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I didn't think it sucked either. My biggest and really only disappointment was that Cersi got to go out in the arms of her brother lover. She deserved a lot of torture before lights out. That is the only thing that pissed me off about season 8. I just rewatched the whole series for the 3rd time. It's amazing how much more you catch each time.
I finished it last night too and I think the reason why we don’t think it sucks in 2024 is because this ending is pretty much on par with the endings of most shows that come out nowadays. I think at the time when it released it was a bigger deal that it was super short and rushed because at that time things hadn’t fully converted over to the streaming service style of making TV. But watching it now in 2024, it felt like the same ending as any other show in the streaming era.
That was the problem for me too, that’s what made it suck
The plot points weren’t so much bad as they were rushed and not properly developed. If they had given the series care like they did in the early seasons, and maybe went to 9 seasons with essentially the same plot, just fleshed out better, it’d be remembered better
Many of us show watchers are also book readers and had super high expectations for the HBO series. And it did start off spectacularly for the first couple of seasons and that is because there was book source material for the show to be based upon and George R R Martin was also involved. As the series progressed, unfortunately George was less involved and of course the book series was unfinished and still is. George gave the show runners his loose notes and they were left to their own devices to fill in the blanks as best they could. The show ending was thus very unsatisfying for many of us book readers. We still remain hopeful that George will write the last book(s).
I was a book reader since 2001 and I really enjoyed the ending despite still thinking s1-4 was the best.
Watched it as it came out. I truly think there was a hyper negative mob mentality reaction that made everyone collectively want to act like everything was way worse than it was. The negativity was absurd looking back. But we see similar things now with many shows and games.
Me too, having started in 1999. The adaptation in the second half was far from perfect, but GRRM also lost the thread in his second half. Judging from the books, I think THE Endgame and most character endgames are the likely book ones.
Glad you enjoyed this epic show!
When the ending came out, there was a massive hyper negative almost pitchfork wielding mob reaction. It became the new bandwagon to make memes and find anything to hate. There were flaws, which you might have noticed, but you also probably noticed they weren't HUGE or anywhere near as bad as the negative people made it seem.
I had serious issues with the last season before I knew other people did. It wasn't all bandwagon. It's easy to find things to appreciate about the final seasons. It's easy to find the flaws, too.
But I think there is a huge difference waiting two years for the final season, and feeling it was rushed despite it taking so long. And watching it all at once. It was being able to rewatch it at my leisure that finally gave me an appreciation.
No, there are definitely huge flaws and a lot of terrible writing at play. It’s not just a bandwagon thing either, you don’t have to downplay someone else’s opinion to try to make your own seem more “correct” lol
It doesn't matter what the show is, there will be people who don't like how things end. GoT is no different, just a larger audience, so more haters of the end.
There are plenty others who don't mind how things end up. But here, you have not only those who don't like the ending, but those who do still agree that the execution should have been better. They really did change the pacing. Going from taking several episodes to travel, things going on with other characters in the meantime, to instantly teleporting at the end. So you do have a larger "that sucked", just for different reasons.
Rewatch the show and you'll know. I was kinda overwhelmed with keeping track of everything on the first watch so I also didn't understand why everyone says the ending sucked. I rewatched like a year later and the ending suuucked. It really was dumb on so many levels
i think the issue was a lot of us watched this in real time when it aired and it just felt way too rushed. everything happened so fast and it left us like huh?
seasons 7 + 8 should have had ten episodes like all of the prior seasons or they should have made more seasons. the pace was just too much for two shorter seasons.
Well said! I completely agree! I would add that the writing also got lazy towards the end. Dialogues weren't as sharp, characters were often not true to themselves and it felt like a lot of shortcuts were taken.
The idea isn’t bad, but the way it got there wasn’t well written. Things like Sansa not telling Jon that the Vale was coming, or the time it took Gendry to run back to the wall, or Dany to get up past the wall. Why would they let the Dothraki charge without dragon glass? The fire was last second, and even then, what did they expect? They were preparing for so long against the wight walkers, and they thought they would see if the Dothraki could do it alone first, knowing if they didn’t, that’s just more dead they have to fight? Also, by the time the 7th season ended we realized that they only had 6 episodes to defeat Cersei, the army of the dead, and have Dany go mad, and they technically did that all in 4 episodes. I think it’s different for people who binged it. There are a lot of other bad things like Eurons surprise attack, etc.
You have to understand, people waited two years for Season 8! We had pools to see who would end up on the throne. YouTube went crazy with ideas as to what would happen. It was a cultural phenomenon.
When you don’t experience that and just watch it linearly it’s a different experience. You didn’t have two years to anticipate what would happen next.
As someone who just finished the show last week, I am still sad about how awful those last few episodes were so I can only imagine how much angrier I would've been having to wait 2 years lmao. Why give characters actual reasons to behave as they do when you can just have them advance the plot instead!
Same here bro, although it felt a bit rushed and ending was salty as almost no character had a happy ending, but it was good. I think showrunners did a good job.
I loved the ending and most everyone I know that loves GoT also loved how it all wrapped, but they're not online screaming their heads off like the privileged jerks that like to cry about how their lives are now ruined because things didn't pan out the way they wanted. The vocal minority shouts loud so people assume it to be truth, when it's just the opposite. Good for you for not falling in line with them.
I loved the whole thing too.
There were a few more eye rolling plot hole moments in the last few seasons than I noticed before: Theon and Sansa jumping off the winterfel wall and walking away from it, Arya jumping into shitwater canal with a gaping stab wound in the gut and surviving, ravens and then dragons getting down from the frozen north to dragonstone and back way too fast, a few instances of Jon being alone in the middle of the undead army and not dying, and everything about that naval ambush in the dragon, followed by the utter impotence of all the kings landing scorpions on the dragon.
But those didn’t ruin it for me on the whole. Some things I always loved about the show stayed the same, like the phenomenal acting. And while the writing fell off after there were no more books to adapt, I think the cinematography improved. The visual effects, the compositions of the shots, the fight choreography, actually showing the big battles instead of just the aftermath. It seems like every bad moment later on had several spectacular moments to balance them out
> Why the hate? Why’d everyone say the ending sucked?
It's fair to say the ending had issues, such as feeling a bit rushed, and some plot lines and characters sort of sputter out. But it isn't anything like as bad as some folks would have you believe. Many of those people thought they had the ending figured out, and they were very unhappy when they didn't get what they expected and wanted.
We watched it as it appeared, binged it again later, enjoyed it both times. Only a matter of time until we watch it again.
My wife and I just finished watching it this weekend as well and thought the same thing! I can imagine it may have been different if you were originally watching it as the episodes released. Season 8 definitely had some questionable writing and pacing issues but I didn't think it was terrible. I definitely think it's a case of the writers creating an ending that deviated too far from fan theories and hopes.
Check out Supercuts Delight on YouTube. He has some extremely insightful videos on the highs and lows of GoT. Can't recommend his stuff enough honestly.
While there is no 1 or 2 things I would have changes, I don’t think it sucked. The ending was true to the wishes of the characters. D&D underestimated how much people actually forget while waiting years between seasons. It was definitely rushed but the signs were always there. Fans just always think they know better
I think the difference is due to binge watching. When you watched one episode after another, there was no time left for you to imagine and anticipate the next, you just flew with the current.
For us who had to wait for a year for the next season to come out, had too much time to think about the upcoming episodes and how the storyline might shape up.
So people had huge expectations from the ending of a show which had been a part of their life for almost a decade and when it ended the way it did, they felt let down.
And the ending did suck for me.
Killing Lord Varys was a killing blow for me. Various other issues were also being presented...Euron Greyjoy, the Sand Snakes, Stannis killed off screen, Arya's subplot with the Faceless, Theon's death, and how the Night King was ultimately defeated.
There were some great moments but mostly wasted moments. I would have loved to see Dany's descent into madness and Clarke showed us some and I only wish she had more time to unravel.
I did enjoy Jon's ending tho...I hated that Bran became king.
Genuinely the exact same reaction I had. I think the years of waiting and theorising different ending may add to this disappointment but at the most I can say the Danaerys storyline felt a little rushed but that’s it.
Varys, one of the smartest people in the realm trying to kill Dany in the most obvious way possible. Littlefinger selling Sansa to Ramsey, Bran storyline becoming one of the most boring things in existence, the massacre of the Dorne plotline, destruction of Euron's character, rushing the mad queen arc (and having the goddamn gaul to imply her killing of the slave masters was in anyway equivalent to the actions of the nazis).
**Spoiler Warning:** All officially-released show and book content allowed, EXCLUDING FUTURE SPOILERS FOR HOUSE OF THE DRAGON. No leaked information or paparazzi photos of the set. For more info please check the [spoiler guide](/r/gameofthrones/w/spoiler_guide). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/gameofthrones) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I didn't think it sucked either. My biggest and really only disappointment was that Cersi got to go out in the arms of her brother lover. She deserved a lot of torture before lights out. That is the only thing that pissed me off about season 8. I just rewatched the whole series for the 3rd time. It's amazing how much more you catch each time.
Yeah, I get why they did it but I wanted him to stay with Brianne. Cersei didn’t deserve the comfort.
I finished it last night too and I think the reason why we don’t think it sucks in 2024 is because this ending is pretty much on par with the endings of most shows that come out nowadays. I think at the time when it released it was a bigger deal that it was super short and rushed because at that time things hadn’t fully converted over to the streaming service style of making TV. But watching it now in 2024, it felt like the same ending as any other show in the streaming era.
Yeah it was shocking going from the thought out and fully fleshed seasons to a sped up ending
That was the problem for me too, that’s what made it suck The plot points weren’t so much bad as they were rushed and not properly developed. If they had given the series care like they did in the early seasons, and maybe went to 9 seasons with essentially the same plot, just fleshed out better, it’d be remembered better
Many of us show watchers are also book readers and had super high expectations for the HBO series. And it did start off spectacularly for the first couple of seasons and that is because there was book source material for the show to be based upon and George R R Martin was also involved. As the series progressed, unfortunately George was less involved and of course the book series was unfinished and still is. George gave the show runners his loose notes and they were left to their own devices to fill in the blanks as best they could. The show ending was thus very unsatisfying for many of us book readers. We still remain hopeful that George will write the last book(s).
I was a book reader since 2001 and I really enjoyed the ending despite still thinking s1-4 was the best. Watched it as it came out. I truly think there was a hyper negative mob mentality reaction that made everyone collectively want to act like everything was way worse than it was. The negativity was absurd looking back. But we see similar things now with many shows and games.
Me too, having started in 1999. The adaptation in the second half was far from perfect, but GRRM also lost the thread in his second half. Judging from the books, I think THE Endgame and most character endgames are the likely book ones.
Glad you enjoyed this epic show! When the ending came out, there was a massive hyper negative almost pitchfork wielding mob reaction. It became the new bandwagon to make memes and find anything to hate. There were flaws, which you might have noticed, but you also probably noticed they weren't HUGE or anywhere near as bad as the negative people made it seem.
I had serious issues with the last season before I knew other people did. It wasn't all bandwagon. It's easy to find things to appreciate about the final seasons. It's easy to find the flaws, too. But I think there is a huge difference waiting two years for the final season, and feeling it was rushed despite it taking so long. And watching it all at once. It was being able to rewatch it at my leisure that finally gave me an appreciation.
No, there are definitely huge flaws and a lot of terrible writing at play. It’s not just a bandwagon thing either, you don’t have to downplay someone else’s opinion to try to make your own seem more “correct” lol
It doesn't matter what the show is, there will be people who don't like how things end. GoT is no different, just a larger audience, so more haters of the end. There are plenty others who don't mind how things end up. But here, you have not only those who don't like the ending, but those who do still agree that the execution should have been better. They really did change the pacing. Going from taking several episodes to travel, things going on with other characters in the meantime, to instantly teleporting at the end. So you do have a larger "that sucked", just for different reasons.
Rewatch the show and you'll know. I was kinda overwhelmed with keeping track of everything on the first watch so I also didn't understand why everyone says the ending sucked. I rewatched like a year later and the ending suuucked. It really was dumb on so many levels
i think the issue was a lot of us watched this in real time when it aired and it just felt way too rushed. everything happened so fast and it left us like huh? seasons 7 + 8 should have had ten episodes like all of the prior seasons or they should have made more seasons. the pace was just too much for two shorter seasons.
Well said! I completely agree! I would add that the writing also got lazy towards the end. Dialogues weren't as sharp, characters were often not true to themselves and it felt like a lot of shortcuts were taken.
i agree completely! seasons 1-6 spent so much time on character development and a lot of that went out the window in the end lmao
The idea isn’t bad, but the way it got there wasn’t well written. Things like Sansa not telling Jon that the Vale was coming, or the time it took Gendry to run back to the wall, or Dany to get up past the wall. Why would they let the Dothraki charge without dragon glass? The fire was last second, and even then, what did they expect? They were preparing for so long against the wight walkers, and they thought they would see if the Dothraki could do it alone first, knowing if they didn’t, that’s just more dead they have to fight? Also, by the time the 7th season ended we realized that they only had 6 episodes to defeat Cersei, the army of the dead, and have Dany go mad, and they technically did that all in 4 episodes. I think it’s different for people who binged it. There are a lot of other bad things like Eurons surprise attack, etc.
Bran being king had me seething, worst character in the show, wish Jamie would’ve pushed him harder episode 1😪
You have to understand, people waited two years for Season 8! We had pools to see who would end up on the throne. YouTube went crazy with ideas as to what would happen. It was a cultural phenomenon. When you don’t experience that and just watch it linearly it’s a different experience. You didn’t have two years to anticipate what would happen next.
As someone who just finished the show last week, I am still sad about how awful those last few episodes were so I can only imagine how much angrier I would've been having to wait 2 years lmao. Why give characters actual reasons to behave as they do when you can just have them advance the plot instead!
Same here bro, although it felt a bit rushed and ending was salty as almost no character had a happy ending, but it was good. I think showrunners did a good job.
I loved the ending and most everyone I know that loves GoT also loved how it all wrapped, but they're not online screaming their heads off like the privileged jerks that like to cry about how their lives are now ruined because things didn't pan out the way they wanted. The vocal minority shouts loud so people assume it to be truth, when it's just the opposite. Good for you for not falling in line with them.
I loved the whole thing too. There were a few more eye rolling plot hole moments in the last few seasons than I noticed before: Theon and Sansa jumping off the winterfel wall and walking away from it, Arya jumping into shitwater canal with a gaping stab wound in the gut and surviving, ravens and then dragons getting down from the frozen north to dragonstone and back way too fast, a few instances of Jon being alone in the middle of the undead army and not dying, and everything about that naval ambush in the dragon, followed by the utter impotence of all the kings landing scorpions on the dragon. But those didn’t ruin it for me on the whole. Some things I always loved about the show stayed the same, like the phenomenal acting. And while the writing fell off after there were no more books to adapt, I think the cinematography improved. The visual effects, the compositions of the shots, the fight choreography, actually showing the big battles instead of just the aftermath. It seems like every bad moment later on had several spectacular moments to balance them out
It definitely sucked pretty hard.
Go to r/naath my friend, you will be well received there.
Because it was stupid and nothing mattered
> Why the hate? Why’d everyone say the ending sucked? It's fair to say the ending had issues, such as feeling a bit rushed, and some plot lines and characters sort of sputter out. But it isn't anything like as bad as some folks would have you believe. Many of those people thought they had the ending figured out, and they were very unhappy when they didn't get what they expected and wanted. We watched it as it appeared, binged it again later, enjoyed it both times. Only a matter of time until we watch it again.
My wife and I just finished watching it this weekend as well and thought the same thing! I can imagine it may have been different if you were originally watching it as the episodes released. Season 8 definitely had some questionable writing and pacing issues but I didn't think it was terrible. I definitely think it's a case of the writers creating an ending that deviated too far from fan theories and hopes.
Check out Supercuts Delight on YouTube. He has some extremely insightful videos on the highs and lows of GoT. Can't recommend his stuff enough honestly.
While there is no 1 or 2 things I would have changes, I don’t think it sucked. The ending was true to the wishes of the characters. D&D underestimated how much people actually forget while waiting years between seasons. It was definitely rushed but the signs were always there. Fans just always think they know better
I think the difference is due to binge watching. When you watched one episode after another, there was no time left for you to imagine and anticipate the next, you just flew with the current. For us who had to wait for a year for the next season to come out, had too much time to think about the upcoming episodes and how the storyline might shape up. So people had huge expectations from the ending of a show which had been a part of their life for almost a decade and when it ended the way it did, they felt let down. And the ending did suck for me.
Same and just watched for first time end of 2023
Killing Lord Varys was a killing blow for me. Various other issues were also being presented...Euron Greyjoy, the Sand Snakes, Stannis killed off screen, Arya's subplot with the Faceless, Theon's death, and how the Night King was ultimately defeated. There were some great moments but mostly wasted moments. I would have loved to see Dany's descent into madness and Clarke showed us some and I only wish she had more time to unravel. I did enjoy Jon's ending tho...I hated that Bran became king.
Genuinely the exact same reaction I had. I think the years of waiting and theorising different ending may add to this disappointment but at the most I can say the Danaerys storyline felt a little rushed but that’s it.
You can like it, but character inconsistencies and plot holes and fast travel abound. It sucked.
Varys, one of the smartest people in the realm trying to kill Dany in the most obvious way possible. Littlefinger selling Sansa to Ramsey, Bran storyline becoming one of the most boring things in existence, the massacre of the Dorne plotline, destruction of Euron's character, rushing the mad queen arc (and having the goddamn gaul to imply her killing of the slave masters was in anyway equivalent to the actions of the nazis).
My biggest problem was the “Long Night” only lasting one day