Game of Thrones’ polarizing series finale has been out for nearly a year, having premiered on May 19, 2019, 10 months ago to the day. Now that the smoke and ash have cleared from our figurative King’s Landing, Emilia Clarke, whose character, Daenerys Targaryen, has undergone a swift dramatic trajectory flip, is revealing her dissatisfaction in not only her character’s destiny, but the final season’s general approach.

“Yeah, I felt for (Dany). I really felt for her,” the actress told The Times (Dany).

“And yeah, was I annoyed that Jon Snow didn’t have to deal with something? He got away with murder – literally.”

“I knew how I felt [about the ending] when I first read it, and I tried, at every turn, not to consider too much what other people might say,” Clarke added, “But I did always consider what the fans might think — because we did it for them, and they were the ones who made us successful, so it’s just polite, isn’t it?”

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It’s a sharp departure from her previous statements, in which she supported the story’s path, claiming that it was compatible with Daenerys’ harsher means of retribution, which included crucifixion, burning alive, and imprisoning her foes in a dark locked chamber for all eternity. Despite the severity of her deeds, there was a feeling of just desserts being served, at least from the perspective of the show’s quasi-medieval lens.

Despite her disappointment that Daenerys did not have a “happy ending,” Emilia Clarke believes Game of Thrones was “a gift” to her as an actor. Clarke also stated that the last season, which lasted only six episodes, could have been stretched out a little longer, especially because so much emphasis was placed on enormous set pieces rather than the character-driven dialogue exchanges that the series was known for. Clarke explained, “It was all about the set pieces. I think the sensational nature of the show was, possibly, given a huge amount of airtime because that’s what makes sense.”

Clarke previously discussed the last season and stated the sequences she would have preferred to have recorded for her character, as well as admitting her heartbreak over the showrunners’ criticism.

“I was too busy focusing on my own reactions to really pay too much attention,” she explained.

“The only thing I felt truthfully sad about was that David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss] are my really good friends, and so it’s for them that I feel heartbreak, because it’s theirs.”

HBO Go now has all eight seasons of “Game of Thrones” available to view. The complete interview with Clarke with The Times is now available online.