Over 200,000 furious “Game of Thrones” fans have signed a petition calling for the eighth season of the HBO series to be remade “with competent writers” as it heads into its final episode this weekend.
The petition, created by Dylan D on Change.org, was created following the huge backlash after the penultimate episode five of “Game of Thrones’” final season aired. At the time of writing, it had drawn over 270,000 signatures and counting.
As the series heads toward its conclusion, hordes of angry fans are calling on the cable station to remake the season entirely, without its Emmy-winning writer-showrunners David Benioff and D.B Weiss.
“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,” the petition reads.
“This series deserves a final season that makes sense. Subvert my expectations and make it happen, HBO!”
Season eight, like seasons six and seven, has not been based on the books by author George R. R. Martin. It is one of the reasons, along with its rushed pacing, why “Game of Thrones” fans believe the season has gone downhill.
Droves of fans left comments on the Change.org page stating why they chose to sign the petition.
One fan wrote: “The story fell apart, the characters became caricatures of themselves--and some worse, unrecognizable--and the world lost the cohesiveness and believability it had maintained previously.
“Sad to say, I'll be watching the final episode to see how this train-wreck settles into its own trash heap. I would *adore* it if I were proved wrong, but I’m not holding my breath,” the fan continued.
Another commented: “I spent years on this show. And how it ended is a complete disappointment.”
A disappointed fan added: ”Because season 8 is a joke and an insult to the fans who have invested 7 years of their lives into this… if HBO wants to keep having fans they should respect them.”
Another wrote “Bring back the GoT I fell in love with. Bring back the show we loved.”
However, one angry “Game of Thrones” fan said they didn’t want the pair “anywhere near ‘Star Wars’ either.”
“This [season eight] was abysmal,” they added.
Responding to the episode’s negative reviews, Danish actor Pilou Asbæk—who starred as the recently deceased Euron Grey—showed support for the writers.
“Some people are very angry and some people are very happy. I think, guys, just ... please. Everyone has done the best work they could, under the circumstances they could, and I think it will stand the test of time.”
The final episode of “Game of Thrones’” divisive eighth and last season will air on Sunday, May 19.
