GOT – the End

Published May 20, 2019 · Updated July 6, 2022

Hi there!

Let me start off by saying that I am so grateful for your podcast. I look forward to it as much as I look forward to new episodes of GOT each week and it is heartbreaking to realize that now… that is over. But the silver lining is that you will cover other shows/movies so I can keep an eye out for your commentary on other things…

Anyways… I know this season and last night’s episode have been extremely divisive. I personally am ok with the final episode given what the season has been this far, but I do think the Double Ds cheated us and rushed us through a story that would have taken more than six episodes to play out satisfyingly.

My first gripe is with the Dany & Jon love story (is it Jon or John?) I’m not sure if it is a lack of chemistry or simply poor writing but I was never sold on it. Not in Season 7 and not in Season 8, not ever. I just don’t buy it. So it was hard for me to truly feel anything when he finally ends things romantically with her. I didn’t understand the pain that she suffered, I didn’t get how that could be the last straw to really go full “Mad Queen”. And in the last episode, I didn’t buy the intensity of their last exchange because anything remotely “romantic” just didn’t register. So yes, I was shocked Jon finally grew balls, realized what he had to do, and for the first time ever acted on impulse by killing her, but I didn’t feel very connected to it emotionally. And you could say: who cares how you felt about it emotionally? And you would be right but my point is that, up to this season, GOT always made me feel strongly about the characters I was watching. They simply failed to do so when it came to Dany & Jon. (I’ve decided to go with the version with no H).

My second gripe is about the Jamie arc. I won’t go too in depth about it because you guys have covered it, but rushing through his little love story with Brianne just made him come off like a typical fuck boy, pardon my French. Do I like Jamie any less? No. I still cried my eyes out when he died although I knew he would. I still think he was great and good deep inside, but you love whom you love, and some relationships are toxic and that’s who he was. I just wish they did him justice by giving his story more time for it to make sense and end with more respect.

The third gripe is about the battle against the undead which still blows my mind. Yes, The Long Night was probably one of the best episodes of the show and maybe of all the shows in the whole world! BUT! How the heck do you wrap up a war that monumental in like… three episodes? Please! We’ve spent 7 seasons dealing with these zombies and then it’s WHAM BAM! They are defeated thank you very much! Now onto Kings Landing! No. Too fast. Too rushed. My biggest theory going into season 8 was that the Knight King would win it all in the end. After all, how do you beat death? It’s impossible. It’s coming for all of us. I just didn’t buy it. Or maybe I’d have bought it if it had been given the appropriate amount of screen time.

Regardless, we got what we got. We can’t re-write it – despite the ridiculous attempt to circulate some petition to reshoot the whole thing, good luck with that!

I do have one last comment about the last episode.

There is no way in hell that Dany would throw Tyrion in jail after he so disrespectfully “quit” being her hand. She would have most definitely murdered him on the spot. That was a cop-out. The cop-out of all cop-outs. The Ds needed Tyrion to pretty much tie together their whole ending so… how to keep the sucker alive? Let’s have Dany unrealistically have mercy on him by not executing him immediately, buying ourselves time. I DON’T BUY IT DOUBLE Ds! I am grateful because he was one of my favorite characters, but I DON’T BUY IT! Another cheap shot.

This season was shitty. It did not spoil the masterpiece that was the first 7 seasons, but it’s sad to have ended it this way. And again, I am ok with the actual ending to the story, just not the way in which it was told. I heard it was due to the directors’ contract to do the next Star Wars trilogy and that simply adds to the fire for me. But maybe that boils down to me not being a huge Star Wars fan.

I am grateful Jon is back with his friend and his dog, where he belongs, in the North.

I am grateful for Sansa and the North finally getting justice.

I am grateful and proud of Arya for living the life she loves.

I am grateful for Tyrion, Bronn, Brianne, and Davos for being alive.

But most of all I am grateful the Starks got the ending they deserved because in the end, their banner was always the most righteous.

Closing this chapter is like saying goodbye to friends I’ve grown up with and loved. It’s sad. I will try to tackle the books again in hopes that George will give my friends the ending they deserve.

Thanks again for the great podcast. I will miss it.
Patry. From Philadelphia 🙂

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