#got endgame

hahahahahahahahaha very much not what we got

I’ve mentioned this elsewhere, but this fan written script is ideal IMO. I’m also working on a semi-rewrite here but I’m trying to use as much of show canon as possible so it might not  be what you’re looking for.

Some general points because I could vent on this FOR AGES and I am assuming based on this question that I have to accept up to S7 as canon:

Ep 1  

Instead of her stupid intro, Dany says something like “the North is more beautiful than I saw from dragon back when I went beyond the wall. I look forward to working with you, Lady Sansa, to protect our people.”

In the intro where the Northmen accuse him of bending the knee, Jon points out that actually, he did it after Dany offered to save the North. He doesn’t try to retcon that conversation.

Tyrion makes a comment to Dany about Cersei being beautiful and vicious and not being surprised that Sansa no longer trusts beautiful people after what she’s been through

Bran tells Jon halfway through who his parents are, he avoids Dany for the rest.

The Ironborn go to Dragonstone to protect it for Dany’s return because THAT MADE NO SENSE. Theon still goes to Winterfell.

Golden Company has elephants.

Episode ends with Jon saying “I have to tell you something” to his family (not Dany), right as the horn blows.

Ep 2

Sansa, in the catacombs, impresses Missandei when she goes to comfort a crying Meereenese woman and either leads the people in songs or gives some rousing speech. Either way, Sansa does something useful. Like the Battle of the Blackwater, their interactions breaks up the tedium of the fighting and helps our budget.

Idc about the outside battle tbh, it was fine. It can pretty much be what happened. Losing all the Dothraki / having everyone outside Winterfell was colossally stupid though.

Arya fights a White Walker one v. one and kills it. A few other of these fights - at least one or two ending in death - would also be good.

The crypts come alive. Sansa, Missandei, and co. are forced to flee the crypts as they’re overwhelmed by the dead. Sansa has the idea to set the crypt on fire based on something Jon said last episode in a battle meeting. Missandei helps her and maybe pulls her out of the line of fire at the last second. 

Grey Worm, Jorah, Tormund, Thoros, all die at some point. Also probably Lord Royce. 

Generally, minus a few good dead WW, our heroes are losing. There’s a final charge that takes out a bunch of the people we know and love. Jon and Sansa run into each other as she’s fleeing the tunnels, he says they have to abandon Winterfell, it’s super dramatic, “we just got it back, we can’t!” type fighting.

The White Walker’s walk past Jon, Sansa, et al. towards the godwood. They both look at each other: “BRAN!”

We have roughly the same set up with Bran in the godswood. We see a scene intercutting him seeing something about the background, history, creation, whatever of the White Walkers - what do they want? Why are they rising? - with men falling for him.

Finally, Theon falls. We hear / see Sansa screaming as Jon and Arya pull her away from Winterfell

Drogon and Dany appear, seemingly out of no where, and grab Bran out of his wheelchair

Dany starts flaming the Night’s King

Sad music swells as people are shoved onto horses, behind Dothraki, into wagons, anything that can move. We see a small force fleeing Winterfell. Sansa’s on a horse next to Jon, we see her looking at the people being picked off by the dead and Dany’s attack on the godswood. “we have to burn it. All of it.”

Jon nods, calls for Drogon, joins Dany in torching Winterfell

We get confirmation that Arya made it out okay because she stops to swoop up some child (the one from the opening) onto the back of her horse

Ep 3

sad as hell. everything is dark and night.

Cersei gets word that the North has fallen, but night has not recovered in the south either.

dissent among Cersei’s ranks because of all these signs

Jon explains his parentage to his FAMILY not his LOVER, huddled around a fire together. Arya reinforces you’re still our brother, Sansa agrees, but worries what Dany will do if she finds out. Jon assures her there’s no problem

The camera hovers on a little child in the shadows of the fire, staring at them, who then runs off.

Later, same child appears and reports to Varys. Varys talks about things with Tyrion.

Missandei grieves Grey Worm with Dany

War council where Arya’s knowledge of the Riverlands comes into play, somehow; also she hooks up with Gendry in this episode

This is probably the shorter episode of the season as they flee South.

Ep 4

this is also still in darkness

Varys tries to stage a coup, somehow. I don’t have details because this thing was so poorly staged and he should have died eons ago, but roughly what happened in show canon. tries to convince someone they’re following a madwoman to war and she doesn’t know what she’s doingDany is incredibly hurt that Jon didn’t tell  her the truth.

at some point, there’s growling on the edge of their camp. Arya is nearby, comes out with her sword drawn to attack whatever beast lurks. Its Nymeria and her whole pack. Arya claims her as a rider / bonded human and they now have 500 wolves to fight the dead

this is also when we run into Jaime again

Dany is less weird about things, but still weird

they get to King’s Landing, host another council to discuss issuesDany says the lights aren’t coming back on, asks Cersei to let them defend the city. Together.

Cersei refuses, but Dany, Sansa, Jon, Arya + co. set up shop outside anyway, ready to die for humanity.

At some point, Bran cryptically tells them that only the end of light can bring the darkness to an end.

Ep 5

In the still before the battle, Jon and Dany have a chat about futures, children, etc. what this whole war (and show/series) is about and what later looks like. He admits he didn’t tell her because of Sansa’s fears and what she expected anyway.

battle is brutal, the WW easily break into King’s Landing, killing people, raising the dead, etc.

Jon and Dany realize, based on their earlier conversation, that the dragons have to die to save the world and fly them into the curtain of light at the end

at some point, Cersei and Jaime die

episode ends with the sunrise

Ep 6

a lot of mourning - like that speech Jon gave in show 804. 

Eventually, great council tries to figure out the world and who will rule it.

Sansa gives her independent North speech and names Bran their king, inviting the remaining Dothraki and Unsullied to come populate it in Dany’s memory. The other realms scatter as well.

our last scene is a montage:

Sansa instructing builders around Winterfell as they raise some tower, some faceless/generic man comes up to her and sets a hand on her belly in a hug from behind, then a little redhead comes crying “momma, momma, look what I can do!” or something

We pan over Arya teaching some dark-haired child how to fight, then it gets leaped on by a little wolf

Bran sitting under the tree, smiling creepily, and we pan up into the sky.

Disclaimer: Discussion of leaks, casting, and fantheorying follows. I neither completely trust nor distrust the leaks. Many of the leaks have ended up coming true, but I sincerely doubt that they are all 100% true. I’ll wager 90% true, but would love to be wrong. Some of the leaks for 8x05 sounded worse out of context (imo they’re still pretty bad--but, for example, the bells didn’t make Dany go mad they just represented a decision she was about to make--according to commentary it was the sight of the Red Keep and what it represented to Dany that pushed her off the edge, but--). 

Anyhow, let’s jump into it:

What They Have To Squeeze In the 80 Minute Time Slot

-Tyrion’s reaction to Jaime and Cersei’s deaths

-Davos’ reaction to Daenerys

-Tyrion’s reaction to Daenerys

-Jon’s reaction to Daenerys

-Arya’s reaction to Daenerys

-Something with Sansa (I really would not be surprised if this Mad!Dany demanded a trial, or said something sinister to Jon about Sansa--but Sansa is weeks away and I can’t see them rushing up there to take care of a hasty trial anytime soon)

-Daenerys’ reaction to Tyrion’s actions 

-Brienne’s reaction to Jaime’s fate

-Whatever the heck Dany’s armies are going to do after Dany’s fate is decided 

-Bronn (dunno what interesting thing he could do though--gosh, his whole sub-plot this season really was a throwaway huh...) (Please don’t give him High Garden)

-Bran (man I wish being a Three-Eyed Raven meant more to the showrunners --the amount of lore-related plots we could have had)

-Samwell (he’ll probably just be a cameo, sadly)

-Gendry (whether he takes Storm’s End or not, reunites with Arya or not)

-Epilogue for all surviving characters

Who We Haven’t Seen Yet

The leaks haven’t mentioned characters that have been confirmed with cast listings:

Edmure Tully

Robin Arryn

The New Prince of Dorne

Could they simply be cameos? Possibly. But the leak that mentions a council consisting of Bronn just sounds...look, I can’t put it past the showrunners, but if there IS a council, my money is on Tully and/or the Prince of Dorne being included over Bronn. 

The Fate of Tyrion

If the leaks are to be believed, Tyrion will be put on trial, probably survive (I’m actually 76% sure he’ll survive), and then become part of some sort of ruling council. I think his ending could have been so much more, but they dumbed down his character arc and watered down his character so much I just can’t see them pulling off anything more nuanced than that. The best I can hope for is a thematically satisfying marriage with Sansa, or hints at their being together--and I truly mean that from both a shipping AND non-shipping perspective. Having a Stark and Lannister willingly come together, having two characters who have long dreamed of romance and suffered from abusive relationships, wow, it would just be--it would actually be something of lasting substance I could take away from this show. 

Until then, there’s always the books. 

The Fate of Jon & Dany

I will be the first to admit--I can’t believe that the Dany Going Mad arc actually made me...well, I never really supported Dany, but wow did I emphasize with her in this season. I think she’s going to experience a descent arc in the books too, but I think it will be a heckuva a lot more complex, Shakespearian, well-earned, and dare-I-say human in the books. 

That said, I’m almost 100% sure Dany will die. The only other scenario I could see...geez, I dunno, losing her last dragon and going into exile? A death could at least be poetic, thematic. It’s possible they’ll give her a spark of humanity before that. It’s too bad we’ll never get her reaction to the old dragon skulls or other haunts of the Red Keep, since they were destroyed. 

I wouldn’t be surprised if they showed her in a vision with Khal Drogo and her son--harking back to her vision of the Iron Throne covered in ash, a throne she never touches whilst she goes through another door and towards her family.

Jon will probably kill her. Man, I feel bad for Jon. I feel bad for Kit Harington. He did NOT have to be this sidelined and one-dimensional of a character. Why on earth did D&D take “good guys will always be duped by their good intentions” away from Ned’s death, and then apply that to Jon and Tyrion? Ned meant so much more than that. Jon was supposed to be Ned 2.0, in my opinion, and Tyrion is probably meant to be Tywin 2.0.--but when I say 2.0, I really mean “what those characters SHOULD/COULD have been.” Taking the best elements, learning from their mistakes, and, while making new mistakes, striving to incorporate all of the foils and flaws and make the best of it. 

Which is a theme at the heart of GRRM’s books. Making the best of our own vice and virtue, no matter the personal cost. 

The Fate of Jaime

Look, I don’t want to get everyone’s hopes up. Jaime’s dead, right? 

The only reason I bring that up as a question is because they supposedly filmed on location for Brienne’s homeland and supposedly Coster-Waldau was seen there and supposedly Coster-Waldau was paid to appear in all six episodes. 

It would be somewhat cheap to bring back Jaime Lannister back from two stabs and the entire crushing weight of the Red Keep. 

No, it really wouldn’t make sense. Doesn’t mean they might not pull that out of the hat though. I don’t know why, but because I see a 2% chance of silly plot armor plot twist, I’ll include this. 

Bran As King?

I know, I know, it’s a lackluster ending. I can sorta see the in-universe logic here, though, and I can point out at least a few inklings of foreshadowing that Season 8 has given us thus far:

If the Bran as King is true, I think THIS was the point of Tyrion and Bran having two significantly framed scenes together this season. 

Tyrion will be one of the key players deciding on who takes the throne after, I only assume, Dany is taken out. Tyrion now knows Bran’s entire story. He’s vouched for Bran and cared for him since he was a boy--telling him that his life would not be limited by his disability, for the most part. He made him a saddle to help him continue living his life. He took the time to see Bran as a human being--something even Bran himself is incapable of these days. Then, they had their second chat, after the Long Night.

I think they’re going to establish that Bran having an insane amount of knowledge/the literal memory of all of Westeros + he can’t desire anything (good or bad) + he doesn’t want to rule (WHY DOES THIS MAKE A GREAT CRITERIA) = best choice. Which, um, again still leaves us with the heir-to-the-throne situation. 

On the plus side, if Bran were king, even if he had no heirs, it would still guarantee a Stark to inherit the throne. Specifically, Sansa’s child, because of her place in the family tree. Which means it only makes more sense for Sansa to get married/implications of being married, but see below for my thoughts on that. 

Of course, the other possibility is they introduce a quasi-Republic system or slap a little Magna Carta on the side. 

Or the leak is wrong. Time will tell. 

Romance

I actually don’t have a hard time believing that Arya and Gendry will reunite. They’ve at least set up Arya’s character for a moment like that: Arya, finally given permission via the Hound to turn back from a life of vengeance, Arya who inexplicably survived an entire city falling to pieces around her, Arya who also witnessed the horror that Daenerys released in a supposed rage of “this is what happens to people who mess with my family.” Yeah. I could see Arya now running to embrace life head-on and she and Gendry being the ones to continue on the Stark line. 

BUT. 

That doesn’t mean that Arya should be the only Stark who gets an S.O. and a new lease on life and the ability to carry on the Stark line. 

The possibility of platonic Sanrion is strong. The possibility of romantic Sanrion is just that--a possibility. Again, I simply can’t trust the showrunners to follow up on their extremely vague hints regarding Sansa and Tyrion. 

But it’s like Peter Dinklage once said: when it comes to Sansa and Tyrion, “...there’s just something you can’t put your finger on about them.”

The leaks say that Sansa rules Winterfell alone. Nope, I don’t agree with that as a satisfactory conclusion to her arc. Doesn’t mean it won’t be portrayed that way, but I have no trouble believing she’ll have a much richer ending in the books. Ned himself said she would be with someone kind, gentle, and strong. Yes, Sansa is strong on her own. But ‘aloneness’ goes against the Stark motto: the pack survives. 

Sansa and Tyrion make sense on MULTIPLE levels, but frankly I don’t expect levels from GOT. I don’t even feel anti towards D&D: I’m simply unhappy, disappointed, and yes, still holding out for at least some sense of closure from the finale. If they manage to pull Sanrion through, I would be happy not just from a rose-glasses perspective of a shipper--it would be something that thematically makes sense and fulfills so many parallels:

The War of the Roses parallel (uniting two warring families together)

The Florian & Jonquil parallel (a story from the ASOIAF universe; some have thought this applied to Sandor, a knight, or to Sansa’s misplaced trust in Dontos, a fool. But Tyrion embodies the archetypes of the knight and the fool and rescues Sansa time and time again; he is also, like Florian, not stereotypically handsome)

The Beauty & the Beast parallel (Martin has only explicitly stated that Braime are supposed to be a Beauty & the Beast story, but with Tyrion being a Lannister bro as well and also having toxic love vs. healthy love as one of his struggles, I see no problem in Jaime and Tyrion both sharing a twist on this trope)

Simply the fact that both characters are intellectual politicians who were able to make the best of an awful situation and vouch for one another when they didn’t have to. 

She could provide the heir that will inherit after Bran (if Bran becomes king) [theoretically, if we assume that Sansa does not get married and that Arya and Gendry have kids, Arya’s kids could still inherit, but, um, whatever I like Sansa’s kids inheriting mmkay].

Game of Thrones Season 8 Political/Love Quad is  Foreshadowed in The Winds of Winter  + Mirror of House Tyrell Aiding King’s Landing

Note: The picture in the upper-right corner is a recent shot of Lino Facioli, the actor who plays Robin Arryn in Game of Thrones. Lino is listed on HBO’s cast list for this season. This meta is purely speculation. 

PART ONE - Foreshadowing in The Winds of Winter

The released ‘Alayne’ chapter from The Winds of Winter focuses on an impending tourney that is bringing together the most important people in the region. Sweetrobin’s heir Ser Harrold Hardyng will be in attendance and has been recently betrothed to Sansa, who is disguised as Alayne to everyone other than Petyr Bealish.  While intuitively recognizing Harry’s true nature and possible agenda to seize power, Sweetrobin expresses his affection for and desire to marry Sansa/Alayne.  During this conversation, Sweetrobin abruptly shifts his focus from the rivalry and threat that he is facing (which is serious and imminent) to who he will have to marry (which is undetermined and won’t happen for many years). One cannot brush this off as a testament to Sweetrobin’s age and immaturity as he understands life’s impermanence after losing his father and mother and is discerning enough to correctly assess Hardyng.

Coincidentally, minor annotations easily shift the dynamics of who is betrothed/disguised and who is a political/romantic rival between Sansa and her male cousins from TWoW to GoT Season 8 as is described below:  

“He (she) wants my father’s castle (kingdom), that’s all, so he (she) pretends.” The boy (Jon) clutched the blanket (gloves?) to his pimply (scarred) chest. “I don’t want you to marry him, Alayne (I don’t want to marry her, Sansa). I am the Lord of the Eyrie (Warden of the North/last male heir to the Iron Throne/etc.), and I forbid it.” He sounded as if he were about to cry. “You should marry me instead. We could sleep in the same bed every night, and you could read me stories (Unlike Sweetrobin, Jon has already gone through puberty, so we can mentally insert another verb(s) besides ‘to read’).”

    ...“Sweetrobin (Jon), you must not say such things. You are the Lord of the Eyrie and Defender of the Vale (Warden of the North/heir to the Iron Throne/etc.), and you must wed a highborn lady (the Targaryen Queen) and father a son to sit in the High Hall of House Arryn (the Iron Throne) after you are gone.”

Robert wiped his nose (Jon flexed his sword hand/rubbed the back of his neck). “But I want — ” (“Is this what you want — ”)

    She put a finger to his lips. “I know what you want (I want/we want), but it cannot be. I am no fit wife (Targaryen Queen) for you. I am bastard born (Lady of Winterfell).”

    “I don’t care. I love you best of anyone. “

You are such a little fool.  “Your lords bannermen will care... and I should... be put to death (Sansa will be physically threatened AGAIN...).”

    “I wouldn’t let them hurt you!” Lord Robert (Jon) said. “If they try I will make them all fly (I will kill them myself!).” His hand began to tremble. (At this point in time, we don’t know how much book!Jon will have changed after his resurrection. His memories may be primarily affected, or there may be some physical manifestations from his death.)

    Alayne (Sansa) stroked his fingers (She has provided Jon with the support, validation, and motivation that he needs since their reunion, and Sansa quoting Ned at the end of season 7 indicates that she will continue to do so). “There, my Sweetrobin (Jon)... “You must have a proper wife, a trueborn maid of noble birth (a Targaryen Queen).”

    “No. I want to marry you, Alayne (Sansa).”

Once your lady mother (your lady mother and your lord father/my lord father’s contingencies plans were founded on it) intended that very thing...  “My lord is kind to say so.” Alayne (Sansa) smoothed his hair... He does have pretty hair (I love how cheeky GRRM can be at times!)… “...Before long, you will have forgotten me entirely.”

“I won’t!”

“You will. You must.” Her voice was firm, but gentle.

“The Lord of the Eyrie (Warden of the North/heir to the Iron Throne/etc.) can do as he likes. Can’t I still love you, even if I have to marry her? …” (The show is going to handle this differently from the books; the most logical route is for Jon to openly defer to Dæny in order to placate her whilst he offers to stay with Sansa and the rest of their family in Winterfell.  Regardless, outside forces will conspire against the Starks, especially the two secret lovers.)  

…“Is that what you would have from me? A bastard?” She pulled her fingers from his grasp. “Would you dishonor me that way?” (Sansa will not only have to make her feelings clear but will need to initiate a physical relationship with Jon. The show also is foreshadowing that Sansa will become pregnant before they are married or at least before they publicly announce their marriage.)

The boy (Jon) looked stricken. “No. I never meant — “ (“I’ve loved you my whole life.” I’m in the camp that Jon was in love with Sansa before they left Winterfell, and the show has actually set this up in a deliberate but discreet manner. My meta on Sansa’s dragonfly necklace being a gift from Jon explains this in greater detail.) Alayne (Sansa) stood. “If it please my lord, I must go…” Before her little lord (her cousin/his grace/etc.) could find the words to protest, she gave him a quick curtsy and fled the bedchamber… (Again, this hints at Sansa’s decision to stay with Jon and to be physically intimate with him.)

PART TWO: Robin Arryn will aid the North just as House Tyrell did for King’s Landing

With the focus on food storage both last season and this one, it seems likely that the North will face a food crisis. However it may be accelerated if the food stores are burned during the Battle for the Dawn. If this takes place, what then? WHAT HAVE WE SEEN PREVIOUSLY ON THE SHOW THAT MIGHT INDICATE WHERE THE NARRATIVE WILL PROCEED? 

After helping House Baratheon/Lannister win the Battle of Blackwater Bay, House Tyrell ends the famine that plagues King’s Landing. Offered anything that the royal house can bestow upon them, the Tyrells request a betrothal between their house and King Joffrey. 

In a parallel move, it seems entirely possible that Yohn Royce will offer the Vale’s food stores and may hint at a marriage alliance between his liege lord Robin Arryn and the Lady of Winterfell. With the show choosing to repeatedly focus on the positive working relationship between Yohn Royce and Sansa, it stands to reason that Yohn would prefer Robin Arryn marry a smart, capable woman whom he respects. Just as Margaery confesses that she has heard a great deal about Joffrey that caused her to fall in love with him, Robin has been kept abreast of Yohn’s time at Winterfell, most likely including his impression of Sansa. As Robin was also told by his mother that he and Sansa would marry, Robin would hold the idea of a betrothal with his cousin in high regard. FOR THE SHOW’S WRITERS, THIS ALSO SERVES THE PURPOSE OF REMINDING THE GENERAL AUDIENCE THAT MARRIAGES BETWEEN COUSINS WERE SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE AND COMMONPLACE. 

Regardless of Sansa’s personal feelings, a famine would force the Northern forces to leave Winterfell and to seek the resources they need in order to simply survive; in all likelihood, they would travel to the Riverlands if Robin Arryn does offer/agree to supply the North.  

Is meeting Robin or just the prospect of meeting him what pushes Jon and Sansa to declare their love for one another?

Faced with possible betrothals for both of them whilst learning that they could have a chance to be together, Jon and Sansa will demonstrate the depth of their feelings for each other, including jealousy, as the show increasingly displays  their chemistry in front of other characters. The climax for this plot point will be Bronn returning Sansa’s doll (Ned’s gift) AND her dragonfly necklace (Jon’s gift) as an “act of good faith”; it will force Jon and Sansa to not only admit their current feelings for one another but also of their past relationship at the start of the story, including:

Their secret meetings to ‘practice kissing’

Their goodbye scene at Winterfell in which Jon gave her the dragonfly necklace and vowed to Sansa to protect the North for her as his future queen

Although Jon taking the necklace and placing it back around Sansa’s neck would reaffirm their feelings for one another, it could parallel Rhaegar’s disastrous decision to publicly demonstrate his affection for Lyanna Stark at the Tournament of Harrenhel.  

(NOTE: My apologies for only referencing and not summarizing my theory on Sansa’s dragonfly necklace being a gift from Jon/the Evenstar necklace of GoT. Part One of that meta can be found here.)

Possible Additional Parallels (All in the Riverlands)

Robb Stark agreeing to a betrothal for the sake of his family only to marry another person all whilst fighting a war.

Rhaegar inappropriately demonstrating his love for Lyanna in public at Harrenhal by giving her the crown of roses.

Rhaegar and Lyanna marrying in secret. 

What Happens if Jon Does Create the Tournament of Harrenhal 2.0? 

If watching GoT has taught me anything, that is just about everything we see can be a foreshadow of something to come.

That split right across the map cemented my belief that the Seven Kingdoms will not be reunited under one throne.

After her casual display of slaughtering innocents there can be no arguments against Mad Queen Danaerys, like it or not. Inevitably this means she will die at some point. Many will try to put Jon on the Throne, but he will refuse it or will also die somehow, perhaps whilst killing Danaerys. Danaerys blowing up the Red Keep symbolises the total end of the Targaryen dynasty, the Southern ruler is NOT going to be a Targaryen, at this point my money is on Tyrion ending up on the Throne as King in the South.

Sansa in the North will take up the mantle of Queen. The Vale already supports her wholeheartedly. Correct me if I'm wrong, but she's the last rightful living heir to Riverrun, thus should easy gain support from at least some Lords of the Trident. Yara will also end up giving her support to Sansa, likely due to their shared connection in Theon.

With the Vale, the Iron Islands and the Riverlands sworn to Queen in the North, Sansa will simply be too powerful to be made to kneel to the Iron Throne.

TL;DR: Dany dies, Jon refuses throne/dies. Tyrion(I think) will be put on the Iron Throne as King in the South. Sansa will rule rule as Queen in the North with the Vale, Riverlands and Iron Islands sworn to her.