How Game of Thrones Season 8 Should Have Ended - Episode 4: The Last of the Starks
"Ghost is still missing after the Battle of Winterfell..."
This is a 4-episode treatment I wrote [very quickly] straight after watching the much-disputed finale to Game of Thrones in 2019.
It picks up at episode four, because the opening three episodes were fine — more than fine, in the case of The Long Night, which was stunning. I also added an extra episode called The Trident.
It’s raw and unedited and utterly pointless, but if you’re a fan of the show, you might enjoy it.
So, without further ado…
The Last of the Starks
Ghost is still missing after the Battle of Winterfell.
Jon leads a mass funeral cremation for the dead. At a feast, Daenerys legitimizes Gendry as a Baratheon and makes him Lord of Storm’s End, the ancestral home of House Baratheon. Gendry proposes to Arya, but she declines — he decides to return to Storm’s End to fortify it against a potential Lannister attack.
Jaime reveals to Brienne that he still believes Cersei can change but would rather kill her himself than let Daenerys burn her alive.
Dany and Jon talk privately about their shared Targaryen lineage. She tearfully admits that she wants the throne but will submit to him when the time comes. Jon insists he doesn’t want to be king, and she is the only Queen he will bow to. A servant girl listening outside the door reports this to Varys.
At King’s Landing, Cersei delivers a speech to a crowd of lords and ladies in the throne room, warning them of the impending approach of the Dragon Queen. She tells them rumours of an army of the dead were lies spread by Daenerys and the North to unsettle them before declaring that King’s Landing will be ready for any dragon attack.
Daenerys plans to immediately storm King’s Landing, but Sansa argues the remaining soldiers need time to recover. Bran tempers the situation by reminding them they won the Battle of Winterfell only because they all worked together.
Ultimately they agree Jon will lead the army on foot while Daenerys and her fleet sail to Dragonstone. Afterwards, Arya and Sansa tell Jon they distrust Daenerys, but he defends her. As they leave, Bran warns Jon not to tell anyone who he is until the time comes.
In a tavern elsewhere in Westeros, Bronn receives a message from Varys. Arya and Sandor Clegane ride for King’s Landing, with Sandor swearing he will kill his brother or die trying. Sansa reveals her misgivings about Dany to Tyrion, who reminds her it was a Lannister monarch who killed her father, not a Targaryen.
Tormund returns to the Wall with the wildlings. Jon bids farewell to Sam and a pregnant Gilly. Jaime leaves for King’s Landing, despite Brienne’s tearful plea that he stay. He tells her he’ll come back for her and they share a kiss.
Sansa admits to Dany that in spite of everything, she still doesn’t trust her completely, but says she’ll bend the knee if it means Cersei is defeated. Dany says she wants Sansa to rule the North because she can think of no-one better to do it. They part on better terms, though not entirely at peace.
Tyrion and Brienne watch the Northern army move out. Brienne reveals that Jaime is travelling solo to King’s Landing to deal with Cersei, one way or the other. Tyrion asks her to stay at Winterfell and protect Sansa, for now.
Dany and Jon reaffirm their love for one another as they part. As Jon leads the Northerners, Unsullied and a handful of Dothraki south, Dany sadly watches him go with one hand on her belly.
Share your thoughts in the comments below!
When Sora gets released to the public you should produce this and distribute on YouTube or patreon!