(06-19-2019, 04:16 PM)irukandji Wrote: What would have been the best way then? According to the protocols of the time, Dany was the rightful heir to the throne. Olenna and Ellaria certainly had their personal reasons for siding with Dany, but the point is this. They never would have if she hadn't had a legitimate claim to the throne.
As for the North, had Jon got up in front of the room and agreed with the consensus that he should be king of the North, he'd be the king. Sansa would have fallen into the background, and despite her influence, could do nothing about it. You saw her reaction when Jon was nominated. She was angry, despite the fact that Jon probably would probably would have made a very good king. Even when Bran, who according the story is the king to end all kings and was made so, who took a stand against him? Sansa. Instead of looking ahead to the future where there's one king to wisely rule them all, she refuses to acknowledge that his title should include the North.
If, as stated, Sansa has the allegiance of the North, certainly they would follow her guidance if she gave her allegiance to Bran. She did not. So she was not looking at who could rule wisely and objectively. She was only looking at herself to be made queen with no thought or consideration for the outcome. Isn't that is just as selfish and tyrannical as Dany's facade of Breaker of Chains?
In thinking about this fascinating subject, I wonder now if Dany and Sansa were two sides of the same dark coin. Both women pretty much took an instant dislike to one another, yet both have some issues in common.
Jon was the rightful heir and not Dany. That's why she begged him not to tell anyone.
Although the rightful heir issue can be challenged since the Mad King was so crazy that the Targaryens were rightfully deposed. He wasn't so much betrayed as he was dealt with justly. Even a king can't do whatever he wants which characters who are supposed to be smart like Tyrion and Tywin knew along with many others. That's why the 300 year old Targaryen dynasty was toppled. They've had bad kings before but they also had dragons which Aerys didn't have. Aegon didn't get the seven kingdoms because of birthright. He wasn't even from Westeros. Aerys ruined it for the entire family.
Yara, Olenna, and Ellaria never cared about Dany's claim. They sided with her because she was the most powerful woman in the world and could deliver the vengeance they wanted.
Sansa just wanted the north to be independent. She asked for independence before the decision about Jon was made. She would've been happy for him to be King in the North and he would've returned to Winterfell had she gotten her way. She declined becoming queen when they wanted to depose Jon in season 7 and she was upset with him for giving up his title and bending the knee at the beginning of this season.
Sansa could've been happy with Bran as king but what happens after he dies? She wanted independence for the North indefinitely like they had for thousands of years. This ensures that and a lot of northerners have already fought and died for that independence. It's not just about what she wanted but the northerners in general. She was speaking for them.
Despite all of that, Dany and Sansa do have a lot in common and I thought it was mistake to make their relationship antagonistic and nothing else. I think they wrote from a standpoint of knowing that Sansa would be proven right about Dany all along and the antagonism would be justified. The main difference I see in them is Sansa being more cautious as opposed to Dany being more impulsive.
I think Jon would be a good king as long as he had someone else making most of the decisions. He became way too passive and reluctant. It good that he's not power-hungry but it would be nice to have someone who actually wants the job on some level. He marched his troops down to KL after just fighting the Great War to keep a promise to Dany instead of acknowledging what Sansa said about them needing rest and recuperation. He put them in immense danger just to please her. That's not someone I would want as king.