A lot has been said about the final season of Game of Thrones and whether or not it ruined the show as a whole. For some fans, it definitely did. However, there were some problems with the writing that were evident from the very beginning. One such problem is the treatment of the show's characters. Many Game of Thrones characters did not get the development and prominence that they deserved. Even characters such as the Starks, who fared well at the end, did not fully get what they deserved. For example, Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) becomes king at the end of the show. Good for him. Yet viewers do not feel that they truly know or care about Bran. Since he doesn't get extensive character development throughout the show, or really get the prominence in the story that he deserves.
To understand how the Game of Thrones writers failed these characters, it's crucial to understand the characters themselves and what they do go through. All of the protagonists of the HBO series go through a lot. That would change anyone, but the problem is the changes are often not consistent with their previous characterizations. Let's take Bran as an example again. At the beginning of Game of Thrones, Bran is an adventurous young boy. He loves to explore and seems relatively friendly. Now Bran goes through a ton of traumatic events. That would change anyone's personality. The problem is, Bran seems to go through these changes suddenly. He goes from being kind and caring to rather robotic and sometimes even hostile to others.
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After becoming the Three-Eyed Raven, Bran no longer shows any emotion. Even towards those like Meera Reed (Ellie Kendrick) who were a big help to him on his journey to becoming the Three-Eyed Raven. He does not even seem to particularly care about his family members such as Sansa (Sophie Turner) and Arya (Maisie Williams). During season 7, Bran tells Meera that he is just the Three-Eyed Raven, and is no longer Bran Stark. Except, that makes no sense because up to that point he mostly seemed like Bran. And in the end, when he becomes king, he is known as Bran. So what is the truth? Is he Bran or just the Three-Eyed Raven? Or both? Bran is also not present for much of season 5, though he is mentioned.
However, the fact that he was not there for an entire season, shows that the writers did not give him the prominence he deserved. Bran's ending might have been easier to accept, had fans felt they could root for Bran. If he had been given more development and prominence within the story, it would've been easier for fans to do so. Another character who shows these flaws in Game of Thrones is Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). He starts off as a rather arrogant, unpleasant person, and he is largely under the control and influence of his sister Cersei. He seems to go through some character development throughout the show, but it turns out that it's not for real. In the end, Jaime goes back to Cersei, leaving poor Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) heartbroken. However, it didn't have to be that way.
His character development would've remained intact if he had stayed with Brienne. And it seemed that was what Jaime was going to do. Until he didn't. Therefore, his character went backward and any progress that seemed to be made was not for real. He is given a bit more prominence in the story than Bran was, as he is not left out of it for a long time. However, he still is not given as much importance as he should be. The writers seem to have struggled with character development and with giving their characters the importance they deserved. Although most of the results are clearest in the ending, it is a problem that was somewhat clear from the beginning of the show. Bran didn't develop so much as suppress his personality and emotions. Jaime didn't develop so much as go backward.
Neither character is truly given the prominence in the story that they deserved. Of course, not every Game of Thrones fan will agree. Some will feel that Bran and Jaime had good character development and that their arcs made perfect sense. Some will feel that both characters were given the prominence they needed if not what they deserved. However, character development is crucial in an ensemble story like Game of Thrones. And it appeared to be lacking throughout the series. A character cannot truly be considered developed, after all, if they suppress who they are and their emotions or if they go backward. And Bran and Jaime are just examples of this phenomenon. There are certainly more Game of Thrones characters who were not developed properly or who were developed only to suddenly regress.
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