Saying goodbye to one of your favorite shows is never easy, especially if that series was a cultural touchstone the way Game of Thrones was. Unfortunately, some series don’t end the way fans think they should. Or, in the case of Game of Thrones, the conclusion enrages a vast amount of the fandom, essentially tarnishing the brand’s good name.
Recently while speaking with The New York Times, Peter Dinklage, who played Tyrion Lannister on the show, said that he thinks the reason people reacted so poorly to the finale was that it represented an end to something they loved.
“But I think the reason there was some backlash about the ending is because they were angry at us for breaking up with them,” Dinklage said. “We were going off the air and they didn’t know what to do with their Sunday nights anymore. They wanted more, so they backlashed about that.”
Well, I’m not sure that I can agree with that, Mr. Dinklage. Speaking as a major fan of the series, the final season of Game of Thrones was rather underwhelming. I won’t get into the weeds here, but suffice it to say that much of the final season felt rushed, and conclusions to specific character arcs were… Let’s just say, unsatisfactory. I don’t think I’m alone in this analysis either. After the Season 8 finale aired, there were petitions to reassemble the cast and crew for another go at the ending. That’s not a great look.
When asked if he thinks fans wanted a “happier” ending to the series, Dinklage said:
“They wanted the pretty white people to ride off into the sunset together. By the way, it’s fiction. There’s dragons in it. Move on,” he said, laughing to himself. “No, but the 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 really was more than that.”
Dinklage also admits that one of his favorite scenes in the whole series is when one of Daenerys’ dragons melts the Iron Throne with its firey breath. I imagine this scene was pretty cathartic for someone who had been fielding questions about who would assume the seat of power for so many years.
“It sort of just killed that whole conversation, which is really irreverent and kind of brilliant on behalf of the show’s creators: ‘Shut up, it’s not about that,’” Dinklage snapped. “They constantly did that, where you thought one thing and they delivered another. Everybody had their own stories going on while watching that show, but nobody’s was as good as what the show delivered, I think.”
Not only does it sound like Dinklage is proud of the work that was done on Game of Thrones, but it also sounds like he’s glad to be done with the series. Who could blame him? Game of Thrones has taken up a significant chunk of his Hollywood dance card for the past decade. It’s time to move on, no?
What did you think of the Game of Thrones backlash? Do you agree with what Dinklage had to say about the conclusion feeling like a bad breakup? Sound off in the comments section below and let us know.