We finally have our winner, and it certainly isn’t the fans.
MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!
Game of Thrones came to a much-begrudged conclusion Sunday night, naming somewhat-minor character Brandon Stark as King.
Fan-favorite Danerys, who inexplicably went genocidal in the previous episode, was killed off by Jon Snow as her remaining dragon melted the coveted Iron Throne.
Drama Turned into a Sitcom
According to critics, the finale as a whole felt “hacky”, “cliched”, “rushed”, like a “drama turned into a sitcom”. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the show currently has a 6.64/10 average rating.
GoT social media users were equally as harsh. One well-circulated meme has an image of Tyrion Lannister from the final episode asking “Who has a better story than Bran?”
Just underneath are pictures of 20 GoT characters whom most fans probably would have preferred to see take the throne instead.
Bran the Bland
Brandon Stark, aka the Three-Eyed Raven, was a staple throughout most of the series but never a character igniting much water-cooler discussion. The young philosopher’s appointment caused critics and fans alike to sound off on his appointment to the (now-melted) Iron Throne.
Newsday‘s Verne Gay called the move “a bit of a letdown”, while the New York Times’ Jeremy Egner bemoaned that “a Shakespearean saga about power, blood and loyalty” ended with “a wizard being put in charge.”
Twitter user @26_JOKER_KING summed many’s thoughts by tweeting “Bran Stark is the kid in the class project who did nothing and still got an A!”
Even actor Isaac Hempstead Wright, who portrays Bran, couldn’t believe his destiny when he received the final episode’s script. “I genuinely thought it was a joke script,” the 20-year old said. “Like ‘yeah, good one guys’.”
Those who hoped for a warm spring of an ending will now have to endure more long winter until one of the three-rumored Game of Thrones prequels comes to life. Or, hope that the viral Change.org petition (currently with 1.2 million signatures) to reshoot the eighth season is taken to heart.
