Spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 8 are discussed below:
Game of Thrones is on the verge of its series finale. Some fans are heading into it upset over the events of the penultimate episode and they are taking action over it. They are signing a petition that is calling for a remake of the final season.
The petition has now secured over 1 million signatures and counting. Game of Thrones’ Jacob Anderson, who plays Grey Worm on the pop culture sensation, gave a brief reaction to news of the petition. Anderson responded by telling TMZ:
That sucks.
After spending so much time and effort working on the final season, that is a reasonable response to have. Jacob Anderson was one of the actors who participated in filming the difficult Battle of Winterfell. The petition was initially published after Episode 4, the installment following the battle.
It gained unprecedented traction following the controversial events of Episode 5. Some fans have been expressing frustration on social media before the latest episode. However, everything sort of came to a head in the fan base after it aired. The controversy surrounding “The Bells” involved Daenerys Targaryen's deadly rampage.
Despite King’s Landing surrendering, Daenerys decided to set fire to and kill innocent children and their parents. The response to the episode was swift and angry. Throughout the week, some fans have argued that Dany's actions were a sudden departure for the fiery character.
Asked for his thoughts on fans' wish that Game of Thrones had spent more time explaining why Daenerys "snapped," Jacob Anderson told HuffPost:
I think -- I’m not going to say whether people should like it or not. But personally, I felt like Emilia [Clarke] was fucking amazing. She was outstanding in that episode. I bought it, you know? Especially in that first hour. She’s going through an incredible amount of pain, and that’s built on top of years of working for this thing. Her code has always been like, 'I’m going to get what I want, and if I have to hurt people to get there, I will.' She has a history of protecting innocent people and trying to go the way of justice. But she has also along the way always been like, 'However, if you fuck with me, I will destroy you because I can.' And I think that’s why she decided to do it. I think it’s not -- it’s hard. I think the show has been telling us, and Emilia has been telling us --
Daenerys has said that she would take what she believes is hers with “fire and blood.” Still, many fans believe her latest move is out of character and occurred out of the blue. However, there are those that counter that point.
Jacob Anderson went on to explain that he does not think that Daenerys’ violent actions indicate she has gone “mad.” A reference to Daenerys’ father, The Mad King, who many believe went insane. Asked if Emilia Clarke's performance has been indicating Daenerys had this in her, Anderson said:
She has this in her, but also, something that I find interesting is that I don’t think this makes her 'mad.' She’s just human. People lash out in really unexpected ways to things that hurt them. 'Hurt people hurt people.' I know that’s a cliché, but it’s a cliché for a reason. I feel like there’s some weird stuff of people being like, 'Oh, crazy woman!' And I just don’t think that’s true because I don’t think Emilia would have ever played that. Emilia loves Dany. Like, she loves her. And I think it was a really huge, but human, mistake that attached to something that was already within her. Not because of genetics, but because of everything that she’s been through in life. And politics corrupts people -- power corrupts people -- in very profound ways.
As the wait for the series finale reaches its end, Game of Thrones fans are bracing themselves for it. Jacob Anderson’s Grey Worm is one of those who survived to the final round. He is joined by the surviving Unsullied and the Dothraki. Between Daenerys’ two armies and her dragon, she is pretty untouchable.
The aftermath of Daenerys’ actions will play out in the series finale. Will she be killed? If her reign goes uncontested, will she allow Tyrion, Jon Snow, Davos, and Arya to leave what’s left of King’s Landing alive? Or will Tyrion and Jon Snow decide to stay with her? After all, she is their queen.
Find out if Grey Worm is among those who survive. The series finale of Game of Thrones airs this Sunday (May 19) at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.
