'Game of Thrones': Big questions that remain unanswered after the finale

Game of Thrones may have tied up eight seasons worth of storylines but there were still more than a few plot holes to contend with by the end of “The Iron Throne.”

The complex series had put into play several subplots and narratives over the years, but by the fantasy series’ close several were left unresolved.

Here are some of the more pressing questions fans wanted answers to...

Why was The Night King killed so easily?

The Night King was meant to be the biggest threat to existence in Westeros and his forces did well to devour and add to its army of white walkers as it made its way South from beyond the Wall, but once they arrived in Winterfell it was game over.

Arya dealt with the icy leader with one slick stab move to the stomach with Valyrian steel and suddenly he and every wight were dusted.

Read more: George R.R. Martin addresses GoT ending

So how was it so easy for him to be thwarted in the end and why was the rest of the Kingdom under the impression he was a children’s tale? We might be able to get answers in the Game of Thrones prequel series but for now, we’re stuck with a bit of a plot hole.

What was the point of Jon’s parentage plot?

One of the biggest subplots of the series was the truth about Jon Snow’s parents being Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen. It was teased at every turn and even had brilliant flashback scenes through Bran’s greensighting into the past to witness the affair and subsequent secret being promised after Lyanna’s death.

The fact that Jon was unknowingly bonking his aunt Daenerys made it all the more nerve-wracking to see how he would react to learning of his birthright, but when that moment came in episode one of season eight it was pretty anticlimactic. Jon barely spoke about the truth affected him and we never got a full understanding of his feelings other than not wanting to be King.

Even after he kills Dany, the episode fast forwards a few weeks and we never really learn why he wasn’t killed on the spot by Greyworm and the Unsullied, or are we led to believe that the rest of council know he is the heir. So really, what was the point of all that build up?

Is that really it for Arya’s face changing skills?

Arya’s training with the Faceless Man in Braavos was a major part of her story in seasons 5 and 6 but she seemed to only use the powers she had learnt once in Westeros.

She managed to use the face of a girl to assassinate Walder Frey but she seemed to use less of the mystical elements of her training to kill the Night King other than being super stealthy and sneaking past the wights at speed.

Read more: Game of Thrones final episode round-up

We were all hoping she would use a face to take down Cersei or later Dany, but no, that was pretty much it for Arya’s Faceless fight. All that training just to kill one creepy old man.

Why aren’t more people concerned about the Lord of the Light?

What is up with the Lord of the Light? We’ve seen the powers the “one true god” seems to bestow on certain followers, mainly through Melisandre who was able to bring Jon Snow back to life, birth a demon to kill Renly Baratheon and light up the swords of the Dothraki as well the moats during the Battle of Winterfell. But after the Red Witch takes the necklace off and lets herself die, that’s pretty much the last we hear of it.

Why aren’t people more concerned that this religious group has the power to bring people back from the dead and why didn’t people question more the reason why Jon was resurrected?

What happened to Ellaria Sand?

Last time we saw Ellaria she was being kept a prisoner in the Black Cells for the murder of Cersei’s daughter Myrcella.

Only the Queen and her Hand Qyburn knew her whereabouts and after Daenerys' decimation of King's Landing, it’s unlikely she survived but even so, she was just forgotten about and her dead or alive status never confirmed.

Where are the Reeds?

Bran would be dead if it wasn’t for Meera Reed but after she helped him escape from the Night King’s clutches, and he went full Three-Eyed-Raven, she left to return to her family home. That’s the last we saw her and we never got to meet her dad and Ned Stark’s best pal Howland Reed, Reed was the only other person alive who knew the truth of Jon’s lineage but he never factored in the present day storyline.

Seems like a total waste of two characters who played a significant part in the Stark family’s lives only for them to never be heard of again.

Was Cersei really pregnant?

One of the many prophecies in Game of Thrones was that all three of her children would die, and of course, that came to pass but then suddenly she was pregnant again for no explicable reason. The writers seem to suggest that Cersei became more tyrannical in order to protect her unborn child but she was already pretty damn ruthless. Who can forget her blowing up the Sept?

Then there were the questions of whether the child was Euron or Jaime’s, or how pregnant she actually was as she never showed any signs of it even at the end. #

Is there even a Night’s Watch any more?

If The Night King was destroyed why is the Night’s Watch even necessary anymore? And if it was only for Grey Worm’s benefit that Jon was exiled to Castle Black why didn’t he just come back after the Unsullied left for Naath?

Makes no sense to be honest.

Is The Mountain actually dead?

Many fans had waited forever for the Cleganebowl as the Hound finally confronted his brother, but it was a bit ridiculous. Ser Gregor was obviously more monster than man after being brought back to life but it didn’t make sense that he was harder to kill than the Night King.

Why was he so unbelievably resilient to death? How was he able to disobey his mistress Cersei despite being her servant for several seasons? Was he actually dead after the Hound dragged them both of the Red Keep into a fiery hole?

We may not have the answers for these questions from the series but book fans might be able to find them in the final two instalments of George RR Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series.

Did you spot anymore plot holes? Share them in the comments below...