oh no doubt, i hated it as well and literally the most important storyline to me was the WWs - stopped watching after ep4 where they didn't give us any closure on the WW questions (despite people here arguing after ep3, "just wait, they can still touch on it next ep!" - reminiscent of the "just wait until ep2, the first ep is just setting things up!")
but your post
and then the serious explanation thereafter,UPLIFTING STARK MONTAGE
JON AND TORMUND AND GHOST VENTURE BEYOND THE WALL
LAST SCENE THEY COME ACROSS A FRESH SWIRLY OTHERS SYMBOL
CUT TO BLACK
made it seem like you thought they could add the WWs as a cliffhanger at the end of the last ep and it be OK. Thought either you or i was missing/misremembering something about ww lore in the showfor realsies tho the show was too dumb and rushed to explain any of it but the Azor Ahai prophecy and the reason the Wall was built in the first place was because of the Long Night that occurred during the Age of Heroes (the alleged setting for incoming Naomi Watts spinoff). it's happening again during this timeline but the whole reason Nan has these stories and parents tell their kids the others will take them and the prophecies exist and Sam can read ancient books about how to kill them is because all this happened before (and will happen again). Martin set up Long Nights and White Walker invasions as a cyclical apocalyptic event rather than one good Arya stab and done. if there had been the slightest thought put into it bros just could've said yo they might come back rebuild the Watch and not yo rapists need a place to chill.
upon rereading i see that i misunderstood your comparison and thought you were saying "it shouldn't be finished [despite arya stabbing the NK]" when you were really saying "arya shouldn't have been able to finish it"