Did Season 8 Ruin Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire)?
I don't think it's controversial to say that season 8 of Game of Thrones has been divisive. There are a lot of scenes and episodes that many people take issue with, often for legitimate reasons. In fact, this is so much the case that there is currently a petition on Change.org with a million signers asking HBO to re-do season 8. I myself am deeply disappointed in the direction season 8 has taken, especially episode 5 ("The Bells").
I'm not going to re-hash why I feel this way because I think a lot of people have had their say about this, and I'm probably not going to add much. If you want to know why I feel this way, you can read my review of season 8 episode 5.
The fact is that the writers have ruined the ending of the Game of Thrones TV show. Okay. So, what now?
Although the final episode redeemed some of the missteps made earlier in season 8, in many ways the show came to a deeply unsatisfying conclusion that left a lot of people feeling that the writers had played a sick practical joke on them. But, does that mean that the rest of the vast universe (books, show, spinoff books etc.) is also ruined? That's a tough question to answer.
On a personal level, of course, I don't want it to be ruined. Over the years I've bought the books, t-shirts, posters, and even makeup--all in support of this fantastic universe. Whatsmore, I've invested a lot of time in thinking about the show and the books, reviewing the episodes, and blogging about my predictions and theories. Obviously, I don't want to have to admit that all my time and money was a waste. By the same token, it's going to be difficult now to go back and watch the earlier seasons and read the books knowing what happens in the end, particularly what happens to Daenerys.
However, I do want to be able to enjoy those things. It's not often in life that you come across things that give you joy, and it's important to hang on to those things. Before season 8 aired, I was planning to start re-reading the books over the summer. I still want to do that because I don't want to allow a couple of hours of bad TV writing to ruin a series I have come to love. I trust that GRRM is going to write the conclusion of the books in a more satisfying way, and I'm going to have to rely on that.
This may offend some people, but I've decided to treat season 8 as a variety of fan theory. It's one version of events, sure, but that doesn't mean it has to be my version of events. I've decided to wait for GRRM to finish his story the way it deserves to be finished.
I'm not going to let disappointment ruin ASOIAF for me.
Valar dohaeris.
I'm not going to re-hash why I feel this way because I think a lot of people have had their say about this, and I'm probably not going to add much. If you want to know why I feel this way, you can read my review of season 8 episode 5.
The fact is that the writers have ruined the ending of the Game of Thrones TV show. Okay. So, what now?
Although the final episode redeemed some of the missteps made earlier in season 8, in many ways the show came to a deeply unsatisfying conclusion that left a lot of people feeling that the writers had played a sick practical joke on them. But, does that mean that the rest of the vast universe (books, show, spinoff books etc.) is also ruined? That's a tough question to answer.
On a personal level, of course, I don't want it to be ruined. Over the years I've bought the books, t-shirts, posters, and even makeup--all in support of this fantastic universe. Whatsmore, I've invested a lot of time in thinking about the show and the books, reviewing the episodes, and blogging about my predictions and theories. Obviously, I don't want to have to admit that all my time and money was a waste. By the same token, it's going to be difficult now to go back and watch the earlier seasons and read the books knowing what happens in the end, particularly what happens to Daenerys.
However, I do want to be able to enjoy those things. It's not often in life that you come across things that give you joy, and it's important to hang on to those things. Before season 8 aired, I was planning to start re-reading the books over the summer. I still want to do that because I don't want to allow a couple of hours of bad TV writing to ruin a series I have come to love. I trust that GRRM is going to write the conclusion of the books in a more satisfying way, and I'm going to have to rely on that.
This may offend some people, but I've decided to treat season 8 as a variety of fan theory. It's one version of events, sure, but that doesn't mean it has to be my version of events. I've decided to wait for GRRM to finish his story the way it deserves to be finished.
I'm not going to let disappointment ruin ASOIAF for me.
Valar dohaeris.
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