"When did Game of Thrones jump the shark?" Topic

You were asked – TMP link

When, if ever, do you feel that HBO's Game of Thrones series jumped the shark? Preferably a specific episode or incident rather than a general time frame.

18% said "all of the above"
14% said "it never jumped the shark"
12% said "season 8"

1st episode?

When Samwell Tarley escaped miraculously.

When the show runners ran out of published material.

I don't think it ever jumped the shark, I always thought the ending and the last few seasons tied it all up rather neatly.

You could argue that the death of the Night King was anti-climatic but I would say that it was quite in keeping with the style of the show, characters die suddenly and unexpectedly, it's the complete opposite of the superhero film aesthetic we are used to these days.

Like most series in the sci fi/fantasy genre it suffered the deprivations of nerd rage and click bait sites (Ten things Game of Thrones got wrong in the final season, you won't believe Number 6 etc etc) so people jumped on the bandwagon and slaughtered it.

I was a big fan, if that was Martin's plan for the story I hope he never writes the ending, because frankly I've seen better fan fiction then that tripe.

The lack of continuity in the final season was particularly irritating.
Weren't the Dothraki totally wiped out when they charged the undead? By the way, shieldless medium cavalry armed only with swords… Obviously they never played WRG 5th. How did they get them back for the attack on Kings Landing?

I was so psyched to see "Behold I saw a pale horse, and on it rode Arya."
Yes. That pretty face covered in blood and her clothes caked in ash.
Next episode. No horse. No ash. Blood washed away.
It's as if the show runners just wanted to wrap it all up in a hurry because they had better things to do. Oh, wait. They did.

Martin would never have made the lapses in logic that they did when they ran out of printed material. No, he just would have plodded on tediously, making you feel each and every one of the thousands of miles, with pointless plot sidetracks.

You forgot to mention the greasy foods, John. And the detailed brutality. And some random intimate encounters and/or assaults. And some new characters introduced as significant who have never been part of the story before and in the end come across as the "let's add another book" padding which they are.

For me, the whole thing jumped the shark before HBO ever offered Martin the contract for adaptation rights.

But early on, the story was brilliant.

It's important to realize that Martin had seen the elephant. He was a show runner for several tv shows. He knew how the sausage was made. Then he got tired of tv and wanted to get back to just writing.
So, he set out deliberately to make The Song of Ice and Fire, first book Game of Thrones, super complicated and unfilmable. He succeeded.
Well, then HBO put a gun to his head and forced him to accept billions of dollars.

I generally enjoyed it until the Battle of the Bastards. That battle scene was one of the worst written and filmed battles in cinema. I'd even watch the English Knights break ranks and charge in skirmish on foot in Braveheart again before I would rewatch that tripe. From that point forward, the plot lines, the storytelling and writing overall, the continuity and the acting all got progressively worse.

Series 7. Should never have gone for shortened series. But, they started killing off characters to 'clear the decks', rather than writing for them.
Agree about 'The Battle of the Bastards'. The 'wall of dead' was ridiculous.
Final season? Far too short. Same comment about killing off characters, just to wrap up…esp the Freys demise was very poor.
Battle of Winterfell… I thought it was well done. Lighting was ok for me…you saw what you were 'meant' to see. (Watch the 'Making of' extras in the DVD set). It should have been 'bigger'…over 2 full episodes, maybe, as the 'Winter Is Coming' theme was so integral to the story.
Dothraki wiped out? There were a whole load of them! There were panicked/beaten returnees.
Death of The Night King… yes, a surprise ending for him! It did feel anticlimactic, but… watch 'Deadwood' (another great series… Oh and GOT really missed the boat on Ian McShane, though maybe he didn't want a bigger part :( ).

Just imagine if someone HAD assassinated Hitler? WW2 might have just…ended.

What seems to have really 'spoilt' things for fans is the concept of Danny going bad and being killed off. I DON'T LIKE HER ENDING EITHER! Apparently, that was planned from season 3…but, surely the writers or HBO could have foreseen the 'backlash', and reconsidered?
Her character, (and Dragons!), became the show leader to many…and to be 'deaded' in such a cliche manner, Bah!
She could have reverted to Targaryen and become part of 'the wheel', instead of breaking it…a much 'better' concept…but, the writers seemed to want to want a 'happy' ending…which pleased NOBODY!
'Flaky Bran' as King? I suppose they kept him alive for some reason…BUT!

Over all, GOT was a Flawed Masterpiece. Finished in far too much of a hurry. Still VERY watchable, though! And massive credit to the cast, crew and extras…watch the inclusions in the DVD set to see 'dedication'!.

The Books. Having seen the adverts for the TV series, I read them. Book 1…WOW! THIS would be a fantastic TV series…and it was! Book 2…yeah, great read and good TV prospects. Then… on and on…and on. IF he ever finishes the tale… and given the reaction to the TV ending… it WON'T sell unless changed… just, maybe, there MIGHT be an alternative feature film, SOMEDAY? lol.

Explain again why that idiot wanna-be-king landed his army north of the wall.

alfritz: If that is 'Stannis'…because it WORKED… against the threat of the time…The Wildlings. NOT the 'Army Of The Dead', or his attempt on Winterfell… South of The Wall.

Jon Snow's 'rescue' expedition was just that.

HOWEVER, Strategy and Tactics was NEVER a 'considered ' element of the TV show… just what would arouse 'feeling' in the Viewers.
Tactics for the 'Battle Of Winterfell'..ridiculous, but TV!