Lili Reinhart Wrote a Savage Message to Fans Petitioning for a ‘Game of Thrones’ Do-over
More than 800,000 fans have signed a petition for HBO to remake the eighth season of Game of Thrones. One person who’s not on board with this, though, is Lili Reinhart. The Riverdale star took to Instagram on Thursday (May 16) to shut down those in favor of this lofty request, which knocks GoT showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss as “woefully incompetent writers.”
“This is not how television works,” Reinhart wrote in a comment under Variety‘s post about the petition. “TV shows are not fan service. It’s ridiculous of people to think they can demand creative change from artists.”
Reinhart’s comment has sparked a bit of a debate about whether or not television actually is “fan service.” “The customer is the fan and if the customer doesn’t like the product, actors, [or] shows, then the money stops coming in. Without the fans, there isn’t a show because there is no money,” one person wrote.
“I agree that demanding a change of directing is unrealistic; however, it comes to show that people find it hard to bid farewell,” wrote another.
Check out Lili Reinhart‘s message for yourself, below. (And head on over to Variety‘s Instagram page to read more comments.)
To call season eight of Game of Thrones divisive would be an understatement. The show’s depiction of its female characters has been a point of particular criticism and concern—so much so that stars like Jessica Chastain have chimed in. After Sansa’s sexual assault backstory was put in an “empowering” light, the Molly’s Game actor tweeted, “Rape is not a tool to make a character stronger. A woman doesn’t need to be victimized in order to become a butterfly. The #littlebird was always a Phoenix. Her prevailing strength is solely because of her. And her alone. #GameOfThrones.”
Game of Thrones ends once and for all this Sunday starting at 9:00 P.M. ET on HBO. Fingers crossed that the showrunners deliver a finale that satisfies fans.