Well, that was...quite something. As a standalone eighty minute piece of television, last night's final episode of
Game of Thrones certainly wasn't bad, but like
Lost,
Smallville,
The Sopranos, and so many other great TV shows before it, it appears as if its legacy will be tarnished by a divisive and disappointing finale which will leave fans talking (for almost all the wrong reasons).
With so many fan theories and such a great deal of excitement surrounding the final six episodes, it was always going to be tough for David Benioff and D.B Weiss to deliver a finale that was to everyone's liking, especially when the ending has likely been set in stone for years by what they were told by author George R.R. Martin as they fill in gaps from books not yet published.
Despite that, the
Game of Thrones finale was definitely a let-down, and we're now delving into why. Unfortunately, the episode managed to disappoint both the show's fans and its characters and in this spoiler-filled breakdown, we examine what went wrong and how it could have been improved on. Those of you who loved it, however, will still find some interesting points.
So, to check out this feature in its entirety, simply click on the "View List" button down below!
It Was All Too Rushed
The entire eighth season was far too rushed, with that long awaited battle with The Night King playing out over a single, dimly lit episode which felt like an even easier victory for our heroes than the very human Battle of the Bastards. The same can be said for this finale.
We get pretty much no time at all to deal with the fallout from the previous episode, and the fact that there are two time jumps (both of which gloss over a lot of story) further emphasises just how much of a sprint to the finish line this entire season has been as David Benioff and D.B. Weiss start setting their sights on
Star Wars instead.
The final destination of pretty much every character (more on that later) feels like little more than fan-service, and none of their respective endings feel earned as a result of this rushed episode.
The Fall Of Daenerys Targaryen
During the eighty minute finale, we learn that the seemingly still very sane Daenerys has no real explanation for her horrific actions. Instead, she puts it down to everyone in King's Landing supporting Cersei (something she knows wasn't true) and it appears as if Dany has gone from being The Punisher to the Green Goblin over the course of two episodes.
Over the course of the series, she may have acted as judge, jury, and executioner for some evil men but that's a far cry from slaughtering thousands of women and children, while her new attitude about crushing those who oppose her in a similar manner is baffling - especially now she has the Iron Throne and is Queen of the Seven Kingdoms by default.
Despite telling us from the start that this was what she wanted, it seems Dany is more interested in travelling across Westeros to ensure her dominance by continuing to free the oppressed where there are none, and this mostly out-of-the-blue change of course has taken one of television's greatest anti-heroes and transformed her into, well, a crazy b*tch.
The Destruction Of The Iron Throne
If Jon Snow and Dany's relationship hadn't been thrown together at such a late stage, the moment he plunges a knife into her chest probably would have felt far more emotional. Despite that, it's still a very good scene but what follows...well, it feels like the audience is just being trolled.
Since day one, we've been following a literal "game of thrones" as these characters vye for the Iron Throne. However, when Drogon looks down at his mother's corpse, he spares Jon and instead melts the Throne in what I'm sure was meant to be a deep and meaningful moment that instead feels cheap, especially as no one even gets to sit on the damned thing!
Viewers have spent years waiting to see who would end up there, and the answer is no one. Of all the many possibilities - a reluctant Jon as King or even Arya wearing the face of another character - we're left with one that makes this entire journey feel pointless.
"Bran The Broken"
Bran Stark has never been a particularly compelling character in
Game of Thrones. His transformation into the Three Eyed Raven has been one of the show's least enjoyable subplots and was so unimportant to the series, he was actually nowhere to be seen for an entire season a few years back.
Despite all of that, he's ultimately chosen to be Westeros' new King and while he's probably the best choice in terms of how good-hearted he is, it was only a few episodes ago that we learned that Bran is essentially gone and what we've been left with is an emotionless, manipulative shell.
So, yes, we spent all these years watching the series for Bran to wind up on the Throne!
A Lack Of Logic
Those time jumps prove to be problematic for this finale in a number of ways. Jon Snow may have never wanted to become King but after seeing what Dany had done, why not cover up her murder and take his rightful place even if it was only for a little while? Plus, why would Greyworm imprison him rather than cut Jon down where he stands, especially after slitting those throats moments earlier?
The same could be said for the way Tyrion is pardoned by the new King, and the way everyone just accepts that despite the fact that, to an outsider, he was arguably instrumental in bringing Dany to King's Landing and the mass slaughter that obviously followed.
These may seem like nitpicks (and the show does address them in a satisfying enough way if you don't think too much about them), but remember when it looked like that entire crypt collapsed on Cersei and Jaime? Well, it turns out that it was just one well-placed pile of bricks so that Tyrion could find them and confirm that they are indeed dead and didn't escape.
Convenient Endings
As I mentioned earlier on in this post, by the time the episode ends, characters like Brienne, Bronne, Gendry, and Samwell are all where you'd pretty much hope they would be by the time the show ends. Unfortunately, none of this feels earned, and the fact that they end up where they do comes across more like it was just for the sake of convenience rather than what was right for the story.
What doesn't help is that there simply isn't enough time to get them where they need to be, and so when we do find them there, it comes across more like fan-service rather than the best possible ending. We didn't need a couple of what would have essentially been epilogue episodes, but if they'd had more time devoted to them across a longer season, this would have been so much better.
Right at the end of the episode, a montage puts the spotlight on the remaining Starks, so let's take a closer look at each of them.
Arya Stark's Fate
In the case of Arya, she boards a ship to find out what's west of Westeros. It's an open-ended way of wrapping up her story and seemingly sets the stage for a spinoff series (which may very well be one of the ideas HBO considered for a while). This certainly isn't a bad ending for the fan-favourite character, but could they have done better? Honestly, this feels like a cop out to at least some extent!
Sansa Stark's Fate
Sansa Stark gets what she's wanted for years by becoming Queen of the North. As
Game of Thrones has handled her in such a topsy turvy manner since day one, it's hard to say whether she'll be a good Queen, but fans of hers will surely walk away happy with this. Why the North so easily gets to become an independent state while the others don't is another logic leap/convenient ending.
Jon Snow's Fate
This is a tricky one.
On the one hand, Jon being sent back to the Wall feels like a convenient way to spare him (think of the backlash!) and a complete step backwards for the character due to the fact that his story has gone around in a complete circle. Of course, he doesn't stay there for long because we then see him heading North with Ghost and the Wildlings in order to finally live the life he's wanted for years.
Is he simply guiding them to a new home, or have his fellow members of The Watch allowed him to go free out of respect for everything he's done? We don't find out, but it's hard to escape the feeling that the show goes out with a whimper rather than a bang with this final scene...
What did you think about the Game of Thrones series finale and the final season in general? Do you agree with our complaints? As always, share your thoughts in the comments section below.