'Game of Thrones' finale: The profound message of Bran the Broken's wooden wheelchair

Many obsessive “Game of Thrones” fans have apparently become so lost in the trees — not to mention a misplaced Starbucks cup and water bottle in recent episodes — that they can’t see the forest.

But what a forest they’re missing: a spectacularly filmed story that ennobles wisdom over physical strength, cooperation over power lust, and peace over endless cycles of violence and revenge.

Applicable to anything happening now that you can think of?

For eight seasons, the sprawling, intricate plot revolved around a simple age-old question: Who will get and/or keep the throne? Will it be one of the conniving, win-at-all-costs Lannisters? One of the stubbornly principled but unsophisticated Starks? Daenerys Targaryen, she of messianic principle, vast armies and an awesome dragon that can reduce human beings to ash and castle walls to rubble?

The answer: No one. In fact, that spiky, evil-looking throne no longer exists by series’ end. It has been melted to the ground by Drogon the dragon in a plot twist that I, for one, will remember for a long time. Grieving for his murdered mother, Daenerys, the dragon directs his wrath at the throne rather than her assassin, correctly recognizing that it was this alluring iron chair, and its ability to warp its pursuers, that was truly to blame for her demise.

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All stand for the king who can’t stand — "Bran the Broken,” paralyzed since the series’ opening episode. All raise a glass to a story about violence and power that ends with symbolism not of a mighty metal throne but a simple wooden wheelchair. 

Give 'Game of Thrones' the credit it deserves

OK, I get it. The spell was broken for you by that errant coffee cup and the implausible movement of characters and armies in the rush to the finale. But to dwell on these rather than the show’s amazing visuals and important commentary is the definition of nit-picking.

True, the showrunners cut plot corners in this final season and failed to give as much logical buildup as we would have liked before serving up their astonishing outcomes. Maybe if we had seen more of Dany’s evil side, we’d have better accepted the nuclear rage that consumes her. Maybe if we had come to know Bran better, we’d have been more likely to swallow his selection as king of the Seven — er, Six — Kingdoms.

But give the show credit, especially for the way it subverted tropes and audience expectations in several key ways.

Over eight seasons, many of us were enthralled and thoroughly entertained by the copious medieval-style combat with the amazing supernatural twists, all beautifully staged and artfully filmed. Yay war! Until the penultimate episode, that is, when the warfare hits its apotheosis and you get Dresden or Hiroshima, complete with indiscriminate torching of countless innocent civilians and a beautiful city in absolute ruins. 

You like the spectacle of war? There’s your war.

Lust for power and parallels in our time

And what about the commentary on power and the damage it inflicts on those who pursue it without constraint? Daenerys has convinced herself that everything she does (including the annihilation of anyone and anything standing in her way) is justified by her noble mission. After all, it’s a better world she’s creating, and she comes to King’s Landing as the great liberator.

It’s the Vietnam War conundrum all over again: Destroying the village (or city) while “saving” it. And destroying your goodness and integrity in the process.

These are concepts worth pondering here in real life in the buildup to an election revolving around a president willing to smash social norms and constitutional principles in order to hold “the throne” and make the country “great” (again). 

Those committed to his defeat best be careful lest we, too, end up obliterating our values in our attempt to save them.

The parallels between “Game of Thrones” and our contemporary moment are many. It's hard to imagine a more apt pushback than "Bran the Broken" against a president who mocks the disabled and scorns men who don’t fit the alpha stereotype. And I, for one, like the idea that the menacing White Walkers are stand-ins for the threat of climate change and the need for humanity to set aside intramural animosities to fight the real enemy.

Power game prize is a wheelchair

There’s great relevance, too, in the show’s lessons about the need to let cool heads prevail over anger and lust. Jon Snow’s final-episode dilemma is a classic: Give full rein to his romantic and sexual love for Daenerys and live up to his pledges of loyalty? Or do what’s necessary for the long-term good of the world — and stop her in the most emphatic way possible? You know what he chooses, even though it breaks his heart.

Ultimately, it’s your choice if you want to remember “Game of Thrones” for the embarrassing Starbucks cup and the show’s penchant for cutting corners in its final season. It’s your right to sign that petition being circulated by the die-hards who want a final season redo.

Personally, I’ll never fully forgive the show for the gratuitous sexual violence that marred the earlier seasons in particular. But I’ll also remember all that terrifying and beautiful cinematography, the excruciating moral dilemmas, and the fascinating story lines and stunning reveals.

And I’ll appreciate the value of a story about a power game in which the prize “throne” ends up being a wheelchair.

Tom Krattenmaker, a member of USA TODAY’s Board of Contributors and director of communications at Yale Divinity School, is the author of “Confessions of a Secular Jesus Follower.” Follow him on Twitter: @TKrattenmaker