I was thinking about the Martin/Roeling comparisons earlier today, and while Martin'll always be the better writer, there's another major way he came up short to Joanie.
When the Harry Potter movies started, the books weren't finished, just as they weren't finished for Martin. But there's a crucial character who's very difficult for an actor to play unless they know a revelation that happens at the end of the story, just as it is for Martin's.
What was different there is that Rowling herself told Alan Rickman what was really going on with Snape once he was cast, and Rickman got to play his part properly because of it.
The same should've been done with Emilia Clarke. She thought she was the heroine 'til the table resding for "The Bells", and there's no excuse whatsoever for that. It's a weakness even Miss Christensen didn't have to deal with; he knew he'd wind up the villain from day one.
The one time I saw her and Kit Harrington have chemistry was in their final scene together, when both actor and actress finally knew where their characters were going. That should've been there from the moment they first met, or they should've dropped the Dany/Jon romance entirely.
I'll go as far as to say it's the worst flaw of the ladt two seasons, as well as the most needless.
So ... we're supposed to cheer when terrible things happen to evil men?
Man, this show has some mixed messages.
We're not "supposed" to. We do it instinctively.
Dany crucified hundreds of civilians darlier in the series, but nobody watching rooted against it, because slave owners deserve do die, and watching them die horribly makes people feel happy.
The only time previously Dany killed someone who the audience didn't have a reason to be on her side about was when she burned the Tarly male line into extinction. But that was two people, and one of 'em was a giant asshole who threatened to kill his own son if he didn't abandon his inheritence by joining the Night's Watch. Anikin massacred an entire village for their complicity in the abduction, rape, and murder of his mother; and he spent years afterwards warring and having his brain washed by Palpatine before he completely lost it.
The turn works if you do at least 2 more seasons. Have 8 & 9 completely devoted to the dead, with everyone fighting for their lives. Like humanity is basically on the brink. I want it to be total apocalypse on every continent. Dead rising from the graves, Eternal Winter on every continent. Just when you think its done, Jon fufills his destiny and becomes Azor Ahi, the prince who was promised. Everyone, from the Dothraki, to the Unsullied, to King's Landing bow to him. As a natural leader, he takes charge of the restructuring of the Seven Kingdoms, one of the few leaders of men left.
Dany rules in name only, and nobody respects her, because she didn't do much. She still has her two dragons, but the ice spears prevented them doing anything of note. She grows more and more bitter over this. She was supposed to be seen as this great liberator and savior of Westeros and its been stolen from her. That and nobody treats her seriously. I mean, we're talking shit goes down so bad that they literally worship Jon, which he doesn't have much control over. Her men are deserting her cause by the day, the Dothraki are removed from their culture and have been so changed by the experience from the dead, they can't really follow her anymore. What's more bad-ass: A girl with two dragons or an avatar of fire killing the living incarnation of death itself? I rest my case.
It turns out Jon isn't the only one with a cult, and Dany actually has one as well, that came before. They think she's the true prince that was promised and she amasses legions. She's also been cunningly embezzling while no-one was looking and bought the golden company with its elephants (yes we get fucking elephants). As she grows more angry and bitter over the rebuilding the lands of men, she strikes when they are at their weakest. She declares that all Starks must die. Here you probably kill off Arya since she's basically useless to the plot and everyone would fucking hate her for it. So now you have this depleted army of the Seven Kingdoms with half the Unsullied/Dothraki going to Jon and the other half going to Dany. We're still in the middle of the long winter and all those stories old Nan told at the beginning begin to come true. Ice Spiders and shit. Humanity gets it shit pushed in even further, thanks to Dany. So the war is brutal as well.
We've never seen Jon on fire before, the climatic confrontation is Jon vs. Dany and her last dragon. As he burns, he is shown to be the true Prince Who Was Promised, slays the dragon and kills Danerys, unceremoniously. She begins to apologize and even beg for her life but he just fucking cuts her head off on the spot, mid sentence. He's jaded and angry for what she'd done. She got to rule, but in the end, all she really wanted was power. Its not exactly a happy ending.
Westeros utterly destroyed, nearly all the Starks are dead, every house has been completely shattered, the whole place is a fucking wreck. Its a kingdom on fire in the middle of winter. It ends with no one sitting on the Iron Throne, because there's nothing to rule. All houses are gone. Jon realizes his destiny to rebuild Westeros and save the Kingdoms of Men from collapsing into extinction from the massive winter that is about to be unleashed on them. He leaves Winterfell in the hands of Sansa, because a Stark being there is considered lucky and they need some luck.
The last shot is Jon and whoever is left with him, riding off into the winter landscape, towards an uncertain future, wondering if he can restore humanity before it starves and freezes to death.
Every character was brutalized in the final season. None were left unscathed. It is objectively terrible and indefensible.
This would almost be enough to make up for seasons six snd seven.
But what they really needed to do was replace the Dipshits in Chief once they clearly stopped giving a shit. I'm certain they could've picked any two writers they already had on staff at random, at any point after season five, make the randos showrunners, and they would've gotten better results.
It's not like they were ever the reason why this thing took off. Even back when both still had their hearts in it. If Aaron Sorkin can be kicked off The West Wing, there's no reason why the same couldn't happen here.
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