I think it was a mistake to try to wrap up this epic, with all its plot lines, in one season. I understand that they probably were stuck, as I assume that existing contracts stated that it would end now and renegotiating everyone and everything would be a PITA. And they’ve tried to have some moments that did more than just gallop the plot along. But this season has seemed so rushed.
For example, I assumed that the Night King and his army were in thrall to something larger, such an eternal balance to R’llhor, and thus the threat could never be completely eradicated. So when Arya killed him, I cheered. But I expect to learn that new signs north of the Wall indicate future problems, even if they take centuries to develop. Maybe this will happen, but I doubt it.
I thought they had Dany burn so much of King’s Landing as a warning to the rest of the 7 kingdoms that they needed to accept her rule. She believed she needed fear to rule, and indiscriminately torching civilians definitely accomplished that as well as expressing her rage over Missandei’s and her dragon’s deaths. They have presented her as a bit off from the start, IMO. But I wish they had her address the fact that she did much of what her crazed father attempted to do. She knows as well as (or even better than) anyone the dark side of her family and the damage it can do. Skipping over that diminishes her as a character, in my mind.
I guess the show is the balance to Martin in the way the force behind the Others and Night King should have been against something: He has been slow in wrapping up the series, so the show has to be quick to do so or the armillary sphere-thing in the opening credits will topple over and chaos will reign for a thousand years, etc. etc.
