A Day in the Life goes behind the scenes of Game of Thrones Season 5

We’ve been waiting for a thorough behind-the-scenes look at Game of Thrones season 5 and HBO certainly delivered tonight!

A Day in the Life went in-depth, exploring one day with the production teams of the show as they worked in Croatia, Northern Ireland and Spain to bring Game of Thrones to life.

Here is Game of Thrones: A Day in the Life:

Sue the Fury: Well, Hardome is finally confirmed! We were fairly sure by now that that was the northern village and site of the three-week filming but it’s nice to have it official. I can’t wait to see Cersei and the High Sparrow facing off. What were your favorite parts of the special? 

Sue the Fury
Susan Miller, Editor in Chief of WatchersOnTheWall.com

200 Comments

  1. So Hardhome in episode 7 or 8? I was expecting it to be on episode 10! So there still is space for Pink Latter!
    And 166 people cast! I wonder who all of them are?

  2. Really, really need that Valyrian translated!

    Also, Hardhome, Dahznak’s Pit, and Dorne look awesome!!!

    Can’t wait to see them all in action!

  3. It was exactly what it said it would be, so I can’t complain. Besides the Hardhome confirmation though not much that I cared about.

  4. Wow…

    Looks like the Dany vs Drogon staredown pit scene is going to be amazing.

    12 days and a huge budget to shoot probably something like a 12min scene.

  5. Well that was a quick 26 minutes, with Hardhome being the only real ‘spoilery’ bit. Oh well, better than nothing. I think this season will easily outdo the previous ones on scale and expense alone. Maybe that will be enough to compensate for the story that might not top the previous season’s for the first time. It’s all subjective really. I know I’ll be jittery with excitement when new episodes start, palms sweaty and all :))

  6. In King’s Landing:
    Cersei
    Jaime
    Pycelle
    Qyburn
    Meryn Trant
    High Sparrow
    Septa Unella
    Young Cersei
    Melara
    Maggy, the Frog
    Kevan
    Lancel
    Margaery
    Mace
    Ollena
    Loras
    Olyvar
    Tywin
    Tommen
    Gregor

    In the vale:
    Sansa
    Littlefinger
    Robin
    Brienne
    Pod
    The elderly woman that encounters Brienne
    The blacksmith

    In Braavos
    Arya
    The Kindly Man
    The Waif
    The man who pleaded for his daughter
    His daughter
    The coined man
    Tycho Nestoris
    Ternesio Terys

    Ok, sorry I got tired counting all of the 166 characters that might appear, maybe some other day I do this…

  7. Well, I expected some interviews to the actors like last year. At least we know Hardhome is in and not in the finale.
    Why there is People on twitter saying they saw Melisandre in Kings Landing? Anyone else got to see that?

  8. “Much as our characters, we will go from the amazing Daznak to the amazing Hardhome.”

    That threw me for a loop. I thought Daznak was happening for sure in episode 9 or 10? Yet we know Hardhome is episode 8, right?

  9. Am I seeing things or is that concept art for Highgarden? (11:54)

    Also: You’re not gonna have Illyrio’s without Illyrio!

  10. Dutch maester,

    It’s out of focus, unfortunately. I can see Daznak’s Pit, a room with the Seven-Pointed Star in the floor, the ruins of an aqueduct or a bridge in the water (Sorrows?), Ellaria’s camp from the trailer… and little else.

  11. Bernie Caulfield also mentioned Illyrio while talking to David and Dan (around 8 minute mark), so it sounds like he’ll be back, as well!

  12. Anyone catch when someone mentioned

    Illyrio’s manse? Although not confirmation, I guess chances are looking good that we’ll see Illyrio.

    Andrew,

    Yeah!!

  13. Andrew,

    Well, technically he mentioned Illyrio’s. As in his manse, which we already knew was going to be included months ago, and was confirmed by the trailer pretty much. We’ve still got no direct confirmation that Illyrio himself will be back. The fact that Varys is the one who reveals his new mission to Tyrion, instead of Illyrio, doesn’t surprise me, but I did expect Illyrio to be present. Yet Varys seems to be alone. I hope he’s back. I expect him to, honestly. But we’ve got no confirmation.

  14. I’m glad that they haven’t showed anything. But I can understand that some people will find this underwhelming.

  15. Finally we got to hear some thoughts and directions from the S5 directors. We need more anecdotes from them, please.

  16. The Hound:
    I’m glad that they haven’t showed anything. But I can understand that some people will find this underwhelming.

    That’s sort of how I feel about it.

  17. There’s someone else seated at Dany’s Council, aside from Daario, Barristan and Hizdahr (which is a change, but understandable).

    I’m pretty sure it’s Keyr. Certainly looks like him. A kind of Skahaz (the Shavepate) for the show, I guess? Insofar as he’s a Meereneese ex-slave and is loyal to Dany (he was inciting people to rebel, when Grey Worm came along to help.) Oh, and he’s bald, hehe. I wonder how he’ll end up there. I wanted a couple Meerenese characters to be in the Council —a noble and a freedman makes sense.

  18. All I can say is that I can’t believe how much money goes into this show.

    I really can’t fathom it.

    Wow.

  19. It looks like the whole nights watch crew is going to Hardhome!
    Look at the concept art at 12:00 That’s clearly Jon, Olly, Edd and Sam in the pic. Oh and a Giant. YAY

    Will go to bed now nighty night everyone <3

  20. I anticipate that

    Hardhome should give us a bit of glimpse of the end game of the series when the White Walkers finally attack Westeros…pretty good idea to have Jon there.
  21. I’m not a heavy drinker, so when I buy myself some wine, it tends to hit me.

    It’s probably the wine’s doing, but despite the relative lack of new info… I was totally blown away.

  22. Luka Nieto,

    I’m certainly hoping we get to see

    Illyrio, but maybe he’s off doing something else, and left the key to his manse under the mat for Varys. 😉
  23. There is something fishy going on with the North, Dorne, and Brienne. They have worked very hard to not drop the slightest hint at those story-lines. This season in general is super under wraps compared to some previous ones.

  24. I noticed Jon looking up with worry and then in concept art a giant for hard home. Wonder if that’s just the free folk having a giant with them or it could be

    Wun Wun
  25. It was good entertaining but overall the forshadow video last year was more entertaining cause we got q and a I remember someone asks Briene what’s the craziest thing you’ve done on camera and she goes I bit off a mans ear and spit it in his face, and no one coulda geussed it was gonna be hounds than but anyway it was better than nothing a lot of meryn trant .

  26. TD,
    minty,

    Good catch! I didn’t notice that. Jon, Edd and Olly were to be expected. The Giant is a nice addition. Sam is big news, though, if that’s him. Guess it seals the deal? No traveling for him?

    Hardhome’s not gonna be a quick action scene, either. They describe and show a longhouse in which a lot of stuff happens.

  27. Jeff O’Connor,

    I haven’t had any wine, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. To see those locations, especially the Water Gardens, kind of took my breath away. I. Can’t. Wait!!!

  28. Overall I’m a bit underwhealmed, but it was still loads of fun to watch, I will surely rewatch it to try to catch any tidbit I missed. I just had different expectations because of that trailer they released, but it was probably my fault to build them up so high in the first place. By and large still pretty hyped for S5 😉

    Luka Nieto,

    On that shot of dany speaking high valyrian, the person to whom she is speaking to appears to be bald and is also clearly responding in Meereneese Valyrian, so I agree it is probably him. Gosh, how I love continuity, specially with such minor parts that you don’t expect to see again.

  29. Meryn talks! “I don’t think this is a good idea, Your Grace.” I think we’ll see a lot of him this season (as we did last season during the trial), and be reminded of his horrible deeds (as Arya also did last season), so that what we saw of the Braavos filming pays off for even the casual viewers.

    “Nonsense, Ser Meryn. These’re deeply religious people. Where can I find the High Sparrow?” Cersei playing to the crowds.

    Then, Dany: “I didn’t conquer them. Their own people did.” Then… a lot of Valyrian I wish I understood.

  30. I have to watch this again slowly – I could have sworn that I saw Brienne in a very very quick shot of Dorne –

  31. I’m so focking excited for Hardhome. I personally think it’s going to be the highpoint of the season. Altough i’m almost equally excited for King’s Landing and Meeren’s storylines. I wish i could say the same about Dorne, but, meh. But i’m sure that Jaime and specially Bronn are gonna make that whole storyline a lot more fun that it whas in the books (in a good way).

  32. Interesting for Jon to be in Hardhome so late in the season. I didn’t catch the others with him, but if it’s true that Sam was there as well, that’s somewhat disheartening compared to which direction he travels in Feast. I hope we’ll still get some version of his scenes with Maester Aemon.

  33. Hey all-
    Look at 24:15 – is that a back shot of Brienne or someone with a turban type head piece? I couldn’t zoom in on it.

  34. Hmmm, so 12 days of Daznak’s, and 3 weeks of Hardhome?
    This can only mean one thing.
    Epic action sequences…

    What I really liked is to hear extended comments from the OTHER producers. Other than D & D, of course. They tend to monopolize whatever camera attention the cast doesn’t get.

    Oh, and I can’t wait for the CGI’ed flamethrower stunt we saw a few months back…

  35. minty,

    Have to agree with you on the concept art spoiler, obviously in the show, Jon’s arc ends at Hardhome in lieu of CB, probably because the show wants to concentrate on Stannis/Bolton conflict south of the Wall and Jon’s WW/Wildling arc interferes with it, so have the NW arc move north of it.
    Disappointed no SS, it seems HBO is keeping an extremely tight lid on this upcoming season, I can see why after all the early leaks last season and the big Osuna spoiler.

    The big reveal I came away with after watching the special, is I can now see why Emmy peers shy away from voting for it. To them its not traditional television drama, two camera crews, 1000 crew, total combined 240 shooting days and 8000 extras. Every season of GoT is a 10 part mini-series or theatrical movie sliced into portions, to the peers it’s unfair competition to what they deem as true television drama. Furthermore GoT is already changing the way television is heading into the 21st century, and the peers are afraid of it affecting television the way Star Wars altered movie making. I can see 20 years down the road with streaming and pay as you go episodes taking the lions share of money, that television is heading for bigger budgeted epic television to hold onto viewers and money.

  36. Also of note:

    Didn’t Michael Slovis mention he’d be filming in Seville? Cool to know we’ll get Dorne scenes early on in the season, although not unexpected.

    Luka Nieto,

    RE: What Jon’s looking at. Wasn’t there something about wights, white walkers and cliffs from a while ago? Do you remember the details? I think I missed that day of news
  37. Did anyone notice the storyboards behind Riley starting at 11:52, Tyrion’s Rhone journey over her left shoulder. Is that Sunspear over “Riley”? and I believe that’s Brienne spying on someone in the story board scene depicting lush greenery, the figure has her armor and hair color.

    I noticed the director for Hardhome is filming episodes 7 and 8, if no other director assigned to Hardhome, then episode 9 is NW free, as the earliest they could return to CB would be 10.

  38. tyjon,

    Just commented on another thread. I think the text at the bottom of that picture does indeed say

    Game of Thrones: Sorrows
  39. Unfortunately I run into a problem with my GIFs this time… One of the programs I use can’t handle the size of some files I created. I will only upload the smaller ones and maybe split the large one later… – Time for uploading!

  40. I thoroughly enjoyed the documentary. The sheer scale of this production continues to amaze me, as does the intense dedication and remarkable efficiency of the people who bring Game of Thrones to life. I’m glad that this particular special gave some of the lesser-known but equally hard-working members of the production crew a well-deserved moment in the sun. When I watch the opening and closing credits of the episodes from this upcoming season and recognize the names of some of the people who were featured here, I’ll be sure to take a moment to reflect on and appreciate their efforts.

    In terms of material related to the upcoming season … I certainly understand if some people are underwhelmed by the relative lack of new footage (especially compared to last year’s “Ice and Fire: A Foreshadowing” video). We – or at least those of us who have been following the production closely – didn’t learn a lot that we didn’t already know. Still, there were some good morsels in there, especially the dialogue that we were allowed to hear. It was also nice to hear locations like Hardhome and Illyrio’s specifically referenced by those names. And the concept art that we saw starting around 11:50 was very intriguing.

    That certainly looked like a picture of the Sorrows over Deborah Riley’s left shoulder. And that image of the giant at Hardhome sent chills down my spine. It could mean any number of things, but all of them are pretty damn badass.
  41. I admit I was disappointed at first, but now that I think about it I think making a video from the point of view of those who work so hard to create the show was a good move. Previously we always saw the cast members and some foreshadowing of what was ahead, this video is more production oriented.

    We still saw glimpses of the characters. Loved seeing Meryn fooling around.

  42. The Hound,

    I think part of the reason they don’t show much this early is because the huge amount of CGI required to complete the scenes.

    This isn’t like ‘Shameless’ where they pick their cuts and splice them together and it’s done. They pick the shots they like, splice them together then send them to the CGI place to add in all that’s required.

    I remember seeing the CGI workings on here and it amazed me just how much CGI is done on the backdrops and stuff for this show.

    I bet another trailer comes out early next month like usual and it’ll be even more exciting with more stuff for you folks to breakdown and theory craft.

  43. Luka Nieto,

    I don’t know if you read the post on reddit, but a couple of weeks ago, a guy who claim to be an extra on the Hardhome stuff, said that -possible heavy spoilers-

    the White Walkers are gonna hit hard on Hardome (he was talking about real WW, not just some wights). He said that the Night’s King’s going to appear walking down from a cliff, so i guess that that’s what Jon is looking at. It could be watching at the giant but i don’t know… that look in his eyes is more desperation that anything else, i doubt that a giant have the hability to freak him out like that at this point.

    Personally, i’m glad if this really happens. A couple of book purists are going to freak out if this happens (and maybe with reason), but they are so far behind with all the The Wall storyline, that they need to do this, specially if they plan to wrap the series after 7 seasons. Sorry if my english is clumsy, it’s not my native languaje.

  44. OK, as I said, didn’t went great this time with the GIFs for a couple of boring technical reasons. Here is what I have so far. I made a shitty tumblr in three minutes, because the spam filter went crazy last time I posted and Fury ask me not to make him do that any more 😀

    I will add more when I find the time. All GIFs I make will go on the tumblr from now on.

  45. minty:
    It looks like the whole nights watch crew is going to Hardhome!
    Look at the concept art at 12:00 That’s clearly Jon, Olly, Edd and Sam in the pic.

    But, but …. where is Gilly? :-/

  46. Luka Nieto:
    “Much as our characters, we will go from the amazing Daznak to the amazing Hardhome.” That threw me for a loop. I thought Daznak was happening for sure in episode 9 or 10? Yet we know Hardhome is episode 8, right?

    I don’t know about the episode significance, but

    it looks like Jon is assuming the same facial expression that everyone in Daznak’s is going to assume, maybe even Dany too. It does look like there will be something big looming over the horizon in each scene!

    Is Jon looking at a giant or is he looking at a WW riding a giant spider?

  47. Thomas,

    All I will say to your comment is

    1) Yes, I am planning to freak out, with good reason
    2) If it is a WW, then I would hope the NW came prepared with obsidian. If they travel north of the wall without obsidian, they are idiots at this point.
    3) It may well be a giant or a giant riding a mammoth

    Ok, we’ve read and discussed the reddit goofiness a few weeks back. If it is indeed still in play and hasn’t been discredited then I have the following. If the FTW moment is indeed happening at HH (or wherever) and Jon is left for dead by the asshole mutineers, then perhaps the “WW” in question that takes Jon away is not a WW but actually (putting crackpot hat on head)…..CH? The season ends with CH taking Jon away….that would blow me away.
  48. Thomas,

    Yea, the book purists are going to piss themselves this season. They have been playing out the threat of the WW since season 1 scene 1 and the show watchers are making jokes about Winter never coming. They have to lay the cards on the table at some point. If only they had the time and money to due justice to the Fist of the First Men two years ago. Hardhome was a throwaway in the book but it gives them a chance to put a major WW attack on screen without having them assault the Wall. To do this they have to invent a reason to send principle cast up there not just some redshirts. This will predictably bring out the cries of “fan-fiction” and “filler.” Sigh.

    My baseless speculation is the Jon and Stannis plot line will be northward focused this year leaving all the battle of ice and pink letter fun for next year. Winterfell might be light on book related plot in S5. Might get another merry GoT wedding in.

  49. LOL, in that Jorah gif, his sword hits the ground and pretty obviously bends/flops. Hope they clean that up…

  50. Matsuki,

    I bet it was just a practice shot. Unless Jorah was previously wounded or disoriented, there is no way he would be holding a sword in that awful, defenseless manner.

  51. Abyss,

    Good stuff as always. If needs be I’ll bookmark gifs from your tumblr instead of WOTW comments in the future. Whatever’s best for you.

    It’s a pity though you didn’t make one of Dany going up the steps in that white dress…hehehehe…. 😉

  52. I think hardhome might be the first time we actually get to see the others in action. Most of their actions will be reserved for late season 7 but they have to start getting somewhere. I think that this season will mark the end of

    The Night’s Watch

    and early season 6 we might see the White Walkers going to full force on Westeros.

    I also wonder what’s up with the

    Night’s King and the 12 guys in the back

    I get some kind of naz’gul feeling from them and I wonder if we might start to see some of those being killed this or next season, it would certainly be time.

    But currently it’s the most likely that season 5 will end with a total victory for the others to then start working towards more successes of the peoples of Weteros.

    Outside of this I think that for the night’s watch Samwell will be the only one surviving the deal, then he can report back to the wall that all is lost, although I doubt there will be many ppl left over there. One of the last scenes of this season could be everyone abandoning the wall
  53. I think it’s too early to say that this will be a battle with the Others on one side of it. We know for a fact that Jon is fighting a wildling, but they would still be going there to save wildlings, correct? So the ones fighting are probably rouge wildlings, or possibly undead ones, like many have suggested. We might see the Others, but I doubt it’ll be a battle centered around them. Maybe they’ll appear at the end and everyone will be like “Oh *hit, we’ve got to run”, and that’s when everyone scrambles into the boats, like we saw in one of the trailers.

    Anyway, ADwD is mainly about wildling struggles, as well as keeping everyone fed and alive. That last part would be boring in the show, right? Imagine that scene in ADwD where they encounter a group of wildlings and they manage to make truce with them. Stuff like that is likely to get cut too, and instead they do Hardhome. That’s what it is in my mind. A way to show and solve wildlings conflicts, a way for Jon and co. to get some action, and possibly some Others scare, but I think all the main characters will be leaving alive and arrive back at the wall for some early 6th season (or maybe late 5th season) pink letter and wun-wun action. Whatever the showdown with the Others is, we need Jon to be at the wall and all of the pink letter stuff happening there, imo. But if I remember correctly, Hardhome doesn’t match the big battle in the snow they were talking about, so…Deepwood Motte? Battle of Ice at the Frozen Lake? Please correct me if I’m wrong, I just remember that they had to relocate the battle and stuff, and they already had a set for Hardhome…

    Great vid, glad it didn’t spoil much. If I can can avoid any trailers from this point I’m positive this is the season I’ll enjoy the most. I was good last year, but the foreshadowing vid definitely showed me so much that my mind mapped pretty much everything about the season before it began. So thanks for not spoiling us this time, and giving us some insight instead.

  54. HouseMartellBitches:
    Really, really need that Valyrian translated!

    I’ve listened to it a bunch of times and searched through the Valyrian wiki pages here:

    http://wiki.dothraki.org/High_Valyrian_Vocabulary
    http://wiki.dothraki.org/Season_4_Meerenese_Valyrian_Dialogue

    The best I can get from it is this:
    —-
    MAN – MEERENESE VALYRIAN
    Da yel onyesh shamirosh, osh eghlish
    [unknown], your grace

    DAENERYS – HIGH VALYRIAN
    Sepār skorkydoso ūñagon gūrēñagon pōnte vif pelvussa
    Next how count learn them [unknown]

    DAENERYS – COMMON
    Find the men who did this, and bring them to me.
    —-

    “pelvussa” might be related to “peldio” (snake)

    From the general context, it seems like they could be discussing the Sons of the Harpy attacks, with Daenerys ordering someone to find out how many there are.
  55. It was quite boring to be honest!
    Or it could be said that they picked a boring day of the shooting for this promo!

  56. davy,

    Stop being delusional. We won’t be seeing white walker invade westores sooner than season 7, at best. Anyway, I bet the probability is the show will end up having 8 seasons, so i expect WW to finally invade the westeros in season 8. But I’m glad it seems we will see more of them till then.

  57. I’m so excited – this was really insightful. I think the scale of the operation is incredible, and I can’t wait to see the results. I’m grateful that the ASOIAF series is getting this level of dedication to it.

    On a side note, a thought occurred to me regarding supporting actors with few lines (like Ian Beattie for example): these guys might be lesser known actors but they aren’t necessarily lesser in talent. Beattie seems pretty hilarious in these clips, and I had the funny thought that he is probably a tour-de-force performer in other smaller productions he’s been in, but in GOT he has to stand still and grunt as Meryn (f**king) Trant!

    Although in his case, it looks like they’ll be giving Trant more to do this year, before he possibly gets knocked off by Mercy

    Hope this post makes sense – very excited

  58. Valaquen,

    Stannis was in the woods in that video. There are no trees in the Hardhome set or anywhere near it (it’s a quarry.) And those are all dressed as men of the Night’s Watch. There are a few things still in doubt —whether Davos will be sent somewhere else and whether Stannis will have his battle for Winterfell at the end of the season. But by episode 8 I don’t think anyone expects them to still be at the Wall, let alone north of the Wall.

    Lion of Night,

    I didn’t catcth that about Slovis. If so, it’s a surprise to me. I expected to see absolutely nothing of Dorne until Jaime arrived to its shores in episode 3.

  59. Dogs,

    That would be bloody amazing. A Giant wight. Woah.

    Thomas,

    Yeah, I knew about it. I don’t know if I trust it 100%, but it might be true. The only thing that makes me doubt is… this is gonna be in episode 8? And no resolution in episode 9 or 10? Seems weird.

    I mean, wasn’t it the same person who said Jon is gonna be taken by the White Walkers, if I recall correctly?
  60. Maester Blaster,

    Didn’t even think about it like that, but it’s true. Hardhome is gonna be a way to rectify the absence of an on-screen battle at the Fist.

    TorbofThrones,

    You’re not wrong.

    The battle in the snow which had to be relocated from Iceland to Ireland due to logistical reasons cannot be Hardhome —this is a quarry they own, they had it since season 1. Also, Stannis’s been glimpsed with armor and blood all over his face, with woods behind him. I bet we’ll see the Battle in the Ice between the frozen lakes, or a version of it anyway, this season-
  61. Mostly waste of time….. except Hardhome. 3 weeks??? It’s going to be something very important, most likely all the rumors about what happens to Jon there are true. Huge changes.

  62. Voice of Reason:
    It was quite boring to be honest!
    Or it could be said that they picked a boring day of the shooting for this promo!

    What would you have rather seen? Just wondering. I guess you’re not interested in the production side of things? I am. Maybe that’s because I have a background in it.

  63. It didn’t spoil much but I loved it. Got a better idea of all the work that it’s needed to be done, the entire scale of the show, like 12 days shooting a scene that will be just a few minutes in the show… I’m now even more excited about this season than I was before!! Hardhone and Daznak’s pit looking epic!!!!!!
    Also I’m so excited about Dorne, too. Not because I care much about the subplot (I don’t), but just because is Seville, and it’s a gorgeous location, and it’s great to see your own homeland, especially when you live so far away…..

  64. Hollyoak,

    Understandable. It happens off-screen. However, this doesn’t come out of nowhere, like Craster’s did to many last year. Read this if you want to get a better idea of what happened in the books.

    The equivalent of this scene hasn’t happened yet in the books, though Jon did plan to lead a party to Hardhome… then changed his mind because of events at Winterfell, and decided to send Tormund instead. This is a definite change, but nothing excessive, IMHO.
  65. Great vid!! Awesome!! Ole for Sevilla and Osuna( in my country) amazing places and people!! Croacia, amazing and Belfast, oh my God!! Jon/Kit fighting… Can’t wait!!! Congrats!! I love it!! 🙂

  66. Hodor’s Bastard,

    Yes! Or maybe the WW are there to take Jon away. There’s this theory that the WW aren’t actually the bad guys, but that they are actually the saviors who are there to defeat the incoming threat from the east (aka Daenerys and her dragons). Wouldn’t it be cool if the WW’s plan was to turn Jon into a WW to lead them?! So,

    what if Jon gets stabbed by the mutineers led by Bowen Marsh (who we know is cast), and then the WW take him away (possibly off-camera to make it more “shocking” when he returns)
  67. Andrew:
    Bernie Caulfield also mentioned Illyrio while talking to David and Dan (around 8 minute mark), so it sounds like he’ll be back, as well!

    I think she’s talking about ELLARIA.

  68. cubicz,

    I thought that at first, but it’s quite clearly Illyrio, also based on the fact that we know they shot at his manse at the very end of the Dubrovnik shoot.

  69. caliopesnow,
    Spaniard SheBear,

    The three of us are fellow Spaniards 😉

    ¿De dónde sois? Yo de Donosti / San Sebastián. Nunca he ido a Sevilla (ni al sur), así que para mi Dorne va a ser tan exótico como para el resto, creo yo… jeje.

  70. Luka Nieto,

    Yes, haha!! Hola Luka, pues yo soy de Toledo pero viví mucho tiempo en el norte! Madre mía q ganas de la quinta temporada y de Vientos de invierno, soy una chica estresada con la espera, jaja. Saludos, alegre de leeros x aquí

  71. Luka Nieto,

    People still are going on about changes ? People still haven’t realised that the show and the books are different things now,my god !

  72. Nils98,

    Nils98:
    Hodor’s Bastard,

    Yes! Or maybe the WW are there to take Jon away. There’s this theory that the WW aren’t actually the bad guys, but that they are actually the saviors who are there to defeat the incoming threat from the east (aka Daenerys and her dragons). Wouldn’t it be cool if the WW’s plan was to turn Jon into a WW to lead them?!

    That have to be the stupidest theory ever. Not only the WW started to stir sh*t up in the prologue way before dragons were alive again, they didn’t show up at all when Aegon and his dragons came to Westeros the first time around.

    And what kind of salvation they are offering exactly? Because so far, their course of action is murder people and raising them as wights. They have attacked the Night Watch, they have attacked the wildling so frequent and cruelly that they went on a desperate massive exodus toward south and war. They attacked Bran and his party, and so on.

    And why in the Seven Hells the White Walkers would need an “Otherized” Jon to lead them?!?

    I’ve heard a lot of demented speculation from the community along the years, but boy, this one really deserves a place of his own.

  73. Just finished watching it for the firs time. The Foreshadowing video last year was a lot more exciting .
    Don’t get me wrong, I liked it but it didn’t give me much to get excited about (except the Hardome stuff and Lena scenes). I blame myself though, I had my expectations too high! 🙂

  74. Holy shneetzel Jon is definitely looking at the nights king descending from that cliff .. it makes sense why he’s about to shit his pants in that scene .. either that or a giant Wight .. I hope it’s the night’s king ..

  75. Some remarks:

    1) Who exactly is the perv producer in charge of boobs? Is it the older gent with the beard or the woman? I need to know :p

    2) I think this was a great idea and it surprises me that they didn’t do a video like this before. The way this show is made is incredibly interesting. I would rather have this than a spoilerheavy video to be honest

    3) Emilia Clarke is insanely hot in that dress. I do hope the wardrobe has more in store for her, a Queen in this context should have some expensive clothes to show off.

    4) Ian Beattie speaks 😀 That guy is awesome, I hope he gets more to do this season. We all know that Trant is the real hero of this story :p (for proof check out the FB page Meryn Trant : the sweetest gentleman in Westeros)

    5) Jonathan Price is a great addition to have. He was excellent in Wolf Hall, eventhough his stint as Cardinal Wolsey was pretty brief.

  76. As to what Jon Snow is looking at

    The others or an undead giant, it doesn’t really mather imo. Both would be rather terrifying and force Jon, the Wildlings and whoever is with them to flee. This fear could then spark the mutiny later on. If say Jon refuses to block the gates or like in the book decides to sent men behind the wall, those terrified men could easily band together to deal with their LC
  77. Dennai,

    Well the WW might need a go between, someone to negotiate or make demands, obviously after watching the episode with the NK and his royal entourage, the WW and their kingdom of always winter is very organized and civilized (notice the wardrobe). In fact I believe we haven’t even truly glimpsed their land, that scene was probably some ancient ritual place located at the fringes of their kingdom. I want to have a scene with the White Queen more than the NK, she was far more intriguing and mysterious in the little bit of story detail explaining her from the books.

  78. Veltigar,

    Jonathan Pryce will be excellent. Interesting contrast with his role in Wolf Hall (probably the best program on television at the moment): playing a religious head on the decline in WH while playing another on the rise in GoT

  79. Dennai,

    Hey, it’s not my theory. Other theories suggest that the Others are rallying numbers to fight against R’hllor, and that the Others will team up with Westerosi forces to battle the Lord of Light.

  80. When reading ADWD, I didn’t think much of Hardhome at all. Now though, it seems so exciting, mysterious and cool, that it’s one of the parts of S.5 I’m most excited for!

  81. Dennai,

    Although I think you are overreacting a bit to his/her extended speculation (and I’m not going to defend that speculation), please note that the Stark lineage may be linked (crackpot or not) to the WW/Other activity in ways that haven’t been explored yet.

    1) What was Benjen’s true mission?
    2) Why are the Stark words “Winter is Coming”? Not a particularly inspiring motto, and it is not *just* about meteorology.
    3) What is this crap about “a Stark must always be in Winterfell” or else…(currently there is no living Stark in Winterfell). BS or not?
    4) Bran the Builder (supposedly the original Stark) made a deal with the CotF when he/they built the Wall. Is that deal coming to a close (as predicted in the Stark motto)? Why?
    5) What if Jon Snow is the realization of the Azor Ahai prophesy? The Others would be more than interested in him, wouldn’t you think?
    6) The NK is supposedly a Stark descendant as well

    I’m totally open to the idea that a figure who embodies both Ice & Fire will have very close contact with the Others at some point…and the show may depict that very differently than the books.

  82. That was great! I thoroughly enjoyed the look behind the scenes and I am slack-jawed at the vastness of the production. To have two full units working at all times in different countries, is insane! This really is not a TV show; this is a multi-season movie series, broken down into TV-viewing format-friendly chunks.

    Nils98: There’s this theory that the WW aren’t actually the bad guys, but that they are actually the saviors who are there to defeat the incoming threat from the east (aka Daenerys and her dragons).

    The crackpotest of the crackpot theories! 😀 This is what happens when readers have too much time to while away between books.

  83. I really enjoyed that. Yes, it might have been nice to get a few interviews/clips, but when you think about it, we will probably still get them, but perhaps more spread out, and only short clips, which I would prefer to be honest.

    I enjoy behind the scenes production videos, so I wouldn’t have minded a linger video. There is so much they can talk about, but I know it isn’t to everyone’s tastes. There were a few nice titbits as well.

  84. Hodor’s Bastard,

    1) To find out what happened to the small ranging party in the prologue.

    2) It’s a warning to remain vigilant and attentive towards the future. While today may seem peaceful, hard times are always on the horizon. Ned Stark explained that to Arya back in series 1.

    3) The Starks are the lawful masters of Winterfell, their ancestral seat, and therefore must always maintain a connection through having a family member there being present. There’s no “crap” about being respectful towards that responsibility. If anything, the moment that Winterfell falls to Theon is when the Stark House begins to decline.

    4) The backstory about Brandon the Builder using magic is only used in the sense of relaying to the reader that “magic” once existed in the world, which is at the time of series living in a post-magical world where the Children and other creatures like them are confined to legend.

    5) What if he isn’t? What if the whole conflict between R’hllor and “the Great Other” is just a deeply-held religious belief (the ever-lasting struggle between Heaven and Hell) and not harbingers to actual physical incarnations?

    6) That doesn’t matter. The stories about the Night’s King, the Rat Cook, Florian and many others are world-building tools to provide Westeros with a culture. While the Night’s King is shown to exist in the show (unless that was just bad advertising on HBO’s part), it’s unlikely that much will be made of how the Night’s King is a Stark descendant.

  85. Many Thanks,

    Well, I’m glad you have it all figured out. You have definitely taken the Occam’s Razor road.

    – No way Benjen was simply going on a ranging mission. Until they find his body or his wight, I’m holding firm.
    – Anyone who believes the wall has no magic within it is delusional.
    – “Post-magical” world? It isn’t that mundane, my friend.

  86. Hodor’s Bastard,

    Hodor’s Bastard,

    You posted questions; I answered them using the same observation of the source material that led you to articulate them in the first place.

    I lifted the term “post-magical” from a review done by Time magazine when the show first came out in 2011. To me, it’s a nice phrase to describe the world of Westeros as it at the moment: one that has lost contact with its magical heritage and is living in a pseudo-medieval world. That’s what makes the world of GoT stand out much more than its peers; the occurrence of magic in the present isn’t treated like an routine thing, but as strange and “unnatural”, which how any regular in our own world would perceive it.

    Believe what you want to about Benjen; I took my answer from what was given in the text.

    I also don’t tend to make “friends” with strangers over the Internet who imply that I’m “delusional” about a statement I didn’t even make (that the Wall doesn’t have magic). If that is what gives you pleasure, then I certainly know more now about what your own priorities are then you’ll ever know of mine.

  87. Hollyoak,

    I am also interested in seeing The production but not just some random guys talking with British accent about logistics on and on and on

  88. Veltigar,

    I was wondering that.

    Croatia, Spain, Northern Ireland, Think they’re doing some scene shots in Iceland again and I dunno… England or the US perhaps?

  89. Voice of Reason,

    There’s only so much they can talk about without giving stuff away. I found it a nice change and a look at what goes into filming and the great locations.

  90. TheTouchOfFrost,

    Agreed. There have been complaints about not showing more of the story and new characters. But watching more of the actual filming and the complex, stressful process that goes into it was much more engaging.

  91. Many Thanks,

    It was not my intent to insult. Apologies. The internet has no inflection, and I found your original response somewhat combative and overly reductive.

    I have written extensively elsewhere on the physics behind the wall, There are no facts behind its existence. The only way to accept it (and its supposedly protective nature) is via magical properties. The wall weeps for both natural and unnatural reasons, as well.

    “You are not my friend, my friend.”
    – SS

  92. Hodor’s Bastard,

    Thank you for your response. It was not my intention either to be combative. The comment about delusion rubbed me the wrong way, but please accept my sincere apologies for my very personal statements towards you. I assure you that I don’t make any habit of going after people for their beliefs, and I only post comments here that add to discussion, not to degrade it.

    Like most people here, I just want to discuss this fantastic show in an forum that allows for free expression of ideas, no matter how much different the opinions of others might be, and that I’m instilled with the value of standing up for what you believe. But that doesn’t excuse the personal slants I made against you. If you are sincere in your own apologies as I am in mine, then let us enjoy this show together and eagerly await what’s to come on April 12.

    “I’ll see you at sunrise”- Davos

  93. Kay,
    There are lots of theories about the Others not being 100% evil. Why would GRRM – someone who seems to hate clear cut black and white, good vs bad, fiction – write a series of books in which there are a clear cut villainous race of supernatural malevolent ice-zombies who threaten, and seemingly plan, to wreak havoc and destroy the world? I’m telling you, the Others aren’t the villains. It’s never that easy with ASoI&F.

  94. TheTouchOfFrost:
    Veltigar,

    I was wondering that.

    Croatia, Spain, Northern Ireland, Think they’re doing some scene shots in Iceland again and I dunno… England or the US perhaps?

    Northern Ireland and England are part of the same country :p That’s why I said UK 😉 So, we have three countries confirmed, but what other countries would they film in? Since Illyrio was mentioned again, might they have returned to Malta for his manse? The USA is a possibility to, if they had some scene like with the bear like last time.

  95. Voice of Reason:
    Hollyoak,

    I am also interested in seeing The production but not just some random guys talking with British accent about logistics on and on and on

    What exactly do you think the word “production” means? Also, I heard lots of different accents (including American ones) in that video.

  96. Nils98,

    I could see their goal being something like destroying the iron throne. I think they are trying to restore balance to the world and make the seasons right again but are willing to kill anyone who opposes them.

  97. Veltigar:
    Btw five countries? Which one?

    Croatia, Spain, UK where else?

    I thought they meant until now, so the remaining two would be Malta and Iceland.

  98. Veltigar,

    I think the fourth one is Iceland as it was mentioned above. They initially filmed there a battle that “got too big” and so they moved it but they still filmed landscape shots. For that battle, I would have gone with Hardhome initially, but who knows?!

    Stannis is still splattered with blood and in armor in that S5 “bend your knee” video and he’s not going to Hardhome, that’s for sure since Jon is looking to lead that one.

    The plot thickens… Dum, dum, duuuuuum!

  99. Tormund’s Woman,

    It could be Hardhome. The background texture behind Dillane in the video is hard to make out. If not that, it may be

    Deepwood Motte, which would allow the show to draw Yara back in
  100. Veltigar,

    England and Northern Ireland are seperate countries. Being English, I’m quite certain of this! The UK is a unitary sovereign state which consists of the four countries of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The UK is often referred to as a country though as is it’s not as much of a mouthful! We won’t even go into Great Britain and how that should be used! 😛
    Didn’t know they’d gone back to Malta this season but I agree it seems like the most likely bet with Illyios pad apparently featuring again.

  101. Shmofo,

    Well if they were counting total over all five seasons the count would be 6.
    1) UK
    2) Malta
    3) Iceland
    4) Croatia
    5) Morocco
    6) US (LA for bear pit scene)

    Illyrio’s manse exteriors were filmed in Croatia this year. Malta wouldn’t let GoT film there anymore once they found out how naked/violent the content was.

    So I’m not quite sure what the 5-count is since I’m only aware of 4 this year–UK, Croatia, Spain, and Iceland. (They filmed establishing shots in Iceland, just not with actors.) Maybe there’s some secret stuff we don’t know about yet….(or I’m just blanking out.)

    Edit:
    Veltigar,
    That’s probably it then. They must have filmed somewhere in the UK besides Northern Ireland and so that counts for 2.

  102. With all the talk of the show surpassing the source material, I think that Hardhome may serve be the first illustration of that.

    It’s interesting that the show has chosen to focus on an sub-plot in the book

    that remains unresolved by the end ADwD. I think here we’re going to see the composition of two Wall-based subplots from the book: Hardhome (the attempted evacuation of the wildlings to ensure they don’t become cannon fodder for the WWs), and the entry of Tormund and his host into Castle Black
  103. Blind Beth,

    Unless they wandered down into the Republic of Ireland for some scenic shots? Quite easy to to find beautiful locations all over Éire!

  104. TheTouchOfFrost,

    Northern Ireland can surprise you. If I’m not mistaken, the Dothraki Grasslands of Season 1 were filmed in Slemish in a landscape that looks like it could pass for southern Italy.

  105. Many Thanks,

    But Tormund is already at Castle Black.

    I thought they have already eliminated Tormund-bringing-in-the-remaining-wildling-host-beyond-the-wall subplot. There was not one single mention or suggestion after the Wall battle that any of them are still out there.

    Going with your idea forward though: for that to happen my Tormund would have to take Val’s place and be sent by Stannis to rally them all and convince them to bend the knee to the One True King of Westeros (assuming they escaped the battle). So Tormund is Val now?! LOL

  106. Many Thanks,

    No worries at all.

    One thing I will disclose is that I am indeed a “delusional nutjob” (an actual description by an acquaintance) who, unlike Wimsey and others, prefers the irrational side to this story. That is most likely the reason behind my reactive response.

    I find the bizarre and eccentric angles of this tale (like the rise of secondary characters, the use of magic/glamours, the cloak-and-dagger approach to death, the wiggle room of prophesy that old Nan stories provide, etc,) much more fun. I have chosen to immerse myself (in my copious spare time) in the dark and unapologetic side of this universe. How can one accept the relatively cartoonish appearance of a killer, game-changing shadow baby and not support the infinite rage of a resurrected mother? The more bizarre, the better, in this formative world at the tipping point!

    My perspective may lead to disappointment, but I’ll enjoy the ride. Given that, my responses are always slightly askew, and may encourage a virtual parley/smackdown or two. 🙂

  107. Hodor’s Bastard,

    What’s so great about this show is that there so many different angles and aspects that mean much to different people; I like to think that’s why it has such a huge following. For me, I really love how both the show and novels seem to proudly wear its historical influences on its sleeves. When I see the Night’s Watch, I’m watching the French Foreign Legion manning Hadrian’s Wall while also having to take vows of celibacy. In the Middle Ages!

    Tormund’s Woman,

    What I was speculating wasn’t about your Tormund personally leading the remnants of Mance Rayder’s army through the wall (he’s actually one of those characters, like Yara, that I’m genuinely curious as to what the show does with this season), as he does in the book. It was more along the lines combining his novel’s sub-plot ( concern whether Tormund will reorganize and and attack the wall again) with the Hardhome rescue mission. Throughout ADwD, the Night’s Watch is both apprehensive about the wildlings being held prisoner by Stannis at the Wall, but also those that managed to escape and whether they will attempt to attack. While the wildlings are no longer as big a threat as they were under Mance, there’s the concern that the more are slain by the WWs, the more cannon fodder the Long Night will have.

    To that end, I should have articulated less about your Tormund, and more about the threat that the wildlings, and by extent the WWs, pose to the Wall. If I could comment again, I would just say that show may put the wildling threat of ADwD entirely into the Hardhome subplot, rather than divide it among the wildlings at Hardhome and the other threats of willing incursions (Tormund included) that pop up throughout the book. If the mission to Hardhome is successful, it could end up with the same scene of leading the remnants of Mance’s army into Castle Black.

  108. Veltigar,
    As TheTouchOfFrost mentioned Northern Ireland is not the same place as England at all and it is a VERY sensitive subject.

    To try and massively condense a long and complicated story: in 1921 Ireland, a united country in a union with Great Britain (GB; which is itself made up of three separate countries, England, Scotland and Wales) was partitioned into the Republic (the South), which is self-governing, and Northern Ireland which remained part of the union with GB. The Northern Irish communities divided into those who wanted to remain part of GB and those who wanted to be in a re-united Ireland. In the late 1960s this boiled over into what is known as The Troubles, a three decade long period of dreadful violence and conflict which could easily be described as a civil war. The death toll was over 3,000 with 50,000 injured. Although things have vastly improved it is still a very delicate situation, politically and otherwise. There are people from Northern Ireland who post on here and could tell you a lot more, but to some people it’s a bit like saying “aren’t Israel and Palestine the same place?”.

    I do not want to offend anyone with this post and I’m truly sorry if I have, it was absolutely not my intention! I’ve tried to make this as neutral as possible while talking about deeply divisive issues. Plus writing it as quickly and succinctly as possible.

    EDIT: Oh and Veltigar I’m not trying to be rude to you at all either, you’ve just accidentally stumbled into what I’m sure you were blissfully unaware is a very sensitive issue. It’s a minefield for diplomacy :O(

  109. Even if Sam and Davos hang at the wall all season both of their plots can happen in season 6. As long as they leave on the finale, or the 1st episode next season they can play catch up pretty quickly.

  110. Davos’ Lucky Finger Bones,

    That’s an interesting way to look at it. I could imagine them having a “parting of ways” scene at the Wall in the finale

    with Sam and Gilly going down to Oldtown, Davos heading to White Harbor, and maybe even Stannis leaving the Wall, if he hasn’t already.
  111. Davos’ Lucky Finger Bones,

    Do you really think they will have any ADWD material left after season 5? I mean come on man the last two seasons will be all new material and they don’t need to drag out Stannis getting lost in the snow and Jon Snow doing nothing at the wall. Quit saying stupid shit please.

  112. Many Thanks,

    Got it, MT! And I agree on that.

    I think it is rather clear that Cotter Pyke’s and Tormund’s mission (aka: generally speaking, get as many wildlings south of the Wall) will consolidate in that Jon Snow dude, who knows nothing, getting all the spotlight! :p And it is the obvious choice considering you want your arguably true North/ Wall hero to have as much exposure and the best storyline’s possible for TV. And they better have some Mel around him too. Excited for that!
  113. Many Thanks,

    Oh no doubt. But was just bouncing ideas off the wall as to where this other country they filmed in was! Actually surpised they didn’t film in other locations in the UK too. The Scottish Highlands, Peak District, Lake District, Pembrokeshire and many other areas could really offer some outstanding locations for the Riverlands, the Vale, The Iron Islands, The North and Beyond the Wall. Although, I think it’s great for N.Ireland’s tourism which needs a boost and something to make it more unique.

  114. Tormund’s Woman,

    The poor wildlings. This proud race of warriors beaten back by untrained felons led by a mopey bastard who knows nothing and then being curb-stomped by fire demon-worshipping calvary. Those guys couldn’t catch a break in the last two episodes!

    TheTouchOfFrost,

    I think there was interesting tidbit in the news pretty recently, about how the Scottish film industry is just banging its head against the wall for turning away GoT production scouts when they first came calling. Still, if there’s two or three seasons left, and given how larger the budget HBO allocates D&D is getting, they could manage to secure some scenes for filming in England and Scotland. One can always hope.

  115. Nils98: There are lots of theories about the Others not being 100% evil. Why would GRRM – someone who seems to hate clear cut black and white, good vs bad, fiction – write a series of books in which there are a clear cut villainous race of supernatural malevolent ice-zombies who threaten, and seemingly plan, to wreak havoc and destroy the world? I’m telling you, the Others aren’t the villains. It’s never that easy with ASoI&F.

    Hahahaha…. 😀 But you did say in your prior post that the Others are “saviors” who will save everyone against the evil Daenerys and her dragons, right? So…. The Others are not the villains, but the threat from Essos is?
    You are right, and I agree, nothing is black or white. Nature isn’t. It just is. Cold and heat. Dark and sunlight. Without fire, there would have been no civilization on earth, and I assume, Planetos.

  116. Many Thanks,

    Possibly. I think South Wales would be good for the Westerlands and the Lake District for the Reach…if the show ever needs to go to either of those places! Plus the amount of incredible castles, forts, great houses and old buildings of various description all over the UK is an untouched goldmine of visual glory!
    Wonder where they’ll use for Oldtown if we get to see there?

  117. Eurio,

    That sounds about right. Maybe I formulated what I said quite poorly. But I basically meant that The Others are willing to kill everyone that opposes them. The reason why they would kill The Night’s Watch rangers would be because they would view The Night’s Watch as a villainous order that is trying to keep them out of the realm. Therefore, from The Others’ POV, The Night’s Watch are the villains.

  118. TheTouchOfFrost,

    Absolutely. If Oldtown is ever incorporated, or if it’s not just a indoor set, I could see them making use of an old university or boarding school, just as Oxford was used for many interior shots in Harry Potter. They probably wouldn’t have schools that are too well known, like Oxbridge or Eton, but, as you said, there’s a goldmine of great historical architecture throughout the UK.

  119. Maybe whatever is knocking on the gate is a wight bear? We didn’t get that amazing scene at the Fist of the First Men, and a wight bear with no fur would be fucking terrifying.

  120. Many Thanks:
    Veltigar,

    Jonathan Pryce will be excellent. Interesting contrast with his role in Wolf Hall (probably the best program on television at the moment): playing a religious head on the decline in WH while playing another on the rise in GoT

    Plus this one actually believes what he’s preaching :p

    Shmofo: I thought they meant until now, so the remaining two would be Malta and Iceland.

    It did clearly say this season though.

    Tormund’s Woman:
    Veltigar,

    I think the fourth one is Iceland as it was mentioned above. They initially filmed there a battle that “got too big” and so they moved it but they still filmed landscape shots. For that battle, I would have gone with Hardhome initially, but who knows?!

    Makes sense. So that’s four countries.

    TheTouchOfFrost:
    Veltigar,

    England and Northern Ireland are seperate countries. Being English, I’m quite certain of this! The UK is a unitary sovereign state which consists of the four countries of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The UK is often referred to as a country though as is it’s not as much of a mouthful! We won’t even go into Great Britain and how that should be used! Didn’t know they’d gone back to Malta this season but I agree it seems like the most likely bet with Illyios pad apparently featuring again.

    Hmmm, I see, you learn something new everyday. In my own language, the equivalent term for country only refers to sovereign states (and some old names), so naturally I was inclined to look to the UK as a country, excluding the smaller entities that make up the whole. I guess this is also the explanation for why you all have seperate football teams :p

    EDIT: Also Great-Britain = just the biggest island of the British Isles right? I seem to remember that from highschool.

  121. Many Thanks,

    Having seen pictures of Oltown, I think Whitby would be perfect for it. It’s a harbour town, they have a lighthouse (the old one not the new) and the Abbey could be used for some shots. Plus it’s surrounded by the North Yorkshire Moors which has all sorts of hidden gems! There’s also Fountains Abbey quite close by which would be an excellent backdrop for some universityesque shots and the rest could be filmed inside a studio as you say.

  122. Veltigar,
    Sorry you got full-on Lulu’s Mum serious mode earlier, I’ve calmed down now! As I said, no offence intended and I wasn’t trying to give you a lecture, just explain it was potentially inflammatory and why.

    Dogcheese,
    Can any living thing become a wight? If so I vote for a mammoth please! Doesn’t have to have any impact on the story, could just be off to the side eating grass and I’d be happy. I just want to see them again 🙂 Anyone know how much fire you need to kill a wight? All over burns of the same amount that would kill a human or just a touch of it? What about a wight dragon (yes I know they’re too far away at the moment but I’m thinking ahead). Would they accidentally kill themselves if they breathed fire?

  123. Veltigar,

    No worries. It’s an easy mistake to make! State and country very often mean the same thing..it’s just we’re awkward! I could explain the whole thing but this is fairly accurate…except the part where it claims all 4 countries dislike eachother..and that we really want that closer links with the US (think the guy doing the voiceover is showing a bit of ethnocentricity there!) . We generally get along pretty well as people albeit with some friendly rivalry/banter…except when we play eachother at football or rugby! 😛

  124. Lulu’s Mum,

    Well, since the White Walkers have raided both bears and horses I would assume they can raise almost anything else. It doesn’t take much fire to kill a normal human wight, since Sam was able to kill one with just a recently burned piece of wood. Not sure about the other undead though. I have no idea about the wight dragon, but it would be pretty amazing nonetheless

  125. Many Thanks:
    Tormund’s Woman,

    The poor wildlings. This proud race of warriors beaten back by untrained felons led by a mopey bastard who knows nothing and then being curb-stomped by fire demon-worshipping calvary. Those guys couldn’t catch a break in the last two episodes!

    You tell it, MT! Tell it like it is!!! LMAO

    (I read the bolded part in the GOT Honest Trailer’s guy’s voice. Hilarious.)

  126. Dogcheese,
    There’s a very good reason I don’t work in TV/films, I’d just get really over excited and blow the whole budget on one scene that was 100% CGI. Instead of S5 being 10 episodes of proper actual story you’d get 7 minutes of wight dragons and other craziness that made no sense, bore practically no relation to any other part of the GoT universe and left people going “what the hell was that? And where’s the other nearly 10 hours’ worth we were expecting?” But it would look amaaaazing. To me anyway 😉

  127. Lord Elmo Tully,

    Glad to be graced be your kind and wise words. They have the time, but not necessarily the budget. I’m assuming Sam never makes to Bravos, but it makes no sense paying to build old town for an episode. And Davos’ interaction with Wyman Manderly could take place next season along with Rickon’s rescue so viewers don’t have to think about his fate all season.

  128. Blind Beth: Well if they were counting total over all five seasons the count would be 6.
    1) UK
    2) Malta
    3) Iceland
    4) Croatia
    5) Morocco
    6) US (LA for bear pit scene)

    I believe some of the Winterfell scenes shot for the original Pilot in Scotland made it into the aired first episode so that would up the total to 7 with NI and Scotland being counted separately.

  129. Looking forward to Daznaks

    Looks like there will be a real face-off between the Harpy’s Sons favouring the Old Order versus the Brazen Beasts (Gold Masks look pretty good) favouring the new who will act as a kind of militia to back up the professional Unsullied, not just in Daznaks Pit but throughout the season

    Insurgency seems to be the key word for much of the season, both in KL and Mereen

  130. King Tommen,

    Production means a lot more than just location and logistics which this was mostly about.
    The British was predominant, which added to the boring.ness!!

  131. The thing to take from this, for me at least, besides the behind the scenes footage and glimpses of what’s to come in Season Five , is the monumental task the cast and crew face each year in trying to bring this now mammoth show together in 10 coherent episodes. Each episode is like a movie unto itself, something that became even clearer after I got to see the GoT IMAX screening! It seems daunting to film just one of these damn things, let alone ten.

    Maybe this behind-the-scenes look will give the fans of the show a glimpse into the hard work these people do on our behalf!

    And maybe, just maybe, it will give all the nitwits and trolls constantly bitching and moaning about this and that, pause to think before they spew their venom and accompanying brainfarts!

  132. Nils98,

    That’s a misreading. There is no clear cut Good, but there is an awful lot of clear cut Evil.

    One of his themes seem to be that for Good to survive it has to play dirty sometimes.

  133. Ghost’s Lunch,

    Those are not Brazen Beasts. Yes, they wear masks, but they are harpy masks, and they are seen in the trailer killing Unsullied and staging a terrorist attack against Daenerys (instead of a poisoning.) Those are all Sons of the Harpy.

  134. I’m wondering what are these disruptive “positive finds” ads. There is this box on the lower left corner and this related searches bar on the left side.

    Is this going to be permanent change?

    EDIT: It also seems to open automatically some spam surveys. Is it only me or does it appear to others as well.

  135. Ghost’s Lunch,

    And perhaps the WIldings too. As it appears, from what we’ve seen so far,in some scenes Jon is killing them and in others (plus the books) he’s allied with them!

  136. Stannis the Mannis,

    BTW, your name is awesome; Stannis The Mannis FTW.

    I don’t think there are too many clear cut villains in the books or the show. Sure there are some, but not that many. The point is that GRRM doesn’t like supernatural entities who are super-evil. That’s one of his main problems with J.R.R Tolkien, because he always portrays orcs (and such) as being 100% evil. So if The Others would be 100% evil, that would be kinda weird, wouldn’t it?

  137. TheTouchOfFrost,

    He’s wrong about the Brazen Beasts. There are no Brazen Beasts. Those guys have Harpy masks and are killing Unsullied. They are Sons of the Harpy. As for the wildlings, if you freeze the trailer in the precise moment you can see the wildling Jon is “killing” has actually been dead for a while… yes, he’s a wight.

    In the trailer we can also see an altercation between wildlings and crows, but each and every one of them on both sides is weaponless. No sword on hand. Nothing at all. As we see in many of the Hardhome shots, the wildlings are trying to get into the boats under any means necessary… but there’s no indication it’s gonna come to an all out battle between wildlings and men of the Night’s Watch.

    If the rumors are correct (and considering this is Hardhome we are talking about, and the wight picture I provided), White Walkers are going to attack with wights. There’s gonna be a battle, or at least the possibility of one, but not between crows and wildlings.
  138. Luka Nieto,

    Didn’t think they were Brazen Beasts (despite the masks!). The Sons of the Harpy are still staging an insurrection so I think he/she is right in that regard.
    Seems a bit odd how Jon is fighting the wight though seeing as he knows he can only ‘kill’ it with fire.
    I still think the theme of rebellion will be prevalent this season with KL, Dorne, Mereen, The Nights Watch (if they do it this season) and even the northern storyline featuring elements of it. I think there will be some bits of Wilding infighting too but that’s just speculation on my part!

  139. I like
    The change from
    Poison to
    Terrostic attack it’s just a lot more fun and it’ll really feel like dragons protecting his mom … I Love the change

  140. Luka Nieto,

    Speaking of wights and walkers, I went back and paused the Loboda shot from the trailer. Whatever is approaching him certainly does not look human or alive. Not sure if this has been discussed yet.

  141. Lion of Night,

    Yeah, I agree. Not because we can see what’s approaching him (we can’t, not really, not with any significant detail,) but because Loboda looks really frightened. He’s a wildling, and a Thenn no less —proud people. He wouldn’t let himself look so scared shitless because of a crow or another wildling. It just has to be a wight or a White Walker. The eerie way the scene is shot also leads me to believe that.

    I’m not sure about the chronology of events at Hardhome. In reverse of the order of the books, I’m pretty sure there will be a first approach by wildlings coming from the Wall by land (we see wildlings approaching the foggy gates of Hardhome in the trailer), and… something will happen, I’m not sure what, since obviously a hell of a lot of people still survive. Then Jon will come with the boats, to save as many as he can? And then White Walkers and wights appear…? Again, I’m still confused about the chronology of it all. One thing’s for sure —it looks awesome and intriguing.
  142. BTW, does Jon going to Hardhome by sea mean we will see Eastwatch-by-the-Sea this season? That’d be nice.

  143. tyjon:

    The big reveal I came away with after watching the special, is I can now see why Emmy peers shy away from voting for it. To them its not traditional television drama, two camera crews, 1000 crew, total combined 240 shooting days and 8000 extras. Every season of GoT is a 10 part mini-series or theatrical movie sliced into portions, to the peers it’s unfair competition to what they deem as true television drama. Furthermore GoT is already changing the way television is heading into the 21st century, and the peers are afraid of it affecting television the way Star Wars altered movie making. I can see 20 years down the road with streaming and pay as you go episodes taking the lions share of money, that television is heading for bigger budgeted epic television to hold onto viewers and money.

    Even though it’s fantasy, there’s something very Old Hollywood about GoT, similar to movie epics like Gone With the Wind, Ben-Hur, The Ten Commandments, Cleopatra (don’t laugh, I liked that film). GoT also reminds me of the 1970s and 1980s epic TV mini-series that aired on NBC and ABC, such as Shogun, Noble House and The Thornbirds, with the visuals and scope of the storytelling.

  144. Ghost’s Lunch:
    Looking forward to Daznaks

    Looks like there will be a real face-off between the Harpy’s Sons favouring the Old Order versus the Brazen Beasts (Gold Masks look pretty good) favouring the new who will act as a kind of militia to back up the professional Unsullied, not just in Daznaks Pit but throughout the season

    Insurgency seems to be the key word for much of the season, both in KL and Mereen

    Really great point. Each season has a theme to the overall arcs of the characters.

    Insurgency is season 5. Think about it…

    King’s Landing (The Faith, the poor, Cersei)
    Meereen (Sons of the Harpy, Slavers, Dany)
    Dorne (Sand Snakes, Myrcella, Jamie, Doran)
    The North (Stannis, Yara, Northern Lords, Boltons)
    The Nights Watch (Nights Watch, Wildlings, Others, Jon Snow (for the watch))

    And the season will end with each insurgency resolving in a big event in almost all cases. This could give us insight to how LF, Sansa, Brienne, Jamie, etc will march throughout the season.

  145. Luka Nieto,

    Yeah I don’t know about the chronology either, although your outline seems like a good guess. I’m actually looking forward to being surprised this season, as S4 (for the most part) was definitely the: me-and-my-sullied-friends-get-to-be-smug-and-watch-the-unsullied-reactions, season.

  146. Finally had a chance to see this on a big HD tv screen – yay! Although still not had the season 5 trailer on Sky yet – boo! Anyway for what it’s worth I may be able to see some detail more clearly than people watching on a smaller sized screen. The writing behind Deborah Riley is too blurry to read clearly as noted, but I do a lot of typesetting and spend a lot of time staring at the shape of words and I think it might say “Season” rather than “sorrows”. Also, whatever Jon is looking at is noticeably above his eye line, so could easily be giant sized if on the same ground level as him. Whatever it is he is is NOT happy about it.

  147. House Ray,

    I like what you’re saying here. I’m pretty sure the season will end with

    Jaime defying Cersei more or less like he does in the book

    , maybe even Sansa defying Littlefinger.
    With a lot of riots from some book readers, too.

  148. Cannot wait for the season and join the ranks of the unsullied, I love to be surprised by new material (if its good). I believe D&D will really give us a separate adaption, so as not to spoil the books for fans. They might end the series at its climax, in lieu of the concluding chapters, after all some stories can continue on for many chapters after the climatic events have occurred.

  149. House Ray,

    Jaime decides to support trystane to take the throne in exchange for his son and daughter being spared and taken to casterly rock to live in peace. That was a big part of his internal monologue in affc.

    I think there was something about them filming dorne episode like 9 or 10 and jaime was still there so clearly his story is changing a lot. What is he going to do in dorne for 6 episodes?!

  150. TheTouchOfFrost,

    Well, he did seriously consider it, so I don’t think it’s a betrayal to Jaime’s character, but I agree with you that it does change the plot way too much. Or so it seems. Who knows what Jaime will do in TWOW.

  151. Luka Nieto,

    Just all seems a bit cheesey. I’ve got good money on Jaime killing Cersei perhaps in a similar fashion to how he killed the Mad King (Mad Queen!). I don’t think he’ll actively campaign against Cersei though. Plus Trystane (not as faegon) would be a stupid horse to back as he has no claim. Even if he marries Myrcella, it is she who would sit the throne and convincing Westeros to disregard male heirs isn’t something that will happen overnight! Aslo Jaime is far too battleworn and experienced to think that there is a happy ending where everyone goes back to Casterly Rock safe and sound! It just makes no sense. The only thing I can see him bargaining for is Myrcellas safety. Without a Targaryen in their midst then Dorne have no legitimacy if they attempt to take the throne.

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