‘Game of Thrones’ is a well-regarded show with millions of avid fans. Fans do not hesitate to name it as the greatest show ever, with its fantastic dialogue as well as plot. However, with recent events, the show has faced a lot of backlash due to shoddy writing and several plot holes. Fans claim the show took certain anticlimactic routes to address problems and destroyed seasons of character development. However, I believe these are the comments of people who see the way the show is ending and are disappointed with it.

Some fans complain of Cersei Lannister’s death scene. She, a character who had outsmarted those who stood in her path and sent them to their demise with her “poetic sense of justice,” was given a rather simple death. Fans feel cheated, having waited many years to see just how a cunning woman like her would fall. Would it be in the hands of Arya Stark, a girl whose family had been decimated by the Lannister’s plans? Jaime or Tyrion Lannister, the prophesied younger brother? Many believe she deserved a grand death to match her grand life. However, the writers made a valid statement in giving Cersei a death like many others, a death equal to the rest. She died like the rest of her subjects, in fear. It serves as a reminder that she is just a human being like the rest, stressing a point the show has made all this time.

“Tthe cinematography of the season was amazing!” said Geetika Sewani, ’20.

The argument about certain character development being reduced is also specious. Jaime Lannister serves as the prime example. It has taken seasons for him to develop into a man of honor and righteousness. Some argue that the development in him realizing how dishonorable Cersei really was and fighting for the North is diminished by his going back to King’s Landing to be with Cersei. Some hoped he would go back to kill the Queen, and essentially fulfill the aforementioned prophecy. However, doing this would destroy the character growth Jaime had undergone. He is not a man who would kill his true love, as weird as it may be, for the sake of others. He has said time and time again to his sister, “Nothing else matters.” 

The descent of Daenerys Targaryen is not as erratic as it may seem. While she is a leader who takes into account the suffering of her subjects, she shows an amount of cruelty that would not be present in other kind rulers. She prides herself in rising above all the harsh challenges she faced inflicted by those with more power than her. As a result, she becomes obsessed with “breaking the wheel” of tyranny. While the downfall of Daenerys was too fast paced, it had been made clear from the start she would succumb to her family’s madness. The show has foreshadowed time and time again just how cruel the Targaryens can be, shown in dialogue and interactions between the characters.

Scenes in the show had also been shot beautifully. Geetika Sewani, ’20 said, “The season in comparison to the rest of the show was slightly disappointing in a sense that everyone had greater expectations for it. However, the cinematography of the season was amazing!” Of course, ‘Season 8’ of Game of Thrones was unexpected and had several plot twists. Yet, it is too extreme to say it is the worst season.