May 6, 2019 2 min read Last night's episode of Game of Thrones featured several familiar sights to fans of the show. The Starks were back in Winterfell, their family home, surrounded by their friends. Among them were Tyrion and Jaime Lannister, who traveled to the north together in the show's first episode. We saw the Hound and Samwell Tarly. Even Daenerys Targaryen -- or Khaleesi, as many have come to call her -- was there, sitting beside Jon Snow. But in front of Daenerys, there was something familiar even to those who have never seen the show. 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 In all likelihood, the coffee cup was simply left on set by mistake. However, Game of Thrones has always been known for its attention to detail, leading some fans wonder whether its placement was intentional. Perhaps showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss (who were actually in the scene with the coffee cup) will introduce time travel in the final two episodes of the show and Daenerys will be able to pop out for a pumpkin spice latte whenever she likes. Personally, I like to think that Starbucks decided to open a new unit in Westeros after taking over every street corner in New York. Related: You Can't Buy a Starbucks Franchise: Here's Why and What You Can Do Instead<doc-sep>The fourth episode of Game of Thrones’ eighth and final season, “The Last of the Starks,” was full of shocking and controversial twists — but perhaps none as startling as a modern-day Starbucks cup left in plain view during the Winterfell party scene. Fans picked up on a very inappropriately placed coffee cup in the background, just hours after the episode premiered: 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 And it didn’t take long after that for the shot to spread rapidly across social media, with some fans choosing to celebrate the flub rather than mock it on Monday morning: Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms, the Mother of Dragons, the Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, the Unburnt, the Breaker of Chains, and Drinker of Pumpkin Spice pic.twitter.com/BOPdolRhXz — Ira Madison III (@ira) May 6, 2019 Perfectly reasonable explanation for what appears to be a Starbucks cup during the latest Game of Thrones episode. pic.twitter.com/MP6FAhKO4T — Simon (@Tuffty88) May 6, 2019 I found where she got the Starbucks cup from #GameofThrones pic.twitter.com/46XztK2QjV — John Beck (@johnbeck_) May 6, 2019 Despite their ironic affection for the gaffe, fans have also made sure to call it out as evidence of the show’s sloppy production values and questionable budget: You're telling me they had TWO YEARS to put together a decent show and they couldn't even spot the goddamn Starbucks cup in Winterfell??!?! #GameOfThrones pic.twitter.com/8opg7nyydv — Jenna Guillaume (@JennaGuillaume) May 6, 2019 Costumes $150 Direwolf CGI $3 Extras $200 Starbucks $3,600 Writing staff $0 someone who is good at television please help me budget this. my show is sucking — tony (@sadvil) May 6, 2019 the starbucks cup... as if we needed any more proof they dont give a shit pic.twitter.com/948IakEUe1 — we're not suicidal just angels who want to go bac (@danystormborn) May 6, 2019 It didn’t help that astute viewers quickly realized that the showrunners themselves, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, had cameos in the scene, and still no one managed to notice the wayward cup: TFW YOU'RE SO INTO YOUR HITCHCOCK CAMEO YOU DON'T NOTICE THE STARBUCKS CUP https://t.co/ryL3fWegDf — Ellie Hall (@ellievhall) May 6, 2019 As amusing as all this is, it’s also an opportunity for fans to vent their frustrations with Game of Thrones in general, using the Starbucks cup as a sort of synecdoche for their overarching problems with this season of the show thus far: I think the Starbucks cup is really a metaphor for how sloppy the plotting of this season has been. You hate to see it but it's staring you in the face. — fred fujiwara (@nkem_x) May 6, 2019 “I hate where the writing is going overall,” one fan wrote in a Twitter thread (which discusses a major episode spoiler). “Everything is feeling rushed and some of the build up and ideas for the past seasons are just getting overlooked. Just like that Starbucks cup.” Y’all can talk about the writing and killing black characters and blah blah blah but that Starbucks cup is the real spit in the face LMAO — Special Guest: Tyra Banks fan acct (@baskgod) May 6, 2019 Viewers have increasingly called out the show this season for its sexist and racist treatment of various characters and what seem like the characters’ inexplicable motivations. The Starbucks cup, at least for now, may be the perfect representative of all of these complaints — ironically giving the fandom something to unite around in the series’ final weeks. when you want to be ruler of the seven kingdoms but all anyone wants to talk about is the Starbucks cup you left on the table pic.twitter.com/MOOwXm08nw — Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) May 6, 2019 Both HBO and Starbucks took the gaffe in good stride — at least at first. Ironically, per an official statement from HBO, it wasn’t even a Starbucks cup, but rather an herbal tea from the on-set craft services. “The latte that appeared in the episode was a mistake. Daenerys had ordered an herbal tea,” the statement read. Starbucks used the opportunity to peddle its new summer drink: TBH we're surprised she didn't order a Dragon Drink. — Starbucks Coffee (@Starbucks) May 6, 2019 Speaking to Variety, art director Hauke Richter pointed out that the reason this error had garnered so much attention is that Game of Thrones’ production values are usually immaculate. Mistakes like this one “[have] not happened with ‘Thrones’ so far,” he said. Despite making light of the mistake, HBO quietly edited the cup out of the footage for the episode after social media’s mockery had run its course, as Vox confirmed through replaying the episode on HBO Now on Tuesday morning. It will, however, live on in original bootlegs and DVR recordings of the show.<doc-sep>If you noticed something familiar — something oddly modern — out of the corner of your eye during Sunday’s episode of “Game of Thrones,” you weren’t alone. One by one, eagle-eyed fans tweeted that they had spotted a Starbucks cup in a scene from the fourth episode this season, titled “The Last of the Starks.” Surely it couldn’t be. But to viewers, all signs pointed to someone leaving a cup from the coffee chain on set. Whether the cup was, in fact, from Starbucks, and whether its placement was a complete accident or some weird in-joke done on purpose remains to be seen. *** Starbucks and other types of spoilers below *** The cup makes an appearance in a scene at Winterfell in which Tormund Giantsbane is toasting his friend Jon Snow as part of a post-battle meal where the wine is flowing. This downtime is a welcome respite from death and destruction, but Daenerys Targaryen eyes the scene suspiciously. Threatened by Jon’s secret status as true heir to the Iron Throne, she looks slightly miffed to witness all the love for him from various northmen. Suddenly, there it is, almost as plain as day, on the table next to the dragon queen, just across from Snow: The cup. The plastic-looking, sterile white lid would make anyone do a double take in a candlelit environment covered in rustic shades of brown. In the scene, the Mother of Dragons is nearest to the cup, but she’s already holding a show-appropriate vessel. This, however, did not stop viewers from calling the cup “Dany’s Starbucks” and guessing what it might hold — a plain coffee? A pumpkin spice latte? A vanilla latte? — as they pictured a Starbucks in Winterfell. 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 (It’s Stark territory, sure, but the chain did just officially introduce a bright pink Dragon Drink made with mango and dragon fruit Refresher and coconut milk, in line with the previous fantasy-inspired purple and pink unicorn Frappuccino.) With just one episode left before the “Game of Thrones” series finale, viewers documented the cup sighting, posting photographic evidence and video clips to social media. The Starbucks moment arrives at the 17:40 mark of the episode. So this is where we're at now! A Starbucks cup! #GameofThrones pic.twitter.com/dhWXyDo15w — Nehal Mahran (@NehalMahran) May 6, 2019 Daenerys Targaryen mother of dragons, the unburnt, the breaker of chains, the drinker of Starbucks #GameOfThornes pic.twitter.com/MPS9YbLRm1 — Taz (@Prince_Taz) May 6, 2019 That's a pumpkin spice latte pic.twitter.com/fPThGIWJPW — Walt (@UberKryptonian) May 6, 2019 Ｇａｍｅ ｏｆ Ｔｈｒｏｎｅｓ ｘ Ｓｔａｒｂｕｃｋｓ pic.twitter.com/0RMTtfujXu — GeeRadd (@GeeRaddYT) May 6, 2019 THEY LEFT A SHOT OF DANY WITH A STARBUCKS CUP NO WAY LMFAO pic.twitter.com/57vfZ8oX4R — Puffer (@BigPuffer) May 6, 2019 Winterfell really got the first Starbucks in history. Crazy. pic.twitter.com/abslRqwZKr — Matthew A. Cherry 🏁 (@MatthewACherry) May 6, 2019 Did anybody else notice Daenerys drinking @Starbucks in today's episode of @GameOfThrones? pic.twitter.com/kkbdhByDsZ — Dharmesh G (@dharmeshG) May 6, 2019 Dany’s Starbucks for the Throne pic.twitter.com/SAO84WIrE6 — Joe (@JoePassmore) May 6, 2019 daenerys waiting at starbucks to get her venti iced caramel macchiato pic.twitter.com/HwbDoM6dmx — ً (@castieIs) May 6, 2019 Give me the oral history of the Starbucks cup in the frame!!!! pic.twitter.com/4CkFJXFQ91 — Jordan Crucchiola (@JorCru) May 6, 2019 GoT cinematographer: i know there are exactly the right amount of starbucks cups in the shot bc i shot it https://t.co/MKW5ifKKtb — ☕netw3rk (@netw3rk) May 6, 2019 Have a tip? Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup or on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com’s newsletters.<doc-sep>Daenerys Targaryen has broken her silence on Game of Thrones' big Starbucks accident. Actress Emilia Clarke posted her own snapshot of Starbucks coffee on set following the the incident this week, in which Clarke was right by the cup in stills of its surprise cameo that circulated on Twitter. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. We need a spin off series about the baristas of Westeros #GameofThrones #starbucks pic.twitter.com/j0qgvTYOD9 — Tom (not a TD) (@Thomasbyrne) May 6, 2019 In her own reaction, Clarke played off HBO's statement claiming Dany would drink tea over coffee. HBO said in a press release to Variety that “the latte that appeared in the episode was a mistake. Daenerys had ordered an herbal tea.” "Did I just stumble upon the truth here?!" she captioned a shot of herself with a coffee cup, Jason Momoa (who was visiting set), and Peter Dinklage. "The cup bearer does not drinketh the Starbucks tea... oh and this ain’t a spoiler just a lost wanderer coming home for a mid filming cuppa....🔥 @prideofgypsies you so fire you make my hair turn blue. #forfuturereferenceileavethebagin #drogonyouhavemyheart4lyfe #familyvalues @gameofthrones #forthethrone #forthecaffeine #forthedragons #🔥 #🙌 #❤️" This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Game of Thrones' Starbucks cup has since been digitally removed from the episode, and all future airings of season 8, episode 4, "The Last of the Starks," will be of the version without the cup. One of Game of Thrones' art directors, Hauke Richter, told Variety this week the coffee-gate reaction has “so blown out of proportion [because] it has not happened with ‘Thrones’ so far." He pointed out that it's not uncommon that modern objects like coffee cups make it into historically-set TV shows and movie by accident. Alyssa Bailey News and Strategy Editor Alyssa Bailey is the news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io<doc-sep>
After fans flooded the internet with jokes, the cup mistakenly left in a "Game of Thrones" scene has been digitally removed from the episode, an HBO spokesman confirmed to CBS News Tuesday. The move comes less than two days after the hit show displayed a takeout coffee cup in the fictional Westeros. HBO edited out the modern coffee cup seen in the latest episode from HBO Now and HBO GO, and instead, the scene now shows Daenerys Targaryen holding a single dark container near an empty stretch of table where the cup formerly sat. Before HBO fixed it, the cup could be seen at about the 17:40 mark in the fourth episode of season 8, titled "The Last of the Starks," as characters gathered for a feast at Winterfell following their costly battle. The new shot is on the left. The previous shot with the cup is shown on the right. HBO HBO offered a tongue-in-cheek statement Monday about the snafu, saying: "The latte that appeared in the episode was a mistake. Daenerys had ordered an herbal tea." The show's art director, Hauke Richter, told TMZ that the cup wasn't from Starbucks, as many people thought, but from a local coffee shop in Northern Ireland, where many of the scenes were shot. Richter added he was "certain" that it was an accident: "We are usually so diligent that this does not happen. The shoot was very hard and demanding and it is likely that after a very tiring ep 3 shoot, this was simply overlooked by an exhausted crew." For those of you who didn’t think the Starbucks cup gaffe was real, I went back to watch it and—#GameOfThrones pic.twitter.com/xNz2iBHySH — Clarkisha Kent: Benioff and Weiss Hate Account (@IWriteAllDay_) May 6, 2019 Viewers still took to Twitter to tweet about the mistake, many expressing shock that the gaffe would make it onscreen considering the current season cost millions to produce and took two years to hit HBO. "You're telling me they had TWO YEARS to put together a decent show and they couldn't even spot the goddamn Starbucks cup in Winterfell??!?!" one user wrote. "Imagine HBO spending millions on every single episode and being done over by a single coffee cup. Guess Dany didn't get the memo about reusable chalices #GameofThrones," another tweeted. Others had some fun with the supposed Starbucks connection. "Guys it's not Starbucks, it's Winterfell's own coffee chain "Dire cup" #GameofThrones," one Twitter user said. For more Thrones coverage