Ask Game of Thrones fans about the final episode and you’ll get an earful. There’s no shortage of opinions on social media. While the finale might be debated for years, what isn’t up for debate is that the show scored a home run for HBO, setting a record with 19.3 million viewers.
Spoiler alert: If you’re catching up on “Game of Thrones,” this article reveals a key scene and a major plot point from the final episode.
It also contained one of the best speeches I’ve heard on the topic of storytelling—and it rings true.
In brief, here’s what happened. And you don’t have to be a Game of Thrones viewer to appreciate it. The speech came courtesy of Tyrion Lannister, played by award-winning actor Peter Dinklage. In the scene, the lords and ladies of the fictional land of Westeros had to find a new ruler to command the Seven Kingdoms. Tyrion made a surprise—and compelling argument— in support of a character named Bran Stark.
How to download photos from mac to external hard drive not recognized. According to Tyrion, Bran has a special power that would make him a great ruler—he was the keeper of the kingdom’s stories.
“What unites people?” Tyrion asked. “Armies? Gold? Flags?” No. It’s stories, he said.
“There's nothing in the world more powerful than a good story. Nothing can stop it. No enemy can defeat it. And who has a better story than Bran the Broken? The boy who fell from a high tower and lived… He's our memory. The keeper of all our stories. The wars, weddings, births, massacres, famines, our triumphs, our defeats, our past. Who better to lead us into the future?”
Never mind how Bran learned the history of Westeros—he was taught by the Three-Eyed Raven in Season 6. Seriously. What you need to know is that Tyrion’s speech worked. He won his case.
The Game of Thrones writers are experts in storytelling, of course, and it makes sense that they would hand the reigns of the kingdom to a storyteller-in-chief. The Seven Kingdoms don’t really exist, but Tyrion’s logical appeal was historically accurate. Storytellers have always been the ones considered the best people to lead us into the future.
Storytelling around the campfire lit our imagination
Anthropologists point to fire as the spark that ignited human evolution. Once our ancestors gained control of fire, they could cook food, ward off predators, and tell stories around the campfire.
Social anthropologists like Polly Wiessner at the University of Utah believe storytelling played an important role in the evolution of society. Storytellers were the keepers of the tribe’s memory—its culture and history. “Appetites for firelit settings for intimate conversations and for evening stories remain with us today,” Wiessner reminds us.
Like today’s communicators, some ancient storytellers were more skilled than others. The good ones were widely admired for their ability to hold an audience’s attention, to keep them laughing, and for entertaining as well as informing. According to Wiessner, “Stories told by firelight put listeners on the same emotional wavelength, elicited understanding, trust, and sympathy, and built positive reputations for qualities like humor, congeniality, and innovation.”
The best storytellers were admired for engaging their audiences. Their reputations spread beyond the tribe as people came from near and far to listen to them. While the tools of communication have changed, the human brain has not. We are a storytelling species. We think in story, talk in story, and admire those who keep and spread our stories.
In her book, Leadership for Turbulent Times, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin wrote about a leader who was so admired for his verbal skills, he “drew crowds from the countryside eager to be regaled and entertained by a master storyteller.” The storyteller was Abraham Lincoln. “He understood early on that concrete examples and stories provided the best vehicles for teaching,” writes Goodwin.
In the corporate world, storytellers keep the brand’s history alive.
For example, Nike designates some executives as storytellers. “As Nike gets even bigger, its storytellers feel that their mission becomes even more critical,” according to a Fast Company feature on the Nike storytelling culture. At Nike, the heroics of the past inspire the innovations of the future. 'The best way for a company to create a prosperous future is to make sure all of its employees understand the company’s past. That’s why many veteran execs at Nike spend time telling corporate campfire stories.'
Tyrion would agree.
I don’t know if Bran Stark will be the best ruler of the Seven Kingdoms (six, actually, since Sansa Stark decided to keep the North independent). But by putting their faith in a storyteller, the lords and ladies of Westeros are honoring the single greatest tool that leaders have to inspire future generations—the power of story.
Spoiler alert: If you’re catching up on “Game of Thrones,” this article reveals a key scene and a major plot point from the final episode.
Ask Game of Thrones fans about the final episode and you’ll get an earful. There’s no shortage of opinions on social media. While the finale might be debated for years, what isn’t up for debate is that the show scored a home run for HBO, setting a record with 19.3 million viewers.
It also contained one of the best speeches I’ve heard on the topic of storytelling—and it rings true.
In brief, here’s what happened. And you don’t have to be a Game of Thrones viewer to appreciate it. The speech came courtesy of Tyrion Lannister, played by award-winning actor Peter Dinklage. In the scene, the lords and ladies of the fictional land of Westeros had to find a new ruler to command the Seven Kingdoms. Tyrion made a surprise—and compelling argument— in support of a character named Bran Stark.
According to Tyrion, Bran has a special power that would make him a great ruler—he was the keeper of the kingdom’s stories.
“What unites people?” Tyrion asked. “Armies? Gold? Flags?” No. It’s stories, he said.
“There's nothing in the world more powerful than a good story. Nothing can stop it. No enemy can defeat it. And who has a better story than Bran the Broken? The boy who fell from a high tower and lived… He's our memory. The keeper of all our stories. The wars, weddings, births, massacres, famines, our triumphs, our defeats, our past. Who better to lead us into the future?”
Never mind how Bran learned the history of Westeros—he was taught by the Three-Eyed Raven in Season 6. Seriously. What you need to know is that Tyrion’s speech worked. He won his case.
The Game of Thrones writers are experts in storytelling, of course, and it makes sense that they would hand the reigns of the kingdom to a storyteller-in-chief. The Seven Kingdoms don’t really exist, but Tyrion’s logical appeal was historically accurate. Storytellers have always been the ones considered the best people to lead us into the future.
Storytelling around the campfire lit our imagination
Download visual studio 2012 professional full crack. Anthropologists point to fire as the spark that ignited human evolution. Once our ancestors gained control of fire, they could cook food, ward off predators, and tell stories around the campfire.
Social anthropologists like Polly Wiessner at the University of Utah believe storytelling played an important role in the evolution of society. Storytellers were the keepers of the tribe’s memory—its culture and history. “Appetites for firelit settings for intimate conversations and for evening stories remain with us today,” Wiessner reminds us.
Like today’s communicators, some ancient storytellers were more skilled than others. The good ones were widely admired for their ability to hold an audience’s attention, to keep them laughing, and for entertaining as well as informing. According to Wiessner, “Stories told by firelight put listeners on the same emotional wavelength, elicited understanding, trust, and sympathy, and built positive reputations for qualities like humor, congeniality, and innovation.”
The best storytellers were admired for engaging their audiences. Their reputations spread beyond the tribe as people came from near and far to listen to them. While the tools of communication have changed, the human brain has not. We are a storytelling species. We think in story, talk in story, and admire those who keep and spread our stories.
In her book, Leadership for Turbulent Times, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin wrote about a leader who was so admired for his verbal skills, he “drew crowds from the countryside eager to be regaled and entertained by a master storyteller.” The storyteller was Abraham Lincoln. “He understood early on that concrete examples and stories provided the best vehicles for teaching,” writes Goodwin.
In the corporate world, storytellers keep the brand’s history alive.
For example, Nike designates some executives as storytellers. “As Nike gets even bigger, its storytellers feel that their mission becomes even more critical,” according to a Fast Company feature on the Nike storytelling culture. At Nike, the heroics of the past inspire the innovations of the future. 'The best way for a company to create a prosperous future is to make sure all of its employees understand the company’s past. That’s why many veteran execs at Nike spend time telling corporate campfire stories.'
Tyrion would agree.
I don’t know if Bran Stark will be the best ruler of the Seven Kingdoms (six, actually, since Sansa Stark decided to keep the North independent). But by putting their faith in a storyteller, the lords and ladies of Westeros are honoring the single greatest tool that leaders have to inspire future generations—the power of story.
WSJ
If you're already champing at the bit for more Game of Thrones, good news, because there are prequels on the way (tentative airdate is TBD as they're all in the very, veryearly states of production and development — if all three of them even make it to air, that is). However, if you're looking for something along the lines of a straight spin-off with theGame of Thronescharacters we've come to know and love over the last eight seasons, forget about it. None of the potential shows will feature any characters from the OG series, which kills any hope for an Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) series where she's exploring what's west of Westeros.
We've actually known for a while the proposed series would all be prequels, with author George R. R. Martin even stating so on his blog back in 2018, a year after the spin-offs were first discussed. Now, with renewed interest in finding out what happened to our characters after the final credits, HBO programming president Casey Bloys is stating, for the record, that we're not going to see any familiar characters or what future Westeros looks like anytime soon — and honestly, probably never.
'Part of it is, I do want this show — this Game of Thrones, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss's show — to be its own thing,' he explained to The Hollywood Reporter. 'I don't want to take characters from this world that they did beautifully and put them off into another world with someone else creating it. I want to let it be the artistic piece they've got. That's one of reasons why I'm not trying to do the same show over.'
Bloys continued to say that the reason behind this is that HBO is keen on doing 'things that feel distinct — and to not try and re-do the same show. That's probably one of the reasons why, right now, a sequel or picking up any of the other characters doesn't make sense for us.'
It's also unclear if Benoiff and Weiss will even stay with HBO. The two are currently slated to helm the next Star Wars trilogy for Disney, and are currently in the process of shopping for an overall deal. While Bloys would like to see them stay with HBO and WarnerMedia, he notes, 'We'll see where they end up.'
Although we're mired in uncertainty as to where the Game of Thrones Television Universe will go next, one thing we know we're not going to get is any sort of show about Bronn (Jerome Flynn) opening up his own brothel (which is a shame) or Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) ruling over the Six Kingdoms as sometimes a weird bird. Oh well, at least the show will live on forever on HBO Go and HBO Now.
Need HBO?Add it through Hulu or through Amazon.
Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) on Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 6: 'The Iron Throne'Photo: HBO/Helen Sloan
As “Avengers: Endgame” broke records for ticket sales weeks ahead of its release, and studios pitched their best products to theater owners at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, “Game of Thrones” threw a provocative monkey wrench into the news cycle. HBO holds ostentatious premieres for its celebrated sword-and-sandals epic each season, but the New York gathering for the start of the eighth and final season was an epic of its own: Some 6,000 invited guests crammed into Radio City Music Hall, while thousands of fan crammed into every corner of Rockefeller Center to catch a glimpse of the bountiful cast on the red carpet, which ranged from the series heavyweights to minor players whose characters were killed off ages ago.
With so much media hoopla, the actual screening of “Game of Thrones” might have seemed like an afterthought. But once the cameras stopped flashing, and show creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss finished thanking virtually every executive, writer, and producer from the stage, “Game of Thrones” played big in the room, even to a casual viewer of the show (like me).
Related
Hafthor Bjornsson and Pedro Pascal at the ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 8 premiere
Andrew H. Walker/Variety/REX/Shutterstock
The experience provided the unique opportunity to consider a possibility that could complicate the next chapter of theatrical exhibition: If “Game of Thrones” can thrill audiences on the big screen, and inspire future shows with the potential to do the same, television may be less a threat than an ally to theatrical exhibition. But it also could lead to greater concerns about an ever-crowded market in which every movie sans superheroes is fighting for its life.
I’ve never been entirely convinced by “Game of Thrones” worship. I find much of its fantasy world-building derivative to near-grating extremes, its overcrowded ensemble loaded with intriguing characters often casually knocked off for the sake of cheap surprise, and the underlying mystery of which power-hungry ruler will overtake the kingdom drawn out to ludicrous extremes. But my god, does “Game of Thrones” ever work as a big-screen spectacle. The show’s formidable budget has yielded a blockbuster feel on par with any bonafide studio blockbuster onscreen at the moment, and the campy tone really delivers to a crowd that laughs and applauds to accentuate every manipulative beat.
The details of the Season 8 premiere remain under strict embargo, but needless to say, an impeccable sound mix, sweeping camera work, and well-timed reveals all contributed to making this show a whole lot more effective as a crowdpleaser jointly experienced by thousands of people in one room. Every jolting dragon shriek, catty showdown, and fiery jump scare made “Game of Thrones” connect in a way that it never could on the small screen.
The optimistic spin on this outcome is that, well, of course “Game of Thrones” works as a theatrical experience. Purists will argue that the theater always provides a superior setting, especially with immaculate audiovisual presentation; it capitalizes on everything that a living room cannot. But the notion that “Game of Thrones” can play to the room with the same electricity welcoming the latest studio tentpole points to another possible industry twist.
It’s not a difficult to envision a future in which television events overtake the big screen with the same regularity as Hollywood blockbusters. At CinemaCon, MPAA chief John Fithian attempted to mollify nervous exhibitors in vague terms. “How does any movie stand out against the endless choices in the home?” he asked. “A robust theatrical release provides prestige that cannot be replicated.” And yet if networks decided to capitalize on the potential to draw crowds for their most anticipated shows, why should exhibitors deny them? HBO could screen “Game of Thrones” in theaters around the country each week in advance of its airdate and steamroll competition.
Lena Headey in “Game of Thrones”
Helen Sloane/HBO
Of course, this would create all kinds of headaches — for the Television Academy once the network decided to consider one of the show’s 90-minute episodes as a feature, for studios trying to find an ideal release date for their major tentpoles, and for countless specialty distributors struggling to find some modicum of success. But that last contingency has always fought for eyeballs, to the extent that much of the year’s most exciting and daring cinematic experiences finds the bulk of its audiences on the small screen, where the VOD model provides a scalable opportunity.
The survivability of the theatrical experience may be an open question, but that has less to do with the actual potential for the box office than decisions about which content unfurls on the screen. Television and movies won’t undergo radical changes tomorrow, but there may be a future in which the most common places for audiences to experience them switch places.
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The all-seeing Three Eyed Raven is a frightening choice for a ruler.
By Dan Stapleton
It’s bizarre that the first thing King Bran says when he rolls into the Small Council meeting is to complain about the lack of a Master of Whisperers because that position is now completely redundant. The entire point of Varys’ job was to gather information via a vast network of spies, many of them children, and pass it along to the king. This king, however, already knows more than any spymaster could gather. He’s the Three-Eyed Raven.
With Bran the Broken installed as king of Westeros, the seven/six kingdoms are now effectively a terrifying surveillance state. As demonstrated when he used his powers to reveal Littlefinger’s past deceptions, which led to his execution, Bran’s omniscient power to see anything and everything anyone does makes him the ultimate Big Brother – or Little Brother, in this case. And given that the previous Three-Eyed Raven lived for a thousand years, Bran’s totalitarian regime could last for a very long time (which makes the question of succession rather moot).
Bran’s power is like Batman’s cell phone sonar device from The Dark Knight turned up to 11.
Bran’s power is like Batman’s cell phone sonar device from The Dark Knight turned up to 11. That system, which Lucius Fox described as “beautiful, unethical, dangerous” and “too much power for one person” could only see things as they happen, and only within Gotham; Bran can see everything that happens and everything that ever has happened, in all of Westeros and perhaps beyond. Between his ability to warg into animals and even people and to use the weirwoods to view any past event, no one will ever get away with scheming against the crown again. Depending on how aggressively he chooses to use those powers, Westerosis may not be able to get away with literally anything else, either.
It’s fair to say that Bran is a benevolent king who will use his power for the good of the realm. But the entire point of Daenerys’ madness was believing she knew what was right for everyone. Everybody thought she was on the up-and-up until her ends-justifies-the-means philosophy took things too far. Bran is the opposite extreme: where Dany was hotheaded, since becoming the Three-Eyed Raven Bran has been cold and emotionless, which could just as easily lead him to make decisions that might turn out well for future generations but not so hot for the people in the present. He was also willing to do ethically questionable things like warging into Hodor and controlling him without his consent, then sacrificing him to ensure his own escape, so he’s certainly capable using his power in less than perfect ways.
Spoiler image from episode 6, 'The Iron Throne.'
Spoiler image from episode 6, 'The Iron Throne.'
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And what could anyone do about it? Unlike Dany, he’d see any assassination attempt coming a mile away – and the fact that Bran says he’s looking for Drogon is a little scary considering we never got an answer as to whether Bran can warg into a dragon and control it directly. If he can, you’d have a weapon of mass destruction in the hands of a ruler who knows everyone’s every move, making him all but unstoppable. So maybe things will go well for Westeros under King Bran the Broken, or maybe it’s headed for a future where thought crime is punishable by death from above. Since Game of Thrones ended before exploring this and many other post-war developments in depth, only the potential sequel/spin-off will tell.
Dan Stapleton is IGN's Reviews Editor. You can follow himon Twitterto hear gaming rants and lots of random Simpsons references.
There can be no doubt that the Game of Thrones dragons are integral to the show’s climax now Game of Thrones season 8 is here. Many suspected that would be the case as far back as 1996, when George RR Martin’s now legendary A Song of Ice and Fire books debuted; yet few series prophets correctly foresaw Daenerys Targaryen’s flame-breathing descendants unleashing the ice as well as the fire. Pity poor, unknowing Viserion.
Yet how exactly did we get to this point, and what will become of the undead Vis and his very much alive siblings Rhaegal and Drogon as season 8 unfolds across six episodes spanning a staggering 432 minutes? That pair of key questions are among those answered by our Game Of Thrones dragons guide.
Below you’ll also discover the significance carried by each of the trio’s mysterious, mystical names, all of which have a Targaryen connection; what happened to the fire-breathing triple-threat’s ancestors long before the show’s story began; and how you can own Viserion, Rhaegal, and/or Drogon without having to wage battle against Dany. Because let’s face it, you’d have less-than-zero chance on that front.
This is everything you need to know about Game of Thrones’ scaliest, teethiest, pyromaniac band of brothers…
Game of Thrones theories | Game of Thrones ending | Watch Game of Thrones online | Game of Thrones characters | Game of Thrones merchandise | Game of Thrones facts
Who are the Game of Thrones dragons?
The Game of Thrones dragons are Drogon (black and red), Rhaegal (green and bronze), and Viserion (cream and gold).
Drogon is Daenerys’ personal mount. He’s named after Dany’s husband Khal Drogo, whose death in Game of Thrones season 1 ultimately triggered the Game of Thrones dragons’ birth.
Rhaegal takes his moniker from Rhaegar, Daenerys’s eldest brother who died before she was born and we were finally introduced to in a Game of Thrones season 7 flashback that confirmed Jon Snow is his son – and Dany’s nephew.
Viserion is named for Viserys, Dany’s other sibling who met his end at the hands of Drogo in one of Game of Thrones’ most satisfying deaths.
When did the Game of Thrones dragons first appear in the show?
The Game of Thrones dragons first appeared at the climax of season 1, following the death of Daenerys’s husband Khal Drogo.
Earlier in the season, Dany was given three eggs by Illyrio Mopatis to commemorate her marriage to Drogo. She kept these eggs close by at all times, eventually placing them on Drogo’s funeral pyre following his death. Devoid of hope after losing her newborn and having to end Drogo’s life, Dany walked into the raging inferno – leaving Ser Jorah Mormont to assume her dead. Instead, she emerged onto the wastelands beyond Lhazar next morning with three baby dragons clinging to her.
What happened to the other Game of Thrones dragons?
5,000 years before the show began, men of the Valyrian Freehold – Dany’s ancestors – used dragons to wage war across Essos, Westeros’ neighbouring continent. Yet they were almost entirely wiped out in a volcanic event known as the Doom of Valyria, which just one noble family – the Targaryens – survived.
Aegon the Conqueror is the last known Targaryen to have called upon dragons, and used the final three in existence to unify the Seven Kingdoms. In the ASOIAF books the last dragon is a small, sickly green female who gave birth to five eggs that never hatched. The show isn't quite that specific about its final dragons, but Tyrion tells a similar story about them being 'the size of cats' in Game of Thrones season 6.
Game Of Thrones Characters![]()
Game of Thrones season 1 begins around a century later, with the creatures long extinct, and petrified dragon eggs the only thing left of the species. These are assumed to be decorative, but Dany senses that may not be that case upon receiving Illyrio’s gifts. Sure enough, the season 1 finale sees the species resurrected in spectacular fashion.
Where are the Game of Thrones dragons now?
Ahead of season 8, two are alive. One is dead… and yet more dangerous than ever.
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A fiery highlight of season 7 saw Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion fly north of the wall to aid Jon Show in his titanic battle against the wights and White Walkers. It appeared successful until Viserion took a fatal blow to the neck, and sank beneath a frozen lake. Drogon and Rhaegal escaped with Dany and everyone else, and were last seen at the dragonpit parley where the houses of Westeros agreed to a truce. (Lol.)
Viserion, however, wasn’t left to rest in peace. The wights heaved him from the lake to be reanimated by the Night King, and the now blue-eyed wonder closed out the season by destroying Eastwatch-by-the-Sea’s castle and a huge portion of the Wall with icy blue fire – enabling the undead army to swarm into the Seven Kingdoms.
How will the Game of Thrones dragons affect season 8?
‘All men must die’ is a recurring Thrones theme, and don’t be surprised if season 8 extends the ‘men’ rule to ‘scaly creatures with Targaryen connections’. Viserion murdering a sibling would further establish the Night King’s thirst for evil, and be so very GRRM – our money is on Dany’s beloved Drogon getting ice-fired into oblivion.
But this is also a TV show about spectacle, and one of the biggest set pieces imaginable in season 8 is the toppling of an undead dragon. So expect Viserion to fall too, possibly at his own mother’s hand.
Naturally, countless fan theories surrounding their future also exist. One very plausible Reddit notion is Drogon killing Viserion, in a callback to Drogo ‘crowning’ Viserys in season 1.
![]() How do I get my own Game of Thrones dragon?
A variety of essential dragon merch is available, although frustratingly HBO recently closed its UK and EU online stores – so dragon hunters in those territories must use third parties like Forbidden Planet or Amazon instead.
For the fan with plenty of Westerosi coin to spare, this 14” x 18” statue of Dany and Drogon has excellent reviews – though you’d expect it to, at an RRP of $349/£360. Slightly more affordable is a resin Viserion egg: the perfect mantelpiece tribute to the fallen sibling at $54/£40.
If Funko Pops are your jam, then consider the Night King/Icy Viserion Pop Rides figurine for around $25/£25, or plump for one of the individual releases at $15/£15. Here’s Rhaegal. The ultimate Game Of Thrones dragons grail for Funko collectors is a metallic three-pack released in 2015. Deleted long ago, you’re now looking at $125/£150 or more to get hold of that one…
Get ready for the final season with our ultimate Game of Thrones recap or watch the video before to get caught up in 16 minutes.
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