Game Of Thrones’ Canceled Spinoff Could Have Fixed Season 8’s Biggest Mistakes

Game of Thrones season 8, based on George R. R. Martin’s book series A Song of Ice and Fire, was criticized harshly over the series’ end. Most of the criticism was over its handling of the White Walkers plot and Daenerys’ sudden character change. Bloodmoon‘s title was announced on June 8, 2018, and itcould have provided the depth and backstory that season 8 lacked. It could have given audiences the strong female hero promised throughout the original series. Sadly, the Game of Thrones prequel series was canceled in 2019 after spending roughly $30 million on the pilot.

After running out of source material, showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss developed the remaining story with only general guidelines and notes from Martin. This proved detrimental to the show, as the writing fell to the wayside and was replaced bycheap action and a predictable plot. Bloodmoon could have given the brand a much-needed redemption with a fresh story without the baggage of being so connected to the original series, like House of the Dragon.

Game Of Thrones’ Canceled Bloodmoon Spinoff Could Have Fixed Season 8’s White Walker Problem

The Canceled Spinoff Promised To Deep Dive Into The Origins Of The White Walkers

Set during the Age of Heroes, nearly 8,000 years before the War of the Five Kings and well before the establishment of Game of Thrones’ 9 great houses, Bloodmoon would have explored the origins of the White Walkers and the Night King. The Night King was introduced as a mysteriously ominous villain and a major plotline in Game of Thrones. Bloodmoon could have given the White Walkers more depth and enriched the show’s lore, making the Night King’s defeat more satisfying.

Bloodmoon also could have addressed specific problems with the Night King. Audiences were given very little insight into the Night King’s origins as a character, and his only motivation seemed to be pure destruction. A strong story exploring the Night King’s psyche could have given audiences insight into his motivations and the threat he posed, making him a more complex and intriguing character.

Naomi Watts’ Bloodmoon Character Could Have Given Fans What Daenerys Didn’t

House Of The Dragon‘s Female Leads Won’t Be Any Better Off Than The Mother Of Dragons

Daenerys, the Mother of Dragons, was set up as an amazingly empathetic and robust female leader. She was able to lead her people and get everyone around her on board with her cause. Game of Thrones provided nearly eight years of build-up for her to become ruler, but it all came crashing down when Daenerys took a wild turn to become a hateful tyrant. Under other circumstances, it might have been alright for her character to end up this way, but there was very little development as she turned so abruptly, and the change wasn’t well-earned.

Naomi Watt’s character in Bloodmoon would have given the writers and the show a fresh start to give a female hero a strong arc. House of the Dragon has strong female leads, but the show feels limited since audiences already know the end game. Rhanaera’s character is compelling, but Rhanaera is too connected to Daenerys to be her own character. Bloodmoon could have a character that finally doesn’t seem like a legacy character that we are expected to like just because of their last name. This could have been a new hero with her own volition and goals.

HBO Canceling Game Of Thrones’ First Spinoff Show Was A Huge Mistake

Bloodmoon Was A Missed Opportunity To Expand The World Of Westeros

The ending of Game of Thrones was met with harsh criticism and showed a massive drop in audience ratings. House of the Dragon has shown real promise but doesn’t fix any of Game of Thrones’ issues. No matter how good House of the Dragon is, a massive chunk of the story is still a mystery to the audience. There is this whole other side of this world that is unexplored. Bloodmoon was promised to explore the untapped potential and possibly offer a fresh perspective to disillusioned fans.

Bloodmoon could give viewers a whole different perspective on Westeros. HBO’s cancelation of Bloodmoon is a missed opportunity to expand the Game of Thrones universe and deepen the lore while providing audiences with a richer and more engaging experience. HBO missed out on the chance to prove to audiences that they can create great content in the GoT world. House of the Dragon is still primarily based on existing source material, and HBO doesn’t have a strong track record of telling this story without George R. R. Martin directly guiding them through it.

Bloodmoon held so much potential for the Game of Thrones franchise, and ratings show that audiences are still eager to delve into this world. While House of the Dragon‘s success is promising, it’s still a constant reminder of what Bloodmoon could have been. Audiences can only hope the show’s success will reignite interest in Bloodmoon and an earlier era of Westeros, which holds stories that deserve to be told.

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Emilia Clarke , Peter Dinklage , Sophie Turner , Kit Harington , Lena Headey , Maisie Williams , Nikolaj Coster-Waldau , Iain Glen , John Bradley , Alfie Allen , Conleth Hill , Liam Cunningham , Gwendoline Christie , Aidan Gillen , Isaac Hempstead-Wright , Rory McCann , Nathalie Emmanuel , Jerome Flynn , Rhys Ifans , Matt Smith , Graham McTavish , Fabien Frankel , Steve Toussaint , Eve Best , Emma D’Arcy , Matthew Needham , Olivia Cooke , Milly Alcock , Emily Carey

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