Tolkien’s revered The Lord of the Rings, the magic that was present in Game of Thrones was a sight to behold. While it’s not the awe-inspiring high fantasy of genre pillars like J. are struggling to restructure to bring back that vintage brand of Thrones-flavored political intrigue. Her initial exploits across the seas could even be (one of) the POVs to introduce a new threat that compels Arya back home to Jon, Sansa, and Bran and perhaps to a Westeros that Bran and co. Just as important, though, is that this sequel doesn’t force audiences to slog through another handful of seasons without Arya and the rest of the Starks interacting. So much is ripe for the picking out of Martin’s lore, and while HBO is undoubtedly workshopping other Thrones-related shows to expand the world, this Jon-led sequel could bring to life tantalizing places like the Shadow Lands of Asshai, where dragons were rumored to have originated. Arya’s growth into a swashbuckling adventurer could also be turned into a positive akin to Jon’s banishment to the Night’s Watch, as it naturally creates another branching storyline from a unique perspective.Ĭoming along with this new perspective are new sights that could explore both what’s west of Westeros and the places of Essos we’ve yet to see. There’s plenty of Martin’s rich fantasy world that’s yet to be visualized, and the prospect of exploring land beyond both Westeros and Essos is a thrilling one, even if creatively risky. The likes of Tyrion Lannister, Brienne of Tarth, Sansa, Bran, and Arya Stark could easily justify a place in a brand new dark fantasy epic after they survived Daenerys’ whiplash-inducing descent into an authoritarian overlord. While it’s all speculation as of now, the original report of this possible sequel series could pave the way for the original shows’ survivors to make a comeback as well. The cartographers of the world of Game of Thrones haven’t documented beyond Westeros and Essos, which makes for another easy blank canvas for a future creative team to paint themselves. Maisie Williams’ character went on a bleak globetrotting journey following the Stark family’s cruel separation, and the final season sees Arya decide to leave again to explore literal uncharted territory. Just as ambiguous as Jon’s ending in Game of Thrones season 8 was Arya Stark’s. If done right and placed in deft and tactful hands, this could be HBO’s chance at an excellent comeback for a character that deserves to maintain a place in the “hall of fame” for iconic pop culture fantasy heroes. And just like the original show opens by setting up all the moving pieces on the bloody chess board, Jon Snow’s journey through a newer part of the world to him could be one of those intimate and methodically placed narrative pieces for HBO’s potential sequel series. Game of Thrones- for the most part - was consistently strong in balancing action set pieces with character-driven drama, and it was arguably at its best in the tense and/or quieter moments of the latter. Likewise, Jon was the only one in centuries to bother to see the Free Folk as they are, instead of exclusively as ravenous “Wildlings.” Spending those years seeing their humanity and trying to unite the bitter factions on the opposite sides of the Wall against a daunting, more important threat could use Jon trying to help reorganize them alongside Tormund in season 8’s aftermath as another great buildup story. On top of just getting to see Jon and Tormund Giantsbane’s friendship on the small screen again, the vastness of the northern-most regions of Westeros could justify new adventures that eventually feed into a grander storyline and conflict. If nothing else, Jon Snow’s curtain call in season 8 is just open-ended enough to provide a fresh showrunner(s) and writing team with the springboard to start a new character arc. That being said, seeing Jon’s life in the “True North” with the Free Folk offers a refreshing blank slate of a premise - or at least the setup for one. With the Night King defeated along with his army of White Walkers, the Night’s Watch doesn’t seem to have much of a purpose - nor a certain Grey Worm to stay and enforce Jon’s banishment in the first place. Jon Snow’s character arc was arguably the second most disappointing in Game of Thrones season 8, just behind Daenerys Targaryan’s, with the White Wolf being surprisingly banished to the Night’s Watch and presumably living out his days beyond the wall.
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