'Game of Thrones' season 8 will end with a Great War and we will be left wanting more
It is hard to live up to the expectation of fans, especially if the fandom is as loyal and unchanging as Game of Thrones'. The HBO series, based on George R. R. Martin's 'A Song of Ice and Fire', quickly managed to come up with the perfect combination of fantasy and politics. However, that is certainly not the only reason why the show has such massive fan-following. '
The dichotomy between what is good and bad has been the most celebrated factor of the show as it provides ample space to let characters grow and evolve according to the need of the hour and situation. However, with everything coming to an end, chances are 'Game of Thrones' season 8 will be disappointing.
Yet the show cannot be entirely blamed for that. Many TV shows which over the course has developed an unhinging fan-following, have managed to disappoint their audiences at the very end. 'How I Met Your Mother' gave us an adorable group of friends, each with a significant storyline, but quite expectedly, the finale left fans disappointed over how the characters' storylines ended.
'Dexter' started off with an extremely strong storyline but in the end, it was called the worst TV series finale of all time. Even Michael Hall was pretty disappointed a character as hysteric as Dexter Morgan, ended up spending the rest of his life cutting trees.
It wouldn't be a surprise if 'Game of Thrones' does something similar to its characters, wherein some of the most bold, unconventional, and fearsome characters end up in the most dire situations. We were pretty disappointed when a man as massive and fearsome as Khal Drogo died of a simple infection, but were equally satisfied when the silly little boy Joffrey died a slow poisonous death.
That being said, let's just confess, we will not be happy with any way 'Game of Thrones' ends. The most probable ending, where the Great War is won and Cersei is ousted from the Iron Throne, making way for Daenerys to mount it, will inevitably leave us disappointed.
On the other hand, an alternate ending where Jon manages to kill Daenerys and we end up seeing some less likely character sit on the throne will be equally unfulfilling. 'Game of Thrones' is probably living its best time right now, at episode 2 season 8, right when the army is standing guard to Winterfell. Anything which follows after this is expected to leave us asking for more. Things are arranged in a pattern now - a war between living and dead, some pardoned survivors, broken hearts and bitter relations, and finally one last battle for the throne. With shows like 'Game of Thrones' it is the moment right before the climax that fans most look out for.
The show has not been appreciated for its conventional patchwork of politics and fantasy, instead, it is the character arcs and the removal of medieval complications which have made 'Game of Thrones' one of the most iconic TV shows of this generation. Since its inception, the show has managed to be extremely contemporary in nature with dialogues that are appreciated across the entire Anglosphere. Unlike other medieval shows, books, or even plays, the characters of 'Game of Thrones' are real with their complications, greed, lust, love, and consistent pursuit of power. Time and again the show has been hailed for its subtle implications of global warming.
It has involved various new-fangled themes like inclusivity, body-positivity, feminism, and climate change in a story which could have easily passed away as just another epic. Yet the show remained epic in its proportion of utilizing lores, folk songs, legends about knights, and various other socio-political angles which played an active role in the world of kings and queens. Keeping up to that level is hard, and it becomes almost improbable to surpass it when you set that level for yourself. When the show started no one could fathom the undisputed fandom it would have, and now the show is struggling to remain true to its roots.
That being said, it is not particularly necessary we remember 'Game of Thrones' for a disappointing season 8. It will hurt to watch the show drown in its own glass of wine but in the end 'Game of Thrones' has given us a lot more. Unorthodox storylines about a very orthodox time, realism behind magic and non-conforming attitudes that rings a bell with an entire generation, to name a few.
Episode 3 will see some great heroes fall as the threat of the Night King is finally realized, and that will be the initiating point to all our disappointment since let's be clear, the end is never as satisfying as the journey. Episode 3 of 'Game of Thrones' season 8 returns to HBO April 28.