The other issue of NK not killing Drogon I actually took as he didn't want to kill Dany or Jon because he knows they are still fighting a civil war and wants them to kill as many southerners as possible before he rolls in.
But...Jon and Dany are the only people who actually pose a threat to his impending invasion. Drogon's just sitting there waiting to take a spear in the neck, yet the NK decides to go for the much more difficult shot of hitting Viserion, who's moving left to right from his vantage and would have to be led properly, etc.
Just one simple writing/directorial decision could have made this work: The NK is lining up a shot at Drogon when he hears a roar behind him. He turns to see Viserion charging his position directly. Viserion breathes fire down at the NK, who's impervious to it, because he's the fucking NK, bitches. Viserion ends up taking a spear right through his open mouth for his trouble, crashes into the ground and bleeds out almost immediately.
As for Jon's ridiculous escape at the end- wouldn't it have played out much better to have Rhaegal (you know, the dragon named after Jon's dad) double back for Jon of his own accord? They could have even played it out off-screen. Have Dany and Co. show up at Eastwatch on Drogon. They set down, and Dany's like, "Yo, where Rhaegal at?" BOOM. There he is, with Jon riding ably on his back.
I mean, it's still tropey and simplistic, but it's better than:
- NK and his WW's assume Jon's dead and leave. Why assume that? Because reasons.
- Jon magically pops up through ice hole.
- Benjen shows up out of nowhere in a complete ass-pull.
- "Uncle Benjen?"
- Dead.
- Jon rides back to Eastwatch wearing wet/frozen furs. Is fine.
- Jon wakes up. Mentions nothing of seeing his uncle: his childhood idol and his main inspiration for joining the NW in the first place. The man who's disappearance resulted in an expedition north of the wall that set everything in motion that's happened regarding Jon's ascension to LC and now KOTN and the impending war with the army of the dead.
Ugh.
