Game of Thrones Jumped the Shark in Season 7: Why Fans Were Disappointed

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In my humble opinion as a movie critic, “jumping the shark” is a phrase born from Fonzie’s daring water ski stunt over a real shark on “Happy Days.” It symbolizes the pivotal point of no return for a TV series that’s seen better days. Each show has its own unique moment of “jumping the shark,” though some may take longer than others to reach it. A recent instance that comes to mind is the final season of HBO’s groundbreaking fantasy epic, “Game of Thrones.” Despite being a game-changer, the series finale left many fans disappointed with what they considered an unsatisfying conclusion.

As a devoted fan of the Game of Thrones, I can’t help but reflect on the series’ descent from greatness, which, in my opinion, began well before the disheartening finale. The seventh season’s sixth episode, “Beyond The Wall,” marked a turning point for me. It was here that an unnerving string of plot inconsistencies, implausible narrative turns, and preposterous antics unfolded, potentially tarnishing the esteemed reputation of George R.R. Martin as a masterful storyteller. Fast-forward six episodes, and this once-mighty TV juggernaut concluded with a whimper rather than a bang. Eight years after “The Wall,” it’s high time we reevaluate the moments when Game of Thrones took an unfortunate leap off the proverbial cliff.

‘Game of Thrones’ Elevates TV Storytelling

In a similar grandeur and expansive scale as seen in the The Lord of the Rings films, the show Game of Thrones premiered on HBO in 2011 and swiftly enthralled viewers worldwide. Adapted from George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice novels, this historical fantasy series follows multiple families battling for dominance over the enigmatic land of Westeros, a realm where dragons are real. As the noble families within the Seven Kingdoms compete for the Iron Throne, intricate plotting, treacherous betrayals reminiscent of Shakespeare, and intensely violent conflicts create an engaging narrative landscape.

For five straight years, the captivating storyline of “Game of Thrones” held its ground, garnering an impressive 59 Primetime Emmy Awards and securing a spot at number 13 on IMDb’s list of top 250 TV shows ever made. Both laidback viewers and devoted enthusiasts concur that Season 6 is the show’s finest, with Episodes 9 and 10 reaching ratings unparalleled in its history, each receiving a near-flawless score of 9.9.

Regardless of facing criticism for explicit nudity and harsh depictions of violence, Game of Thrones was highly praised for its vast dimensions, grandiose spectacle, detailed narrative, high-quality filmmaking, captivating cinematography, impressive acting, and skillful integration of history and fantasy. It’s worth noting that the talented writing team, comprising Martin, David Benioff, and D.B. Weiss, were unable to prevent the series’ eventual decline in quality, often referred to as ‘jumping the shark’.

‘Game of Thrones’ Jumps the Shark with “Beyond The Wall”

It’s difficult to ignore the numerous issues with “Beyond the Wall,” which first aired on August 10, 2017, during Season 7. This nearly 70-minute long episode pushed the boundaries of believability to an extreme limit. The story revolves around Jon Snow and his group as they journey northward towards The Wall, where they come face to face with an undead army led by the dead.

At the Wall, Jon’s group encounters a zombie polar bear, setting the scene for another hour of baffling insanity in the world of Game of Thrones. In an unexpected turn reminiscent of The Walking Dead, Thoros is killed by the undead polar bear as he tries to protect The Hound. A White Walker is killed by Jon and his companions, but their victory is short-lived as a single remaining wight alerts a horde of the undead to attack. Facing about 1,000 wights, Jon and his team of five manage to effortlessly defeat the horde without receiving a scratch. The improbable events continue to pile up.

In the scene where Jon and his group are surrounded by an army of the undead, Gendry is sent on a mission to reach The Wall to dispatch a message to Daenerys, asking her for reinforcements. Critics pointed out a noticeable inconsistency in the storyline, as it took too long for the raven to travel the approximately 1,000 miles from The Wall to Dragonstone, where Daenerys resides.

It’s clear to many viewers that it’s impossible for a raven to travel to Dragonstone and back in just one night without having supernatural abilities like being supersonic or possessing time-travel powers. When Daenerys arrives with her dragons soon after, the suspension of disbelief for some fans becomes too much. Some speculate that she could have gotten there so quickly only if she had a device like a flux capacitor. Even more think she’s like a Marvel character such as Rick Grimes, able to fight off an undead horde in the north.

The absurdity persists: The Northern Ruler, skilled in hurling ice javelins, shudders with apprehension when encircled by the Wights. Instead of counterattacking using the surrounding ice, the Northern Ruler flees to higher ground and watches helplessly as his people are attacked. Minute aspects, such as the ice cracking under the weight of the walkers yet staying solid when a dragon’s head touches it, stretch credibility to its limits.

To put it simply, the events involving Viserion in the final scene make “Beyond the Wall” seem irredeemable. Instead of using ice javelins against the wights, the King in the North resorts to his signature weapon to slay the dragon Viserion. The episode concludes in a fantastical turn as the Night King revives Viserion, reminiscent of a magical twist from a children’s fairy tale. The only thing that might be more implausible is Benjen Stark saving Jon from imminent death, then giving him his horse and willingly surrendering himself to the wights.

The Iron Throne Finale Never Atoned For The Wall

Regrettably, the sequence of plot inconsistencies and questionable narrative twists persisted long after “Beyond the Wall.” Previously, I had looked forward to Game of Thrones’ finest hour in each season, a tradition that promised the most thrilling, daring, and visually stunning episode right before every season finale. The anticipation for “Beyond the Wall” was high, hoping it would match the gripping quality of the previous season’s “Battle of the Bastards.

When viewers and reviewers realized that the episode lacked depth, it marked a significant decline in quality for “Game of Thrones”, akin to jumping the shark. The subpar drama presented in the penultimate episode left a lasting impression on numerous people, including Terry Schwartz from IGN, who expressed his disapproval by saying:

The TV show “Game of Thrones” is known for its tradition of making its second-last episodes the most significant in terms of size, as well as for causing great sorrow. From “Baelor” to “The Rains of Castamere,” this pattern has been consistent. In the same vein, the episode titled “Beyond the Wall” followed suit by presenting what could be considered the series’ most devastating loss yet: a dragon being slain by the Night King and then brought back to life by him.

Instead of maintaining the reliable approach that propelled Game of Thrones to greatness in its initial six seasons, Martin stumbled in crafting the penultimate episode of Season 8, titled “The Bells.” This misstep paved the way for an even more underwhelming series finale, as “The Bells” fell short of recapturing the show’s former enchantment, garnering a dismal 5.9 IMDb rating.

The unimpressive episode titled “The Iron Throne,” which holds the record as the series’ lowest-rated chapter (4.0), followed a promising start for Season 8. However, the quality of writing noticeably deteriorated post “Beyond the Wall,” leading to the downfall of what was once a remarkable TV spectacle. Consequently, “Game of Thrones” failed to regain its former glory after seemingly jumping the shark in Season 7.

Game of Thrones is available to stream on Max.

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2025-06-05 05:02