We won't lie: The going gets a little rough from this juncture on. HBO's Game of Thrones series, by this point in its run, had far-outstripped its source material. As such, they're flying on fumes through the seven episodes of the seventh season. Released in 2017, this penultimate offering is controversial to say the least, but if anything, our problems with it amount to a backhanded compliment. The reality is: The plot, the characters, the world... they all deserved a lot more room to breathe, to reach the quality that had been met so consistently up to this point, and HBO failed in letting that happen. The result is something contentious, but not without merit. It's just a shame to think of what could have been had they really bought-in on finishing the journey as epically and strongly as they began it. And sadly, it only gets worse from here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices