It is difficult to deny that the final season of Game of Thrones was disastrous. The franchise had already been declining before season 8 began, but the ending proved to be a complete dud. With just six episodes to wrap up a world-spanning story, it failed to conclude any of its arcs satisfactorily. Daenerys Targaryen, Jon Snow, Arya Stark, and countless other characters never received a fitting or well-developed finale.
A common argument for the show’s flawed ending ties directly to the fact that author George R. R. Martin has not completed the books that inspired the show. Creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss were left with nothing more than bullet points to craft the conclusion to an incredibly complex story. It is easy to see how anyone could have failed, considering that even Martin has not been able to finish the story. Still, the reality is that the show planted the seeds early on when it left out a crucial character.
Game of Thrones Season 8 Was Fundamentally Flawed
It is hard to ignore that Game of Thrones made big mistakes in its last season. The Long Night, which could have been a season-long arc, ended in a single episode, despite being a crucial part of the show. After seven entire seasons of build-up, the franchise failed to capitalize on the White Walkers, who died from a single stab by an 18-year-old. That is easily the most recognizable issue, but the reality is that there were other major concerns with the final seasons. Character arcs were the most significant issues.
The show completely failed characters that had been stars since season 1.
Daenerys Targaryen, a central character, turned into an absolute monster in the span of a single season. After spending the show fighting evil and swearing to protect the innocent, she burned the people of King’s Landing as easily as she might have mowed a lawn. The snap made her completely unrecognizable and lacked the build-up that it needed. To make matters worse, that left Jon Snow with no character arc left, except to kill Daenerys and retreat beyond the Wall. He had no agency throughout the entire season, as he largely just followed others like Ghost trailed him.
Even the Lannisters were underutilized. Jaime’s entire character arc was reversed, as he ran back to Cersei with little prompting and even less of an invitation. Jaime had something to do, at least, as he served as a soldier and warrior in battle. Cersei did nothing for two seasons, as she was far more content to stand on a balcony and sip wine. The show completely failed characters that had been stars since season 1. Yet the biggest issue with their arcs ties back to that character that Game of Thrones did not include.
There Was Supposed To Be a Third Targaryen
In George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones books, new characters are regularly introduced throughout the series. One fresh character appeared in the fifth book, which happens to be the last published mainline release. Young Griff was introduced as a member of a mercenary band. The son of the gruff and stern Griff, he was a blue-haired boy with the backing of the entire Goden Company behind him. The boy’s purpose was confusing at first, as he had the backing of Illyrio and Varys without having much influence within Westeros. Of course, there is a good reason for that.
The truth is that Young Griff is meant to be Aegon Targaryen, the firstborn son of Rhaegar. Varys claims to have saved him when he was an infant and replaced him with a peasant boy before the Mountain could strike. Unlike Jon Snow, who was raised with no understanding of his history, Young Griff was raised to be the perfect king. He was a friend to the commonfolk, a skilled fisherman, and a powerful warrior. While his temper was short, the young boy’s arrogance was easily explained by his grand purpose. He is meant to come to Westeros and retake the crown for House Targaryen. Though he was supposed to align with Daenerys, he instead elected to charge into Westeros to take King’s Landing for himself. That is where A Dance With Dragons left him, and his story has never been resolved.
In all likelihood, Young Griff would have been playing multiple roles in the show, had he been adapted. He likely would have taken Cersei’s place, as she had little to do throughout the final seasons. Having another Targaryen in King’s Landing would explain Daenerys’ pressure to take the city and her slow decline in sanity. After all, Westeros would be attempting to replace her before she even set foot on the continent. He could have made Daenerys more paranoid about potential Targaryens, as well. With one Targaryen already ruling in King’s Landing, her need to prevent conflicting claims would have made much more sense. She could marry Aegon, but she could not marry Aegon and Jon without alienating the Faith. Considering Young Griff’s background, she might have also struggled to reconcile his history.
Young Griff Even Has a Fascinating Twist
Despite being introduced as a secret Targaryen, there is a chance that Young Griff is another character altogether. Throughout the short-lived Targaryen royal history, the family has been at risk of warring with itself. The Dance of the Dragons was one great civil war, but it was not the last. After Aegon the Unworthy named his bastards as legitimate sons, Daemon “Blackfyre” Targaryen began a series of wars, which are known as the Blackfyre Rebellions. The family was supposedly killed off, but there is a chance that it survived through the maternal line. To make matters worse for the Targaryens, the books have been steadily hinting at the idea that Young Griff could be a Blackfyre.
In the books, Daenerys has dreams of a “mummer’s dragon“, which disguises itself as kin and is a charade. Blackfyres have the same general appearance as Targaryens. They also have purple hair and silver eyes. While it would be difficult to find a random purple-eyed baby to replace the baby Aegon with, having a Blackfyre take his place later in life is possible. Besides, there is no way that Illyrio could have known that the Mountain would shatter a baby’s face to make him completely unrecognizable. It makes much more sense if Young Griff’s story was concocted after Aegon’s death.
His connection to the Golden Company is also damning evidence that he is not a true-blooded Targaryen. The mercenary band is known for its refusal to ever break a contract. Yet, after Young Griff called them to rally, the group immediately marched to war. There is good reason for their duplicitous betrayal of those who initially contracted them. After all, the Blackfyres started the Golden Company, and it has remained loyal to the family ever since. Aligning with a Blackfyre is the only reason that the Golden Company would ever even consider breaking their word.
Young Griff Was Cut for Practical Reasons
Young Griff is undoubtedly a fascinating character, who could have offered added intrigue late in the show’s run. His exclusion hurt Daenerys’ character and diminished Jon Snow’s reveal as a secret Targaryen. Had he been included, however, it might have simply been too late in the show’s run. Coming only in book 5 made him a jarring inclusion with little connection to the overall plot initially. His presence made Varys retroactively more compelling, but the character would still have been a lot for audiences to accept with just a few episodes to go. Additionally, casting and hiring a new major character would be an enormous ask for an ensemble as big as Game of Thrones‘.
It makes sense to cut him from the show, but his inclusion could have prevented serious long-term issues. Young Griff’s inclusion easily could have saved season 8, even if he might have irritated audiences initially. Thematically, he was an incredibly important character who never had a chance to shine. He makes Daenerys, Jon, Varys, and even Cersei better characters through just the ideation process alone. Without him, the writers needed to retroactively shovel in narratives that were designed for the inclusion of an Aegon VI Targaryen. Daenerys needed to burn King’s Landing, Cersei needed to become a capricious ruler, and Jon Snow needed to be named Aegon to fill the three-headed dragon prophecy. Young Griff should never have been excluded from Game of Thrones season 8. Without him, the entire narrative of the show completely collapsed.
