Game of Thrones: Jon, not Bran, had the best “story”

Season 8, episode 5 (debut 5/12/19): Liam Cunningham, Kit Harington.

photo: Helen Sloan/HBO

Jon Had The Better “Story”

Based on Tyrion’s “story” argument, Jon, not Bran would the best choice for King. Jon grew up thinking he was a bastard then went to join the Night’s Watch. He lived with the Wildlings, became the Commander of the Night’s Watch, and was ultimately the world’s leading advocate for coming together to fight the White Walkers. His strategies were not always perfect, but he won the battle against Mance Rayder and the Wildlings, the Battle of the Bastards, and the war against the White Walkers. And did I mention he DIED then came back to life? And what about the world’s biggest secret about his true Targaryen heritage and the fact that he was the rightful heir to the throne? He fell in love with the Mother of Dragons, only to find out she was his aunt. He rode a dragon,  and to top it all off, he essentially saved the world by killing the women he loved.

A lot of people in Game of Thrones have “great stories.” Arya, for one, could arguably give Jon a run for his money. But in terms of potential rulers, the winner of the “story” test seems to be Jon. Not only is his story remarkable, but it is also a story that would be clearly understood by the people of the realm. I don’t know how many people knew about the Three-Eyed Raven, but everyone would be struck by the reveal of Jon’s lineage, the fact that he killed the “Mad Queen,” the fact he literally came back to life, and maybe most importantly, the fact that he was the rightful heir to the throne.

If offered the throne, Jon may very well have rejected it as he repeatedly said he would, but it seems strange that he was not at least given the chance to do so. Instead, they decided to exile Jon to appease Greyworm and the Unsullied, which didn’t exactly make sense (were there really so many Unsullied left that they carried that much leverage in negotiations?).