10 Biggest Wasted Opportunities In Game Of Thrones
Winter was coming for seven seasons... then it went.
The final season of Game Of Thrones was disappointing to say the least. The previously lowest rated episode of the show was Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken, with 8.1 on IMDb. This season, all six episodes fell short of that. While the opening two episodes ran it close with 7.8 and 8.0, The Last Of The Starks scored 5.7, The Bells 6.3 and finale The Iron Throne a lowly 4.4.
Many discussions have already happened about the decline in writing quality this season, with a petition to redo the season gaining signatures every day, though it’s more about sending a message than actually causing anything to be done.
It’s not the events which left fans frustrated, but the rushed way the show has leapt from one major event to another with little build up.
While Season 8 features heavily in this list, it’s not the only time the show has wasted its potential, although it is the most egregious.
This isn’t fan fiction ‘wouldn’t it have been cool if...’ potential, but instead focuses on times the show cut parts of the book, truncated arcs or left subplots unresolved. Taking all seasons into account, Game Of Thrones is a fantastic show, but it’s not without missteps.
10. Dorne
Dorne initially seemed to be a minor wobble, starting off on a bad note and never really developing to its potential. If the rest of the show had continued at the same quality of Seasons 1-4, the sun-bleached plot arc would’ve just been a little blip.
As it stands now, on reflection it was the first sign of the troubles to follow.
The book version of Dorne is richly developed, full of intrigue and all the subtlety of King’s Landing, but with more splendour. The Red Viper was supposed to be a tease of what was to come; instead he’s a disappointing reminder of what could have been.
The dialogue thuds in Dorne, despite how rich it is for George R. R. Martin. Doran and Areo Hotah are both reduced to one note bores, while the Sand Snakes are nothing more than irritants. They’re great fighters in the book, but the choreography is messy and wooden in the show.
Scenes in Dorne seem to end artificially, in strange ways to ensure the plot goes where the writers need it too. There’s no realism, flow or development. The major plot points happen, then they get out of there.
It feels like Season 8 in that regard.