Game of Thrones finale: who claimed the iron throne?

SPOILER ALERT | There was a mixed reaction to the long-awaited finale, after it aired on Foxtel today.

Kit Harington as Jon Snow in Game Of Thrones. Photo: Helen Sloan/HBO

SPOILER WARNING: The following story contains key details from the final episode of Game of Thrones.

Smash-hit American medieval fantasy drama television series Game of Thrones has wrapped-up after building a loyal fan base over the past eight years, but the long-awaited final episode seems to have disappointed many.

The HBO show, which centres around the contest for the fictional Iron Throne of Westeros, has been a huge hit locally and around the world. Game of Thrones is Foxtel’s most popular show, and will be a hard act to follow.

But the final episode, which aired on Australian pay-television platform Foxtel at 11am, has disappointed some fans.

The sixth and last episode in the series, entitled The Iron Throne, shows the central character Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) killed by her nephew Jon Snow (Kit Harrington), who is then sent away.

Tiana Samardzic, who took the day off work to watch the final episode, was “very disappointed with the ending”, adding that she feels the show let its fans down.

“They built up Daenerys Targaryen over the last eight seasons to be a strong and fearless female leader and they destroyed her character by turning her into a mad woman. The same could be said about Jon Snow, a fan favourite whose character was equally destroyed for no reason,” Ms Samardzic told The Australian.

Twitter is awash with Game of Thrones reaction, with many fans expressing disappointment and angst over the ending. Some Game of Thrones fans have also expressed frustration that the final series, which consists of just six episodes, has been rushed. The first six series consisted of 10 episodes, with series seven and eight dropping to seven and six episodes, respectively.

The penultimate episode of Game of Thrones was watched by a record 1.43 million viewers on Foxtel last Monday ahead of the finale.

The fifth episode, entitled The Bells, shocked fans, with would-be queen Daenerys Targaryen snapping and killing thousands, including innocent children and chief rival Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey). The major plot twist upset many fans, while others marvelled at the spectacular cinematography.

Around 1.29 million people watched the premiere of the final season of Game of Thrones on April 15. Around 962,000 viewers watched the first episode, entitled Winterfell, on Foxtel’s box, and 333,000 across Foxtel’s streaming services.

A prequel, dubbed Bloodmoon, is reportedly being filmed in Belfast.

Foxtel’s other big drama shows include local prison series Wentworth and American hit show Big Little Lies, featuring Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon.