Arya Stark actor Maisie Williams has offered her take on the infamous Game of Thrones ending. The HBO fantasy series was adapted from George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice & Fire book series. The novels enjoyed an enviable cult following among fantasy fans, but there was no way of predicting the level of success that the show, which debuted in 2011 and featured many unknown actors, would achieve. With an impressive budget and production value behind it and several novels of source material to glean from, the fantasy series grew steadily in popularity, becoming an international phenomenon that continued charting a meteoric rise.
As the seasons progressed, Game of Thrones just seemed to get bigger, better, and more intense, consistently scoring high with audiences and critics alike. However, the highly anticipated conclusion of the series was met with disappointment and even anger from viewers, who felt that the series had failed to stick the landing leading up to its 2019 finale. Most agree that the final two seasons didn't offer enough time to adequately bring the many plot lines to a close, especially considering Game of Thrones' abbreviated season 8, which only featured six episodes. This resulted in what many perceive to be a rushed and utterly careless final season of the record-breaking series that ruined several characters for viewers and broke their overall immersion. Now, one of the series' stars has revealed that she agrees with the critiques.
Appearing on user talfuin's Twitch stream with her brother, Williams revealed that she recently revisited the fantasy series. The actor reported that she was finally able to enjoy the series' actual plot without being "triggered" by her involvement/experiences on the show. Despite finding the series compelling, Williams seemed to agree with complaints about the last season of the show, though she kept her thoughts on that front brief. Check out what she had to say below:
"You know what, I rewatched it all recently. Yeah, it was...It definitely fell off at the end. [Laughs] But it started really strong. I was heartbroken when Ned died, yet I knew it was coming. Because for the first time, I could really feel the story.”
Will House Of The Dragon Follow Game Of Thrones' Decline?
Williams' response to the end of Game of Thrones validates the feelings of the general audience, which is heartening despite the lingering disappointment that many still feel about how the massive fantasy show wrapped. The perceived decline in quality, resulted in trust issues about the attached intellectual property that made viewers reluctant to return to Westeros with prequel series House of the Dragon. However, the prequel, based on Martin's Fire and Blood, seems to have won the audience over once again, with its premiere becoming the biggest in HBO history in terms of viewership and episode 2 in turn breaking that record. Since Game of Thrones also enjoyed plenty of acclaim in the early seasons, House of the Dragon's early success doesn't necessarily mean that it won't face the same fate as its predecessor.
However, the House of the Dragon creators are working with a complete novel as source material rather than the unfinished narrative that Game of Thrones had to follow. Additionally, Martin previously confessed to being "out of the loop" for the final Game of Thrones seasons, which many have pointed to as a reason for the show declining in quality. Hopefully, the House of the Dragon creators will continue consulting with the fantasy author. Martin also recently said that the prequel series will need just four seasons to tell the full story, offering a shorter window of time that may ensure a higher quality. Finally, House of the Dragon has proved deft at being able to work effectively with a limited time frame by utilizing time jumps and keeping a singular focus on one overarching narrative, which will likely continue to serve the show moving forward.
Source: talfuin/Twitch