I would MUCH rather have had an Arya spinoff...you know, a character that wasn’t as boring as a brown paper bag

Because D & D wanted it to end. They expected they were going to be able to move on and be the most highly sought after showrunners in history and that ended up not working out so well for them. They said in interviews that HBO was telling them they could take as long as they want but they told HBO, not only could…

Yes, yes rub it in why don't you?

My guess is that GRRM made a huge mistake at some point. He answered their questions honestly.

I have to believe at some point, they asked him, “Is this Dorne shit going to go anywhere? Because that’s another whole filming location and at least 10 new actors. HBO is throwing money at us, but even that has limits.”

And…

The idea of her losing her nerve/will/incentive once she got reunited with Jon, Sansa and Bran has some merit. But again... rushed.

I just watched the series for the first time earlier this year and I agree with basically all of this. The pacing was really the biggest issue with the last two seasons, as well as the last two episodes. People were absolutely right about that. Both seasons should’ve been a full 10 episodes to give the plotlines time…

It really did feel like the showrunners were running through a story beat checklist as quickly as possible because they were just done with the show.

The story resolution was only a disappointment if you weren’t paying attention to the narrative that was laid out in front of it and instead expected the show to pay off your own personal expectations/headcanon narrative. A lot like Lost.

My cultural hot take has always been that, while they screwed up the last season of Game of Thrones, they came a lot closer to greatness than they get credit for.

Every single character got a legitimate outcome. They just rushed it. Here’s a few that are usually considered “bad” and my fixes.

Jaime - He is an addict. He…

Hot take: Daenerys Taergaryen was always gonna torch that town, and I would’ve been annoyed if it didn’t happen. It just happened a season too early.

Actors Like Work: A Continuing Series

Everyone should have the right to not be touched even when someone really wants to touch them.

Jerry was right and he was also right about the kiss hello.

Samantha Lewes catching strays 35 years later even though she’s been dead since 2002? Brutal.

Well put some ice on it so it doesn’t swell up.

my crystal ball is showing

One of history's greatest monstres. Like Plo Pot, Atella the Hin, or "Weird Al" Yankovic. 

I liked that part in The Road where bad things happened. 

Nazis.

All three would be excellent reads. Best to have a feel for McCarthy's prose style before diving into Blood Meridian. The Road and No Country are both good starting points. If you haven't seen The Road, I'd start there since it'll be completely new to you and you won't have any preconceptions from the film.