“There’s a lot of death this year.”
That was already the common expectation of the final season of Game of Thrones.
After seven seasons of subverting the typical TV trope of the hero always being safe, after Baelor, the Red Wedding, the Mountain and the Viper, fans of the HBO megahit had long learned to brace themselves for extreme emotional impact.
And now that the show is wrapped, and there’s no need to save anything for next year? Oh man, everyone is so doomed!
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Like we said, that was the expectation of fans already — but it’s still chilling to hear a major cast member saying it!
In a pair of new interviews, Maisie Williams teased the bloody end once again…
Not only did she say there would be “a lot of death” she also said the very end is “not going to be okay.” Though that’s less because of the manner and more just the fact?
She mused to Entertainment Weekly:
“People don’t want it to end. No matter how you end it, people don’t want it to end. So the ending is not going to be okay, because ‘the end’ is not okay. You know what I mean? I think the way we end it is right. And I think it’s time.”
So how can fans prepare themselves to not be okay?
Maisie does have a pro tip — rewatch the first season! She explained:
“After reading the scripts I went back and watched season 1 again because so much of it refers back to that season. There are so many scenes that will look similar. And also I watched just to remind myself of the arc I’ve taken already. I wanted Arya to go full circle and try for some kind of normalcy like when she was younger.”
So how does Arya’s story end? [Slight, Vague Spoilers]:
“Basically this year it’s like she has a dual personality — there are so many emotions and memories that come flooding back when you’re with your family and the things that you fight for become very different, yet she’s also remaining on this path to try and kill Cersei and remembering her list and getting closer to that. So there’s this split with Arya between trying to be who she wants to be — getting back to the naïveté and innocence with her family — and unfinished business.”
She also has a major role as the biggest little ally for Sansa Stark, aka Sophie Turner:
“It’s not often you see a character siding with Sansa who’s not manipulating her. Last season it was really tough for Sansa because Jon was thinking with his penis and it kind of made Sansa look bitter. This season you see Arya teaming with Sansa and sometimes calling out Jon. It felt nice and powerful to stand next to Sophie. Sophie and I are the tightest of friends when sitting across from anyone, so no acting required.”
Speaking of sis, how does Sophie feel about the end? In an interview with Rolling Stone, the eldest Stark lass left says proudly:
“I feel very satisfied with the ending of the entire show. Every story arc came to a really good close.”
And what about hers? She LOVES her final scene. In fact, as a parting gift showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss gave her the storyboard of the scene — and she has it hanging in her home as a piece of art!
Hilariously, no one who’s been to her home has noticed and gotten spoiled.
We wonder if there are pics of her walls on her Instagram…
[Image via HBO/YouTube.]