Game of Thrones’ Natalia Tena hated the ending of the series so much that she ranted about it for an hour -- and then ranted to another friend when her boyfriend got tired of hearing about it. That is one of the significant takeaways from Tena’s thoughts on the HBO hit’s culmination. Tena played the wildling Osha, who memorably traveled with and protected Bran and Rickon Stark. She worked to get the boys to safety alongside Hodor.
Osha’s story ended in Game of Thrones Season 6 when she was murdered by the wicked-beyond-belief Ramsay Bolton. Now the actress has weighed in on the show's divisive finale and its ending. A guest on the podcast White Whine Question Time with Kate Thornton, Natalia Tena said this of the final season (via Esquire):
I liked it to the bit where she [Arya] stabs him [the Night King] in the heart. I liked it up to then. But after that, I just feel like... I just didn't understand.
Natalia Tena was okay with Season 8 up to the very shocking plot twist that saw Arya stab the Night King. A moment that produced a tremendous reaction.
After Arya killed the Night King, Natalia Tena said that she did not understand what the show was doing, and she started to drill down on the cause. Tena thought that the writing was in stark contrast to previous seasons', to the point she felt it had been written by different writers. Tena explained, saying:
The caliber of writing towards the end and the plots and everything that happens and how they wrapped it up compared to any other season, any other bit, it just feels like it's been written by different people. It doesn't make sense, for me.
I take it by caliber, she did not think that it was equal to the quality to Game of Thrones’ past seasons. Natalia Tena again pointed out that it did not make sense to her. It is unclear if she felt like Daenerys’ descent into madness was too swift, as some fans have protested. Or if it was something else.
Did she have an issue with the overarching way the final season was plotted? To that point, Game of Thrones’ last season was its shortest. Previous seasons had been comprised of ten episodes before Season 7 saw a reduction down to seven. The eighth and final installment bowed with six, which had shorter durations than expected.
In the end, Natalia Tena found herself ranting for an hour about how much she did not like the final season. Tena said:
I was a few glasses of wine in when I watched it. I'd binge-watched the whole thing, but I ended up... my boyfriend had to leave the boat because I was ranting for an hour at him about how much I didn't like it. And then I rang my friend to rant to him.
Natalia Tena is certainly not alone in not liking Game of Thrones’ final season. There were a lot of pointed critiques that fans had. All of that frustration ultimately found its way to that viral petition, which passed the 1 million signature mark. It was calling for a complete remake of Season 8.
Did the Game of Thrones star think it was that bad? Natalia Tena weighed in, saying:
I don't think I'd go as far as petition. I think they had to end it. [But] I don't understand why they made those choices.
Natalia Tena comments regarding the petition come after Missandei actress Nathalie Emmanuel’s gave her thoughts on it. Since its popularity soared, HBO’s boss commented on whether they ever considered remaking the final season. His answer is not entirely surprising, in my opinion. You can add Natalia Tena to the list of Game of Thrones fans not pleased with the final season.
The cast recently addressed fans’ reaction to it. Conleth Hill had earlier expressed his personal frustration over his character, Varys, getting sidelined in Game of Thrones’ last couple of seasons. He later clarified his comments. Lena Headey has also spoken out with her feelings about how Cersei's story ended.
Despite the fan reaction to the final season, Game of Thrones’ last season scored a record-breaking amount of Emmy nominations. That accomplishment was met with its share of hot takes. As for Game of Thrones’ showrunners, they are headed to Netflix next as the debate over the show's ending continues.
If you want to watch Game of Thrones’ final season, you can do so on digital. If you want to get into another show now that it has ended, there are lots of summer premieres to enjoy.
