Fans have expressed their deep dissatisfaction with Game of Thrones season 8 so far, so much so that one fan created a petition calling for a remake of the season with all new writers. The first season of the long-running HBO show originally premiered on April 17, 2011. Eight years later, the eighth and final season is about to come to an end, but with the way things are going so far, it doesn't seem likely the finale will leave fans satisfied.
Set in the fictional land of Westeros, and originally based on George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels, the racy and mature show has gained a huge fan following over the years. The popularity of the show has decreased, arguably, in later seasons that branched away from the plot of Martin's novels. No other Game of Thrones season has met with so much criticism, however, than the current and final one. Making matters worse, the show became subject to meme culture earlier this month, with #CoffeGate. The meme references the unfortunate error in the episode “The Last of the Starks," in which a disposable coffee cup humorously appears in a post-battle sequence.
Now, a new Change.org petition has been launched calling for a season 8 remake of Game of Thrones "with competent writers." As of this writing, the petition has over 17,000 signatures. The petition was started by Dylan D., who writes, "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. This series deserves a final season that makes sense. Subvert my expectations and make it happen, HBO!" Another Game of Thrones fan, Dugan, said, "I don't want these two anywhere near Star Wars, either. This was abysmal," referencing recent news that Benioff and Weiss' Star Wars film will the first after the much-hyped next installment, Rise of the Skywalker.
UPDATE (May 16, 2019): The petition is now at 350,000 signatures.
This petition is no joke to the fans who created it, and the number of signatures so far proves it. Whether or not the petition actually works, is another story. Aside from the fact that petitions like this rarely, if ever work, it would cost HBO far too much money to remake an entire season of Game of Thrones. Further, the actors would have to be willing, and available, to reshoot the final season, which is unlikely because their contracts are up. Plus, if they did hire all new writers, there is no guarantee that fans would in fact prefer an alternative version of season 8. Dylan D. suggests that returning to the source material, Martin's novel series, would bring the show back to its former glory, but considering the novels haven't been written or published yet, that's impossible. It also should be noted Martin did consult with Benioff and Weiss on the Game of Thrones seasons that cover story in the author's not yet published books.
This is hardly the first time fans have been disappointed in an HBO series' final season, and the network isn't known for giving into fan complaints. HBO's True Blood, also based on novels, namely The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris, met with criticism during its final airing as well. The finale did redeem the show for some, however, so there is still hope out there for the season 8 finale of Game of Thrones.
Game of Thrones season 8 concludes Sunday May 19th at 9pm ET on HBO.
Source: Dylan D./Change.org