Only two official promo images are released for Game of Thrones series finale. After eight seasons of the fantastical series, the show will finally bow out this Sunday with a final 80-minute episode. Knowing the massive clout the show has all over the world, HBO seemingly felt that there’s really no need to push for much exposure having rolled out just two marketing stills to hype up its much-talked about conclusion.
An adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s novels from the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Game of Thrones has long gone past its source material. So everything that has been going on in the show are from the creative minds of creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. Season 8 was a bit of a wait for viewers with season 7 ending summer of 2017, but unlike its previous years, the series is proving to be divisive, especially with how the narrative panned out in the last few episodes. That’s on top of the technical criticisms of “The Long Night,” where many argued that it was just too dark to know what’s going on. Despite the backlash, Game of Thrones remains to be a ratings winner for HBO, with “The Bells” becoming the highest-rated episode of season 8.
HBO knows that Game of Thrones’ massive fandom will already be tuning in, wanting to learn how the series ends. And perhaps, because of this, they can get away with scaling back in marketing including releasing only two images for the still-untitled final episode. Shared on Twitter by USA Today’s Kelly Lawler, the first features Daenerys’ (Emilia Clarke) back as she looks over her army forces presumably after things have settled in the Red Keep. The second one is a shot of Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) gazing at something (perhaps the remnants of the city that Dany burned) looking desolate. Check out the photos below:
Fans who have been closely monitoring Game of Thrones may find these images familiar. That’s because these are stills from the bleak trailer the HBO released shortly after “The Bells” ended for the series’ finale. The promo clip also showed a bloodied Arya (Maisie Williams), seemingly still in the Red Keep, but that’s not included in the official batch of marketing photos for the the last outing of the juggernaut series.
Aside from the knowing that viewers will turn up and watch the conclusion of Game of Thrones come Sunday, the lack of promo is due to HBO not wanting to give anything away with how the narrative shakes out for the remaining characters. It’s no secret that countless fans aren’t exactly thrilled with where the show is heading, but it’s hard to believe that viewers will suddenly boycott the series with only one episode left. Following Dany’s turn last week to effectively become the Mad Queen and the brewing turmoil between her and the rest of the other key players, it’s safe to say that the show’s final outing will involve a lot of political plotting, and it’s hard to traditionally market the series without giving any hints who is conspiring with who.
More: Game Of Thrones: Dany Was Always A Mad Queen (We Just Didn’t Want To Admit It)
Source: Kelly Lawler
