“When you were whole, it would have been a good fight.” —Areo Hotah
DeObia Oparei’s character on Game of Thrones, Areo Hotah, died as he lived, quickly and with minimal screen time. It wasn’t Oparei’s fault that Dorne never really panned out on the show—he never really got his chance to shine.
In the books, Areo Hotah is a point-of-view character who serves mainly as a means for readers to see what Doran Martell is up to—among fans, he’s known as “the Camera that Rides.” I was anticipating seeing him on the show, but sadly Hotah’s story flittered away like a poisoned handkerchief catching a stiff ocean breeze.
The London-born Oparei was eager for Season 6 to start, and once expressed his excitement to Zap2It:
"I’m excited for what’s to come up but that axe, it’s such a number in itself. It requires really great choreography. As an actor, I hope that that’s going to be utilized in the new season."
Either Oparei was teasing fans here, or he didn’t yet know just how little time Hotah would have in Season 6.
Many fans disliked the Dornish storyline, and for the moment, it appears as if the showrunners are content to leave it with the murders of Areo Hotah, Doran, and Trystane Martell. It’s dead, time to move on.
We thank you, DeObia Oparei, for bringing such a large and menacing presence to the enigma that is Areo Hotah, and we’re sorry you never got the chance to show us what you could do with that axe of yours, but your plot armor was not strong enough to stop a dagger to the back. We will anxiously await your role in Independence Day: Resurgence.