Game of Thrones: A tale with an ending but no conclusion

[Spoilers obviously]

Where do I even begin. The series finale aired and as you have undoubtedly seen - people are not happy. Here are my thoughts which would help me close the book and walk away from the series.

I think a good place to start is to explain how I was introduced to the series and my feelings as a whole. 14 years ago on some forum, some guy recommended I read The Song of Ice and Fire books. The next day I bought Game of Thrones and was immediately, like so many others, mesmerized: the characters, the world, the intricate plot lines... I remember I barely slept while reading the first two books. But midway through the fourth book I started slowing down and I no longer had the same urge, something was slowing me down but I didn't pay any attention - the story was still amazing and after I finished A Feast for Crows I waited with baited breath for the 5th book to arrive. And I waited, and waited, and then I went on with my life.

6 years later A Dance with Dragons finally arrived but my reaction was more or less: "Oh, cool" which I noticed and found it weird, so I went back and read all the books again - yeah they were still great but I found out that the plot almost ground to a halt in the fourth book. Stuff was still happening but it seemed that Martin had written the whole book as a set up for what is to come next....which was a huge disappointment. By the 5th book he had killed so many characters he felt the need to replace them with others in the name of plot progression. The problem was that I couldn't care less about these new  characters and the overall plot was tied in such a complicated knot that there was no way he could untie it in just two books. And again, for a second time in a row it seemed like stuff was happening but the plot wasn't progressing. (Granted, the events of the 4th and 5th book happened simultaneously but come on, more that halfway through the story there was no indication that he had any idea how to push things towards the final stretch). And that is when the Song started sounding out of tune for me and could never grab me again. I watched the show but skipped entire seasons as I had been on that journey and only started watching sriously in season 6. But even then something felt off for me. The actors were great, the producers had somehow convinced the writer to continue the story but I had this feeling...yes I knew we wouldn't get a happily ever after but I guess I had lost faith that Martin or anyone else could competently finish this story.

And at long last we arrive at seasons 7 and 8. Let's get the obvious out of the way - yes they were rushed for some reason and  had a slew of other problems and so on and so forth. But I have one major complaint I cannot overlook. When it comes to books, movies, games - characters are my bread and butter. I can let big plot holes slide as long as the characters are handled properly (for example -  I didn't mind the teleporting) but here..they weren't. The writers didn't do right by them. What do I mean by that? Well let's focus on, arguably, the two most central characters. Jon and Daenerys. They were never given a chance. Which for me is the biggest crime a writer can commit. It doesn't matter if a character is good or bad, they have to be given a chance to discover who they are. Arya discovered that she is not just a knife, but a Stark, Snasa discovered her strength, Tyrion discovered that kindness and loyalty are rarely repaid or tolerated(which is bullshit if you asked me but it is some kind of resolution, I guess) but what about the Targaryens? Daenerys was never given a chance to discover who she truly was. She was told that she was a monster, that that side of her was not just a part of who she was but rather who she was. She was never given the opportunity to decide for herself or fight for the choice she had made.

Jon on the other hand was never given a chance to come to terms with who he was. He was told that nope, you have no time to think it over, that's it(a fact that was rubbed in our faces by the dragon who didn't stay with him but chose to fly away with Daenerys). So by the end we do not have fully realized characters interacting with each other but rather two husks stumbling towards a resolution which can never be reached because it hasn't been earned. And that is truly the tragedy of Game of Thrones. (Bran...is his own thing and I am too tired to get into it, but if I have to summarize my feelings: a memory does not move you forward, it helps and you learn from it but the memory is just an adviser not the way forward.)

Let's look at the very end. All the characters are where they are told they have to be but do they feel they are where they should be? I am not so sure. They are all alone. Their smiles feel forced, unnatural.

I know that Hollywood probably has a boner for strong independent women who don't need no man but if Sansa and Tyrion were together in the North would that truly have been so awful? To have someone who you truly trust(and love, come on the chance was right there) to confide in? You know what could've saved the ending? At the very end, when the camera focuses on Jon - he smiles, that's it, one simple smile would've let us know that he is happy where he is, he's truly free. But no, we leave that shell of a man in the north beyond a wall that is guarded for no practical purpose.

Allow me to compare this ending to the ending of the Lord of the Rings. In it Frodo, Gandalf, Galadriel and many others are so very tired from the constant fighting and so spent from saving the world that they have to go but they leave Sam, Merry, Pippin, Aragorn and many others to make the world better, now that it has been saved. Who among the characters of GoT that are left can do that? They are all broken. It doesn't feel like things are made better, they have simply changed. Which are not the same things.

There are two themes that are never truly fulfilled by the end. The desire to make things better and the crushing realization that that is not truly feasible. If the ending was serving the latter then Tyrion would've immediately followed Varis, the moment he threw away the badge and Jon would've been immediately killed by Grey Worm, the moment he killed Daenerys. And the ending is definitely not serving the former theme(I think it is obvious why). So what do we have? Something that stops but does not conclude. Which is a shame because these characters deserved better.

Allow me to make a suggestion. Honestly, at the end of the episode I was feeling almost physically ill. Like I was poisoned and only by watching and reading things that made me happy did I feel that poison leave my body. I think Hollywood has spat in our faces too many times. They do not deserve our money or attention any more. Why not try to focus on other mediums. Find less popular or indie authors, try playing games, try anime. For too long we have relied on being entertained by people who don't want anyone to be happy. Who want to spread misery because they are miserable themselves. They do not deserve you and you deserve better. You deserve to be hopeful, to be happy or sad, to be moved by the art you are consuming, not to be cheated out of all emotions except for misery. So leave Westeros and do not feel like you have wasted your time with this series but rather think of it as a time spent learning that if something doesn't make you happy and doesn't fill you with joy, then it is not worth your time. 

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to start a review of a certain series that actually makes me happy. ;)