Accidentally appearing in the background of season 8 of Daenerys break bad at Kings Landing. But of the moments in the final season that drew a reaction, the most unexpected—and one that's still talked about to this day—is a coffee cup making a cameo.
The final season of Game of Thrones didn't go as planned for HBO. Following a couple of well-received early episodes, harsh criticism seemed to dominate the conversation online. From complaints about dark episodes to confusing character choices, the show received so much backlash that a petition to redo season 8 went viral. Game of Thrones actors later revealed the backlash was so intense that it even made it into the conversations among the cast.
Perhaps unfairly, the D.B. Weiss, was the culprit who left the cup.
On Game of Thrones, they say, "What is dead may never die," and that couldn't be more true with the coffee cup. Despite being digitally removed, the Game of Thrones coffee has become a symbol for everything wrong with the show. After all, thoughts about pacing and storylines are subjective. They can vary from person to person. But the coffee cup is a tangible error all Game of Thrones detractors can agree on. It's a rallying cry for everyone upset with season 8. Finally, people have proof that the creators don't care about the show. If they did, they would've noticed it, right? Despite just being a tiny mistake, the coffee cup has now been blown up into the ground zero of all television errors.
There are many issues with season 8 of Game of Thrones, but the coffee cup is far from the worst. The shortened season made character choices, such as Daenerys' turn into the Mad Queen, feel incredibly abrupt. Also, the showrunners chose storylines simply for shock value. Arya killed the Night King because it would subvert expectations, not because it was organically baked into the show. Additionally, tons of shows and movies have way worse background errors. There was even a car in Braveheart. Yet, when problems with Game of Thrones are brought up, the coffee cup is always front and center. Perhaps it's time to move it back into the background.