Money isn't always spent on makeup, CGI and sets. I don't know what contracts are or what GRRM is getting. Executives themselves are part of the equation, who knows which parachutes they got.
When Jodorovky was filming Dune, he wanted Pablo Picasso (yeah, that one) to play the emperor. Pablo demanded 1million/hour. So they shot 6min scene with him and writers had to accommodate that into script somehow. The moral is that very often the $$$ are driving the script more than creativity of the writers.
So far, Cersei has been wearing the same fucking dress all season long, I feel so sad that I wanted to lend her some shit. Last episode makeup was pathetic, everyone had one (1, uno, odin) token hurt on their face. Dragons are not new work either, most investment into it is already done. I am not seeing all the sheckels here. I'm trying to put monetary value on each episode and I don't see where the money went. You can film half of that episode with a bunch of weekend larpers, no joke. Fucking feast room was just fucking sad.
I don't know, may be in the last episode nakid GRRM rides on gold plated Obama and fucks Trump in ass while grabbing pussy. I just haven't seen the same splendor or dress, makeup or new CGI as in some previous seasons. How the fuck this short season is so expensive, I don't know, not even if everyone is snorting cocaine with diamonds all day long.