AND SO

    And so it is over. The latest obsession of America finished last nite, not with a bang, but with a weak uh huh. It was anti climaxit, disappointing in the beginning or rather at the moment of it happening. Yes. Jon Snow knifed Dany in the heart in the midst of a kiss - an act of heroism and sacrifice or an act of cowardice and treason? And it seemed as if the only ones who mourned were the Unsullied and the last remaining dragon whose grief was deep and dark.
    But think about the endings for there were many. Dany was turning into the worst nightmare for Westeros. She was turning into another version of her father, the Mad King. She would destroy the people of the nation, was treasonous even in her attempts to suborn the entire revolution to her own aims and goals. So Tyrion and Jon Snow took action, hard and heartbreaking action for they loved their Queen, but were not blinded by this love to the danger she posed to all.
     And so the consequences began. The nation was now leaderless. Who would reign - for there was not even any longer an Iron Throne, for the dragon had melted it in its grief and anger. And it seemed even as the old self promotions were to take place, Tyrion put a stop to it with his suggestion of Brandon the Broken, the one who truly did not want the throne but who knew it was coming his way. The Council even laughed off Sam's suggestion that maybe, just maybe, the choice of king, of ruler, should be left to the people. Hmmm. Interesting thought, that.
     And so, Sansa would now reign as the Queen of the North, following in her father's footsteps, the first martyr of the series so many years ago. Jon Snow was relegated to the backwoods of the kingdom, or rather to the frozen northern frontier, to leave civilization and a future behind - no family, no children, no contact with his curent family, just exile - and yet to serve the Kingdom. Once again he was to be sacrificed on the altar of the nation, despite the desires of Grey Worm.
     And so, so it was to be but wait. Do not go yet. Think about it. House Stark ended up on top, making up for Ned's beheading. Sansa Queen. Brandon King. Jon Snow alive and well, especially as his future became brighter when he was received with honor and welcome by all the Wildings, as he rode off with them, away from the wall, (hmmm), away from his heap of the trash of history, celebrated as their ruler, with his Direwolf beside him. The man was in triumph! A smile played on his lips. He had a future and who knows, perhaps a family.
     As for Arya, well, she is the best of the bunch. She was a little girl when she witnessed her father's cruel and treasonous death. She made her way in a cruel world beyond our understanding. She lost herself, only to find her soul again and was able to feel  the awfulness of the burning of King's Landing by Dany and her pet! She came through at the most critical moments of the fight against the Night King and Cersei, but also found herself, cleaned herself up, showed her love and loyalty to Jon Snow, and is setting off on the adventure of her young life, discovering what was there where the maps ended, the constant evolution of mankind and its knowledge, its seeking a new and better way of life, to know what was out there. (Sequel maybe?)
     So House Stark ended up sitting pretty at the end. The villains received their just dues and it seemed as if justice and common sense ruled the day. But did it? Our final scene of the Council was of Tyrion fussing with the chairs and then seeing them messed up by the Council members and then we see them bickering over the same nonsense as they jockeyed for power and prestige. And so what did they learn? Did they benefit from the knowledge so cruelly gained? I doubt it, and their new King just wheeled in and out with no emotion breaking the mask of his face.
    And so, our lessons. First, this was a great series and I "bend the knee" to George R.R. Martin for his talent, to the showrunners, the cast, the crew, and to all of us who recognized the greatness, though imperfect,of this series.
     And so, I hope we were all able to transfer the knowledge into reality, see the corrupt rulers of our day, see the necessity to defend against them and their nefarious plans for society and all mankind, against any one family gaining all the power, holding all the reins in their hot little hands. Hodor died chanting "Hold door!" and we must recognize that heroism. We, too, must hold the door against the onslaught of the dead, of the Night King and his dead cohort. We must fight against those who would keep power from the people, who seek only more power, more money, who encourage hatred for it serves their purposes quite well. We must fight against those who would consign whole segments of society to the trash barrel where they will remain unless someone needs them to serve a selfish purpose. Read this as you will and as you might for such is the power and the skill of literature and art. And so, we come to the end - but did we?