Fans of Geek Culture have never been shy about expressing their feelings regarding the films and television shows that they love, from letter writing efforts in the 1960s when the original Star Trek television series was threatened with cancellation to launching #ReleaseTheSnyderCut in an effort to have Warner Bros. bring director Zack Snyder’s version of Justice League to the big screen.
Such efforts have not only been about protest, however, but contained elements of social goodwill as well. When the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spinoff series Angel was threatened with cancellation in 2004, for instance, fans organized blood drives across the country in support of the show, while #ReleaseTheSnyderCut raised over $100,000 for the American Federation for Suicide Prevention by the end of 2019.
That same year fans once again united in both protest and charity fundraising during the final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones. Based on the still ongoing series of books by author George R.R. Martin, the television version launched in 2011 and became not only an immediate success but a cultural phenomenon as well. With the series coming to an end after eight seasons and having ventured beyond the finished books by Martin, everyone eagerly awaited a satisfying conclusion that appealed to the immense fanbase that had developed over the years.
While such a task may never have been possible given the scope of Game of Thrones fandom, few expected the disappointing plot twists and lack of quality writing that ultimately defined the final season of the show. Although there were many who enjoyed the unfolding plot, a vast majority of fans and critics alike were dismayed when heroine Daenerys Targaryen turned villain and previous psychological development experienced by other characters fell to the wayside.
One such fan decided to vocalize his disappointment by launching a petition on Change.org that called for the entire season to be scrapped and re-filmed by a different set of showrunners. “David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have proven themselves to be woefully incompetent writers when they have no source material (i.e. the books) to fall back on,” the petition stated. “This series deserves a final season that makes sense. Subvert my expectation and make it happen, HBO!” Disgruntled fans from all media and genres have utilized Change.org in the past to vent their frustration but generally found a lack of any significant support. In the case of “Remake Game of Thrones Season 8 with competent writers,” however, the petition struck a chord and not only garnered media attention but over 1.8 million signatures as well.
A majority of the media attention was on the negative side, as many pundits slammed the efforts as both naïve and unrealistic. Although most readily acknowledged that the final season of Game of Thrones was indeed plagued by poor plot decisions and writing efforts, all were likewise in agreement that it was not up to fans to demand narratives that solely lived up to their own expectations.
Various actors from Game of Thrones also weighed in at the time. “All of these petitions and things like that,” Sophie Turner, who portrayed Sansa Stark on the series, told the New York Times. “It’s disrespectful to the crew, and the writers, and the filmmakers who have worked tirelessly over ten years, and for eleven months shooting the last season.”
Caught off guard by the success of the petition and corresponding media attention, the petition’s author – who went by the name Dylan – posted an update to clarify his intentions. “I don’t think people can reasonably expect HBO to completely remake the season, or any part of this particular series,” he wrote. “It costs a fortune to shoot one episode, and I think most signers understand that. Will HBO lose gobs of money over this? Eh probably not. As Heath Ledger’s Joker once said, ‘It’s not about the money, it’s about sending a message.’ And I think the message is one of frustration and disappointment at its core.”
After the final season of Game of Thrones concluded, another group of fans from the same Reddit community that gave rise to the petition launched a new effort that not only supported fan favorite Daenerys Targaryen – considered by many as the heroine of the show before her season eight turn to the dark side – but raised money for actress Emilia Clarke’s charity SameYou as well.
Daenerys Targaryen once stated, “I will answer injustice with justice.” Maintaining that the character herself had suffered “injustice” during season eight, the resulting “Justice for Daenerys” didn’t argue for a remake but instead offered their gratitude to Clarke and the rest of the cast and crew of Game of Thrones through the charity fundraiser.
“Since the tongue-in-cheek nature of that petition has flown over a lot of peoples’ heads – to the point that it’s prompted backlash from some of the cast – we wanted to show that Game of Thrones fans appreciate the hard work of the incredible cast and crew despite their constraints,” the organizers explained.
SameYou was launched by Emilia Clarke in March 2019 and corresponded with an essay she wrote for the New Yorker that revealed she had suffered two brain aneurisms over the course of filming Game of Thrones – the first following the completion of season one and the second after season two.
“But I survived,” she explained. “In the years since my second surgery I have healed beyond my most unreasonable hopes. I am now at a hundred per cent. Beyond my work as an actor, I’ve decided to throw myself into a charity I’ve helped develop in conjunction with partners in the U.K. and the U.S. It is called SameYou, and it aims to provide treatment for people recovering from brain injuries and stroke.”
Justice for Daenerys allowed fans to express their gratitude towards Emilia Clarke, raising over $130,000 in support of SameYou. A second campaign was likewise launched in honor of another Game of Thrones actor, Kit Harrington, who portrayed Jon Snow on the series. Over $50,000 was raised during the campaign’s first week for Royal Mencap Society, a UK-based charity that “works to support people with a learning disability, their families and carers by fighting to change laws, improve services and access to education, employment and leisure facilities.”
Kit Harrington had previously spoken publicly about having a cousin with a learning disability and that he subsequently volunteered as an “ambassador” to Mencap. Harrington was touched by the fundraiser, making an approximately $10,000 donation himself and writing, “To those of you who set up this page in my name and to those of you who contributed and left messages, please accept my deepest and most heartfelt thank you. The donations page lifted my heart and brought tears to my eyes – what a beautiful gift to receive.”
Emilia Clarke was likewise overwhelmed by the generosity of Game of Thrones fans. “I’m so incredibly moved and blown away and grateful,” she said in an online video. “Your Reddit page has made my day, week, month, year, decade, and I couldn’t think of a more beautiful way to wave goodbye to the Mother of Dragons than with this step towards making brain injury sufferers feel less alone.”
Having portrayed Daenerys Targaryen for eight seasons on HBO, Clarke obviously had her own thoughts regarding the character’s fate in the series finale. While traversing the fine line between not criticizing the show’s writers and expressing her own disappointment, she ended one particular interview by walking away from the camera before turning back and declaring, “I stand by Daenerys. I stand by her! I can’t not.”
An untold number of fans agreed, and found contrasting way to demonstrate their own willingness to “stand by” the character. For some, it was by voicing their frustration through a petition that was simply meant as a way to express their dissatisfaction. For others, it was by making donations that showed their support for not only Emilia Clarke but the entire cast and crew who were involved with the show.
The conclusion of Game of Thrones may have been a disappointment to many, but the show and the characters still proved to be a source of inspiration for millions of fans right up to the very end nonetheless.
Anthony Letizia