Game of Thrones was a pop culture phenomenon for so many years. Therefore it makes sense for HBO to want to continue the story with several spinoffs currently being worked on. However, some people might be wondering what the fans think of this. For those unaware, the ending of Game of Thrones is viewed as unsatisfying by many fans. The plots seemed, to some viewers, to be wrapped up too quickly and conveniently. The characters' arcs seemed, to some viewers, to make no sense. So the question then becomes this: do fans want to see any spinoffs at all? Is it possible that it would be better to leave the world of Westeros alone, at least for a while?
Though Game of Thrones introduces viewers to an intriguing world populated by interesting characters, it might be time to leave that world behind. At least until George R.R. Martin finishes The Winds of Winter, the next book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series on which Game of Thrones is based. The author will hopefully write an ending that proves more satisfying for fans than the show did. Even if the main points are the same, a more well-developed plot and character arcs that make sense would go a long way. Martin has also signed on to develop more stories for HBO, so perhaps one of those will satisfy Game of Thrones fans. Yet will the Game of Thrones spinoffs? It's hard to know for sure either way, yet it is understandable for some fans to have reservations.
Especially for those fans who did not enjoy the original show's ending, the spinoffs might just add insult to injury. This is probably especially true for HBO's first spinoff, House of the Dragon. For those unaware, a fan-favorite character on Game of Thrones, Daenerys Targaryen, ended the show with a strange sort of character development. Instead of growing and learning throughout the show, her entire arc ended with slaughtering innocent people for what many fans saw as no apparent reason. She seemed to go mad solely because her father did, not due to anything that happened to her. In fact, her madness, for many fans, made no sense with her character arc up to that point. She seemed perfectly fine to many fans until the aforementioned slaughtering of innocent people, and she was on the brink of winning the war and the throne.
Of course, Daenerys herself is not the subject of House of the Dragon. Yet if the writers of Game of Thrones could not do right by Daenerys by giving her a character arc that made sense, some fans might feel that other family members of hers shouldn't be written about either. As the show once mentioned, madness and greatness are two sides of the same coin. And many fans who felt Daenerys landed much more on the greatness side were shocked by her ending. Due to this, many Daenerys fans –and fans of the Targaryens in general – probably feel that they cannot trust the writers behind House of the Dragon to give the nuanced portrayal that they would want. Other spinoffs would have similar issues with some Game of Thrones fans.
Why would viewers want to invest so much time in a show they fear will end badly? If the writers of Game of Thrones could not write a satisfactory ending, what hope is there for the spinoffs? Daenerys' end is not the only issue with Game of Thrones' ending, though it is a glaring one. Some would even say it is the most nonsensical part.
Other fans might suggest that Daenerys' end hints at a larger problem the writers had with writing female characters. Yet Daenerys is not the only character whose arc did not get a satisfactory conclusion. Jaime Lannister, for example, seemed to grow and change and develop into an admirable person. Only to turn around and go back to his malicious twin sister Cersei, leaving poor Brienne of Tarth heartbroken. Bran Stark becomes king at the end, which is great for him and the Starks.
The problem is that the writers didn't spend much time developing Bran into a compelling character. And the rationale given to justify him becoming king (he has the best story) is very flimsy. Many fans could probably think of 10 characters who have a more interesting story than Bran, including his sisters Arya and Sansa.
While on the topic of Sansa, she becomes Queen of an independent northern kingdom, separate from the realms her brother Bran is ruling. The problem here is that her desire to rule this kingdom is not fully developed within the story. Of course, some fans might have loved the show's ending and be excited about the spinoffs. Everyone is different. Yet it also makes sense for some fans to be wary, given their feelings towards Game of Thrones' ending.