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. In a military style speech, Daenerys declares to the Unsullied and Dothraki that she will liberate the entire world. Tyrion publicly resigns as Daenerys' Hand in protest of the mass murders, and is arrested for treason for freeing his brother. Both Arya Stark and Tyrion warn Jon that Daenerys will likely have him and Sansa Stark killed as threats to her own rule and the fate of Westeros is in his hands.

In the throne room, Jon confronts Daenerys, who justifies her murder of children by blaming Cersei for using them as human shields. She will not forgive Tyrion or the Lannister prisoners, arguing that their executions — and the liberation campaign — are necessary to establish her vision of a good world. Jon reluctantly stabs and kills her while they kiss. Drogon melts the Iron Throne, and carries Daenerys' body away. Jon is arrested.

Some time later, Westeros' most powerful lords and ladies convene to decide their next ruler. Tyrion, still a prisoner, suggests that future kings and queens be chosen by the nobility, instead of inheriting the crown. Tyrion nominates Brandon Stark; the rest acquiesce, except for Sansa, who declares the North's secession from the Seven Kingdoms. Bran agrees, appoints Tyrion to be his Hand, and sentences Jon to rejoin the Night's Watch for murdering his queen, which appeases the Unsullied. Grey Worm leads the Unsullied to Naath, Missandei’s homeland.

Tyrion reorganizes the Small Council to include Bronn, now Lord of Highgarden, Brienne of Tarth, Davos, and Samwell Tarly, 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 he notes a few positions aren't filled. Bran says he may be able to find Drogon. Arya sets sail to explore the uncharted seas west of Westeros; Sansa is appointed Queen in the North by the local lords; and Jon, reunited with Tormund Giantsbane and Ghost, leads a group of Wildling refugees 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 the scene in which the characters gather in King's Landing, 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

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the episode has 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."

Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic wrote that this finale saw a "drama turned into a sitcom", "a cheapo network affair" at that. To Kornhaber, the episode was "tonally odd, logically strained, and emotionally thin". Kelly Lawler of USA Today wrote that for a series about "tragedy and injustice", its show became "unrecognizable" because its finale was instead "hacky", "cliched" and "pandering"; the show "didn't gracefully swerve into another lane, it careened off a cliff." In The Daily Telegraph, Amy Jones felt that Daenerys had been betrayed by what she called a "nonsensical and unfair" sudden change in her character.

Jeremy Egner of The New York Times wrote that "a Shakespearean saga about power, blood and loyalty" culminated in the event that "a wizard was put in charge". Egner felt that "in a show that was once defined by a kind of gritty realism within a fantastical setting, Bran is the ultimate cheat" for becoming king. Verne Gay of Newsday wrote that Bran becoming king "still seems a bit of a letdown", with "middle ground" being found between winning and dying during the game of thrones. Gay also predicted that Daenerys' death and Bran's ascension "almost seemed to ensure that much if not most of the fan base would be annoyed (or enraged)".

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." Soumya Srivastava of Hindustan Times wrote that the episode (rated 3/5) was the second worst of the series (in front of the prior episode "The Bells"), featuring time-wasting moments even in the midst of "the hurry to get to the finish line", and illogical storylines such as Daenerys failing to realize Jon was a threat, and Jon's parentage amounting to nothing of importance.

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." Richard Roeper, writing for the Chicago Sun-Times, wrote that the episode was "melancholy, bittersweet, twist-filled and at times surprisingly humorous". Sean Collins of Rolling Stone wrote that this episode was a "bittersweet", "quiet, and quietly lovely, affair... After showing us a nightmare for eight seasons, Game of Thrones finally dares to dream of spring." 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", instead resembling a "clearance sale", but still was "adequately just, narratively symmetrical and sufficiently poignant", with "swelling imagery".

External links

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