Given the immense success of Game of Thrones while it was on the air, the fact that the final season was such a letdown to many fans still stings. While there are some who like to point out the positive aspects of season 8, it's hard to deny that there were some major issues.
Fans hoping for some sort of redo of the season should abandon those dreams, but the next best hope is for George R.R. Martin to finish his books and deliver the ending he conceived all along. While the show had deviated from the source material quite considerably by the final season, Martin's books could help to fix some of the most egregious flaws.
The Night King's Plan
Though there was a lot of other stuff going on in the show, it seemed like the main focus of the final season would be the Night King and his army. After breaking through the Wall at the end of season 7, they were marching on Westeros to fulfill the Night King's evil plan.
But the show never really got into what that plan was. There were vague presumptions about wiping away Westeros' history and turning everything into members of his army of the dead, but no motivations were given. Martin enjoys building complex villains so it's unlikely he'll leave the Night King as some one-dimensional ghoul.
Death Of The Dragons
From the end of the first season, Daenerys's dragons have been one of the most important aspects of the show. They made her the powerful ruler she eventually became and they provided some of the best action sequences in the show. So the way the show just cast them aside spoke to how rushed the final season was.
As the end of the season approached, the show killed off one of the dragons in the most random and anti-climactic way. While it's likely that at least two of the dragons will die in the book, Martin will assuredly make it more impactful and have it matter to Daenerys in particular.
The Night King's Defeat
Despite his lack of motivation, the Night King was a pretty solid villain, which made his death such a letdown. After so much build-up, it felt like he was taken out too easily. Arya being the one to kill him made sense, but the execution robbed the character of a great moment.
Martin might be known for his shocking deaths, but he likes to build to those moments rather than having them come out of nowhere. If the Night King's death will be the same in the books, Martin can plant the seeds and make it more exciting.
Euron Greyjoy As A Villain
After being introduced in season 6 as a rather forgettable new villain, the show seemed to reinvent Euron Grejoy as a more memorable character. The result was a cartoonish and over-the-top villain who seemed to bring the show down whenever he was on screen.
Though Euron has not had a big part in the books thus far, Martin has already managed to make him much more effective than the show. He is a truly evil man capable of terrifying things and he could be a very compelling threat in the later novels.
Jaime And Cersei
The relationship between Jaime and Cersei was a complex one in the show, but fans started to grow tired of it by the final season. It was clear Jaime had to move on, but he eventually went back to Cersei so the two of them could die together when Daenerys attacked King's Landing.
Martin seems to have been aware of how much of the relationship fans would put up with and had Jaime leave Cersei much earlier in the story. This sets up a much more fulfilling reunion which could still have them dying in each other's arms — or Jaime killing Cersei.
Tyrion's Downfall
Tyrion Lannister quickly became a fan-favorite on the show and is likely still the most popular of all the characters. However, the show really let the character down in the final seasons. As Daenerys' advisor, Tyrion makes countless mistakes and poor decisions despite once being the master strategist.
Tyrion is likely to experience a similar downfall in the books, but Martin can make it make sense for the character. It's not fun seeing a smart character suddenly become dumb to serve the story; Martin can maintain Tyrion's intelligence and have his failings come from somewhere else.
The Battle Of Winterfell
Game of Thrones deserves all the credit in the world for showing the scale of what can be done on a television show. But while the Battle of Winterfell should have been the most epic battle in the show, it was a messy and dull showdown that was deeply disappointing.
While reading about a battle might not be as entertaining, Martin at least knows how to build stakes in these moments. He knows that characters need to die in order for audiences to feel the threat and he knows the heroes have to be active instead of sitting around doing nothing.
Bran Becomes King
Few people predicted Bran would sit on the Iron Throne by the end of the series and the decision didn't sit well with many fans. It was made worse by Tyrion's pointless reasoning of Bran having the best story. Not only is that a bad reason for choosing a king, but there are many characters with more interesting stories than Bran.
Martin likely told the showrunners Bran would be king, but his reasoning is probably much different. The fact that Bran becomes the Three-Eyed Raven and can now see everything that has happened throughout history is a much better reason for making him king.
Daenerys Turns Evil
One of the most controversial aspects of the final season was Daenerys becoming the villain. The problem was that the show presented it as a twist rather than character development and her motivations felt like she was upset that Jon Snow wasn't in love with her.
Martin has been planting the seeds for this much more effectively and it's easy to see how it will play out. In Essos, Daenerys was celebrated by the people as a savior so for her to be seen as an invader by the people of Westeros would shatter her heroic mission and drive her to do something extreme.
Jon Snow's Ending
Jon Snow slowly became the hero of the story, but the final season made him an inactive character who made countless bad choices. Even his ending didn't make any sense as he was sent back to the Night's Watch despite the Wall no longer being there.
However, Martin could make this ending quite poignant for Jon. After learning his true parentage and that he is the true heir to the throne, Jon could realize that ultimately, he is Ned Stark's son and his place is in the North.