Written By Guest Contributor, Kat Hammond

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS!

Watching Sunday night’s episode of Game of Thrones was nothing short of watching eight years of a journey go up in flames. I follow the screenwriters, the producers and the cast on social media, and I have to say, with all of the behind the scenes footage, the interviews and all the extra things from the makers, it seems like the ending was in fact rushed and not given the same finesse that we received throughout the rest of the series. It is heartbreaking as a fan.

According to an interview with Rolling Stone, George R.R. Martin had discussed major plot points with David Benioff and Dan Weiss, who are the co-creators of the televised Game of Thrones. However, George did not have much more to do with the ending than that. He didn’t read the final script; he did not see any of the footage before it aired.

Even though I am so frustrated about the rushed ending, and how the plot just seems ruined at this point (to the point I don’t even want to watch the last episode or the entire series ever again), I still appreciate a few things. While the story has elements of magic, elements of romance, elements of mysticism, and the ultimate goal of liberation and a peace that is shared between many characters, there is still an element of raw human emotion. And Dany is an example of that.

We watched Dany start out as this young girl who didn’t really know what she was capable of because she was stuck inside the walls that her brother and their caretakers had confined her too. The moment we see her let out of those walls, she starts to realize what she is capable of.

It was somewhat easy for her to win the love of the people in Slavers Bay. She freed them. They wore chains around their necks. They had never even dreamed of freedom.

With the Dothraki, it was more of a struggle, but they worship and follow the leader who is the most powerful. As Dany gained power, she became that person.

When she came to Westeros it was not so easy. The people were not waiting for her to come and liberate them – they were already trying to liberate themselves and felt completely capable of doing so. The best example of this is Sansa. She has been through so much and she has taken back everything that is most important to her. Dany is nothing but another ruler to come in and tell the North what to do.

As far as King’s Landing, I am heartbroken for and disappointed that Dany burned the city and its people. Now, I will be the first to say, we have never seen King’s Landing as a place full of people who are even capable of love or having an understanding of what liberation would mean for them if they had it. We have seen this place as nothing more than the armpit of Westeros full of a population that is a waste. I have re-watched the entire series 20 times now and this has always been the feeling. But they didn’t deserve to die.

Even though we heard the ringing of the bells, Dany still attacked. I think as fans we were all waiting for another magical twist to come from Dany, like others we have seen. Since her arrival, she has seen those she loves most killed, she has fought an army of the dead, and she has been greeted with fear and opposition. What has Dany learned to do with those that oppose her, who don’t accept her rule? Death by fire.

More From Mix 97.1