A Show I Would Have Loved to Script Edited: Game of Thrones

Which show would you love to have script edited and why?

I would have loved to script edited Game of Thrones because of its rich world, exciting stories and great characters.

The world of Game of Thrones and its characters create a thrilling serial arc: Who will triumph for the Iron Throne? Adding in various Houses with diverse, complex and devious characters creates epic battles and conflict.

Exciting three-dimensional characters are a screenwriter's paradise because this adds to the conflict and story, impacting the audience when characters overcome these conflicts or struggle against them.

Game of Thrones was magnificent at surprising audiences who hadn't read the books. The expectation for audiences is main characters are kept alive until the final seasons. However, not with Game of Thrones, subverting expectations. Therefore, this adds freshness to the viewing experience.

However, sometimes this way doesn't always work, and in season 8, there were some gaps in expectations versus results for what could have left me more emotionally satisfied with the season.

Though I have come to expect the unexpected in Game of Thrones, the final season left me feeling divisive with some of the storyline conclusions. For example, unfortunately, there was no fight between The Night King and Jon Snow, and the choice for King being Bran Stark seemed strange as he had very little to do in the final season.

Although the show was unique at surprising audiences, it fell short in the final season where expectations should have led to a satisfying conclusion. Additionally, this is another reason why I would have loved to script edited the show to suggest alternative ideas.

There were unfulfilling character arcs too. Cersei could have fulfilled a redeeming character arc by sending her forces to Winterfell to help in ‘The Long Night’. Or even if Winterfell was lost and the rest of the living were to run to King’s Landing where we will wonder – will Cersei open the gates and let the surviving living in? There could then be a final standoff battle between the living and the dead.

There were also numerous inconsistencies such as Daenerys Targaryen flying to the Iron Fleet guarding King’s Landing the second time around after the peril of Rhaegal her dragon to a Scorpion (long-range missile) to then defeat the entire fleet without getting wounded with her dragon Drogon.

Inconsistencies like this not only make the character’s actions and decisions seem weak and foolish, it takes me out of the story and questions the believability of the show.

Despite how I viewed the final season, Game of Thrones is one of the most successful television shows, and I would have loved to have script edited the show to collaborate in the creative process of making it!