“House of the Dragon” actor Paddy Considine comments on the controversial finale of “Game of Thrones”. Before participating in the prequel “Game of Thrones”, Considine was known primarily for his roles in the films “The Wolf”, “Macbeth” and “Peaky Blinders”. The British actor will play King Viserys I Targaryen in the prequel series alongside Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Rhys Evans and Graham McTavish. The House of the Dragon takes place 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones and will chronicle the fall of House Targaryen and the events leading up to the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons. The Targaryen–themed series is the first of many planned Game of Thrones spin-offs currently in development and airing on HBO on August 21.
It’s been three years since the eighth season of Game of Thrones aired on HBO. The six-episode season was packed, ending the War for the Iron Throne and the battle against the White Walkers. The overall reception of season 8 was mixed, with negative reactions pointing to the shorter duration of the season, as well as the creative decisions of showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. Many believed that the final part of “Game of Thrones” negatively affected the plot and the characters beloved by fans. The eighth season of Game of Thrones is arguably one of the most controversial television seasons to date, and has even been criticized by actors such as Kit Harrington, Maisie Williams, Peter Dinklage and Lena Headey. There is a month left before the release of “House of the Dragon”, and another actor commented on the controversial final season of the original.
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EW met with the cast and crew of “House of the Dragon” to discuss the long-awaited spin-off. Among the many topics raised, including the newly developed but dangerous Iron Throne, the 8th season of Game of Thrones was discussed, in particular, how an ambiguous reception could “turn off” fans and critics from future spin-offs. Considine, who is a fan of “Thrones”, does not fully agree with this opinion, but understands why some may think so, saying:
“When you’ve been living with something for so many years and watching these characters on this adventure, I think people start coming up with their own endings. I feel like some of this probably happened. And I was probably one of them, too.”
Considine’s comments suggest he was also referring to another perfect “Game of Thrones” ending, different from the final version, but doesn’t hold a grudge. Co-showrunner Ryan Kondal also expressed his opinion, saying that although he is focused on creating a worthy successor in the House of the Dragon, the negative reaction to the 8th season of Game of Thrones will not affect the creative decisions of the show. This may seem inconsistent with the trend in the industry where fans are trying to play a more important role by influencing creative and casting decisions on television and movies. However, given that “House of the Dragon” is run by prominent female characters such as Princess Rainira Targaryen and Alicent Hightower, the spin-off already seems to be correcting the mistake that Game of Thrones viewers pointed out when it comes to portraying women.
It remains to be seen whether the “House of the Dragon” will justify the hype or, in this case, dispel the anxiety of many “Game of Thrones” fans who are still recovering from the disappointing final season. However, unlike the 8th season of “Game of Thrones”, the spin-off is based on the existing knowledge of George R. R. Martin, in particular on the novel “Flame and Blood”. This may make the story more coherent and reduce the number of potential plot holes and unfinished ends, but exactly how the audience will like it will not be clear until the premiere of “House of the Dragon” next month.
