**SPOILER WARNING: “Game of Thrones” series finale details will be discussed!**
Last night’s “Game of Thrones” finale, titled “The Iron Throne,” will likely be talked about for years. Like many finales for massive TV series, the ‘Thrones’ ending has already divided fans and left many unsatisfied. It’s just really difficult to end a popular series in an overall pleasing way. But really, the finale was more an example of the major issue that many people had with Season 8 — pacing. And according to one of the series’ stars, the rush to the finale might have been a bit bitter had they slowed down just a little bit.
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“The Iron Throne” was set to be the big send off for “Game of Thrones,” with the final battle between Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen. However, that battle was less a battle and more a literal stabbing in the heart, with Dany dying very quickly and flown east by her trusty dragon. And for the actress playing Dany, Emilia Clarke, she liked the ending of the series, but like many viewers, wished there was a bit more leading up to it.
“I would’ve loved some more scenes between Grey Worm and Missandei,” admitted Clarke in an interview with The New Yorker. “I would’ve loved to see a bit more between Cersei [and Dany]. . . I feel like there was . . . The genocide was there. That was always going to happen.”
She added, “And I just think more dissection and those beautifully written scenes that [Benioff and Weiss] have between characters—that we are more than happy to contently sit there and watch ten minutes of two people talking, because it’s beautiful. I just wanted to see a bit more of that. But I’m in no position to critique the geniuses that have written eight seasons’ worth of wonderful stuff.”
Clarke echoes the cries of many fans who feel that David Benioff and D.B. Weiss rushed the final six episodes, leaving very little time for character development and more time devoted to the spectacle. The actress also said she knew the finale was going to divide people.
“I always knew that the show was never going to satisfy everyone,” said Clarke. “I watched and loved too many television series to ever think that would be possible. The stories are too vast, the characters too complex. The show is, in a certain way, divisive: ‘Whose side are you on?’ Also, if you’re pleasing everyone, then it’s probably quite tepid. But to me, it seemed like the only way it could end.”
We sound like a broken record, but she’s also correct saying that this is the logical conclusion for the series. And if you were to just tell someone the story of Season 8, they would likely think it was fitting. It’s just the episodes did very little to earn the ending.
But alas, even if “Game of Thrones” left a bitter taste in your mouth after this final season, HBO hopes that you stick around for the prequel series, which is said to begin production on the pilot episode this year. Ideally, you have to imagine the network would like to have the first season of the new prequel series, set thousands of years before the events of ‘Thrones,’ air sometime in 2020. However, for Clarke, she would prefer if there was more of a gap.
“I just think that it would be lovely to just let this lie for a minute before doing anything else,” said the actress. “But then it’ll be something completely different, and it won’t be ‘Game of Thrones.’ It won’t be called ‘Game of Thrones.’ It will be inspired by ‘Game of Thrones’ characters, a fantastical series, set in a similar time.”
She continued, “I can’t speak because I don’t know the script. But I would just like a bit more time between ‘Game of Thrones’ being cold in the ground before something else comes along. Because isn’t everyone already up to their eyeballs with ‘Game of Thrones?’”
As much as it might be best for the brand integrity to take time and perfect the prequel spin-off, HBO knows that record numbers of people have been watching this season of ‘Thrones.’ If you wait too long, you might lose those eyeballs. So, it’s likely that Clarke won’t have her wish and the new phase of Westerosi storytelling will begin soon enough.