Game of Thrones went out on a very high note. The show's season 2 finale was watched by 4.2 million viewers, making it the show's highest-rated episode ever. It beat out the season 1 finale by more than a million viewers.

The huge boost bodes well for the show's future, as fan now wait for season 3. The end of this year provided plenty of clues about what will come, particularly surrounding the arrival of the White Walkers.

While I loved most everything this show does, I can also admit that season 2 had a few weak spots, most surrounding its expansive cast and the frequent inability to maintain momentum on certain storylines. So here are three suggestions for how Game of Thrones season 3 can be its best yet.

Reunite the Characters

By my count, the season 2 finale took place in nine completely different locations: Winterfell, Robb Stark's camp, King's Landing, the river with Brienne, the road with Arya, Stannis' home, Qarth, Manse Rayder's camp with Jon Snow and Beyond the Wall with Samwell. Everyone is spread so thin that sometimes it becomes hard to follow. There's a reason "Blackwater" was the best episode the show has ever produced, and it's because it all took place in a single location. I don't expect everyone to be in one place, but surely some of the stragglers like Arya, Brienne and now the Hound could join another plot.

Use Jaime Lannister

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau only appeared in four of season 2's 10 episodes, and even then it was for brief, single scenes. I thoroughly enjoyed him every time he was on screen, but Jaime Lannister was definitely the most underused character of season 2. Minor characters like Ros the prostitute or Daenerys' handmaiden Doreah appeared in more episodes than Jaime did. The show desperately needs to give him something to do next year.

In many ways, using the underused characters is a larger issue. In season 1, 20 different characters appeared in at least eight of the episodes. In season 2, there were only eight characters who appeared in eight or more episodes.

Let Daenerys Do Something

In the first season, Daenerys underwent the biggest transformation, to a meek girl sold off to Khal Drogo into a powerful khaleesi. In season 2, she didn't really do much of anything except get detoured into Qarth. Sure, she taught her dragons to breathe fire, but other than grabbing a bowl to buy a small ship, what did she accomplish in season 2? I'd like to see her actually move forward instead of being paused for an entire season.


What would you like to see done differently in season 3?


(Image courtesy of HBO)