Gemma Whelan has revealed she was “thwacked around the face” by the Daenerys Targaryen mad queen twist in Game of Thrones.
The actress played Yara Greyjoy on the HBO fantasy drama, a loyal ally to the dragon queen who ended up burning down King’s Landing and being killed by her lover/nephew Jon Snow (Kit Harington).
While Yara called for Jon to be murdered following his betrayal of Dany, it turns out Gemma quite enjoyed Dany’s descent into madness and how the show ended.
She also disputes the idea that Dany’s villainy came on too suddenly, even though a lot of viewers probably wouldn’t agree with that train of thought…
HBO
Related: How Game of Thrones would have ended if the cast got its way
“When I read [Dany’s mad queen plot], I was quite, you know – it was a bold choice,” Gemma told Radio Times.
“I loved it. I liked that things moved pacily. The other complaint people have is that this season dragged, so how can you win?
“Great that it went on at a lick and how exciting that we all kind of got thwacked round the face with it.”
Of course, Gemma isn’t the first GoT star to speak positively of the show’s ending.
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Greyworm actor Jacob Anderson has expressed disappointment in fan backlash to the final season, while GoT creator George RR Martin has gone as far as to call it “toxic”.
GoT director Miguel Sapochnik has also defended the decision, as well as Daenerys Targaryen herself, Emilia Clarke.
The defence rests.
Game of Thrones aired on HBO in the US, and you can also catch up on the show via Hulu. Viewers in the UK can catch up via Sky Atlantic and NOW TV.
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