Actor Paddy Considine from “House of the Dragon” offers his opinion on the contentious Game of Thrones conclusion. Considine’s most well-known films before being cast in the Game of Thrones prequel were Wolf, Macbeth, and Peaky Blinders. Along with Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cook, Rhys Ifans, and Graham McTavish, the British actor will portray King Viserys I Targaryen in the prequel series. “House Of The Dragon“ will detail House Targaryen’s fall and the events leading up to the civil war known as the Dance Of Dragons, which takes place 200 years before Game Of Thrones. The first of much upcoming Game of Thrones spinoffs, the Targaryen-centered program premieres on HBO on August 21.
Season 8 of Game of Thrones first aired on HBO three years ago. The action-packed six-episode season concluded the war for the Iron Throne and the conflict with the White Walkers. Season 8 had a mixed response overall, with critics criticizing the showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss’s creative choices and the season’s shortened duration. Many believed that the final Game of Thrones episode had a negative effect on the storyline and the arcs of fan favorites. One of the most divisive TV seasons to date, Game of Thrones season 8 has even drawn criticism from some of the cast members, including Kit Harrington, Maisie Williams, Peter Dinklage, and Lena Headey. Another actor has spoken on the contentious last season of the original, “House Of The Dragon,” which is set to premiere in a month.
“The House Of The Dragon” cast and crew met with EW to discuss the much-awaited spinoff. The discussion of Game of Thrones season 8 and how its unfavorable reaction might have “turned off” fans and critics from future spinoffs was among the many subjects raised, including the newly created yet dangerous iron throne. Considine, a Game of Thrones fan, expressed that while he didn’t entirely concur with the idea, he could see why some people could.
“When you live with something for so many years and watch those characters on that adventure, I think people start to write their own endings. I feel like a bit of that probably happened. And I was probably one of them, as well.”
Although he doesn’t harbor a grudge, Considine’s remarks imply that he also had a different ideal Game of Thrones finale in mind from the one that was ultimately chosen. Ryan Condal, a co-showrunner, also spoke. He insisted that the criticism of Game of Thrones season 8 will not influence the show’s creative choices because he is focused on creating a suitable successor in “House of the Dragon.” This may appear at odds with an industry trend where fans attempt to have a bigger impact on casting and creative decisions in TV and cinema. But with important female characters like Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower driving House Of The Dragon, the spinoff already appears to be righting a mistake pointed out by Game Of Thrones viewers regarding the representation of women.
It will be interesting to see if “House Of The Dragon” meets up to the expectations or, in this case, allays the fears of many Game Of Thrones fans who are still in shock over the disappointing conclusion to the show. In contrast to Game of Thrones season 8, the spinoff is based on already-written material by George R. R. Martin, notably the book Fire & Blood. By doing this, the story will arguably be more cohesive and have fewer potential plot holes and loose ends, but it won’t be apparent how fans will react until “House Of The Dragon” debuts next month.