Game of Thrones-Observations

[chipbennett]

While I agree that season 8 as a whole was terrible, and the writing was flat (at best), I'm actually okay with the ending.

We actually got Azor Ahai (Jon Snow killing Danaerys). We got the entire (his)story of Westeros influenced/directed/driven by a Brandon Stark. We got a nice parallel between Aemon Targaryen and Aegon Targaryen, heritage unknown, not wanting the throne, and ending up in the Night's Watch. Sam Tarly confirmed as helping to write ASOIAF.

I'm okay with Bran being crowned king, implying a breaking of the wheel (though Tyrion's "Bran the Broken" speech was contrived). All the Starks (including cousin Aegon) ended up where they belonged.

But the season still felt unnecessarily rushed, and left too many loose threads/open questions:

1) Dothraki?
2) What is the Night's Watch actually "watching" now, with the undead/Night King gone, and peace established with the Wildlings?
3) How does Arya the Assassin suddenly just become Arya the Explorer?
4) Where was Jon Snow going? Was he going to be the new King Beyond The Wall?

Do we get these answers from GRRM? Will we ever see these characters and plot arcs played out the way he originally intended? Or does he give up, and we get left with the phoned-in DBs version?

 

[daddyusmaximus]

Kinda slow, and a let down, but crazy dragon lady is dead, so the kingdoms are safer that they would have been.


Also, John got his dire wolf back... I'm OK with that.

 

[chezuki]

The Sopranos ending sucked. This was meh.

GOT ending sucked. And I might be the one person who actually liked the sopranos ending.

Alternate ending suggestion:

After Drogo melts the iron throne, the screen goes black and Journey’s “don’t stop believing” plays while the credits roll.

Would have saved us the final half hour of silliness, and no one would be any angrier than they are now.

 

[Kutnupe14]

While I agree that season 8 as a whole was terrible, and the writing was flat (at best), I'm actually okay with the ending.

We actually got Azor Ahai (Jon Snow killing Danaerys). We got the entire (his)story of Westeros influenced/directed/driven by a Brandon Stark. We got a nice parallel between Aemon Targaryen and Aegon Targaryen, heritage unknown, not wanting the throne, and ending up in the Night's Watch. Sam Tarly confirmed as helping to write ASOIAF.

I'm okay with Bran being crowned king, implying a breaking of the wheel (though Tyrion's "Bran the Broken" speech was contrived). All the Starks (including cousin Aegon) ended up where they belonged.

But the season still felt unnecessarily rushed, and left too many loose threads/open questions:

1) Dothraki?
2) What is the Night's Watch actually "watching" now, with the undead/Night King gone, and peace established with the Wildlings?
3) How does Arya the Assassin suddenly just become Arya the Explorer?
4) Where was Jon Snow going? Was he going to be the new King Beyond The Wall?

Do we get these answers from GRRM? Will we ever see these characters and plot arcs played out the way he originally intended? Or does he give up, and we get left with the phoned-in DBs version?

Bran as king? Ugh! He essentially a omnipotent vegetable. Why would he even need a small council? And how does he, as the new king, grant the North the ability to become an independent kingdom again?
If I was one of the 6 remaining kingdoms, I would be like "so let me get this straight, your brother -a Stark- let's you -also a Stark- have your own kingdom, while the rest of us have to remain in the realm? WTF?"

Im so disappointed at how they treated the characters arc. What was the point of even making Jon Snow a lost Targaryen? The whole story could have played out essentially the same way if he had been a bastard all along. And Jon worked harder than anyone to save the realm, and at the end, because the unsullied are pissed about him killing Dany, everyone else throws the guy, the legitimate heir btw, under the bus? FFFFFF them!

Sam as the Maester to the throne? He maybe somewhat wise and practical, but he hasn't put the time in. Pod as a member of the King's Guard? Wut! Bronn, master of coin? He's a swindler, not a banker (wellllll, I guess I can see that then).

Oh, and back to the Starks. How the hell is Sansa, knowing full well that they intend to be independent, have the audacity to tell uncle Ed Tully to sit down when he was making his case for the throne? He didn't seem like all that bad a pick to me compare to Robert's bastard, Lil boy Aeryn, Rico Suave from Dorne, Ironborn Lesbian, and turnip Stark. Davos probably would've been a good pick, but he's too lowborn, and doesn't come from a great house.

 

[Kutnupe14]

GOT ending sucked. And I might be the one person who actually liked the sopranos ending.

Alternate ending suggestion:

After Drogo melts the iron throne, the screen goes black and Journey’s “don’t stop believing” plays while the credits roll.

Would have saved us the final half hour of silliness, and no one would be any angrier than they are now.

The WHOLE season was a disappointment. And in case you have forgotten, they had 2 YEARS to get the damn thing right!

 

[ArcadiaGP]

You can probably bet that they put this re-used scene in after the "backlash"

Edit: Well, maybe not... because him petting Ghost was part of the leaked ending... I guess it depends on the timing of it. Still, it was re-used.

 

[Cameramonkey]

How utterly arrogant as a fan do you have to be to think that you can tell a show "sorry, not good enough. Do it again, this time the way *WE* want it.

https://gizmodo.com/game-of-thrones-petition-to-remake-season-8-reaches-a-m-1834875436


Our society is effing doomed if people keep being so self important. Petulant children I say.

 

[Trigger Time]

How utterly arrogant as a fan do you have to be to think that you can tell a show "sorry, not good enough. Do it again, this time the way *WE* want it.

https://gizmodo.com/game-of-thrones-petition-to-remake-season-8-reaches-a-m-1834875436


Our society is effing doomed if people keep being so self important. Petulant children I say.

Yeah agreed. I think it sucked the way it ended but you just have to accept creative right and deal with it. We are observers to art if you will.
Obviously this isnt the way the original author would have ended things and i think there in lies the problem. Someone else played in his art and messed it up.
But it is what it is now. Deal with it. These people even suggesting therapy over a TV series are ****ing nuts and need to die off via a world plague

 

[chipbennett]

You can probably bet that they put this re-used scene in after the "backlash"

Edit: Well, maybe not... because him petting Ghost was part of the leaked ending... I guess it depends on the timing of it. Still, it was re-used.

Now that's just lazy. I don't so much care that they told the story in a way that I didn't like overall the past two seasons (and particularly season 8). But the myriad evidence that so much of it was just phoned in is what gets me. Bad writing. Rushed character and plot arcs. Not removing coffee cups and plastic water bottles. And now copy-paste reuse of old scenes. It's like the DBs just stopped caring.

 

[Kutnupe14]

Now that's just lazy. I don't so much care that they told the story in a way that I didn't like overall the past two seasons (and particularly season 8). But the myriad evidence that so much of it was just phoned in is what gets me. Bad writing. Rushed character and plot arcs. Not removing coffee cups and plastic water bottles. And now copy-paste reuse of old scenes. It's like the DBs just stopped caring.

That happened right around the time it was announced they got Star Wars, which was early 2018.

 

[Mongo59]

They had so many possible plots to work with and they chose to not address any of them and slam the lid on it.

Jeepfan has a good idea.

What was all the crap with the girl in the kitchen and Varys for?

I would have liked to see Cersea and Dani play an apocalyptic game of chess with the stores of green ooze stored under the city. Send Grey Worm and a torch in for the score rather than sailing off to some island he has never seen, for what? Hungry for pie?

I can get more emotional about what happened to Hotpie than worried about what Arya will find going west of Westeros.

Telling Jon he can take no wife and father no children... like the last time he was north?

Maybe he shoots blanks but it would have been a twist if some of the late night dragon rides took hold.

And how do you put this "Many-faced God" into the plan for the "God of Light"? Many face trains her and fireball saves her by recycling cyclops umpteen times. Sounds like a sermon series right out of Catch-22...


They had all these plates spinning on rod they kept tending for 8 seasons and they just walk off stage and let them fall. Well done.

 

[Alpo]

The obvious problems I had with the episode were: 1) the obvious propane fire in the window of the burning building. I've seen better fire displays at Lowes. And 2) The stone blocks/bricks that Tyrion removed from over the bodies of his brother and sister must have been made of styrofoam. He sure didn't make them look very heavy. My wife also noticed.

 

[dsol]

The last couple of seasons outpaced the books. Of course that is assuming JRRM is ever going to finish them... He will probably keel over before the last one is done. But, if he does manage to finish them, I will bet they are a lot more fleshed out and go into a lot of the tangents that were hinted at but never followed. The ending will be different as well.

 

[Jeepfanatic]

My wife and I were very seriously considering buying the 8 season Bluray set when it comes out. After the last season I doubt we do that now.

 

[EvilElmo]

Season 8 is a case study in what happens to a successful show when the producers don't want to be there anymore.

 

[PapaScout]

Perhaps GRRM wanted this to flop so his books would sell?

 

[Spear Dane]

I strongly believe the show was put on a short budget leash by HBO. I think they will come to regret that decision in the form of subs lost and DVDs not sold. Probably going to cancel my sub as I don't see any compelling reason to keep it now as I also have Prime and Netflix.

 

[Spear Dane]

Telling Jon he can take no wife and father no children... like the last time he was north?

Maybe he shoots blanks but it would have been a twist if some of the late night dragon rides took hold.
They had all these plates spinning on rod they kept tending for 8 seasons and they just walk off stage and let them fall. Well done.

They sent him back to the Nights Watch, not the 'The north.' The stipulation of no wife and kids is a standard vow for 'The Black'. But his friend, Tormund , being at the wall short circuited that plan and he's now gone Really North, with the Freefolk. The only thing about the whole deal that didn't **** me off was that Tyrion survived. He is one the best conceived and written characters I've ever come across.

 

[jsx1043]

Telling Jon he can take no wife and father no children... like the last time he was north?

They had all these plates spinning on rod they kept tending for 8 seasons and they just walk off stage and let them fall. Well done.

These made me LOL and my wife asked what was so funny. I told her and we both agree wholeheartedly. Just plain disappointed...

 

[Mongo59]

Jon gets to sulk north of the north.

Arya gets to wish for gender reversal west of west.

Sansa gets to look down her nose at everyone who is left in the north (south north not north north...)

Bran gets to play Monty Python in the south. (His facial expression says "shrubbery" to me.)

Grey Worm gets to militarize an island he has never seen. Why not send them to take the black and father no children? Duh.

The last Greyjoy is left longing for the "way things could have been". Seems to me the family standard is to long to sleep with whomever is in charge.

Pod and his sex machine takes a vow to protect the king essentially replacing the King Slayer but without a sister.

Tyrion for some reason has sworn off hookers but not wine...


It would seem to me the most complete character development over the 8 years would go to... (drum roll) ...Ghost!

Think of it. He starts off as an unwanted refugee to the south side of the wall. He adapts and becomes a useful member of whatever society he is placed in. He requires no means of artificial support. He fights for those he identifies with at cost to himself and is quick to shake the dust from his feet (paws) and go back to where he came from in absence of fanfare.

The best illegal alien ever!

I rest my case.