'Game of Thrones' star Maisie Williams says show 'definitely fell by the end'

Maisie Williams gives her final word on the final season of 'Game of Thrones'.

The controversial conclusion of HBO's Emmy-winning fantasy series has left critics and actress Williams less than enthusiastic. "Game of Thrones" ran from 2011 to 2019, with Williams playing warrior Arya Stark.

"It definitely fell in the end," Williams said during a Twitch stream (via ). “But it started very strong. I was heartbroken when Ned [Stark, Arya's father] died, but I knew it was going to happen. For the first time, I could really feel the story."

She continued, "Honestly, it kinda jumped out. I never got to see it from the outside. So I could never say that and actually understand it. For the first time, it feels good to be proud of it. It was 10 years of my life."

Williams has previously reflected on his turn as the younger Stark sibling, revealing that she sometimes "resented" the character during puberty and always believed Arya was queer. Williams said she was "surprised" that Arya had a heterosexual sex scene in the final season that seemed to stray from the character's arc.

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And Williams isn't the only one who saw the show veer off course in later seasons. Author and franchise creator George R.R. Martin has revealed he was "out of the loop" while producing the final seasons of the critically acclaimed series, helmed by showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff.

Martin previously consulted on scripts and casting for the show's first four seasons. "During seasons 5 and 6, and certainly seasons 7 and 8, I was pretty much out of the loop," Martin revealed to The New York Times.

The backlash from the 'Game of Thrones' finale also led HBO to prepare to react to the prequel series 'House of the Dragon,' which shattered the network's ratings records. Casey Bloys, chief content officer of HBO, assured that Martin will remain an integral part of the new series for its entire duration.

"George, for us, in this process has been a very valuable resource," Bloys said of Martin, who co-created "House of Dragon" with showrunner Ryan J. Condal. “He is literally the creator of this world. He is its historian, creator, guardian. And so I can't imagine doing a show that he didn't believe in or that he didn't approve of."

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