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However, the storyline took a dark turn when one of these gay characters was swiftly and brutally killed off. This plot point led to a wave of outrage from segments of the audience, particularly those criticizing what they call the "queer problem" in the series. Critics like British GQ's Jack King published articles lamenting the pattern of LGBTQ+ characters being introduced only to be violently killed off—an issue he pointed out has history in Game of Thrones.
King argued that such treatment perpetuates a trope where queer characters are doomed or mistreated, often in distasteful or gratuitous ways. The depiction in Episode 5, where Sir Joffrey is murdered after being in a same-sex relationship, was seen by some critics as a reflection of this longstanding pattern.