Remembering Game of Thrones

  The serial position effect determines that Game of Thrones will be remembered for its beginning and/ or ending. 

  Digital Spy recently created a poll to determine where their community was positioned, concerning the GOT series finale. The question was simple― yay or neh. Did you like how Game of Thrones ended or not? It turns out that 56% of individuals, that participated in the poll, did not like the ending.

  ~Note: Digital Spy is an online media platform that covers the latest digital television and programing news from the U.K. It has an active twitter community possessing 179k followers. I could not find how many participants exercised in this poll. It can be found on their website (digitalspy.com). ~
                                                 

  Game of Thrones originally possessed a willingness to kill off its main characters in a brutal, random and seemingly, realistic way. But, by its conclusion, it stopped by showing its fans what to expect.

 The writing was different. It left many fans caught in turmoil. A beloved beginning was plagued by a loathed ending. And, now, we do not know what to do. Not only is Game of Thrones over but, there will be no redemption for its ending. Digital Spy's poll encapsulates what the "internet" has been expressing ― caught between love for its beginning and hate for its end. This is not a case of enjoying the ride for what it was because that is not how memory works. So, for the fans that loved its start and hated its ending, we are forever caught in a spectrum from love to hate. This type of dichotomy can mess with ones mind to the point that, they need to write a blog to cope.

  I will continue this discussion as a way to get over the betrayal of Game of Thrones that is, season 7 and 8. Due to the serial position effect, only season 1 and 7 will be examined in our brains as time passes.

  I am a senior at Fordham University. I study Film and television. I, also, have loved all of the notorious season finales like Seinfeld's, Friends', Lost's, and How I Met Your Mother's. Now, I am on the other side, unfortunately. It is the side that the majority of fans are taking. We just want to remember one of our most beloved shows as beloved and not despised.

Coping With Disappointment: The Series Finale

  There is a correlation between the success of a show and the success of its series finale and, it is not what you think. The more popular or beloved a show is, the more likely its series finale will disappoint its fans.

  Why is this? How can the creators of internationally beloved programs fail to finish the job properly?

It is because "properly" is a subjective term to fans. The creators of a show know their work better than anyone. Super fans can break these rules but, they are not writers. The processes of consuming media and producing it, are much different than one would think. Moreover, each viewer has their own opinion. Each audience member is an individual. So, how could a series finale's content please all of its viewers? It can't.

Imagine giving the end to something that a loved one adores. Now multiply that by 10 million! It’s going to be impossible to please everyone!

The controversy of series finales comes from its own popularity. It is a detriment that all shows wish to possess. Commercially speaking, the better the show, the more viewers it will have. The wider the audience reaches the more people, that are different, it has to please. It is an impossible task, a paradox if you will. It is actually amazing just, how many people a series finale can amuse. An example of this would be Game of Thrones. The finale was not for me yet, it was still thoroughly entertaining. It is the closure that I craved, no matter what the result were going to be. Though, according to social media, fans loved it. This is a testament to how good of a show Thrones was and will continue to be. It will be streamed forever.

A series finale should not be remembered for how many people liked it or disliked it. A series finale should be praised for how many fans were not pissed off!

I personally love many of the notorious series finales like Lost's and HIMYM's. And, that makes me lucky. However, the Game of Thrones' finale was a disappointment for me. But I accept it for what it is because I have to. It gave me entertainment that I loved. The ending was not what I wanted it to be but, it should not sway my view of the show. Endings are tough. They are the end. No one likes the end! It is important to remember the good over the bad. We watch for entertainment. Some do like to hate but, for the rest of us, we need to focus on why we fell in love in the first place.

 I hope I can help heal the damage series finales do on their fans. <3

 Beloved series are beloved for a reason. Their finales will always have controversy due to the sheer number of people that have fallen in love with it. We all want something just, a little different. Thus, a series finale is controversial.