Last we heard of any Game of Thrones filming was a few weeks ago, when Emilia Clarke wrapped up her involvement in the production for this season. It wasn’t entirely clear whether filming could continue throughout February as expected or if that was it for everyone else as well… And now we know, as Game of Thrones has returned to one of the show’s least known locations: Calgary, Canada, where they shoot the wolves against a green screen, and then blow them up in post-production to turn them into direwolves.
And those weren’t the only Stark pups around: Maisie Williams was there too!
MaisieStyle on Twitter always has a close eye on everything Maisie, and she was gracious enough to direct us to these sightings and connect the dots:
@Maisie_Williams Thanks for shooting part of GOT in Canada and supporting our economy! My friend Kelly is ecstatic to have met you tonight
pic.twitter.com/jDT7wrgM0u
— Stock:WiZARD (@stockwizardINC) February 18, 2017
Maisie Williams was spotted in Calgary a few days ago by a fan, who was assured that the actress was filming in the country. Of course, there is also the timing with the Instinct Animals For Film wolves filming, which seems unlikely to be a coincidence:
The white wolf is Quigley, who has played Ghost since 2015. The other one is a new addition to the Game of Thrones cast… And I’ll be damned if that wolf doesn’t look like the perfect replacement for the dog who played Nymeria in season one!
That’s just speculation, of course, and Maisie Williams shouldn’t need to be physically present for such a shoot, since actors aren’t allowed to interact with real wolves and they need to be digitally enlarged anyway. Still, it appears Williams was filming in Calgary, exactly where Quigley and the new wolf are filming for Game of Thrones; the former back to playing Ghost, and the latter as a mysterious direwolf… though it does have the exact brownish-grey coat that Nymeria had in season one. You guys decide!
UPDATE: Maisie Williams was sighted again, placing her in Calgary as late as the 20th:
Hodor
Awesome, I’m really looking forward to seeing Nymeria again!!
The lady that Maisie was posing with says that Maisie told her she was there for GoT.
A couple of weeks ago whilst promoting other things Maisie did say that she hadn’t yet wrapped Season 7.
Calgary’s been the show’s only non-European shooting location, right?
Nymeria & Arya!!!!
Gods be good !
I knew it. If I prayed long and hard enough to the Old Gods and the New, this would eventually come true.
Los Angeles, USA, too. For the bear in season three.
Ghost & Nymeria will make direwolf puppies.
Nymeria!!!!!!!! ? Hope this is true!
OMG! Nymeria and Ghost I’m so excited
I needed some good news. I got fantastic news!
Luka Nieto,
In addition they shot the scenes in and around Yunkai in Morocco.
This is awesome!! I really hope that the new wolf is Nymeria!
Nymeria!!! Ghost!!!! I do love that my 2 favorite Starks still have their direwolves. I hope both direwolves fight along side their human in the war to come. Even if they die, let them go out serving a purpose (like Summer & Shaggydog, not like Lady & Grey Wind). Of course my wish is that both Ghost and Nymeria survive and produce a dozen little pups for future generations of Starks. Incest be damned.
Maybe they need Maisie there for some lighting continuity stuff,
r-hard,
Incestuous wolves…sounds about right.
Oh hell yes! Nymeria!
I live in Saskatoon – she was in Calgary. The person on Instagram is in Saskatoon, but the photo is of her friend with Maisie in Calgary. ?
Welcome to Canada my dear girl, the weather is fine and the wolves are true of heart. ❤
Yay!Awesome! I suppose they could have needed Maisie there if they have some epic interaction planned with Nymeria,like an emotional reunion followed by Arya riding her direwolf into a battle..ok,that sounded stupid when I said it out loud. ..it was my withdrawal brain talking. But I’m excited nonetheless!
Seems weird to me that Maisie would need to shoot with the wolves, especially with the “no actors close to the animals” rule, but who knows, maybe we’re wrong about that or maybe there is no way to do a shot without her presence, or maybe they just need a body double for a scene related to the wolves (but not necessarly involving her shooting directly with them, like some lightning continuity as someone said above) and she graciously accepted to do it herself…
Who knows…
Pigeon,
Thanks for the clarification 😉
Just what I needed on my birthday… WOLVES!!! So, so, SO looking forward to this reunion.
Still live in hope that Nymeria and her wolf pack invade the Twins and massacre the Freys. Slaughter by wolf not too over the top for GoT.
Who even needs the Bw/oB, with or without Lady SH, to depopulate a double castle when a ravening horde of wolves skulks nearby. All those wolves need is leadership.
Time for Team Arya Wolf to step up. Would that the Hound could see his Wolfgirl wreaking vengeance.
This has warmed my heart more than any other news to date. Nymeria!!! Get hype!!!
Marlana,
I like how you think! Nymeria & Co. finishing off the Freys would be the ultimate. And yeah, I’m really looking forward to seeing how the Hound reacts to Wolfgirl 2.0.
Believe me, I’d love her to be here!!!
Oh god, I am already crying.
Arkash,
I’m thinking that the most efficient way to film Arya and Nymeria in the same scene is to film them separately in the same location, and then merge the two together. Might be easier to do that than film with green screens.
But what do I know. …
Ghost and Nymeria reunion needs to happen.
Wolfish,
“WolfGirl 2.0.” I like that !
And since I’m 85% certain the Hound & Arya’s story isn’t over [too much foreshadowing, and too many unresolved emotions on both sides], I too like to imagine Sandor’s reaction when he encounters WolfGirl 2.0.
PS. I’ve rewatched their scenes together numerous times, and noticed so many instances when The Hound – with just a slight gesture or barely noticeable change in facial expression – would show admiration for something Arya said or did. One example: after Sandor knocked out the pork merchant, Arya successfully pleaded with Sandor not to kill the unconscious man; but as soon as the man started coming to, Arya clocked him and knocked him out again. Sandor’s reaction was priceless.
Wolfish,
I didn’t think I’d see another direwolf in my lifetime. But I was wrong!
Quigley! He is the White Wolf!
Wolfish,
Happy birthday! And faithful wolves to watch over you!
Ten Bears,
YES!!! (To everything.)
I finally, finally convinced Saner Half to watch GoT with me. We finished Season 1 last night, and I’m getting Season 2 at the video-rental store today. 🙂 He already loves Arya, so I’m really looking forward to seeing his reaction to the Hound/Arya relationship.
Stark Raven’ Rad,
Shy Lady Dragon,
Thank you both!!! As I wrote to Ten Bears, I’ll be drinking wine and watching S2 with Saner Half. 🙂
I can’t wait to see Arya, Nymeria, Jon and Ghost in the same scene. I’m praying to the old gods and the new to keep all four alive. And if the Hound were added to the picture it would be perfect.
Well, Walder Frey’s damn moron sons weren’t easy to carve. Especially Black Walder.
Wouldn’t want Arya to develop carpal tunnel syndrome. So much more efficient for Nymeria and a wolf pack to rip apart all of the remaining Freys. ????
⚰⚰⚰⚰⚰⚰⚰
Nymeria in the wilds alone, and not shown to be killed, was a “hung gun” waiting to be shot. (where is Wimsey lately?) So glad this is happening. I’m already imagining how Twitter will explode when she shows up.
THE LONE WOLF DIES BUT THE PACK SURVIVES!
https://media.giphy.com/media/PRTdP9xgwl6IE/200.gif
Wolfish,
Happy Birthday!
I’ll bet you can’t wait until your “Saner Half” gets to Arya’s reaction at the Bloody Gate to the news that her Aunt Lysa had died; and before that, the “Every F–ing Chicken in this Room” scene in S4E1. (During intermission, you’ll probably want to watch that Jimmy Kimmel/KFC parody commercial featuring The Hound.)
Arya and Nymeria! Finally! I didn’t want to get my hopes up for this season but OMG yes!
Best shooting news in a long time! Dare we hope that Arya will finally discover her warging abilities? A reunion with Nymeria seems to be in order, at least.
I suppose the obvious scenario is Arya traveling solo through woodlands, northward from the Twins, to find herself surrounded by a threatening wolf pack, who back off when their alpha female steps in and remembers her ::cue swelling music and human/direwolf hug:: But what would be better, I think, would be a wintry scenario where a lone Arya is trying to sleep without freezing to death, and wakes up to find herself snuggled up in a warm wolfpile, with Nymeria nuzzling her face.
Ah, the fanfic potential is strong in this news!
Firannion,
Awww! Now that I read your fanfic I’d be sad if it happened in another way.
Thronetender,
Yeah, where is Wimsey? We’ve got a fully loaded direwolf from S1 about to be fired in S7.
I wasn’t able to check here today until just now and can’t think of a post that I’d like more at the moment!
Knowing how they’ve used the direwolves so far I have to temper my enthusiasm, but still, thinking about our little badass faceless assassin reconnecting with her wolf sidekick just sounds like so much awesome! Not exploring and using such a thing simply because it’s expensive and difficult to film would be a mistake imo.
Apparently this guy owns about 30 wolves. Leaving out Quigkey, 29 sounds a nice number for a wolf pack.
I’m both delighted by this news and a little nervous, given the way the direwolves – with the partial exception of Ghost – have been either sidelined or killed off in the series. It’s very late in the day, but I’d be delighted if the vital part her connection with Nymeria plays in Arya’s book storyline is finally honoured in the show.
It makes sense they would go to Canada to see the wolves instead of trying to bring them to Belfast, so glad GOT is respectful of the animals they choose to work with.
I’m not expecting a lot of Direwolf interactions but any is better than nothing. I imagine we’ll see Nymeria more than Ghost.
Wolfish,
Happy birthday!
I’m on my phone atm so it’s a little more difficult to follow… When we’re pointing out the wolf possibly playing Nymeria we’re referring to the one named Sparta, correct?
It would be the terra firma version of the old ‘drowning sailor saved by selkie/dolphin’ trope. Guaranteed heartwarming!
If (I soooo want to be able to say “when”) Nymeria were/is re-introduced, how does everyone think D&D would/will present the backstory? Bran-o-Vision? Flashback? Arya?
[Felt Stannis looking over my shoulder at those verb tenses].
Oh My Goodness ! *sheds a tear*
This wolf’s picture is gorgeous and it looks like she (yes, I decided she is a female) is so happy to shoot for GoT she is smiling.
I am so so so looking forward to seeing Nymeria (and her pack hopefully) reuniting with Arya !
Happy Birthday, Wolfish !
Woohoo the pack gathers. I hope she gets to use Nymeria and Ghost in a useful way. I’m surpzed arya has ghost. Will he stay with Nymeria? It would be sad, kinda suggesting Jon’s less Stark now. My Saner half will go nuts over this scene anyway
Either of these scenarios would be amazing. Arya being approached by the wolf pack, but not harmed by them would fit well. In ACOK, wolves come upon her while she’s alone, but they don’t hurt her, probably bc they are probably part of Nymeria’s pack. If the show were to do something similar with the pack recognizing Arya as the human version of their alpha, that would be a good opportunity for a fake out. Arya and the show-only part of the audience would think she’s about to be eaten only for Nymeria to appear and a long awaited reunion to ensue.
Never too early to get primed…
Just rewatched two Arya & Nymeria scenes from “The Kingsroad” (S1E2):
• Nymeria “helping” Arya pack, when Jon comes in to present Needle to Arya; Jon looks in Arya’s eyes and tells her “I’m going to miss you”; and Arya leaps into Jon’s arms for a goodbye hug.
•. Arya hiding out in the woods with Nymeria when she sees Lannister soldier search party approaching; Arya hugs Nymeria, then pleads with her: “You’ve got to go. They’ll kill you for what you did to Joffrey. Go on… Run! Go! Please! Now!…,.”
* Cue sobbing by me*
Forget the Sansa – Jon reunion. This is the reunion I’ve been wanting. (Arya + Jon, if it happens, will probably be saved for S8.)
—————
I wonder:
• Does the Canada filming report – which doesn’t mention Kit H – mean that Arya, Nymeria and Ghost will share a scene or scenes together without Jon?
• I know they frequently film scenes and episodes out of chronological order, but is it possible that the direwolves will be involved in the “cliffhanger” Maisie was referring to a few days ago?
Ten Bears,
Abel,
Arya doesn’t have Ghost necessarily, but they have to film scenes in Canada for the wolves, the actors aren’t really needed. They usually just need to film actual wolves and CGI them up to make them look like Direwolves then they insert them into scenes with the actors using their technology so a lot of the times the actors have no interaction with the wolves at all, they only really did when they were smaller and they used Huskies which is why Kit isn’t needed. If people are right however about Nymeria having her own wolf pack it would be easier for Maisie to actually be near the wolves instead of them inserting heaps of wolves using CGI.
Cold winds have risen and the wolves are back.
Yeah!!! Excitement alround
All we need is one scene Arya, Jon, Nymeria and Ghost to reunite together and all this deverastion with previous direwolves will have been worth it.
Stacy,
Your scenario feels like something they would do on the show. Although it’s limited in use of the direwolves yet again and would elicit complaints because of that, it still could be very touching, heart-string tugging and better than doing nothing at all. I’m pretty sure I’d be sobbing with just a simple meeting and recognition between Arya and Nymeria.
Connor,
Of course it’s Nymeria.
Arya becomes Lady Stoneheart…?
Pigeon,
I bet! 🙂
I corrected the text and sourced it to the fan who took the photo, who made clear in another tweet that it was made in Calgary 😉
This stuff almost writes itself, doesn’t it.
Instinctwolves has deleted the photos of Quigley and that other wolf on their instagram. HBO doesn’t mess around.
This news honestly made me tear up. Such a long time coming. Thanks for the good tidings on a Saturday!
I don’t really consider Calvary, Canada a “location” anymore than I do the Los Angeles parking lot they filmed the greenscreen for Bart the Bear in. If it’s an interior set I don’t really consider it a “location”. Just saying.
But that would be very cersei-and-jamiesh! Ew.
That wouldn’t be an issue for wolves.
Um. What?
Ten Bears,
It does. I have to say the thread quieted down or died out quicker than expected. The possible imagery of this or what they could do with this is huge for me.
Since season one Arya has been essentially alone without any connection to her family, her name or her home. She’s come across some that became “friends” such as Gendry and Sandor, in a way, but nothing that has connected her with her family or her roots. Meeting up with Nymeria would be a very symbolic event towards her reconnecting with herself as a Stark. She was still Ned’s daughter and little girl Stark the last time she saw Nymeria. She’s become something else since then regardless of what she says. I’m thinking a connection with her direwolf might remind her even more of who she is and where she comes from.
Woof! ヽ(°ᴥ°)ﾉ
Clob,
Uh, I’m not so sure [this] thread has quieted down or died out yet. It’s up to 70+ responses in half a day, and while it’s just after midnight where I am on the east coast of the U.S., the large segment of the fandom on the other side of the world will probably start chiming in soon.
Pigeon,
Yeah, I didn’t get that either. I didn’t see anything in the post suggesting that the Calgary [not “Calvary”] filming would be indoors. In fact, Maisie’s presence in Calgary indicates to me that the filming will be on location in an outdoor setting, and not an interior shoot or in a parking lot somewhere. (Otherwise, they’d probably just film Maisie in the Belfast studio and digitally insert Arya into the direwolf scene(s) later in post-production,)
But what do I know.
PS Thank you so much for the clarification of the Instagram photo’s geographic location. Were it not for you, I would’ve assumed Maisie was in a completely different part of Canada and had nothing to do with filming Quigley and his fellow wolves in Calgary.
N Y M E R I A ! ! ! ! I…I…I can’t…[sobbing]
Ten Bears,
Lonely Cat,
DaphNenya,
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Abel,
I don’t think she “has” them both. I’m guessing it’s a reunion scene between Arya & Nymeria and Jon & Ghost… which, if it happens, will be the sweetest reunion ever. 🙂
Gawd, just reading all these comments makes me want to get a dog again. And I haven’t had a dog since my sweet Rottweiler, Martini, went to the Great Beyond ten years ago…
Ten Bears,
Yeah, you’re probably right. I was thinking in terms of in-season threads that burn fast and I shouldn’t have. I’m just excitedly waiting for the conversations that move so fast that we can barely keep up with comments…
bũrnfoot,
No, Arya becomes Gendry’s lady. Remember?
Interesting. The link to InstinctWolves still has a testimonial from HBO GoT Producer Bernie Caufield, and a video of Quigley “getting into character” as Ghost on Game of Thrones. (It’s a snippet of the scene of Ghost acting as Samwell Tarly’s wingman, helping fend off the two NW jerks threatening to molest Gilly, thereby enabling Sam’s “fat pink mast” to rise to the occasion when Gilly comes to express her gratitude.)
BTW, I didn’t realize wolf actors have to “get into character” for their roles. Are they method actors like Brando?
Nevertheless, if HBO clamped down on the posting of the Ghost and Nymeria wolf photos, to me that’s confirmation of their significance. It’s like that scene in Zero Dark Thirty when CIA analyst Maya (Jessica Chastain) deduced from a detainee’s omission of a name from an otherwise truthful identification of accomplices that the omitted guy was bin Laden’s courier.
(If the comparison of GoT direwolves to Zero Dark Thirty’s hunt for bin Laden seems tenuous, I apologize. I just happened to be thinking about King Stannis’s role in that movie as the President’s National Security Advisor. )
FUCK YES!!! This is the news we’ve been waiting for. STOKED
The Dragon Demands,
Ummmmmm. Douche much?
I guess I would still consider an indoor location a…..location (lol), as it requires travel and setup to be at a certain place in a certain time, but I freely admit to not being in the industry and knowing the ‘lingo’. ? I have met a few wolves in my time, and they are absolutely amazing.
Oh the Instagram photo was just posted by someone here, with the source material happily mugging for the camera in Calgary. Gosh I would have hated to miss Miss Maisie. Truthfully though, I’m not the type to race right out and celeb-chase, anyway.
There are so many great filming spots in Canada, our northern areas are vast and beautiful but perhaps not particularly accommodating to huge crews. Still filming in Alberta (like the Revenant), gorgeous parts of British Columbia, and of course our major cities is big business, and usually cheaper. But gosh, I would love northern Ireland….
I’m also intrigued by this news for an additional reason relating to the books-to-screen adaptation and condensation process. I may have said this before, but I’ve been proceeding under the following assumptions:
• If a character still alive in the books with an ongoing storyline has met a premature demise on the show (eg Barristan S, Mance R, Doran M, Stannis), that character will be irrelevant to the convergent books + show end game. Similarly, book characters who were completely excised from the show (eg “Griff”) won’t be relevant by the time of the end game either.
•. Side stories and plot lines that have been euthanized on the show (eg Dorne), or excised completely (eg Tyrion’s meanderings, the Myrcella “queen maker” plot, Sansa -Harry courtship)* are insignificant to the end game.
•. By the same token, with so little time left – roughly 13 hours – to tie up so many loose ends, resolve “mysteries”, and conclude the main characters’ stories, it’s too late to be reintroducing characters and events from early seasons UNLESS they’re going to be significant to the end game. (That, to me, is why Sandor’s reappearance was so exciting: if he were just an embellishment or extraneous character, they would’ve left him “dead” or merged his arc into another character’s). There is simply not enough time left to inject unnecessary “filler.”
• The showrunners have repeatedly and publicly commented how expensive and technically challenging it is to film direwolf scenes. (It’s mind-boggling to me that life-like GGI dragons (dragons!) are easier to create than direwolves, but I’m in no position to second-guess the experts.)
• Therefore, to now go to the trouble and incur the time and expense of reintroducing
Nymeria MUST mean that Nymeria has important parts to play in the conclusion of Arya’s story in particular, and in the end game of the show in general.
The same thing goes for Ghost and Jon Snow.
That’s my interpretation, and I’m still sticking to it. ?
* Caveat: I haven’t read the books. I’m basing these descriptions on what I’ve read from comments on WoW. From what I’ve read, these side stories and detours are no longer chronologically feasible on the show.
Ten Bears,
It’s a lot cheaper to use CGI from a drawing or computer art, something they’ve created themselves so there is less pressure about it being realistic as Dragons don’t exist, with direwolves however they have to film real wolves and then use CGI to alter them larger, different coloring, behaviour the wolves don’t actually show like vicious behavior, attacking things etc but because it is altered not created they need to put more time and money into making it more realistic especially the fur. Since the actors aren’t allowed to touch the wolves and yet they pat them or hug them in the show the fur has to move in a certain way to make it look like they are. Dragons scales don’t move but fur does.
Mel,
Well, yes and no. I’m biased because I’ve owned pet birds (to be more accurate, they’ve owned me) for the past 20 years, and I’ve got to say, the GoT dragons move and behave like real birds. The scene with Tyrion unlocking the dragons’ collars was a perfect example: the way the second dragon bend his head down to “ask” Tyrion to unlock his collar is exactly the way a lovebird “requests” a head rub. I’m pretty sure the CGI process starts with a “skeleton” modeled after avian physiology.
I get the “hugging” part. That’d be difficult to do realistically with a CGI direwolf, and too dangerous to do with a real wolf.
Ten Bears,
I think that Sansa will marry Harry in TWOW and this marriage will sadly parallel what happened between Sansa and Ramsay on screen.
They needed the smog to simulate death by asphyxiation ?
Dragons do exactly what the animators want, while filming with real animals is incredibly time-consuming, because they don’t follow directions as well. Matching what the actors are doing with what the creature is doing is much easier when you have total control of the creature. Also, on set it makes no difference whether the creature to be added in post-production is CGI or a real animal shot on green screen; in both cases, there’s a lot of wasted time trying to make the actors work with something that is not actually present.
If the direwolves were CGI, though, they may still be more expensive than the dragons, because of all the fur. That’s a lot of simulation you don’t have to bother with in the case of a reptile.
Ten Bears,
That’s sounds right. Someone also mentioned the lighting. It probably saves time to film them in the same location than adjusting lighting, shadows in post production.
Ten Bears,
When they did “Monster’s Inc.” one of the main difficulties was getting Sully’s hair right. It didn’t ‘move’ right. It took a long time (and money) to get it right. And this was a cartoon. With a live creature I would think it would be even more time consuming and very expensive to do. Disney has a ton of money and the technology is advancing enough that we can see a vast improvement (The Jungle Book). For a TV show I guess the money isn’t nearly there yet even for a show as successful as GOT. For the direwolves I do prefer to see the actual animal and enlarged by TV magic ??
… and YES!!! Nymeria is back ?❤️?
Sweeeeet!!!!
Strong suggestion of Arya. Nymeria and Wolf Pack horde!!!!
Have been hoping for this in the show
Question now is to what their role is
I personally have a suspicion they’ll hunt down a fair few Freys in the book when Twins gets Castamered etc
Luka Nieto,
Thanks for the explanation. I need to keep reminding myself that GoT is still a TV show with a TV budget. A relatively generous budget, but still a TV budget.
I’ve been spoiled by the special and practical effects on the show, which have surpassed what I’ve seen in most movies. In fact, I can’t think of any “Avengers” or “Transformers” movie that had a better scene than the Masters’ Navy vs. Mereen and Dany’s Air Force vs. the Masters’ ship in the first 15 minutes or so of BoB.
And clashing armies and crashing horses in the Battle for Winterfell rivaled comparable scenes in “Braveheart.”
GoT sets s higher bar each year, and greedy people like me forget they still have to operate on a tight schedule with a tight budget. (Which is why I was going to propose a crowdfunding site for the fandom to finance direwolves CGI for the show.)
This Maisie + Canadian wolves news was just wonderful. Thanks for the post. WoW rules!
Luka Nieto,
P.S. I don’t know how you guys stand it. That “other site” lifted your post almost word for word with no attribution, injected a few typos, and made it seem like they came up with this breaking news about Maisie and the wolves in Canada. (They even copied the photographs WoW used. )
Sorry if this is none of my business. It’s just that it would upset me if someone else slapped his name to something I’d written, and published it as if it were his. ????
Anti-Plagiarism rant over.
Lardt09,
How could I forget? Nearly all of Daenerys’ exterior scenes from Season 3 were shot in Morocco. Thanks for the reminder!
Well, this would go along with AtomicDom’s theory from last month –
And just so you know, Im not a huge fan of
, just thought it interesting.
If not, Im still very excited about the Direwolf news!
holy shit NYMERIA?!
QueenofThrones,
In the books Nymeria is still alive and roaming the Riverlands (where she and Arya first became separated), leading a rather large pack of wolves she’s gathered. As someone else posted way earlier in this thread, it would be pretty cool (albeit bloody as hell) if her wolfpack finishes off the Freys in the Twins. Can you imagine? Arya-as-sexy-serving-wench convinces some stupid sod to open the gates, and then… glittering eyes in the darkness, up to aerial shot of dozens of wolves pouring in to the Frey stronghold, back down to close-up of Arya revealing her face to say: “Winter is here.”
/back to coffee and the real world
Aww I love the fact s/he’s called Quigley and am now imagining that in the show instead of Ghost: “Quigley, to me!”.
No idea if it’s relevant or just a coincidence, but there is a feedme hashtag next to the Nymeria wolf. Adjust your tinfoil hats folks.
Oh and happy birthday Wolfish 😀
Ten Bears,
I think your analysis of the showrunner reasoning behind (re)introducing certain figures is spot-on. And you’re right–it works both ways. George introduced a certain major character so late (last book?) that I’ve always thought of him and his associates as a big, fat red herring. As it turns out, most sullied put (f) for “false” in front of his name when writing about him. So since the show omits him, poor George knows the readers don’t believe Mr (f) is a contender. And I agree about the reunion symbolising Arya’s reconnecting to her deepest Stark identity (which I think is the deepest of all).
Nymeria, with or without Ghost, can be used several ways, including one exciting development mentioned in a somewhat disreputable leak. I am not counting on the pack appearing, but I certainly hope that the reunion is more than a fleeting “hug and a handshake”. The fact they’ve hauled Maisie out to Canada (which she probably loved) for this sequence implies that it is significant. I’m content as long as it’s NOT for Arya to die or permanently warg into Nymeria (a theory that occasionally pops up, mostly on Youtube). Gods forfend!
Stark Raven’ Rad,
Nah. I don’t think Arya’s warging into anything – whether Nymeria or some other organism.
Under the Stephen King corollary of the Wimsey/Chekhov’s gun principle, there would have been some suggestion of Arya having warging powers early on if it were going to play a part at the end. Nothing like that has ever happened on the show, even though there were opportunities to slip it in (similar to the way Bran was shown running around as a wolf in “waking dreams”).
Though I’m not a book reader, from comments on this site it’s my understanding that BookArya did some kind of warging in Braavos. Again, that wasn’t included in the adaptation.
For both of these reasons, to now introduce the possibility of Arya winding up inhabiting Nymeria’s body would come off as a prohibited – and belatedly contrived – deus ex machina.
Besides, Princess Arya is the future Lady of Winterfell. She cannot be telling people “Do NOT call me ‘My Lady’!” if she’s stuck inside a direwolf.
Same thing if the 100-to-1 longshot bet comes out the winner and Arya turns out to be The Princess that Was Promised. (Yeah, I know, Jon is the prohibitive favorite in the race at 1:2 odds with Dany a close second at 2:1 and Sandor a distant third at 25:1. But don’t laugh. There are reasons why I maintain Arya can fulfill the prophecy’s prerequisites.)
I know Arya-into-Nymeria is a popular fan theory, though I don’t know why. I guess there’s a possibility she temporarily inhabits Nymeria as a way to cheat apparent death (eg in a cliffhanger), but they already resorted to the “Oh my god, is Arya dying?” trick for “dramatic effect” in S6E7, and used up the resurrection quota on Jon in E2.
But who knows ? Lots of people had theorized that Jon would warg into Ghost after the NW bozos stabbed him to death, and that didn’t happen. Maybe they’re saving that trick for Arya. I sure hope not.
I just came back to read this again because it gives me a warm fuzzy. Arya’s been alone for so long and it’s likely she will reunite with everyone important in her life who is still living this season. Knowing this show, that could spell doom and gloom but I am choosing to believe Arya gets at least a few episodes of happiness.
Aah, direwolves… Dare I be happy?
I confess that I’m in the camp that wishes more had been made – and shown – of the direwolves but I understand the practical and budget challenges. Filming with real wolves, basically with real wild animals, and then CGI-ing them to be bigger is a lot more difficult than just GCI-ing fantasy animals like dragons. So I understand why the direwolves have been kept to a minimum, especially because in the show Bran is the only one who wargs.
I like Arya though I’m not an Arya fan, like so many here, but I also want her to meet up with her direwolf Nymeria. Maybe she (the wolf) will help pull Arya from her dark path to finally rediscover her Stark roots and act like it. As in, dare I say it, the Stark ethos is harsh justice, not bloody vengeance. If one wants Arya (or any Stark-affiliated person) to kill ALL the Freys… Well, the Starks wouldn’t be any better than the Freys. In fact, worse. Baby-killers, and all that. Or do you put an age-limit? Don’t kill babies or toddlers… but where do you draw the line? Huh? These questions are meant to be food for thought, as are all GRRM’s books.
Yes, book-Arya has begun to realize and experiment with warging abilities. She and Jon have shown to have it along with Bran. I actually DO think that it will be an important thing for her in George’s writing, so in this case D&D not including it as of yet does not tell me it’s not. It feels to me to be more of them wanting to make Bran seem that much more special. Of course the abbreviated FM training on the show also didn’t allow for much extra stuff like her warging into a cat.
Clob,
Quick questions:
Ordinarily I like to stick to “show-only” information in concocting my zany theories and predictions, but since Arya has already finished her Braavos FM schooling in the show, I don’t think the following incidental questions or their answers would qualify as “spoilers” for me or anyone else, bit I’ll cover them with spoiler tags anyway:
•. I’m a little hazy on the “rules” of warging. On the show, there seemed to be two kinds: First, “seeing” through the eyes of an animal like Bran had been doing through Summer while he was napping or zoning out. Second, there’s actually taking control of an animal, like that bug-eyed wildling guy did with his eagle in the show (and I think Bran may have done from the tower to his or Jon’s wolf to help Jon fend off the Wildlings when he refused to kill that old man outside the tower). In the show, Jojen was surprised that Bran was able to take control of Hodor; to that point, Jojen thought the power only worked on animals, not humans.
• As I understand it from the show, “greenseeing” – the ability to glimpse images of the future – is distinct from “warging.”
In the books,
Also, was there any indication in the books that Arya took over control of Nymeria? Was she ever running around looking through Nymeria’s eyes while she was napping or spaced out, like Bran had been doing with Summer?
I’m just trying to get some idea what the showrunners might be planning for Nymeria and Arya. Based on the show, Nymeria was a loyal pet who loved Arya, obeyed commands, and leapt to Arya’s defense when Prince Jerkofff was threatening her. I didn’t see any indication of a “psychic” connection or anything.
Let me admit right up front that I am an unabashed “Arya fan.”
I know the showrunners have alluded to Arya’s potential “dark path”, but I think that’s just hype. Thus far, Arya has dispensed “harsh justice”, not “bloody vengeance.” (Well, maybe she overdid it a little bit with Meryn F. Trant…) Walder Frey and his “damn moron sons” got off relatively easy – quick deaths – considering the atrocities they committed.
Still, as other commenters and I have forecasted, if it starts to look like Arya is pursuing sport-killing as a full-time hobby, I believe Sandor is the one who’s going to set her straight and “pull her from her dark path.” There have been too many hints and foreshadowings that The Hound will be the one to stage an “intervention.” (I’m going to list them all at a later date, and invite criticism ?.)
I don’t believe Arya will ever cross the line and kill innocents. She proved that with Lady Crane, putting her own life in peril by aborting the FM-ordered hit.
It’s (sick?) fun to imagine scenarios in which Arya and Nymeria lead a huge Wolfpack to invade the Twins and tear apart every single Frey. But that’s not who Arya is. She’s not a baby killer. She’s not about to commit genocide, or pull a Cersei and blow up the Twins and everyone in it. She has empathy and compassion.
Unlike King Robert and his syncophants on his “small council”, who came up with all kinds of rationale why Dany and her unborn child should be murdered, Arya would never cross that line.
But then again, this is GRRM’s world where bad people do good deeds, good people do dishonorable things, and littke mistakes have catastrophic consequences – with lots of collateral damage along the way.
Lulus Mum,
Thank you. 🙂
Ten Bears,
1) In the books, Jon, Bran and Arya have all warged into their direwolves; in the show, this connection is only made explicitly clear between Bran and Summer. On another note… as I have written on different posts, I do believe (like you) that if Arya goes to the dark side, Sandor might be the person who pulls her back, because he’s already been there. As much as I think it might be cool to see the wolfpack go to town at the Twins, I wouldn’t want to see innocents slaughtered, and I don’t think Arya would either. There’s a part of me that thinks there’s a meaning to Sandor showing her “where the heart is” that goes beyond killing, or the granting of mercy; that later on, they both realize that each has shown the other where the heart is in a different way. For him, returning to a humanity long denied for the sake of survival; for her, understanding that the world is more complex than black-and-white.
It’s not really different “kinds” of warging or skinchanging, more like different levels. Bran has been doing it longer and has had direction so he has more control over whether he just observes or controls through the host. Arya is just learning on her own with the cat and having dreams within Nymeria like Bran did at first. It’s also supposedly easier if there’s a bond with the animal such as Jon & Ghost and Arya & Nymeria.
Bran is a greenseer and skinchanger which is much more rare than even being a skinchanger alone.
Clob,
Thank you for that warging tutorial.
Now I’m going to retreat somewhat from my previous supposition that it’s too late to introduce Arya>Nymeria “warging.”
I’m thinking back to Bran’s early warging scenes (I call them “waking dreams” ) which he was climbing trees and chasing after the squawking raven.
It’s possible Maisie was in Calgary, Canada to film a brief scene in which Arya is having a “waking dream” of being outside in the snowy woods; then the scene shifts to show Nymeria in that exact location with the same scenery.
A snippet of Arya hugging Nymeria in S1 in the “Previously On” introduction to the episode would set it up nicely.
That’s my fanfic for the day. ?
One problem with ‘Previously On’, especially if it’s from seasons ago, is that viewers immediately know someone/something is coming back. It ruins the surprise.
[Fanfic ahead] I envisage Arya traveling through a snowy woods on horseback, maybe alone, more likely with a few riders. We hear a wolf howl. The riders stop, nervous. Then another howl. Arya, cautiously excited, trots forward a little. Then another, closer, howl. The horses get restive, hard to manage. Then we see a wolf or two appear, now five, now 11, now a pack. Then one huge she-wolf comes to the fore. Arya dismounts and slowly walks toward the out-sized creature.
This news brought joy to my heart! Nymeria and Arya reunited (I hope)! And Ghost with the KITN!
Stark Raven’ Rad,
And? You’re just gonna leave us hanging after Arya dismounts and walks towards the outsized creature ?
You had me going ! Finish your fanfic. Please?
Ten Bears, you made me laugh. I don’t know how to finish, but hopefully D&D do. I did spend a few years dabbling in screenwriting, with no results other than a few minor prizes in contests. I’ve forgotten all that now. However, since you asked, I guess this is what I’d do for THIS scene. I imagine it’s near dusk. The riders are the Hound, Anguy, and two others from the BWOB. In the following scene, it’s morning and the pack will be gone. I apologise–the formatting is a bit screwed up. Dialogue is to the lleft and scene description should be centered. Sorry.
============================================================
ARYA squints, barely able to see through the dusk. NYMERIA watches intently
as Arya carefully approaches.
ARYA: (tears on her cheeks) Nymeria, it’s me.
Kneeling, ARYA removes a glove and holds out her hand. Nymeria comes,
sniffs. They look at each other for a beat. Nymeria lies down in the snow.
Arya strokes her back and scratches her head, whispering quietly in her ear.
Near the trees, the RIDERS watch, tense, mesmerised. Even the horses are
still. But Anguy has his bow drawn, arrow notched.
HOUND: (whispers angrily) Put that away, cunt.
As Arya talks to Nymeria, TWO SMALLER WOLVES slink towards them,
menacingly. Turning, Nymeria snarls sharply at them. They run to the pack.
But the spell is broken. Arya looks around–it’s nearly nightfall. With a sigh,
she strokes the direwolf’s head, then rises. Nymeria rises also, and returns
to her pack. Arya crosses back to the riders.
ARYA: We should camp here tonight. They will protect us.
Walking tall, she takes her horse’s reins and leads it towards the trees.
HOUND: You heard her. Anguy, make a fire. Let’s cook us some chickens.
Stark Raven’ Rad,
One problem with ‘Previously On’, especially if it’s from seasons ago, is that viewers immediately know someone/something is coming back. It ruins the surprise..
I agree with your assessment of the use of “Previously On” for Nymeria. I was able to get some discussion going about this on another site [Thanks for the upvote, DutchArya] and brought up D&D’s use of the cold open to avoid spoiling the surprise of Sandor’s return.
Update: Maisie Williams is still in Canada. Another fan posted a photo together with her at National Bowl in Calgary – probably yesterday:
instagram.com/p/BQwtOreF5nw
In the meantime, “Instinct Animals for Film” changed their Instagram account to private access only…
just a quick question:
I read somewhere a couple of years ago that Sophie Turner adopted one of the dogs they use as the Stark kids’ direwolves, so my question is, were they using dogs at some points instead of wolves?
Stark RAven' Rad,
I really liked your fanfic, thank you! Glad the Hound was there and was his usual self.
King Beyond the Wall II,
Yes, in the first season they were Huskies.
Ser Bergh,
Thanks! Pic added.
keltia,
Here in the UK we don’t have HBO, we get GoT via Sky and they don’t show the Previously On. Sometimes I have to explain to co-workers who the long-lost character is.
King Beyond the Wall II,
Yes Huskies, Sophie adopted Lady. It’s why the direwolves featured much more heavily in S1 because they were younger they could be smaller and CGI wasn’t really needed and dogs are so much more easier to use in TV shows than wild wolves, it helped that the actors could actually touch, pet and hug them unlike with the wolves now.
Stark RAven' Rad,
??
Hound: “Put that away c-nt.” ??
You know, when I read your first scene and begged you not to leave me hanging , I actually thought you were predicting the “cliffhanger” Maisie was talking about.
I have to admit, as much as I like Tyrion, Jon Snow, Tormund and Davos, I’m nowhere near as invested in their characters as I am with Arya.
Dragons are cool, White Walkers are terrifying, and wildfire explosions appeal to the M80-loving kid in me that never grew up.
But I’ll take Nymeria + Arya over all of them.
By the way…. I’m still going through different scenarios in my head to explain why Maisie had to be in Calgary. I heard that the wolves are filmed against Green screens and then digitally enlarged for insertion into a scene. (Like with Ghost saving Gilly and Sam.)
My first thought was an Arys > Nymeria “warging ” scene that would require Maisie and the wolf to be filmed against the same outdoor background (though not at the same time. )
Do you have any ideas ? To me, that’s the most intriguing part of the post.
Stark RAven' Rad,
MORE!!!
🙂
keltia,
The “Previously On” scene for Nymeria was my stupid idea.
I will regret that until my dying day.
A man can only admit when he was wrong, and ask forgiveness.
Lulus Mum,
I wonder why Sky doesn’t include the “Previously On,” as it has been useful in certain instances?
OT, but would you mind serving as an international political correspondent for just a moment and tell me what, if any, effect the British Parliament’s debate/vote(?) on a Trump visit (either “state” or “official”) might have? Between this and monitoring Maisie and the Wolves (soon to replace “Florence and the Machine”), I’m spending much too much time on Google and not enough on practicing law.
Trugarez vras (Breton), Diolch yn fawr (Welsh), and Thank you.
Ten Bears,
Oh my dear “Ten Bears,” nothing to forgive! It’s just that I want the impact of the Arya-Nymeria reunion to be the equivalent of an emotional concussion grenade.
Ten Bears,
I have watched Hear My Song (I was about to write “Hear me roar”, a more familiar phrase) and I experienced peaceful joy. It’s really a feel good film, a comedy like the ones in the 60ies – nowadays comedies, no matter how good, look more like dramas with funny lines. I had no idea that James Nesbitt can sing and it was nice to see a young and smiling Tara Fitzgerald. I was sure that I had seen her before GOT and, after googling, I remembered Topaz, the free spirited woman in I Capture the Castle, a film I heartily recommend you if you didn’t watched it. The cast includes Romola Garai, Bill Nighy and Rose Byrne and the plot is centered around a teenage girl and her eccentric family.
If you are looking for a series to keep you busy, I hope you haven’t watched Ripper Street yet. I have already recommended this show for several times, but I can do it again and again only for the pleasure of seeing Jerome Flynn in the main cast and lots of other GOT actors with more or less important parts. One can play “How many GOT actors can you recognize?” The setting is also appealing – the ill-famed Whitechapel just after Jack the Ripper’s murders.
r-hard,
Look, human Targaryens might keep the blood ‘pure’, but wolf litters generally don’t
Her Instagram always makes me smile. In the mountains in Banff.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BQymu4CgHgJ/
Pigeon,
I definitely think Maisie and Emilia have the best IG out of all the cast, they have so much character, though saying that Gemma aka Yara has a pretty damn funny one too she just posted one the other day with her in a blonde wig calling herself “Yanaerys” the love child of Dany and Yara haha
Mel,
I will have to check her out! I love Emilia’s unbridled enthusiasm and goofiness, and Maisie is sort of like me only with great outfits and an amazing career, world travel and….ok she’s nothing like me, but whatever. ?
Pigeon,
Her IG username is : gemwhelan
Very quirky that one.
Haha I can see what you mean though, very down to earth girls easier to relate to than some other celebrities
Mel,
Shy Lady Dragon,
Now I know, thank you 🙂
Pigeon,
Remembering your comments, I would say there’s a certain resemblance between you and Maisie. I wish your career, traveling and clothes be like Maisie’s!
keltia,
I’ve no idea why they don’t have it. I doubt it’s because they think all UK GoT fans have brilliant memories, perhaps they just buy in the show as a basic package and don’t want to pay for any extras?
Cut to BBC news reader “And now over to our international political correspondent, Lulu’s Mum”. Me: “Hello rest of the world, here’s what seems to be happening re: Trump visiting Britain (as briefly as possible, it’s complicated).
Basically we have politicians to visit all the time and it’s relatively run of the mill stuff, but our fairly-new-in-the-job Prime Minister, Theresa May (TM), invited Mr Trump for a state visit. These are only for the most important visitors, as explained in this article. They are a big deal and many feel he doesn’t deserve the honour and that TM should have waited at least a year or so first to see what kind of leader he’d be, as withdrawing or down grading the invite now would be a massive snub and isn’t really practical. The debate in Parliament is about what kind of visit it will be and what he’ll be invited to do (or not).
Opinions on Trump here are probably quite similar to in the USA, he is a very divisive figure and most people either strongly agree or disagree with him, politicians included. Some feel he shouldn’t be allowed into the country at all, others that we should treat him as an honoured guest. Apparently they plan to get around this by inviting him when Parliament is on holiday so he wouldn’t be able to visit it and keep him in Scotland most of the time to avoid what are anticipated to be major anti-Trump demonstrations. Now back to the studio.”
TLDR: British PM issues VIP invite to very divisive politician. Those in charge of visit trying to make it as uncontroversial as possible. They are facing a no-win situation. I don’t envy them.
Lulus Mum,
As we’re on hiatus from Westerosi politics, thank you for answering my question about the UK. From what I saw and heard of Trump’s visit to Scotland last year, I wonder how the Scottish people feel about any plan which would keep him there.
keltia,
You’re welcome! I think Scots are, on the whole, really not keen on him. Obviously I’m massively generalising here but they tend to be more left wing than the English, who in turn are to the left of the US political system. He would highly likely be at the Royal Family’s Balmoral estate. I believe the police’s thinking is that from a security point of view it would be better to keep him somewhere relatively isolated and fewer people would be protesting in the local area (it’s about 40 miles from the nearest large town), so less hassle and cost for them. He would bring central London to a standstill if he was here – as soon as the trip was mooted the head of London’s police said it would be a total nightmare for them and they really wanted to avoid it if possible. Not for political reasons, just practicalities.
It seems that he can’t really be uninvited so people are trying to make the best of a bad situation. I think I can safely say, on behalf of my fellow 65ish million British Isles inhabitants, whatever happens it will almost certainly be a lot more news worthy than most visits are!
Halle,
When humans do that you get damaged children (Joffrey) but genetics are not the same in other mammals.
Mary,
I don’t think that’s exactly true. Inbreeding negatively affects other mammals. I’m pretty sure a lot of dogs that inbreed end up with a lot more health problems, but I’m no expert. I’m sure someone else in here knows more about it than me.
Sorry to change the subject abruptly but I need to ask a question.
Does anyone else believe it’s possible that the Blackfish is still alive? Since GoT is GoT and anything can happen, I really think there is a good possibility that some of the the men at River Run helped him escape. I remember the look on the officer’s face when Edmure told him to surrender to Jamie Lannister. Just a theory.
Mr Derp
I know that with horses you can breed mother to son, etc, successfully Wolves may be different but I think it’s okay unless it’s overdone, but I am certainly no expert.
Seems to me that, although the actors would not be permitted to touch the wolves – primarily for reasons of insurance liability – the animals likely do have trained and licensed handlers. Protected species living in sanctuaries typically do, so that they can be studied, tagged and tracked, vaccinated against diseases, treated for illnesses and injuries and so on.
So, although Maisie wouldn’t be able to hug the wolf who plays Nymeria, a handler about her height and coloring in an Arya costume could. Such a scene could be shot with the stand-in’s back to the camera, which could capture all the realistic fur movement needed. That close-up shot could then be intercut with medium shots of Arya and the direwolf looking at each other, or even just Maisie standing in front of the same recognizable rock or tree that was in the background of a wolf shot. The same as with stunt doubles, there are ways of making it happen, in which having the actress filmed in the exact same location as the wolves for ‘establishing shots’ would be most helpful.
Mary,
For a while I was thinking that he might still be alive, but I don’t feel that way anymore. I think they didn’t show his death simply because Clive Russell is old and not very good at swordfighting and didn’t feel the need to show it to the audience.
In the books, at least, I’m sticking to my pet theory that Arya knowing ‘where the heart is’ is most relevant to her arc intersecting with Lady Stoneheart’s. I believe that Arya will learn the true meaning of death as the ‘gift of mercy’ when she encounters what’s left of her mother and understands that she is the most appropriate person to put LSH out of her misery via a stab to the heart. It will not come easily to her, but it will seem necessary. After that, revenge killing should lose its allure, and Arya will be able to put her assassin career behind her and go on to a more ‘normal’ life.
I can’t imagine a better reason for LSH to be in the story at all than that.
A girl is capable of simultaneously filming and holidaying in Canada, and presenting and enjoying herself at the Brit Awards in the UK. Truly, a girl has become No One.
https://twitter.com/bestofmaisie/status/834503160773345282
https://twitter.com/NyxHijaDelCaos/status/834533066764869632
(Or maybe something like Littlefinger’s jet pack has been invented in the real world? That might be even bigger news!)
Bufferzone,
“Truly, a girl has become No One.”
?
Ten Bears,
Apparently, it’s 4364 miles from Calgary Intl Airport to London Heathrow – an 8 HR 46 min flight. Time difference: London UK is 7 hours ahead of Calgary, Canada.
I gave up trying to calculate when Maisie would have had to depart Calgary to be back in the UK to present awards, but I did have three reactions:
1. “F-ck yes Arya, f-ck yes.” – Ozzy Man
2. Loved her red dress
3. A Girl has become a style icon
Mr Derp,
Thanks for answering.
I think, for me, it’s
just a throwback to the hound’s “death”. If you don’t actually see the character die there is room for speculation.
Firannion,
Oh, WOW. A theory I have never seen before, and I love it!!! Thank you for sharing.
Ten Bears,
Indeed! And the Brits provided further that Maisie is well-loved in many corners of the British entertainment industry, which should help her future career. Here she is with:
Ed Sheeran: https://twitter.com/parisartisan/status/834563335542734849
Stormzy (a big star in the UK, not yet so well known elsewhere): https://twitter.com/ILlittlebirds/status/834573098468929536
And her friends: https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ1aNWpBkx7/
(Seeing these helped make a very dull day of work bearable!)
Bufferzone,
Maisie Williams singing Spice Girls “Wannabe”? My life is complete. Thank you.
PS. I think she’s so well-loved because she’s so humble and sweet.
There’s a great (Twitter? Instagram?) picture of her w/ Emma Stone on Jan. 26, 2015 with her caption: “I met Emma Stone today (the love of my life), and I didn’t manage to complete a sentence, not even once. “
I’m losing my sh!t over this!!
When Arya finally retrieved her Needle, I felt a flicker of hope for a reunion with Nymeria in future. Now it seems my most deeply held wish may come true, and if so, however it plays out, the rest is trimmings. Shout out to all the Arya/Nymeria fans who have posted here – a girl will slay!
Hopefully this won’t turn out to be Arya filming a scene with Ghost and not Nymeria.
More on this: http://globalnews.ca/news/3277145/game-of-thrones-was-in-banff-to-film-some-scenes-with-wolves/
According to this, the shooting was actually in and around Banff – which raises the question of whether shooting with Maisie and/or the wolves occurred in two different locations (at the animal trainers’ location near Calgary, and at Banff), or one.
Who knows? It could be that two different scenes were involved. For example, one might be in the woods and another on a more open plain. The famous leak that has been partly confirmed by production photos mentions
To paraphrase Shakespeare, “The cat will mew, and the wolf will have his day.”