game of Thrones became one of the most beloved TV series of all time, but its final season is one of the most hated. What went wrong in season 8?
After reforging the landscape of television, how did Game of Thrones season 8 over the landmark series on such a negative note? George R.R. Martin's A tuy vậy of Ice và Fire books always enjoyed cult popularity, but it's difficult to lớn fathom the colossal leap in popularity Martin's world enjoyed on HBO. Game of Thrones was deeply political, visually groundbreaking, and featured an impressive cast of characters. The show had become a genuine international phenomenon, its rise seemingly unstoppable. Yet the ending of Game of Thrones was considered a disappointment. There's hope the prequel series House of the Dragon can avoid the same mistakes.
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The story of Westeros seemed khổng lồ get bigger with each GoT season. And as much as Game of Thrones appeared invincible in the ratings, the series was also critically untouchable for much of its run. Naturally, there was an unprecedented level of anticipation leading up lớn GoT season 8, & with Martin's books incomplete, the ending of Game of Thrones was a closely guarded secret. Game of Thrones season 8 faced an almost impossible task of satisfying its audience completely, but no one expected the ending khổng lồ fail quite as spectacularly as it did. With such a dramatic fall from grace, what went wrong with Game of Thrones season 8?
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trò chơi Of Thrones Needed More Seasons
There are several problems with Game of Thrones season 8, but the majority trace back lớn one inarguable truth: the series needed much more time to arrive at a natural conclusion. The ending of Game of Thrones was announced well in advance, with confirmation coming while season 6 was still on the air. After audiences discovered only two seasons of Westeros action remained, they later learned those final seasons would also comprise a shorter episode count, and this caused concern since there was so much ground yet lớn cover at the time.
With Game of Thrones still critically invulnerable in season 6, many gave Benioff và Weiss the benefit of the doubt, but those initial misgivings proved entirely justified. Even since its debut season, Game of Thrones had been a slow build, spending time carefully crafting characters, interweaving their narratives, and exploring different parts of Martin's fantasy world. While this measured pace could sometimes be frustrating (just how long did it take Daenerys lớn sail across the sea?), it was actually one of Game of Thrones greatest strengths, giving the narrative và the colorful cast of characters room to grow organically.
By contrast, GoT season 8 is a mad rush to the finish line. Drastically upping the pace, main players zoom around the maps in record time, while the gripping character interactions Game of Thrones was once renowned for were curtailed khổng lồ make room for plot. Not only is the gear shift incredibly jarring, but the breakneck pacing took away the depth that helped make Game of Thrones so successful, replacing it with superficial scenes geared solely towards covering the narrative ground. George R.R. Martin himself has even admitted surprise that Game of Thrones ended when it did, claiming he expected the series would need khổng lồ run far longer.
There's a clear correlation between Game of Thrones' drop in unique and the moment the HBO series overtook its source material. Benioff và Weiss never sought to lớn adapt Martin's books verbatim. Even in the earlier seasons, there are moments, characters, and storylines that deviate considerably. However, Game of Thrones follows each major part of the books and retains Martin's character outlines. It took an incredibly detailed and widespread series of novels và diluted it into a cohesive, but still rich, TV story. Unfortunately, the duo was less successful when finding their cupboard of novels to lớn work from bare.
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It's impossible not to notice the point where Martin's storytelling ends. The shocking narrative twists of earlier seasons give way lớn awkward attempts at subverting expectations, such as the moment Arya kills the Night King. Deaths that provoked months of discussion became ones that lacked emotional impact. The intricate plotting became more direct, with season 8 moving from point A to point B without stopping to lớn admire the scenery. Game of Thrones season 8 took the brunt of the flak, but the show's decline can actually be traced back further. The more original material that seeped into the scripts, the more flaws started to emerge.
One massive problem audiences had with Game of Thrones season 8 was when their favorite characters suddenly stopped acting like their favorite characters. The most frequently cited example of such inconsistency is Dany's decimation of King's Landing. While the Mother of Dragons had always harbored an inner darkness bubbling beneath the surface, she remained a staunch protagonist in season 8, and her decision khổng lồ burn innocent people alive seemed to lớn come out of nowhere. The combining triggers of a fragile ego, a lust for power, và genetic destiny were all present but certainly didn't add up lớn the cấp độ of carnage Dany unleashed, leaving many lớn cry foul.
Jon Snow went from being one of the most compelling figures on TV lớn a shallow và predictable hero, spouting the same lines about bending the knee và not wanting the throne until being put out of his misery by a merciful exile. Game of Thrones' Jon Snow had many standout moments throughout the series, but it's telling that none of them are in the final season, which should have been his time of glory. Cersei và Jaime's deaths also proved particularly divisive among viewers, with general the consensus claiming that neither got the kết thúc they deserved & neither acted in a way their respective arcs had been building towards.
When the story writing pen is handed from one khổng lồ another, there are shifts in character, and the lack of books to lớn guide the TV series made the unstable characterization prominent. The need khổng lồ wrap things up within two seasons played a considerable part in this. The endpoint of Game of Thrones, with Jon Snow killing Daenerys & Bran sitting on the throne, isn't problematic in itself, it just hadn't been sufficiently built towards. With more episodes, Dany's villainous turn and Bran's royal rise could've been developed gradually and foreshadowed carefully, making the eventual big moments less confusing & contrived.
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Some of the Game of Thrones season 8 problems were not easy lớn avoid. The number of seasons would've been influenced by budget restraints, talent contracts, & non-creative factors. The issue of depleted source material also can't be laid at the door of Benioff và Weiss. Many have tried to lớn get George R.R. Martin lớn speed up his writing process, và the more that readers ask the tác giả about the fabled The Winds of Winter, the slower he seems khổng lồ progress. It would've been unrealistic to lớn pause the TV series until Martin released more books, so the decision khổng lồ move into original nội dung was a necessary, if ultimately detrimental, one.
Some of Game of Thrones season 8 mistakes were avoidable. From a production standpoint, there's the infamous stray coffee cup. The Battle of Winterfell was so dark, many viewers couldn't see what was happening. Visual gaffes can be found throughout Game of Thrones, but these seemed more frequent than before, contributing lớn a general sense of sloppiness compared to lớn past seasons. As for the story và plot, the sequence of events in the Game of Thrones finale feels haphazard và poorly planned. A prime example comes when the audience sees Varys frantically writing letters shortly prior lớn his death. The scene feels significant but ultimately proves irrelevant.
When modern TV audiences talk about the success or otherwise of a finale, they no longer measure in terms of spectacle, drama, or excitement, but in satisfaction. Long-running series are an investment of time and emotion on the part of an audience, và if that effort isn't paid off by the ending, the entire journey can feel like a wasted exercise. By this yardstick, Game of Thrones season 8 was certainly a failure, as so many once-important plot points fell by the wayside.
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The biggest victim of this was the long-running mystery of Jon Snow's parentage. Among book readers, the R+L=J theory had been central khổng lồ the series for years, with Jon's Targaryen heritage easily the biggest point of discussion at the over of each season. Sadly, Jon being a Targaryen had absolutely no impact on Game of Thrones ending. The heroic crow of Winterfell continued khổng lồ be denied his birthright, & even after Daenerys was out of the picture, Jon was sent North lớn live out his days far from King's Landing — an ending that would've played out exactly the same if he really was Ned Stark's son.
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The importance of the Night King & his recurring symbol was swiftly dealt with in a single episode, Bran và the Three-Eyed Raven remained a sizable unknown, many of the series' prophecies went unfulfilled, the entire Dorne story was abandoned, the mysterious masked Quaith in season 2 wasn't expanded upon, & the fate of Daenerys' settlements in Essos remained ambiguous. Game of Thrones ending lost sight of the show's history for a reactive approach, ticking off what it could & ignoring the rest, & this left a large chunk of the audience feeling lượt thích the questions they'd been pondering for 8 seasons had all been for naught.
House of the Dragon seems poised to lớn avoid the issues with Game of Thrones' ending for a few reasons. Unlike its predecessor show, House of the Dragon is based on a book that Martin already finished — 2018's Fire và Blood. This means that regardless of how long the show ends up running for and how many volumes of Fire và Blood it adapts, the series will never have to invent original material to achieve a complete-feeling ending. This doesn't mean it won't take creative liberties, but the fatal flaw of Game of Thrones season 8 making up its own story in lieu of waiting for Martin can be avoided.
Another significant issue with the Game of Thrones finale — the rushed pace, inconsistent travel speeds, and extremely muddy time jumps — won't be as big an issue with House of the Dragon, since Fire và Blood already accounts for such leaps as part of its story. Because the show follows many generations of Targaryen successors, zeroing in on the Targaryen civil war, it's inherently broader in scope than Game of Thrones, which means that big story strokes are woven into its fabric from the beginning. This has helped the pacing stay consistent throughout & avoid the Game of Thrones pitfall of cramming too much into the ending.
Some of Game of Thrones' weird moments have been expounded upon by House of the Dragon, further pulling audiences into the lore and expansive universe that George R.R. Martin has created. House of the long has almost completely reframed its parent series, adding new perspective khổng lồ crucial parts of Westerosi history such as the Targaryen family, their reign before the events of GoT, and, especially, what the 7 Kingdoms were lượt thích when dragons ruled the skies in larger numbers. One way the two series are connected overall is through Aegon's dream, aka "A song of Ice & Fire."
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Game of Thrones story is foreshadowed when King Viserys gives Rhaenyra the catspaw dagger that almost killed Bran Stark, và explains she must keep the realm together to lớn face the upcoming threat from the far north, the white Walkers. The catspaw dagger and Aegon's dream are the thread that holds the series together, creating a solid connection between Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. Another moment reframed by House of the Dragon is when Jon Snow is spared by Drogon, even after taking Daenerys Targaryen's life. Game of Thrones scratched the surface with long lore và barely touched upon the connection that dragons have with their riders.
House of the dragon expands upon rồng lore, featuring 16 dragons, with most of them having a rider. Daenerys' connection to her dragons makes sense in the context of HotD, especially with scenes lượt thích Laena Velaryon attempting to lớn force Vhagar lớn kill her. The prequel series explains dragons are more intelligent và nuanced than they are shown khổng lồ be in GoT, making Drogon's mercy towards Jon Snow less nonsensical. Daenerys Targaryen's heritage is also reframed by House of the Dragon. When she is introduced, her brother's diatribes about the former glory of their house sound lượt thích the murmurings of a madman — but HotD proves how prolific their reign was.
Rhaenyra says that Targaryens are closer to gods than to lớn men, & their control over the dragons proves this bold statement. Viserys' ramblings in Game of Thrones and his sister's tenacity to lớn put her family name back on the Iron Throne make much more sense in light of House of the Dragon. The Targaryens had quite a successful time ruling Westeros for many generations, & Daenerys' eagerness to lớn put the Targaryens back in charge may find more tư vấn from audiences upon a rewatch. So, despite Game of Thrones season 8 being a huge disappointment, at least House of the rồng is making some of those strange moments more digestible.
While the complaints that David Benioff & Dan "D.B." Weiss had no source material for Game of Thrones season 8, some might wonder why they didn't talk more lớn George RR Martin about the upcoming episodes và where the story was heading. Surely, they wanted khổng lồ keep the ideas from the tác giả in mind when finishing his story on HBO. However, it turns out they didn't bother as Martin said he was "out of the loop" by the end (via New York Times).
When asked, George RR Martin said he was not involved much past season 5. In the final two seasons, he was completely out of the picture. It also wasn't by choice, as Martin said if anyone wanted lớn know why he had no idea, they would "have lớn ask Dan và David." This has all changed with House of the Dragon, where Martin has a place at the planning table, reading scripts, sitting in on meetings, and previewing early cuts. If anyone wants khổng lồ see what the shows would look lượt thích with Martin involved, HotD will give them a lot better look than the over of Game of Thrones.
