Can 'Game of Thrones' truly come to a satisfying end?

As of this week, we've got just six episodes left in Game of Thrones, to air sometime next year or the year after that. The story we've been following for seven years now – more, really, if you're a book reader – will finally be complete. Secrets will be revealed, questions will be answered, prophecies will be fulfilled.

But will any of it be satisfying?

SEE ALSO: A look back at the auditions that transformed these actors into 'Game of Thrones' legends

Endings are always difficult to get right (how many otherwise great shows concluded with frustrating finales?), but Game of Thrones faces a larger-than-usual challenge of its own making. 

Game of Thrones was satisfying because it was so unsatisfying

The first time Game of Thrones really and truly shocked us.

IMAGE: HBO

Game of Thrones was well-regarded from the outset, blessed as it was with memorable characters, a richly detailed setting, and Lannister-worthy production values. But arguably, Ned Stark's beheading was the moment when Game of Thrones transcended mere goodness to become something truly special. 

Up until that point, the good and noble Ned had been positioned as the protagonist of the entire saga. So in the minutes leading up to his death, we kept waiting for some last-minute reprieve. Surely this show wouldn't kill off its main character. 

When none came, and Ned died for real, suddenly, all bets were off. Maybe this story really wouldn't stick to the usual narrative formula. Maybe when they teased that anyone could die, they really meant it. 

Still one of the most OMFG moments of all time.

IMAGE: HBO

That notion was reinforced in Season 3, when the Red Wedding truncated Robb and Catelyn's arc in the bloodiest way imaginable. Oh, did you think Robb and Cat were safe just because they were good guys with an interesting plotline? the show seemed to taunt. We did warn you anyone could die. It was a plot twist for the ages, one that had fans rending their garments at home and then talking around the watercooler for weeks.

Game of Thrones was satisfying precisely because it resisted easy satisfaction.

Both Ned's beheading and Robb's wedding highlighted the paradox at the heart of this show's appeal: Game of Throneswas satisfying precisely because it resisted easy satisfaction. Righteous heroes were bested by craftier villains, intriguing storylines were nipped in the bud, and ambitious plans were undone by seemingly insignificant decisions. It lent Game of Thrones the feel of real life, even if the show couldn't really be described as "realistic" in any sense. (It is, at the end of the day, still a story involving zombies and dragons.)

Which was all fine, early on. There were miles and miles to go, narratively speaking – plenty of runway for the show to absorb each disruption, regroup, and move on. But the Red Wedding was in Season 3. We're now between Seasons 7 and 8. And as Game of Thronesinches closer to its conclusion, it seems increasingly torn between dishing out the fuck-your-feelings shocks that attracted audiences to this show in the first place, and serving up the satisfying conclusions that those same audiences are demanding now that we've invested years of our lives into this show.

Why Game of Thrones can't shock us anymore

Love you, Arya, but it was more shocking when the Freys did it.

IMAGE: HBO

But you don't have to take my word for it. If you've been following this show, you've had the creeping realization that, this late in the game, certain characters seem "safe." They may or may not make it out of the entire series alive, but it's likely that even if they do die, it'll be as part of some grander purpose – a heroic self-sacrifice, perhaps, or as the inevitable fulfillment of an old prophecy. You know, the way heroes have always died in stories like these. Stories like the one Game of Thrones used to challenge, in the days when it'd just let Ned Stark die. 

When's the last time this show truly shocked us by killing off a character we assumed would live? Was it the Red Wedding? We've seen plenty of death since then – sad ones, happy ones, gory ones – but was anyone really stunned that Margaery, Loras, and the High Sparrow were killed? Or were we just awed by Cersei's dramatic method of clearing the board?

When's the last time this show truly shocked us?

In part, Game of Thrones has lost its ability to surprise because it was so good at surprising us early on. It conditioned fans to expect the unexpected. Since the Red Wedding, we've all been on our toes looking for clues, digging up theories, and coldly analyzing which characters seem necessary to the endgame and which ones do not. 

There's also the fact that Game of Thrones has grown sloppier in its old age. Since the show lapped George R.R. Martin's source material (around Season 5 for most characters), it's gotten fast and loose with time and distance. If Martin has a tendency to get too bogged down in detail, the post-Martin Game of Thrones seems all too happy to gloss over them.

But Game of Thrones' difficulties are also just part and parcel of bringing a story like this to an end. The show has run out of room to spin its wheels — now it's time to pay off all the time and attention we've poured into it. So plotlines must be consolidated, character arcs must be completed, and long-running promises must be kept.

Game of Thrones can surprise or satisfy, but it can't do both

Because *I* am not above easy gratification, here's a photo of two adorable puppies and their adorable owners.

IMAGE: HBO

Well – maybe "must" isn't the right word. At the end of the day, the people who make Game of Thrones have the right to do whatever the hell they want with the story. But the fans, in turn, have the right to react to their decisions, and from that perspective, endings carry a lot of weight. Fairly or not, a great finale can make up for earlier missteps, while a terrible one can make the entire project feel like wasted time.

As much as Game of Thrones has enjoyed toying with our emotions over the years, there's every indication that the show wants its viewers to walk away pleased with the finish. Even if it means undercutting its own tough attitude.

Maybe that's as it should be. We've waited years for Jon to learn who his parents are, for Dany to begin her conquest of the Seven Kingdoms, for those White Walkers to finally breach the Wall, for Cersei to see Maggy's prophecy come true, for all of us to find out who the Prince That Was Promised might be. We've suffered with the Starks because we hoped they'd get their just rewards in the end, and had fun hissing at the Lannisters for the same reason.

You'd better believe this guy is important. Why? Because we've spent so many seasons waiting for him to be.

IMAGE: HBO

Part of me already misses the gut-punch brutality of the early seasons.

It's hard to imagine any scenario in which Game of Throneschucks all that out the window and still leaves its viewers happy with the journey. Most likely, it'll spend Season 8 going down that checklist, tying off loose plot threads one by one, and we at home will take great pleasure in watching the good guys finally come out on top after all they've been through. 

At the same time, though, I can't help but feel a twinge of disappointment when I look ahead at what's coming. Oh, I'll devour every moment of Season 8, and probably even finish the series with a smile on my face. But part of me already misses the gut-punch brutality of the early seasons. Game of Thrones started out as a very good show, and will probably end as one too. But that satisfying ending won't come close to capturing what made this show special at its height.