Note: this article contains spoilers for Game of Thrones season 8, episode 3
Having unleashed the epic battle of Winterfell, Game of Thrones is now primed to pit Daenerys against Cersei in a cataclysmic “last war“.
Who will emerge the victor? It’s anyone’s guess. Except, of course, for the many cast and crew members who are in on the secret.
Speaking to Digital Spy, actor Joe Dempsie – who plays Gendry on HBO’s epic fantasy series – admitted that he doesn’t understand why bookies are offering odds on how Game of Thrones will end, given how easily the betting could be gamed by those in the know.
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“I’ve not told anyone [how it ends], because I genuinely don’t want to spoil it,” Dempsie said. “And with these spoilers, it’s not just telling a mate a secret. These things will grow exponentially. It only takes them telling two more mates the next day down the pub, and the secret’s out.
“With the betting side of it, why would you offer a market on something that quite a large number of people do know the answer to? A considerable number of people!”
Fair point.
However the series finale draws the eight-year saga to a close, Dempsie’s convinced that it’ll divide opinion. “It’s so hard to end anything – to bring anything to a conclusion that you feel is broadly satisfying, and without compromising, and being surprising as well,” he explained.
“I’ve been talking about that a lot with Game of Thrones. I don’t envy David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss, showrunners] with the task of bringing this thing to an end.
“There’s millions of people waiting with bated breath, and they’ve all got their own idea about how to do it. You can’t possibly please everyone.”
The good news for Gendry fans is that he’s made it into the final season’s concluding half, having survived the battle of Winterfell.
HBO
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The Baratheon heir – who famously spent four years missing, after paddling away from King’s Landing in a row boat – also survived his last encounter with the White Walkers. Last season, he ran all the way from beyond the Wall back to Eastwatch – a distance of roughly 60 miles that he appeared to cover in minutes.
Dempsie previously revealed that the script for ‘Beyond the Wall’ even acknowledged Gendry’s apparently superhuman running abilities.
Joking about the two memes, he told us: “I remember someone saying to me, ‘In a Game of Thrones Olympic team, is Gendry a runner or a rower?’ – well, he’s not winning any medals for rowing! He’s not breaking any world records.
“I think he’s found his calling with the running.”
Joe Dempsie stars in Deep State season 2, starting Thursday, May 9 at 9pm on FOX.
Game of Thrones season 8 airs on HBO in the US and Sky Atlantic and NOW TV in the UK. Tune in to Digital Spy’s Game of Thrones livestreams on Monday evenings, straight after each episode, on Instagram and Facebook.
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