10 things nobody wants to admit about Game of Thrones

9. Cleganebowl was never that exciting

I’m just going to come out and say it — The Mountain is not a great character! The Hound is outstanding, but his brother? Boring! Before the final season of Game of Thrones came out, a very popular fan theory circulated that said the Clegane brothers would face off in an epic showdown. For whatever reason, fans were obsessed with this idea and really wanted it to come to fruition. Well, it does happen in season 8, and honestly, it takes too much time away from the other events happening.

There’s just too much to fit into the final episodes of the show, and The Hound’s face-off with his brother almost fills like filler. Sure, it could be kind of cool at another point in time, but the confrontation feels like fan service, and it’s just shoved into an already big episode. Compared to everything else the show has to wrap up, Cleganebowl isn’t that important.

8. Bran is a great character, and his storyline is interesting

Justice for Bran! Not because he has a bad ending, but just because fans hate him! A common criticism of Bran is the fact that his storyline deals with events in the past rather than the exciting things happening in real-time, but what people fail to remember is that it’s all connected. Bran is discovering things from the past that have a direct impact on the present and the future. Plus, his journey as the Three-Eyed Raven is incredibly interesting. He has abilities none of the other central characters have, and for that alone, he’s a really cool character.

I absolutely love the magical elements of Game of Thrones, and you can’t deny that Bran’s storyline is integral to the show. I don’t necessarily love the choice to have him crowned king in the end, but everything else leading up to the end of the show is fantastic when it comes to his character arc.

7. Season 7 is actually pretty good

A common thing I see amongst Game of Thrones fans is that many people lump the seventh and eighth seasons together as being bad. And while I agree that the quality goes down in season 7, it’s definitely not as disappointing as the final season, and actually, it’s still pretty good. Yes, there are moments that make me scratch my head, but there are also epic moments that move the story in the right direction.

Some of the most memorable parts of Game of Thrones season 7 include Arya’s revenge on Walder Frey, Daenerys’ attack on the Lannister army, Jon and Daenerys finally meeting, and the destruction of the Wall. The growing threat of the Night King and the White Walkers continues to escalate in the seventh season, and the finale sets up the highly-anticipated Battle of Winterfell. Bran also finds out about Jon’s true parentage, which is a huge moment for the show.

Now, I do have to acknowledge the fact that the seventh season isn’t without faults. The pacing is off, some of the choices characters make don’t make sense, and there are some inconsistencies fans can’t get past. I definitely agree with that. But the good outweighs the bad!