The eighth season of HBO's Game Of Thrones aired almost a year ago, and the final season is still drawing controversy for its unexpected endgame. The series was no stranger to contention; many critics condemned the show for its depiction of nudity and violence. However, Season 8 remains its most problematic installment yet and many elements have already aged poorly.
The final season of the epic series featured the downfall of the Night King, a shocking U-turn for a fan-favorite character, and the emergence of two unexpected monarchs. Despite its popularity, the hit fantasy series hit several roadblocks in its home stretch that haven't aged well.
The Night King was gradually developed as the ultimate villain of Game Of Thrones. The menacing ice zombie had several tense stare-downs with Jon Snow that seemed to foreshadow a final confrontation. Yet in Season 8, it is Arya who kills the Night King and saves the day.
Many fans felt that Arya was shoehorned into Jon's story, which took a backseat in the final season. The Night King's foreboding presence in the earlier seasons is dampened by his anti-climatic endgame.
Fans debated for years which character would ultimately win the game of thrones, and many were disappointed when Bran Stark emerged victorious as King of Westeros. Bran's character was omitted from Season 5 and appeared to be destined for a confrontation with the Night King rather than actual kingship.
Bran's robotic persona as the Three-Eyed Raven lacked charisma and made him hard to root for. The council's decision to name him King is a lackluster conclusion to the show's riveting political intrigue.
Daenerys Targaryen's descent into madness was a controversial moment that garnered many accusations of sexism from critics. Despite helping the North defeat the Army of the Dead in the first half of Season 8, Dany's character switches into a delusional tyrant when she destroys King's Landing with dragonfire.
The Mother of Dragons was regarded as a feminist figure before her abrupt fall from grace. This problematic endgame for her character is unlikely to age well in the future.
Daenerys and the Targaryen army traveled to Winterfell in Season 8 to defend the North from the Night King. Although they sacrifice everything to protect their home, the Unsullied and Dothraki are met with xenophobic distrust from the Northerners.
Arya encompasses the attitude of the Northmen when she tells Jon that Daenerys isn't one of them, despite the Targaryen queen's assistance in the Long Night. This xenophobia is a troubling trait in a series heroine.
Missandei's death is one of the most heart-wrenching scenes in the eighth and final season of Game Of Thrones. Daenerys' best friend and trusted advisor is captured by Euron and executed by The Mountain on Cersei Lannister's orders.
The death of Missandei is ultimately used as another motive for Daenerys' descent into madness. Many fans and critics have accused the series of "fridging" Missandei, providing another problematic element to the show's final season.
Game Of Thrones has been accused of racist character portrayals throughout its history, with particular criticism aimed at Daenerys Targaryen's storyline in Essos. Another contentious decision from Season 8 that has aged poorly is the slaughter of the Dothraki during "The Long Night."
The Dothraki are stationed at the front of the army surrounding Winterfell and before Melisandre's arrival, unequipped to face the White Walkers. The North shows little remorse about placing the foreign army ahead of them to defend Winterfell from the Night King.
Many fans expected to see Cersei Lannister's reign of terror reach a fever pitch in Season 8. Audiences theorized that Jaime would be forced to kill Cersei to save King's Landing, mirroring his murder of the Mad King.
In the end, this storyline was unexpectedly given to Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen. Jaime and Cersei met an anticlimactic end during the collapse of the Red Keep, and Jon killed Daenerys following her sudden descent into madness.
A consequence of Arya killing the Night King and Daenerys becoming the final villain was the lack of a cohesive story arc for Jon Snow. The secret Targaryen prince was a fan-favorite character, and many fans believed he would defeat the Night King in an epic battle before becoming King of Westeros.
Jon's role in Season 8 is reduced to a side character in Dany's story. The son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark is banished to the Wall and is last seen leaving Westeros with the wildlings, his true heritage brushed aside.
The nonsensical rivalry between Daenerys Targaryen and Sansa Stark bore little resemblance to the witty yet chilling tension between Cersei Lannister and Margaery Tyrell. The Targaryen queen is met with hostility from the Lady of Winterfell, who proves instrumental in Daenerys' downfall.
Sansa and Dany's rivalry is a catty conflict that portrays them as petty children instead of powerful monarchs. Sansa rejects Daenerys despite her aid in the Great War and sows dissent in her council by revealing Jon's secret to Tyrion.
Another moment from the series finale that divided fans featured the assembly of the Great Council of Westeros. The lords and ladies of the Seven Kingdoms, including Sansa Stark and the Prince of Dorne, gather to decide Jon Snow's fate and elect a new King or Queen to rule the country.
Samwell Tarly suggests that they allow the common people to decide who rules them, though he is laughed at by the other lords. The survivors of the series mock this democratic endgame that many fans predicted.
