Joshua T Craig

Over the course of nine years, from 2011 to 2019 , until its eighth and largely reviled final season, Game Of Thrones was one of the single most ambitious television series ever made. Its most apparent novelty lies in its meticulous political intrigue, morally murky characters and blockbuster production values, all of which delivered a new style of TV fantasy. Yet, by the time they got to that last episode in 2019, much of that love and good will had been forgotten. It visually looked amazing, but the conclusion left millions of people feeling stabbed in the back.

The Rush to the Finish Line

One of the biggest knocks against it is how quickly the final two seasons moved. Early seasons would often build characters (and political desire’s) over several episodes, but the final few encompassed major plotlines in only a handful of episodes. That made it seem like the showrunners were sprinting to the finish line instead of artfully sculpting their closing shot.

Character Arcs That Fell Apart

Worse still was the betrayal of central characters, with viewers feeling like they had hosted virtual friends within their own homes for the past 8 years. Daenerys Targaryen turned into a tyrant in less than the span of an episode, which was fast but made sense considering all of the groundwork that had been laid. Jamie’s redemption arc was ditched in one episode when he went back to Cersei, all that character growth for nothing. Even the fate of Jon Snow , cast in the role of a pawn made to die an insubstantial political death, left many wanting. Cue all the jokes about bending the knee to your Aunt.

Plot Over Logic

And in their quest to go out with a bang, they usually sacrificed narrative coherence for cheap thrills in their climactic hours. Strategic battles grounded in careful planning (thought up while they were on the toilet) lost out to chaotic spectacles with questionable tactics, like the aforementioned “Battle of Winterfell,” where the living charged blindly into darkness. Enough hapless characters had survived impossible situations without explanation — surely this series still adhered to its original credo that actions ought to have consequences.

The Iron Throne Decision

The most obvious of the controversial choices was Bran Stark being named king. Some said it was a poetic choice, but more found it jarringly abrupt and out of step with the political build up that the show had become known for. The Westerosi politics of the world took a big hit, turning into just one meeting with no actual debates.

Legacy Tarnished

Game Of Thrones Is a lesson in how being hasty with such an intricate story can destroy even the best show to come down the pipe in years. The show has long since become a textbook example of how to write incredible television, its finale nevertheless leaving many a sour taste in the mouth and sparking seemingly endless debates and fan-written rewrites all over the internet.

Conclusion

And it was not even so much that the conclusion took a left turn, it did, but simply that it was too quick and herky-jerky and generally off-kilter relative to the elegant world-building nested within the story structure which made Game of Thrones amazing. To many, the final season more resembled a stumble out of a world that deserved a far grander send-off than it got . Game of Thrones wasn’t wrapped up neatly with a bow like Breaking Bad.