One Game of Thrones death made its star “frustrated,” though it’s one of the cases where the show may have improved upon the books. The Game of Thrones ending was a colossal misstep, leaving many viewers wanting more for iconic characters like Daenerys, Jon Snow, or Arya Stark, who died without fulfilling what was expected to be their full potential. Prior to season 8, Game of Thrones was infamous for regularly committing mass murder on its characters, with multiple scenes where a pack of key cast members were removed from the equation.
Actress Natalie Dormer played Margaery Tyrell through seasons 2 and 6, eventually dying in the show’s most explosive scene. Season 6’s “The Winds of Winter” is arguably the best Game of Thrones finale, regarded for a drastic scene where Cersei Lannister finally defeats the Sparrows and the Tyrells, all in one enormous wildfire explosion. Margaery is one of several major character deaths in this sequence, and Natalie Dormer recently spoke on her frustrations with the moment.
Why Margaery Tyrell’s Death Frustrated Natalie Dormer
Natalie Dormer Wanted More For Margaery In Her Final Moments
Natalie Dormer recently spoke about Margaery’s death, essentially feeling discouraged by the powerlessness of her character in her final moments. Margaery is on the floor of the Sept of Baelor in the scene and is the one person who becomes aware that something terrible is about to happen, trying to convince the High Sparrow to pack it all up and go home. Dormer believes that it might have been the frustration of her character seeping into her own emotions, but she’s not wrong to feel that way about the lack of individuality in her final moment. Read her statement below:
I was frustrated that she went that way, but then she was frustrated in the scene. I was once told by an older actor, don’t get confused. If you’re feeling something, always check yourself that it’s not just your character feeling it and, via osmosis, it’s seeping into you. Because if you’re playing something, your body doesn’t know any different, and if you’re playing something repetitively as you obviously have to on a shoot, sometimes that emotion can seep into you. So, of course, she deserved better. I wanted more for her. But she’s so frustrated in that moment with the Sparrow, so that’s part of it, that’s how you know you’re doing it right, because you’re like, “I just need someone to listen to me a little bit more.”
She was vindicated in the end. It’s just a couple of sentences, but it’s all that needed to be said. I felt like I could let her go in that moment because she said it.
It’s one of the most unique experiences about being an actor when you get those moments of a character recognizing their mortality. That’s a very specific thing, when a character is suddenly facing death, and that is something only your imagination can do.
Margaery possesses a natural power in Game of Thrones through her ability to communicate and manipulate, allowing her to play the political game at the highest level. Thus, to die in a situation amidst a herd of people practically removes any distinction between her and the rest. Margaery is a powerfully individual person, but her death sees her as simply one in a crowd. It makes sense why Dormer would hope that the characters’ words would command more respect in these closing moments, given how prominent she’d been for three seasons.
Ultimately, Dormer admits that she had to accept her character’s fate. She’s expressed passion for the series before, even speaking about her thoughts on season 8 in a recent Q&A with Oxford Union, but she understands what it means to be a professional actor working as a cog on such a massive series. Margaery is still one of the show’s most iconic characters, and it speaks to the effort of Dormer’s performance that she became so prominent, given how infrequently she’s featured in the novels.
Margaery’s Death Was One Of Game Of Thrones’ Best Scenes
“The Winds Of Winter” Was Arguably Peak Game Of Thrones
Even if Margaery’s death isn’t the sole reason audiences remember this scene, the explosion of the Sept of Baelor is one of Game of Thrones’ most iconic moments. Season 6 was arguably the peak moment for the series in hysteria and praise for its quality, with “The Battle of the Bastards” and “The Winds of Winter” airing back to back. To follow up one of the best battles in the Game of Thrones franchise with an almost equally powerful moment was incredibly impressive, and Margaery plays a crucial role in it.
Between Ramin Djawadi’s intense musical score, the performances of the outstanding cast, and the culmination of two seasons of drama, the Sept explosion is remembered as one of the show’s most well-executed scenes. It may not be straight-from-the-source A Song of Ice & Fire material, but the season 6 finale resembles Game of Thrones at the peak of its cultural appeal. It’s high-stakes drama with the added fantastical flare, and the series killing eight important characters in one scene is unparalleled.
|
Character Deaths in the Sept of Baelor Explosion |
Actor |
|---|---|
|
Margaery Tyrell |
Natalie Dormer |
|
Loras Tyrell |
Finn Jones |
|
Mace Tyrell |
Roger Ashton-Griffiths |
|
High Sparrow |
Jonathan Pryce |
|
Lancel Lannister |
Eugene Simon |
|
Pycelle |
Julian Glover |
|
Tommen Baratheon (Died by suicide in the aftermath) |
Dean-Charles Chapman |
|
Kevan Lannister |
Ian Gelder |
Margaery Tyrell Was Better In Game Of Thrones Than A Song Of Ice & Fire
Margaery Isn’t As Prominent In The ASOIAF Novels
While Margaery Tyrell isn’t a bad character in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice & Fire books, she definitely has more room to be explored in the TV series. The novels are broken up by point-of-view chapters, where scenes are explored through a different character’s lens depending on the chapter. Margaery isn’t a POV character in ASOIAF, nor is Joffrey, Tommen, or really any of the characters she shares the majority of her scenes within the show. The TV series bolsters her with many additional moments and characterizations that are absent in Martin’s books.
Cersei Lannister is one of Game of Thrones’ most prominent characters and Margaery’s biggest verbal sparring partner in the show, but Cersei isn’t a POV character until the fourth book. Thus, they barely share scenes together until A Feast for Crows. In A Storm of Swords, which covers Game of Thrones seasons 3 & 4, Margaery’s story mostly appears in Sansa’s chapters and a few of Tyrion and Jaime’s. The show provides Margaery with way more opportunities to shine, building on what’s essentially a blueprint in the ASOIAF texts.
What Will Happen To Margaery In The Books?
Margaery’s Death Will Likely Be Different, But It’s Probably Coming
Margaery is still alive in A Song of Ice & Fire, and she’s currently at the stage where she’s awaiting her trial by the Faith. Due to the added complexities of the books, there’s a chance that her death could be altered, but it’s also not impossible that she’ll die by Cersei’s hand in a similar manner. Ultimately, George R.R. Martin will have to decide which characters are in the end game or not sooner than later, and it’s doubtful that Margaery will be among the final contenders for the Iron Throne when the likes of Daenerys, Cersei, and Aegon all contend for it.
Thus, the question of what will happen to Margaery is essentially what the cause of her death would be. She could be defeated and killed by Cersei. Margaery and the Tyrells could betray Cersei for one of the invading forces, maybe with her marrying Aegon. She might not even survive her trial. The main factor is that Varys is working with Aegon and trying to sow chaos between the Lannisters and Tyrells, so conflict in King’s Landing is imminent, so she may not even last as long in the books as she did in Game of Thrones.