It’s a faux-medieval fantasy world of magic, dragons and heroic warriors … and possibly at least one coffee shop.
Fans of Game of Thrones have been reacting with bemusement and anger after a coffee cup from present-day Earth made an erroneous appearance in one of the latest episodes of the TV juggernaut, which has returned for its final season.
The offending item was spotted on a table in a scene where metal goblets and hollowed-out animal horns were the utensils of choice during a celebratory feast at Winterfell castle.
The show’s legion of fans were quick to react, with a general consensus soon forming that the cup, which appeared in episode four of the show’s eighth and final season, was from the Seattle-based coffee firm Starbucks.
However, HBO told Buzzfeed it was not from Starbucks.
“The latte that appeared in the episode was a mistake,” HBO said in a statement. “Daenerys had ordered an herbal tea.”
my favorite show in the entire world forgot a STARBUCKS COFFEE CUP ON THE TABLE WHILE FILMING pic.twitter.com/60z3pOCfg9
— zane (@zane) May 6, 2019
But the memes were already out of the bag, with suggestions that Emilia Clarke’s character of Daenerys Targaryen, who was sitting at the table where the cup was placed, needed her fix of caffeine just as much as any queen struggling to exert her claim to the throne.
That Winterfell starbucks cashier ain't ready to write Dany's name on her coffee cup #GameofThrones pic.twitter.com/N4ktWH1NlJ
— Joseph (@TheGeneralSYD) May 6, 2019
There was also frustration on the part of many fans, who drew a link between the blunder and complaints that other standards had slipped as the show neared its end.
“Game of Thrones – the final season. Where we need to make it all work, so we just get lazy with the writing,” complained one viewer on Twitter.
Such complaints are likely to get short shrift from Kit Harington, who plays Jon Snow and shared screen time with the coffee cup.
The actor launched a vociferous attack last month on all critics of Game of Thrones, saying they knew nothing.
The outrage over the coffee cup echoes reaction to a viral photo from 2017, apparently showing a pick-up truck in the snow-laden distance of one Game of Thrones scene. It was subsequently discovered the image had come from a behind the scenes featurette.
News from Winterfell.
— Game of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) May 6, 2019
The latte that appeared in the episode was a mistake. #Daenerys had ordered an herbal tea. pic.twitter.com/ypowxGgQRl
