At its peak, Game of Thrones was the greatest show on television. Intensely popular and critically acclaimed, the series was a pop culture staple for nearly a decade. Then the final season dropped and everything changed.
To be honest, the cracks had been showing for at least a few seasons. As the series ran out of George RR Martin source material to adapt, increasingly bizarre and sometimes sloppy creative decisions were made. Previously important and well-thought-out questions, like how long it takes to travel, were hand-waved and characters headed down paths that left fans confused.
This resulted in a final season whose reception, both critically and culturally, was so poor that fans questioned whether the show was ever any good. Looking Game of Thrones’ final compared to that of Avatar: The Last AirbenderHowever, it’s becoming clear that the HBO series was always a mistake.
Avatar’s originality gave it the flexibility that Game of Thrones lacked
First released by Nickelodeon in 2004, Avatar: The Last Airbender is an original creation by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. The duo took their love of martial arts films and transformed it into an original fantasy world that seems simple at first glance, but becomes increasingly complex as the series progresses.
Avatar ran for 3 seasons from 2004 to 2007 and still ranks among the best fantasy TV series of all time. While Game of Thrones’ reputation has dropped enormously since its last season aired, The avatars has only gotten better. A big part of this is that Avatar I never had any source material to adapt.
Without source material, the creators of Avatar had room to maneuver the plot and make adjustments as they went along. While the result isn’t always perfect, it is extremely cohesive, with all three seasons of the series feeling like one cohesive vision. This led to a stunning finale that, despite its criticisms, remains true to the show’s themes and characters.
Game of Thrones was doomed from the start
On the other hand, Game of Thrones’ The divisions have only gotten worse over the years.
Even though the first few seasons of the show were truly incredible and absolutely held up, the show was a victim of its own success. THE Song of Ice and Fire books that Game of Thrones was far from over when the series debuted in 2011. The critical success of the television series also meant that George RR Martin had less time to work on the books.
Today, even long after the television series ended, it is unclear when the next Song of Ice and Fire the book will be published.
All this adds to Game of Thrones being his own worst enemy.
Avatar: The Last Airbender works so well because it tells a tight, compact story that has a clear direction, but is nonetheless able to make choices on the fly that only benefit the narrative. While Game of Thrones’ the ending might draw the most criticism, the issue of unfinished source material meant it was always going to face an uphill battle.
