Game Of Thrones Season 8: 8 Criticisms Which Are Fully Unjustified

It might be better to think of the last ever episode of Game of Thrones as a sporting event. It was impossible to please everyone.

Decidedly more low key than it's five predecessors, The Iron Throne dealt with the question of 'what happens next?' And 'next' does not imply wrapping things up in bow. It largely entailed the good characters making the best of the catastrophic events of The Bells, and the surviving heels being granted the opportunity to go away and think long and hard about what they did.

The battle for the Iron Throne was a pivotal event, but only a small part of the bigger picture. It was great seeing some positive resolve within the final half hour, tinted with the sadness of dutiful isolation. Whether more stories and shows are weaved around Westeros, or if this really is the end, Game of Thrones has always evoked a sense of timelessness and hardship within a fantasy setting. This did not stop, and only evolved towards a more hopeful transitional state, where the accompanying melancholy is part of the package, and always has been.