Summary
Throughout its eight seasons,Game of Thronesviewers were welcomed by a mass of complex and ambitious characters. While some were guided by loyalty and survival, others were blinded by greed and cruelty, often with catastrophic consequences. However, some fans of the long-running HBO fantasy series have pointed out that one particular character was a complete liability to others due to his cowardly ways.
Based on Martin’s novels in theA Song of Ice and Fireseries, HBO’s adaptation received a lot of praise, growing a dedicated and loyal fanbase that only seemed to increase as each episode rolled around. Yet, some fans felt disappointed in the final season ofGame of Thrones,with a lot of criticism aimed at its excessive sexual violence and hurried storylines. EvenCharles Dance’s Tywin Lannister had a few things to say about it, stating how disappointed he also felt about its finale. However, despite the controversy, many characters throughout the show had some of the best scenes on TV, like Cersei Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen, and Tyrion Lannister, regardless of how unhinged and chaotic it became, but it seems as though Jon Snow’s closest friend has really rubbed some fans up the wrong way.
Game of Thrones Fans Point Out How Samwell Tarly’s Incompetence Cost the Lives of Others
OnGame of Thrones' Reddit page, fans of the show have been sharing their opinion about Samwell Tarly, who was a steward inthe Night’s Watchand Jon Snow’s closest friend. In the post, user ht_is_Reality expressed that not only was Sam a “miserable” coward, but his lack of bravery ended up costing the life of a brother of the Night’s Watch, Eddison “Dolorous Edd” Tollett. The poster explained that Eddison had previously survived so much like a horde of White Walkers, and “endured mutinies, stuck with Jon through thick and thin, and somehow managed to keep going despite his miserable outlook on life,” but duringthe Battle of Winterfell, Eddison ended up getting stabbed in the back by a wight while saving Sam who had fallen over. “And what does Sam do in return? NOTHING. He keeps crying and crawling around while braver men die around him. At that point, I was begging for a wight to just put him out of our misery. But no, Sam survives,” said ht_is_Reality.
It seems as though the poster is not alone in their harsh opinion of Sam, who was only sent to the Wall due to his father’s disappointment in him and his “unmanly” demeanor, so he sent him away rather than allowingSam to inherit Horn Hill. “Yep. It goes back to what Ser Alliser said about Sam in season one when he had people beating on him. Something along the lines of Sam would get people killed for being a coward and needed to be toughened up, but he never was,” agreed one commenter, while another stated that it was Jon Snow’s fault for not “toughing him up” at the start and constantly allowing him to “be sheltered”.
While most of the replies in the thread seemed to be in agreement that Sam was a liability, not only to himself but to others too, one comment stated that he didn’t have a choice in going to the Wall, and he just wasn’t a fighter. “His talents were in the academic fields, and he’s the one that saved Jorah from turning into a Stoneman. Sam is also the one who figured out thatDragon Glass kills white walkers.” Some other characters who fans found fairly useless inGame of Throneswere Tommen Baratheon, Cersei’s son, Euron Greyjoy, who was more annoying than terrifying, and Robin Arryn, the only child of Lord Jon Arryn and Lysa of House Tully.
For those still eager to jump into theGame of Thrones' universe,A Knight of the Seven Kingdomspremieres sometime this year on HBO and Max, followed byHouse of the DragonSeason 3 sometime in 2026.
