What was your dream ending to Season8?
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:
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
There’s obviously a lot of details missing and a lot that doesn’t make sense, but oh well such is life.
