There were quite a few problems with Game of Thrones' ending, but one of the biggest could have been avoided with George R.R. Martin's original plan for A Song of Ice and Fire. It's no secret that Game of Thrones' ending was controversial, with its pacing and character regression being some of its biggest criticisms. The perplexing choices made surrounding the White Walker storyline and Daenerys' Mad Queen turn boiled down to the same thing: the writers rushing too quickly to the finish line. However, there was another challenge that plagued the final outing.

Martin's books being unfinished caused Game of Thrones to pave its own way forward, using whatever details Martin gave the creators about his ending. Unfortunately, this led to noticeable issues from season 5 onward. That's another reason the show's ending was worse off than its earlier seasons: it could only follow Martin's outline, not the actual execution of it.