Game of Thrones star Bella Ramsey, who played the young leader Lyanna Mormont, talks about how the audience often comes to her to express their grievances against the series' ending. Game of Thrones is one of the most popular series on HBO, with the show amassing awards throughout its run. However, Game of Thrones season 8, the show's final chapter, premiered in 2019 to give the acclaimed show a very controversial ending. Audiences were not happy with many choices in the final season, such as Daenerys Targaryen's evil heel turn, and the show received a big hit in its reputation.
During an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Ramsey revealed how her Game of Thrones fan interactions circle back to the series' controversial ending.
According to many viewers, Game of Thrones season 8 is bad, continuing to vocalize about it years after the show ended, as evidenced by Ramsey's story. However, the Game of Thrones world has regained its prominence, with the show's Targaryen-focused spinoff, House of the Dragon, managing to recapture the audience that was disappointed by the original's ending. Check out the full quote below:
"People like to ask me what I thought of the ending. And I ask them back, "What did you think of it?" I don't know, I don't have an opinion. I just let them either hate on it or talk about how great it was — mostly hate on the ending for like 10 minutes, and then I just sit there and listen and then say, "Goodbye, nice to meet you," and then that's it. Generally, the consensus is that it wasn't great... It seemed fine to me."
Game Of Thrones Season 8 Remains Controversial With Fans
Many reasons explain why Game of Thrones season 8 has become a dark cloud over the once seemingly renowned series. Several plotlines made by the Game of Thrones creators, David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, in the final season were heavily criticized, but one particular decision was what made all the controversy happen — the decision to end the series. HBO was keen on keeping Game of Thrones going for as long as possible, but Benioff and Weiss decided that the series should end with season 8.
That fateful choice led to Game of Thrones' story being incredibly rushed by reducing the series' usual 10-episode seasons to seven and six for the show's final two seasons, respectively. The little time to properly develop the ending affected the show's pacing, including Daenerys' sudden descent or the Night King's anticlimactic death, who did not even get the long-awaited final fight with Jon Snow. The show also ran out of its source material by that point, so Game of Thrones book series author George R. R. Martin did not leave a roadmap to how the show should end. He reportedly told the show's creators a few major plot points, which sadly were not executed well enough to conclude the series with satisfaction.
Ramsey's Lyanna Mormont Was A Late-Stage GOT Standout
Ramsey joined the series late in its run, onboarding Game of Thrones season 6 as the fearless leader of House Mormont, Lyanna Mormont. The character commanded the scene every time Ramsey showed up on the screen, and the young leader instantly became a well-liked character. Lyanna first proclaimed Jon Snow to be the King in the North, a chant that would echo through the final seasons. Sadly, Lyanna would not make it to the Game of Thrones ending, as the brave leader fell defending the North in the Battle of Winterfell against the Night King and the White Walkers. Even with her short time on the series, Lyanna deservedly entered the pantheon of the best Game of Thrones characters.
Source: Jimmy Kimmel Live!