Game of Thrones, The Killing Season Finales Battle it Out on Twitter

First off, here’s the obligatory Spoiler Alert – SPOILERS LIE AHEAD. Now having said that, if either one of the Game of Thrones or The Killing season finales are currently sitting on your DVR, get off the interwebs and go watch them – immediately.

Because both did not fail to interest, although some might argue that one failed to deliver.

AMC has begun and ended every promo for The Killing with the question “Who Killed Rosie Larsen?” Part of the appeal of a show that sets itself up in the way The Killing did is in the solving of the mystery itself. When you kick your show off with a murder and then frame the show around the day-by-day activities of all those affected by the young girl’s death, it is unavoidable that most people will demand some sort of closure by the end of the season.

But after 13 episodes, we still don’t know who the hell killed Rosie Larsen.

Critics of The Killing have been vocal during the show’s freshman season. They have cited the lack of emotional connection to the characters and the superfluous feel of some of the side plots. Others have said it rains too damn much, even for Seattle. Some have lamented AMC’s programming choices, proclaiming that the short-lived series Rubicon was better (out of your mind). But to this writer, it has been a compelling season.

Did the season finale pull the rug out from under us? Absolutely. But that doesn’t make it bad television. Are we, as viewers, so trained to expect answers and closure at the end of things that we can’t appreciate a good cliffhanger anymore? Sure, I have plenty of issues with the first season – enough to concern me going forward. But do I think the season finale was the worst thing ever? Definitely not.

But alas, the Twitterverse tends to disagree with me. Except for a select few, that is. Most of the comments on Twitter last night and this morning have been negative. Anger and frustration seem to be the most common emotions. Take for instance Entertainment Weekly writer Jeff Jensen, Office star Mindy Kaling and Scrubs/Cougar Town writer Christa Miller’s take on the finale –

Then there is this GoT-referencing review of the finale. More to come on dragons later.

Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore and LOST’s Damon Lindelof defended The Killing finale, commenting on the reaction they were seeing on Twitter –

If the common response to The Killing was disappointment, then the common response to the Game of Thrones finale was excitement.

And rightfully so. What an incredible end to an epic season. The entire first season of the fantasy series based on the George R.R. Martin novels was a masterpiece in slow, compelling storytelling. The show proved its confidence and trust in its audience with the penultimate episode’s dispatching of the main character. And the season finale ended with the promise of a spectacular season two.

And, um, baby dragons?

I know I’m gushing, but I’m not the only one. Modern Family’s Danny Zuker sure seems to approve –

Twitter was pretty unified behind the awesomeness of the finale. Here are some of the top tweets –

What did you think about the competing finales last night? Did The Killing disappoint, or leave you hanging in a good way? Did the Game of Thrones finale keep up the momentum generated by the episode 9 shocker? Let us know what you think.

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