A whole week has passed since the biggest disappointment in entertainment history, the finale season of Game of Thrones, season 8. Or at least that is how I feel! I was very excited for the last season, but unfortunately the build up over the last 2 years didn't pay off. It probably didn't help that I re-watched season 1-7 earlier this year ahead of the finale, since all of the characters' personalities where so fresh in my memory. My biggest criticism is that a majority of the characters did things that felt very out of character. My other big criticism is that the writers played it too safe with too few major deaths and also a too happy ending.

To vent my frustrations I have compiled my comments for the major characters on the show. Do read on if you were also unhappy with the finale season! if you did like the finale maybe not read what I have to say....

SPOILERS AHEAD - stop reading now if you haven't watched the last season of GoT



Daenerys Targaryen
Dany's character arc was the most disappointing of them all. Emilia Clarke did an amazing job portraying the moment her character went mad while riding on her dragon, most likely Missandei's execution was supposed to be the last drop that took her over the edge and made her turn King's Landing into BBQ. But I don't buy it, simply because she went from completly sane to crazy mad in about two scenes. Sure, other characters like Varys pointed out she was going mad but did she seem mad? No. Yes, she has BBQed other enemies before and killed a lot of people but she has always had believable reasons. Having said that I don't think her arc could have ended in any other way, but if the writers just put some effort in and started preparing for this in episode one (or even in season six or seven) it could have been so much better. And her death? I could see it from miles away, it was the most uninventive way of all and it made me feel nothing. Dany is one of my favorite characters on the show and I didn't even sniffle when she died.



Jon Snow
Also very, very dissapointing. Especially that his true heritage (one of the main plot lines throught the later seasons) doesn't really affect the story at all. Sure, it is partly why Dany becomes mad but again, not very believable. And why did it end with him being banished to the Night's Watch? Why is there still a Night's Watch!? I was really hoping that Drogon would BBQ Jon when he found the dead Dany at his feet, we have seen before that Jon can be hurt by fire, much like Dany's brother Viserys. Instead he changed his aim in the last second and melted the Iron Throne. Sure, I get the symbolism, but then a five year old would have... And why was Jon resurrcted in season six? Just so he could stab Dany with a knife, something that pretty much anyone could have done?



The Night King 
Also one of the most dissapointing arcs of the series. The Night King and his undead army, the main overhanging threat since season one, episode one, SCENE ONE, is killed off in episode three by a dagger (not saying it is unbelievable that Arya did it, she is ninja so I buy that). That leaves us with a story line where the actual main focus is the squabbles between a handful of people about who is going to sit on a very uncomfortable chair. When it could have been so much more, like the actual battle of life and death. H*ll, the book series is called "A Song of Ice and Fire". But no, let's kill them off halfway through the final season and focus on the "important" stuff, giving our now well known actors as much screen time as possible, even if what they are saying doesn't really drive the story forward. What motivated the Night King? Why did the Night King want to kill Bran and "all the history in the world"? What did the weird symbols made of dead people mean? What are the links with the Children and the Weirwood trees? We will most likely never find out (since George R. R. Martin probably won't finish the books). At the very least, I would have preferred that the Night King and his army wasn't defeated at the Battle of Winterfell, which seemed very likely given their upper hand in numbers and undeadness. They would have pushed back the allies, forcing them to retreat to King's Landing, and here they would finally be defeated after Bran figures out how to do it by going back in time as the Three Eyed Raven.



Sansa Stark
Sansa, one of the major players and with the most interesting and horrific character arcs didn't get many lines at all in the last season. I guess it's because she didn't have any man trouble this season to keep her occupied (Geoffrey, Tyrion, The Hound, Ramsey, Thoen, Little Finger)? That is just sad. I did like that she became the Queen in the North but not at all how they did it or that it took aout 2 minutes in total to complete her arc.



Arya Stark
I actually don't disagree with Arya being able to use her ninja powers to kill the Night King, I just think it was the wrong thing to do to keep the plot interesting. The Night King should have been defeated in episode five. However, I did think it was extremly out of character for Arya to give up her life long quest of killing Cercei just becuse The Hound, a man who with she has had a very complicated relatioship, tells her not to and she just turns around on her heel. What about your list, Arya!? Furthermore, it is very dissapoiting she didn't get to use her face switching skills again. This could be used to kill either Cercei, Dany or the Night King in a much more interesting way. Or, if she was killed in the destruction of King's Landing, which seemed very likely (PLOT ARMOR) that would have given Jon the perfect reason to kill Dany. But no, the writers decided to do nothing with her ninja training from the last SEVEN SEASONS and instead sent her off on a ship to who knows where, maybe Hallstahammar.



Bran Stark
Putting Bran on the throne was probably the wise thing to do. And it was unexpected, I'll give them that. But what about all the untapped potential? Bran could have gone back in time to figure out how to best fight the Night King. What about his worging abilities? If he knows everything, why didn't he open his goddam mouth and tell the living how to best defeat the dead? I think the writers really missed an oppurtunity here to make the finale season great with loads of payoff on things that have been built up during the previous seasons.



Cercei Lannister
Another very disappointing arc. Here we have Lena Headey who have given us many of the most memorable lines of all through out the show, and they gave her about four sentences and she wasn't even in episode one to four. It was not worthy Cercei. I don't agree with how she and Jamie died but at least it was the most emotional deaths in the season for me. I cried a little and also again when Tyrion found them under the bricks. But still. Cercei killed by bricks. WT*? 



Jaime Lannister
I did enjoy that Jaime came back to Winterfell and how he had to face his past crimes against Bran Stark. So far so good. In the Battle of Winterfell, how is it even possible that Jaime, Brienne and Podrick survived for so long in the courtyard surrounded by undead? I was sure they would all die given the bad odds but wait, PLOT ARMOR! I did like that he and Brienne finally hooked up, even though it was super cringey. I get that he goes back to King's Landing but I wish it would have been to fulfill the prophecy of killing Cercei rather than trying to save her. In the book series there is a prophecy saying that Cercei will be killed by a younger brother, and since Cercei was born first of the twins, this could have been either Jaime or Tyrion. But alas, the tv show writers decided to do NOTHING with this. Disappointing!



Tyrion Lannister
I think most of Tyrion's actions were true to his character, I just wish the characters around him would have behaved differently. I did not agree however when Tyrion proclaimed that Bran have had the most intersting story off all. Hello, what about Sansa and Arya? I did not enjoy the banter and the jokes in the final scene of the Small Council, it made it feel like a comedy show. Even so Peter Dinklage has been consistently good through all eight seasons and deserves a big round of applause. He must be the character with most screen time of all, no?



Varys
Varys' lines were so poorly written this season they succeeded in turning one of the smartest characters into a really stupid one. It didn't help that he pointed out every chance he got that Daenerys is going mad, even though she seemed perfectly fine. SHOW DON'T TELL. What a wasted character ending, he deserved better. 



Missandei of Naath
I couldn't care less for this character. She is nice and all, but let's be honest she is not a major player and has been sidelined ever since Tyrion and Varys came into play with Daenerys. It doesn't even make sense that Cercei/Euron would bother capturing her. And if she had to be executed on top of the walls of King's Landing, why didn't she jump to her death on her own accord? Now that would have been surprising and something you would remember. Instead she died in captivity meaning her arc starts and finish the same way, with her in chains.



Grey Worm
I think Jacob Anderson did a great job portraying how pure rage took over his character in the Destruction of King's Landing, cutting down soldiers and innocent town people alike after the execution of his love Missandei. But to be honest, this character that we like but don't care that much about got too much of the precious screen time in the finale season. I would rather have seen that he sacrificed himself in the Battle of Winterfell to save his allies, and I was very surprised it didn't happen because everything he did in that scene was building up for it. Instead he sacrifices his fellow Unsullied soldiers and saves himself which is very uncharacteristic for a solider that has been taught to obey and protect at all cost. 



Sam Tarly
How did even Sam survive the Battle of Winterfell? And why was there a pet bottle behind his chair in the Great Council? What did he do in the in final season? So many questions. 



Brienne of Tarth
Brienne of Tarth is truly one of my favorite characters in the show and her being knighted by Jaime was really touching. Given her arc was completed I was convinced she would die in the Battle of Winterfell, possibly protecting Jaime or Sansa. I was ready with the tissues, I knew I was going to cry. But she, Jaime and Podrick all survived because of PLOT ARMOR, despite being completly surrounded by the undead army in the court yard, for most of episode three. I guess it was nice she became Lord Commander of the Kingsguard in the end and filled in the pages for Jaime (which to be honest, was mostly untrue), but I would rather have seen that she was killed off with a hero's death.



Podrick Payne
A member of the King's Guard? Really? Is that really something he would do, considering he is still very young and apparently very popular with the ladies?



Theon Greyjoy
Theon had one of the better complete arcs throughout the series. I was among the many people who were touched when Bran Stark said "You're a good man, Theon." (If this is true or not can be debated I guess). But then why would he stupidly charge into his death at the hand of the Night King? Couldn't he at least have waited until attacked, and died while protecting Bran? I guess his Stark transformation was complete so he decided to do the most stupid thing he could think of in his last moment.



Yara Greyjoy
Yet another strong female character that was put on the sidelines to give room for more meaningless conversations and funny but useless banter.



Euron Greyjoy
First of all - I couldn't care less about this character. Why did there have to be a fight between him and Jaime? That didn't make much sense. And Euron dies screaming he killed the Kingslayer. No you didn't, a pile of bricks did... 



Melisandre, The Red Woman
I never really liked this character but was still very dissapointed with how her arc ended. So she kills herself after the living has defeated the dead, with Arya being the Prince (or Princess) Who Was Promised and killing the Night King. I just think they could have done so much more with the whole "Lord of Light" thing. And Arya being the promised prince, all this crap about brown eyes, blue eyes etc. I don't buy it. Feels completly like they patched it up as they went to make it fit the story. Only problem is it didn't.



Davos Seaworth
Fine I guess. Not much to say since his character is just there for assisting/bringing the story forward for other characters. 



Ghost
Disappointing just because the whole thing with the dire wolves turned into nothing. Also, not having budget for CGI doesn't justify leaving out stuff that would have improved the main plot.



Jorah Mormont
After Jorah charged into the darkness in the Battle of Winterfell together with the Dothraki screamers and one by one the flames went out and it went all quiet, I was convinced Jorah would come charging back on his horse as an undead, attacking his former allies. Wouldn't that have been so cool and unexpected, and in the true spirit of Game of Thrones, killing of major characters like flies? Instead he gets a super cliché hero death, protecting his queen. So disappointing and also unbelievable that he made it back after riding into a horde of undead... 



Lyanna Mormont
Very cool death. Approved.  



Rhaegal
Why didn't the writers just kill off the green dragon in the Battle of Winterfell? Everyone thought he was dead anyway. But no, he survived just to be shot down midair by Euron's Iron Fleet. I guess this was in order to justify Daenery's going mad after loosing yet another one of her children? It didn't. It just made us think Dany is so stupid she can't even foresee her mortal enemies trying to shoot her dragons down in open air? 



The Hound
The Hound was one of the very few characters that actually had a good arc from start to finish. 



Bronn
Bronn was probably the biggest winner in the Game of Thrones. He went from a sellsword to Lord of Highgarden and now he can spend his remaining days as a rich man. The whole thing about him chasing after Jaime and Tyrion with a crossbow didn't pay off at all and could have been cut out completly.



Tormund Giantsbane
Of course I like this character but why did he survive all the way until the end? Him hanging around all the way till the last scene with Jon Snow didn't really affect the story at all. He should have died in the Battle of Winterfell, protecting Brienne. Maybe fighting off a giant?



Qyburn
Probably the best and most fitting death in all of season eight, Qyburn got what he deserved. A quick and simple death. Very satisfying for us viewers. 

Yeah, so I am not very happy with how it all ended. Mostly dissapointed. But what can you do? If I find the time I might sit down and rewrite the last season they way I wanted it. Not that it would change anything!

I am convinced that this is not how George R R Martin is planning to end it. But, I still like the tv show and it is definently one of the best shows that I have ever seen. Time to move on. Goodbye Thrones.