'Game of Thrones' Finale Explained: 5 Unanswered Questions After the End

Game of Thrones is over, but we still have plenty of questions. The series finale aired on May 19, bringing an end to eight seasons of dragons and politics, but for every loose thread tied up and character arc resolved, there are two more that never got closure.

Seriously, if we tried to list all our grievances, we’d be here all day. So instead, here are five unanswered questions from the Game of Thrones finale that are still bugging Inverse’s team of GoT experts.

Oh, and this should be obvious, but huge Game of Thrones spoilers ahead.

5. Did Arya’s “Green Eyes” Prophecy Mean Anything?

Remember this whole thing about Arya and her prophecy from Melisandre? How she would close shut brown eyes (Walder Frey), blue eyes (the Night King), and green eyes? That didn’t happen.

So many guessed that “green eyes” was Cersei, but she died under rubble with her brother/lover Jaime. Tyrion and Jaime also have green eyes, as does Daenerys (in the show, not the books). But still, nada. So here we are, Game of Thrones 100 percent donezo, and a big prophecy that’s fueled speculation for weeks (if not years) was left unfulfilled. (Eric Francisco)

4. What Was the Point of Cersei’s Pregnancy?

When Cersei Lannister revealed she was pregnant at the end of Season 7, it was surprising, but there was no doubt she would use the news as a power play. And that’s exactly what she did in the Season 7 finale, using the pregnancy to trick Tyrion during a standoff with Daenerys.

The early episodes of Season 8 continued this trend of manipulation, but then it became a fairly pointless subplot. Euron Greyjoy really believed he would father a child with Cersei, but the truth (that it was Jaime’s baby) never came back to bite her like it would have in earlier seasons of Game of Thrones.

Instead, nothing came of it, and she ended up dying with no follow-through. Why would Game of Thrones introduce a pregnancy so late in the game knowing Cersei would die in Season 8? Cersei’s pregnancy was treated a lot like Daenerys’ supposed infertility in Season 7. It was brought up as being important, only for it to be dropped and forgotten later. (Mae Abdulbaki)

3. Are Goth Powers a Prerequisite for the Crown Now?

With the new government established at the end of Game of Thrones, Westeros has put in place a philosopher king who has been “democratically” selected by the aristocracy. But who’s next? Bran will inevitably grow old (even Three-Eyed Ravens die eventually), and there will be a need for a new king. What then?

Much of this actually relies on our lack of true knowledge regarding the Three-Eyed Raven. How does it get passed down? Who picks the next Three-Eyed Raven? Does being “all-knowing” actually make you a qualified ruler?

We know a lot more about Aang and his Avatar powers on Avatar: The Last Airbender than we do the Three-Eyed Raven in GoT, and it seems we’ll never know all the details — unless there’s a sequel, of course. (Eric Francisco)

2. Will Bran Tell Everyone About His Powers?

I still have some trouble with the fact that Bran got elected to be the king. (How does this even make sense?!) What troubles me the most about this development is the fact that Bran presumably never disclosed his abilities as the Three-Eyed Raven to anyone before he became king, during the election process, or in the first months of his reign. If we go strictly by what was seen onscreen, then Bran has never told anyone outright about his ability to warg or use greensight.

Tyrion has only the vaguest understanding of Bran’s abilities (see: his speech about Bran knowing all of the stories of Westeros in the series finale). Bran has similarly hinted at his powers. We saw this during the Battle of Winterfell planning scene, when he explained why the Night King will go after him, but Bran has never detailed what he can actually do (like time travel or change the past, for example). These are useful tools for any leader, so why wouldn’t Bran gives his closest advisors a head’s up? (Allie Gemmill)

1. What Did Bran Do During the Great Battle of Winterfell?

When the Night King was bearing down on the godswood to destroy the Three-Eyed Raven, Bran Stark activated his powers. “I’m going now,” he said to Theon Greyjoy before seemingly warging into some ravens (essentially doing nothing). We’re led to believe he’s doing something a little more important than rewatching history to distract himself. Is he warging into a dragon, undead or otherwise? Is he somehow controlling wights in the undead army to influence the battle? Is he traveling into the past and influencing the timeline to somehow manipulate a chain of events that leads to victory?

In this, Game of Thrones takes its usual route by implying so much more depth to this universe and its events than what actually exists. Bran did something during that battle. Most of us assumed it was important, but we’ll never know the truth. This, like so many unfulfilled plot threads, ultimately cheapens the series as a whole. (Corey Plante)