The final season of HBO's Game of Thrones received generally negative reviews from viewers and critics, leading some fans to launch a petition calling on the network to remake the last season. Now, former series regular Charles Dance has expressed his own disappointment with the final season of Game of Thrones and weighed in on the aforementioned petition.
Based on the novels in writer George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, HBO's television adaptation of Game of Thrones initially received praise and accolades as it grew a passionate fanbase and record viewership for the network. However, reception towards the series would trend downward in the later seasons, with criticism being directed at the excessive sexual violence and seemingly rushed storylines. Although the final season of Game of Thrones would go on to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, reactions to the series' last run episodes were largely negative and some pointed to decision to cut the number of episodes per season from 10 to 6 as evidence of showrunner's David Benioff and D.B. Weiss lack of interest in the show by the time of its conclusion.
While Charles Dance's Tywin Lannister was killed off in the season 4 finale, the acclaimed actor continued to watch the show in the years following his departure. "I mean, I saw it. I continue to watch the whole series even after I'd been killed off in the lavatory. Because I just thought it's a fantastic television show, you know? I was very lucky to be part of it. I loved it; there were storylines [where] I wanted to know what was going to happen to these people," Dance told Popculture. However, Dance noted that he was among those who felt let down by the show's conclusion, saying, "I know that the finale satisfied a lot of people. It also disappointed a lot of people, and I'm afraid I am in the latter camp."
Although Dance was not aware of the petition to remake the final season, he admitted, "well if there was a petition, I would sign it." That said, Dance commended Benioff and Wiess for their efforts on the series as a whole despite his disappointment with the later seasons. "I think David and Dan raised the bar when it came to television screenplay writing. They are phenomenal. And for the whole thing to end up as a committee, I just thought, 'Hmm, no.' I would say I was somewhat underwhelmed by," he explained.
Charles Dance isn't the only cast member to express their disappointment with the Game of Thrones finale. Earlier this year, Emilia Clarke, who portrayed Daenerys Targaryan for the entire series run, admitted that she was frustrated by the lack of consequences for Jon Snow after he killed her character.
Regardless of how fans feel about the final season of Game of Thrones, it would probably be best to put aside any lofty expectations for a redo from HBO. Instead, the network is moving with a prequel series following the downfall of the House Targaryen titled House of the Dragon, due to be released in 2022, while George R. R. Martin insists he is making progress on the long-awaited book, The Winds of Winter.
Game of Thrones is now available on HBO Max.
Source: popculture