Last night’s episode was aptly named, with “Stormborn” opening on Daenerys musing about her birth and ending with Euron “bringing the storm” to his niece and nephew. It also brought us some interesting new character interactions and long-awaited reunions, as well as teasing a much-anticipated meeting to come! Let’s take a deep dive into “Stormborn” with interviews and videos from the cast and crew.
Entertainment Weekly brings us several interviews with the cast. First, Nathalie Emmanuel discusses that pivotal moment in Missandei and Grey Worm’s relationship. “We’ve seen them show their interest in each other, we’ve seen them in a round about way express it for each other, but not really say it. This point is the climax and they physically act upon it.” Emmanual adds, “There’s something unique about it purely because of Grey Worm’s situation – his brutal history of being mutilated – there’s a real sense of trust here…For him to do that is a really big deal and Missandei knows that and doesn’t really care. She just loves him and that intimacy they’ve shared comes to a head.”
Nude scenes are always stressful, so Emmanuel was a bit apprehensive at first. “When I read the script the first thing I thought was that it’s a big deal for these two characters and also it’s a nude scene and you can’t help but think about that,” she says. “That was really strange for Jacob and I because we’ve danced around that scenario and we’ve become good mates and now we got to be naked around each other…It was treated very well and very respectfully and I feel like we had a really great day showing these two characters being completely vulnerable with each other. And it sort of helps the scene to actually feel very vulnerable and exposed.”
Emmanuel feels that their relationship is a bright spot in a typically dark show. “Amongst this chaos they’re like this beacon of something sweet and pure and beautiful. There’s love displayed in this show in so many ways but it’s normally so tragic. They have tragedy in their past but they found something useful from that and I love how the showrunners have decided to preserve that.” Where does Emmanuel see their relationship going? “You hope those two have a happy ending,” she says. “But you try not even say it out loud.”
Read the rest at EW.
Ben Hawkey dishes on Hot Pie’s return (he was last seen in season four’s “Mockingbird”) and tender reunion with Arya. He found out he was returning to the show last August, and was understandably surprised. “It was a really big shock. I wasn’t expecting to be coming back at all.” He adds, “I was confused. I didn’t know why they needed me, to be honest. I only recently just watched all the episodes. I hadn’t seen any of it.”
Once he read the script, however, Hawkey was pleased. “It was really nice. It’s like a perfect little Hot Pie scene…It’s nice to be a lighter character in a really dark series.” He also enjoyed working with Maisie Williams again after so many years. “It’s interesting because we’ve both grown up quite a bit,” Hawkey says. “I was just about to say we’re no longer immature but we both still are!” When asked if we will see any more of Hot Pie, Hawkey replies, “I’d be happy to come back. But if not, that’s good as well.” Given the dire circumstances headed to Westeros, perhaps it’s best if Hot Pie lives a quiet life at the inn – offscreen.
Head over to EW for the full interview.
Maisie Williams and Bryan Cogman break down that other big reunion, Arya and her direwolf Nymeria. For years, fans have asked Williams if Arya’s wolf would return. “Ever since the show got rid of Nymeria, it’s one of the questions I’ve been tweeted the most. It’s even nicer that they don’t live happily ever after. Nymeria has created her own world and created her own pack and isn’t ready to be Arya’s pet,” she explains. “To be someone’s pet would reverse everything she’s learned. So they almost just regard each other and go their separate ways.”
Cogman agrees. “So much of this season is swinging back to season one; since we last had Arya in the Riverlands she’s had all these crazy adventures. In a television show that’s all about Nymeria the Wolf, she’s had adventures too,” he says. “She’s gathered this pack of wolves and is now doing the Old Gods’ work herself. Arya and Nymeria do and don’t have the connection they’ve always had. In the end, they’re both lone wolves. They can’t go back to the way things were. And that might be foreshadowing for Arya too.” That could have some interesting implications for Arya if she does finally reunite with her family this season.
Go to EW for more.
Gemma Whelan and Indira Varma dish on their onscreen kiss. “It wasn’t directed that we would kiss,” Whelan admits. “It just seemed like something we should do. We led it, very much so. It was meant to be a suggestion [of flirting] and then it became more sexual than we expected because it seemed right. There was only a skeleton crew working because the rig could only take so much weight, so we were left very much on our own. And who wouldn’t want to kiss Indira? I mean, come on!”
Unfortunately Whelan’s stunt double had to fill in for part of the scene and was a bit unnerved by the experience, according to Varma. “Gemma had hurt her back so there were some stunts she couldn’t do,” Varma says. “So I had to start kissing this poor stunt double and she was so terrified! That was quite funny, bless her. I don’t think she’d ever been put in that situation before. She’s used to falling over and being attacked and all the stunts, but to be kissed by an actress was a bit beyond her.”
For more on that scene and the big battle, check out EW.
Finally, Jessica Henwick shares her thoughts on her character Nymeria’s death at the hands of Euron Greyjoy. Henwick, who currently stars on Netflix’s Iron Fist, had a difficult time getting away long enough to film. “The plan was for it to be a more of a drawn out storyline. But because of my limited schedule [the story changed],” she explains. “The first thing I thought was that it’s brutal. It’s hard reading these scenes where characters you love are getting absolutely demolished. And in our case, it’s by a crazy madman. I knew it was going to be very intense and very physical.”
That assumption turned out to be correct, as Henwick can attest. “[The shoot] was grueling. It was one of the few occasions where it was more intense on set than it will be on screen. Normally there’s a lot of CG and you watch it on screen and you see a massive epic battle, but when you’re filming it’s all quite tame by comparison. For this, the audience can’t feel the heat on their face from the pyrotechnics going off or feel the wave machine trying to knock us off our feet, or the sweat dripping off our faces.” Henwick adds, “They were blowing burning embers onto us. One of the stunt double’s wigs caught fire. And some of the stunt doubles fell through the balsa wood floor of the ship. It was hard, night shoots, we were really battling the elements they had created. I’m sure it’s going to look great but it was bigger in real life than on screen.”
How does Henwick feel about the portrayal of the Sand Snakes and their reception by fans? “In the books, there are seven Sand Snakes and there was a lot of discussions about how many were going to be introduced. Originally it was going to be Obara, Tyene and then they couldn’t decide on Sarella or Nymeria. Obviously, I’m very lucky Nymeria ended up being the one they chose. It was always acknowledged that it was going to be very hard to give each of us a storyline,” she admits. “When you’re limited to an introduction of two lines per character and there are four characters in the scene…it’s hard to create a lasting impression.” Henwick has made her peace with it now. “At the time it was definitely frustrating feeling like there’s so much potential here, and a lot of the stuff that we shot didn’t make the final cut. It was hard. But overall, given the size of the character, I’ve been very happy with how it’s come out. It is what it is.”
Read the full interview at EW.
One of the more controversial moments to come out of last night’s episode was Theon’s (Alfie Allen) abandonment of his sister Yara to his uncle, Euron. In an interview with Making Game of Thrones, Allen shares his take on Theon’s mindset during that scene and the challenges of portraying it accurately. “Going back to the imagery of what he saw back then, and allowing that to flood back in [was the most difficult part]. Also, as an actor, having to delve back into something that was so long ago in his arc is pretty crazy,” he says. “But it’s always been there throughout; it’s just gauging what brings him back, how much is created in his own head, and how much is an effective threat. I would say he’s in a better place, but he’s still definitely harkening back to those memories.”
Allen continues, “There’s conflicting emotions for him, because he’s sort of back in battle mode, which he hasn’t been in for a long, long time. The sight of blood is going to remind him of physical pain or mental torment. It brings him back to that place, and he’s torn as to what to do. The reptilian part of his brain just takes over.” You can definitely see the struggle on his face before Theon’s past catches up with him, and he breaks.
The physical aspect of filming was much more enjoyable for Allen. “It was a great thing to shoot. We had an amazing set up. It was all this crazy s**t out in a parking lot, and then they use a blue screen for the ocean stuff. I’m always excited to shoot the stuff between me and Gemma [Whelan] because she’s fantastic to work with and we’ve built up a relationship over the years. We definitely feel like we are siblings.” Despite the fun, the emotional side of leaving his sister to her fate was rough. “It was a heartbreaking moment,” Allen admits.
Check out Making Game of Thrones for the rest.
Pilou Asbaek also spoke with Making Game of Thrones about his character, Euron Greyjoy. “I’m so glad we made some radical decisions for the character regarding Season 7. When I came on board in Season 6, I was such a big fan. I wanted to do a good job. When I got the new pages for Season 7, I was like: What if Euron would be different with every single person he’s with? What if he was charming with Cersei? But when you meet his niece and nephew, he’s f**king brutal?” Asbaek explains, “It’s based on the guys who have these social abilities to climb the ladder and still be totally ice-cold. When you’re with them, they say what you want to hear. The moment you leave the room, they transform into something else. They’re social chameleons. You never know where you’ve got him.”
When asked why Euron wants to ally with Cersei, Asbaek replies, “When Euron says a line, he believes in it. In the scene with Nikolaj [Coster-Waldau] and Lena [Headey] Euron actually meant every single word – ever since he was a little boy, he wanted to grow up and marry the most beautiful woman in the world. If you look at Cersei, and how Lena portrays her, she is an extremely beautiful and powerful woman. What’s not attractive? There’s nothing more sexy than a powerful woman who stands up for herself.”
What was Euron thinking when he saw Theon jump ship at the end of the last episode? “He knew it. You can hear it in his laughter. He wants to break Theon down and see the humiliation. Or, even better, he wanted Theon to stand up for himself. Because why doesn’t Euron kill Yara? He should kill her!” Asbaek explains. Perhaps he should, but Asbaek says Euron may want to toy with Yara first. “I think he wants to keep her for fun. I think if Yara is dead, she’s of no use. He wants something to negotiate with, always. That’s the reason why he’s not 100% evil. I think for him, it’s about the game. He loves the game more than he loves the result.” Unfortunately death may be a better option for Yara, as Asbaek teases, “[In the] next episode, he’s going to be a f**king brutal man.”
Read the entire interview at Making Game of Thrones.
In this week’s “Inside the Episode” David Benioff and D.B. Weiss give more insight into Arya’s reunion with Nymeria, King Jon’s evolution as a leader, the dynamics of Daenerys’ war council, and the Greyjoy confrontation.
Peter Dinklage, Emilia Clarke, and Indira Varma take us deeper into Daenerys’ war council and the conflicting factions
Lastly, several of the cast and crew dissect the complex sea battle that closed out the episode.
Hodor!
The article states it was her first time being nude on screen but this is inaccurate as she was nude a couple seasons back when grey worm saw her bathing.
Am I missing something, do they just mean nude for a love scene?
Hate to correct you guys but it wasn’t Emmanuel’s first time being nude on screen.
Pilou is so into Euron and so enthusiastic he’s just a joy to watch. I’m really glad he’s in the show as a major player now.
Theon defense squad!
When I first read the leak about the battle I was perplexed by Theon’s decision, but Alfie really sold it. It was natural for that environment to be extremely triggering for his character. Not to mention both he and Yara would have probably died if he had tried to do something.
serum,
It was misstated in EW, actually, hence the mistake. But yeah she was nude before on GoT.
This. The battle triggered his PTDS, and by running away he at least has a chance to rescue Yara.
Alfin Allen really sells his role as Reek.
Flayed Potatoes,
That’s it. Theon had no chance to save her. Maybe she should have set a watch instead of playing hide the kraken with Ellaria.
Damn them for scaring me into thinking Nymeria might kill Arya. They had set that up in such a Game of Thrones way with the meeting with Hot Pie and Arya finally heading home again, it had me petrified.
Flayed Potatoes,
Yes. For me, it was obvious Theon was overcome with PTSD. When I pointed this out to my s/o he said, “but Theon was just killing people”.
Mental illness is complicated. You can be fine, then, it incapacitates you. I can appreciate GoT portraying PTSD in the capacity they are capable. Even if it left me feeling hollow.
From now on, I’ll just assume any Sam scenes will contain some disgusting shit so I can brace myself from the nastiness.
Poop to soup, pus to porridge… I wonder what is next.
I genuinely enjoyed this episode. There’s obviously some wonky writing that has been with us for about two seasons now but at least they managed to deliver on some very needed tensions.
Sansa has my everything and Dany + Varys was absolute gold, wonderful.
Maybe because Eurion and Yara are family that Theon’s PTSD was triggered.
And it was a good turn around contradiction considering Yara just told Ellaria Sand that Theon would be her (Yara’s) protector when she (Yara) becomes Queen of the Iron Islands.
Where is Septa Unella?
Exiled Faith Militant,
I think there will be an update on her soon. Torn up in some dungeon.
Yes, PTSD is complicated and unique to each person who experiences it. I thought what triggered Theon wasn’t the fighting but the post battle brutality of cutting body parts off the dead pirates that gave him flashbacks to his mutilation from Ramsay. He realized they were helpless and defeated so rather than be subjected to that torture again from a sadistic monster he fled.
I’ll read and participate tomorrow
But just looking at the pic at the top of Dany.. and I have comment on this and to say that Emilia kills it asDany.. she really transforms and looks nothing like her real self when she is in character
Fantastic. Love her!
Legit question: Which characters could beat Euron in a 1 on 1 battle?
Interesting it was a choice between Nymeria and Sarella, wonder if that would have meant Alleras at the Citadel?
Interesting to hear the thoughts about Nymeria and Arya, think they have re-introduced her as a set up to a role in S8. Great that it (Wolf Pack) was alluded to finally
Pilou as Euron was great, the only thing I want to see now is the facet of Euron which shows him as the deep sinister thinker of the books who toys with Aeron, eg not just bombastic theatre in the Throne Room or Kings/Queensmoot which was good and then the crazed maniac of this battle
This is why I find next episode interesting to see if we get that, but not sure with 7 episodes and one season we have time for Euron to do a Damp-hair on Yara
The ship battle was good, I reckon there is some kind of connection between him and NK/WW’s in books and maybe show, but his ambush and virtual invincibility was a good sense of what a White Walker invasion would be like, just brutal and smashing everything before it
Yeah I can believe it quite easily in terms of it would have reminded him of what happened to the Ironborn at Moat Cailin after they surrendered
ROFL, “Hide the Kraken”
Think “a Foreign Invasion is underway” is going to be an oft-used term from now on as well
firstone,
Yes.
And
Making the 8,
Yes.
Can I also say….I never believed Theon’s story arc up till now? Even while Yara was delivering her brilliant buck-up speeches to Theon, Alfie’s acting signified Theon was not “recovered”. Not yet at least.
Brienne?
Though Jessica is by far the best Sand Snake actress, I’m torn up about the missing Sarella, especially after knowing how close her inclusion was! Sarella was the only snake I liked, and I love, love, love her story.
Flayed Potatoes,
Drogon 🙂
Making the 8,
ditto
unless we can pick the mountain (which feels like cheating)
ramses,
Well played. I’ll take NK or Bran if we can use Wargs.
Euron is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.
ramses,
Humans pls
Flayed Potatoes,
Fine. A two-handed Jamie Lannister.
Tycho Nestoris,
Hmmmm, NK is not a bad choice tho….
I completely agree. Theon has been broken by Ramsay and the aftermath is still visible. I think he will never fully recover but that’s how life is. We are shaped by our experiences. When he “rescued” Sansa from WF, that was as much of a desperation move to save himself. It was gutsy, especially knowing the consequences if they were caught, but he didn’t automatically regain all of his previous cockiness and bravado instantly because of that choice.
Right?! How much fun is he! I can’t wait to see what he gets up to next.
I think Nymeria will be back , probably saving Arya from some situation , tho it may be in season 8.
I think D&D just don’t like or are indifferent to the dire-wolves, can’t be the CGI budget, these days.
HBO has the money for anything.
I think the dragons could appear more often but I think that’s an esthetic they have , like the limiting of Warging.
Flayed Potatoes,
Legit question: Which characters could beat Euron in a 1 on 1 battle?
The Mountain? Daario Naharis? The young Barristan Selmy? The late Oberyn Martell? A healthy Jorah Mormont?
And maybe just maybe Jon Snow-Targaryen on a good day? Surely Euron cannot be worse than a White Walker.
Did Gemma do those stunts pregnant?
Flayed Potatoes,
I’d say the Clegane brothers, Brienne, Jon Snow and maybe Bronn
I read this, and wondered if anybody’s made a Schueler Sisters/Hamilton mashup for the Sand Snakes. Couldn’t find one to post here. Pity.
By the by notice no Bronn in this episode, seems like we have seen everybody else , even Hotpie.
No, she had a stunt double.
Alfie, Pilou, and Gemma are just solid gold. Good Lord.
One doesn’t simply ‘get over’ what Theon has been through, or heal in a linear fashion in ‘x’ amount of months/years. I am so glad they are recognizing this and not just glossing over it. I haven’t seen anything similar with Sansa, and I hope they don’t ignore it.
Flayed Potatoes,
I don’t think Euron is truly a great fighter. Jaime had already cast the ironborn as weaklings who can’t actually fight. I think most of the main badasses we’ve seen could take him. I’d feel confident taking any of these guys one on one against him:
Bronn
Jon
Brienne
Sandor
Tormund
Lyanna
I wonder what Bronn’s role will be through the end of the series. Maybe some type of reunion with Tyrion?
Crazy to think after next week there is a season left in the series (10 eps). At this point I’m expect anyone to die at any time and also counting down the last time we see a character (Hot Pie for example).
Enjoying the ride
B-Cog! are you trying to tell me Arya dies?! Because the lone wolf dies! only the pack survives.
I thought the scene was heartbreaking to be honest for the message it sent. Yes, Nymeria recognizes her, but she no longer wants to be around Arya, no longer longs for a home with Arya. Maybe she found her own pack, her own way and is at peace. I can only hope Arya does the same if the North, Winterfell and the Starks are no longer fundamentally her.
Fiddlesticks
Hodor.
Syrio Forel, if you can find him! If not, then Arya, the assassin 🙂
Euron will bring Ellaria and Tyene Sand to Kings Landing and Bronn will be there waiting, the image of Tyenes body burned to his retina. He knows the attraction is mutual and he will break her free before Cersei can have her tortured to death.
On a note tangent (or not) to this episode: When Arya leaves the house of Black and White, Jaqen H’ghar tells her that she is finally “no one”, though she says that she’s not: She’s Arya Stark. Some episodes earlier, Jaqen says Arya is NOT “no one” and that only “no one” can use the masks because for “some one”, the masks are poison. This “some one” Arya became blind after using a mask. Now she’s used masks several times without any poison effect. Whether she knows it or not, she is now “no one”, a faceless man. And without knowing it, she may well be on a mission from the faceless men, doing their bidding.
Q; Why did Arya seem so indifferent to Hot Pie? I thought she’d be happy to see him. She smiled more with the strange Lannister soldiers.
However…I DID love the mention that she’d baked one or two pies, and I liked how Hot Pie noticed “you’re pretty.”
In any event, 2 out of 4 of my Wish List have now been fulfilled:
Arya + Nymeria✔️
Arya + Hot Pie✔️
Arya + Sandor ❓
Arya + Jon❓
Right at the end of episode 3 previews it looks like Jon enters the Dragonstone thrownroom.
It would be an extra week of torture if Daenerys sitting on the Dragonstone thrown is the final second shown ending The Queen’s Justice episode.
That would be a cruel cliffhanger…
Who was the fool who decided give Nymeria a whip, Jessica Henwick proved in Iron Fist that she is very capable delivering fighting scenes, she should have had a sword.
It was Sarella or Nymeria… damn Arianne was never an option 🙁
Well, since this episode is over I suppose this isn’t a spoiler – so I’ll post it without spoiler quotes. I don’t know how to do that anyway. It’s from Awayforthelads. It says;
Jon leaves Sansa in charge of Winterfell.
Jon leaves Ghost at Winterfell,
I only got to watch it one time so far so I’m getting ready to watch it again – I missed it, did Ghost make an appearance in this episode?
No one is mentioning the much hyped Jon and LF scene in the crypt. So it wasn’t just me who thought it rang hollow? More and better dialogue was needed, I thought. LF needed to have riled Jon up a lot more, annoyed him southern cleverness, before Jon lost his cool.
I know. Sigh. I think Maise is trying to act detached, or is being directed to do so, because she’s a killer now. The show has gone overboard with this, in my opinion. The last few moments with Hotpie were more normal though and the scene with Nymeria was lovely.
Lady Lyanna Mormont for the iron throne!,
Bryan Cogman wrote on Twitter that a scene with Ghost was filmed but not used.
I thought Arya was very cold and morbid after she killed all the Freys at the twin towers and said what she said.
I think the D&D might have turned Arya into a more tame
this is just a guess and I am not sure. I’ll be paying close attention to Arya and how she has changed. Some characters change and it will be interesting see Arya this season.
It seems like Arya is acting more like the Hound used to be and the Hound is acting like Arya used to be. Arya ate like the Hound when she was talking to Hot Pie.
Why only a whip? Comic book underthinking.
That would be George R.R. Martin.
lucy,
I think any brother would have reacted the same way. If you had a sister who was sold to a rival house and raped and torture and then the guy who sold your sister came to you and said I love your sister, like I love her mother. What would you have done, walk away? It is even worse because Sansa has told Jon that Littlefinger is not to be trusted so he’s already on edge about him and despite appearances Jon pays attention, he’s clearly seen the way Littlefinger creeps on his sister. Hell, I’m a woman, and I would have reacted the same way, or even worse, under the circumstances.
Lady Lyanna Mormont for the iron throne!,
Cogman also confirmed there was originally a scene with Jon and Ghost but it didn’t make the final edit so pretty clear awayforthelads had an early version of the script or more detailed workplan for the season when he posted the leaks.
Noticeably there were some things missing in the lads leak for example he talked about Theon jumping over board but missed the bit about the two sandsnakes dying (which was reported on this site). He never mentioned Arya killing the Freys either.
His leaks though at this point can be 100% trusted in principle.
Actually, the show did that. In the books, Nym’s weapon of choice was the dagger, and she carried a dozen concealed blades on her person typically.
My biggest problem with the whip was in the opening sequence when she kept wrapping it around Bronn’s arm. One good jerk and Nym would have fallen on her ass. Bronn could have reeled her in like a fishing line or at least snatched the weapon away.
I stand corrected, but I’m sure one of the book Sand Snakes was armed with a whip. No matter though.
I have a theory about that but I can’t make the spoilers box work so I won’t print it in case it comes across as a spoiler. I wondered where ghost was too. But not bad for spoilers – I’ve read spoilers that didn’t come close to what really happened.
Love this season so far. Glad I sprung for HBO Now for two months.
Grandmaester Flash,
book
does
Lady Lyanna Mormont for the iron throne!,
Why can’t you stop with the “lads leaks” nonsense ? The “I can’t figure out spoiler codes” excuse was just a pretext, wasn’t it?
🚱🚱🚱🚱
Jon Snowed,
Please please stop with “the leaks” talk. There’s a special quarantined Forum section for that nonsense.
🚱🚱🚱🚱🚱
I am using spoiler codes and understand from the mods that this is fine? I will never intentionally spoil anything but when an event has happened I don’t see an issue with comparing to the leaks?
Still not enjoying Pilou Asbaek’s goofy, over-the-top characterization here. Cartoonish villains don’t engage me. Glad the actor is having fun, though.
A second watch made me very aware that this episode had some very lackluster dialogue for the characters whose wit I most enjoy – notably Tyrion and Olenna. It pains me to see those actors’ talents thrown away on weak material. I hope they will get more to chew on in subsequent episodes.
I did enjoy Varys’ spirited comeback to Dany, even if his character’s motivations have been greatly simplified from his book self. But… I CHOOSE YOU!!?? Where are the Dany-as-Pokémon memes? You’re slacking, Photoshoppers!