HBO Again Defends 'Game of Thrones' Finale Against Backlash: 'Twitter Isn't Real Life'

Three years later, HBO is still holding the controversial 'Game of Thrones' finale that aired in 2019.

With the upcoming "House of the Dragon" prequel series releasing on August 21, the Targaryen Clan's story is once again at the center of the "Thrones" universe, even after its only surviving heiress Daenerys (Emilia Clarke ) had his fate sealed in the original series finale. According to Casey Bloys, Chief Content Officer at HBO and HBO Max, the ending of Season 8 has upended fan expectations and especially caused a "social media backlash".

“I think in many parts of our society, we are reminded that Twitter is not real life,” Bloys said. "We knew it was going to be divisive and of course you want all the fans to be happy, but that's never going to happen. There weren't many people walking around discouraged or upset. It's a take that reads well, but probably doesn't entirely reflect the feelings of the viewer."

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Telling the Targaryen story now comes with a new challenge.

"I liked the idea of ​​focusing on one family, and obviously the Targaryens have a lot of drama to do," Bloys continued. "I also liked the echo of how quickly empires can fall - those are the kinds of conversations we have in our own country, which I don't think we would have thought we were talking about 20 years ago. year. ”

He summed up, "The shows are a product of their time, and there's a lot more awareness now about what we stand for and why – and who's having the conversations about it."

George R.R. Martin, author of 'Game of Thrones,' addressed fan outcry over the end of the Targaryens after eight seasons.

"The fucking toxic internet and those podcasts saying season eight left such a bad impression that people are like, 'Oh, I'm never gonna watch them again,'" Martin said. "I don't trust them anymore."

Martin called 'House of the Dragon' a "Shakespearean tragedy" with an even darker message and tone than 'Game of Thrones'.

"There's no Arya - a character everyone will love. They're all flawed," Martin explained. "They're all human. They do good things. They do bad things. . They are driven by lust for power, jealousy, old wounds, just like human beings. Just like I wrote them."

House of the Dragon, however, already received internet hate before its release. Main star Steve Toussaint, who plays Corlys Velaryon and marries the Targaryen family, noted that he endured racist messages from so-called fans during his casting announcement.

"I didn't realize [casting] was a big deal until I was racially attacked on social media," Toussaint told THR. “Yeah, that shit happened. I was just like, 'Oh wow,' and then I thought, 'OK, so this means a lot to some people, but I can't let that bother me.'"

Toussaint continued, "It's a diverse world that [George R.R.] Martin has created if you look [beyond Westeros], and I think this series comes close."

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