Why the Game of Thrones series finale WILL live up to the hype

Any good gymnast will tell you that you’re only as good as your landing. It doesn’t matter how splendidly you fly through the air during a quadruple inverted axle; if you botch the end, it counts for nothing, and nailing the big finish can make up for a few mistakes on the way down. Game of Thrones is coming in for its landing, and the pressure is on to stick it perfectly. There won’t be a chance to correct missteps; the season 8 finale will be the last impression we ever have of the characters we’ve grown to love and love to hate. Some fans are worried it won’t live up to the hype, but we’re here to calm your fears. Season 8 will absolutely live up to the hype, and here are a few reasons why.

1. Time and money

First and foremost, season 8 was not a rushed production. HBO had an interest in getting the season out sooner rather than later, but they allowed showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss extra time to work on making the final season, which is why this is the only year since the series began that does new feature new episodes of the show. Filming on season 8 began in October 2017 and only finished this past July. That’s over eight months of shooting, longer than the team has ever taken. The producers are also working with a staggering budget of $15 million per episode for season 8. Time and money are two key ingredients for a successful anything, television or otherwise.

2. Absence makes the heart grow fonder

While we don’t know exactly when Thrones will return, when it does, it will likely be close to two years since we last saw Westeros. That wait has been agonizing at times, but when that iconic theme song starts to play ahead of a new episode, I’m going to barely be able to contain myself. No one who watched seven seasons of the show is going to have forgotten about it during the hiatus, and we’re going to savor every moment we have left with these characters as they hurtle towards the end of this story.

3. At long last, expect the unexpected

And what a story it’s been. Ultimately, we’re pretty sure good will win out in some form or another, and we’ll all go home happy…or will we? A Song of Ice and Fire creator George R.R. Martin has long teased that the ending to his saga will be “bittersweet,” and while it has had fewer shocking twists as it’s gone on, all bets are off as we enter the endgame. George R.R. Martin has told the showrunners how his tale ends, and it’s not going to be all sunshine and rainbows. Some characters we like will survive (the show can’t kill Hot Pie; that’d just be cruel) but others won’t, and that’s going to keep things exciting.

Personally, I don’t see Jon Snow retiring to the quiet life of a local lord after the conflict with the Army of the Dead. Even if he’s successful in beating back the White Walker threat, he’s basically undead himself, which is going to cause complications. Or what about the theory that Jaime and Cersei will die together? Watching Jaime’s transformation has been one of the highlights of the series, and seeing him bring down Cersei only to die himself would be tragically satisfying. We’re also not prepared to lose the likes of Tyrion Lannister or Arya Stark, but everyone is on the chopping block. The point is that we’re all going to need a few tissues (or a few boxes of tissues) before this is over, and that’s the way it should be.

It’s true that HBO doesn’t have a great track record when it comes to ending shows. Beloved series like Deadwood, Rome or Bored to Death were cancelled before they could conclude naturally, and The Sopranos had an ending that was, to put it mildly, controversial.

At the same time, I salute the network for not ending that show, which is a forerunner to Game of Thrones in the way it made us reexamine how we think about television, in a predictable manner, and I expect Thrones to follow suit. Game of Thrones season 8 will be THE television event of 2019, and HBO has clearly done everything in its power to end it right.

Will some people see some parts of the series finale coming? Of course — there are too many fans for a few people not to stumble on the right answer — but the show that gave us Ned Stark’s execution, the Red Wedding, the Massacre at Hardhome and the destruction of the Sept of Baelor is a show that’s proven it has tricks up its sleeve. Considering how thoroughly they’ve prepped for it, even the predictable elements of the finale will still meet the high standard that Game of Thrones has established for itself; predictable TV doesn’t necessarily mean bad TV.

Game of Thrones season 8 will deliver, I have no doubt. The hardest part is the waiting.

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h/t Latino Review