to make tough choices: Brienne chooses to save Jaime instead of Lyanna Mormont, then has to slay wight Lyanna as a result. Instead of aimlessly warging some crows, Bran greensees into the past to try to find a way to defeat the White Walker threat. This pays off the forgotten Hodor time paradox storyline by having Bran get stuck in the Night King’s body upon the moment of his creation. When Arya kills the Night King, she inadvertently kills her brother, making the victory truly bittersweet.
Also, Arya uses the face of wight Beric Dondarion to sneak past the Night King’s army to slay him instead of pole vaulting out of nowhere. This gives her two seasons of Faceless Man training a purpose and a better payoff.
Image: Game of Thrones/HBO
The Battle of King’s Landing
Hickson also gave an alternate take on the final two episodes of the show. The clips are nominally focused on Daenerys and Jon, but the other key character arcs are also addressed.
What works well: The battle at the capital rages beyond a single day, and depicts Tyrion using his wits to make important strategic decisions, which didn’t happen much in the final season. Drogon actually gets some sensible armor on his head and chest, which deflects several scorpion bolts before one nails him in the wing. Dany remains true to her established values and declines to murder innocents, which costs her the throne and her life. This poetically echoes her turning away from the throne in her vision in the House of the Undying. Jaime is appalled by Cersei’s use of wildfire and shanks her, fulfilling the “Valonqar Prophecy” from the books. They die together when the Queensguard returns the favor to Jaime. Jon abdicates the throne in favor of Tyrion, who then convinces the leaders of the Seven Kingdoms to abolish the Iron Throne and revert to self-rule. Tyrion gives Casterly Rock to Bronn rather than Highgarden, and joins Queen Sansa of the North as her Hand. Jon goes off with the Free Folk voluntarily, as politics never interested him anyway.
Revenge of the Imp
Next, let’s move over to the YouTube channel Macabre Storytelling. This rewrite series is not for the time-constrained nor faint of heart. Like Thrones itself, Macabre’s hours of rewrite videos are a commitment. But the rewards are fascinating. This YouTuber breaks down character beats in video clips tailored for each character, and makes meaningful connections between groups of characters like Tyrion, Dany and Jon, as well as Cersei, Jaime and Arya. Macabre has a broader scope than some of the other rewriters — he revisits writing decisions on previous seasons as well as season 8 to get to the intended outcome in a more logical and satisfying way.
What works well: Tyrion’s escape from Westeros after killing his father in season 4 includes an important confession from Jaime from the books that severs the loving relationship between the Lannister brothers. This changes Tyrion’s entire motivation for bringing Dany to Westeros from an altruistic one to bloody revenge. Tyrion is the devil on Dany’s shoulder while Varys tries to appeal to her better angels. Instead of Tyrion making repeated strategic failures in season 7, he keeps keep his intelligence and intentionally undermines Varys by leaking information to his siblings. Dany’s Mad Queen turn would have had a lot more build up with Tyrion egging her on for several seasons. Plus the scorpions in King’s Landing would be on the streets rather than the walls, requiring Dany to murder thousands of innocents to disable them before they killed her and her dragon. Jon chooses duty and accepts the throne after Dany is ultimately murdered by Tyrion. Cersei decides the one piece of Maggy the Frog’s prophecy she can control is childbirth, and gives birth to a baby girl named Joanna during the siege on her city. Arya takes mercy on Cersei after coming to kill her and saves the baby to raise in secret in the North.
Image: Helen Sloan
The Baby That Was Promised
Next up: Flick Fanatics. This film student takes a more conservative approach and mostly sticks with the limitations established by Benioff and Weiss. If you don’t have a ton of spare time, this is the rewrite for you, as it comes in at a total of about 40 minutes.
What works well: Tyrion realizes that putting the noncombatants in the crypts of Winterfell is a terrible idea and wisely recommends that the Starks burn the dead bodies first. Nearly all of the combatants are inside the castle at the beginning of the battle. Bran has a telepathic conversation with the Night King that results in the two making a deal that Jon will give his baby over to become a White Walker. Dany is pregnant and prioritizes the safety of her new family over her desire for the throne. She remains a positive force and ultimately sacrifices her life to kill the Night King. Bronn dies. Jaime kills Cersei. Yara and Euron Greyjoy have a final confrontation. Arya mercy kills the Hound after Cleganebowl. Jon forsakes the throne voluntarily. Sansa rules as Regent until Dany and Jon’s daughter comes of age.
What do you make of these “alternate endings”? Any you think might be reflected in George R.R. Martin’s forthcoming A Song of Ice and Fire books?
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