Jacob Anderson, who plays Grey Worm, discusses the adverse reaction from fans to the Game of Thrones conclusion. Game of Thrones, which is based on the George R.R. Martin high fantasy novel, had its HBO debut in April 2011 and aired for eight seasons in all, with the last season premiering in May 2019. The program won a total of 59 Primetime Emmy Awards when it was on the air, and many people believe it to be one of the best television shows of all time. A prequel series called House of the Dragon, which debuted in August to generally excellent reviews was inspired by the enormous popularity of Game of Thrones. Almost 10 million people watched the House of the Dragon series premiere on the day of its release.
Anderson discussed his experience filming the last season of Game of Thrones and why the public reaction was so unfavorable in an interview with PopSugar. Since the Game of Thrones cast and crew worked so hard on the episode, Anderson says that fans often assume that the cast felt the same way about the series finale. However, Anderson claims that this was not the case. He also acknowledges that the negative fan reaction to the episode was “a little bit sad.” Check out Anderson’s remarks below:
I didn’t have strong feelings about the finale. I think everybody assumes that we all hated it. That’s not the case at all. I remember when I first got the scripts for that final season, I was like, ‘There’s something kind of punk about this season. It feels risky. And I feel like it was kind of fun. I enjoyed it and it was fun to make. It was full-on, but it was fun to make. We were filming for 11 months in the snow and there were thousands and thousands of people worked so hard on [the final season]. And then for it to just when it came out for people to just straight up be like, ‘You need to remake this. This is terrible. This is the worst thing ever.’ It was a little bit sad. But to be honest, I expected people to not like it, even though I liked it. I thought people were going to be annoyed by things.
The reasons for the widespread negative reception of the Game of Thrones finale
The Game of Thrones season finale has a notorious reputation despite being one of the most-watched television shows of all time. The last episode of the series’ eighth season has earned a reputation as one of the “worst finales in TV history” despite receiving significant criticism from fans for its hurried appearance and inconsistent storyline aspects. Fans thought the season finale to be a massive letdown, especially after eight seasons of dramatic narrative and character buildup, with Jon Snow’s demise, Daenerys’ passing, and Bran’s ascension to the throne. Even Independence Day director Roland Emmerich was so disappointed by the conclusion that he contacted showrunner David Benioff.
However, House of the Dragon emerged in the aftermath of the contentious conclusion to make an effort to mend fans’ connections with the Game of Thrones series. Many are complimenting House of the Dragon for rekindling their love of Game of Thrones after the conclusion left them feeling so horribly burnt because the prequel series is starting again and enabling them to fall back in love with George R.R. Martin’s worldbuilding. Even if the Game of Thrones finale received more viewers than the House of the Dragon debut, the spinoff series is undoubtedly well on its way to making up for the shortcomings of the iconic ending.
Anderson is correct to acknowledge the actors and crew that contributed to the show’s last season, notwithstanding the negative responses of some fans to the series’ conclusion. While the conclusion of Game of Thrones may not have been what viewers were hoping for, it’s crucial to consider the amount of labor that went into filming the finale. Many individuals had to work in less-than-ideal weather conditions for several hours each day. Whether viewers liked or disliked the broadcast, the Game of Thrones finale will surely go down in television history as a memorable finish.