It should be noted: I am not a hardcore fan, never was a hardcore fan and I don’t really know the intricacies of the character’s relations/storylines. So don’t be coming at me with your pitchforks if I get my wires crossed. I’m just here for the dragons, chicks kicking-ass and brushing off the scenes of incest like they’re no big deal, all while loving the Jon Snow and Daenerys romance (don’t act like you didn’t love it). 

Yep, we’re nerding out to Game of Thrones. A month after the finale.

Someone at the gym started talking to me about it this week and I felt my rage boil up inside me all over again. Hopefully for the rest of you, you’ve moved on. Hopefully you can read this with vague interest and not get as riled up as I have in the past and want to smack me in the face for voicing my opinion/re-living the last episode.

Based on the brief conversations I’ve had with people in the wake of the Game of Thrones (GOT) finale, I think I find myself with the majority of complainers online, and in the minority of people I’ve physically spoken to.

Whilst I have seen a lot of outrage on the internet, most of the people I have spoken with came to the conclusion that it was a ‘fitting’ ending to the eight-season saga I have dedicated 10 years of my life to. That the reason I probably felt upset and dissatisfied was because it’s now finally over and that if I thought about it, it was actually quite a ‘fitting’ ending for the majority of the characters.

Whilst I don’t agree with all those whinging children saying it needs to be re-written and re-filmed with better writers (I thought this final season was a cinematographic masterpiece), I don’t feel like the story itself ticked enough boxes for me. Also, I can’t deny that a tiny part of me feels slightly jibbed after investing countless hours, emotions and fuckloads of mental capacity into this show, only to have it end the way it did. If you’ll let me explain …

First of all, in the final episode, they could’ve cut the slow walking and staring into nothingness in half.

We spent the first 20 minutes of the 80-minute show watching Tyrion walk the slowest a man could possibly walk into areas filled with rubble. He then preceded to fake cry and give serious glares to Jon Snow and anyone else who appeared on screen. Not to mention he happened to find his dead brother and sister embracing under a pile of bricks after slowlyyyyyyyyy making his way into the underground which, by the way, was completely ridiculous. Jaime and Cersei got fucking annihilated by rubble in episode five and conveniently, Jaime’s hand just happens to be sitting at the surface and they’re only covered by a couple of bricks? Puh-lease. Also, was anyone else secretly hoping one of them would flinch and come alive? I thought for sure Cersei was going to hang on like a cockroach. She deserved a better death, but whatevs.

I will give credit where credit is due though.

How about that fucking scene with Daenerys? A-mah-zin.

Her speech, her outfit, that scene – flawless (ladies, flawless). I loved that she took over that city, had her flag draped up for all to see and wore black head to toe, like a motherfucking boss. Emilia Clarke was amazing and I believed every moment of her performance. I had hoped she’d be fucking shit up until the last minute, but instead we had her murdered by her lover/nephew/true heir to the throne mere minutes later. I thought her bad-ass dragon would torch Jon, or torch all her armies and then stay by Jon’s side as he’s a Targaryen, but no. He just melted the throne into nothing in his fit of grief and rage and flew off with Dany, never to be seen again. I also thought he would reappear at the end with Jon, but again, NO.

I also severely disliked that one of the greatest character’s ever was murdered and then suddenly we’ve jumped to weeks later.

The snow’s all melted and every cast member has convened at King’s Landing to decide the fate of Jon Snow and the future of the seven kingdoms. Where was the scene when Sansa was told what happened? Where was Greyworm discovering Jon had murdered his Queen? Where the fuck did Drogon go?! And the leaders of the seven kingdoms all suddenly decide to stop wanting all of the power and just happen to let BRAN BE THE FUCKING KING. Such BS.

I hated the stupid jokes in that scene too and while we’re on it, I could not stand the part that followed. You know, the bit where they’re all making cutesy jokes around the table and Sam (how the hell did he not die btw?) brings the book in and makes mention of Tyrion not being in it. It was shit. I don’t have clever words ladies and gents, it was just shit and dissatisfying.

I have no qualms in admitting that I was rooting for Sansa by the end. NO QUALMS I TELL YOU.

Her character started out as a snivelling little shit and she developed into a fierce, powerful and respected woman. And she got what she wanted from day dot – to be queen. And I was here for it.

Best part of the entire episode? Jon being reunited with Ghost – although if I was Ghost I would’ve bitten a chunk out of his face for payback for his pathetic farewell in episode four. I did think it was fitting he got to go off with the Wildings and thank God, cos if he had to stay with the Night’s Watch and watch out for NOTHING I would’ve been pissed.

I finished the episode and actually said out loud to myself “meh”.

I didn’t feel wholly satisfied, sad, angry or happy. I just shrugged at my television screen and screwed my face up knowing that I wanted to be someone who fell in love with it, but knew I wasn’t one of them.

Overall, I felt like something was missing for me, but have no greater suggestions as to what the writers should have done (other than the opposite of all of my complaints above). Super helpful, I know. I can’t discount how much I loved episodes three and five of the final season and it is a credit to the cast, crew and writers (including old George) of how successful the entire series was. The whole thing had me hooked and being disappointed at the end iwas only expected for so many of us – you can’t please everyone and all that.

If you’re feeling a bit down about how it ended, or even if you feel good about how it ended, watching the behind-the-scenes of each episode on YouTube is an awesome eye-opening experience of just how much went into the show.

I take my hat off to everyone, particularly those who go unmentioned. And also the writers, even if I didn’t love the way the series ended. As a writer, I think about what it would be like for the entire world to be ripping my creative works apart and I know I’d feel devastated. I’m sure those blokes will be okay though, rolling around in their millions.

I’ll miss feeling this obsessed about a show. Nothing else has hooked me this good in a long time. Not since Harry Potter and Twilight days have I counted down to a film/TV show release. So I thank all the people involved for giving me that.

Han x