Game of Thrones Season Four box set details

BluRayThe Blu-ray of the last season is coming out on Tuesday, February 17th, about two months before the Game of Thrones S5 premiere. Same as every year, I’m looking forward to expanding my boxset collection and savour all the extras to tide me over until the airing of new instalments in April. At least one review of the boxset is already available, so you can decide whether you want to get it or not (in case you haven’t preordered it yet).

It goes without saying that the audio and video are of highest quality and receive top grades.

As to the actual content of the season – well, we know everything about that, don’t we. The actual newsworthy bit is that thanks to Brian White from whysoblu? we can examine the precise contents of the digital package, with the extras listed in detail, which is the information of utmost interest to us.

Check it out after the break.

The standard in-episode guide is accompanied by the likewise standard sixteen (if I counted right) new illustrated histories, which are always a treat, covering topics from House Martell to the Iron Bank and everything inbetween. EDIT: I’m listing all of them, by popular request: House Martell, House Baelish, Dragons, Poisons, The Bastards of Westeros, The Iron Bank, Robert’s Rebellion, Sellswords & Hedge Knights, The Wall, The Nations of the North, The Kingsguard – Jaime Lannister, The Kingsguard – Bronn, The Maester’s Chain, The Death of Kings, Valyrian Steel, Justice of the Seven Kingdoms.

Then there are five features:

  • A behind the scenes look at the battle of Castle Black. 37 min (!) of awesomeness with commentaries from everyone involved.
  • A political situation recap of season three (25 min). After this you should be fully prepared for the rewatch.
  • Bryan Cogman’s half hour (!) roundtable with several of the actors that bought it in season 4 (well, their characters did). ‘The Fallen’ is its fitting title. Really looking forward to this one!
  • Two shorter featurettes: the role of bastards in Westeros (D&D together with GRRM), and
  • A presentation of new characters and locations.

There will be two deleted scenes included this year, one with Bronn and Shae, and one with Daenerys and Missandei. Three minutes of material in total. A completely new type of extra this year is a blooper reel. The length puts it at two minutes, which means it is very likely the video shown previously at Comic Con. It definitely deserves to be included. I just wish they made one of these each season.

The audio commentary list is reproduced below. Episode three has none, while nine and ten feature two each:

  • Episode One (Disc 1) – David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Pedro Pascal
  • Episode Two (Disc 1) – Jack Gleeson, Natalie Dormer, George R.R. Martin, Alex Graves
  • Episode Four (Disc 2) – Michelle MacLaren, Robert McLachlan
  • Episode Five (Disc 2) – Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams
  • Episode Six (Disc 3) – Alik Sakharov, Bryan Cogman
  • Episode Seven (Disc 3) – Aidan Gillen, Kate Dickie, Bernadette Caulfield, Chris Newman
  • Episode Eight (Disc 3) – Deborah Riley, Michele Clapton, Anette Haelmick
  • Episode Nine (Disc 4) – [Commentary 1] – Kit Harington, Rose Leslie, John Bradley, [Commentary 2] – Steve Kullback, Joe Bauer
  • Episode Ten (Disc 4) – [Commentary 1] – Rory McCann, Gwendoline Christie, Alex Graves, [Commentary 2] – Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

This should be fun, as always! I’m looking forward to B-Cog’s insights, hearing what Pedro has to say as fresh meat (Hi, Pedro! Bye, Pedro!), and Gwen’s laughter, to mention just a few highlights.

Follow the link to the review for photos of the unboxing and the artwork.

152 Comments

  1. Achtung,

    Yup.

    On the plus side, Kate Dickey commentary on Mockingbird! That’s a pleasant surprise. Oz will be so pleased! 🙂

    I always love the commentaries. What’s the over/under on “Lion and the Rose” being the last one GRRM ever records?

  2. Wait,why no Isaac this year,i feel more and more like they push him away every year,first by not being at the Comic Con GOT panel even though he was there for Boxtrolls,next by not being in the next season and now not even being apart of the annual trio commentary which sort of became a tradition ? I sort of feel bad for the kid .

  3. Patchy Face:
    Wonder if there will be any editing to ep 3 on the DVD.Thoughts anyone?

    No, of course not. Everyone having anything to do with that scene has been entirely unapologetic about it. They aren’t going to censor themselves now.

  4. Aww, no Stark kids commentary track. Weird, especially, since Isaac is in that episode (the only episode that season to feature all three of them, in fact). They seem to record these commentaries as part of production for the following season, so I guess Isaac not being part of Season 5 precluded that?

    Achtung:
    No commentary for episode 3. Wonder why. *cough*rapegate*cough*

    This is the second box set in a row, I believe, where they’ve doubled up on commentary tracks for some episodes and left one episode with no commentary at all (episode 3.01, last time).

  5. A Bronn and Shae deleted scene sounds interesting. Maybe we’ll find out what specifically kept her in the city?

  6. Achtung,

    Maybe not. All I’m saying is that it has happen before, and therefore it could just be a coincidence. As so often we will probably never find out why they made this discussion.

  7. You guys left out the “Behind the Battle for the Wall” documentary. Kind of a big part of the extras… 😉

  8. Is there a complete list of the History and Lore this season somewhere ?

    Looking forward to the Fallen, the Stark sisters commentaries and the Lannister trio one most of all !

  9. I wouldn’t read too much into a specific actor not being featured in the commentary tracks. There was no Peter Dinklage last season, and Emilia Clarke is missing in this one. Maybe Isaac couldn’t do the commentary because he had to do promo for Boxtrolls?

  10. Achtung:
    No commentary for episode 3. Wonder why. *cough*rapegate*cough*

    JESUS CHRIST they’re not even DOING a commentary for episode 3 because of the Jaime/Cersei sex scene so badly filmed that EVERONE thought it was a rape scene?

  11. I was hoping there would a deleted scene from Watchers on the Wall (the episode), where a bedridden Ser Aliser (and a freaked out Sylnt) commands Jon to go treat with Mance. He could threaten him, realize Snow’s in de facto control, and then appeal to his sense of reason successfully. Cue scene with Sam where he walks out.

    In the final version I thought the decision seemed too quick. It needed more buildup and felt like they cut a scene.

    Of course I imagine there’s more than two deleted scenes from this season. I am a little wary about making Bronn and Shae’s ambiguous decision-making clear. It could be good.

  12. Hoped they would have included some of the deleted scenes we glimpsed in the trailers, i.e. Jon saying “It’s as if I went to sleep for a year, and the world’s fallen apart…” and the Tyrion/Pod exchange “I’ve talked myself out of a thousand dark corners Podrick….”

    I wish they’d be a bit more generous in this department.

  13. John M W,

    Those would be extended scenes rather than deleted ones. Last year’s DVD featured a few extended scenes IIRC.

    The Dragon Demands,

    Why should they bother stirring that hornets nest? What’s done is done. Anyways, their DVDs for past seasons all left one ep. without a commentary, so this isn’t unprecedented.

    BTW, for the wiki, the girl in the skimpy green outfit from the trailer is played by Ollie Kram, a model who is currently listed as playing a “TBA” part. The trailer proves she’s a Braavosi courtesan, so could you update that?

    Which I already suspected since she filmed scenes with Irma Mali and Gemita Samarra (Brea) who filmed at the same time as Sarine Sofair (Lhara).
  14. Can’t wait for this. February is so full of riches.

    By the way, there’s a newish interview with M. Fairley around. Nothing whatsoever on GOT, but she is asked about her 2015 projects and she says nothing so far, just that she will be “staying home” for a good part of the year. So the ending of her role in Resurrection liberates her schedule in the off chance LS is happening.
  15. Jack Gleeson! Has he ever done a commentary before? Really looking forward to hearing his parting thoughts on the show.

  16. Arkash,

    The Histories & Lore animations, from the WhySoBlu review linked:

    House Martell,
    House Baelish
    Dragons
    Poisons
    The Bastards of Westeros
    The Iron Bank
    Robert’s Rebellion
    Sellswords & Hedge Knights
    The Wall
    The Nations of the North
    The Kingsguard – Jaime Lannister
    The Kingsguard – Bronn
    The Maester’s Chain
    The Death of Kings
    Valyrian Steel
    Justice of the Seven Kingdoms

  17. Andrew,

    Thanks a lot Andrew !

    Curious as to which PoV Robert’s Rebellion will be told this time. We already got quite all the players still alive having narrated their version.

    Looking forward to the Wall and the Nations of the North !

  18. Arkash,

    I think “Nations of the north” is about the “Wildling Clans” (which would have made a more accurate name)

    My hope is that the Robert’s Rebellion POV is Oberyn, explaining about Elia, and also how the Dornish fought for the Targaryens as a result, and how his uncle Lewyn died at the Trident.

  19. ***I found a specs & details website that gives the exact length of each of the Histories & Lore featurettes!

    http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/game-thrones-histories-and-lore-video

    00:03:54:00 HOUSE MARTELL
    00:03:58:00 HOUSE BAELISH
    00:03:42:00 DRAGONS
    00:03:38:00 POISONS
    00:02:07:00 THE BASTARDS OF WESTEROS
    00:02:24:00 THE IRON BANK
    00:04:40:00 ROBERT’S REBELLION
    00:02:35:00 SELLSWORDS & HEDGE KNIGHTS
    00:04:03:00 THE WALL
    00:03:36:00 THE NATIONS OF THE NORTH
    00:03:36:00 THE KINGSGUARD – JAIME LANNISTER
    00:02:26:00 THE KINGSGUARD – BRONN
    00:02:28:00 THE MAESTER’S CHAIN
    00:03:01:00 THE DEATH OF KINGS
    00:03:02:00 VALYRIAN STEEL
    00:02:59:00 JUSTICE OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS

  20. That Superbowl ending was The Red Viper all over again. You think you have the game won and then You get your skull effing smashed in

  21. Andrew:
    Arkash,

    The Histories & Lore animations, from the WhySoBlu review linked:

    House Martell,
    House Baelish
    Dragons
    Poisons
    The Bastards of WesterosThe Iron Bank
    Robert’s RebellionSellswords & Hedge Knights
    The Wall
    The Nations of the North
    The Kingsguard – Jaime Lannister
    The Kingsguard – Bronn
    The Maester’s Chain
    The Death of KingsValyrian Steel
    Justice of the Seven Kingdoms

    Holy shit Kingsguard History and Lore!
    Fucking Hedgeknights!
    Dragons!!!! I hope they talk about the Dance of the Dragons
    House Martell!!!! Lets gooo!!!
    ANd to top it off VALYRIAN STEEL!!! I want them to mention every known blade!

  22. Turncloak,

    ….recall that last season, “Robert’s Rebellion” took the unprecedented step of having BOTH Littlefinger and Varys narrate, snarking back and forth at each other.

    …I do think Oberyn is most likely — Anything Littlefinger needs to say would be in “House Baelish” — though I wonder if Barristan would be in anything? Nah, they wouldn’t have used Bronn otherwise for a Kingsguard video.

    Poison actually makes sense, given how much it features this season; not only was Joffrey poisoned, but how we FINALLY hear the truth of Jon Arryn’s poisoning.

  23. Sean C.: No commentary for episode 3. Wonder why. *cough*rapegate*cough*

    This is the second box set in a row, I believe, where they’ve doubled up on commentary tracks for some episodes and left one episode with no commentary at all (episode 3.01, last time).

    They have always left one episode per season on the DVDs without comments.
    I do not know why.

  24. It does kind of bug me that they refuse to talk about season 4 episode 3. They made a mistake, it happens. It would be nice if they just admitted that and moved on.

  25. Well at least we can hear their thoughts about the rape occurring in the background of episode 4 at Crater’s keep.

  26. Sean C.,

    I agree. It has happened before. But then when you choose which one does not have the commentary, it is rather easy to pick the one where you have the least you want to say, no? Pretty logical.

    It would look weird to come out on the commentary of THAT particular scene and say something along the line: “this is the scene where Jamie does not rape his sister, see? we cut it badly and initially when we read the script one assistant thought it was rape the way we wrote it, but no. Even though he does force himself on her she really wants him in the end, right there see when she says no, but then she pulls him and then we decided to cut right before this.”

    Whatever. The world has moved on and I think they chose to let it rest rather than put their foot in it again.

  27. Greenjones:
    A Bronn and Shae deleted scene sounds interesting. Maybe we’ll find out what specifically kept her in the city?

    I really hope that’s it. In my opinion, it’s the biggest unexplained plot point from last season. Hopefully it’s not as bad as the “Doreah murders Irri” scene from season 2, which was cut for a good reason.

  28. Nymeria Warrior Queen,

    Don’t! Good God, you have something to say you should be able to say it freely. And if others want to participate in whatever you post they should without the fear of being judged by others.

    It is on topic and it is controversial. When it will be exhausted it will die on its own.

  29. Nymeria Warrior Queen,

    “Asked if they could bring any character back to life on the show, Coster-Waldau said Tywin Lannister and Headey, unfazed by a loud chorus of boos, picked the universally-despised Joffrey.”

    Lena didn’t choose her best pal Fairley? Stoneheart confirmed.
  30. Waiting for the price to drop at Best Buy the week before the release to order the House Martell sigil cover. The Histories And Lore are always a highlight, as well as the commentaries. The next couple of weeks are filled with GOT related fun. Can’t wait!

  31. Tormund’s Woman,

    No worries, it was meant as more of an, “oops” (with perhaps a slight hint of maniacal laughter). 🙂
    They’re discussing how they viewed the scene as the actors playing it, and Lena Heady doesn’t strike me as the type to shy away from what she really thinks.
    Folks can react to it however they please.

  32. The perfect Valentine gift! Looking forward to all of the Histories. Heck, looking forward to the whole thing!

  33. Nymeria Warrior Queen,

    Good to read that. Thx. I feel bad that the scene affected so many people negatively but honestly I never have felt the same as others about it. Given what Lena and Nikolaj say about it in the panel, I feel more comfortable with my position on the scene (which I won’t go into again).

    Can’t wait until the S4 Bluray set drops!

    Cheers!

  34. Tyrion Pimpslap,

    I’m going for the Martell cover also. It’s actually kind of funny that at one time Best Buy used to be my favorite store but the only thing I’ve bought there in the last four years have been the GoT Blu-Rays.

    Just noticed too that on the Best Buy pre-order page it lists a bonus disc as well. I wonder what that will be?

  35. Turncloak:
    That Superbowl ending was The Red Viper all over again. You think you have the game won and then You get your skull effing smashed in

    Not a bad analogy. Complete with post-watch stomach sickness and all.

  36. Pretty excited about the histories and lore- “bastards” “hedge knights” “valyrian steel” and “kingsguard” all sound interesting, as well as yet more perspective on Robert’s Rebellion.
    What could the “nations of the north” segment be about? North of the wall? Skaagos? What am I missing?

  37. The Dragon Demands: Poison actually makes sense, given how much it features this season; not only was Joffrey poisoned, but how we FINALLY hear the truth of Jon Arryn’s poisoning.

    and don’t forget, the poison from Oberyn’s spear that infected Ser Gregor.

  38. Toast,

    And maybe… just maybe…. the poison that led to a certain patriarch’s throne squatting, and later, his rotting corpse.

    Naaaa. They won’t go there

  39. Ugh, HBO and home releases. Why do they put so little effort into them? Only 37 minutes about how they made one episode? Why not give ut at least a 30 min featurette per episode, or at least something focusing on all the major scenes. The wedding, Viper vs the Mountain, Brienne vs the Hound, fight at Craster’s etc. And no, those 2 minute videos they release after each episode with the cast and crew giving us a recap of what we just saw don’t count.

    It’s one of the biggest shows in the world with some of the most disappointing bonus material. I probably come off as negative, but that’s because I know HBO could do better (and they certaintly have the budget for it).

  40. Off-topic, but for those who play the Game of Thrones Telltale Game, IGN appear to have broken the embargo and posted a video review of the second episode featuring a lot of new footage, if anyone is interested.

  41. Some of the weakest moments of GOT happened in Season 4:

    -The entire Yara Theons rescue mission which was done very awkwardly and made little sense logistically (dogs, dungeon fight, making it back to boats etc)

    -As much as Arya’s first kill of the season was awesome, her second one right through the heart was done in a very lazy way. An ambush turned into a biting fight and then announcing latest news of westros while waiting to die!

    -Apparently Vale is suffering from lack of population and collapse of government! So Arya Stark shows up at your gates and since her aunt is already dead you just tell her to go back into the mountains! And no word of this encounter goes back up the chain of command?!

    -100,000 wildlings and unknown numbers of giants and mammoths somehow surrendered/disappeared as soon as Stannis forces showed up!
    And somehow all 100,000 heard Mance’s command to surrender as he was standing in front of his tent.
    This is all assuming that the first nights attack on the wall was just a test and they were keeping their main force for later (which in itself makes no logical sense!)

    -They need to hire someone with better math to help with the scripts. 12 men at crasters keep?
    100 men at the wall? Just watch those episodes again and count Number of kills yourself! doesnt add up!

    -Two words: skeletons and fireballs!!

  42. Carne,

    They have the next season to produce, they don’t have the time to be producing 10 thirty minute documentaries. They also do far more than literally every other tv show.

  43. Carne,

    I was so sure you were being sarcastic until the very end, when there was no pay-off. Are you actually for real? Aside from the Lord of the Rings movies, I’ve never seen a Blu-Ray release as complete as this one, especially for a TV show.

  44. Ok so I know Im a dinosaur (I still have video tapes for heavens sakes!) but I don’t own whatever it takes to play a blu-ray. Will this set come out in DVDs for use old folk?

  45. Turncloak:
    The Dragon Demands,

    Roberts Rebellion almost 5 minutes!!
    I bet its from Oberyn’s perspective! Cannot waitt!!! AHHHH!!!

    I dont remember having Tywin’s perspective so that could be cool as well !

    Nations of the North, if it’s about the North and not the Wildlings would definitly be Roose ! I’d love Roose take on the North politics !

  46. ash:
    Ok so I know Im a dinosaur (I still have video tapes for heavens sakes!) but I don’t own whatever it takes to play a blu-ray.Will this set come out in DVDs for use old folk?

    yes

  47. Voice of Reason:
    Some of the weakest moments of GOThappened in Season 4:

    -The entire Yara Theons rescue mission which was done very awkwardly and made little sense logistically (dogs, dungeon fight, making it back to boats etc)

    -As much as Arya’s first kill of the season was awesome, her second one right through the heart was done in a very lazy way. An ambush turned into a biting fight and then announcinglatest news of westros while waiting to die!

    -Apparently Vale is suffering from lack of population and collapse of government! So Arya Stark shows up at your gates and since her aunt is already dead you just tell her to go back into the mountains! And no word of this encounter goes back up the chain of command?!

    -100,000 wildlings and unknown numbers of giants and mammoths somehow surrendered/disappeared as soon as Stannis forces showed up!
    And somehow all 100,000 heard Mance’s command to surrender as he was standing in front of his tent.
    This is all assuming that the first nights attack on the wall was just a test and they were keeping their main force for later (which in itself makes no logical sense!)

    -They need to hire someone with better math to help with the scripts. 12 men at crasters keep?
    100 men at the wall? Just watch those episodes again and count Number of kills yourself! doesnt add up!

    -Two words: skeletons and fireballs!!

    Its television. And not only that its fantasy television. How can you bitch about the number of men at a battle when there are dragons and magical leech’s that kill?

  48. Jesterr223456,

    I’m not “bitching” for the sake of it. I’m just annoyed they seemingly film so much behind the scenes material yet decide to include so little of it.

    JustWannaBePure,

    D&D have little to nothing to do with what’s put on the Blu-ray, like most productions. HBO has their own people editing together those videos, and usually hire a few people to record behind the scenes material (interviews, b-roll and so on) for the whole production. These people are not involved in post-production of the show itself, so I doubt time is an issue.

    I love to see how a massive show like this is put together. It’s just a shame there’s so little of it.

  49. Sister Kisser,

    I thought it was a damn good game. Better than last year, for sure. The game had an odd balance to it too. Brady’s first drive ended in a pick, while Wilson’s last drive ended in a pick. And both picks were at the same spot on the field! After Kearse’s miracle catch in the waning seconds, I thought we were going to see the Giants-Pats all over again (SB42). I’m just glad it was a decent game. Who knows why Seattle didn’t give it to Strong Belwas at the end?

  50. Isn’t it worth it to report on the script leak? Back in August it was of course dismissed as someone making it up, but now… the report had quotes that are confirmed by the trailer, verbatim (“Who said anything about HIM?”), as well as the Sand Snakes sending Cersei a box with a dead viper and Myrcella’s lion necklace. You just couldn’t have made that up. Now it’s a bit ridiculous to ignore it, almost as much as it was back then to blindly accept it.

    There’s quite a bit of info in there, plenty of it kinda reassuring for book fans, in a way (at least, I see it that way.) For those unaware of the leaked script summary, here are the highlights:

    -As we already knew, the season starts with a flashback to Maggy’s prophesy.
    -Surprisingly, Lancel is back, having joined the Sparrows (and even more shockingly, his father Kevan is back as well, which I didn’t expect.) Lancel’s story from the book will be adhered to: his newly-found piety is making him uncomfortable about Robert’s “hunting accident,” because of which Cersei sees him as a threat, and… well, you know.
    -The Sons of the Harpy are the focus of the season for Daenerys. The story starts with the death of Stalwart Shield at a brothel, just as it did in the book. However, Dany’s conflict will not only be internal, as some people assumed —Yunkai will still be involved. Sending Daario and Hizdahr to Yunkai last season had to pay off somehow, and indeed it will: they come back and advise her to attack Yunkai with her dragons before the Wise Masters march on Meereen, which they very much intend to do. Dany goes to the catacombs in order to see if Viserion and Rhaegal can be controlled… they cannot.
    -As speculated by many, Stannis will not court the Northern mountain clans so that they aid him in his campaign against the Boltons —he wants to use the wildling army instead. This was an expected streamlining. The addition of a march to Hardhome led by Jon himself, which the trailer confirms, will probably feed into the conflict of this decision.
    -In the books, once Cersei hears about Arys Oakheart being killed, she sends Boros Blount to take Myrcella back to King’s Landing (and, according to Doran, to assassinate Trystane in the way there.) In the show, the Sand Snakes (or maybe Ellaria) will be the inciting factor: just as we saw in the trailer, they will send a box with a dead viper in it, with a lion necklace in its jaw —a grave threat if there ever was one. That’s why Cersei will send Jaime (instead of Boros) to take Myrcella safely back to her mother.
    -Brienne will yet again try and fail to take a Stark girl to safety, very much in keeping with her failure in the books, whilst making it a more dramatic near miss: she will find Sansa and be refused. There is not enough context to make sense of it all, but we know that knights of the Vale end up going after Brienne, probably on Littlefinger’s orders.
    -Jaqen H’ghar is back… insofar as Jaqen H’ghar was ever there. That is, the Faceless Man who helped Arya is not back with his old face, but the Kindly Man (who is definitely in, a fact previously in doubt) puts on Jaqen H’ghar’s face. In fact, the Kindly Man tells Arya that he is not Jaqen, but no one, and Arya must become no one too.
    -Those dreading that Barristan will spend yet another season being little more than a featured extra… fear no more! It’s not like he actually personally interacts that much with Daenerys in the books, but one of their few scenes that definitely stuck out for fans is when Selmy tells Dany about the madness and cruelness of her father. This will be included, in the context of Barristan convincing her not to execute a Son of the Harpy.
  51. Luka Nieto,

    Seven blessings to you, Luka! I never read the leaked script and now I was curious to see what else it said besides the

    Sand Snake’s message

    which was one of the things that matched the trailer, according to some here who read it.

    Very curious about this storyline:

    -Brienne will yet again try and fail to take a Stark girl to safety, very much in keeping with her failure in the books, whilst making it a more dramatic near miss: she will find Sansa and be refused. There is not enough context to make sense of it all, but we know that knights of the Vale end up going after Brienne, probably on Littlefinger’s orders.

    I wonder who is it that will refuse her. Sansa or LF?

    For some reason I automatically assumed that the

    KM will be Jaqen H’ghar from the moment they announced Tom Wlaschiha is reprising a role in GoT. It just seemed the most natural thing so no surprises there for me. I applaud that decision because he was amazing to begin with and since he really is just a “face”, it makes perfect sense to have someone else take it in order to connect better with Arya.
  52. Tormund’s Woman,

    Here‘s the original post which reported the leaked script summary.

    100% agreed about Jaqen. You get to be faithful to the essence of the character, but change his face to someone we (and Arya) already recognize, which is quite acceptable in context, the Kindly Man being a Faceless Man and all.

  53. If i buy the BluRay walking in at the store, would it be the same price as pre-ordering? Im not sure if the price goes up or down the day of release.

  54. Carne: Ugh, HBO and home releases. Why do they put so little effort into them? Only 37 minutes about how they made one episode? Why not give ut at least a 30 min featurette per episode, or at least something focusing on all the major scenes. The wedding, Viper vs the Mountain, Brienne vs the Hound, fight at Craster’s etc. And no, those 2 minute videos they release after each episode with the cast and crew giving us a recap of what we just saw don’t count.

    It’s one of the biggest shows in the world with some of the most disappointing bonus material. I probably come off as negative, but that’s because I know HBO could do better (and they certaintly have the budget for it

    I am with you on this one.
    HBO has always had a screwy business model for anything extracurricular , even in their advertizing.
    For the longest time they didn’t have proper international distribution , they have apparently corrected that.

    Why a show like GOT is not given a pre Christmas DVD distribution just bumfuzzeles me. My only guess and maybe they have said, is the release date of the DVD is a reminder about the show coming up in a couple of months, that seems weak. I have to give my sister-in-law who loves the show ,but does not have HBO, a DVD of season 3 at Christmas in 2014 because 2014 is not out until this year.

    In the beginning I was not surprised the show was not a Buzz-Hit yet. But now as a record breaker they still skimp on the extras. I don’t expect to see as much as a Peter Jackson movie set has, but pop in a few more things.

  55. Voice of Reason,

    So those examples are what is considered poor quality? I beg to differ. I file those in the “who gives a flying fuck” folder. I can send you an extra one if you want?

    Now if D&D had the same superfluous amount of time to tell their story as GM does, then I am sure there would be less error in their final product to appease even the nerdiest nerd.

  56. Voice of Reason: Some of the weakest moments of GOT happened in Season 4:

    -The entire Yara Theons rescue mission which was done very awkwardly and made little sense logistically (dogs, dungeon fight, making it back to boats etc)

    -100,000 wildlings and unknown numbers of giants and mammoths somehow surrendered/disappeared as soon as Stannis forces showed up!
    And somehow all 100,000 heard Mance’s command to surrender as he was standing in front of his tent.
    This is all assuming that the first nights attack on the wall was just a test and they were keeping their main force for later (which in itself makes no logical sense!)
    /blockquote>

    The whole Yara adventure was screwy. It starts out ok… but looks as if it were edited about 25 times with no satisfying final edit!
    Sometimes I think , now Bryan Cogman did write that episode, usually D&D keep a tight leash (even on George!) but looks as if the whole thing got away from them.
    Maybe someone will ask Cogman about it.

    Well the 100,000 Wildlings , that a bit a movie cliche , as in , “maybe the audience won’t notice the logic lapse?”.
    As hearing Mance surrender…
    well what about that Unsullied guy in the 8000th row when Dany was giving her speech:
    Turns to guy next to him and says “Did she say we all get a free lizard on a stick?”

  57. king stannis,

    I never pre-order months in advance. I usually wait until a few days to a week before the release, when the blu-ray price usually drops to $25-$30.

  58. ash,

    I believe the Blu-Ray comes with DVD’s, as well as a digital copy. The price difference should only be about $5 extra for the Blu-Ray package too. That way, if you purchase a BR player in the future(you can get a decent one for $50-$70 bucks right now) you are set.

    Edit: Scrap that. It appears that this season’s Blu-Ray package doesn’t include DVD’s, as the previous 2 seasons did.

  59. Many Thanks,

    You’re quoting, not using the spoiler code. Use this, without spaces: [ spoiler ] and [/ spoiler ].

    Also, the leaked scripts are not available to my knowledge; only that summary, which has proved way too prophetic to be false.

  60. Rygar,

    on the other hand maybe if they had the same amount of time that GM did for a feast and a dance, then they may end up with the same quality of writing that those two produced. Lose lose.

  61. Luka Nieto,

    Many Thanks! Uploading it again with spoilers.

    I’m not criticizing you at all over sharing the info. It’s definitely accurate and I’ve seen similar posts with the exact same information. I’m just acting as devil’s advocate against the conclusions that many people are rushing to based off that small amount of info. The point of my post is just pointing out 2 episodes worth of content is not enough to judge the story lines for an entire season.

  62. Luka Nieto,

    Two observations: While I haven’t read the leaked script (nor do I wish to), skimming through your list has reminded me of two key plot details from “A Dance with Dragons”

    1) Varys and Tyrion- This scene seems to perfectly mimic the conversation between Tyrion and

    Illyrio, who will probably return, as in the novel, to enforce the connection to Daenarys.

    The one thing that has confounded me about many observations that Varys’ indirect reference to Daenarys means that

    Aegon

    will be cut out. If anything, the changes of

    Aegon [spoiler] appearing have improved drastically. In the novel, [spoiler] Illyrio

    led Tyrion to initially believe that Daenarys would be the key figure in the return of Targayens,

    only for the revelation that Daenarys was only wanted as a queen consort and for the power her dragons would provide

    .

    Plus, having Varys blatantly give away the conspiracy most show-watchers have only guessed he has been involved in since Season 1 in the trailer seems more along the lines of misleading advertising that GoT excels in.

    2) Stannis and the wildlings- Again,

    the first Jon chapter has Stannis and Jon discussing what’s to be done with windings prisoners, with Stannis pushing for them to be used as vanguard cannon fodder and Jon arguing they would alienate Northern support for Stannis’ cause

    . It’s the same type of conversation as the Tyrion one mentioned above, which is then, similarly,

    completely turned on its head by Jon suggesting Stannis rally the northern clans

    . It’s not that the

    northern clans

    could be streamlined (and I could see them doing that easily) but having them in the story would give Stannis a better connection with the North than simply using the wildlings.

    I’ll end off by saying that these script leaks cover only the first TWO episodes. If we’ve learned anything from watching this show, it’s that the status quo does not remain in place for long in the course of a single season.

  63. Luka Nieto,

    My biggest gripe with the news is that it seems like

    Jon’s election will be glossed over and just quickly thrown in, and that Stannis won’t offer to legitimize him and make him Lord of Winterfell. Also, when I first read it, I was still holding out hope for the Griffs.

    Everything else seems fine to me.

  64. Guys this is huge!!! as anyone seen yet who appeared in the casting list for episode 510 on IMDB???? Unsullied beware you don’t want to see this, you were warned

  65. Ok, is this the problem with the show or the books?

    Varys positions and actions toward Dany has been anything but consistent:

    Season 1: he is totally on board with the plot to poison Dany while in the scene where Arya is going after cat she hears him saying things that implies he supports her.

    Season 2: he has a conversation with Tyrion prior to black water where he is obviously dreading the prospect of Dany coming over with 3 dragons saying “there will be nowhere to hide”

    Season 4, he is still actively spying on her, keeping Tywin alert and then helps with the plot to have Dany fire ser friendzone to weaken her!

    Season 5 trailer, he is in team Dany!

    Whats the logic here?

  66. Tyrion Pimpslap:
    Luka Nieto,

    My biggest gripe with the news is that it seems like

    Everything else seems fine to me.

    Same here… although I havent given hope. The leaked script summary supposedly covers two episodes but there is barely enough material mentionned to cover one. So I think the guy who did the transcript missed or forget quite some stuff. Not giving up hope for the Winterfell offer and Northern clans.

    EDIT : I dont really know if Zahary is Loboda but he’s definitly the Thenn wielding axe in the trailer. All signs points to him being Loboda (and I think he’ll be a pro-Watch Thenn, eliminating the need for the Alys wedding), but I dont take it as official.

  67. Greenjones,

    It could be, let’s just see how long it stays there… btw isn’t loboda the bald wildling with an axe that we see on the trailer? (probably a Thenn)

  68. Greenjones,

    I hope we’ll not only see the Baratheon general in the last two episodes. He should be alongside Stannis during his entire march to flesh up the character.

    Anyway, if that’s reliable, it raises the hopes for the Battle of Ice this season.

    I personally wasnt convinced so far episode 9 would skip the Wall, but with Hardhome being in episode 8 and if the first elements of the Battle of Ice are in 9 (alongside a lot of other events), yeah, it would be logical to skip the Wall for episode 9, time for Jon to come back to CB.

    I wonder how the show will handle the journey up there, will they leave the Wall and directly appear at Hardhome later on, or will we get some scenes on the way to Hardhome ?

  69. Voice of Reason,

    Only outing Ser Pedo Bear doesn’t make much sense, and could be difficult to explain. I guess you could look at it as Jorah stopped reporting to Varys, and thus lost all use to him, or, perhaps Varys is still in contact with him, and

    Jorah won’t just happen to bump into Tyrion, but will actually meet up with Varys and take Tyrion to Meereen by instruction.

    I don’t know. There are still some people who believe

    “Aegon”

    will be in season 6, but I just can’t see it.

  70. Just thought of a scene I’d love to see on the show :

    Jon, Tormund, Loboda and co boarding on ships at Eastwatch to sail up to Hardhome.

    It would be tremendous to see Eastwatch in the show and it would justify that there are not only 50 Watchers left (reinforcements from EbtS and the Shadow Tower at CB would be a nice touch).

  71. Greenjones,

    Added to the wiki.

    And yes, that’s of course a hoax. Hehehe. It’s almost funny. Featured as “Hooded woman”, yet the fact that the actress is back is not kept as a secret. Come on. Anyone can edit IMDB.

    Voice of Reason,

    Well… you’re wrong. To start with, he wasn’t in “Team Dany” in his scene with Illyrio. He was in “Team Viserys.” Dany was just a tool. The same with the rest. Read this, where I argued that Varys’s motivations are consistent.

  72. Voice of Reason,

    Some, like Luka Nieto and myself, have argued that Varys’ participation in the plot to poison Daenerys could actually make sense in a number of ways. Luka’s comments are more coherent and to the point than mine if you want to look them up. Basically, it boils down to:
    1) Varys had to please Robert and Robert wanted her dead. Varys, who formerly worked with the Targaryns had to prove his loyalty and at a minimum make some motions toward assassinating her.
    2) Dany’s bro was still alive and that could have been the horse Varys was backing at that time, once the bro was gone, Dany was the only option left
    3) The attempt on Dany’s life was a weak one IMHO. If he REALLY wanted her dead, he’d have sent a Faceless Man.
    4) Combine this with the fact that it was the spur for Khal Drogo finally committing to taking his army over the sea to Westeros, this also supports the “weak attempt” theory….it was just enough of a threat to enrage Khal Drogo and get him moving without really putting her in jeopardy. And enough of an attempt to satisfy Robert and buy Varys some more time (because it would be weeks or months before KL learned of the results of the attempt).

  73. Voice of Reason,

    1. What was he supposed to do? Robert wanted Dany dead so he obeyed. As he said himself, he is not a hero.

    2. Varys hates magic. Dragons are magic (Ser Davos). Just because you want someone on the throne doesn’t mean you have to like what he or she uses to get there.

    3. Same problem as in point 1. Varys has to serve the crown. His position as Master of Wispers gives him power and it’s of cures very useful to be near your enemy. – And we don’t know if Varys had anything to do with Joras downfall. It seamed to me Tywin was acting on his own there.

  74. Greenjones,

    Yeah… with the same shitty quality. For the life of me I cannot figure out why the official Game of Thrones channel never uploads anything in 1080p. Would it be so difficult?

  75. Dame Pasty,

    I believe I read somewhere that ‘The World Of Ice And Fire’ app that was released a year or so ago had a snippet about the poisoning attempt. It said that Jorah received a letter from Illyrio, warning him about the wine seller’s poison. I don’t remember reading about that in the books, so it came as a surprise that such a revelation would come out in an app.

  76. Abyss,

    WiC posted gifs, but they’re inadequate. Yours are the real deal. Yes, after all this time. There is much to glean from the trailer still.

  77. Grace,

    Wrong. Anyone can edit IMDB.

    I’m going to change “the hooded woman” and replace it with “your sister” after the 24 hour required update time limit.

  78. Arkash,

    Based on the script leak, I’m really starting to think it’s more likely that we’re getting Deepwood, with Battle of Ice pushed to next season. We know from the script that Stannis thinks he needs the wildlings to march on Winterfell, but we also know from all the Hardhome in the trailers that he doesn’t get them. That means there must be some plot around rallying the Northerners to bolster his forces before Winterfell before they can do the Battle of Ice. Deepwood fits the bill on that.
  79. We went through the same last year.

    Literally anyone can edit IMDB. Anyone.

    And I checked- the IMDB entry is already in the process of being removed.

    Let it go, people. If anyone’s going to return, it’s not going to be posted on IMDB. That’s a fan’s wishful thinking/trolling.

  80. Yeah, that’s definitely a hoax – as are others, like Lancel and Kevan listed under S5E01. They’ve been added by fans wanting to believe it’s true despite having no official confirmation.

  81. Kyle,

    I did read in the leaked plot (which seems to be legit based on the trailer that came out afterwards and matched certain points that happened in it) I do think Lancel might be in it. I don’t know about Kevan though.

  82. Kyle,

    Per the leaked script (which seems to be confirmed by the season 5 trailer), it looks like we will get Kevan and Lancel in the show

  83. Afeastfordances,

    Exactly.

    As in the novel, Jon’s advice to Stannis to rally the clans and attack Deepwood Motte would build on the relationship between the two characters and provide a conflict for Jon in trying to maintain the Night’s Watch’s neutrality. I also think keeping Deepwood would be a simple way to pull Yara back into the narrative, if the kingsmoot has indeed been cut, rather than create a new scenario for her.
  84. tom:
    Anyone else thinks that it will not be hardhome but eastwatch by the sea instead ?

    Are you implying that EbtS is going to be attacked? That’s always a possibility but I doubt EbtS is in the S5 picture. It seems like we are going to get a modest wildling village that may be named HH but probably doesn’t have the 600-yr “curse” that HH is known to have associated with it. As others have speculated, this might be a show-only plotpoint that may give some insight into the wildling plight, the WW strategy and some major dissonance within the NW. I’m definitely looking forward to it.

  85. So, off topic but I don’t know exactly where else to post this.

    I received two Tyrion posters from the Imax showing and was wondering if someone would be interested in acquiring one in exchange for the battle at the wall poster? If interested in a trade let me know.

  86. Turncloak:
    TARGET JUST POSTED THE 1ST HISTORY AND LORE!!!!

    “THE DEATH OF KINGS”

    The Blackfyre Rebellion is discussed!!! As is the DANCE OF DRAGONS!
    YEAAASSSS!

    http://www.target.com/c/tv-shows-movies-entertainment/-/N-5xswt?ref=tgt_adv_dvm&afid=d_dvmvendor&cpng=DVM006i000000QVBYnAAP_null&force-full-site=1#video#?lnk=L1L2_MOVTV_012_0_HERO_14_0_2015|HERO|T:Template B-DVM|C:CMS&intc=2242568|null

    That was awesome. I hope we get more video’s on the Blackfyre Rebellions!

  87. Turncloak,

    Hm. Interesting. If the Blackfyres are in any way discussed in Season 5, considering the limited time they have, for me it’d mean YG will be included in the show and that the popular fAegon theory is true. I don’t think it’s gonna happen, but still.

  88. Hodor’s Bastard,

    Yeah, good game for sure. I didn’t clue into the full circle aspect of the game- I was too busy drinking myself down the sorrows…. But good point.

    As for Belwas- the stage was set- he certainly let everybody cut him at least once the last couple weeks- but in the end he got cut out of the picture instead.
    Terrible deviation from the source material… errr… game plan.

    I am loving the Blackfyre shoutouts HbO has made- makes me hopeful if not for YG (don’t really care) but maybe for Varys and BR, etc…

  89. Voice of Reason:
    Ok, is this the problem with the show or the books?

    Varys positions and actions toward Dany has been anything but consistent:

    Season 1: he is totally on board with the plot to poison Dany while in the scene where Arya is going after cat she hears him saying things that implies he supports her.

    Season 2: he has a conversation with Tyrion prior to black water where he is obviously dreading the prospect of Dany coming over with 3 dragons saying “there will be nowhere to hide”

    Season 4, he is still actively spying on her, keeping Tywin alert and then helps with the plot to have Dany fire ser friendzone to weaken her!

    Season 5 trailer, he is in team Dany!

    Whats the logic here?

    It doesn’t make sense in the show, but regardless of what book fans will tell you, it never made sense in the books either! 🙂

  90. Rygar,

    Because nobody is suggesting dragons and magic are supposed to make sense. Not even the show. The realistic component of the show, however, should make sense.

  91. Whoever did that trolling IMDB edit seems to have really screwed up IMDB. My recently-viewed list at the bottom of the site now says it was all “45 year ago”. WTF is going on over there?

  92. Greenjones:
    Kyle,

    None officially, but the facebook thingmy does prove them.

    I want official proof. We’ve been burned by things like this before. I’m just don’t want to be let down, so I’m skeptical. And I’m one of Kevan’s biggest fans! This leak could’ve been an early version of the script and Kevan (or even Lancel) may have been removed entirely.

    I had a thought when I saw the image of Cersei sitting at Tywin’s desk posted on the Game of Thrones Facebook.

    What if Cersei’s role just absorbs the Hand of the King material, or splits it with Pycelle/Qyburn?

    I could see that happening to save time reintroducing Kevan. And Kevan isn’t

    present at Margaery and Tommen’s wedding, which you would assume he would be if he was returning to the show.
  93. Well I still buy DVD’s…nothing wrong with them, just not willing to invest more money in what is essentially just a fancier disc..i.e. Blu-ray. When the disc format is completely kaput and replaced by something else, something that will become the accepted standard, instead of the mish-mash of technologies and systems we have currently in service, then I will upgrade, until then nope! It sucks that the DVD sets do not include the same features as the Blu-ray ones…but whatever…it is the show I am interested in.

    And really.. that whole fucking “rapegate” shit still makes waves?! Really?! Watch your daily news, you’ll see more violence than that once scene ever produced! People should get their heads out of their asses and move the fuck on! Geesh!

    If people cared more about real, everyday violence, including the violence going on in their own lives, families, neighbourhoods…maybe things wouldn’t be so messed up all the time…instead of worrying about a scene on a TV show…

  94. Luka Nieto,

    I agree – I never thought YG would be included, am still doubtful, but those history and lore videos are indeed usually a good indicator of the focus of the show material.

  95. Luka Nieto,

    Thank you so much for this!

    I am so confused by the

    Sansa/Brienne interaction, but can understand the former’s refusal to go with her. Much like Arya, she sees nothing but a Lannister hired-gun. When will Brienne understand that? Though what this shows of Sansa’s “arc” is a bit bothersome. Loyalty to LF is always bothersome.

    And THANK THE GODS Barristan, the silver fox!, will be sharing with Dany the truth about her Father. I think this is so important for her endgame because I am in the camp she slips into madness near the end.

  96. Kells,

    Thank the gods for Barristan’s scene indeed.

    Though in the show he hasn’t yet told Dany the truth about his father, he kinda came close last season, when she counseled her that “sometimes it is wiser to answer injustice with mercy” —to which she coldly replied she would answer it with justice… and then she crucified 163 slave masters in retaliation for the 163 slave children they had previously crucified themselves. Barristan looks REALLY worried there, and one can guess (especially as a book reader) what he’s thinking —”Fuck… she’s kinda going the way of his father here.” However, it’s nice to see it’s going to be made explicit. That was a really good conversation between them in the books, especially because Barristan is usually so reserved. It took a lot of courage for him to be honest to Dany about the Mad King.

  97. Luka Nieto,

    Thankfully the show has been pretty good about showing his reactions to Dany’s actions. Like when the peasant brought the burned remains of his girl, the camera cut between her, the Father and Barristan. He watches her like a hawk and not because he doesn’t support her, I think he knows what could become of her. He’s worried and rightly so, not just for her safety but sanity.
    Ian McElhinney is so good.

  98. Amazon’s Bonus Disc:

    1. Planning a Royal Wedding: In-depth 25-minute feature, giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Season 4’s Royal Wedding.
    2. Silk, Leather & Chain Mail: The Costumes of Season 4; Get a closer look at the creation of the wide- range of original costumes with insights from the cast and crew.
    3. Shock and Awe: Creating the Visual Effects of Season 4; See the VFX team discuss the epic, cutting-edge graphics for Game of Thrones’ biggest season yet.

  99. Luka Nieto,

    YES! Selmy is one of those “secondary” characters I always loved and wish(ed) they had utilized him more. So happy that he is getting to have more “meat”, as you aptly put it, this season. I want to see him swinging the sword, too. He’s a legend and while no longer a young buck, in my minds-eye, Selmy can still kick major ass and best pretty much anyone.

  100. Kells,

    He had a memorable fight scene at the end of ADWD*, in his POV chapters, but even if it’s adapted I’m not so sure we’ll get to see it happen this season. Most of the post-Daznak stuff from ADWD may be delayed to season 6 and/or extremely compressed.

    *When Barristan went to depose Hizdahr, he fought and killed a famous pit fighter who was acting as a bodyguard to the King.

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