'It means a lot to me': Why Game of Thrones finale is hitting fans hard

The hit fantasy series Game of Thrones has set such a high bar for cinematic storytelling and character development on television that it might have a tough time living up to expectations as the series draws to a close Sunday after eight seasons.

"It just was such an all-engrossing show," said Port Moody, B.C.-based superfan Nancie Green. "The characters were very well-defined, very, very personal ... Season eighthasdefinitelytaken that and thrown it in the garbage."

Green isn't alone in her views. Anonline petitionwas started after episode four calling for HBO to "remake" season eight of its drama with "competent writers" but it didn't gain traction until episode five last week. The petitionhasnowsurpassedone million signatures.

Theseries has raked in record numbers of viewers for its final season an estimated 43million on average per episode across all platformsbut it's alsofacing mounting criticism that goes beyond theStarbucks cup mistakenlyleft in a scene. The show'splot points, writing andcharacter arcs inits final episodes are leaving many fans baffled.

"A lot of this final season has come off too jarring,"said Shirley Li, a culture writer for theAtlantic.

Character development 'disappointing'

To non-watchers, episode five, entitled The Bells, might have looked like just another hour and twenty minutes of castles crumbling, dragons breathing fire and townspeople burning to death on the epic series originally based on George R.R. Martin's novels. But fanssaw several major characters turn in arguably uncharacteristic ways.

Perhaps most egregiously, the once noble and hopeful leader, Daenerys Targaryen, descendedinto madness and killed both the rulerandcommoners of King's Landing even after they surrendered.

"It's all been plot, plot, plot," said Li. "It's just been plot first over character work and I think for a lot of fans and for a lot of critics, that's a disappointment. Especially for a season that's supposed to be wrapping up all of these threads."

If some viewerscome away dissatisfied with a conclusion they believe to be inauthentic, it's at least partly due to the show's own high bar set over the years.

This is a series that became television's most expensive ever, according to Variety, reportedly costing $15 million US per episode this season. Its breath-taking cinematography includedexotic locations from Iceland to Croatia (and evennear Calgary). Showrunners postponed thepenultimate season just to find a backdrop that was grim and cold enough.

Series pushed the envelope for TV

It even created its own set of languages for complete credibility. With the sheer volume of players involved in the production and the potential for leaks, the show took extra precautions to maintain secrecy.

"Security was so tight ...that I only got the lines that I was supposed to translate this season, nothing else," said David Peterson, theGarden Grove, Calif.-basedcreator behind Game of Thrones' Valyrian and Dothrakilanguages.

"Not only that, I believe that they fed me fake lines to translate on occasion for this season and also mis-attributed some of the lines on purpose just so I wouldn't know, for example, which characters were going to be alive or dead by the time the finale rolls around."

The series, Li said, has"pushed the envelope" for what TV canaccomplish.

"I think in a lot of ways it opened the doors for writers and for networks to be a little bit more ambitious," said Li. "It introduced us to incredible actors ... I think the legacy of Game of Thrones is robust. There have been a lot of positive takeaways."

Watching withhalf-covered eyes

Green saidher takeaways fromthe drama gobeyond basic fandom. Much of the trauma experienced by the regal characters drawa"parallel," she said,to what she's experiencedin her own life.

She saidshe grew up in a dysfunctional family, was involved in a fire at the age of 15 and after being given a poor prognosis from a cancer diagnosis over a year ago, isn't sure how long she has to live.

"One of the things that I said I really would like to live forsounds sillywas to be able to see the last season of Game of Thrones. It means a lot to me."

Despite her disappointment with the current season, Green saidshe'll be watching the final episode with millions of others around the world. But it won't be easy.

"It's one of those things where youput your hands over your eyes but you can't look at it. You kind of open your fingers because you sort of have to see it, but you don't really want to see it."