Battle of TV Endings: Big Bang Theory > Game Of Thrones
[Contains Spoilers]
During a 2013 episode of The Big Bang Theory, Amy played by Mayim Bialik, makes a strong claim about Raiders of the Lost Ark: “Indiana Jones plays no role in the outcome of the story. If he weren’t in the film, it would turn out exactly the same. If he weren’t in the movie the Nazis would have still found the Ark, taken it to the island, opened it up and all died… just like they did.”
Last week after 12 seasons and 279 episodes The Big Bang Theory ended with resolution. Sheldon and Amy won and accepted the Nobel Prize in Physics. Penny and Leonard are expecting a baby. Sheldon, shockingly thanked his friends for putting up with him over the past 12 years – a real feat. Following Sunday’s season finale of Game of Thrones, many fans (and we imagine Sheldon, Leonard, Raj and Howard) were left without the resolutions they yearned for. Instead, they felt as Sheldon and the gang felt when Amy ruined Raiders of the Last Ark: What was the point?
One fan, tweeted “This is a nice thread for Game of Thrones called: “What was the fucking point?”
We encourage you to read the entire thread.
Was most of the past 8 seasons just filler? Yes the books were not finished but did the writers really not know where this story was going? Did they pull a Lost? That is, adding pointless content and fodder to create buzz on the message boards? At the end of the day the memes often outshine the show. And yes, that is a sign of a good show with an engaging fan base.
https://twitter.com/Cindtrillella/status/1130297061717544961
https://twitter.com/Cindtrillella/status/1130298157093588997
What was the point of every episode of Game of Thrones? Was it just a lot of filler to get to the inevitable ending. An ending that completely forgot how to write it’s characters? You can make the argument that everything needed to play out exactly as it did for Bran to become King. You can also say that all that destruction and noise needed to occur for good to conquer evil. However, outside of sheer entertainment and lots of wasted hours on message boards all the fascinating elements of the show like Arya’s ability to change faces, Jon dying, Daenerys fertility and so on did not come back into play. For a show accused of rushing to end, they forgot to use some of it’s most potent and intriguing elements to help close the series just as quickly. Or maybe those elements weren’t suppose to be in the show to begin with?
The outcome of Game of Thrones was fine. Just fine. How it got there was less fine. It is tough to end a show like Game of Thrones. It is impossible to end it in a way where all the fans are happy. Not many have been able close the gaps, have resolutions, and give characters a well-rounded arch while still being realistic and not too “fairytale-ish.”
Now, I understand, not every character needs to have a well-rounded story. However, original shows like “The Wire” and “The Americans” prove that you can have satisfying, realistic endings that take you back to the beginning of the show while highlighting the progress that was made for some, less for others and end in a not fairy tale way. The Big Bang Theory for what it is worth showed character development, and yet they too ended up just where they started, eating Chinese food in the living room.
Although there is no point of Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark, he and Harrison Ford will forever live on in the pantheon of the silver screen, just like the characters of Game of Thrones will for television. Maybe, like Indians Jones, they too will be featured in the prequels and sequels. In many ways the Game of Throne writers wanted us to enjoy the journey over the outcome. I enjoyed Game of Thrones. I’m also relieved it is over.
I wish The Big Bang Theory can come back for one more episode. An episode completely devoted to Amy dissecting the ending of Game of Thrones.
Chuck Lorre?
