The Downfall of Game of Thrones 4 Years Later | How Benioff & Weiss Ruined GOT and Their Reputations

A look back at how Dan and Dave destroyed one of the best shows on television. How they moved away from George R.R. Martin's novels and destroyed carefully crafted characters like Dany, Jon and Jaime. Their discomfort with the fantasy aspects of the show and some of the reasons why they did not dedicate themselves to finishing the series with the same skill and effort they brought to the early seasons.

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[Crichjo]

How each character got ruined:
Jon - became a lobotomized patient saying the same lines over and over again.
Tyrion - becomes a witless dunce who makes terrible decisions, but somehow still keeps his job.
Dany - becomes a complete psychotic and genocidal monster within a couple of episodes
Jaime - goes from being reformed and sympathetic, to "I never gave a damn about anyone apart from my psychotic sister" in one episode
Cersei - stares out a window and is killed by a brick
Arya - gives up her series long arc to kill Cersei at the last moment, and otherwise stands around being smug and annoying
Sansa - we're meant to believe she is so smart and clever, yet she openly blurts out her brother's biggest secret and doesn't know how a knife works
Bran - becomes a creepy useless weirdo, who does sod all to help but somehow gets the big prize at the end
Brienne - a strong female character reduced to crying outside in her gown over a man leaving her
Varys - once the smartest, most secretive and careful character that is now a complete idiot who openly talks about treason to people he barely knows, and doesn't even seem to care much when he inevitably gets it.
Littlefinger - the other smartest and most secretive character, who seemingly had an intricate plan to steal the throne, stands around being dumb and gets foiled by some kids like a Scooby Doo villain
The Night King - became a complete non-threat in the end after being hyped since the very first scene of the whole series

[Sienisota]

They screwed the ending so badly, you can't really even enjoy a re-watch of the earlier seasons, knowing how badly those character arcs are executed at the finish.

[danzai]

The funny thing is, if these guys had not just inexplicably squandered their franchise at the finish line, it would be seen as one of the best TV shows of all time, up there with Breaking Bad, etc. and these creators would been heralded as princes amongst men. Now its hard for anyone to even invest time into watching the good seasons when it isn't worth the soul destroying disappointment that will follow. Jenny Nicholson said it best ""I think the worst thing a franchise ending can do is make you feel kind of stupid and embarrassed for being so excited about it in the first place"

[Wertyoco]

I would aslo say the lack of fallout for the queen blowing up the main church of the entier continent was a joke

[amateuroverlord]

Cersie destroying the Sept of Barlow is the perfect example of the problem with D&D. It was shot amazingly, that whole sequence might have been the best in the show. But they clearly put zero thought into the consequences of that action. I’m pretty sure literally not one character even mentioned it after it happened. That’s absurd. Imagine if someone blew up the Vatican.

[enjoythestruggle]

They made the classic mistake: thinking they are smarter than the writer. They also picked favourites and created good and evil in a story that was so interesting because of the morally grey nature of its characters.

[crazydawgman]

They are actual geniuses. I was thinking I was going to be so sad after the show ended and would miss it a lot. They made sure that didn't happen

[drno]

The Battle of the Bastards is where the show really felt completely different for me. It's an exciting action scene fit for a Hollywood film. It also has Jon screwing up royally--making the exact mistakes they'd explicitly discussed trying to avoid. Jon talked about avoiding a double envelopment and Sansa warned him that Ramsay would try to provoke him. Jon falls for the provocation and gets his army surrounded. Yet, there are no negative consequences. Contrast with how mistakes made by Ned and Robb came back to bite them and it's basically a different show.

[lucaromanelli]

Many friends of mine were huge fans of the show and we liked to talk about it after every episode. After watching the last season, nobody ever brought the topic up again. It's like it never existed in the first place. Thank you, Dumb and Dumber.

[Alex-mnfb]

I still cant get over it. Not after 4 years, not ever. I had no idea that I would be this butthurt by a book and a TV show, it felt like a bad breakup with a spouse tbh. And I am still salty and sore about all of it. The fact George RR Martin never finished it, the fact these two managed to bamboozle us for so long, so that we were so willing to give them a benefit of a doubt, even when things went south long before season 7. I still cant bring myself to binge watch it all over, its honestly upseting to think about it.
Looking retroactively, it was their ego and the lack of writing talent. Even if they felt the burnout, they could have just passed the torch to someone else who would give it love and care it deserves. But their ego just could not handle some other name in the title sequence, but were at the same time greedy to move on to score some Star Wars money. Hacks.

[alsmith]

When Arya got stabbed in the liver and tossed into a river, then woke up having been 'patched up' by an actress, I started having doubts about the show.

[that.canadian.vaper.guyTCVG]

One of the biggest heartbreaking things for me, is watching the Season 8 Doc and seeing how passionate Vladimir Furdik was as the Night King. After a life of training the main star, he finally had a chance to become one of the main stars and he wasnt going to waste it. His Night King was really menacing and had they given him literally ANYTHING to do, i guarantee that he wouldve crushed that role.

[christinestreeter]

HBO wanted more seasons, they offered to bring in more writers and D and D said no…because they are unbelievably narcissistic and arrogant and didn’t want anyone to share their glory. They cut GRRM out after season 4. All they wanted was to make the red wedding and once that was done they were over it. D and D think they are as talented as GRRM. I know they were probably burnt out. Being the show runners for a show like this they most likely worked 24/7, but they could have lessened their burden and they choose not to. They suck and I hope they never work again on anything and if they do it’ll be mediocre at best.

[lynnshort]

I’ll never stop being bitter about how this show ended

[johns]

Night King immune to dragon fire, but steel forged in dragon fire kills him, because dragon fire kills him, except not. Night King creates white walkers instantly just by touching them, but is able to grab Arya by the face and she doesn't turn into a white walker, because reasons. Arya is a master sneaker, able to sneak up behind a whole courtyard of white walkers and leap through the air screaming right past dozens of them, but literally 5 minutes earlier was not able to sneak past like 5 zombies that are missing half their eyes. White Walkers are able to drag ten thousand tons of ship anchor chain through the frozen north to drag a 3 ton dragon out of a lake. The chain literally weighs more than the dragon by hundreds of times, and they got it from NOWHERE and brought it with them for NO REASON, except they can see the future, except not, because they lost. So stupid. I can't believe people actually enjoyed those last 2 seasons.

[RafaelSantos-pipy]

To this day that nightime battle against the zombies makes me rage. Sending the cavalry into the dark not knowing where they were going, putting the infantry IN FRONT of the palisades and outside the castle walls where they would be safe, keeping the civilians in a crypt knowing that the enemy can raise the dead. It was all so stupid and bad.

[jodi]

Imagine writing a masterful and wildly popular show, and your lasting legacy will always be having ruined it.

[jawstrock]

Even more infuriating that it was not provoked by the studio wanting it to wrap up(how it often happen). They were ready to give near infinite budget and multiple more seasons.

[emusaurus]

"Who has a better story than Bran the broken?"
I imagine it pained Peter Dinkledge to say that line. I remember the cast had looks of cringe on their faces when talking about the last episode. None of them looked happy.


It was the greatest television show of all time.

Was.

[jusskitten]

Everyone always forgets about how they butchered Briennes story in the finale too. Why the hell would she switch up and leave Sansa when Sansa would need her protector the most now that she’s queen? And I know Sansa would be furious at her for leaving after swearing her sword and life to her. She never even interacted with bran. I actually hate brans character and everything they did with him