Nerd Processor
These Are the 3 Questions About the ‘Game of Thrones’ Finale That Matter
Despite the show’s happy ending, the future of Westeros is still dark and full of terrors
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Whether you loved or hated the Game of Thrones finale, there’s no argument that it was a surprisingly happy ending for a place where, to paraphrase Ramsay Bolton, you shouldn’t expect happy endings. From the army of the dead to the dragon queen, all the major threats to the realm have been vanquished. The monarch is now a quasi-elected position, and no one evil is in charge of anything.
But there are still three major issues the series failed to address, which means things aren’t looking nearly as good for the Seven Kingdoms as the finale would have us believe. These are the questions that are haunting me — and they should be haunting you, too.
What was up with the Red God?
There are a few religions in the Game of Thrones universe, although only one should really exist. That’s because R’hllor, aka the Lord of Light, aka the Red God, the power worshipped by the priestess Melisandre and various peoples of the east, seems to be the only 100% actual deity of in the Game of Thrones. We know this because he literally gives his worshippers powers — like resurrecting the dead. He can put prophetic visions in fires for anyone to see, like the Hound, who saw the Wall coming down in the flames of a fireplace during season seven. And since his priests and priestesses can resurrect nonworshippers, R’hllor seems to have at least some degree of power over everyone on the planet no matter who or what they worship.
Although the Lord of Light had a very clear agenda for defeating the White Walkers, R’hllor is no benevolent god. He was also happy to give Melisandre the power to murder the people Stannis Baratheon wanted dead, either by shadow baby assassin or royal blood–filled voodoo leeches. Melisandre also burned Stannis’ daughter Shireen alive to save his weary, hungry troops back in season five. It didn’t work — R’hllor is powerful but not omnipotent, apparently — but for the most part, the Lord of Light held up his end of the bargain.
