So unless you've been living under a rock on Mars you've very likely heard of the hit HBO show "Game of Thrones," which is based off the popular fantasy series "A Song of Ice and Fire" by George RR Martin. While he is clearly an amazing writer and a genius for creating the world of Westeros. But he takes a really long time to write his books. He wrote the first "Game of Thrones" book back in 1996, and now, 23 years later, only five of the seven books are out and we have no idea when book six is coming (though it should have come out two years ago). So when the show concluded its fifth season they were out of books and the show runners were left on their own. Well not completely on their own, they got some notes from Martin on how he planned the ending, but for the most part they're making up their own things.
So it's no surprise that there are some fans that aren't happy with the way things have played out during the later seasons, that the show runners are disrespecting the world and the story Martin created. Admittedly there are some valid points, the writing on the show has a completely different feel to it now that the books no longer directly influence it. The show feels less grounded than it did before and characters seemed to have suddenly gained the ability to teleport. How else do you explain how journeys that once took at least five episodes to make are now down to five minutes. But I don't think it's fair to completely trash on the show. I personally have really enjoyed this season.
There's a lot of points I can make in defending season 8, but there's one I want to specifically focus on, and that's the battle of Winterfell in episode three. Many were upset not just because the lighting was bad and we couldn't see what was going on, but because the battle with the White Walkers happened too soon. That this is what the series has been building up to and it shouldn't have been wasted in one episode.
This is another valid point, the White Walkers were a threat introduced in the first scene in the first episode. They're the greatest threat to the realm, making the political games everyone's been playing look like children fighting in the sand box. As of now, the Night King is dead and Cersi is still a threat to be defeated.
I do agree that the White Walkers should have been the big final battle of the series, but I do understand why Cersi is the final boss in the show. Way back in season one we were drawn into the show for all the politics and the drama going on in King's Landing. We were all asking the big question: who was gonna sit on the Iron Throne in the end?
The final fight in King's Landing is fitting for a show titled "Game of Thrones" makes sense because solving the problem of who's gonna rule the seven kingdoms matches the title. "A Song of Ice and Fire" sound like an epic fantasy saga. So my guess is that the books will end with the big fight between the White Walkers and mankind, because it matches the tone that the title of the series gives.
If you're not happy with the direction the show is taking, fear not. The ending of the book series hasn't been revealed yet. I have a feeling Martin might be holding out on us, waiting until the show ends before giving us his version of the ending.
