What happens when one of the biggest musicians in the world makes a cameo in one of the most popular shows in the world? A lot of jokes, apparently.
While on her way back from killing a lot of people on Sunday night’s season premiere of “Game of Thrones,” Arya Stark took some time to make some friends in the forest, namely a group of soldiers, singer Ed Sheeran among them.
Playing an unnamed solider, Sheeran had a chance to show off his pipes in the role, singing a tune that was pulled from the book source material, and offered Arya some cooked rabbit. He didn’t have much dialogue beyond that.
Still, the appearance of a recognizable face like Sheeran was enough to irritate fans of the show’s escapist world.
In all fairness to Sheeran, he is not the first musician to make a cameo on “Game of Thrones.” Members of Coldplay and Snow Patrol have appeared before. But he’s certainly the most well-known pop culture figure to appear and was featured quite prominently.
CNN’s review of the episode called Sheeran’s cameo “the kind of stunt to which the series needn’t resort,” which seems to be the chief complaint among annoyed viewers.
Others simply enjoyed the joke fodder that Sheeran’s appearance provided, poking fun at the promotional feel, making song puns and even theorizing that Sheeran could factor into the show’s end.
“Plot Twist: Ed Sheeran ends up on the iron throne,” one commenter wrote.
Sheeran hasn’t responded to the backlash, but posted a photo on Monday from behind the scenes to his Instagram.
The common ground here for Sheeran and “Game of Thrones” fans might be that it’s clear that everyone is a little protective of their castle on a hill.
