The last season of Game of Thrones was supposed to be an epic, emotional closing chapter to a series that had once felt untouchable and unmatched by anything else on air. But instead, what we got was… well, a season that often felt like someone’s rushed fanfiction draft. Not even the kind of fun and creative fanfiction that fans lovingly piece together on forums. More like the messy, nonsensical, and unfinished version where things just happen because the writer said so.
There were so many promising storylines that had a lot riding on them, given the buildup from the past seasons, but the execution was so sloppy that it left fans scratching their heads and wishing The Winds of Winter would come out as soon as possible.
For a show that prided itself on amazingly well-written dialogues and interactions, careful buildup, and shocking but believable payoffs, season 8, unfortunately, was the worst possible version of a show running out of source material to adapt, and the team not being able to come up with new material that was even in the same ballpark of quality.
Here are the biggest ones that honestly felt like straight-up fanfiction rather than a deserving ending to one of the greatest TV shows ever made.
Jon killing Daenerys
On paper, Jon killing Daenerys should’ve been a gut-punch of a moment. But the way it played out felt like a random “lovers-to-killers” trope from a fanfic. The romance between them never really clicked quite as much on-screen in the first place, and by the time Jon slid the knife into her, it felt more like the show wanted a shocking climax than an emotional one.
What really killed it was the lack of buildup. We see Daenerys spiral into madness so quickly, and then Jon just… decides to kill her because Tyrion gives him a pep talk in a cell?
There was no slow erosion of trust, no inner conflict that matched the scale of what he was doing. It was just convenient. Even the way it was staged felt anticlimactic. The throne room scene was shot beautifully, but the death itself was flat. This is just one of several storylines that felt really rushed due to the season’s lower episode count, amongst other things.
Cleganebowl
Fans had been waiting years for Cleganebowl, and this would otherwise be the good type of fan service. The Hound vs. The Mountain was the kind of showdown that could’ve been epic and brutal in the best Game of Thrones tradition. Instead, we got a rushed, cartoonish fight that ended in both brothers tumbling into fire.
It wasn’t terrible visually, but it lacked weight. The buildup was years in the making, and the fight felt like a quick box-checking moment to be done and over with. Even Sandor Clegane’s death didn’t land emotionally, which is wild considering how well his character had been written up until then, with his character arc.
Bronn becoming the lord of Highgarden
And then there’s Bronn, somehow ending up as Lord of Highgarden. Out of all the checklist moments (like who gets to rule Highgarden?), this one might be the most fanfiction-like of all. Bronn was a great side character, and one of the best examples of a character from the books being far more likable and expansive in the show. But suddenly becoming a lord of one of the wealthiest regions in Westeros? That’s just nonsense.
The other lords of houses within Highgarden, realistically, would’ve never let this happen. Highgarden had a history, a culture, a legacy tied to the Tyrells and the Gardeners. Bronn walking in and taking it over felt like someone rewarding their favorite character in a fanfic with a random prize at the end. His expanded role in the show made sense at first since he had great chemistry with Jaime, but this was just pure wish fulfillment and nothing more.
Arya killing the Night King
This was probably the moment that broke the internet in the worst way. Arya leaping out of nowhere and stabbing the Night King might’ve looked cool in the moment for some, but when you actually think about it, it doesn’t make sense at all.
For eight seasons, Jon Snow was the one built up as the Night King’s opposite. The show practically screamed it at us with foreshadowing and even the way their storylines mirrored each other.
The showrunners later admitted they made Arya do it to subvert expectations. But subverting expectations isn’t good storytelling if it undermines everything you’ve been setting up. It felt like a twist for the sake of a twist. George R.R. Martin said it himself—if the conclusion is the right one, and you’ve written it with a certain character in mind, then it’s still the right one even if fans guess it.
Jaime going back to Cersei
Jaime’s character arc had been one of the most fascinating in the whole series (and the books). He started as this arrogant, broken knight and slowly grew into someone who actually wanted to be honorable. His whole journey of moving away from Cersei, especially after their respective stories in A Feast for Crows, was one of the best character arcs in both the books and the show, and then season 8 just tossed it all in the trash.
Watching him crawl back to Cersei felt like whiplash. He tells Brienne he’s not that man anymore, and then soon after, he’s rushing back to King’s Landing like he forgot everything he went through. Their death together was supposed to be tragic and poetic, but it came off anticlimactic when they were just buried under rubble.
Sure, Game of Thrones was known for shocking deaths, but they were usually climactic and impactful, especially for the major characters. With Jaime and Cersei, it felt like the writers just wanted to wrap them up quickly, even if it meant undoing seasons of great storytelling.
Arya and Gendry’s romance
Arya and Gendry always had a strong bond, but it was more like respect and friendship. Then, season 8 suddenly decided to throw in a sex scene. It felt random. The romantic chemistry wasn’t really there, and it didn’t go anywhere meaningful either.
Arya rejects Gendry’s proposal right after, which made the whole thing even more pointless. It could’ve been so much stronger if they had just stayed allies with a lot of mutual respect, rather than forcing a romance that didn’t fit either of their characters. Instead, it felt like another fanfiction detour that led nowhere.
Bran becoming the king of Westeros
This was maybe the most head-scratching decision in the finale. Bran spends seasons saying he doesn’t want anything, and he doesn’t want to be Lord of Winterfell. He doesn’t want power. And then, suddenly, he’s king of Westeros with that smug little line: “Why do you think I came all this way?” despite sharing pretty much the opposite sentiment just a few episodes ago.
He explicitly told Meera Reed that he was no longer Bran Stark but the Three-Eyed Raven now, someone with a higher purpose than being the king of Westeros, but then he goes back to being Bran the Broken?
Earlier, Bran made it very clear he doesn’t care about ruling. It just felt like it was written by completely different writers who didn’t know what the other one was doing with Bran’s character. Out of everyone in that council chamber, almost anyone else would’ve made more sense. Even Sansa, who actually showed political skill and ambition.
With Bran, it felt like they were just throwing darts at a board of endings.