Game of Thrones (TV series) excitement

[MinionZombie]

I’m more mad about Jamie’s long redemption arc leading nowhere. Now that was a waste. Maybe it's the whole point, that his arc is supposed to end with tragedy? Cersei is his addiction, she was going to destroy him one way or another if he stuck around, and yeah, he got better by giving her up (or being forced to give her up due to circumstance), but then he couldn't resist. Not only did he refuse to accept that he deserved anything better after all the bad things he had done, but his love for Cersei (and addiction to her) was so strong that he couldn't stop himself from returning to her. Ultimately, that lead to his doom. Indeed, Cersei's actions over the course of the entire show lead to her demise as well.

[bassman]

When all said and done, I’m satisfied with the finale and series as a whole. Sure, there are things that I feel could and probably should have been handled differently, but that applies to just about every series in history. Sometimes you just have to take the negative along with the positive, I suppose. I immediately saw “worst show EVER”, “sack them from Star Wars!”, and “petition to remake the season”-type complaining from the internet. It’s to be expected with anything, it just seems so amplified with this series being seen on such a large scale. As I’d said in the thread earlier, there’s a big difference between legit criticisms expressed in a healthy way(like we have here), to that sort of armchair filmmaker or “ownership” entitlement we’re seeing elsewhere. Really, the finale was much more of the “happily ever after” variety than I’d expected. It all makes sense and worked for me, I just honestly expected more of a downer, sort of “the world can be an ugly place!” style ending for GOT. Keeping it generalized for now, more thoughts later after everyone has seen it....

[MinionZombie]

Well, I can certainly say I was left satisfied by the finale.   It's funny how certain whinges out there on the Interwebs were pre-emptive. Waaaah - Jon didn't pat Ghost goodbye ... yeah, because he gets to pat him hello in this episode and have him by his side forever after. Patience, people! Waaaah - Jon didn't kill the Night King ... yeah, 'cos Arya had that in her destiny, and Jon kills Dany, an act that is far more personal and harrowing and difficult, but one that totally lives up to his character: he protects the people from their future tyrant. We even got the chance to explore Dany's methodology and context with Tyrion laying out that it was all well and good her taking down bad men, but that whole endeavour entrenched the worst parts of her character. Now, we saw glimpses of her bad side and her mistakes, although perhaps they could have done a slightly better job highlighting the danger of Dany, as she did kind of get played as a heroine for a long time (loads of people who named their children Daenarys might be regretting their hasty choice, lol). I loved Drogon destroying the Iron Throne and then flying off into the ether with Dany, as if they were remnants of history passing into legend. So much destruction and death and hatred all caused by the Iron Throne - and now it's gone, that symbol of the old order. I was a bit iffy on Bran being picked initially, but as the episode continued it then made total sense. He's almost like a God in some ways, and with him possessing all that knowledge of their entire history, he's an ideal candidate and furthermore because he didn't want to be ruler, something which they'd set up earlier with Jon not wanting to be ruler ... speaking of which, it was nice to see that he found his own freedom. He got a raw deal, but he was reunited with Tormund and the Free Folk (and Ghost!) and found a new life as, perhaps, a leader of a small group, which is entirely his sort of thing. Jon was never suited for ruling, and it was good to see that that whole idea of being born into it was dismissed. Indeed, they installed an early form of democracy, and they did begin what Dany - when she was good - had wanted: to change the order of things. No more inheritance of the throne, for example, with a new ruler chosen each generation. It was also nice to see that, for the most part, the good people got what they wanted or earned something fair. Bronn is a bit of a schemer and a rogue, kind of the sore thumb of the table, but with Brienne, Podraig, Davos (soooooo glad he survived it all!), Sam, and Tyrion you've got a good bunch. There was a bit of bickering there, but it was kind of in jest and you'll never get rid of all of that sort of thing anyway. The North being their own independent land made sense and I'm cool with Sansa being Queen of the North. I wouldn't have liked her on the Throne as she would not have been suited to it, nor had she earned such a thing, but I think it's fair where she ended up. Arya becoming an explorer was nice as well, so it's good that these characters you can rally behind ended up in a happy place. After so much bloodshed it's nice to have a relatively happy ending, even King's Landing is going to get sewers at long last, haha!

[Moon Knight]

I overall liked the finale and loved the series as a whole. I’m really gonna miss GoT.

[MinionZombie]

I overall liked the finale and loved the series as a whole. I’m really gonna miss GoT. Aye, you get used to having new episodes always coming up at some point, and the lingering questions of who's going to survive and who'll get the throne in the end, so when it's all sewn up there is a little void in your the entertainment part of your noggin. Hopefully the prequel series will be as good! Ooh - another bit I really liked in this episode:   When Brienne fills in the pages on Jamie Lannister. That goes way back in the series when he was mocked for his meagre deeds compared to the raft of stuff attached to the names of others in that book, so it was nice to get that to come full circle and see his full history laid out. It was also a nice, albeit sad, moment when Tyrion found Jamie and Cersei dead together in the rubble. That last scene between Tyrion and Jamie was rather moving! Comparison video of Dany's Throne vision and the finale.

[Neil]

I thought the last episode was pretty scrappy TBH. Very paint by numbers, seemingly just ticking the plot boxes as it went. Ultimately the last two episodes just felt rather rush, and the last one in particular was no where as well written as episodes in Season 1-6/7... Just a bit average compared to the rest of the seasons

[shootemindehead]

Just finished of GoT. Thought the last series was pretty great over all, and included some of the best tele I've seen in ages and was a fitting end to one of the greatest shows ever made. People were moaning about this why?

[Neil]

Just finished of GoT. Thought the last series was pretty great over all, and included some of the best tele I've seen in ages and was a fitting end to one of the greatest shows ever made. People were moaning about this why? For me the last season, while having it's moments, felt too much like ticking the boxes to wrap it up. And came across as rushed because of that. I certainly enjoyed it, but it just didn't seem to be in the place as the previous seasons. Note: George RR Martin has confirmed they jumped to the end of the story, missing out what he suggested was at least a couple more seasons of material to get there.

[MinionZombie]

Just finished of GoT. Thought the last series was pretty great over all, and included some of the best tele I've seen in ages and was a fitting end to one of the greatest shows ever made. People were moaning about this why? Colour me pleasantly surprised - a positive review from Shoot! Seriously though, I agree - the amount of fuss kicked up about Season 8 was just pathetic. There's one or two things that could have been improved on a bit, but other than that it was dandy. For me the last season, while having it's moments, felt too much like ticking the boxes to wrap it up. And came across as rushed because of that. I certainly enjoyed it, but it just didn't seem to be in the place as the previous seasons. Note: George RR Martin has confirmed they jumped to the end of the story, missing out what he suggested was at least a couple more seasons of material to get there. You may be reading a bit too much into that, perhaps. The problem is the books are so vast in scale - especially with characters - that you just couldn't fit all that into a show. They already trimmed down the characters for the benefit of the show, but then even that trimmed down list got a bit too large for TV. It was interesting to watch that making of documentary afterwards and note that the production crew stated that they had found the limit of what was practically possible. I don't think enough people look at Season 8 as what it is - the climax of GoT's 3rd act, which also includes season 7. If you think about the whole of GoT as a film, those last two seasons are the third act, and that's where the payoff happens. So of course the final season is going to be filled with wrapping things up - because it's the final season, because it's having to finish everyone's story, because it's the end and not the beginning or the middle. Few complained about season 7 being rushed, and yet season 8 - while one episode shorter - is actually just as long (if not a bit longer) in terms of running time. I find it a bit odd when people call it "rushed" when the first two episodes are pure talking (and were very highly reviewed), episode four is mostly talking, and episode six is again mostly talking. The backlash became a media narrative and the "cool" thing to do, it was so wearily predictable as we saw the narrative unfold and gain traction. Pathetic.

[bassman]

^ Totally agree with your final sentence. Every so often, something popular will get tossed onto the bandwagon hate, and the last season of GOT is the reigning champ for this year. There are definitely issues with the season, but it’s no more than any other season, and it’s certainly not worth these silly extremes like signing petitions to prevent Benioff and Weiss from future employment.

[Neil]

Few complained about season 7 being rushed, and yet season 8 - while one episode shorter - is actually just as long (if not a bit longer) in terms of running time. I find it a bit odd when people call it "rushed" when the first two episodes are pure talking (and were very highly reviewed), episode four is mostly talking, and episode six is again mostly talking. The backlash became a media narrative and the "cool" thing to do, it was so wearily predictable as we saw the narrative unfold and gain traction. Pathetic. I can only go by what I viewed and felt form those last few episodes. And to me it just felt rushed and like they were just ticking boxes to end the series. I certainly enjoyed it, but some of it felt like it fell flat compared to previous seasons IMHO.

[shootemindehead]

For me the last season, while having it's moments, felt too much like ticking the boxes to wrap it up. And came across as rushed because of that. That may have something to do with the fact that the 6 episodes were each an hour to an hour twenty minutes long. The battle at Winterfell is practically 60 minutes of people and dead things killing each other. It was bloody great. Likewise Daenerys napalming whatever her town is called was brilliant. I think this "it felt rushed" business wouldn't exist if S8 hadn't been comprised of what was essentially double episodes. Note: George RR Martin has confirmed they jumped to the end of the story, missing out what he suggested was at least a couple more seasons of material to get there. But they've been jumping ahead for the entire series and leaving out a lot of what was on his books if I recall correctly. Never read one, so don't know. - - - Updated - - - Colour me pleasantly surprised - a positive review from Shoot! When something is good, it gets a positive review. The trouble is, the good stuff is few and far between these days. Seriously though, I agree - the amount of fuss kicked up about Season 8 was just pathetic. There's one or two things that could have been improved on a bit, but other than that it was dandy. I had vaguely heard that S8 was "crap" and left it at that. But, watching 8, I was waiting for the "crap" to begin. And it didn't. Natch, I hit the interweb after bidding farewell to Jon Snow and what I saw presented as "evidence" of the "crap" was just a load of old bollocks. People moaning about Daenerys' breakdown and "sudden" turn into a psycho were clearly not paying attention to her actions earlier in the show, where she's exhibited an unrelenting desire for power at any cost and a severe psychopathy in pursuing that. She has been only interested in people "bending the knee" and placing her arse on the Iron Throne since series 3 or something, so her losing her shit and going all Vietnam on Cersei's gaff made perfect sense to me. In fact, it would have been awful if she'd got to King's Landing (I finally remembered the flippin name of the place) and was all kindly and benevolent. Especially after Cersei, who she'd just met, had sliced the head off of one of her closest confidants and friends. Likewise, there were clowns whining about the fact that it was Arya that killed the Night King and not Jon Snow. Who bleedin cares who kills the bugger? And again, her story (one of the best in the show) has been leading up to that "assassin" moment for years now. Others were saying it was "sexist" and "against women", although I'm at a loss to see where that is. There's always something that can be improved upon, for sure, but over all I think they did a great job in ending the show and I didn't feel it was "rushed" or "anticlimactic" really. Maybe that's because, I followed up S7 with S8 pretty quickly and wasn't one of those that was waiting around for ages for it to be on the tele. I don't think enough people look at Season 8 as what it is - the climax of GoT's 3rd act, which also includes season 7. Few complained about season 7 being rushed, and yet season 8 - while one episode shorter - is actually just as long (if not a bit longer) in terms of running time. I find it a bit odd when people call it "rushed" when the first two episodes are pure talking (and were very highly reviewed), episode four is mostly talking, and episode six is again mostly talking. I think if and when people watch S7 and S8 back to back (I think it's really just all S7 TBH), they won't feel that it's been "rushed". Combined, it's over twelve and a half hours of run time.

[MinionZombie]

Natch, I hit the interweb after bidding farewell to Jon Snow and what I saw presented as "evidence" of the "crap" was just a load of old bollocks. People moaning about Daenerys' breakdown and "sudden" turn into a psycho were clearly not paying attention to her actions earlier in the show, where she's exhibited an unrelenting desire for power at any cost and a severe psychopathy in pursuing that. She has been only interested in people "bending the knee" and placing her arse on the Iron Throne since series 3 or something, so her losing her shit and going all Vietnam on Cersei's gaff made perfect sense to me. In fact, it would have been awful if she'd got to King's Landing (I finally remembered the flippin name of the place) and was all kindly and benevolent. Especially after Cersei, who she'd just met, had sliced the head off of one of her closest confidants and friends. Likewise, there were clowns whining about the fact that it was Arya that killed the Night King and not Jon Snow. Who bleedin cares who kills the bugger? And again, her story (one of the best in the show) has been leading up to that "assassin" moment for years now. Some of the whining was premature, too. Moaning about how Jon didn't say goodbye to Ghost, for example - they were in fact holding back for a much more loving reunion between the pair an episode or two later! You can't have Jon kill everyone, so it has to be shared out. Arya needs to put her secret assassin skills to good use, and to have Jon be the one who kills Dany makes the most sense as it's the most powerful moment. Similarly, having Cersei - this powerful despot holed up in her high castle - stripped of all her power and security in minutes, left to scurry away desperately like a fleeing rat into the bowels of her kingdom only to be crushed under its falling spires was perfect. Another element, I think, is that for quite a while Daenerys was trumpeted as this heroic, strong figure, with folks ignoring the danger signs along the way (there's bits going all the way back to season one for crying out loud - there was a great montage of 'Dany danger signs' on Sky Atlantic's "Thronecast" which followed the final episode - the hints or full blown warning lights flashing away have been there since the get-go). I'd been sniffing something rank underneath the surface strength with Dany for a long time, so it totally made sense for her to fulfil her genetic legacy of madness.

[shootemindehead]

Yeh. against my better judgement I spent more time looking at the complaints. I still haven't come across any valid arguments. Just feelings stated as facts. This "rushed" business only seems to have stemmed from the point that Series 8 is only 6 episodes long. However, that's countered by the fact that Series 8 is still roughly the same running time as other GoT series, like Series 6. S6 is about 6 hours and 20 minutes and S8 is about the same. So that point holds no merit for me. people are just looking at the episode number and ignoring the actual amount of screen time on offer. The Daenerys thing is equally empty because, as I said earlier, all the signs were there if you were paying attention. I can only imagine how worse the interweb meltdown would have been if she'd simply walked into Kings Landing peacefully? Because that is the immediate alternative. And this nonsense about the writing being bad since S5 seems to only stem from the fact that the show outpaced the books by then. But, again, while I constantly see this statement repeated everywhere, I have yet to see it qualified by any kind of coherent follow up argument. To me the writing remained pretty good throughout the show. On the whole, a lot of the criticism just seems to be people repeating stuff and not really backing it up with any data, which makes me wonder, was the show really THAT popular to begin with, or were there an awful lot of people just jumping on the bandwagon because it became a bit of a phenomenon, but they weren't really that enamoured with it at all? I may have to look at S8 again, this time with the criticisms in my head and see if they make more sense. That little experiment can wait though. On the whole, I thought it was one of the best TV shows of the modern era. It had its flaws though, such Jon Snow's fake death. That was absolute bollocks. But, besides that and a few other things here and there, it was very good indeed.

[Neil]

...the more I've looked at it, the more I dislike the final episode Just comes across each time as more and more lazy/rushed