Unless you’ve been stranded on a remote island for the past week, you’ve probably heard about the now-infamous Starbucks cup in Game of Thrones. In the most recent episode, which aired Sunday, May 5th, a Starbucks cup made a surprise cameo in Winterfell. The mistake made headlines, and both HBO and Thrones admitted it was a major mistake. Plus, as if the internet hadn’t had enough fun with the flub already, people are now rioting once more because the producers edited the cup out of the scene.
When viewers logged into their HBO Go accounts this week to witness the error in action, they realized HBO had digitally removed the cup from the shot.
The decision to fix their mistake came after HBO came clean, admitting in a statement per Variety, “The latte that appeared in the episode was a mistake. Daenerys had ordered an herbal tea.”
But fans are wondering why the show went through the effort to do so, seeing as how the cup has become a cultural icon. The edit makes it seem like HBO and Thrones are trying to cover up their embarrassment so future generations will never get to see the blunder in action.
Guys — we think you’re forgetting that we already have proof that it happened.
Why not just keep the Starbucks cup in the scene and turn it into an “Easter egg”? Fans love Easter eggs!
The infamous coffee cup in that "Game of Thrones" episode has now vanished. The show's creators quietly removed the anachronism from the episode on HBO Go. https://t.co/KSC8agloXi pic.twitter.com/Mjdfwh8fXE
— CNN (@CNN) May 8, 2019
It seems as though we, as the collective internet, have hurt HBO’s pride. Sorry (*cough cough* not sorry).
The deed has already been done. You can’t take it back, HBO! You can’t!
You can't take it back, HBO! pic.twitter.com/moH6ahIv7P
— Noa Seger (@ILiveMovies) May 8, 2019
This DVR episode will be worth some serious money in the future. Keep it. Cherish it.
Yeah but I still have that shit in dvr boom
— antilles 🥥 (@theRealWedgeA) May 8, 2019
You may edit the cup out of Winterfell, but you’ll never be able to edit Winterfell out of the cup.
That sounded better in our head.
THE NORTH REMEMBERS
— Abdul Rahman (@Abu4birdy) May 8, 2019
Instead of removing it completely, HBO could have taken the opportunity to add a bit of humor. The show is always in need of some comedic reprieve.
There's a Starbucks cup in the background in this week's Game of Thrones episode.
— JR (@JRDRD) May 7, 2019
HBO digitally removed it and replaced it with an old non-recyclable Styrofoam cup so it wouldn't be anachronistic. pic.twitter.com/DdCUcVkBND
Or, they could have kept the cup and the opportunity for a time-travel spinoff. They’re not doing themselves any favors.
damn...lost opportunity for a time-travelling coffee drinker spinoff
— Bundy (@_therealNobody) May 8, 2019
Game of Coffee could have really been something. Imagine the poetry slams, the jazz, the book references that could have been made.
These Winterfell hipsters...😂#GameofThrones #GOT #GOTS8E4 #Starbucks #StarbucksCup #funny #HBO #edits #coffee #hipster #jazz #friends #winterfell pic.twitter.com/AP6pdkkUB7
— Steven Powell (@steven_powell) May 6, 2019
Ahem… Some argue that the Starbucks cup was never the issue to begin with. Cold. Real cold.
No comment. We said, no comment!
It’s just laziness, like the writing for this season and last season.
— 𝙍𝙊𝙉⚜️🇵🇭 (@UltraRonimus) May 7, 2019
While they were back in the editing room, they probably should have addressed this issue as well. We’re dead.
Reports conclude that Starbucks gained an estimated $2.3 billion worth of free advertising from the faux pas. HBO’s mistake is another brand’s win.
Starbucks gained an estimated $2.3 billion in free advertising over the last few days after a modern-day coffee cup was spotted during a "Game of Thrones" episode. https://t.co/Mut8q2QqWx
— NBC News (@NBCNews) May 8, 2019
At the end of the day, the Starbucks cup isn’t going to make or break the success of Game of Thrones. Nothing really can at this point.
That Starbucks cup in Game of Thrones really broke the reality of a dragon-riding lady in love with a guy who came back from the dead.
— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) May 7, 2019
Now that the entire ordeal is over and done with, perhaps we can focus on the true tragedy of the episode. Now *this* is something we will never be over.
Ghost on the outside: *Holding it together*
— Jenny Matthews (@lejennymatthews) May 6, 2019
Ghost on the inside:#GameofThrones pic.twitter.com/j5tPUsaNxY
RIP Game of Thrones Starbucks cup. RIP.
