Game of Thrones has a LOT of characters. That’s been true right from the beginning, when new fans struggled to remember the names of people who came to be known briefly by monikers like the mean blonde queen, the brooding one at the Wall, and the funny dwarf. (And Hodor. That one was always easy to remember.)
Not long into Season 1, these characters started to die off, beginning a stark death march that continued for six years. The cast has thinned out considerably since then, and yet…even now, going into Season 7, Game of Thrones has a LOT of characters.
But if history is any guide, not all of them will live to see Season 8. But which ones will get the chop? We can’t know for sure, but we can make educated guesses, and give odds on who’s likely to go. So join us for a grim exercise in prognostication, as we predict how likely these 50 Game of Thrones characters are to live through next year.
Characters are arranged in alphabetical order, with occasional grouping for convenience. Also, while most of this will involve guesswork, we will use the occasional SPOILER. Beware.
Jon Snow’s circle grows wider by the minute, it seems! Tim McInnerny, who played Robett Glover, the hard-nosed northern lord of Deepwood Motte in two episodes of season 6, will be returning to Game of Thrones.
McInnerny was spotted in photos taken of the actors on the set recently. Several photos from that same batch were published in The Daily Mail, but the one of McInnerny was not. Twitter user PAP4U, the source of the set photos that were first seen in The Daily Mail, later posted a few of those images on their own account, along with this new photo that includes McInnerny in a robe, getting ready for filming.
It appears the actor may have been overlooked, but when fans came across the images on Twitter, WotW readers noticed Lord Glover. Nice work!
The Daily Mailpublished more photos today from the Game of Thrones set, of Kit Harington hugging the redheaded young woman they label Sophie Turner’s double. We also saw her the other day in costume.
Initially we assumed that information was correct, given her presence in a scene with Harington, Gwendoline Christie, Liam Cunningham, and Aidan Gillen. However her place with the show is unconfirmed at the moment, so we can’t be 100% certain she is a double, as opposed to being an actress with her own part to play. We’ll keep our eyes peeled for more info!
While Game of Thrones location filming in Spain is being shifted around, location shooting continues back in the scenic areas of Northern Ireland for season 7. The ubiquitous pink “GOT” signs indicating filming have been spotted once again:
Photo: WatchersontheWall.com
The sign was spotted by WotW reader Michelle yesterday near the parking area for Fair Head, a headland spot that is often used for climbing. There were a number of trucks set up nearby also.
Fair Head is found a few miles from Ballycastle in County Antrim. Murlough Bay and its shore, a site used frequently by Game of Thrones over the past several years, is found between Fair Head and Torr Head. And so it’s not clear exactly where GoT is filming at the moment- they could be on Fair Head, using the sheer face of the headland, or they could on the coastal portion.
Previously, the shore nearby along Murlough Bay has set the scene for Theon and Yara’s ride together in season 2. It’s where Davos was rescued following the Battle of the Blackwater, and where Tyrion and Jorah faced slavers. The grassy area is also where Renly faced off against Stannis in season 2.
As for who might be involved in filming, there have been a number of cast members in and out of Belfast lately. Actors frequently fly up for short periods of filming so it’s difficult to track. Kit Harington was also seen in Belfast in the last few days, as well as Aidan Gillen and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Local actors such as Conleth Hill have been seen, but they live there, so…well, you know.
@jowrotethis met the kingslayer in Belfast yesterday.Can confirm sword hand intact though. Healthcare in Westeros has come on leaps & bounds pic.twitter.com/z8JnICAv9N
In a startling development confirmed yesterday as really happening, HBO is shuttering its channel services in the Netherlands as of January 1st, 2017. Rumors of this were circulating on Game of Thrones forums prior to the announcement, but Variety confirmed it. HBO is pulling their services out of the country.
Currently, what is known as “HBO Netherlands” provides programming services from channels HBO1, HBO2, HBO3, plus HBO On Demand and HBO GO. These will cease to exist as of December 31st. This is not an HBO solo project, but one in which they partner with Ziggo, which is the leading Dutch cable TV platform.
The plan, from what Variety suggests, is that HBO and Ziggo are going to start over with a new, reconfigured “joint venture.” They quote a spokesperson as saying:
“After careful consideration, the joint venture partners have determined that discontinuing the service is the best business decision and that we believe our customers will be better served by a different service that will feature HBO content, including full library.”
For the record, this “new joint venture” will mark HBO’s third run at the Netherlands as a market. HBO Netherlands only launched in 2012, and was their second attempt after their original line up, known as HBO Nordic, failed. “Efforts of HBO Go to face off with Netflix in Scandinavia have been “very disappointing,” said Francois Godard, at Enders Analysis.”
Of course, our first concern is how will this affect Game of Thrones? After all two of the major players who still are in the game are from the Netherlands, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who plays Jaime Lannister and Carice van Houten, who plays Melisandre. Not to worry fans, everyone is quick to note that Game of Thrones will continue to be available.
Ziggo is quoted by media outlets as calling the move a “business decision,” going on to say that it will continue to offer HBO shows – such as “Game of Thrones,” “Silicon Valley” and “The Night Of” – in exclusivity to its cable clients.
At least they have a some time before Season 7 arrives to figure out which channel will carry it, so everyone can reprogram their DVRs. Game of Thrones returns to airwaves everywhere (including the Netherlands) in July of 2017.
The subject of where the world of Westeros will head when Game of Thrones is over has been a lingering question in the minds of fans for the past few years now. Will season 8 be the end of the road or can we look forward to a sequel- or a prequel? With George R.R. Martin’s “wealth of material” as a resource, there’s a stack of possibilities.
The Hollywood Reporter caught up with HBO’s programming president Casey Bloys this week at the Westworld premiere in Hollywood and found out whether he thinks there’s a future in Westeros.
“There are so many properties and areas to go to,” Bloys tells THR. “For us, it’s about finding the right take with the right writer.”
At the moment it’s not even clear who would be taking charge if HBO did proceed with another foray into Westeros. David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, showrunners of Game of Thrones, have been vocal about stepping away and taking on fresh projects after season 8. But Bloys hasn’t completely written off their participation in a new Martin-based work for HBO.
He tells THR, “It’s a big, big commitment for them, not just their creative force, but also their family life. They’re gone for months at a time. So it’s a big, big thing. But should we find a property that makes sense as a spinoff or a prequel — whatever you want to say — I would not expect them to do it, because they’re going to need to decompress for a good amount of time, but it would certainly be nice to have their involvement in some way. At what level? I have no idea.”
Apparently Bloys also says that HBO is not yet “actively investigating where to take the franchise next,” so perhaps we’re getting ahead of ourselves here. Bloys tells THR, “There are things that sound interesting, but at this point, we have no writers assigned or anything like that. In a perfect world, Game of Thrones would keep going, and we wouldn’t have to deal with any of this!”
With Game of Thrones barreling toward its endgame, and HBO having almost no other hits on its hands, I’d be surprised if they genuinely weren’t investigating a spin-off already. But I can’t blame Bloys for playing it close to the vest for the time being. Only time will tell if they’re proceeding, and who will be leading the way with new stories from Westeros.
It looks like there will be a bit of a delay with Game of Thrones filming this fall- but not too much of one, so fans shouldn’t sweat it. HBO will be filming season 7 in the regions of Cordoba and Seville, Spain, as previously announced, but the shooting will take place in late November of this year. Filming was initially planned for November 1st through the 12th, but has been pushed back.
In Seville, according to ABCdeSevilla, the show is expected to shoot in the medieval Royal Shipyards and also in the Roman ruins of Italica in Santiponce, in the amphitheater. In Cordoba, Game of Thrones will be filming in the Castillo de Almodovar del Rio, a 1300-year-old Muslim castle.
It looks like there may not be any filming inside the Alcázar of Seville after all this year, the beautiful palace that has stood in as Dorne’s Water Gardens for the last two seasons. However that could change, according to ABCdeSevilla, with new decisions possibly made in the near future.
With filming now happening in late November in this area, that causes an overlap with the scheduled filming in the Cáceres region. So it looks like we might see two units in action simultaneously in Spain, making for a hectic shooting time.
For the past month, we’ve heard rumblings from Spain about a battle in the works for shooting in Malpartida, Spain. Now we have even more details, courtesy of L7R.
Previously, we’d heard that there was a scene involving wagons in the works for filming on the private property of Las Breñas. Now it seems that “battle” may not be the right word for it what is going down there. L7R has learned that what is being planned there could more accurately be called an “ambush.”
They describe a scene involving wagons with goods traveling from a castle (inserted with CGI), attacked by enemy soldiers. While that doesn’t sound overwhelming, Game of Thrones has scheduled 500 extras for filming in Malpartida, a very large number for the show. For comparison, GoT used that many extras for the entire shooting of the Battle of the Bastards.
There’s another chunk of info concerning the Malpartida shooting: the new report says that we can expect to seeat least one Lannister in the fray. Previous information learned from the extras casting process tells us that we can expect the involvement of Unsullied soldiers and Dothraki warriors, and so the presence of Tyrion is almost a given at this point. L7R has heard, though this is not confirmed, that the conflict there will involve Tyrion and one of his siblings.
Los Siete Reinos has also heard details about a scene that sounds exciting. The scene planned for shooting in nearby Los Barruecos, around the watery territory there, will involve a major character falling into the water.
There is no guarantee that the fall is part of the fighting, but it does seem possible, considering the terrain there is similar to the area nearby where the action will be shot. Production has been testing locally how they can accomplish it. As for what that scene is- well, there are many possibilities but the most intriguing is the idea that someone may be falling off a dragon while riding it in battle.
That’s quite a lot of new information to dissect! Who is attacking and who is being attacked in this scenario?
We have the Illustrated Edition commemorating the 20th Anniversary of A Game of Thrones, and now we have something for A Song of Ice and Fire fans who are a little more digital-friendly, in this modern world.
A Game of Thrones is available now for $8.99. Enhanced editions of the other books in the ASOIAF series will be available in the forthcoming months. Elegant new watercolor covers have been created for each novel in the series.
Photo: EntertainmentWeekly.com. Find the other ASOIAF covers at EW.com.
Along with the new look, the edition includes colorful character and location illustrations and interactive character maps in each chapter. Peppered throughout the novel you’ll find, according to EW, “Martin-approved annotations — shown using a small crown icon — also reveal deeper trivia about the world of ice and fire, while audio clips narrated by actor Roy Dotrice help immerse readers in the novel’s most memorable passages. (In one chapter, a White Walker’s attack comes to sonic life.)”
Each enhanced edition comes with more information to make your reading easier and more accessible, especially for the newcomers. The editions include an appendix with info on the Great Houses of Westeros with family trees and sigils, a map detailing the characters’ travels, and a glossary to help you decipher the world of A Song of Ice and Fire.
According to EW, George R.R. Martin says of the new edition, “Anything that confuses you, anything you want to know more about, it’s right there at your fingertips. It’s an amazing next step in the world of books.”
Awesome news everyone! For those of you who struggle to keep track of characters as you are plowing your way through A Song of Ice and Fire, technology has finally decided to help. Random House and iBooks are teaming up to release an enhanced edition of the first book, A Game of Thrones, for iPhones, iPads and Macs. But this is no ordinary edition. Each chapter has been digitally enhanced with maps of where the character in question is in Westeros, footnotes (because everyone loves reading footnotes!) and even an extremely helpful little set of reminders of where the character was and what they did the last time you saw them. Think of them as each chapter’s personalized helpful “Last Time on Game of Thrones…”
Image via RandomHouse
Some other enhancements: as you can see from the promotional image provided above, each chapter comes with a larger fancy heading so you know exactly whose POV you’re entering. Said names are also “clickable” and take one to a short bio, if they need to be reminded exactly who this character is. This may not seem so helpful in the earlier books, where all the POV characters are Starks, Snows and Tyrions, but as the books progress, and they do this for, say A Feast For Crows it will be very helpful to be reminded who these new narrators are and why they a purported to matter. Those “Last Time In Jon Snow” will also be very helpful when moving to the next book in the series, or if one has to take several weeks long breaks in the middle of reading because life got in the way.
In addition to illustrations throughout the text, the appendix includes 92 illustrated house sigils, nine house lineages, a detailed map of “The Known World” and marked trails of several main characters’ journeys throughout the first novel.
This first “digitally enhanced” installment is available for download as of this morning. No word on when they will release A Clash of Kings or the other novels with the same helpful annotations as of yet, but if this does well, it’s practically assured they will be on the docket in the near future.
And of course, as always, no we have no word on when The Winds of Winter will arrive.
Today in Game of Thrones fan films, YouTuber ParaLight WorX brings us A Northern Story. This German-language film (with English subtitles) tells the tale of a couple of Stark loyalists—Toryn Manderly and Wendrik Cassel—on their way to the Twins to witness the marriage of Lord Edmure Tully to one of Old Walder Frey’s daughters. The catch: they’re late, and have no idea that the Freys and Boltons turned on their King and slaughtered his army. Check it out:
Directed by Ludwig Bachmann and Jonathan Williams (the latter of whom also wrote it), A Northern Story and is well-done. It reminds me a bit of the Game of Thrones videogame series from Telltale, except here, we get a look at how the soldiers who weren’t at the infamous Red Wedding react when they find out what happened, as opposed to being in the middle of the action.
Also, if you’re a book-reader, you’ll remember that Lord Commander Jeor Mormont had a raven who had a way with human speech. (Its favorite words include “corn,” “snow,” and “die.”) After the Old Bear is murdered by his own men, the raven returns to Castle Black and becomes Jon Snow’s de facto pet bird, talkative as ever. If you thought the idea of a talking raven was fantasy nonsense, it ends up you were wrong, as this video demonstrates:
I’ll admit to having no idea that a raven could mimic a human’s voice so closely. If only the Maesters at the Citadel could train their ravens to relay messages orally, they wouldn’t have to tie those little notes to their legs.
Finally, an ASOIAF-focused YouTube channel called, appropriately enough, ASOIAF, has uploaded several new videos exploring the history and lore behind the series. They’re done in the style of the History and Lore videos on the Game of Thrones home video releases, but cover subjects HBO may not have gotten to yet. Check out this one, on the wildling settlement of Hardhome.
In more recent developments over at the NotABlog, George R.R. Martin’s livejournal outlet to the world, Minions have been starting to write posts when he doesn’t have the time. This is a slightly heartening thing, since it means he’s delegating so he can concentrate on finishing The Winds of Winter. Up until now, most of the “minion” posts have been about shows at the Jean Cocteau Theater, por Martin’s Wild Card series. But for the first time yesterday, we have a minion post on Game of Thrones.
No, it’s not that TWOW is finished (Martin would write that post himself.) Nor is it on the show, since that’s all officially revealed via HBO and Entertainment Weekly. Instead, this reveal is on the newest collectables for A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones: New Valyrian Steel Blades Reproductions.
This time Valyrian Steel is bringing to life, for your pleasure, a set of two blades belonging to the dashing Daario and the recently acquired and renamed Oathkeeper, last seen in the possession of Brienne of Tarth. Both of these blades are based on the Book series versions, but keep an eye out as our friends at Jalic regularly put out great work based on the television series as well.
Daario’s Blades Image via valyriansteel.com
As is to be expected, these are limited edition replicas of Brienne and Daario’s swords, being released in time for you to get for your loved one for the holidays. (Hasn’t the warrior of your heart always wanted a Oathkeeper to strap to her back?) You can purchase Oathkeeper as this link on ValyrianSteel.com, while Daario’s more porn-esque handled blades are found on their website here.
No word on whether or not they’ll be making Heartsbane. I suppose we need to find out first is Sam will be slayed by his father for stealing it or not.
Game of Thrones merchandise is everywhere. There are GoT-themed garments aplenty, action figures, shot glasses, replica swords, and more. Much of it is branded with the sigils of the many Houses on the show, and in April of this year, Slice Intelligence put together some nifty graphs showing which Houses sit atop the Iron Throne of sales.
As you can see, House Stark leads House Targaryen by a decent margin, while both Houses outdistance third place finisher House Lannister. The Starks have always been the heart of the show, and even after Season 5—when Jon was dead, Arya blind, and Sansa’s fate unresolved—the love for them was strong.
Dany definitely held it down for House Targaryen. Her long journey from put-upon pawn to powerful queen is worth some merch sales. Meanwhile, with the scheming Cersei as its frontman, House Lannister has never been very popular, so it’s not surprising that it took third. What surprises me about this graph is how low House Greyjoy sits. I mean, it’s behind House Tarth, for Seven’s sake. But then again, the Greyjoys had been on the sidelines for a while before Season 6.
Moving on, this graph ranks merchandise sales by character.
Daenerys leads Jon Snow by a good bit, which is surprising. Jon had an exciting Season 5, but perhaps he was never going to be popular as someone who uses a dragon as her preferred method of transport.
It’s interesting how many dead characters made the graph. Khal Drogo and Ned Stark have been dead since Season 1, Robb Stark since Season 3, and Joffrey Baratheon since Season 4, but here they are. Also, seeing Hodor on this graph just makes me sad. Rest in peace, you sweet giant.
Hopefully, Slice Intelligence will gather new data to reflect how sales have changed since Season 6. If I were a betting man, I’d guess that House Targaryen would overtake Hosue Stark in terms of overall sales, while Jon Snow will overtake Daenerys on on the character graph.
The Daily Mail has new photos from the set of Game of Thrones, giving us a glimpse of the magic in progress. Kit Harington, Gwendoline Christie, Liam Cunningham, Daniel Portman, and a body double for Sophie Turner are spotted in the pictures showing production underway recently at Banbridge’s Linen Mill Studios.
There was also an unknown young boy filming with them. We don’t know at this time who he is or if he has a named role in season 7.
The actors are likely on break or finished for the day- they look to only be partially in costume. These look like the underclothes of their usual costumes, and you can see Portman’s cooling system.
Aidan Gillen was photographed out of costume. Though The Daily Mail makes reference to a battle, there is no indication whatsoever that a battle scene was being filmed and it’s possible that they were simply guessing or making an assumption. They also misidentified Portman as Joe Dempsie, so take anything they write with a big grain of salt.
The filming took place at the Banbridge location (easy to spot with the large Riverrun facade still standing, you can see that photo at the source) but filming took place inside, so we don’t know for sure where the scene took place, Westeros-location-wise. Given that we have Sansa, Jon, Littlefinger, Davos, Brienne and Pod, there’s decent odds they’ve created some of Winterfell inside the studios.
When Game of Thrones began to go “off book” as it were, first in small moments in Season 4 and then more widely in Season 5 is was thrilling for book readers, who were finally getting the first new information on the events in Westeros since 2011. But what no one seemed to consider was that, as we got deeper into uncharted territory, the closer we were to deaths we didn’t know were coming.
Where scenes like Ned’s execution and the Red Wedding were known years in advance by book readers (if not a decade for some), it seemed like we blithely went into Season 5acting like there wasn’t another one around the corner. Of course there was (Jon SNow’s death), but somehow we innocently seemed to think that was the only one.
Perhaps that’s why Shireen’s burning at the stake (a confirmed scene coming in a later book, we assume in The Winds of Winter) was such a shock to viewers, even though the show had been telegraphing it for weeks. In a new interview at ComicCon Copenhagen, Kerry Ingram, who played Shireen, reflected on the experience.
But if you think Shireen’s death had us shook, that was nothing like the first true red Wedding level death shocker that came in Season 6. The loss of Hodor was perhaps the biggest gut punch the show delivered–because for the first time no one was expecting it. Of course, Kristian Nairn, being a jolly fellow, talks about playing videogames on the set of Game of Thrones. After all, one does tire of talking about being a human doorstop after a while.
But one death we did see coming (and was widely anticipated in Season 4) was the final moments of Tywin Lannister, aka actor Charles Dance. Dance was in Washington, DC recently for the annual Harman Center for the Arts Gala to accept the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s William Shakespeare Award for Classical Theatre. He sat down with The Washington Post to discuss his career, and (of course) Game of Thrones came up.
“The scripts for ‘Game of Thrones’ are superbly written,” he said. “And we’re usually wearing leather and suits of armor and that sort of thing. Those of us who aren’t taking our clothes off, that is. I felt at home. I felt I was doing Shakespeare.”
In 400 years if people are still acting out the Red Wedding, we’ll know why.
Every political drama seems to get compared to Game of Thrones. Across the globe, every power struggle brings out a reference to the show. Just this month, I’ve run across stories where the political situation in Malaysia, Spain, and Ireland brought out comparisons. And that’s just the recent stuff. The UK elections last year were filled with it. Israel’s Prime Minister openly referenced the production during his own election, especially when it looked like he might lose. And as a resident of the Nation’s Capital, I can tell you the show has Washington in its pocket. There’s a reason that at last year’s White House Correspondent’s Dinner, Luther the Anger Translator’s line referencing Clinton’s march to the democratic nomination as “Khaleesi is coming to Westeros” got the longest and loudest positive crowd reaction, and it wasn’t because the room was overwhelmingly for Hillary.
With the continuing results of the 2016 primaries signalling we’ve entered our first post-reality election, and things taking a turn for something that even Littlefinger and Varys would scoff at as unbelievable, the Game of Thrones references are only just beginning. In a timely moment of comedy, the Australian editor Huw Parkinson, known for his send ups of local pols such as Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott on the Sunday morning political program Insiders, has released a mash up that puts former reality star and real life Voldemortcounterpart Donald Trump smack dab in the middle of the Westerosi and Essos political scene. As the blurb for the video reads: “Armed with a Valyrian steel sword named Deal-Maker, Donald Trump embarks on a quest through Westeros to take care its border policies.”
Clearly, Varys and Littlefinger are totally scoffing at this nonsense. Daenerys, for her part, is appalled. As for Trump’s plans to build a Wall, Jon Snow knows just how ineffective those things can be, once the long cold night shows up. personally though, I’m not sure I want to see Trump as a White Walker. Then he’ll never go away.
(This article was originally published on February 21, 2016.)
Back before HBO turned George R.R. Martin into a household name by adapting his Song of Ice and Fire novels for TV, a relatively unknown gaming company called Disrupter Beam convinced the author to let them adapt his books as a mobile game: Game of Throne Ascent.BostInno brings us the story of Ascent came about, an American success story built on hard work, passion, and a little bit of luck.
Husband-and-wife team Jon Radoff and Angela Bull founded Disruptor Beam around 2010. Initially, the studio worked on such products as a 50-Cent-branded blackjack game for Facebook, but Radoff had higher ambitions. A fan of interactive storytelling from his childhood, he was itching to adapt something with a plot. He was a fan of the Song of Ice and Fire novels, and thought would make a great foundation.
I thought that if I was going to really innovate on story, the right way to do it was bring that innovation into a world that people were already in love with. Game of Thrones gave us the ability to go into that world while giving us a canvas to try some ideas.
Again, this was before Game of Thrones hit the air in 2011. To achieve his dreams, Radoff first had to meet with George R.R. Martin and try to get him to agree to license the mobile game rights to him. First, he managed to get himself introduced to literary agent Vince Gerardis, hoping that Gerardis might know a guy who knew a guy who knew Martin. As luck would have it, Gerardis was Martin’s agent, and had just sold the TV rights to A Song of Ice and Fire to HBO.
Radoff pitched Geradis his idea for a game that kept all the things that made Martin’s books interesting—politics, moral ambiguity, death—intact, but which could work in the context of a phone or tablet. That got him an invitation to meet with Martin himself. But even then, Radoff still had a lot of convincing to do, particularly because licensed games don’t have a reputation for quality.
I had to spend that first year explaining this vision for both being authentic to the source material, but also creating a game that would be truly sustainable. Both of these elements were important to HBO, as well as George: building the franchise and keeping fanbase invested. It took a lot of convincing, but I was an experienced entrepreneur so that was definitely helpful.
Finally, roughly a month before Game of Thrones debuted on HBO, Radoff met Martin in his Santa Fe home. After demonstrating his commitment to keeping the spirit of Martin’s books alive, he received the author’s blessing. “He saw that I got that and I think that’s what convinced him that we had the authenticity to pull it off,” he said. Months later, contracts were signed, and Disruptor Beam was off and running.
Two more meetings were held with Martin before the game’s release in early 2013. Martin had a couple suggestions to contribute to the game before it’s launch. You can probably guess one of them:
More people need to die in this game.
Ascent launched to widespread critical acclaim, and has racked up 11 million downloads to date. It’s success provided Disruptor Beam with the street cred needed to land other popular franchises, such as Star Trek. Like many characters on Game of Thrones, Radoff made the right moves and climbed the ladder. It’s worked out so far.
You know what happens when Game of Thrones is off our screens for too long, don’t you? Fans start thinking.
Now, much of the time, when fans get thinking, lovely things occur. Rhaegar and Lyanna love story videos, for instance. Etsy shops full of cool fan-made merch or deviant art collections spring into being.
But not all the thoughts the fans have are positive. Sometimes they do things like question Martin’s geography. And that’s when things start to have problems. Because, let’s face it,. when it comes right down to world building, Westeros doesn’t make a lot of sense.
Westeros is pretty big. George RR Martin (henceforth GRRM) has compared Westeros to South America in size. Looking at the map above, it’s clearly smaller in land area than the European Union, though not much smaller. But this is weird. South America is about 6.9 million square miles. The European Union is about 1.7 million square miles. So we have a very big problem already, the author doesn’t seem to have any idea how large his world is. Whoopsie.
Personally I’ve always ascribed to the European Union theory of size for Westeros myself. (I also ascribe to the “Planetos wobbles” theory of the seasons.) Stone also says the populations are way smaller than we think.
Image via HBO
Rule of thumb, all your city population ideas, chop’em in half. Never trust pre-modern population estimates!… Most estimates put King’s Landing at 500,000, Oldtown just below it (say 450,000), Lannisport below that (300,000), then Gulltown (50,000), then White Harbor (40,000). Let’s chop that in half: so instead of 1,340,000 in our top 5 cities, we’ve now got 670,000 in our Top 5 Cities.
But more importantly, the insistence on intermingling and and traveling, and the idea that population all share the same language in bupkis.
In pre-modern societies, most people didn’t migrate. Ever. Most people didn’t really ever even travel, unless they were recruited for war. In other words, genetics traits tended to be geographically more concentrated than they are today. Likewise, linguistic traits were tightly concentrated.
Using Spain as a Dornish stand in, Stone goes on to show that in our modern era, right now, a land the size of Dorne would have dozens of local language variations and idalects. For everyone to speak the same language in Westeros is nearly impossible…unless you accept what we already know to be true.
All of that to say, Westeros is incredibly un-diverse. Because Westeros isn’t a continent. Westeros is Britain, blown up on giant scale.
Well of course it is. Have you seen the sheer amount of BBC actors the show has? There are all of two actors who are not from England, and one is from New Jersey of all places.
For GRRM, this appears to mean exploring an undiverse world killing each other while a looming threat of external diversity rises up to destroy the unsuspecting white people. Whoops. For all the climate-change analogies, “immigrants will kill us all” is a way easier explanation of the twin threats beyond the wall and across the Narrow Sea.
So next time someone wonders aloud the reason that Game of Thrones is so goddamn popular in the US and the UK, despite the fantasy trappings, which are historically a genre niche that is hard to break out of in the entertainment industry, perhaps you should suggest that it’s the same reason Brexit won, and Donald Trump is a serious candidate for President of the United States.
High on Emmy excitement, the Game of Thrones cast members were generous with hints about what’s coming in Season 7. Sophie Turner was among the most vocal.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau also dropped a juicy sound bite about more characters meeting up next year. Seeing how satisfying how Sansa and Jon’s reunion was in Season 6, that’s something to celebrate.
If you haven’t been teased for Season 7 enough yet, Emilia Clarke, Maisie Williams, and Sophie Turner are here to whip you up into an advanced state of frenzy.
Beyond hints, there were actual Season 7 spoilers in the air this week, as well. There’s a new casting call out, and a juicy report about a returning character.
Tricked you! There’s more! There was so much news this week we’re going beyond our usual 10 items. Bonus item #1: Gwendoline Christie (Brienne) joins her castmates and teases the crap out of Game of Thrones Season 7.
Two months, dozens of polls, thousands upon thousands of votes, and we’ve reached the end of the Watchers on the Wall Awards voting for 2016. One more category, and one more vote to be cast, for the biggest category of all: Best Episode of Game of Thrones Season 6.
It’s been a few months since the season ended, so we’re providing detailed summaries of each episode to refresh your memory before voting. Go down mini-memory lane, consider the ups, downs, highlights and lows of every episode, and make your decision!
The Red Woman.Written David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, directed by Jeremy Podeswa
Davos and Melisandre discovers Jon’s fate, while Alliser Thorne takes control of the Night’s Watch. Ramsay mourns Myranda and is scolded by Roose for his mistakes. Sansa and Theon flee from the Boltons’ men, and are rescued by Brienne and Pod. Cersei learns of her daughter’s death, and shares her grief with Jaime. Imprisoned Margaery resists the efforts of the Sparrows. Ellaria and the Sand Snakes execute a coup against the ruling house of Dorne, assassinating Doran and Trystane Martell. Varys and Tyrion assess the city’s situation during a walk through Meereen- and discover their fleet on fire. Jorah and Daario find the ring that Daenerys left behind, and pick up her trail. Daenerys is brought before Khal Moro, and it’s decided she will be brought to Vaes Dothrak. A now-blind Arya continues her training in the streets of Braavos. Alone in her room, Melisandre’s magic falls away and she is revealed to be a crone.
Home.Written by Dave Hill, directed by Jeremy Podeswa
In a vision of the past, Bran sees Hodor, Ned and his father’s siblings as children at Winterfell. Leaf reminds Meera she is needed. The wildlings attack Castle Black and capture the mutineers. Cersei is ordered to remain inside the Red Keep, and Jaime and High Sparrow verbally spar in the sept. Tommen and Cersei reconcile. Faced with the dragons’ starvation in captivity, Tyrion unchains them. Arya’s Faceless training continues with staff fighting with the Waif. Ramsay kills his father Roose, his step-mother Walda and his newborn brother. Sansa and Theon part ways. Euron Greyjoy throws his brother Balon off a rope bridge; at the funeral, their brother Aeron tells Yara there will be a kingsmoot. Melisandre doubts her past visions. Jon is resurrected.
Oathbreaker.Written David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, directed by Daniel Sackheim
Jon reacts to his resurrection, with Davos’ support. Sam and Gilly have a rough journey south. In a vision, Bran sees the legendary fight at the Tower of Joy. Daenerys arrives at Vaes Dothrak to a not-so-warm welcome from the Dosh Khaleen. Varys seeks information from a Sons of the Harpy ally. Qyburn befriends the little birds. Cersei is rejected by the Small Council. Tommen confronts the High Sparrow. Arya trains in the House of Black and White, while speaking of her list. Smalljon Umber hands Osha and Rickon Stark over to Ramsay- along with Shaggydog’s head. Jon executes the four leaders of the men who assassinated him, and leaves the Night’s Watch.
Book of the Stranger.Written David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, directed by Daniel Sackheim
Sansa and Jon are reunited at Castle Black, and make plans for the future. Davos questions Stannis and Shireen’s fates; he, Melisandre and Brienne have a tense encounter. Littlefinger visits with Robin Arryn and secures the Vale’s assistance. Representatives from the slave cities arrive in Meereen to negotiate with Daenerys’s people. Daario learns of Jorah’s greyscale outside Vaes Dothrak; the men slip into the city and fight two warriors. Daenerys gets to know the Dosh Khaleen, before running into Jorah and Daario. High Sparrow shares his past with Margaery and allows her to see Loras. The Lannisters and Tyrells create a plan to thwart the High Sparrow. Theon returns to home to a painful reunion with his sister. Osha makes an ill-fated attempt on Ramsay’s life. At a group dinner at Castle Black, Tormund makes eyes at Brienne and a letter arrives from Ramsay Bolton. Daenerys sets fire to the temple of the Dosh Khaleen, destroying the khals and claiming a great khalasar for her own.
The Door.Written David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, directed by Jack Bender
Sansa confronts Littlefinger about her marriage. Jaqen gives Arya her first assignment- an actress starring as Cersei in a play that twists the events we saw in season 1. Looking into the distant past, Bran witnesses the Children of the Forest creating the Night King. At the Kingsmoot, Euron Greyjoy returns to claim the Salt Throne; Euron is baptized as Yara and Theon escape from the Iron Islands. Jorah reveals his condition to Dany; she commands him to seek a cure and return to her. Tyrion and Varys make an alliance with the priestess Kinvara and the followers of R’hllor. In a vision, Bran is touched and marked by the Night King. Brienne is sent on a mission while Sansa and Jon depart to find allies in the North. The cave is fatally breached by the Night King’s army of wights, leading to the deaths of the Three-Eyed Raven, the direwolf Summer, Leaf and the remaining Children of the Forest, and finally, Hodor. Hodor’s origins are revealed.
Blood of My Blood. Written by Bryan Cogman, directed by Jack Bender
Meera struggles to save Bran to from the wights, as he experiences a series of quick visions. The two are saved by a mysterious figure they later discover is a not-quite-living Benjen Stark. Sam and Gilly arrive at Horn Hill and meet the friendly Tarly women. At dinner they find Sam’s father is as harsh as ever, but Gilly stands up to him nonetheless. Sam reconsiders leaving Gilly behind there, steals the family Valyrian steel sword, and they take off in the night. Margaery shares her new point of view with her husband. Arya attempts to carry out her assignment but has second thoughts after bonding with Lady Crane. Arya recovers Needle and goes into hiding, and the Faceless Men order her death. The Lannisters and the Tyrell army march on Baelor’s sept but find Margaery and Tommen announcing their conversion, the joining of the Faith and the Crown. Jaime is ordered to go to the Riverlands. Walder Frey chastises his sons for losing Riverrun to the Blackfish. Daenerys rides, and declares all her khalasar as her bloodriders.
The Broken Man. Writen by Bryan Cogman,directed by Mark Mylod
Sandor Clegane returns, and Brother Ray recalls how they met. High Sparrow encourages newly pious Margaery to bring her grandmother around to their way of thinking. Margaery stealthily encourages Lady Olenna to depart King’s Landing. Before she leaves, the Queen of Thorns dresses down Cersei. With help, Jon Snow wins the wildling army over. Jaime takes over the failing Siege of Riverrun and parleys with the Blackfish. The Starks plead for aid from Lyanna Mormont of Bear Island. Another meeting, with Robett Glover, is less successful. In Volantis, Yara pushes Theon to come back to himself. Sansa sends a raven to Littlefinger. Brother Ray shares a personal story from his past; then he and Sandor disagree on how to handle the outlaws who come calling. Arya makes arrangements to leave Braavos, is stabbed by the Waif and escapes. While Sandor’s away, Brother Ray is killed by the outlaws, and the Hound picks up the axe.
No One. Written David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, directed by Mark Mylod
A badly wounded Arya comes to Lady Crane for help. Tyrion bids Varys farewell. The Sparrows block Cersei’s path in the Red Keep, and she chooses violence. Pod and Bronn speculate, as Jaime and Brienne have a complicated reunion at Riverrun. The Blackfish rejects Sansa’s request for Tully aid. Tommen ruins his mother’s plans by forbidding trial by combat, and sets a trial date for Cersei and Loras. Tyrion’s attempt to bond with Grey Worm and Missandei over jokes is interrupted by an attack from their enemies. Later, a displeased Daenerys arrives home to find her city under siege. Jaime uses the hostage Edmure Tully- and his newborn son- to end the siege. Riverrun falls to the Lannisters and the Blackfish dies fighting, while Jaime allows Brienne and Pod to escape. The Hound slaughters a few of the outlaws who killed Brother Ray and finds the rest being hung by the Brotherhood without Banners. After taking care of them, the Hound ponders a new future with the Brotherhood. Arya wakes up to find Lady Crane has been killed by the Waif. After escaping, she leads the Waif on a wild chase through the streets of Braavos, back to her hiding place where she kills the Waif. Afterward, Arya confronts Jaqen H’ghar about the order to kill her, reclaims her own identity and leaves the House of Black and White for good.
Battle of the Bastards.Written David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, directed by Miguel Sapochnik
Daenerys and Tyrion consider how to handle the attack on Meereen. Dany demonstrates her dragons’ firepower on a slaver ship, as her Dothraki horde destroys the Sons of the Harpy. Grey Worm executes two of the Slaver envoys while Tyrion sends the third on his way to tell the story. The Starks and their allies face Ramsay Bolton for a tense meeting before the coming battle. Later, Sansa warns Jon to be careful of their enemy’s games. Tormund and Davos have a bit of banter on a walk that night. Jon asks Melisandre to not bring him back, should he fall. Davos finds Shireen’s stag toy in the ashes where she died. The Greyjoy siblings offer an alliance and their ships to Daenerys. The battle for Winterfell begins with Ramsay using Rickon Stark’s life to draw Jon out. The Stark and Bolton forces meet on the field in a massive clash, with fighting and carnage all around. The Bolton shields create a wall around the Stark army, pressing them inward. Jon is nearly crushed to death in the fray but fights his way free. Tormund and Smalljon Umber fight it out in the chaos, until Tormund tears Smalljon’s throat out with his teeth and stabs him. When it seems all is lost for the Starks, the Knights of the Vale arrive to smash the Boltons. Ramsay retreats to Winterfell, but Wun Wun breaks down the gate and the Stark men flood in. The giant, shot full of arrows, is finally killed by Ramsay. Jon pummels him into the ground but his end is saved for Sansa. Tied up in the kennel, Sansa informs him he’ll be forgotten, before feeding him to his own dog.
The Winds of Winter.Written David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, directed by Miguel Sapochnik
The trial before the Faith begins, with Loras confessing and accepting the life of a Sparrow. Sent to retrieve Cersei for her trial, Lancel is led underground by a boy where he’s stabbed and left to witness the lighting of candles alongside wildfire. Grand Maester Pycelle is stabbed to death by little birds. Margaery recognizes the wrongness in Cersei’s absence but the Faith Militant restrain her and the other nobles, keeping them trapped in Baelor’s sept until the wildfire ignites, killing them all. Cersei torments Septa Unella with her victory. Alone and in despair after the death of so many, Tommen commits suicide. Walder and Jaime needle each other as the Freys celebrate the end of the siege. Sam and Gilly arrive at the Citadel to a frosty welcome; she must wait outside while Sam enters the library of his dreams. Davos confronts Melisandre about Shireen’s death, and the priestess is exiled. Winter comes to Winterfell; Jon and Sansa come to terms. Lady Olenna visits Dorne and a new alliance is born. Daenerys says goodbye to Daario, and appoints Tyrion her Hand of the Queen. Using her Faceless skills, Arya exacts long-overdue vengeance against Walder Frey. Littlefinger shares his vision of the future with Sansa. Benjen parts ways with Meera and Bran near the Wall; Bran returns to his vision of the Tower of Joy. After defeating Ser Arthur Dayne, young Ned Stark finds his sister Lyanna in a bloody bed; the girl whispers a secret to her brother and a baby is brought to Ned. The baby’s face becomes Jon Snow, who is meeting with the Vale and Northern lords. Lyanna Mormont scolds the Northern lords for their inaction and declares Jon the King in the North. The other lords fall in line, and Jon is proclaimed king. Jaime arrives back in King’s Landing to find a coronation in progress: Cersei has claimed the Iron Throne for herself. Elsewhere, a great armada sets sail with Targaryen, Greyjoy, Tyrell and Martell sigils, and with dragons flying above. Daenerys is finally on her way to Westeros.
Final round rules: Cast your vote for the winner in our Best Episode poll. At the end of 72 hours (Wednesday 9/28/16 at 12PM EDT), the episode with the most votes will be the winner!
The results of all the polls will be revealed during our live Watchers on the Wall Awards ceremony, which will take place in October. The specific day, with ceremony details, will be announced in a few days so you’ll be able to save the date. Thank you to everyone for taking part in the WotW Awards and making this happen!
Gethin Anthony wasn’t given the easiest of roles to play in Westeros: that of a gay man in Westeros. Though the on screen version of Westeros is more accepting than that of the books, it’s still nowhere near our modern one, where the idea of “love is love” has been accepted by a majority in many countries.
We have, in the past, complained somewhat about the portrayal of homosexuality by the Game of Thrones production, though mostly in terms of how Loras Tyrell was reduced to a caricature of the man we knew in the books. But when it comes to Renly, there was something of a beauty to the way the “love that dares not speak its name” in Westeros was allowed to flourish on screen. In a recent interview, Anthony said that this was a deliberate choice.
Speaking to Attitude, Anthony reflects on his time with the show and says that he wanted to make sure there were positive portrayals of a relationship in the brutish world of Westeros, where marriages are more alliances, and many love affairs are unhealthy ones.
Credit: HBO/Helen Sloan
“Westeros is a very scary world, with all the politics and violence going on, so it was nice to play an affectionate gay couple within that world. We were very passionate about it being a positive thing. I still hold on to that and I’m still very proud of it.”
It was certainly a change from the books, where on the page no one ever says outright that Loras or Renly are lovers, and there are precious few references to anyone outside their immediate families even realizing they are gay. (So much so that Cersei at one point accuses Margaery and Loras of incest, completely oblivious to the idea that Margaery might not be his type.)
But the show’s choice to make them far more out afforded the show a chance to to deepen their relationship on screen. And Anthony sees it as a net positive for on screen LBGT relationships.
“I got some lovely letters,” he says, recalling the response from the LGBT community. “One that sticks out was from a gentleman who was about to propose, or has perhaps just proposed, to his partner. He said some really nice things about seeing a gay relationship on television. Whenever people connect to things you’re involved with or a story you’re telling, it’s a lovely thing.”
Thrones! The Musical Parody is exactly what it sounds like: an all-singing, all-dancing sendup of the HBO hit. Game of Thrones has been around for a while now, and has been parodied everywhere from Saturday Night Live tothe Emmys to freaking Sesame Street and beyond. A traveling musical comedy fits right in.
Well, it’s not traveling yet. At the moment, it’s in the middle of an engagement at Chicago’s Apollo Theater, where I was able to see it this week. It’ll be there through November 13, whereafter the producers are eying a national tour.
Hopefully that gets off the ground, because Thrones! is a fun way to fill the gap between now and Season 7. Written and produced by the team behind 50 Shades! The Musical, which is also exactly what it sounds like, Thrones! takes gleeful aim at the show’s many quirks (paraphrased dialogue from Dany: “I am Daenerys Stormborn, Mother of Dragons, Godfather of Soul, Queen of Meereen, and Agent of SHIELD”), but there’s a lot of affection there, too. In fact, for my money, the best number—or at least the one I found myself humming afterwards—was the only one that plays it completely straight: an affecting a cappela tribute to Hodor’s final moments inevitably titled “Hold the Door.” It was enough to convince me that a straightforward Game of Thrones musical could work, assuming the audience had a week or two to spend in the theater.
But the bulk of the show is about laughs. The premise: a group of friends get together to watch the season premiere of Game of Thrones. One friend, horror or horrors, has never seen the show, so the friends take the only reasonable avenue available to them: they act it out for him. That means that six actors play upwards of 40 roles, switching in and out of wigs and accents, characters, and accents at breakneck speed. It’s a charming framework that lets the production have fun with props and costumes (the way the friends construct a functional Drogon out of random knick-knacks and an umbrella is particularly genius) and preserves a low-key, do-it-yourself energy that runs under the show’s 90 minutes.
At that length, Thrones! obviously can’t dig into every nook and cranny of the show’s story. (And the writers plan to add more material following Seasons 7 and 8.) There are a few songs that target big moments (e.g the above-mentioned “Hold the Door” or “Stabbin’,” a song all about the Red Wedding), but most give a bird’s eye view of the characters and their experiences. For example, Thrones! kicks off with a fun summary of Jon Snow’s time with his adopted brothers called “For the Watch,” while Jaime and Cersei get a twisted love balled titled “Fuck Everyone Who Isn’t Us.” The show may be at its funniest when it goes even wider, poking fun at GoT’s complexity with “These Are All the Names” or skewering fan wish fulfillment with “The Ending That We Want.” Naturally, that one makes for an excellent finale.
Not all the songs are slam dunks. Some rely too heavily on pop culture references for laughs, like one number about White Walkers that’s also a tribute to ’90s boy bands. It’s odd, since you’d figure that a show as massive as Game of Thrones would provide more than enough references to work with. Those kinds of songs seem destined to be hit-or-miss.
But there are more than enough great moments to justify enduring a few iffy ones. The Chicago cast was energetic and committed, the audience was having a good time (several turned up in cosplay), and like any good season of Game of Thrones, the show contains a few surprising (and violent) twists. As we head into the endgame, hype for Game of Thrones is at all-time high, and the people behind Thrones! The Musical Parody are just as excited as you. If you get a chance, come celebrate with them.
![20160603_ep610_Publicity_Still_042.00181531[1]](http://watchersonthewall.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/20160603_ep610_Publicity_Still_042.001815311-1024x576.jpg)
There was also an unknown young boy filming with them. We don’t know at this time who he is or if he has a named role in season 7.
