After eight seasons and 73 episodes, the historic run of “Game of Thrones” has come to an end.
About 60 people gathered at the High Dive last Sunday to watch the final episode of “Game of Thrones”
Matthew Kriz, the floor manager for the High Dive, said the bar decided to screen the show after receiving a flood of community interest.
“We got a lot of calls this week regarding if we were going to do a screening of the finale” Kriz said. “This is something that we knew people would come out for, and who doesn’t want to have a beer while they watch their favorite show?”
The final season of “Game of Thrones” has been met with lukewarm reactions. Complaints about rushed storylines and sloppy production have been pervasive throughout its massive audience, especially on social media.
Over 1.4 million people have signed an online petition to “remake ‘Game of Thrones’ season eight with competent writers.”
Fan backlash did not stop people from watching. According to the Hollywood Reporter the finale had 19.3 million first day viewers, the most in HBO history.
In my opinion, most of the show’s issues were a product of their own successes.
“Game of Thrones” became too big, with too many characters and storylines. It was going to be impossible for showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss to both conclude the series while satisfying all its fans.
Benioff and Weiss took liberties with the pacing and character development during the final season. There were some disappointing omissions and plot holes, but each character’s ending made sense.
Daenerys Targaryen’s descent into madness was fast. However, she was crucifying people back in season 4 and had a well-established record of burning people alive.
Some were disappointed in Jaime Lannister’s decision to return to Cersei, but his inability to stop loving her, regardless of how evil a person she became, was a constant motif throughout the entire show.
Season eight was not the best season of “Game of Thrones.” There are plenty of reasons to be upset or disappointed with the direction the showrunners decided to take.
However, the final season did not ruin the show. I do not believe more episodes would make the show any better because it ran its course.
It is amazing Benioff and Weiss were able to create a show that has inspired such passion in its fanbase.
Instead of getting caught up in all the small details of the ending, let’s enjoy the journey that got us here.
Goodbye “Game of Thrones,” and thanks for all the memories.
The famed series came to an end after its eight-year run on television.
