The "Game Of Thrones" Cast Dropped Many Hints That The Final Season Would Be Disappointing Before It Aired

It turns out we should really have seen the shock and disappointment coming.

Last night, Game of Thrones came to an end after nine years and eight seasons.

HBO

WARNING: There are light spoilers about season eight ahead.

And if you've spent any time on the internet over the last few weeks, you'll probably be aware that the final season has left viewers completely divided.

HBO

While some viewers believe the shocking events of the final season were to be expected, others have been left completely furious, accusing the show runners of misogyny and poor character development, while a petition to remake the entire final season has now been signed by over one million people.

change.org

So, with fans of the show processing the events of the last six episodes, we've gone back to see what the cast of Game of Thrones said about the final season before it aired — and it turns out, they dropped many hints that it'd be divisive.

HBO

Maisie Williams said that "no one" would be "satisfied" by the final season, but revealed that she was "really proud" of it.

HBO

Speaking to Sky News, Maisie said: "I don't think anyone is going to be satisfied. I don't think anyone wants it to end, but I'm really proud of this final season. It's going to be really weird when it's done and every day it's a step closer to it not being a part of my life anymore."

Sophie Turner predicted that "a lot of fans" would feel "disappointed", while others would be "over the moon" at how things unfolded.

HBO

Speaking to IGN, Sophie said: "Who knows if it'll be satisfying for the fans. I think a lot of fans will be disappointed and a lot of fans will be over the moon. I think it will be really interesting to see people's reactions. But for me, reading the script, it was heartbreaking to read the very final page [where] it just says, 'End of Game of Thrones.' That was really emotional."

Kit Harington said that the one word he'd use to sum up the final season was: "Disappointing".

Twitter: @alanarucks

During an interview with Pop Buzz, Kit was asked: "If you could describe the season finale of Game of Thrones in one word, how would you describe it?" He replied: "Disappointing." When the interviewer looked concerned and confused, he said: "Epic. No, I don't know."

However, he went on to say that critics of the final season could "go and fuck themselves".

PA

Speaking to Esquire, Kit said: "I think, no matter what anyone thinks about this season — and I don't mean to sound mean about critics here — but whatever critic spends half an hour writing about this season and makes their negative judgement on it, in my head they can go fuck themselves. Because I know how much work was put into this. I know how much people cared about this. I know how much pressure people put on themselves and I know how many sleepless nights working or otherwise people had on this show. Because they cared about it so much. Because they cared about the characters. Because they cared about the story. Because they cared about not letting people down."

And he also said he didn't "give a fuck" if viewers felt "let down" by the outcome of season eight.

HBO

He said: "Now if people feel let down by it, I don't give a fuck. That's how I feel — because everyone tried their hardest. That's how I feel. In the end, no one's bigger fans of the show than we are, and we're kind of doing it for ourselves. That's all we could do, really."

When Emilia Clarke was asked whether she was "happy with how things ended", she didn't give a clear answer, but responded awkwardly: "Best season ever!"

•Scarlette• @culposkenken

Emilia Clarke has been warning us but we all deaf and blind 😂 “Best season evah!” #GameOfThrones

03:26 AM - 13 May 2019

And she went on to reveal that "shock" was the overriding emotion fans would experience during the final season.

Angela Weiss / AFP / Getty Images

Speaking to Ryan Seacrest, Emilia said: "Shock. I just think there's going to be a lot of — it's going to be huge. That much everyone needs to know. It took us a very long time to film. There's going to be some things in this last one that's going to shock people."

Gwendoline Christie revealed that viewers would "need therapy" by the end of the season.

HBO

Speaking to E! News, she said: "You're going to need therapy. We're all emotional about the fact that this is the end, and this is the end of something incredibly significant for all of us. It’s been a truly incredible thing to be a part of.”

She went on to say that it was "too complex" a story to "please everyone".

HBO

Speaking to 60 Minutes, Gwendoline said: "There are just too many elements to be able to please everyone. It’s too complex a story."

Peter Dinklage cryptically said he believed is character, Tyrion, was given a "very good conclusion".

PA

Speaking to Vulture, he said: "I feel very, very — I’m trying to find the right word. I think he was given a very good conclusion."

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau hinted that elements of the final season might feel "rushed" — something that many viewers have been critical of.

HBO

Speaking to Vanity Fair, he said: "We're used to having a whole season to get to a point. Now, suddenly, a lot of things happen very quickly. Trying to connect the dots between the scenes was a little complicated because you invest so much time, so many years in these characters, so when suddenly you find out that Jaime comes back and his son has committed suicide — there's so many things that obviously you can’t go through, on-screen, all of these moments, but you have to still walk through them in your mind, if you’re an actor, at least talk about them. There was a lot of those connecting the dots throughout."

Isaac Hempstead said that it was "going to be hard to please everyone", but thought the ending was the best possible outcome.

HBO

Speaking to Metro, he said: "It's going to be difficult to please everyone. But I think we've ended it in the best possible way."

Conleth Hill spoke of his frustration at not sharing a final scene with Littlefinger, revealing that he'd felt "frustrated" at the fact his character had become "peripheral" over the final couple of seasons.

HBO

Speaking to EW, he explained: "I was very bummed to not have a final scene with him. I was bummed not to have any reaction to him dying, if he was my nemesis. That's been my feeling the last couple of seasons — that my character has become more peripheral, that they concentrated on others more. That's fine. It’s the nature of a multi-character show. It was kind of frustrating. As a whole it’s been overwhelmingly positive and brilliant but I suppose the last couple seasons weren’t my favourite.”

And, fianlly, Lena Headey revealed she had "mixed" feelings after the penultimate episode in which her character faced her end at the hands of Daenerys who torched all of Kings' Landing.

HBO

Speaking to EW, Lena revealed her reaction to Cersei's finale scene was "mixed" at first. She said: "I wanted her to have some big piece or fight with somebody. The more we talked about it, the more it seemed like the perfect end for her. [She and Jaime] came into the world together and now they leave together." She added that Cersei's final moment, staring at her brother and waiting for the end, was "maybe the first time that Cersei has been at peace".

You can check out all of the Game of Thrones season eight coverage here.