HBO’s acclaimed series, Game of Thrones infamous finale still remains one of the most debatable finales in the history of television. The final and eighth season of the series was one of the most anticipated events in television history. It was wrapped in just six episodes by the makers of the show and drew heavy criticism and backlash from the audience over its substandard ending. Kit Harrington, who played the fan-favorite role of Jon Snow, reflected upon the series finale and admitted that it was ‘rushed’ in a recent interview.
The British star also acknowledged that mistakes were made toward the end of the series and some choices, which were made, didn’t quite work. He attributed the crammed ending of the show to the exhaustion felt by the cast which left show makers with alternative choices. “I think if there was any fault with the end of ‘Thrones’, is that we were all so f**king tired, we couldn’t have gone on longer. I’m not sure there was any alternative,” Harrington said to GQ Magazine.
Kit Harrington also commented on a spin-off series, which is no longer in development, based on his character of Jon Snow. The actor had refused to take the role when HBO approached him as he believed it might start a new mess, especially after the ending of Game of Thrones. HBO was reportedly developing a sequel spin-off series in June 2022. However, the possibilities of the show went off-the-table.
First aired in April 2011, Game of Thrones was filmed for over 10 years to telecast eight seasons of the show. The final curtain on the show fell in 2019 with a controversial conclusion that ignited widespread fuss among viewers and theories on the series ending. Over the period of eight years, the smash hit show built a complex arc of characters and storyline.
Game of Thrones Ending Explained
The Game of Thrones finale, which aired six episodes, concluded with a lot of fan-favorite characters perishing to their deaths. The Iron Throne was destroyed by Drogon’s wrath after the death of Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke). Out of Daenerys’ three dragons, Drogon was the last one left and after burning the over 300-year-old Iron Throne fled into a never-known place. Jon Snow killed Daenerys after the former burnt the King’s Landing, turning everything into ashes. Snow was exiled beyond the wall with Wildlings for his crimes.
With the Iron Throne destroyed, the old system of electing kings and queens was eliminated and Brain the Broken (Isaac Hempstead Wright) was elected as the new king of Westeros with Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) becoming Hand of the King. The North was declared an independent kingdom under Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) as its ruler. Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) went on her expedition to explore what lies West of the Westeros. Despite several years since the finale of the show aired, the death of Daenerys, the exile of Jon Snow, and the decision to choose Bran Stark as the king, remain some of the delicate matters for fans of Game of Thrones.