Another season is over, and I am left feeling broken. Seriously, these last few episodes really took a lot out of me. Many people have been complaining that this season has been about too much build up, but I love Game of Thrones when it builds up because I know there is something fantastic waiting at the end. And you know what? There was.
Winter Is Still Coming
While there are certainly a few negatives to this season, I will start off with the positives (as usual). First of all, there were some great plots this season. From Cersi, to Jon Snow, to Arya, these characters were taken to places we had never seen them before. Each of these character went through their own personal arc over the course of the season, an arc which was resolved in the finale. I will not spoil anything here, but those of you who have seen it may agree with me that the finale was fantastic and horrendous all at once. Of course the dialogue is top notch, the action is (mostly) well done, and the visuals are consistently breathtaking. This season offered much more in terms of setting up the coming seasons. Particularly in the final episodes, the audience finds the main characters in unexpected situations. These situations are not entirely resolved when the season comes to a close. This is where this season diverges the most from past seasons. Sure, the past seasons also spent a considerable amount of time prepping the audience for seasons to come, but not like this. I did not feel much closure at the end of the season, it just lured me in for another one. This is by no means bad, but it is something very interesting. I do not know if many people realize but most of the second half of the season dealt with events that never transpired in the books, or events that transpired at the very end of what Mr. George R.R. Martin wrote. This most likely why this season had to do so much setting up, but it also means that next season will be completely fresh from those who have read the books, and those who solely rely on the series. Before addressing some problems I had with the season, I want to acknowledge some stand out episodes. The final three episodes were all phenomenal. If I had to rank them, the 8th episode is by far the best, followed by the finale, and finally the 9th episode. I will only spend time talking about the finale and the 8th episode because those are the ones that blew me away. First of all, the finale was incredibly dark. Darker than the show has been before, and it made me feel many emotions at once. I saw Jurassic World last night right before the finale, and by the end of the finale I had completely forgotten about the film. That is just how impactful this episode was. Like I said earlier, it spent a lot of time setting up the next season, but that is what I loved about it. Unlike previous seasons it did not offer as much closure, which is perfectly fine. However, the juggernaut this season is episode 8. That episode really delivered some chilling moments, while making some huge leaps forward. It is hard to describe it without spoiling, but all I will say the ending of the episode is one of the show’s finest moments.
For The Watch
Now onto some negatives. The biggest negative for the season was the subplot with Jamie. While it had a good pay off in the end, the road to the finale was rough. It also resulted in a poorly choreographed fight scene. Now even Game of Thrones is not up to it’s standards, it is still much better than what is typically shown on television. While the storyline was a bit rough around the edges, it still had it’s moments. Another problem lies in the pacing. While I do not mind a slower paced show, the first few episodes were a bit hard to get through. However, again, this is not a major complaint. Finally, I am not pleased with how the show resolves (or does it?) Sansa’s storyline this season. It ends with a massive cliffhanger, one of which I did not appreciate.
Closing Remarks
Yes, the season had several flaws, but it more than made up for them. I liked this season more than the previous one, and it had made me very excited for the show’s future. The future may be dark and frightening for the character of the show, but this season has made me interested in where the show will take it’s characters. If you have not seen the finale yet, I urge you to avoid social media, for the web is dark and full of spoilers.