Peter Dinklage shared his thoughts on Games of Thrones' highly controversial series finale, stating that audiences should have seen it coming. The long-running, award-winning fantasy drama ran for eight seasons on HBO, finishing up its run in May of 2019. The series featured a star-studded cast of actors and actresses, including Dinklage, Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, Lena Headey, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.
The final season revolved around the explosive finales of the two major conflicts of the entire series, The Great War against the Army of the Dead and the Last War for control of the Iron Throne. The season has officially become known as the worst of the entire show, sporting a disappointing 55% critic score and 30% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, as well as being torn apart by critics. Despite featuring the series' signature breathtaking visual effects and fantastic performances from its stars, the writing, and odd decision-making is what audiences report ultimately brought it down. Specifically, killing off of the significant character, Daenerys Targaryen.
In an interview with Digital Spy, Dinklage opened up about the series' controversial ending, explaining how the series' major decisions may have been spelled out for viewers across the series. Notably, the actor described how Daenerys' death was initially hinted at by the show's cast, as they had previously advised viewers not to name their dogs after the fan-favorite character. Read the actor's quote below:
I know a lot of people were supposedly surprised by the ending, but if you paid attention, the clues were there, we told you not to name your dog Khaleesi.
As previously mentioned, fans of the series spread their profound disappointment with the many aspects that the writers were believed to have not delivered upon the final season's initial release. Notably, with the impressive track record of the previous seven seasons consistently raising expectations and introducing interesting storylines and characters, many fans reported their feelings of dissatisfaction with how rushed the conclusion felt. Furthermore, with most of the show's contents based on author GRR Martin's books, the later seasons deviated significantly from the source material, resulting in backlash from audiences.
With Dinklage's comments and revelations about the show's final season, it is a possibility that clues of the ending may have indeed been scattered throughout the show earlier than anticipated, opening the door to many future analyses from fans. Specifically, having comments from such a major cast member only further highlights the authenticity of these claims and may allow fans to give the final season a second chance. Either way, all eight seasons of Game of Thrones are currently available to stream on Apple TV+.
Source: Digital Spy