We were all fairly disappointed with how Game of Thronesended. Maybe our expectations were too high or maybe the showrunners didn’t know how to write a decent ending. Whatever the case was, everyone has collectively decided to not talk about the final season of Game of Thrones.
But maybe there was something to appreciate about that disastrous last season. Peter Dinklage recently talked with The Sunday Timesabout his time as Tyrion Lannister and how he dealt with the fans’ responses towards the polarizing final season.
Dinklage said it was almost impossible in his everyday life to drown out the outrage fans had, saying, “You try [to avoid the chatter], but that was impossible. You’re reminded of it on a daily basis by the fans. They had deep knowledge, but if somebody loves something they have their version of it in their head, so we got criticism early. Then, when we were leaving, they criticized us again because they didn’t want us to go. Some got angry. But if you appeal to everyone, you’re doing something wrong. And we offended a lot of people.”
Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister in 'Game of Thrones'Credit: Warner Bros. Television Distribution
There is no doubt that GOT was one of the most popular shows during its run, garnering 7.69 million live viewers and 25.7 million total views per episode. With a huge fanbase, some fans are bound to be upset with a character’s choices and the shift in the narrative and tone.
Dinklage defeated the GOT ending as recently as December 2021. In an interview with The New York Times, the actors said of the show’s fans, “They wanted the pretty white people to ride off into the sunset together… By the way, it’s fiction. There are dragons in it. Move on.”
He continued, “... [T]he show subverts what you think and that’s what I love about it. Yeah, it was called Game of Thrones, but at the end, the whole dialogue when people would approach me on the street was, ‘Who’s going to be on the throne?’ I don’t know why that was their takeaway because the show was more than that.”
Fans might have had their expectations set too high for the series finale of what many considered to be the greatest television show ever, but there must have been parts we could look back on and enjoy. Sure, it wasn’t a clean or well-crafted ending, but it wasn’t supposed to be a clean ending that was wrapped up nicely with a bow on top. The reward for watching the show for eight years is saying that you watched all of GOT.
At least we can find comfort in knowing Dinklage was satisfied with the ending and hopes we can find it within ourselves to move on.
What do you think about Dinklage’s take on the fans’ reaction to the final season? Let us know in the comments below!
Source: Variety
