Valar Morghulis: A Blog of Ice and Fire

'Winter is Coming'

Ever since the very pilot episode of Game of Thrones, we had been literally waiting for winter to come. Winter was always coming, as the most honorable man of the show, Ned Stark reminded us all from time to time during the first season. The threat of the White Walkers and the army of the dead loomed over all of us. In amalgamation to this, there was sex, violence, magic, betrayal, love, loyalty and the existence of a few mythical species like dragons and giants. Be it the fearless Dothraki tribe or the army of the Unsullied, or the frightening stone-men or the lifeless wights, GoT had every possible thing for the viewers. The build-up, the enchanting music, the cinematography and the writing were beyond perfect. Yes, and power is power!

Game of Thrones has largely focused on the portrayal of power. You either win the game of thrones or you die. This was conveyed way back in the first season. If you didn't envisage even this, then you know nothing, my dear. 'If you think this has a happy ending, then you haven't been paying attention'- warned Ramsey Bolton long back. Many potential rulers came and many died bloody deaths. Everybody kept faltering on their conquest to power. Hierarchical mode of power transfer is always dangerous. The message was pretty clear from the beginning. 

There were initially many theories which laid the highest of enthusiasm for the final season. Theories ranging from Bran eventually becoming the fearful 'Night King' or Jon sitting on the Iron Throne with the beautiful Daenerys Targaryen by his side were pitched all around. The craziest of them suggested the return of Ned Stark in one way or the other. Most of them were mere suggestions but a few were passionate ones and fan-favorites. Many even tried to decode the show-runners' fable about a hidden meaning or moral of the entire show. For example, the 'Night King' is a reaction force to human beings' destruction of our planetary climate change. Imagination can be immensely creative, you see.

The 8th season, which is the last one, disappointed many fans from around the globe. A maniacal lot even had petitions signed to remake the entire season through an online campaign. Fans are fans. A much-loved TV show which rose through the ranks of our hearts for almost a decade is no ordinary one. Remember the Red Wedding? Or the Hardhome episode? Or the battle against the Wildlings? These episodes were gems and we will be forever grateful to GoT for this. The idea of big character developments season after season only to be hastily wrapped off within a couple of episodes seemed too much for some fans. Take Jamie Lannister's arc for example. He didn't deserve the ending, many said. Many even complained the lack of major character deaths in the Battle of Winterfell. Complaints will keep coming. So will fans. Towards the end, the episodes did seem to proceed in a fast forward mode. Or maybe we are wrong. Maybe if they had decided to elongate it further, we might have lost some amount of interest. Maybe. Maybe not. It doesn't matter. 

'Love is the death of duty.'

'And duty is the love of death.'

Every good thing comes to an end. Being thankful to that is the least we fans can give back to the people who made Game of Thrones possible for us. The ending was unconventional but beautiful. We will embrace it with great nostalgia. We will talk about the Game of Thrones for years to come. We will talk about Tyrion and his wit. We will keep wondering what Jon would plan for the North, now that he has petted back Ghost (much to the delight of the fans), and the wildlings and Tormund besides him. The adventurous westward journey of Arya Stark will leave us with unending expectations. Bran and Sansa are rulers in their own individual right. *Tears of joy.

'When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives.'

Rightly so. The Starks have always been my favorite. They endured everything. And now their rule begins. Ned Stark's legacy lives on. That's the beauty of it. 

p.s: We always expect our true enemy to be 'death'. But that's never true. The true enemy is our inner 

anger and greed. Drogon destroying the Iron Throne and in turn finishing off and breaking the wheel was the most apt thing ever. An allegory well depicted.

Winter came. Winter conquered us all.

And now, our watch has ended.

And one last time, Valar Dohaeris.