Game of Thrones season 8 is far from perfect, but it actually doesn't have all that many plot holes. There are pacing issues and twists that fans just straight-up didn't like. But neither of those affects how much sense the HBO adaptation actually makes. While everyone has been busy complaining about Westeros' new king and the death of Emilia Clarke's Daenerys Targaryen, one of season 8's only actual missteps has been allowed to slip through the cracks. It's time we talked about it more.
One of the biggest developments in the Game of Thrones season 8 finale is that Sophie Turner's Sansa Stark becomes Queen in the North, with the North once more becoming its own kingdom. This isn't all that surprising, given how continuously the general possibility has been alluded to. While Sansa might not have been the monarch everyone expected, she does make sense to take the throne as the show ends. One element of her reign does carelessly disregard an important piece of Game of Thrones lore, though.
Brienne seems to breaks her oath to Catelyn by joining Bran's King's Guard
After the death of her former king, Gwendoline Christie's Brienne of Tarth swore a new oath to Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley). The oath, in short, meant that Brienne promised to protect Catelyn and do almost anything she asked, even if it meant giving her life in the process. The most notable task that Catelyn asks of Brienne is to rescue and watch over the Stark girls, Sansa (Sophie Turner) and Arya (Maisie Williams). Even after Catelyn's death, Brienne doesn't waver in the promise she made. While both of Catelyn's daughters initially reject Brienne's protection, Sansa eventually sees the merit in having such a loyal figure in her inner circle.
However, Brienne's oath just gets forgotten about in the season 8 finale. While it makes sense that Brienne wouldn't go with the fiercely independent Aryra as she heads west, it's far less logical that Sansa would reign as the Queen in the North without Brienne by her side. Turner's character has never had more power and is therefore more at risk than she has ever been by the time season 8 ends. And yet, Brienne just ups and leaves, joining Bran's (Isaac Hempstead Wright) Kingsguard and becoming its Lord Commander.
Not only is there never any mention of Brienne being released from her oath to watch over Sansa, but the same agreement was never extended to include Bran. It's certainly nice that Brienne gets to serve as the knight she's always dreamed of being, but her joining the Kingsguard feels more like a shoehorned-in twist than something that fits organically into the larger storyline. Really, she should end Game of Thrones in Winterfell with Queen Sansa.
Explaining Game of Thrones season 8's Brienne plot hole
As stated above, Game of Thrones doesn't actually explain why Brienne ends the series not watching over Sansa. So, all we're really left with is theories, with the main one being the aforementioned releasing of Brienne from her oath off-screen. Sansa is, after all, beloved in the North. Maybe she felt safe enough with the protectors she had and wanted to let the newly-knighted Ser Brienne of Tarth move on to the next stage of her life. Alternatively, maybe Brienne is still under oath and is fulfilling an order from Sansa to watch over Bran. Both are possible.
In reality, the Game of Thrones writers probably just wanted Brienne to be in King's Landing by the end of season 8. The development disregards her oath to Catelyn, but it does put Brienne where she needs to be in order to document the missing pages of Jaime Lannister's life in the Book of Brothers. Brienne is just one of two characters left standing by this point who would want Jaime to get the recognition he deserved for his explots.
Peter Dinklage's Tyrion is the other, but his role as Bran's Hand of the King means he's otherwise occupied. Plus, it makes more sense for the Lord Commander to do it anyway. So, allowing Brienne to fulfill this role is more narratively satisfying than Tyrion getting the honor. It's not a perfect writing choice, but it is at least understandable. Still, it stands out as one of the many faults Game of Thrones put on display as it sped rapidly to its conclusion.
Game of Thrones is streaming now on HBO Max.