Episode 4 of the final season of Game of Thrones premiered Sunday, and while many were expecting a major turning point on who would obtain the Iron Throne, fans were surprised to see a modern-day element within Westeros. Twitter blew up shortly after the episode's premiere with a picture of a lone Starbucks cup left on a table, right in front of Daenerys Targaryen, aka Mother of Dragons.
"You're telling me they had TWO YEARS to put together a decent show and they couldn't even spot the god**** Starbucks cup in Winterfell," Buzzfeed Australia editor Jenna Guillaume questioned on Twitter.
While many fans were clearly not amused by the mistake, the coffee giant seized the advertising opportunity. Starbucks commented on the matter Monday and noted the "surprise" of the Mother of Dragons not sipping on a "Dragon Drink."
Nope, it is not a figment of the Starbucks Twitter manager's imagination. The drink is, indeed, a real thing.
"This tropical-inspired pick-me-up is crafted with a refreshing combination of sweet mango and dragonfruit flavors, hand shaken with creamy coconut milk and ice and a scoop of real diced dragon fruit," the beverage's description read.
The drink is currently available in the U.S. and Canada.
This isn't the first time this season that Game of Thrones producers have found themselves in an editing scandal. Following the premiere of Episode 3, viewers complained that "The Long Night" episode was too dark for proper viewing, and cinematographer Fabian Wagner defended the aesthetic.
He explained that he wanted viewers to have a "cool episode to watch" and reasoned that television settings and sub-optimal viewing situations were likely more to blame than the creative team. He noted that he knew the shooting of the show wasn't too dark, because he shot the scene.
In light of the most recent backlash, some users on Twitter used Wagner's own words to predict the show's defense of keeping the modern cup in the scene.
Game of Thrones Cinematographer: There were not too many coffee cups in the shot, it was supposed to be there. I know cause I filmed it! #GamefThrones pic.twitter.com/ez1OS4QWuL
— Nik (@NikFellToEarth) May 6, 2019
Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 5 is slated to premiere Sunday, May 12, at 9 p.m. ET on HBO. Game of Thrones is an HBO original, so anyone without HBO will have to get access to it to watch. There are few options for those looking for a free trial, but the trial only lasts a week, so after that, they'll have to pay for the service. Users can sign up for their free trial on the HBO website. Viewers with a cable package that includes HBO can access it through HBO Now. They can also sign up for HBO independent of a cable package and view on HBO Go.
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