It wasn't that bad.

It’s been 48 hours. 48 hours ago, I was wrapping up the final episode of Game of Thrones. My opinion then was the same as it is now.

I don’t hate it, but I didn’t absolutely love it either.

The episode wasn’t perfect. The final season wasn’t perfect. My only real complaint with the final episode was my only complaint with the final season. It was rushed. They didn’t have enough time to completely tell all the stories they needed too.

I didn’t have a problem with Daenerys dying.

I didn’t have a problem with Jon Snow ending up back in the Nights Watch.

I didn’t even have a problem with Bran ending up as the King.

The only issue I had in the final episode was they way they wrapped up the murder of Daenerys. That story needed more. We didn’t see how Jon was arrested. We didn’t see the other characters of the show finding out their Queen had been murdered. We fast forwarded two weeks to a meeting of all the great houses and the nomination of Bran as the new King.

That should have been done differently. It needed more than it got. It was rushed.

I’m not sure why this season was so rushed. It could have been that many of the actors have become major stars and could only commit the time it took to shoot a certain number of episodes. It could be that HBO only gave the show a set dollar amount for the final season and they determined they could only produce six episodes with that money, we’ll never know.

I can’t wrap my head around the outrage that this final season of Game of Thrones has produced. I read people comparing it to Dexter which is just stupid. Dexter was without a doubt the worst series finale in the history of television. This episode of Game of Thrones doesn’t even come close to that.  A million people signing a petition to remake the season. People stating, they need counseling because of the final season. It’s all ridiculous to me.

This final season wasn’t bad. It wasn’t perfect but it wasn’t bad. They produced iconic television. The Long Night was quite possibly the most intense episode of television I’ve ever seen. With some of the best visuals I ever remember in a television show. The same with the penultimate episode as well.

I think people that overly criticize this show completely underestimate just how hard it is to produce eight seasons of television like that. Most shows don’t last near that long. Most shows get cancelled they don’t get the luxury of crafting their own ending. Most shows aren’t the cultural phenomenon that Game of Thrones has become.

HBO will produce multiple Game of Thrones prequel shows. I’m willing to say none of them will even come close to comparing to the original. They won’t come close to getting an eight-season run like the original. Many more people will dip their toe into the water of producing fantasy television shows now because of the success of Game of Thrones. I’m willing to say none of those will be as highly regarded as Game of Thrones is. None of those shows will get the eight-season run that Game of Thrones did.

Game of Thrones is one of the greatest television shows that has ever been produced. It’s the caliber of show that will stand the text of time. Ten to twenty years from now it will be mentioned with the Sopranos and Breaking Bad of the worlds as the best shows ever.

The final season of Game of Thrones doesn’t ruin the show for me. It doesn’t ruin its place amongst television elite for me. It shouldn’t for you either.