The final episode of a cult series is really the hardest thing for writers to write. They have to get the characters right, they have to get the story right, and they have to satisfy the fans, who have to understand that there will never be anything else with their favourite kings, lords and ladies…
The fan camp is very much divided after the last episode between those who like the episode and those who absolutely curse it. However, the fact that the series is ending is not the fault of the main creators, but the fault of HBO not wanting to continue the story any longer. The books that were supposed to be written by George R.R. Martin ran out three long seasons ago, so the creators and writers had to scramble to continue the story.
Fifteen episodes over 3 years is quite enough to complete the story of the main houses and for the main characters, if they survive, to meet at King's Landing and elect their new king.
The final episode bids farewell to beloved characters and confirms one of the possible endings that was leaked before the episode went online. I won't write what it is, but it's a bit of a letdown for fans. I don't think that's the ending George R.R. Martin wanted for sure, because it's just unexpected and very American. But I get it, the story is supposed to end in a way that nothing can continue with any favorite character.
For me, episode 75 is a good send-off. It's good to see that the creators already know that they won't be continuing, so they're making sure to spend every moment with our favourite living characters, for whom we need to know in their final moments how their story will continue. All of this has been fulfilled. It's not the last episode of Lost, Stargate or Dexter that the creators simply didn't get right.
The fact that both the last and penultimate seasons were a bit truncated doesn't matter at all, the story was simply sped up and only the important stories took place without the main characters being bothered.
It's also important to note that the entire last season is no longer bloody and full of naked bodies at all, the producers know full well that the show has already become famous and so they've made it more accessible to more people. I'm sure the previous seasons would have been "censored" by national TV or had to be shown after 10pm. The seventh and eighth can (with a few exceptions (a few minutes)) be shown in prime time.
I liked the last farewell episode. It's a pretty good farewell to the whole series, and after the previous carnage it was quiet and pretty good. It's probably the weakest of this season, but everything important happened in the previous episodes, so it goes to show fans that the creators and cast had a dignified goodbye.
Original release of May 20, 2019 – Kritiky.cz
