Let’s be honest, no matter how epic the ride was, the final season of Game of Thrones still stings. From rushed storylines to confusing character arcs, the ending left a bitter taste in mouths of fans for a show that once ruled TV.
While fans continue to dissect where it all went wrong, it turns out George R.R. Martin had been waving a big, flaming warning torch the whole time, and HBO just… didn’t listen.
Martin, the creator of Westeros, has been pretty candid about how things unraveled. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, he explained:
“I was saying it needs to be 10 seasons at least and maybe 12, 13. I lost that one.”
The guy who created the world, its politics, lore, and characters knew the show needed more time. He told them, and still, HBO pushed ahead with just six episodes for Season 8, a decision that left fans and critics alike wondering what the rush was for.
Could the downfall of Daenerys or the surprise coronation of Bran the Broken have landed better if they had more room to breathe? Most likely. But by then, Martin had already stepped away from the show, returning to the books he’s been trying to finish for years, and other projects.
What’s even more telling is how little say Martin had in those final seasons. Speaking in 2022, he said:
“I had no contribution to the later seasons except, you know, inventing the world, the story, and all the characters. I believe I have more influence now than I did on the original show.”
Despite the messy final season of Thrones, the audience didn’t walk away from Westeros for good. The House of the Dragon Season 1 finale pulled in the biggest closer numbers since Game of Thrones wrapped. That proves the love for this world is still there, people just want it to be handled with more care. It deserved better and Martin knew it.
With A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and more House of the Dragon on the horizon, HBO seems to be playing the long game now and expanding the universe. I just wish they would’ve treated Game of Thrones with more care and gave it the better and stronger ending that it deserved.
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