9 questions that Game of Thrones left unanswered after the series finale
Note: contains spoilers for the final season of Game of Thrones.
So there we have it, our watch is over and one of the biggest TV events of all time comes to a close as Game of Thrones wraps its final season. With showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss closing the book on their time in the Seven Six Kingdoms, trying to tie up all those loose ends was always going to be an impossible task.
Fans finally found out who was going to sit on the Iron Throne (or not, as it turned out) and what George RR Martin meant by a "bittersweet" ending but there were more than a few plot threads left hanging.
You'd need Bran's powers of Greensight to answer some of these...
1. Was Cersei really pregnant?
Lena Headey was essentially paid to drink wine and stare across King's Landing all season, but with Cersei's dramatic demise in the penultimate episode, there was a big question mark left over her pregnancy.
Even though Euron Greyjoy promised to put a bun in her oven, Cersei had previously tried to lure back her brother/lover Jaime with news that she was expecting his child. Some fans theorised it was just another lie in her scheming, but ultimately, no-one will ever know for sure. (Unless Benioff and Weiss confirm one way or another.)
2. What was the deal with the Faceless Men?
Jaqen H'ghar failed to be the mentor many had hoped for. All those whispers that he could be Syrio Forel or maybe the 'real' Petyr Baelish turned out to be more tinfoil theories.
Elsewhere, Arya's whole skillset of wearing other people's faces and slaying her enemies also fell by the wayside. There everyone was, hoping Arya would dress as Jaime to choke Cersei with a golden hand... and zip.
And we never did find out how the Faceless Men managed to turn flayed skin into convincing disguises.
3. Where's Drogon?
Drogon took his rage out on the Iron Throne by melting that pointy chair before picking up his murdered mother and flying into the ash-filled sky.
'The Iron Throne' ended with the Small Council discussing if anyone had seen Drogon, the rumour being that he was flying east, before King Bran Stark decided he could probably track him down.
We swear, if Bran wargs into a dragon off-screen after a season of doing nothing, we're going to be fuming.
4. What's the point of the Night's Watch?
One of season eight's biggest gripes was the lack of screen-time for the White Walkers. Game of Thrones slowly built those abominable snowmen into the Big Bads of the series, so some were left a little disappointed that the Night King and his hordes were wiped out in the Battle of Winterfell.
The series closed with Jon Snow being banished back to live among the waifs and strays of the Night’s Watch but what was the point? The regiment of warrior-monks was created to protect Westeros from the mysterious threat of the far North (in latter years, Wildlings), but with all these threats eliminated, the military order seems a little redundant.
5. Did Bran always know this was going to happen?
Bran might seem like a popular (if a little obvious) choice to rule the united lands, but there's an overarching feeling he could've done more to stop all the recent bloodshed. Even though Bran planted the seed for Arya to use the Catspaw dagger and kill the Night King, did he really have to let Daenerys burn King's Landing?
Bran implied in the finale that he'd come all the way from Winterfell because he *knew* he was going to be crowned the new king.
Considering he can see everything in the past, present, and future, Bran could have at least warned some of the fan-favourite characters that Dany was about to lose it.
6. What are the Dothraki up to now?
So we all saw Grey Worm take his regiments of Unsullied to go and protect the Isle of Naath, fulfilling his promise to Missandei. But what about the Dothraki screamers? Against all visual logic, hundreds of them apparently survived their apparent annihilation at the hands of the Night King – they were all whooping around on horseback as Dany gave her victory speech.
But where are they now? Quietly getting ships back to Essos for a spot of pillage? Settling down as farmers in the Reach? Seems unlikely.
7. Who was Azor Ahai?
Another prophecy that fizzled out was the identity of Azor Ahai. Melisandre was well-versed on her Lord of Light prophecies, with everyone from Jon to the Hound being tipped as the reincarnation of the Seven Kingdom's saviour.
Clearly more important in the books that the show, Benioff and Weiss glossed over the character's reveal.
Once thought to be the one to kill the Night King, that turned into a dead end. Instead, we're left to assume that Jon sort of became the Prince that was Promised by killing his beloved Dany in a loose retelling of the myth of Azor Ahai plunging his sword into his wife Nissa Nissa. Meh.
8. Who was the Valonqar?
If Azor Ahai wasn't enough of a thorn in everyone's side, what about the Valonqar prophecy? Maggy the Frog's cryptic words of doom all came true, apart from the 'Valonqar' – the "little brother" that was said to be the person who would choke the life from Cersei Lannister.
Sure, you could argue that Jaime could've been the Valonqar, but if you look at Cersei's death scene, a pile of bricks has about as strong a claim to the title.
To be fair to the show, the Valonqar is a books-only prophecy that never featured on screen, so they're allowed to let it slide, however disappointing that is.
9. Where is Nymeria?
There's one character that got worse treatment than Ghost. Sticking with the theme of direwolves, the season finale seemed like the perfect opportunity to reintroduce Nymeria. One of the few characters who didn't get a proper send off, Nymeria was last seen in season seven.
Arya's loyal direwolf could have brought her pack of wolves to help defeat the White Walkers but instead, she's still strolling around in the North. Considering Arya was heading off on her own adventure, it would've been so easy to have Nymeria by her side as the sailed off into the distance. Alas, just another missed opportunity.
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