Game of Thrones Creator's Wife Amanda Peet Says She 'Didn't Understand' Series Finale Backlash

The actress has been married to David Benioff since 2006

Published on June 25, 2020 01:40 PM

Game of Thrones weathered some serious criticism over the course of its last season — but Amanda Peet stands by the epic saga's conclusion.

During a virtual appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen on Wednesday, Peet, who has been married to Thrones co-creator and showrunner David Benioff since 2006, was asked for her thoughts on the series finale and subsequent controversy.

"I have to ask you as your husband is the co-creator, what did you think of the finale?" Andy Cohen asked. "It got so much crap, but what did you think?"

"I mean, he's right there!" Peet said with a smile, pointing across the room before continuing.

"I had read it, and I loved it when I read it, and I continue to stand by it," she said. "I just feel like maybe some people couldn't — didn't want to say goodbye, I don't know. Look, maybe I'm just too close to it. But I didn't understand the blowback. For God's sake, people, it's a television show!"

Amanda Peet, David Benioff — Frazer Harrison/Getty

The eighth and final season of the hit HBO show aired last year to mixed reviews from fans, though it broke the record for most Emmy nominations in a single year. The May 2019 series finale, in particular, faced some of the harshest backlash, prompting viewers to launch a petition calling for the final season to be remade with different writers. The petition, launched on change.org, racked up over 1.8 million signatures.

Overall, the cast has been outspoken in their defense of the show.

"I think no matter what anyone thinks about this season — and I don't mean to sound mean about critics here — but whatever critic spends half an hour writing about this season and makes their negative judgment on it, in my head they can go f— themselves," star Kit Harington told Esquire last year.

Harington, 33, also pointed out how hard the cast and crew worked over the past decade.

"I know how much work was put into this. I know how much people cared about this," he said. "I know how much pressure people put on themselves and I know how many sleepless nights working or otherwise people had on this show. Because they cared about it so much. Because they cared about the characters. Because they cared about the story. Because they cared about not letting people down."

"Now if people feel let down by it, I don't give a f—," he added. "That's how I feel."

Emilia Clarke recently reflected on the backlash, telling The Sunday Times in March that she agreed with the critique that the final season condensed too much in too little time, and that it could have used more dialogue.

"We could have spun it out for a little longer," she said. "It was all about the set pieces. I think the sensational nature of the show was, possibly, given a huge amount of airtime because that's what makes sense."

Ultimately, she acknowledged that having to cater to such a massive audience takes a toll on an actor, saying, "Doing a show so many people had opinions about doesn’t serve your creativity on any level."