Game of Thrones' divisive finale sure has people talking...
Game of Thrones has never been a show to play things safe. Every time viewers thought they knew where things were going, the series would usually prove them wrong -- often with an unexpected death, or a twist hardly anyone saw coming.
The eighth and final season has just ended, and it’s fair to say -- like much of the eighth season (episode five, The Bells, in particular) -- the finale left viewers divided. I personally loved it (albeit not unreservedly), while my colleague Brian Fagioli hated it. Either way, people have been talking about it.
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Social listening and analytics company Talkwalker measured the finale episode’s impact and has come up with some interesting numbers. From the last 24 hours (as of 10am Monday) there have been 708,300 social mentions and engagement (likes and shares) of nearly 16 million.
Warning: Some of these stats include spoilers, so if you haven’t seen the episode yet it’s probably best to stop reading until you have.
Top Social -- last 24hrs
- Fan reactions that it is over: Actress Nathalie Emmanuel talking about the end of the series (152K likes/shares)
- Frenzy about why Jon Snow wasn’t killed (145.5K shares/likes)
- Emotions about that epic Daenerys Targaryen shot with the dragon wings visible behind her (103.7K shares/likes)
Top News -- last 24 hrs
- The New Yorker interview with Emilia Clarke (1.7K mentions/shares)
- The Daily Mail announcing that there are professional services on bark.com for grieving fans after the show’s end (1.K mentions/shares)
Top Hashtags:
| Labels | Mentions | |
| 1 | #GameOfThrones | 582,093 |
| 2 | #GameOfThronesFinale | 76,580 |
| 3 | #GOT | 48,185 |
| 4 | #TheFinalEpisode | 44,008 |
| 5 | #GameOfThonesFinale | 18,029 |
| 6 | #GOTFinale | 16,161 |
| 7 | #DemThrones | 12,620 |
| 8 | #GOTS8E6 | 10,097 |
| 9 | #JonSnow | 8,087 |
| 10 | #Daenerys | 5,440 |
GOT Main Characters:
| Labels | Mentions | |
| 1 | Jon Snow | 29,492 |
| 2 | Tyrion Lannister | 11,184 |
| 3 | Sansa Stark | 7,899 |
| 4 | Arya Stark | 6,633 |
| 5 | Daenerys Targaryen | 5,970 |
| 6 | Bran Stark | 4,977 |
| 7 | Jaime Lannister | 4,155 |
| 8 | Margaery Tyrell | 2,689 |
| 9 | Gendry | 2,563 |
| 10 | Bronn | 2,401 |
| 11 | Samwell Tarly | 2,352 |
| 12 | Brienne of Tarth | 1,828 |
| 13 | Catelyn Stark | 1,421 |
| 14 | Varys | 1,238 |
| 15 | Missandei | 1,081 |
| 16 | Ygritte | 926 |
| 17 | Cersei Lannister | 669 |
| 18 | Gilly | 378 |
| 19 | Khal Drogo | 351 |
| 20 | Robb Stark | 317 |
| 21 | Melisandre | 296 |
| 22 | Davos Seaworth | 278 |
| 23 | Robert Baratheon | 190 |
| 24 | Tywin Lannister | 167 |
| 25 | Jorah Mormont | 130 |
Even though it was the last-ever episode (spin-offs and prequels not withstanding), it wasn’t the most talked about of the series. In order they were:
- 3 - The Long Night
- 5 - The Bells
- 1 – Winterfell
- 6 – The Iron Throne
- 4 - The Last of the Starks
- 2 - A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
