Sure, there was an ice dragon. Yes, that battle scene with Jaime and Bronn was eye-popping. OK, the Wall fell.
But those things belong purely in the "spectacle" basket, not the great storytelling one.
Ever since Game of Thrones spent most of season five in a holding pattern, the momentum is gone. It had some great episodes — "Battle of the Bastards", "The Door" and "Beyond the Wall" — but those were singular chapters that delivered the thrills and bated breath, not incredible writing or character development.
For years, Game of Thrones has become more about cheap (though technically, very expensive) effects, stunts and shock twists than a genuine investment in its story and characters. And can we please talk about how long those episodes have become, which is only going to get worse?! So much filler.
Maybe it's because DB Weiss and David Benioff have moved beyond George R.R. Martin's books and the two TV writers clearly don't have the flair for dialogue that Martin did (with many of the early scripts lifting chunks straight out of the books).
Plus, Game of Thrones really seems to have given up on committing to logic — apparently characters can teleport thousands of miles in a second and we should just go with it, because, "Ooo, dragon fire!"
And while the likes of Lena Headey and Liam Cunningham still bring it in every scene, most of the actors lack gravitas (enunciating words clearly is not acting!) — shame they had to kill off the characters played by people like Sean Bean and Charles Dance.
Note that it only won one other award during the ceremony — Peter Dinklage for Supporting Drama Actor. It picked up nothing in directing or writing, which went to other, more deserving shows. That alone should tell you that when it comes to what matters, Game of Thrones just don't have it anymore.
And before you come at me, I like Game of Thrones or, at least, I used to. I used to really like in fact, which is why every season now feels like a chore to get through rather than something to look forward to. While it's still better than most TV, it's definitely not the best.
So what should have won? Almost anything else in the category.
The Handmaid's Tale for being terrifyingly relevant and where every single performance was on point.
Westworld for being wildly imaginative and where every single performance was on point.
The Crown for being a sumptuously crafted all-rounder and where every single performance was on point.
And The Americans for being the best TV show this year with a final season that was utterly faultless. Oh yeah, and where every single performance was so bloody on point.
Come on, Emmys. That was bulls**t.
