Honestly, what do you think about Season 8? Mod warning post #1/#410

GOT ended like the ending of a romantic movie might, with characters riding/sailing into the sunset etc. Very timid after all that went before. As for Bran, I don't know what he was about - throughout the film - great potential but never delivered.

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

Sopranos had run it's course by the finale and the ending was quite good I thought. Some people were put out of the abrupt nature of the end scene, but as a final season, and a final episode in itself, it remained perfectly decent, and was widely received as same to be fair.

As I said in another thread, The Sopranos ending has aged well and the series in general is aging well. A lot of people were disappointed with the ending at the time as I think some people were expecting to see Tony go out in some blaze of glory, but it would never have worked and the rewatch value of the series is better for having not tried it. An ending involving Tony face down in a bowl of spaghetti or some such just wouldn't have been the right tone for the finale. Just my opinion. I watched it again recently and it still looks and sounds very slick, and the fact that the finale didn't try to do too much actually works well in its favour. David Chase should never have had to defend his choice there. It was completely the right thing to do and stayed true to what the show was about.

Comparatively, I don't see GoT holding up as well, and I think the two boys will regret not giving it more time and attention, as it's something they'll be remembered for.

expectationlost wrote: »

worst last seasons GOT or BSG?

it has to be BSG

Both were poor enough but BSG was slightly better in my opinion.

Its interesting what George R.R. Martin had to say about the BSG finale

"Battlestar Galactica ends with 'God Did It.' Looks like somebody skipped Writing 101, when you learn that a deus ex machina is a crappy way to end a story. Yeah, yeah, sometimes the journey is its own reward. I certainly enjoyed much of the journey with BSG. But damn it, doesn't anybody know how to write an ending any more? Writing 101, kids.

Is he saying that now about the GOT Finale I wonder ?
We shouldnt be surprised I guess all this has happened before, and all this will happen again.:)

valoren wrote: »

It was perhaps a victim of it's own success. The earlier seasons before it became a pop culture phenomenon were wrought with dialogue, plotting and characterization. It didn't have the enormous budget the latter seasons enjoyed. I guess if you give someone a hammer (big productions costs) then all they will see is nails (big set pieces, spectacles, style over substance) while losing focus on the writing which actually gave them the 'hammer' subsequently with each seasons spectacle becoming inversely proportional to the quality of the dialogue, plotting and characterization.

I was thinking something similar earlier - after GOT peaked or broke into the mainstream there could be pressure or a tendency to dilute some of the grittier plots - the harder edged scenes. Keep the mass appeal going. Make it more blockbuster entertainment than medieval grit-fest.

not my line - from the irish times:

Martin McBennett
The season was dark and full of errors.

Whole thing was a waste of time. Height of rubbish

Lot of ppl know this but won’t admit it

OptimusTractor wrote: »

If the writers were arsed at all there was at least 3 seasons of content left. Even at 6 episodes.

Season 8: The War with the White Walkers.

Season 9: Dany's conquering of Westeros.

Season 10: The inevitable civil war when other Houses realise Queen Dee takes after the rest of her family and join with Sansa.

The show has been on a downward spiral over the last 3 seasons, the last thing it needed was more seasons.

It's telling that the best two episodes of Season 8 (Episodes 1 and 2) were written by Dave Hill (Winterfell) and Bryan Cogman (A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms) whilst the last 4 were all written by Benioff & Weiss.

One can only wish that they'd been fired and Cogman asked to finish out the series. Even within the 6 episodes, I think he'd have managed a better job of it.

Foxtrol wrote: »

Feel this season will stand up better for people who binge watch it straight after the others. No matter what they did with the last few seasons it was always going to seem rushed compared to the GRRM material, but by limiting the time lag between episodes and seasons it will allow character arcs and storylines to flow better and not seem as rushed as we found it watching along.

That, actually, is a very good observation. While I still believe that season 7 wasn't great (But not bad either) and season 8 was mainly down to pacing (Apart from the last episode which, to me, was very poor, toothless and unsatisfactory), for someone who has not read the books or seen the series, it will probably hold up a lot better.

They will notice a serious dip in risk-taking and change in tone but a binger will watch all 78 (79?) episodes in about 3 weeks. They won't be as invested in the series as someone who has waited 8 years to be disappointed or a bajillion plus years for the books to finish.

They will see it for what it is: escapist fun. And, come on folks, that's really what it was.

It has upped the ante on what you can do on a TV series. Action sequences in the last two seasons especially were like something out of a major movie. The battle between Jaime's wagon train and the Dothraki and Drogon last season would have been the main setpiece for a HUGE movie only a couple of years ago.

I don't think it is sustainable though. Bigger and more expensive does have its risks and may not always be rewarded. I am concerned about BBC/HBO's His Dark Materials adaptations. I LOVE the books and think they will do a good job. But I am worries that people will think it's another GoT, find out it isn't and then ratings will plummet and we will not get the last season and risky shows will be deemed too risky

When's season 9 out..???

I have watched game of thrones sense the first series was released. I don't believe season 8 is terrible but it was flawed. Some decisions the writers made make no sense, like the tactics used at the battle for Winterfell or Ayra being the one who killed the night king.. I always had the idea that Jon and Dany would face him down together in an epic fight and Ayra would finish her list off with Cersei.

But I always had a feeling that Dany would end up being the bad guy once she arrived in Westeros. She always took it upon herself to choose what was right or just and never considered other culture or beliefs. The people she loved and kept close kept her grounded, you can see this time and time again throughout all the seasons where they talk her down from doing something horrible. Once her closest friends had died or betrayed her there was nothing holding her back anymore.

S08E05 is in the top 10 episodes of the show in my opinion.

Edit: I forgot to even mention the last episode lol. I'm still processing it, I am thankful they tied up the loose ends but the whole episode felt so rushed, more so then the rest of the season. They should have made it 2 hours at least. Instead of jumping forward in time after Jon kills Dany they should of shown how Jon was captured and the trail / negotiations about what to do with him.
If they had only just flushed it out a bit more I would be more satisfied with the ending.

killanena wrote: »

Instead of jumping forward in time after Jon kills Dany they should of shown how Jon was captured and the trail / negotiations about what to do with him.
If they had only just flushed it out a bit more I would be more satisfied with the ending.

Impossible to show this because in what world would Greyworm not have killed Jon on the spot or at least tried to kill him?

They actually missed an opportunity for a good fight scene between those two. I'd have had Jon talking to Dany with Greyworm present. It would become heated and Greyworm would step in. Decent fight between them as Dany watches on. Jon eventually wins and then advances on Dany, still conflicted, still unsure but ultimately resolved. Dany's fear would have been a more interesting visual than that ridiculous smooch they had before Jon cowardly gutted her.

This is the problem though when fans start suggesting alternatives or ways to do it better. There's not a single alternative I ever considered up to season 7 because the show was gospel. Everything that happened made sense and felt real. You didn't question it - it was just what happened, part of a greater story that is being slowly revealed to you. Almost as if you were watching a documentary. But as soon as they went on that ludicrous mission north of the wall, all reason went out the window and the characters were exposed as mere tools of the writers to get what they want. It's no longer gospel - just what the writers decided when they might as easily have decided something else. So we start thinking of other things they might have done and it no longer feels real anymore.

Jesus lads the amount of wannabe script writers in this thread lol. It's actually amazing seeing some of the bile spouted by some posters on here, a few at it constantly. Have ye no lives to live? It's only a tv show ffs!