Twitter Trolls Game of Thrones Because We’re All Still Pissed About That Ending

Few television finales have been as disappointing or infuriating as the final season of Game of Thrones. And despite it feeling like an eternity since the show’s season 8 finale in 2019, fans still hold a grudge that rivals Arya Stark’s list of names. This was made clear by the overwhelming response to a tweet from HBO’s official Game of Thrones Twitter account, which simply read, “Winter is coming.” The tweet was a nod to the 10th anniversary of the premiere of the HBO series.

First off, winter is not, in fact coming. Summer is coming (at least to the northern hemisphere). Check a calendar. But fans had much larger grievances to air in response to the tweet. The innocuous tweet was met with an outpouring of anger, jokes, and demands that HBO remake the final season a la the Snyder Cut. The clapbacks came fast and furious:

Even brands like Steak-umms and Velveeta got in on the action:

Soon, both “GOT” and “Season 8” were trending. The world coming together to dunk on Game of Thrones is a poignant reminder of how devoted the fandom was to this often stunning and as often problematic series, and of the raw anger that came from such an underwhelming final season. It also reminded me of one of my favorite aspects of the series: its deeply online fandom.

GOT, like all major genre series, had its fair share of toxic fans. But it also had a wide swath of clever and creative nerds that loved riffing on the series. Has another show even come close to all the GIFs, memes, and internet jokes inspired by this show? Seeing everyone tweeting about GOT made me nostalgic for those pre-pandemic days when the world would come together to talk shit about that week’s episode.

GOT‘s fandom even became a cathartic outlet during the Trump years, where comparisons of the Trump family to Prince Joffrey and other evil characters became its own meme. Every time something horrible would happen, you’d be sure to come across an Arya’s list meme or a “The North Remembers” posting. And while there has been no shortage of new series angling for the spot that GOT once claimed in our hearts (including countless GOT spinoffs in development at HBO Max), few have inspired the same online love and community as Game of Thrones.

Who knew you could miss making fun of something so much? Maybe we really do know nothing, Jon Snow.

(image: HBO)

(featured image: HBO)

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Chelsea Steiner

Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.

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