Andrew Robinson
No spoilers will be present in this article.
When Game of Thrones returns for its final season sometime in 2019 (my guess is April 2019), it will face expectations perhaps unlike any show has ever faced before. As one of the most-watched shows worldwide, plus one of the top-rated shows of all-time according to numerous websites, GoT is under immense pressure to give fans a mind-blowing final season and, most importantly, an incredible series finale. Filming for season eight is already nearing completion, and those involved with the show are sworn to complete secrecy, with scripts themselves self-destructing once they are no longer needed. So, the question becomes, will GoT satisfy the desires of fans worldwide, and provide an incredible final season?
First, let’s attack the idea of it satisfying fans’ desires.
Will GoT’s Ending Satisfy Viewers?
This quote from one of Game of Thrones’ earlier seasons bothers me. GoT has shown the incredible ability to call back instances from years past, making seemingly throw-away quotes mean, well, everything. This is one quote that has gained a lot of attention over the past few months, and for good reason. While, of course, the quote itself has nothing to do with the way GoT may end, the fact that it makes an appearance in the show could be very, very important. If GoT decides to go this route (and, honestly, I would be surprised if it doesn’t, at least to some extent), many, many fans would likely be upset with the ending.
In fact, no matter how GoT decides to end it all, some fans are guaranteed to be upset. No matter who sits on the Iron Throne (if anyone), fans are all-but-guaranteed to have strong opinions on the ending. Therefore, in my best estimation, from a storytelling perspective, GoT is guaranteed to anger some fans, and I don’t think the show cares about that inevitability one bit.
More importantly, however, is how the final season progresses – will the storytelling be all that its been in the past? Will the visuals and battle sequences be as incredible as they’ve been throughout the whole series? Will the show take a more CGI-heavy route and risk distancing itself from fans? And, most important of all, will season eight live up to the immense hype?
Will GoT Provide an Incredible Final Season?
To me, season seven was disappointing. While it was still one of the best shows on television during the 2017-18 television season, I thought it largely forewent past seasons’ attention for detail, time, and character development. Therefore, as someone who prefers character development and attention to detail over cool battle scenes, I was left disappointed, especially considering it directly follows season six’s “Battle of the Bastards” and “The Winds of Winter,” the best two-hour stretch of television I have ever seen.
Due to this, I am worried about how season eight may turn out. At many points during the seven-episode seventh season, I felt as if the showrunners shouldn’t have condensed the ten-episodes-per-season model that they had followed up until the penultimate season; it felt as if they rushed their storylines to fit the shortened season. With season eight only clocking in at six episodes (although, we don’t know exactly how long those episodes will prove to be), a lot has to happen in a relatively short amount of time. After being disappointed with the showrunners’ handling of a condensed schedule in season seven, I am even more worried about season eight. While I have no doubt that some insane battle sequences, great dialogue, and incredible cinematography will be present, I worry about the storytelling aspect in a season where that matters more than ever before.
Furthermore, the show lost a bit of its luster once in grew past the source material, George RR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire book series. Martin is the genius who made this series possible, with his immense attention to detail, willingness to do whatever it takes to provide an incredible series, and incredibly elaborate setting. However, he has not released a book in the series since 2011, and does not seem to have much motivation to do so. Given Martin’s age (69) and poor health, it is very possible that the epic fantasy series is never finished. There are reports that Martin has been involved in aspects of the making of the final season, and he has also been a part of the GoT prequel that HBO has greenlit into development. This is a good sign, as I don’t trust anyone besides Martin to tell this story. However, it was also reported that he was at least somewhat involved with season seven, yet the season featured events that, quite simply, Martin would almost definitely have never allowed to take place, had he been given full reign. Therefore, I am worried that, despite Martin being at least somewhat involved in the making of the final season, his opinions aren’t at the top of the line amongst those involved with the show, or, at the very least, he isn’t making all of the major creative decisions himself. After seeing the direction that season seven took, this worries me. However, GoT has already confirmed the involvement of directors Miguel Sapochnik (“Battle of the Bastards”) and David Nutter (“The Rains of Castamere”), who directed some of Game of Thrones’ best episodes to date. The prospect of having them back to direct season eight episodes is very, very exciting.
Despite season seven lacking in some departments, it also features some pretty awesome battle scenes. Taking after all prior seasons, season seven has massive battles that cost millions of dollars to produce. I have no doubt that season eight will be the same, and may even feature the best battle scene yet (well… I don’t think anything can top the Battle of the Bastards, but season eight’s battles will likely come very, very close). The fact that GoT spent 55 days filming just one season eight battle scene, demolishing its record of 25 days for the epic, near-half-hour-long battle in “Battle of the Bastards,” is a very, very good sign. Ultimately, this is where I have no worries; Game of Thrones has always provided incredible battle scenes, and HBO has proved willing to spend millions of dollars to make them as awesome as possible. Given the fact that each episode of season eight is predicted to cost $15 million (!!), I have no doubt whatsoever that fans will be treated to some of the best battle scenes ever seen on television.
This all leads to the final point: will GoT give fans an unforgettable send-off? Will the final season – especially the series finale – live up to the hype?
In most respects, I think it will. The massive budget, Martin’s reported involvement, the incredible actors, and the secrecy of the set and scripts leads me to believe that we will be treated to a final season unlike any other. While some fans will definitely have issues with the show’s creative direction no matter how it ends everything, that is true with any show ever. For me, the biggest problem that season eight may have surrounds its condensed episode schedule, and the fact that this will likely lead to less of a focus on character development, time, and attention for detail. While this is a legitimate concern and was certainly present in season seven, my best guess is the final season will still be easily enjoyable, and nothing too outlandish will occur in respect to these three potential issues.
Wrap-Up
So, in conclusion, GoT faces the unenviable challenge of having to create a final season for one of the most popular shows in the world that is beloved by nearly everyone who watches. While the show lost a bit of its quality after it grew past its source material (notably in season seven), it still remains one of television’s best, most-watched dramas. I have a few worries about the lessened focus on detail, character development, and time (along with the increased focus on providing fans with interesting hookups and visually-stunning scenes), but I suspect that season eight will still prove to be an incredible six episodes of television. In all likelihood, some fans will be upset by the way the show chooses to end, but that is to be expected. Given the unprecedented amount of hype surrounding GoT and its final season, it is very possible that the show will fail to meet all of our lofty expectations. However, I suspect that it will end up being one of the best seasons of the show, and will come as close to living up to the hype as reasonably possible. I, for one, can’t wait.
