The final 6 ‘Game of Thrones’ episodes might feel like a full season

The only voice I can hear running through my head after watching the Game of Thrones series finale is Jeremy Irons as Scar in The Lion King: “Long live the king.”

I won’t speak for our Three-Eyed Raven readers who guessed the series’s conclusion weeks or even months ago, but it’d be an understatement to say I was caught off-guard. Bran Stark, King of Westeros! Elected to the Iron Throne (well, Iron Slagheap) through a democratic process of a few elite wealthy white people secretly choosing who should lead! It’s progress, sort of!

It’s not exactly the battle of the Mad Queens that we were promised. Neither Daenerys nor Cersei ended up on the Iron Throne. The throne, and all it represented, was melted down into a pool of lava by an emotionally distraught dragon. No one said symbolism had to be subtle.

Regardless of how people felt about the episode (the next big battle is playing out on Twitter right now as people defend why they liked the outcome or rage about how they hated it), the reality is that it’s over. Game of Thrones has ended. It feels surreal to type those words. If you’ll forgive me, I’d like to take a second to say goodbye.

Game of Thrones was the internet’s show. It became a weekly communal and interactive affair. I’m not necessarily going to miss the fiercely loyal Starks or dysfunctional Lannisters, but I will miss tweeting, reading, and writing about it every week. I will miss bickering about plot points and reading fan theories. I will miss everything about Game of Thrones that made it special, and that ironically has less to do with Game of Thrones as a show and more to do with the community that grew around it and took ownership of it. Frankly, I am sorry we’re moving past this cultural milestone. Maybe it’s corny to admit, but as the meme says, Game of Thrones was about the friends we made along the way.

I’m so thankful I was given the privilege of spending time with you, dear readers, who came back week after week to see how points were assigned and talk with other fans in the comments section. I hope we can do it again soon with three different Game of Thrones prequel series. Until then, let’s get into the final Game of Thrones recap and hand out some points.