That's it. It's over. Eight years and eight seasons of television wrapped up with one explosive finale. Game of Thrones is over. In some ways, this is great; now we can all move on to caring about other things, like, I dunno, This Is Us or which Marvel character is going to come out as queer or something. Yet, in other ways, it's overwhelmingly sad, not just because it's the end of an era but because that ending was so damn disappointing.

But let's be real: There was no way it wasn't going to be disappointing. No show with stakes as high as Game of Thrones' was going to be able to deliver a fully satisfying payoff. That said, it tried. To help put the show to rest, WIRED gathered our biggest Thrones fans—writers Emily Dreyfuss, Emma Grey Ellis, and Peter Rubin, and editors Brian Barrett and Angela Watercutter—one last time to talk about everything that happened in the series finale, and what it all means now that it's over. RIP, Game of Thrones.

Game of Thrones' Ultimate Denouement

Angela Watercutter: All right, I'm just going to get this out of the way first: Bran??? The new ruler of the Seven, excuse me, Six Kingdoms is the guy named after the thing you eat to increase fecal weight? And, not only that, everyone—who presumably would've seen the death of the queen as a pretty sweet opportunity for a power grab—just goes along with it because Tyrion, who has truly proved himself to be the village idiot this season, suggested it? I am unmoved.

Whew, glad I got that out. But seriously, there were some legitimately great moments in this series finale (sad Drogon had me in tears, y'all), and it was better than I thought it would be, but man some of this shit did not make sense. Like, we all thought Daenerys would die. Did everyone think it would be by Jon's hand? Some, but not all. Was that necessary? Also, I'm stoked Sansa is Queen in the North, but, uh, maybe she could've ruled over all? She definitely has more on-the-job experience than her brother. (Props to her for reminding all the lords and ladies of Westeros that Bran's penis doesn't work, though. That was a power move.)

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's go through this beat by beat. What did everyone think of the finale? Did it feel final? Did it deliver even a modicum of what you wanted the swan song of this show to be?

Emily Dreyfuss: I just can't. There aren't words to describe my disappointment. Except, what? Really? That? I knew it would be bad, but it was so much worse! Picking Bran—creepy do-nothing Bran!—over Sansa? And Tyrion getting to pick at all? The dragon suddenly has a PhD in political science? Grey Worm letting Tyrion and Jon live? The Night's Watch still existing? Nothing made any sense at all.

Watercutter: Someone asked me this morning why the Night's Watch let Jon go, and I was basically like, "They don't have anything to watch anymore, their biggest concern is 'Can we have sex now?' They don't care about Jon."

Emma Grey Ellis: I thought Jon and Arya's stories ended well enough, but seriously, Bran is the ultimate power mooch. So much for broken wheels. Also, even after all the hubbub about mislaid Starbucks cups, fans spotted not one but two plastic water bottles on set during the finale—a bizarre last testament to how rushed this season was.