The Confusion About That Coffee Cup on 'Game of Thrones' Continues

It’s been six months since Game of Thrones wrapped up with (spoiler alert) Bran Stark ruling Westeros, leaving many fans divided about the final season overall. However, while the heated debates on Twitter and think-pieces have died down, one mystery about the show still prevails—the infamous (and very modern) to-go coffee cup that somehow made its way into the final cut of episode four.

To recap: During the “The Last of the Starks,” said cup was spotted in front of Daenerys Targaryen during a feast in the great hall at Winterfell. Thankfully for all future generations, a bit of digital editing quickly removed the cup from repeat airings, but plenty of questions remained—primarily, who left it behind in the first place? Sophie Turner, the actress who played Sansa Stark, originally suggested the obvious choice: It was Emilia Clarke, aka Daenerys herself. She was sitting right there. She’s the queen! But then, late last month, Clarke provided her own explanation on The Tonight Show, telling Jimmy Fallon that Conleth Hill, who played Varys, apologized to her for leaving the coffee cup and letting her take the heat.

“The coffee cup was mine,” Hill allegedly told Clarke. “I think it was, I’m sorry, darling. I didn’t want to say anything because it seemed the heat was very much on you.”

Mystery solved, right? Not so fast. This past Sunday, Hill went on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch and appeared to deny Clarke’s claim. “I would need to have had Mr. Man arms to leave a coffee cup there,” he began, according to The Guardian. “I took a bullet for Emilia Clarke and she touted on me. You know, there’s no proof that I did it. So accuse away!” He then added, “I’m just not making any comments until I have a lawyer…It definitely wasn’t product placement!”

Is it possible that Hill was just joking with Clarke about the whole coffee cup situation? Or did he really leave it behind? Either way, at this point, it seems like the joke is on all of us.