Peter Dinklage Thinks If You Were Mad About The Game Of Thrones Finale, You Weren't Paying Attention

While "Game of Thrones" maybe wasn't the most intellectually rigorous show ever developed — it was mainly about sex, dragons, zombies, and smashing people's faces in as gruesome a manner as possible, after all — I think enough time has passed since its unceremonious end that we can give it a little credit for the things it did right. Remember, those excellent early seasons were largely focused on the nature of power and the question of what kind of person makes a good ruler, forcing viewers to engage with the themes of the story just as much as it wowed us with awesome displays of spectacle. And more than simply upending audience expectations whenever it could, the misguided choices that led to the tragic fates of characters like Eddard Stark and his son, Robb, always felt consistent with the overall tone and aim of the series. The creators left it up to the fans to decide whether, say, Jaime Lannister was worthy of redemption or if Daenerys Targaryen's (Emilia Clarke) quest to reclaim her throne through fire and blood was actually noble or not.

As it turns out, the final season would return to this last question about the ambitious, would-be Queen of the Seven Kingdoms in dramatic and divisive fashion. For those who happened to be online when the fateful episode titled "The Bells" originally aired, the instant reactions to seeing Dany go full villain on us were absolutely priceless. Rarely before has social media felt so universally united in their backlash to a controversial plot development. 

But don't count Tyrion Lannister himself, Peter Dinklage, among those who feel sympathetic with jilted fans. According to the actor, they simply should've paid closer attention all along — and he's not wrong!

Though I would maintain that Dany's mask-off moment in the final episodes of "Game of Thrones" felt rather rushed, a product of the dwindling amount of time and space left in the series as opposed to a justified narrative decision on the part of showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, personally I've never once quibbled about her actual acts of villainy. Someone so hellbent on ruling a kingdom at all costs, whose claim was based entirely on her (largely inbred) bloodline and her winged weapons of mass destruction, probably wasn't the flawless hero many in the fanbase thought she was all along.

That would put me in the minority of those who disliked the "Game of Thrones" finale, especially considering all those silly parents who decided to name their children after "Khaleesi" (which is a title, not a name!) despite not knowing where the story was actually going. Actor Peter Dinklage had strong words about this particular aspect about the "Game of Thrones" backlash (as he usually does) when he talked to Independent in early 2022. Echoing similar statements he's made in the past, Dinklage had this to say:

"People were just mad because nobody wanted it to be over. I know a lot of people were supposedly surprised by the ending, but if you paid attention, the clues were there. We told you not to name your dog Khaleesi."

Yep, that's hard to argue with! As early as season 3, Dany had left plenty of red flags about her habit of sacking cities and killing hordes of people she deemed deserving of death. Here's a word of advice to those tuning into "House of the Dragon:" Maybe don't turn Rhaenyra into the next popular baby name just yet.