Break the Wheel
By Peyton Schultze
Tyrion Lannister (above, played by Peter Dinklage), one of the show’s most iconic and popular characters (via T-Online).
* Warning, spoilers ahead *
After eight season spanning the course of 73 episodes full of action, violence, tension, and twists, HBO’s Game of Thrones came to a stunning conclusion in its series finale on Sunday. Dating back to 2011, Game of Thrones fandom has swept throughout the world, inspiring a new generation of diehards dedicated to the tales originally created by George R.R. Martin.
After the shocking finale that saw plenty of drama and one major plot twist, here’s our quick recap on where all our favorite characters finished their long journeys throughout all parts of Westeros:
Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow saw their epic arcs end with one stunning twist in “The Iron Throne” (via IE News).
Daenerys Targaryen: After wreaking pure havoc on the entire city on King’s Landing in Episode 5 aboard Drogon, the Mother of Dragons and the Breaker of Chains faced some major heat from her companions after her drastic and terrible actions. After major concerns about her actions that were previously mentioned by Varys and Tyrion, Dany finally met her destiny in “The Bells”, when she showed no mercy to any civilian in King’s Landing. Yet Daenerys finally met her end in the finale after an extremely short reign on the Iron Throne, when her male lover from the North took measures into his own hands for true justice throughout the Seven Kingdoms.
Jon Snow: Jon might have had the longest journey throughout the series, and the finale, which saw him finally choose to take action against his suddenly murderous lover (and aunt). After quietly killing Dany in the now-ruined Red Keep, Jon saw himself imprisoned by the Unsullied and having major doubts on if he did the right thing. Many fans predicted Jon to ultimately be the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, but instead settled to see Jon banished to his original roots from the beginning of the series: the Night’s Watch. The final shots of the series showed Jon reuniting with Ghost, his direwolf, and leading another fresh group of wildlings beyond the Wall in the North.
Tyrion Lannister: There could have been an ultimate end for Tyrion in practically every season of Game of Thrones, but everybody’s favorite Lannister somehow made it to the very end. In the finale, we saw Daenerys imprison Tyrion after learning that he conspired to let his brother, Jaime, free from her camp. With this, we saw Tyrion become the one to ultimately convince Jon to kill Dany, which eventually saw Tyrion being released after order was restored. However, our last glimpse of Tyrion showed him serving again as the Hand of the King with the new king of Westeros.
Bran Stark: Bran the Broken shockingly became the newest King in Westeros after a stunning meeting between some of the largest figures throughout the continent. The new Three-Eyed-Raven seemed at peace with ultimately becoming king after Tyrion convinced the others that a true king must have a “great story”, even nodding to a theory that Bran knew he would become King all along. However, Bran would find himself in another new role, as the new leader of the Six Kingdoms.
Sansa Stark ultimately became the reigning Queen of the North and declared independence for all Northerners separate from the now-Six Kingdoms (via Time).
Sansa Stark: The eldest Stark sibling was always destined to rule over the North and Winterfell, especially after conquering her demons in the past few seasons with the deaths of the mischievous Littlefinger and the terrible Ramsey Bolton in the Battle of the Bastards. In addition, Sansa was consistently loyal to the North throughout Season 8, and was one of the true vocal deniers of Daenerys’ legitimacy as stated to Jon. Sansa’s long and bumpy road finally came to an uplifting end in the finale, as she was named Queen of the North and declared that the North would be an independent kingdom separate from that of the now-Six Kingdoms as led by Bran.
Arya Stark: The fearless and deadliest Stark ended her journey in a rather shocking way, as she claimed to Jon that she would sail west of Westeros to see what else is out there. As the notorious killer of The Night King, many expected Arya to be the one to go after Dany in the series finale. However, we saw a toned down version of Arya after a conversation with The Hound in Episode 5 about vengeance and redemption, which led into the finale and into one last conversation with her beloved brother, Jon. Arya, being one of the show’s most popular characters, finished her Thrones legacy on a high note, and even opened the door for possible future spinoffs.
Jaime Lannister: One of the main anti-heroes of the series, Jaime saw himself experience an up-and-down journey in the final season. After helping the Northerners in the battle against the Army of the Dead and even having some sexual encounters with Brienne of Tarth, Jaime returned to King’s Landing in an attempt to save his true love, Cersei. After killing Euron Greyjoy in a wild and ferocious battle, Jaime eventually reached Cersei in King’s Landing and tried to make an ultimate escape for the two of them. However, the two perished in the rubble underground and the Lannister dynasty came to a crashing, and somewhat heartbreaking, end.
Cersei Lannister: The most ruthless woman in Westeros also saw her maddening adventure come to a close in Episode 5, when the roof above her in the underground passage caved in and killed her and Jaime. As the most hated villain in the series and one of the most notorious television antagonists in recent memory, Cersei was finally bested by the Mother of Dragons when she burnt King’s Landing to the ground and sent the Lannister dynasty into shambles. While she was despicable ruler of the Seven Kingdoms that somehow weaved towards the top, it was particularly painful seeing her and Jaime die underground as he whispered the words, “Nothing else matters”.
Sandor Clegane: After battling his brother, Gregor (aka The Mountain), in a fiery and crazy battle in Episode 5, The Hound sacrificed himself over vengeance for his brother’s past actions. The grouchy companion of Arya had one final intimate conversation with her before his eventual death, which convinced Arya to leave the Red Keep and get to safety before it was too late. Clegane’s real fear of fire was noted throughout the series and we saw his journey come to an end as he threw himself and his brother off the top of the Red Keep into a blazing street thousands of feet below.
Drogon: The last remaining dragon of Daenarys Targaryen seemed like it was going to fry Jon Snow and seal his death after learning that its mother was killed by a knife. However, the majestic and durable dragon instead took out its rage upon the Iron Throne, completely melting the throne onto the steps in the Red Keep. It was a stunning development in an otherwise controversial episode, especially when Drogon snatched Dany’s corpse and flew off into the evening sky, never to be seen again.
Brienne of Tarth gave an emotional sendoff to one of her true loves in the final episode of the action-packed series (via Latest LY).
Brienne of Tarth: Brienne had a wild last season, filled with her becoming a knight and even having some intimate encounters with Ser Jaime before his death. However, Brienne was rewarded for her great and loyal service by being named Commander of the Kingsguard under Bran and ended her journey in the most perfect way possible: by filling in the details of Ser Jaime’s previously-blank accomplishments throughout his adventurous life in the history of the Seven Kingdoms
Davos Seaworth: The survivor of seemingly every major battle throughout the series, the lovable Hand found himself on Bran’s small council as the Master of Ships, dating back all the way to his time with Stannis Baratheon and the Battle of Blackwater Bay. Davos was loyal and trusty throughout the series, and found himself rewarded for his actions as a valuable member of the council of the Six Kingdoms.
Samwell Tarly: Jon’s best friend of the Night’s Watch ultimately found himself being rewarded as the Grand Maester of the Six Kingdoms under Bran. After becoming the first man to kill a White Walker, to saving Ser Jorah Mormont, to even helping win The Long Night, Sam was one of the most kind and lovable characters in the series who found himself in the ultimate high role of his dreams in the end.
Bronn: The greedy and adventurous fighter ironically found himself once again under Tyrion and serving as Master of Coin in the end. There’s little word on if he ultimately received Highgarden as previously promised by Tyrion, but the ultimate sidekick to the Lannister brothers found himself with a key role in King Bran’s council.
Grey Worm: Grey Worm had a rough last few episodes, watching the love of his life, Missandei, beheaded and watching his dedicated queen die at the hands of Jon Snow. However, after an agreement with Bran to banish Jon to The Night’s Watch, Grey Worm back off and made it known that he was setting sail to Naarth with other members of the Unsullied. Naarth was the home of Missandei that Grey Worm promised that they would visit again after the war, which we see him getting ready to do aboard a ship near the end of the finale.
Tormund: The redheaded wildling became a fan favorite during his time on the show, as he became a valuable asset to the fighting in the North. However, our last glimpses of him saw him and Jon back together at Castle Black, guarding and traveling past the wall. Tormund may not have got his love from Brienne in the end, but he got one of his best friends back in his life at The Night’s Watch.
Podrick: The formerly quiet squire and associate of Brienne and Tyrion was finally revealed to have become a knight under Brienne’s Kingsguard in the Six Kingdoms. After years of training and adventures with Brienne, Pod finally found a home where he started it all: back in King’s Landing.