We only have ourselves to blame for the disappointment
By Roshni Riar, Staff Writer
I know that we’ve all probably had enough Game of Thrones talk to last a lifetime but before we’re totally burnt out on the subject, I want to talk about the series finale.
Most of all, I want to shift the blame away from the show creators to the show watchers. That’s right, I’m blaming you for your own disappointment.
When the season started, viewers knew that there would only be six episodes. From that knowledge alone, I think we all should have thrown our expectations out of the window and just enjoyed the ride. With the all the loose ends, we should have known it would be impossible to have everything resolved neatly.
George R. R. Martin created an expansive, rich universe filled with complex storylines and characters. He did so because he could—he didn’t have the same limitations that the television show had. The show writers and production team really tried to do the books justice and I believe that when they had the books as source material, they truly did.
In trying to do the books justice, the writers tried to include as many details and storylines as they could and of course, with only six episodes to the final season, not all those storylines could be resolved and wrapped up.
Going into the final season, I think that fans should have kept the various limitations to the television show in mind. We all expected so much—too much, in fact—and were somewhat unrealistic in our expectations. After episode five, we should have realized that with only 70 minutes left to the entire series, it just wouldn’t be possible to feel totally satisfied. Sure, if things had maybe been done differently, those plot holes and loose ends could be forgivable, but this is where we’ve ended up and we must deal with it.
In light of the series finale, fans have gone so far as to create a change.org petition demanding season eight to be rewritten with different writers—many people have cited David Benioff and D. B. Weiss as responsible for the downfall of Game of Thrones.
While I understand the frustration and am equally disappointed in the last season of the show, the petition won’t do anything to right the alleged wrongs of the finale. Even if the writers were aware of how the final season might be perceived, it’s not like they’re sitting in a conference room with bated breath waiting for someone to demand a revision. Unfortunately, it’s over. All we can do now is wait—and cross our fingers—for the release of the final books of A Song of Ice and Fire series by GRRM.
Fans should take their post-finale anger and channel it into support for the actors, crew, and the hundreds of people who spent months of their lives working on the show. In that spirit, a fundraiser was created by fans of the show in order to collect donations for Emilia Clarke’s—who played Daenerys Targaryen—foundation SameYou. The foundation was created by Clarke after she suffered two brain aneurysms while filming Game of Thrones. Its main goal is to raise funds and increase access to rehabilitation after brain injury. The funds raised by fans will all be donated directly to Clarke’s charity and I feel like that is a respectful, meaningful way to honour the show and Clarke’s impact on a lot of people.
While we’re allowed to be angry, I think it’s important to do something with that anger—especially since the show isn’t coming back. Support the people you watched on your television screen for 10 years. Remind yourself that a lot of people put their blood, sweat, and tears into bringing this show to you. Hope that GRRM finishes those damn books. Find a new show to watch and just hope the ending won’t be as disappointing as this one.
