The Iron Throne (Game of Thrones)

This article is about the TV episode. For the plot device, see Iron Throne (A Song of Ice and Fire).

"The Iron Throne"
Game of Thrones episode
Episode no.	Season 8 Episode 6
Directed by	David Benioff D. B. Weiss
Written by	David Benioff D. B. Weiss
Featured music	Ramin Djawadi
Cinematography by	Jonathan Freeman
Editing by	Katie Weiland
Original air date	May 19, 2019 (2019-05-19)
Running time	80 minutes
Guest appearances
Gemma Whelan as Yara Greyjoy Tobias Menzies as Edmure Tully Daniel Portman as Podrick Payne Rupert Vansittart as Yohn Royce Lino Facioli as Robin Arryn Richard Rycroft as Maester Wolkan Gabriel Akuwudike Noel Harron Toby Osmond as the unnamed Prince of Dorne Andrew Bicknell as an unnamed lord Michael Benbaruk as an unnamed lord Frank Jakeman Niall Bishop Padraig O'Grady Eoin Duffy Shane Whisker Lorcan Strain Ella-Rose Sands

"The Iron Throne" is the series finale of the American fantasy drama television series Game of Thrones. It is the sixth episode of the eighth season and the 73rd overall episode of the series. Written and directed by the series creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, it aired on HBO in the United States and Canada on May 19, 2019.

"The Iron Throne" features the characters dealing with the aftermath of Daenerys Targaryen's destruction of King's Landing, and the crowning of the rulers over Westeros.

Plot

Jon Snow and Davos Seaworth survey the destruction Daenerys Targaryen wrought on King's Landing while Tyrion Lannister finds Jaime and Cersei Lannister's corpses in the ruins of the Red Keep. Grey Worm executes Lannister soldiers, saying Daenerys ordered it. She declares to the Unsullied and Dothraki that she will liberate the entire world. Tyrion publicly resigns as her Hand in protest of the slaughter, after admitting to treason in freeing Jaime. He is arrested.

Arya Stark warns Jon that Daenerys will kill him as a threat to her rule. Jon visits Tyrion, who asks him to kill Daenerys for being the people's greatest threat. Tyrion warns Jon that neither Sansa or Arya will obey her.

In the throne room, Jon confronts Daenerys, who justifies her burning of children by blaming Cersei for using them as human shields. Convinced only she and he can determine what is good, she will continue her liberation campaign and execute Tyrion and the Lannister prisoners, arguing that this is crucial to her vision of a good world. Unable to dissuade her, a conflicted Jon reaffirms his fealty to her and stabs her as they kiss. Jon grieves; Drogon melts the Iron Throne and carries her corpse away. Jon is arrested.

Some time later, sixteen esteemed Westorosi convene to discuss Jon's fate. Tyrion, still Grey Worm's prisoner, suggests that future kings and queens be chosen by a similar council, instead of inheriting the throne. Tyrion nominates Brandon Stark; the rest agree, except for Sansa, who declares the North's secession from the Seven Kingdoms. Bran agrees, appoints Tyrion his Hand, and sentences Jon to rejoin the Night's Watch for murdering his queen. This appeases the Unsullied, who head to Naath, Missandei’s homeland.

Tyrion reorganizes the Small Council to include Bronn (Master of Coin and Lord of Highgarden), Brienne of Tarth (Kingsguard Captain), Davos (Master of Ships), and Samwell Tarly (Grand Maester), and they begin planning to rebuild King's Landing. Sam presents A Song of Ice and Fire, a history book of Westeros following the death of Robert Baratheon, written by Archmaester Ebrose. Bran briefly meets with the Council, which still lacks Masters of Laws, Whispers and War. He tasks himself with finding Drogon, last seen heading east, and is wheeled away by newly-knighted Ser Podrick Payne of the Kingsguard.

Arya sets sail to explore the uncharted area west of Westeros, Sansa is coronated Queen in the North by the local lords, and Jon accompanies Tormund Giantsbane, Ghost and a large group of Wildlings into the forest beyond the Wall.

Production

Writing

The episode was written by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss.

Filming

The episode was directed by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss.

During filming of the Dragonpit scene in Seville, Spain, HBO brought uninvolved actors to the city to hide plot points. Two plastic water bottles were spotted by the audience behind John Bradley and Liam Cunningham's feet.

Casting

This episode saw the return of Tobias Menzies as Edmure Tully and Lino Facioli as Robin Arryn, neither of whom had appeared since the sixth season.

Reception

Ratings

The episode was viewed by 13.6 million viewers on its initial live broadcast on HBO, making it the most watched episode of the series, surpassing the preceding episode "The Bells", as well as the most watched HBO telecast ever, surpassing the 13.4 million viewers of The Sopranos episode "For All Debts Public and Private". An additional 5.7 million viewers watched on streaming platforms, for a total of 19.3 million viewers.

Critical response

TV Guide's consensus concluded that the Game of Thrones finale "finished strong," ranking it #33 on the list of all 73 episodes. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the episode had an approval rating of 48% based on 120 reviews, and an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "If nothing else, 'The Iron Throne' is a bittersweet – if unfortunately bland – series finale that ensures Game of Thrones fans will linger on the fate of their favorite characters for some time. Will they ever be satisfied by the show's conclusions? Ask us again in 10 years."

Richard Roeper, writing for the Chicago Sun-Times, wrote that "over all, the finale was a solid and largely satisfying wrap-up to one of the most exciting and enthralling TV series ever," and was "melancholy, bittersweet, twist-filled and at times surprisingly humorous." Lucy Mangan of The Guardian gave a 4/5 rating, stating that "the finale just about delivered. It was true to the series' overall subject – war, and the pity of war – and, after doing a lot of wrong to several protagonists last week, did right by those left standing." Sean Collins of Rolling Stone wrote that this episode was a "bittersweet" and "after showing us a nightmare for eight seasons, Game of Thrones finally dares to dream of spring."

James Poniewozik of The New York Times wrote that "as a finale, “The Iron Throne” was limited by the story arc that led up to it. But it also recalled the epic and intimate moments that made “Game of Thrones” a genuinely exciting, absorbing appointment." Hank Stuever of The Washington Post wrote that in this episode, the series "sailed (and trotted) off to a noble and perhaps anticlimactic end." "It was everything nobody wanted", but was "adequately just, narratively symmetrical and sufficiently poignant", with "swelling imagery".

Myles McNutt of The A.V. Club wrote: "For as much as the show devolved somewhat in its final seasons, it always held onto something beyond spectacle, and its series finale asserts that in ways that reinforce Game Of Thrones’ status as a singular television experience." Laura Prudom of IGN wrote that the "bittersweet" but "hopeful" finale was "not a disaster", but also "not quite the dream of spring we might've hoped for", "struggling to resolve many of the show's lingering plot threads in a satisfying and coherent conclusion (and ignoring others completely), and once again falling victim to the season's needlessly truncated episode order."

Hugh Montgomery of BBC rated the episode 4/5, writing that the finale largely satisfies "on the terms the creators have [previously] set out" in the "ruinous" penultimate episode. Bran becoming king was "true to the show’s sense of realpolitik" as a "contingently happy ending", whereas the show "provides an efficient, if disappointingly uncontroversial, ending" for Jon, Arya and Sansa. Karl Quinn of The Age wrote that the show "may have resolved itself" too quickly in dramatic terms, but "made perfect sense" thematically. "After all the bloodshed, butchery and burning, Game of Thrones ended not with a bang but with a ballot. Democracy trounced dragons."

Kelly Lawler of USA Today wrote that for a series about tragedy and injustice, the finale was "unrecognizable" for being "hacky", "cliched" and "pandering"; the show "didn't gracefully swerve into another lane, it careened off a cliff." Lenika Cruz of The Atlantic wrote, "I’ll admit, the crosscutting of the scenes showing the Starks finding their own, separate ways forward was beautifully done. It made me wish the episode as a whole had been more cohesive, less rushed, and more emotionally resonant." Nancy Kaffer of the Detroit Free Press wrote that the ending was "Eh", "resolving details that didn't have much emotional heft or meaning."

Barry Hertz of The Globe and Mail wrote that audiences have "every right to now feel corrupted and betrayed" as he felt the finale was an implied response from showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss to prior audience criticism: "We're great storytellers, so shut up". On crowning Bran king because 'he has the best story', Hertz felt that while Bran's story was "pretty good", Arya's was the best.

External links

• "The Iron Throne" at HBO.com
• "The Iron Throne (Game of Thrones)" at IMDb