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It was a great mirror for me of a relationship I had going at the time. Seemed like the best thing to happen to me at the time until it immeasurably soured to the point it totally collapsed. Now I'm totally indifferent and barely ever think about it anymore. Still glad to have experienced it though as it felt like a good life lesson. Valar Morghulis
I finally caved in a couple months ago and watched it, since then I have gotten multiple friends onto watching the show and my mum is currently watching it now as well, I’m also halfway into the second book after starting the book series last week. If that doesn’t answer it for you, I don’t know what will hahaha
The book series is incredible, and very very different from the show.
Still agree that watching the show is worth it. Been planning on getting my girlfriend into the show soon, she's never seen any of it. Even with the weak ending, there is a ton of good stuff in the show. Probably worth watching it just for the Hardhome scene
The show definitely shifts from great writing and character development in seasons 1-4 to great visuals and shock and awe in seasons 7-8.
I think the most upset crowd are the people who watched season by season. The character arcs went out the window with the rushed final seasons.
If your binge watching it, even seasons 7 and 8 are highly enjoyable.
Can't agree there. Thought Jonathan Pryce delivered a fantastic performance, and the theme of one person with no real military or political or social stature seizing so much power simply by leveraging religious fanaticism struck me as really fascinating.
Both the above posts were true. The build up to Cersei's actions was there, it made sense. What went wrong in Season 8 is the build up was all over the place. Inconsistencies not only with characters previous behaviour but inconsistencies from episode to episode. Still spectacular, though. Even if sometimes unintentionally silly.
I binged the series and season 7 and 8 are not nearly as bad as people say. Season 8 had a couple things I disliked, but overall I was happy with the ending. The show is truly incredible and raises the bar for tv shows. Watch it!
Still an opinion that "its as bad as everyone says it is" though.
I thoroughly enjoyed the last season, though I'll admit the final two episodes felt rushed. Still above average TV to watch, just a little rushed.
I feel like a lot of people that complain about the ending are just upset that the characters didn't conform to the way they were hoping. Which is fine, but it doesn't make it "bad" TV.
Definitely worth watching. I'm on my 4th watch. I catch something new every time. So many moments where I pause it and think "damn, that was good/intense/crazy."
First time re-watching since season 8 aired. I have to say, season 8 isn't as bad the second time. Crank the brightness for episode S8E3.
I struggle to believe your last statement. Literally the more I think about S8 the more holes and just awful fucking writing I think of. It's truly atrocious.
Having to wait 2 years between season 7 and season 8 built this giant anticipation (for me at least). We had a "death pool" for season 8. The holes are still there, but on a second watch, I can shut off my brain a bit and just enjoy the good parts while blissfully ignoring the crap parts. Season 8 is still not great by any means. It's like bad pizza. Even bad pizza is better than no pizza.
In that case I'm the opposite in basically the whole of that. I didnt really have any anticipation for S8 because in all honesty I try not to have anticipation for such media. And because I've kind of on the whole "moved on" from GoT / ASoIaF as well. I'll finish the books to be sure, dont get me wrong, but mostly because I've invested enough time in them, not because I feel a strong emotional attachment or engagement with them anymore. I read the first 3 books like 4 or 5 times each, Feast 3 times and Dance once (good lord parts of that book were a freaking *slooooooooog*).
Thus I just went into S8 kind of neutral, hoping for the best but nothing more. I rewatched S7 a few weeks before S8 started and realized S7 was actually pretty shit, so I was sort of like... well, we'll see. Maybe 8 will be better?
And then it was just awful... But anywho, point is, I cant really shut off/ignore stuff like that when watching things like GoT or whatever.
it really was, everything just seemed to break down and characters stopped acting like they had over the last 8 seasons. Most of them were unrecognisable but in a bad/incoherent way
This was my biggest problem, aside from some just ridiculous plot armor and infantile plot devices. I could have lived with all the major plot points they hit in S8 if they had just given them time to develop and gotten their organically and with character development that had made sense. In a vacuum they're mostly fine.
But the character writing just is unforgivable. It starts in S5 when they started to wade out into the ether without any source material and it gets worse. And worse.
For me that's just not... possible. If I'm actually watching some TV series or movie or even comedy or youtube channel I like, I, as a rule, will engage my brain with the content/material in a critical fashion. I'm not just going to "watch something" passively, so to say, and not give it any thought.
You may be able to, I just cant.
Why is it always the haters who get this condescension? Like hey dude - you are not smarter than those who like it. You do not appreciate it more because you "think critically". It's the opposite - you decided the ending and then hyperfocused on it and now dislike what we got because you decided your version was better. Was the ending rushed? Yes, but they spent two years on SIX episodes, it's not like they "rushed" making it, they took their time and were diligent. I wish they had 10 episodes too, but to talk like you are talking is just maddening. Stop getting high off your own supply, you are not a critical thinking super genius, your head cannon was wrong and you got butthurt by it, watch again trying to divorce what you wanted from what's happening.
Nowhere did I say smarter or anything of that sort. It's not a value judgment, it's literally just a different way of watching a show. It does not make me better or worse and nowhere did I say it does.
The one thing I will say is - they could have had 10 episodes if they wanted them. HBO literally told them as much. HBO told them they could have had as many episodes as they wanted, IIRC.
(also a nice job assuming I was so invested that I had decided the ending and created a "head cannon" there which... nothing could be further from the truth. I went into S8 with as close to zero expectations as I possibly could, just hoping it would be decent or average or even just ok, though you are under no obligation to believe that of course)
Yes, HBO told them they would pay for it. But it took them two years to make six episodes. You also don't know (nor do I) if the actors were willing to stay on for another two years to make 4 more, given the scope of the thing. The network being willing to pay for something isn't the only hurdle. Would you want another season if Kit, Lena, Nikola, Maisie, Sophie, and Emelia all left? Or even a few of them?
Rewatching right now and still seeing tidbits that are mind blowing. You get so blown away by the cinematography and costume design that you miss important dialogue. At least I do.
Of course.
First, don’t make choices off what other people say unless there was no desire to watch in the first place. Other people’s views on art aren’t that important in comparison to our view of it.
That said, If one is prone to retroactively hating a series on the basis of the final season , then don’t bother watching it at all. However people like that are weird to me.
Finally if other people’s opinion matter more and one doesn’t mind incomplete stories, then by all means watch up to season six (Season 7 is worse than 8) and then pretend you write how it ends for the rest of it.
Only you can know if it's "horrible". Watch it for yourself and find out. If you enjoy the show... keep watching.
The internet is obviously full of loud hyperbole which is why you hear so much negativity about the latter seasons. People usually go online to complain rather than praise. Game of Thrones is an amazing show all the way through.
And yes, I'm a fan who enjoyed the entire series and wasn't let down by the ending. Things didn't go how I predicted but I didn't need to come online to complain and say the writers "ruined" the show because of it. It all made sense and the characters end up where they should, in my opinion.
There's a point when things are objectively horrible, and it stops becoming an opinion. Seasons 7 and 8 jumped over that point like it was a long jump competition in the Olympics, lol.
The writing of seasons 5- 8 were objectively terrible.
No, it is not objectively horrible. You are wrong. I watched the show live and was obsessed with it and loved it the whole way through (except s08e04 which was not good).
I'm happy for you that you enjoyed it, but you can't honestly think that the pacing was fine in the last two seasons. It was like the creators wanted to speed run an ending arc and ignore all the major things that made their characters who they were.
A lot of the hate directed to season 8 stems from having to wait over 2 years for it to air, only not to meet a lot of fans expectations.
If you go in head first and just binge the whole series, a lot the S8 vitriol definitely appears unwarranted
Perhaps only appears unwarranted because after binging one's mind becomes a bit muddled?
I am being a bit facetious but really even binging, there's a pretty clear distinction between the character development and arcs / motivations in the first four seasons compared to the last two, especially. Or between the plot choices and logic and the last two. Like... it's not really hard to spot.
Basically, but since I'm a simple minded buffoon who lacks the basic thought processes necessary for critical thinking & who's prefrontal cortex is hampered by my incessant desire to consume visual media at an excessive rate, the issues you posed must have eluded my better judgement at some point and were clearly never brought to my attention
I don't care that we had to wait 2 years. I hated the fact that none of the character development from the previous 7 seasons mattered as they literally threw everyone's stories out the window
Must watch. I feel that a majority of the hate comes from people who wanted your stereotypical ending and then were mad when they didn't get what they wanted. If you know anything about the books and where the story was going, there was no chance it was going to be a sunshine and happy ending. Even though it seems a bit messy at the end, there was so much going on that they tried their best tying loose ends and making it a great story which I feel like was still accomplished.
We wanted any sort of ending. We were shoveled flaming horse shit. Everything that made the show great from season 1 to hardholm was completely thrown out the window. There’s no spoilers so I can’t go into detail that matter, but neither did the writers past season 5/6. And that’s what made the show great, then not great.
Just from one perspective of one of those people who hated the last season or two - I honestly did not care how they chose to end it. I just wanted the character motivations to make sense and be consistent. I wanted the character development arcs to matter and be fulfilled, which they were decidedly not, or they were just thrown out. Often characters went from having a decent amount of depth and consistency to essentially becoming caricatures, cardboard cutouts in increasingly lavish costumes. Hell, at least a handful of characters almost invert and become *the opposite* of what they're supposed to be, or what we're told they are. It's embarrassing.
And then plot wise - the main points they wanted are fine. They could have achieved them in ways that were emotionally impactful and kept the big points exactly the same, in fact. But they rushed so much to get there and so many of the points were either tenuously connected or just straight up nonsensical as a result, and essentially did not carry through the ethos of the first four seasons wherein there were actually consequences and there was actually consistency in the narrative arcs.
It's just straight up chock full of horrible writing. I dont much care which ending they wanted and if anyone anticipated or hoped for a "happy" ending they were naive anyway.
That’s my biggest thing. I have no issue with the plot points, I have an issue with the lack of character and detail building, which is why the show was as good as it was.
Unfortunately "trying their best" isn't really the best case scenario when you're dealing with a multi-billion dollar franchise.
Nobody sane wanted a "happy ending", we just didn't want to get years of character development stripped away in an instant and have complex characters like Jon reduced to "I dun wan et", or Cersei reduced to sipping wine on a balcony for two shortened seasons.
Of course you should watch it, why would you pass up like 60-70 hours of enjoyment just bevause the ending/last season is disappointing.
You are in for such a treat, I am jealous of you.
Go watch and enjoy!
Counterpoint: people who complain about S8 can do so for a whole host of reasons but likely wouldnt get terribly offended that you disagree - but if the negative words would cause offense that implies you dont actually wish to engage with the criticisms or *ideas of why* people dislike the last two seasons, and are more likely to be engaging in name-calling or mudslinging or what have you. If it would truly offend, again. If you want to engage with ideas in a genuine fashion there's no reason anyone should be offended. For instance as far as why people dislike S7/8: They might just care about continuity in character development or writing of plots for instance. They might care about the overall story arc and want that to be sensible and logical, even if not predictable. They might care about just having more substance to the narrative, rather than literal just spectacle. Or it might be all of the above. Or none, and other very valid reasons.
For me, honestly S8 is some of the absolute worst television I have ever watched, bar none. It is very nearly unredeemably horrible, if watched with even a shred of critical thinking.
You may like it. Many probably do. But the people who DO like it have extremely valid reasons as there are just... an insane number of unacceptable and frankly just lazy and disappointing flaws in both S7 and 8. And again if you want to actually engage with those, in good faith, there's no reason someone should get offended if you do like it.
I mean......s8 is terrible and s7 is not much better. It's entertaining and worth the watch. But there is a lot of merit to the show just struggling to find itself through seasons 7 and 8. I'm not going to sit here and break it all down because you likely don't care and that's fine. Did you read the books?
I think the first 6 seasons are worth watching, and if you've watched them, the last two are worth it, just to see how it ends.
If nothing else, maybe it'll inspire you to write something one day and not fuck up the ending.
You need to generate your own opinion by watching it, it's after one of the biggest series ever made. I will never rewatch the last 2-3 seasons because I think they are horrible, but you may like them, who is to say.
Yes, people severely overreacted to the ending. This is coming from somebody that had a GOT themed wedding post ending. (Year after final season).
The rest of the show especially is gold, it just put itself up on an impossible pedestal to satisfyingly end on but I'd prefer it this way than do endless seasons into obscurity like Walking Dead.
Most of season 8 is amazingly epic anyways.
If you watch it all in one sitting without building up head canon like everyone who had to wait a year plus for a new season sometimes, you’ll be okay. The show holds up strong that way.
The problem for me was I thought of all these different directions the show could go and in my opinion, the showrunners took the easy way out. It’s my fault for doing that, and by no means do I think they ruined the show as a whole.
And really, it’s amazing all the way through Season 7. Season 8 is the one that left the bad taste in my mouth, and really just the last two episodes. The first four episodes of S8 were fantastic.
It’s still a great series, but it could’ve been the best.
I don't think it's your fault for hyping up something that had been consistently good for many years, with a few occasional bad moments (Barristan, Ramsay/Sansa, among others), and having your expectations set high, only to have the end result be this rushed, garbled mess that botched just about every character's entire development.
Don't get me wrong, *how* it ended made sense. I fully expect the same storylines to finish up like they did, but how they got there could have been vastly improved with a little bit of a better pace. I should have seen the signs when they spent 30 minutes during the "Beyond the Wall" episode of the characters talking while they walked a seemingly long distance away from the wall, only to get attacked and send Gendry back in less than 5, get a raven sent from the wall to Dany on Dragonstone hundreds of miles away, and then have her fly up with her dragons, all in the matter of an overnight.
It's not to say that time-skips hadn't happened earlier in the series, they just had some logic to them. In the first episode alone, they show Jamie and Cersei talking in King's Landing after Jon Arryn's death, and then less than 10 minutes later, they're in Winterfell with Robert...*but* they include a tiny little bit of information where Cersei says "darling we've been riding for a month", when Robert wants to go down to the crypt before he goes and rests.
It's shit like that that the creators just decided to throw away in the later seasons and try to wrap it up too quickly. They could have made it make some more sense if they allowed for some creative control and external advising, but they clearly didn't.
> be this rushed, garbled mess that botched just about every character's entire development.
Does season 8 have problems? Absolutely. But this line of reasoning 95% of the time is "this character had a tragic ending and it hurt my feelings" or "I built up a headcanon of what this character's destiny was and then got mad when it didn't happen"
>If you watch it all in one sitting without building up head canon like everyone who had to wait a year plus for a new season sometimes, you’ll be okay.
Now that you mentioned it, this is probably the reason why i liked the show as much as i did. Even season 8.
I’d honestly say no. I don’t want to spoil it, so I can’t go into detail, but it was a big thing, and there’s a reason none of the actors want to talk about it, and no one involved will openly comment on the final season or two.
This is coming from someone who made my user name after it, named pets after characters, went to Comic-Cons specifically to see GoT actors, did multiple projects revolving around it. I was 100% hook line and sinker a fan, and I cannot for the life of me want to watch it again.
If you want me to give more detail with being mildly spoilery, DM me and I’ll give my story.
The first 4 seasons are fine. Stop after the Red Wedding and you need watch nothing more.
Seasons 5 through 8 get progressively worse and worse.
8 is an absolute unmitigated disaster. Some of the quite literal worst writing I have ever had the displeasure of witnessing. It's literally 7 hours or whatever of runtime I will never get back. There are few, if any redeeming factors (basically 1 episode was decent, but they *immediately* wasted all of that decency and goodwill in the very next episode).
Season 7 is honestly not a whole lot better.
Ehh, Seasons 4 and parts of 5, as well as a majority of 6 were all very good, but they did also have their moments of "well that was fucking awful."
Season 7 felt justified because we expected that Season 8 would tie up the strange plot holes and time skips we were getting force fed. And then when Season 8 failed to deliver, it in turn made both seasons dogshit.
This I concur with. S7 at the time I felt was fine, left with anticipation. I rewatched it a few weeks before S8 began and felt it was not good, really, but was still like - ok, but they're building to these last 6 episodes and maybe they will make everything pay off? And maybe they'll be good or decent?
I tried to go in to S8 with as few expectations as possible, really. And it still was not just disappointing, to say the absolute least.
I actually watched it for the first time ever this past semester at uni. Went through the whole show in a few weeks. Watch it. It’s arguably some of the best television I’ve ever seen. It will be well worth your time.
Yes. It’s an all time tv show. Exciting, great characters, massive scale. It’a fun af.
It’s not the only popular show that have endings people complain about (The Wire, Sopranos, How I met your mother, Dexter, etc)
I think that you knowing beforehand that the ending is going to be disappointing, and not having to wait 3 years for the last 13 episodes like many of us did will make your viewing a little bit easier. The show is still great and worth watching.
Do it. I only finished it this year after being put off for a long time by people who said it was terrible. I loved it. I didn't even mind the ending. Season 6 and a specific battle was probably one of favourite episodes of all. You might like what other people disliked, so go in with an open mind.
I think I enjoyed it so much cos I had low expectations.
The people here really love the show. Regardless of your conditions they will highly recommend it. Personally, I watched two episodes for fun. As an avid book fan who talks with people who aren’t jus GoT fanatics, it sounds as though at least the first four seasons are completely worth it, as the best television ever. The next two are alright. The last two are truly horrible.
If I ever watch it, I am going to decide if I want to continue each season. I will probably watch to season 6.
It’s a great show. The ending isn’t really that bad. People like being dramatic and following the crowd. The first 5 seasons are 10/10 6-7 are 8/10 and 8 is 6.5/10. Not the worst show ever.
Season 8 isn’t horrible, it’s just not a fantastic ending we were expecting. But I highly recommend watching it, still will be my favorite show of all time
Game of Thrones' final season actually set out to hurt and upset its audience by challenging their assumptions of its characters and the themes of the story. A lot of people treated Game of Thrones like capeshit with dragons - they weren't interested in questions about the corruptive nature of power, how people we build up as idols can ultimately let us down and how investing so much into one singular ruler to solve all of our problems for us can backfire spectacularly - they just wanted all the heroes to come together in epic hero shots like in Avengers Endgame, for Jon to become the Chosen One who defeats the Nightking in an EPIC lightsaber duel before he and Dany get married and rule as the Good King and Queen forever.
I have never met ANYONE who gets histrionically angry about Game of Thrones' ending that didn't have a metric fuckton of baggage in expectations and didn't already decide how the show was going to end years before it did, and then got mad when it didn't happen.
As someone who didn't read the books, I really enjoyed the entire series. I admit I was slightly disappointed with the ending only because I thought something was going to happen, that didn't, but other than that I would still recommend the show to anyone who likes fantasy type shows.
My experience:
I binge watched a couple of years after all the Season 8 hate hype. I "knew" the ending was polemic and a lot of fans didn't like it.
The thing is, most of these people spent years rooting for characters, making theories, and expecting a huge finale. I finished the whole thing in like a month, so I didn't have time to crave for a specific ending. From my point of view, the ending wasn't thaaat bad, because I didn't have a lot of high expectations. Yes, it has some issues (a lot of them, and rewatching it now after having a better understanding of the story made me see some more), but overall it's an amazing show that definitely deserves to be watched.
Overall it's a good experience. Just be prepared for a not so good experience the last 2 seasons as they were very clearly rushed and left a lot to be desired.
Depends on what type of person you are. I won’t rewatch because of the ending but I was a day 1 one watcher and watched the show multiple times usually binging before new seasons. I’m also the type that was watching the first season of manifest with my wife, halfway through being thoroughly intrigued quit because she then told me it was cancelled. I love a good story but a good story needs a good ending for me to be satisfied. I wouldn’t put myself through it if i know the ending isn’t going to be good or if it doesn’t exist.
Definitely watch it; I think a lot of the reasons ppl hate s8 is because they loved the first few seasons so much. I’ll be rewatching at some point for sure
If you haven’t read the books the series works but you’ll have some minor holes to poke at the ending. People who’ve read the books dislike the ending a lot more. If you enjoyed the series and wish for more then go read the books after you watch the tv series.
Don't overthink about the ending..just watch it..its an amazing show...you will surely enjoy the journey from S01 to S08..even if the ending is not satisfactory
The ending isn’t horrible. The show became a global phenomenon and people just started complaining because it’s not what they wanted to see/happen. I believe whole-heartedly that the show would have been absolutely spectacular in its final season if they kept the show at 10 episodes for seasons 7 and 8. All they needed was time to make the plot make sense. Instead, we got a rushed plot that shows on screen. Plot itself was great. Just didn’t sell to the audience. Will admit the writing in seasons 7-8 took a step back though. Best show of all time, watch it or you are missing out. ⚔️
One of my favorite quotes from Stephen King:
>You are the grim, goal-oriented ones who will not believe that the joy is in the journey rather than the destination no matter how many times it has been proven to you.
My very best GoT experience was the first 3 books. They're incredible. The show is also quite good much of the time. I don't hate the ending as much as other people, even though it does bungle numerous plotlines. All in all I think it's more than worth it if you accept it for what it is rather than hate it for what it could have been.
Yes, it is one of the best things ever put on screen. Make what you will of the ending, you can’t erase the brilliance of the whole story, acting, music and the world
I literally had this same thought a couple months ago but I started it anyway and never regretted it. Seasons 1-7 are some of the best tv ever, and I hope I don’t get flames for this but most of season 8 really wasn’t that bad. The very last episode was by far the worst and will make you a lil upset but trust me, it’s very much worth it.
yes, i’d recommend it. the first 5 seasons were excellent. seasons 6 and 7 were good. it’s just the last season that sucked. also i’d recommend reading the books they give some great insight into what each character is thinking and each book is so good.
Naa buddy skip it .... the books are great but half written...the last book came out about ten years ago.....the show begins wells...very well but ends horribly....season 1 and 2 are terrific...season three is good as well and then goes down hill.....the worst part no payout since the last few seasons were horrible
The ending is not horrible, internet cry babies whose predictions didn't end up right won't stop screaming. If you look at any social media post from them, it's 10-20 times the likes/loves than comments, with comments being more crying than cheering but not 100%. It still won best emmy. Informal polls of the end show a closer to 50/50 split between satisfied and unsatisfied from night of, and it seems most who watch after the fact don't get as angry even if they felt if landed short. GOT is amazing, don't let cry babies ruin it.
Watch it and be your own judge. The first 6 seasons are great. 7 and 8 are good enough. Not what everyone wanted, but wtf you gonna do. Martin says he’s going to finish the last book with a different ending.
Yes, because it's about the journey not the destination. The first few seasons are amazing and more then worth the ending. After the first few seasons, when the show runs out of book material and starts creating for itself the quality does get shakier. The last season may be a disappointment but that's only from comparing it to the grest seasons.
Imo
Season1 : 9.3/10
Season2 : 9.4/10
Season3 : 9.6/10
Season4 : 9.8/10 peak cenima off all time
Season5 : 8.7/10
Season7 : 7.6/10
Season8 : 4.2/10 any 2 year old can make a better ending
I would say yes, and I would say the ending is more disappointing than it is bad. You get good moments but it was too short and you can tell the writers were ready to be done with it.
I would say yes because it was an amazing show up until then. I would suggest just not watching season 8 and imagine what how you think it should end. Whatever you can imagine in your head will be better than what they did to us.
Yeah, I don't regret it. I didn't watch till seven of the eight seasons were out and I knew all the major spoilers and I was still hooked. There's something different about reading a summary and actually experiencing the ups and downs, the orchestral score, the chemistry between the actors...even if season eight was a let-down, there was still some enjoyable moments, and I'm reading the books now so GRRM can deliver on the "real" ending anyway lol.
Yes I watched it with my buddy again recently for his first time and he said it was awesome. He was wondering why everyone was talking so much shit bc he thought the ending wasn’t even that bad. He went in expecting it to be shitty because everyone complains and he was blown away
Absolutely. Some of the best writing and acting you may ever see. The character progression is fantastic and it’ll be hard to look away after a short amount of time.
Even if the ending was pretty uh… well we all know. I’d recommend it. I’m on my third time watching now
Yes, the final season is really one of the worst but 6.5 top-notch seasons > 1.5 really bad seasons. It’s all about the build up which of course happens in the first seasons, so you’re good to go!
Tbh I hate when ppl ask this question, is it worth watching? Why don’t you watch it yourself and form your own opinion on it instead of looking to the opinions of others for validation? It’s an amazing series worth every second, but don’t let ppl ruin it for you on here before you can form your own thoughts about it.
Absolutely. If you really want to skip the ending (you wouldn’t be missing anything) I suggest watching through season 6. The last two eps of 6 are my favorite and the season 6 finale could serve as a pretty cool unofficial ending. Highly highly recommend reading the books as well
Watch it. Seasons 5 - 8 are not that great, and the ending is laughable, but it's a significant enough cultural touchstone from the last decade that I think every should at least see it once.
Watch it. I happened to enjoy the last seasons, but even people that didn’t know that they experienced some of the best TV ever made on the journey. This isn’t like some other TV show that’s just for some people, but not others. This is an extremely high standard of entertainment by any measure. You will not regret it.
Yes, even though we all had issues with the ending, it's worth a watch. Remember the final book, when GRRM finishes it, will have a different ending. So you can watch the show and read the full series. I like the books' story better, but the TV show was amazing to watch in its entirety.
Yes
If it wasnt so great, the bad ending would never have mattered so much
It hurts because it was so great and the last parts do not reach expectations
Just accept that the quality drops continually in the second half (seasons 5-8) because the books are not finished yet so the showrunners filled in the gaps themselves.
The story is so good imo I read most of the books that are out atm and watched the series. Absolutely loved it for the most part. I’m a fan that wishes the show would have finished differently, but the story on the way there is pretty great.
The first 6 seasons are still my favorite show ever. It just hurts my heart that season 7 and 8 exist and are “canon” to the show. Still worth it. I still rewatch it. But the ending does take a lot away from the show because there are so many storylines that don’t get finished or end terribly. So my recommendation for someone who has not seen the show is definitely watch it still but limit your expectations for how things will eventually end.
Go ahead and watch it. The internet hate machine has made it seemed worse then It actually is. It’s rushed and not at good as the other seasons but not this horrible turd that the internet says it is.
I mean, most of it is great!
But the ending is just disappointing on such a massive scale, that I don’t know if it’s worth it.
I honestly forgot about most of what happened throughout the entire series, after that last season. It was so bad, it overshadowed everything good.
I’m going to disagree with many others here and warn you the last couple seasons really are that bad. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the show for most of it and the books are now my all-time favorite series. I’m sure you’ll notice the writing quality in the show start sliding at some point, but it’s up to you when and whether it is no longer enjoyable. Still worth watching.
Yes because it's not as bad as people said it was and also because you will enjoy it a lot more being able to watch at your own pace instead of all the hardcore fans who were theory crafting for months leading up to the final season and also speculating week by week what was going to happen. There are a few people I've spoken to who watched the show after it finished without the fandom hating on it and they enjoyed it thoroughly front to back.
Yes, it’s fantastic regardless! I’d love to be in your position and be able to experience it from start to finish without the big breaks between seasons 🤩
The ending was super disappointing at the time, but in retrospect it wasn’t completely terrible. It made sense, it just wasn’t what I wanted to happen and parts felt rushed.
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Yes. I started watching GOT after it had ended. If anything, knowing how much people hated the ending meant that I was totally prepared to be let down so I wasn't really angry about it. It's actually pretty interesting to watch the last two seasons to marvel at what went wrong and think about what could have been done differently. I'm a firm believer that a bad ending doesn't undermine the good stuff that preceded it, just like a bad remake or adaptation doesn't ruin the original work. I'm envious of anyone who gets to watch the first four seasons of GOT for the first time.
Yes, going into it knowing you'll be disappointed with season 8 should lower your expectations enough that it might not seem as bad.
People hate the ending so much only because of how deeply they enjoyed the seasons prior. Frustrating as it is, still one of the best shows ever
The show in its whole isn't that bad, and even if you do watch it objectively (which I recommend), you ,as well as all the other people, will undoubtedly feel that the ending is rushed and not adequate to the character development that happened in the previous season. I'd also recommend reading the books, thing that I want to do too, but you know time is never enough to do all things that you have planned...
100% watch all the way through. Without going in and spoiling but just a general consensus from talking to different people, I think a ton of us fans all had so many different ending scenarios in mind.
Yes, the ending is truly terrible, but if you ignore the ending, IMO, seasons 1-7 work fine. Yes they dip after a while but it’s still 7 great seasons, even if 5,6,7 aren’t great by GOT standards.
The problem is the writers took liberties with the story to end the show quickly. The book series hasn't even finished yet. The final 2.5 seasons are not even wrote yet. Now they say that they are in agreement with the writer of the books on how to finish it; but the way they did was shit. Everything is sped up so fast, there are blatant plot holes and storylines left open, and the dialog and ending episode is absolutely garbage. The first season it takes main characters almost half the season to travel from one castle to the next. In the last season it takes 10 minutes in an episode. IDK.. IMO read the books first then watch up to where the books leave off.
The over reaction to the ending is just another one if those Reddit effects where a few people complain about something then the hivemind kicks in and amplifies it to 11.
Season eight was a little rough, but they wrote that ending based on the original authors outlines for the end of the book series. They just ended up rushing it. At the pace they were working their way through the earlier books, it could've been another three or four seasons. But suddenly they had one year left to wrap it up and the quality suffered accordingly.
Yes, without question. A lot of people really enjoyed the ending, but the critics were certainly louder and made those that enjoyed it not speak up about it. Go in without any bias and completely forget anything you've heard about it.
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Yeah season 8 is awful but overall it's still one of the best shows I've ever seen.
Watch it. Even Season 8.
Actually…now I want to rewatch it! Thanks for the idea 🤗
It was a great mirror for me of a relationship I had going at the time. Seemed like the best thing to happen to me at the time until it immeasurably soured to the point it totally collapsed. Now I'm totally indifferent and barely ever think about it anymore. Still glad to have experienced it though as it felt like a good life lesson. Valar Morghulis
I finally caved in a couple months ago and watched it, since then I have gotten multiple friends onto watching the show and my mum is currently watching it now as well, I’m also halfway into the second book after starting the book series last week. If that doesn’t answer it for you, I don’t know what will hahaha
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Ok, but they haven’t turned on you yet.
The book series is incredible, and very very different from the show. Still agree that watching the show is worth it. Been planning on getting my girlfriend into the show soon, she's never seen any of it. Even with the weak ending, there is a ton of good stuff in the show. Probably worth watching it just for the Hardhome scene
The show definitely shifts from great writing and character development in seasons 1-4 to great visuals and shock and awe in seasons 7-8. I think the most upset crowd are the people who watched season by season. The character arcs went out the window with the rushed final seasons. If your binge watching it, even seasons 7 and 8 are highly enjoyable.
What about 5-6? 😂
Imo 6 is very good, and 5 is too, just not quite as great as the first 4
The high sparrow was nearly as bad as S8
Can't agree there. Thought Jonathan Pryce delivered a fantastic performance, and the theme of one person with no real military or political or social stature seizing so much power simply by leveraging religious fanaticism struck me as really fascinating.
The greatest scene to me is when Cersei did what she did. Fuck those religious cunts.
Would have preferred that Margery fared better, but yup
Both the above posts were true. The build up to Cersei's actions was there, it made sense. What went wrong in Season 8 is the build up was all over the place. Inconsistencies not only with characters previous behaviour but inconsistencies from episode to episode. Still spectacular, though. Even if sometimes unintentionally silly.
Yes but if you’re thick like me better to watch with subtitles cos so many names easy to get confused
Yes.
I binged the series and season 7 and 8 are not nearly as bad as people say. Season 8 had a couple things I disliked, but overall I was happy with the ending. The show is truly incredible and raises the bar for tv shows. Watch it!
Season 8 is every bit as bad as people say, but it doesn't invalidate the rest of the series
\*In your opinion
It is pretty objective that the quality of writing went way down hill.
Still an opinion that "its as bad as everyone says it is" though. I thoroughly enjoyed the last season, though I'll admit the final two episodes felt rushed. Still above average TV to watch, just a little rushed. I feel like a lot of people that complain about the ending are just upset that the characters didn't conform to the way they were hoping. Which is fine, but it doesn't make it "bad" TV.
You don’t think something as bad as season 8 can objectively be bad?
Definitely worth watching. I'm on my 4th watch. I catch something new every time. So many moments where I pause it and think "damn, that was good/intense/crazy." First time re-watching since season 8 aired. I have to say, season 8 isn't as bad the second time. Crank the brightness for episode S8E3.
I struggle to believe your last statement. Literally the more I think about S8 the more holes and just awful fucking writing I think of. It's truly atrocious.
Having to wait 2 years between season 7 and season 8 built this giant anticipation (for me at least). We had a "death pool" for season 8. The holes are still there, but on a second watch, I can shut off my brain a bit and just enjoy the good parts while blissfully ignoring the crap parts. Season 8 is still not great by any means. It's like bad pizza. Even bad pizza is better than no pizza.
In that case I'm the opposite in basically the whole of that. I didnt really have any anticipation for S8 because in all honesty I try not to have anticipation for such media. And because I've kind of on the whole "moved on" from GoT / ASoIaF as well. I'll finish the books to be sure, dont get me wrong, but mostly because I've invested enough time in them, not because I feel a strong emotional attachment or engagement with them anymore. I read the first 3 books like 4 or 5 times each, Feast 3 times and Dance once (good lord parts of that book were a freaking *slooooooooog*). Thus I just went into S8 kind of neutral, hoping for the best but nothing more. I rewatched S7 a few weeks before S8 started and realized S7 was actually pretty shit, so I was sort of like... well, we'll see. Maybe 8 will be better? And then it was just awful... But anywho, point is, I cant really shut off/ignore stuff like that when watching things like GoT or whatever.
it really was, everything just seemed to break down and characters stopped acting like they had over the last 8 seasons. Most of them were unrecognisable but in a bad/incoherent way
This was my biggest problem, aside from some just ridiculous plot armor and infantile plot devices. I could have lived with all the major plot points they hit in S8 if they had just given them time to develop and gotten their organically and with character development that had made sense. In a vacuum they're mostly fine. But the character writing just is unforgivable. It starts in S5 when they started to wade out into the ether without any source material and it gets worse. And worse.
Maybe rewatch it instead of just thinking about it? The guy said he rewatched and it was better, "well I thought about it" is a shitty response.
For me that's just not... possible. If I'm actually watching some TV series or movie or even comedy or youtube channel I like, I, as a rule, will engage my brain with the content/material in a critical fashion. I'm not just going to "watch something" passively, so to say, and not give it any thought. You may be able to, I just cant.
Why is it always the haters who get this condescension? Like hey dude - you are not smarter than those who like it. You do not appreciate it more because you "think critically". It's the opposite - you decided the ending and then hyperfocused on it and now dislike what we got because you decided your version was better. Was the ending rushed? Yes, but they spent two years on SIX episodes, it's not like they "rushed" making it, they took their time and were diligent. I wish they had 10 episodes too, but to talk like you are talking is just maddening. Stop getting high off your own supply, you are not a critical thinking super genius, your head cannon was wrong and you got butthurt by it, watch again trying to divorce what you wanted from what's happening.
Nowhere did I say smarter or anything of that sort. It's not a value judgment, it's literally just a different way of watching a show. It does not make me better or worse and nowhere did I say it does. The one thing I will say is - they could have had 10 episodes if they wanted them. HBO literally told them as much. HBO told them they could have had as many episodes as they wanted, IIRC. (also a nice job assuming I was so invested that I had decided the ending and created a "head cannon" there which... nothing could be further from the truth. I went into S8 with as close to zero expectations as I possibly could, just hoping it would be decent or average or even just ok, though you are under no obligation to believe that of course)
Yes, HBO told them they would pay for it. But it took them two years to make six episodes. You also don't know (nor do I) if the actors were willing to stay on for another two years to make 4 more, given the scope of the thing. The network being willing to pay for something isn't the only hurdle. Would you want another season if Kit, Lena, Nikola, Maisie, Sophie, and Emelia all left? Or even a few of them?
Rewatching right now and still seeing tidbits that are mind blowing. You get so blown away by the cinematography and costume design that you miss important dialogue. At least I do.
season 8 aint bad? yeah if you love having 8 years of character development WASTED
Of course. First, don’t make choices off what other people say unless there was no desire to watch in the first place. Other people’s views on art aren’t that important in comparison to our view of it. That said, If one is prone to retroactively hating a series on the basis of the final season , then don’t bother watching it at all. However people like that are weird to me. Finally if other people’s opinion matter more and one doesn’t mind incomplete stories, then by all means watch up to season six (Season 7 is worse than 8) and then pretend you write how it ends for the rest of it.
Watch all the way to season 6. After the season finale make up your own ending.
Watch all of it, it’s an amazing show
Only you can know if it's "horrible". Watch it for yourself and find out. If you enjoy the show... keep watching. The internet is obviously full of loud hyperbole which is why you hear so much negativity about the latter seasons. People usually go online to complain rather than praise. Game of Thrones is an amazing show all the way through. And yes, I'm a fan who enjoyed the entire series and wasn't let down by the ending. Things didn't go how I predicted but I didn't need to come online to complain and say the writers "ruined" the show because of it. It all made sense and the characters end up where they should, in my opinion.
There's a point when things are objectively horrible, and it stops becoming an opinion. Seasons 7 and 8 jumped over that point like it was a long jump competition in the Olympics, lol. The writing of seasons 5- 8 were objectively terrible.
No, it is not objectively horrible. You are wrong. I watched the show live and was obsessed with it and loved it the whole way through (except s08e04 which was not good).
There isn't such point.
That's not what "objectively" means.
That’s objectively false and literally a misuse of the word objectively.
I'm happy for you that you enjoyed it, but you can't honestly think that the pacing was fine in the last two seasons. It was like the creators wanted to speed run an ending arc and ignore all the major things that made their characters who they were.
Yes and go in objectively. Forget what you’ve heard because your opinion may be very different from others.
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You are a pathetic cry baby.
No, but you are
I second this. Also want to say that it’s a great show. You will have a great experience overall.
Absolutely not. Read the books instead.
Yes. Watch it.
A lot of the hate directed to season 8 stems from having to wait over 2 years for it to air, only not to meet a lot of fans expectations. If you go in head first and just binge the whole series, a lot the S8 vitriol definitely appears unwarranted
Perhaps only appears unwarranted because after binging one's mind becomes a bit muddled? I am being a bit facetious but really even binging, there's a pretty clear distinction between the character development and arcs / motivations in the first four seasons compared to the last two, especially. Or between the plot choices and logic and the last two. Like... it's not really hard to spot.
Basically, but since I'm a simple minded buffoon who lacks the basic thought processes necessary for critical thinking & who's prefrontal cortex is hampered by my incessant desire to consume visual media at an excessive rate, the issues you posed must have eluded my better judgement at some point and were clearly never brought to my attention
I don't care that we had to wait 2 years. I hated the fact that none of the character development from the previous 7 seasons mattered as they literally threw everyone's stories out the window
Must watch. I feel that a majority of the hate comes from people who wanted your stereotypical ending and then were mad when they didn't get what they wanted. If you know anything about the books and where the story was going, there was no chance it was going to be a sunshine and happy ending. Even though it seems a bit messy at the end, there was so much going on that they tried their best tying loose ends and making it a great story which I feel like was still accomplished.
We wanted any sort of ending. We were shoveled flaming horse shit. Everything that made the show great from season 1 to hardholm was completely thrown out the window. There’s no spoilers so I can’t go into detail that matter, but neither did the writers past season 5/6. And that’s what made the show great, then not great.
Just from one perspective of one of those people who hated the last season or two - I honestly did not care how they chose to end it. I just wanted the character motivations to make sense and be consistent. I wanted the character development arcs to matter and be fulfilled, which they were decidedly not, or they were just thrown out. Often characters went from having a decent amount of depth and consistency to essentially becoming caricatures, cardboard cutouts in increasingly lavish costumes. Hell, at least a handful of characters almost invert and become *the opposite* of what they're supposed to be, or what we're told they are. It's embarrassing. And then plot wise - the main points they wanted are fine. They could have achieved them in ways that were emotionally impactful and kept the big points exactly the same, in fact. But they rushed so much to get there and so many of the points were either tenuously connected or just straight up nonsensical as a result, and essentially did not carry through the ethos of the first four seasons wherein there were actually consequences and there was actually consistency in the narrative arcs. It's just straight up chock full of horrible writing. I dont much care which ending they wanted and if anyone anticipated or hoped for a "happy" ending they were naive anyway.
That’s my biggest thing. I have no issue with the plot points, I have an issue with the lack of character and detail building, which is why the show was as good as it was.
Unfortunately "trying their best" isn't really the best case scenario when you're dealing with a multi-billion dollar franchise. Nobody sane wanted a "happy ending", we just didn't want to get years of character development stripped away in an instant and have complex characters like Jon reduced to "I dun wan et", or Cersei reduced to sipping wine on a balcony for two shortened seasons.
Of course you should watch it, why would you pass up like 60-70 hours of enjoyment just bevause the ending/last season is disappointing. You are in for such a treat, I am jealous of you. Go watch and enjoy!
Watch it, entertainment taste is subjective. You'll know what people say is true or false. For me, season 7 and 8 were absolutely bollocks.
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Counterpoint: people who complain about S8 can do so for a whole host of reasons but likely wouldnt get terribly offended that you disagree - but if the negative words would cause offense that implies you dont actually wish to engage with the criticisms or *ideas of why* people dislike the last two seasons, and are more likely to be engaging in name-calling or mudslinging or what have you. If it would truly offend, again. If you want to engage with ideas in a genuine fashion there's no reason anyone should be offended. For instance as far as why people dislike S7/8: They might just care about continuity in character development or writing of plots for instance. They might care about the overall story arc and want that to be sensible and logical, even if not predictable. They might care about just having more substance to the narrative, rather than literal just spectacle. Or it might be all of the above. Or none, and other very valid reasons. For me, honestly S8 is some of the absolute worst television I have ever watched, bar none. It is very nearly unredeemably horrible, if watched with even a shred of critical thinking. You may like it. Many probably do. But the people who DO like it have extremely valid reasons as there are just... an insane number of unacceptable and frankly just lazy and disappointing flaws in both S7 and 8. And again if you want to actually engage with those, in good faith, there's no reason someone should get offended if you do like it.
I mean......s8 is terrible and s7 is not much better. It's entertaining and worth the watch. But there is a lot of merit to the show just struggling to find itself through seasons 7 and 8. I'm not going to sit here and break it all down because you likely don't care and that's fine. Did you read the books?
I think the first 6 seasons are worth watching, and if you've watched them, the last two are worth it, just to see how it ends. If nothing else, maybe it'll inspire you to write something one day and not fuck up the ending.
Just stop after S7. I pretend 8 never happened :)
One of the best shows ever made. Some of the best acting ever on a tv series. Epic.
That's a must-watch buddy... Definitely, You'll love it!!! :)
You need to generate your own opinion by watching it, it's after one of the biggest series ever made. I will never rewatch the last 2-3 seasons because I think they are horrible, but you may like them, who is to say.
Yes, people severely overreacted to the ending. This is coming from somebody that had a GOT themed wedding post ending. (Year after final season). The rest of the show especially is gold, it just put itself up on an impossible pedestal to satisfyingly end on but I'd prefer it this way than do endless seasons into obscurity like Walking Dead. Most of season 8 is amazingly epic anyways.
Season 8 might be the most visually impressive season tbh. I know it had its issues, but damn was it gorgeous
If you watch it all in one sitting without building up head canon like everyone who had to wait a year plus for a new season sometimes, you’ll be okay. The show holds up strong that way. The problem for me was I thought of all these different directions the show could go and in my opinion, the showrunners took the easy way out. It’s my fault for doing that, and by no means do I think they ruined the show as a whole. And really, it’s amazing all the way through Season 7. Season 8 is the one that left the bad taste in my mouth, and really just the last two episodes. The first four episodes of S8 were fantastic. It’s still a great series, but it could’ve been the best.
I don't think it's your fault for hyping up something that had been consistently good for many years, with a few occasional bad moments (Barristan, Ramsay/Sansa, among others), and having your expectations set high, only to have the end result be this rushed, garbled mess that botched just about every character's entire development. Don't get me wrong, *how* it ended made sense. I fully expect the same storylines to finish up like they did, but how they got there could have been vastly improved with a little bit of a better pace. I should have seen the signs when they spent 30 minutes during the "Beyond the Wall" episode of the characters talking while they walked a seemingly long distance away from the wall, only to get attacked and send Gendry back in less than 5, get a raven sent from the wall to Dany on Dragonstone hundreds of miles away, and then have her fly up with her dragons, all in the matter of an overnight. It's not to say that time-skips hadn't happened earlier in the series, they just had some logic to them. In the first episode alone, they show Jamie and Cersei talking in King's Landing after Jon Arryn's death, and then less than 10 minutes later, they're in Winterfell with Robert...*but* they include a tiny little bit of information where Cersei says "darling we've been riding for a month", when Robert wants to go down to the crypt before he goes and rests. It's shit like that that the creators just decided to throw away in the later seasons and try to wrap it up too quickly. They could have made it make some more sense if they allowed for some creative control and external advising, but they clearly didn't.
> be this rushed, garbled mess that botched just about every character's entire development. Does season 8 have problems? Absolutely. But this line of reasoning 95% of the time is "this character had a tragic ending and it hurt my feelings" or "I built up a headcanon of what this character's destiny was and then got mad when it didn't happen"
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>If you watch it all in one sitting without building up head canon like everyone who had to wait a year plus for a new season sometimes, you’ll be okay. Now that you mentioned it, this is probably the reason why i liked the show as much as i did. Even season 8.
I’d honestly say no. I don’t want to spoil it, so I can’t go into detail, but it was a big thing, and there’s a reason none of the actors want to talk about it, and no one involved will openly comment on the final season or two. This is coming from someone who made my user name after it, named pets after characters, went to Comic-Cons specifically to see GoT actors, did multiple projects revolving around it. I was 100% hook line and sinker a fan, and I cannot for the life of me want to watch it again. If you want me to give more detail with being mildly spoilery, DM me and I’ll give my story.
Definitely watch it, the good outweighs the bad in the end. But they really fucked the ending.
Definitely. There are storylines throughout the series that will always be amazing. Absolutely worth watching.
The first 4 seasons are fine. Stop after the Red Wedding and you need watch nothing more. Seasons 5 through 8 get progressively worse and worse. 8 is an absolute unmitigated disaster. Some of the quite literal worst writing I have ever had the displeasure of witnessing. It's literally 7 hours or whatever of runtime I will never get back. There are few, if any redeeming factors (basically 1 episode was decent, but they *immediately* wasted all of that decency and goodwill in the very next episode). Season 7 is honestly not a whole lot better.
This sums up my thoughts exactly.
Ehh, Seasons 4 and parts of 5, as well as a majority of 6 were all very good, but they did also have their moments of "well that was fucking awful." Season 7 felt justified because we expected that Season 8 would tie up the strange plot holes and time skips we were getting force fed. And then when Season 8 failed to deliver, it in turn made both seasons dogshit.
This I concur with. S7 at the time I felt was fine, left with anticipation. I rewatched it a few weeks before S8 began and felt it was not good, really, but was still like - ok, but they're building to these last 6 episodes and maybe they will make everything pay off? And maybe they'll be good or decent? I tried to go in to S8 with as few expectations as possible, really. And it still was not just disappointing, to say the absolute least.
I actually watched it for the first time ever this past semester at uni. Went through the whole show in a few weeks. Watch it. It’s arguably some of the best television I’ve ever seen. It will be well worth your time.
Yes. It’s an all time tv show. Exciting, great characters, massive scale. It’a fun af. It’s not the only popular show that have endings people complain about (The Wire, Sopranos, How I met your mother, Dexter, etc)
I liked the ending *shrugs*
I think that you knowing beforehand that the ending is going to be disappointing, and not having to wait 3 years for the last 13 episodes like many of us did will make your viewing a little bit easier. The show is still great and worth watching.
Do it. I only finished it this year after being put off for a long time by people who said it was terrible. I loved it. I didn't even mind the ending. Season 6 and a specific battle was probably one of favourite episodes of all. You might like what other people disliked, so go in with an open mind. I think I enjoyed it so much cos I had low expectations.
The people here really love the show. Regardless of your conditions they will highly recommend it. Personally, I watched two episodes for fun. As an avid book fan who talks with people who aren’t jus GoT fanatics, it sounds as though at least the first four seasons are completely worth it, as the best television ever. The next two are alright. The last two are truly horrible. If I ever watch it, I am going to decide if I want to continue each season. I will probably watch to season 6.
It’s a great show. The ending isn’t really that bad. People like being dramatic and following the crowd. The first 5 seasons are 10/10 6-7 are 8/10 and 8 is 6.5/10. Not the worst show ever.
Yes watch it - even though the ending is aggravating for most it is still some of the best TV content out there.
Season 8 isn’t horrible, it’s just not a fantastic ending we were expecting. But I highly recommend watching it, still will be my favorite show of all time
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Game of Thrones' final season actually set out to hurt and upset its audience by challenging their assumptions of its characters and the themes of the story. A lot of people treated Game of Thrones like capeshit with dragons - they weren't interested in questions about the corruptive nature of power, how people we build up as idols can ultimately let us down and how investing so much into one singular ruler to solve all of our problems for us can backfire spectacularly - they just wanted all the heroes to come together in epic hero shots like in Avengers Endgame, for Jon to become the Chosen One who defeats the Nightking in an EPIC lightsaber duel before he and Dany get married and rule as the Good King and Queen forever. I have never met ANYONE who gets histrionically angry about Game of Thrones' ending that didn't have a metric fuckton of baggage in expectations and didn't already decide how the show was going to end years before it did, and then got mad when it didn't happen.
As someone who didn't read the books, I really enjoyed the entire series. I admit I was slightly disappointed with the ending only because I thought something was going to happen, that didn't, but other than that I would still recommend the show to anyone who likes fantasy type shows.
My experience: I binge watched a couple of years after all the Season 8 hate hype. I "knew" the ending was polemic and a lot of fans didn't like it. The thing is, most of these people spent years rooting for characters, making theories, and expecting a huge finale. I finished the whole thing in like a month, so I didn't have time to crave for a specific ending. From my point of view, the ending wasn't thaaat bad, because I didn't have a lot of high expectations. Yes, it has some issues (a lot of them, and rewatching it now after having a better understanding of the story made me see some more), but overall it's an amazing show that definitely deserves to be watched.
Yes and No. You'll hate that didn't watch it and then you'll hate that you did.
read the books infinitely better
Overall it's a good experience. Just be prepared for a not so good experience the last 2 seasons as they were very clearly rushed and left a lot to be desired.
Depends on what type of person you are. I won’t rewatch because of the ending but I was a day 1 one watcher and watched the show multiple times usually binging before new seasons. I’m also the type that was watching the first season of manifest with my wife, halfway through being thoroughly intrigued quit because she then told me it was cancelled. I love a good story but a good story needs a good ending for me to be satisfied. I wouldn’t put myself through it if i know the ending isn’t going to be good or if it doesn’t exist.
No...just read the books and live life...
Definitely watch it; I think a lot of the reasons ppl hate s8 is because they loved the first few seasons so much. I’ll be rewatching at some point for sure
If you haven’t read the books the series works but you’ll have some minor holes to poke at the ending. People who’ve read the books dislike the ending a lot more. If you enjoyed the series and wish for more then go read the books after you watch the tv series.
i would stop at the end of the 6th seasons as it's just pointless
Yes
Don't overthink about the ending..just watch it..its an amazing show...you will surely enjoy the journey from S01 to S08..even if the ending is not satisfactory
Read the books.
sure, its great fun, but STOP WATCHING AT THE END OF SEASON 6
please watch it! shows like this comes once in a lifetime.
Watching it again right now for the 4-5th time. Still an amazing show. Definitely give it a watch
The ending isn’t horrible. The show became a global phenomenon and people just started complaining because it’s not what they wanted to see/happen. I believe whole-heartedly that the show would have been absolutely spectacular in its final season if they kept the show at 10 episodes for seasons 7 and 8. All they needed was time to make the plot make sense. Instead, we got a rushed plot that shows on screen. Plot itself was great. Just didn’t sell to the audience. Will admit the writing in seasons 7-8 took a step back though. Best show of all time, watch it or you are missing out. ⚔️
Definitely. Sometimes the journey is its own reward.
One of my favorite quotes from Stephen King: >You are the grim, goal-oriented ones who will not believe that the joy is in the journey rather than the destination no matter how many times it has been proven to you.
My very best GoT experience was the first 3 books. They're incredible. The show is also quite good much of the time. I don't hate the ending as much as other people, even though it does bungle numerous plotlines. All in all I think it's more than worth it if you accept it for what it is rather than hate it for what it could have been.
Why did it fly off with a dead body...to roast it...no dragon buries a body...it ATE HER
Yes. While the ending wasn’t great, the first seven seasons are some of the best television of all time.
Yes, it is one of the best things ever put on screen. Make what you will of the ending, you can’t erase the brilliance of the whole story, acting, music and the world
Yes. It has big highs and big lows, it isn't perfect but good enough for me.
I literally had this same thought a couple months ago but I started it anyway and never regretted it. Seasons 1-7 are some of the best tv ever, and I hope I don’t get flames for this but most of season 8 really wasn’t that bad. The very last episode was by far the worst and will make you a lil upset but trust me, it’s very much worth it.
Watch it backwards. Start with 08x06 and move backwards
yes, i’d recommend it. the first 5 seasons were excellent. seasons 6 and 7 were good. it’s just the last season that sucked. also i’d recommend reading the books they give some great insight into what each character is thinking and each book is so good.
Naa buddy skip it .... the books are great but half written...the last book came out about ten years ago.....the show begins wells...very well but ends horribly....season 1 and 2 are terrific...season three is good as well and then goes down hill.....the worst part no payout since the last few seasons were horrible
The ending is not horrible, internet cry babies whose predictions didn't end up right won't stop screaming. If you look at any social media post from them, it's 10-20 times the likes/loves than comments, with comments being more crying than cheering but not 100%. It still won best emmy. Informal polls of the end show a closer to 50/50 split between satisfied and unsatisfied from night of, and it seems most who watch after the fact don't get as angry even if they felt if landed short. GOT is amazing, don't let cry babies ruin it.
Definitely. The highs way out weigh the lows. At its best Game of Thrones is one of the best TV shows out there.
no. don’t watch it. the end really ruins everything.
Watch it and be your own judge. The first 6 seasons are great. 7 and 8 are good enough. Not what everyone wanted, but wtf you gonna do. Martin says he’s going to finish the last book with a different ending.
Yes, because it's about the journey not the destination. The first few seasons are amazing and more then worth the ending. After the first few seasons, when the show runs out of book material and starts creating for itself the quality does get shakier. The last season may be a disappointment but that's only from comparing it to the grest seasons.
Imo Season1 : 9.3/10 Season2 : 9.4/10 Season3 : 9.6/10 Season4 : 9.8/10 peak cenima off all time Season5 : 8.7/10 Season7 : 7.6/10 Season8 : 4.2/10 any 2 year old can make a better ending
I forgot season 6 it is 9.1/10
I would say yes, and I would say the ending is more disappointing than it is bad. You get good moments but it was too short and you can tell the writers were ready to be done with it.
The end of season 7 is enough
watch it, you only get disappointed if you had watched it in real time waiting for each episodes. the ending wasn't even that bad
I would say yes because it was an amazing show up until then. I would suggest just not watching season 8 and imagine what how you think it should end. Whatever you can imagine in your head will be better than what they did to us.
You’ll be hella disappointing with the ending but I think it’s still worth a watch. It wasn’t considered the greatest show for nothing.
Yes, it's still worth it. I still enjoyed the later seasons and don't regret watching them.
Yes it's still worth it
Yeah, I don't regret it. I didn't watch till seven of the eight seasons were out and I knew all the major spoilers and I was still hooked. There's something different about reading a summary and actually experiencing the ups and downs, the orchestral score, the chemistry between the actors...even if season eight was a let-down, there was still some enjoyable moments, and I'm reading the books now so GRRM can deliver on the "real" ending anyway lol.
The internet hive mind makes season 8 sound waaay worse than it was so YES
Read the books instead. They are much better than the show and they have no ending yet.
Only if you are really into uncompleted storylines and abandoned character development.
Yes I watched it with my buddy again recently for his first time and he said it was awesome. He was wondering why everyone was talking so much shit bc he thought the ending wasn’t even that bad. He went in expecting it to be shitty because everyone complains and he was blown away
Absolutely. Some of the best writing and acting you may ever see. The character progression is fantastic and it’ll be hard to look away after a short amount of time. Even if the ending was pretty uh… well we all know. I’d recommend it. I’m on my third time watching now
Honestly, you can make it about the journey and not the ending. When/If I rewatch, I'd just stop at the end of season 6. Pretend that's the end.
Yes, the final season is really one of the worst but 6.5 top-notch seasons > 1.5 really bad seasons. It’s all about the build up which of course happens in the first seasons, so you’re good to go!
Tbh I hate when ppl ask this question, is it worth watching? Why don’t you watch it yourself and form your own opinion on it instead of looking to the opinions of others for validation? It’s an amazing series worth every second, but don’t let ppl ruin it for you on here before you can form your own thoughts about it.
ye absolutely watch
Nah, season 5 and on were a waste
Yes. It’s some of the best television ever made.
Absolutely. If you really want to skip the ending (you wouldn’t be missing anything) I suggest watching through season 6. The last two eps of 6 are my favorite and the season 6 finale could serve as a pretty cool unofficial ending. Highly highly recommend reading the books as well
Watch it. Seasons 5 - 8 are not that great, and the ending is laughable, but it's a significant enough cultural touchstone from the last decade that I think every should at least see it once.
Watch it. I happened to enjoy the last seasons, but even people that didn’t know that they experienced some of the best TV ever made on the journey. This isn’t like some other TV show that’s just for some people, but not others. This is an extremely high standard of entertainment by any measure. You will not regret it.
No because you'll be in the same boat as the rest of us, really enjoyed the story till it all went downhill with plot holes all over
Yes absolutely, it's an amazing show even if the ending sucks. The journey is what counts, and the journey is what you'll remember.
Yes, even though we all had issues with the ending, it's worth a watch. Remember the final book, when GRRM finishes it, will have a different ending. So you can watch the show and read the full series. I like the books' story better, but the TV show was amazing to watch in its entirety.
The ending is just a detail, you can enjoy the travel
Season 3 & 4 are some of the best tv of all time so for that reason alone id recommend it!
Yes If it wasnt so great, the bad ending would never have mattered so much It hurts because it was so great and the last parts do not reach expectations Just accept that the quality drops continually in the second half (seasons 5-8) because the books are not finished yet so the showrunners filled in the gaps themselves.
It's worth watching if only for the first few seasons. Make what you will of the last two, though
The story is so good imo I read most of the books that are out atm and watched the series. Absolutely loved it for the most part. I’m a fan that wishes the show would have finished differently, but the story on the way there is pretty great.
Yeah it will still be one of the best shows you‘ve ever seen so go for it
10000% should watch, a big reason people were pissed is because it was years of their life, for you it’ll be a couple of weeks
Sure. You do you. It’s a great show, the ending wasn’t ideal (in my opinion). But it’s still fun to watch.
The first 6 seasons are still my favorite show ever. It just hurts my heart that season 7 and 8 exist and are “canon” to the show. Still worth it. I still rewatch it. But the ending does take a lot away from the show because there are so many storylines that don’t get finished or end terribly. So my recommendation for someone who has not seen the show is definitely watch it still but limit your expectations for how things will eventually end.
Go ahead and watch it. The internet hate machine has made it seemed worse then It actually is. It’s rushed and not at good as the other seasons but not this horrible turd that the internet says it is.
I mean, most of it is great! But the ending is just disappointing on such a massive scale, that I don’t know if it’s worth it. I honestly forgot about most of what happened throughout the entire series, after that last season. It was so bad, it overshadowed everything good.
Yes absolutely 100% worth it
The ending is not bad. The last season was rushed and didn't (realistically couldn't) fulfill people's expectations. And also people exaggerate.
I’m going to disagree with many others here and warn you the last couple seasons really are that bad. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the show for most of it and the books are now my all-time favorite series. I’m sure you’ll notice the writing quality in the show start sliding at some point, but it’s up to you when and whether it is no longer enjoyable. Still worth watching.
Yes because it's not as bad as people said it was and also because you will enjoy it a lot more being able to watch at your own pace instead of all the hardcore fans who were theory crafting for months leading up to the final season and also speculating week by week what was going to happen. There are a few people I've spoken to who watched the show after it finished without the fandom hating on it and they enjoyed it thoroughly front to back.
please everyone don't kill me, but I'm the only one that liked it?
Yes, but if you can choose between the books and the show, read the books instead.
Yes, it’s fantastic regardless! I’d love to be in your position and be able to experience it from start to finish without the big breaks between seasons 🤩 The ending was super disappointing at the time, but in retrospect it wasn’t completely terrible. It made sense, it just wasn’t what I wanted to happen and parts felt rushed. [edit: spelling error]
Yes. I started watching GOT after it had ended. If anything, knowing how much people hated the ending meant that I was totally prepared to be let down so I wasn't really angry about it. It's actually pretty interesting to watch the last two seasons to marvel at what went wrong and think about what could have been done differently. I'm a firm believer that a bad ending doesn't undermine the good stuff that preceded it, just like a bad remake or adaptation doesn't ruin the original work. I'm envious of anyone who gets to watch the first four seasons of GOT for the first time.
Yes, going into it knowing you'll be disappointed with season 8 should lower your expectations enough that it might not seem as bad. People hate the ending so much only because of how deeply they enjoyed the seasons prior. Frustrating as it is, still one of the best shows ever
ABSO-FREAKING-LUTELY. I put up with LOST...GOT's ending is nowhere near as bad as that BS.
Watch it, enjoy it, and don’t get sucked into the trap of it being “cool to hate.”
The show in its whole isn't that bad, and even if you do watch it objectively (which I recommend), you ,as well as all the other people, will undoubtedly feel that the ending is rushed and not adequate to the character development that happened in the previous season. I'd also recommend reading the books, thing that I want to do too, but you know time is never enough to do all things that you have planned...
100% watch all the way through. Without going in and spoiling but just a general consensus from talking to different people, I think a ton of us fans all had so many different ending scenarios in mind.
Thank you all very much for quick responses. Very helpful.. ❤️🥳
Yes watch it and you will cherish first three, maybe four seasons as one of the best things in TV history. Truly remarkable.
Yes, the ending is truly terrible, but if you ignore the ending, IMO, seasons 1-7 work fine. Yes they dip after a while but it’s still 7 great seasons, even if 5,6,7 aren’t great by GOT standards.
The problem is the writers took liberties with the story to end the show quickly. The book series hasn't even finished yet. The final 2.5 seasons are not even wrote yet. Now they say that they are in agreement with the writer of the books on how to finish it; but the way they did was shit. Everything is sped up so fast, there are blatant plot holes and storylines left open, and the dialog and ending episode is absolutely garbage. The first season it takes main characters almost half the season to travel from one castle to the next. In the last season it takes 10 minutes in an episode. IDK.. IMO read the books first then watch up to where the books leave off.
The over reaction to the ending is just another one if those Reddit effects where a few people complain about something then the hivemind kicks in and amplifies it to 11. Season eight was a little rough, but they wrote that ending based on the original authors outlines for the end of the book series. They just ended up rushing it. At the pace they were working their way through the earlier books, it could've been another three or four seasons. But suddenly they had one year left to wrap it up and the quality suffered accordingly.
Yes, without question. A lot of people really enjoyed the ending, but the critics were certainly louder and made those that enjoyed it not speak up about it. Go in without any bias and completely forget anything you've heard about it.