And Now Our Watch Is Ended

We founded Watchers on the Wall nine years ago with a clear goal: to enjoy our favorite TV show together with our fellow fans, writing about Game of Thrones for the sheer love of it. We wanted to create the recaps and analysis and post the kind of news that we would want to read, on our own terms, without interference from corporate ownership. We wanted the freedom to enjoy fandom as wanted, and we found it on the Wall.

At the time it was a difficult decision to leave behind our previous internet home, but it’s one we’ve never regretted. To be able to write about Game of Thrones solely as fans meant there was no pressure to churn out content to make money- no quotas or finger-wagging. It also meant that once GoT was over in 2019, it was entirely up to us what we were going to do. We chose to keep Watchers on the Wall open but the future was uncertain.

Now, a few years onward, we have reached the conclusion that it’s time for Watchers on the Wall to close.

We knew there would be a Long Night after the end of GoT, but I don’t think anyone knew just how dark it would be. It took even longer than expected for a prequel show to turn up, due to the first pilot being scrapped and House of the Dragon being ordered instead. The Winds of Winter never appeared, making the fandom even drier of content. And then of course, 2020 was hit by something by something much less predictable than GRRM’s writing pace: a pandemic.

It’s been an extremely challenging few years for everyone here at the Wall, between working in healthcare, having babies, experiencing personal losses, adapting to new phases of life, traveling, and just…everything that comes with having a full life. People are tired, and real life comes first. That’s always been the main rule here: we do this for the love of it, and if we’re not loving it, it’s time to stop.

I’ve enjoyed House of the Dragon but it hasn’t inspired the fanatical level of devotion Game of Thrones did. I’ll watch season 2 every week, live-tweet a bit, and sleep peacefully. There will be no more 2am show nights for me; it’s time to retire and let other recappers have the fun.

We wanted to be a collective focused on the fandom, and I think we have succeeded in that. Nine years is a good run for a fan site and I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together, as a community. It was a wild journey filled with color and light and unpredictable characters (much like Game of Thrones). Our readers and commenters have been such a blessing and I’m grateful for the time each of you spent with us along the way. You all made me think and smile so much. You made Watchers home.

I want to personally thank Oz, Luka, Vanessa, Samantha, David, Petra, Axechucker, and Marko for being absolute rock stars, and a special thank you to our features writers for their amazing creative contributions: Akash of the Andals, Hogan McLaughlin, JoeMagician, Morgoth, and Patrick Sponaugle. Also I’d love to thank past staff writers like Bex, Geoffery, Cian, Nate, Shylah, Dylan, Paige, and Marc N. Kleinhenz for their important contributions to Watchers on the Wall. Thank you to Dame Pasty for her technical help, and thanks to Jess for help with our Tumblr!

We’ve had some incredible guest contributors at the Wall over the past nine years, including Aishwarya, BryndenBFish, GreatjonofSlumber, Hannah, JamesRivers, Jared Kozal, Jefferson Carberry, Joe Buckley, Manu, Morgan, Randy Holt, Red Aly, Ryan Neuner and Tyler Dean. Thank you all so much for sharing your ideas and your talents with the fandom!

Watchers on the Wall will remain open until at least October 18th.

Thank you for every day, every night, every tweet, every comment, every cheer, every groan, every laugh, and every word. We loved watching along with you all.

And now our watch is ended.

 

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Game of Thrones Tower of Joy actor Eddie Eyre returns for House of the Dragon—and more casting news!

We’ve seen Eddie Eyre as Ser Gerold Hightower; who will he be in House of the Dragon?

Tomorrow will be the last day of House of the Dragon season two filming in Spain, but do not fret: there are still news coming from Cáceres! Spoilery details have surfaced from the funeral procession scene, and several new cast members have been sighted in the city, including one we know from Game of Thrones!

Let’s start with the not-so-new cast member, Eddie Eyre, who was spotted in Cáceres hanging out with the cast of House of the Dragon, and whose involvement in the show’s second season is more or less confirmed by his CV on Spotlight. In season six of Game of Thrones, Eyrie played Ser Gerold Hightower, one of the two knights of the Kingsguard young Ned and his friends have to kill to get to his sister Lyanna at the Tower of Joy, just before she dies giving birth to Jon Snow.

It’s natural to assume that he’ll play another Hightower, but that’s not necessarily the case: Jefferson Hall, who originally played Ser Hugh of the Vale in the first season of Game of Thrones, later found in House of the Dragon a larger recurring role—or rather, roles—as the Lannister twins Tyland and Jason. Although Eyre playing another Hightower would be a nice nod to his brief yet memorable original role, realistically he could well be playing a character from any other family.

We know Eyre was in Cáceres thanks to Michelle Bonnard, who we saw in “The Green Council” as the brothel madame Aemond knew and interrogated. That scene was filmed in Cáceres and it looks like she’s back, as she shared the selfie above on her Instagram… with not only Eyre but also Jordon Stevens, who plays Elinda Massey, Rhaenyra’s main lady-in-waiting. Although she’s only a background character in the first season, if one pays attention she’s always by Rhaenyra’s side by the time she’s an adult. Of course, this raises the question of what Rhaenyra’s lady-in-waiting will be doing in King’s Landing while it is ruled by the Greens.

In other words, what does this mean for Rhaenyra? We had our theories about why Emma D’Arcy was in Spain. Are they merely visiting and incidentally messing with us? Will we perhaps see Rhaenyra in King’s Landing in a vision? Or are they accelerating the plot to such an extent that Rhaenyra will be back in King’s Landing by the end of season two? The latter remains unlikely to me, but the presence of Elinda Massey, who we’ve only seen close to her queen so far, is another point in its favor. There are other possibilities, of course: maybe Elinda will be sent to King’s Landing in a mission, or Cáceres could be used for scenes not only set in King’s Landing… though I can’t imagine what other location, other than Dragonstone, would fit Rhaenyra and her lady-in-waiting at this time. Perhaps the towns of Hull or Spicetown in Driftmark? For now, it’s all a bit of a mystery.

The actors playing these four noblemen have now been identified!

But those aren’t the only new cast sightings. Redanian Intelligence have identified several new cast members in Cáceres from the photos above provided by El Periódico Extremadura. From left to right: Ralph Davis (SAS: Rogue Heroes), Tok Stephen (The Larkins), Barney Fishwick (Doctors) and Scroobius Pip (Taboo), who as well as an actor is a podcaster and hip hop artist. The first three haven’t only been seen in costumes but also hanging out with the some of the cast:

Just met part of the cast in Cáceres! ❤️ The sweetest people ever!! #HouseOfTheDragonHBO #hotd pic.twitter.com/sOL17zGbNG

— Lady Rowena⸆⸉ (@girlwithoneeye7) May 22, 2023

From left to right (amongst those seated) we can see Tok Stephen, Ralph Davis, Phia Saban (Helaena Targaryen), Barney Fishwick, and Freddie Fox (Gwayne Hightower). Considering the CV of these new cast members, they are unlikely to have huge parts, but it’s still nice to see the cast list for season two starting to bulk up!

Rome actress Anna Francolini may have joined House of the Dragon

Redanian Intelligence has unveiled another presumed new cast member, though she hasn’t been sighted and we haven’t been able to independently confirm it. According to their sources, Anna Francolini (Rome) has recently filmed scenes for season two at Leavesden Studios. We don’t know who she’ll be playing, but considering her appearance, age, and pedigree as an actor, my first thought (and everyone else’s, from what I’ve seen) was Lady Jeyne Arryn, who Jace was sent to win over for Rhaenyra’s cause at the end of last season. Since Jace is expected to visit the Eyrie before moving on to Winterfell, we have been waiting for the Lady of the Eyrie to be cast. Francolini could be playing someone else, but if the shoe fits…

Before wraping up, we should revisit the presumably now-finished filming of the funeral procession in Cáceres. Spoilers ahead! Spanish fansite Los Siete Reinos claims that, according to their local sources, the crowd will throw food at Alicent and Helaena’s carriage and then mob them. The Kingsguard will kill some of the smallfolk in defense of the queens, who will be forced to flee back to safety as the people chant Rhaenyra’s name. Although this particular scenario isn’t described in Fire and Blood, the book does make it clear that Aegon’s rule wasn’t welcomed by the city’s populace. Personally, I think seeing more of how the smallfolk are feeling throughout is a great adaptive choice, considering where the story leads.

Just how bad do you think the riots in King’s Landing will get in season two? And, what do you think about the new cast members? Do you believe Eddie Eyre is playing another Hightower, or someone else entirely? Have we found our Lady Jeyne Arryn? What’s Rhaenyra’s lady-in-waiting doing in King’s Landing?

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The Witcher season 3 is “fairly representative” of the books

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House of the Dragon filming: Trouble in Flea Bottom

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The Wheel of Time season 2 finally gets a release date! (and pictures)

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House of the Dragon star’s death scene was majorly unpleasant to film

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Michelle Yeoh doesn’t want a sequel to Everything Everywhere All At Once

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We asked AI to name the best fighter on The Last Kingdom, and its answer is inevitable

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Obviously, the High Evolutionary survived Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

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Does HBO Max automatically become Max?

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Final Fantasy XVI developers were “required” to watch Game of Thrones

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Marvel has decided to murder a beloved Marvel Comics hero

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Disney removing Willow from Disney+ is “absolutely cruel,” says writer

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The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom actor drew from Game of Thrones

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Doctor Who writer has “loads” of ideas for spinoffs

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Secret Invasion is a Marvel show that “grownups can dig”

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Emma D’Arcy and Ryan Condal arrive in Spain for HOTD Season 2 shoot

After curious Cáceres locals provided us with two straight days of spoiler-filled leaks, yesterday’s production became an impenetrable bunker. Thankfully, today’s shoot has resulted in a few new photos at the Grand Sept filming location, as well as the arrival of Emma D’Arcy (Rhaenyra Targaryen) and showrunner Ryan Condal.

Plaza de San Jorge sits just below San Francisco Javier church, which was digitally replaced by the Grand Sept in season one, as seen in the frame below, captured from the ninth episode, “The Green Council”. As you may recall, this is where Prince Aemond and Ser Criston battled Arryk Cargyll for control of Prince Aegon.

The square below the Grand Sept will return in Season 2

Filming took plaza at the plaza again today. Although we don’t know what they filmed, it’s fair to say the square will represent the same location again, as thanks to photos published by Hoy we can glimpse a group of extras dressed as septas:

Egg dalla Cittadella got a closer look at the Septas and a silent sister:

Filming started this morning at the nearby Casa del Sol, which—as we showed you— has been transformed into the “Cock inn”, before quickly moving on to the square. Considering the presence of the Silent Sisters, who are involved in funeral rites, it seems likely another part of the funeral procession they’ve been filming for a few days was shot here. This time, that would be the arrival to the Grand Sept.

Hoy also reports that the nearby Barruecos natural monument outside the city will see brief filming—but only for a single day, with drones and no cast members or extras present, so don’t get too excited if you recognize the name… Of course, this was the site of one of the largest battles in Game of Thrones: season seven’s Battle of the Goldroad, in which Daenerys and the Dothraki ambushed the Lannister army, which was returning to King’s Landing with its spoils from Highgarden.

It’s fair to say nothing comparable will be filmed this time—likely just establishing shots. The only question is, of course: establishing shots of what? The semi-arid site could depict anywhere in the South—most likely the Crownlands or the Reach, given where the story will likely take us. I’ve already seen folks speculating this natural park will be used for the surroundings of Rook’s Rest, a minor stronghold that’ll have a major role in the story, but as far as I’m concerned we know too little to even speculate, especially considering there will be no actors in costume or newly built sets to give us an idea of what the location may represent.

Speaking of actors and what their presence may or may not mean, Emma D’Arcy’s arrival in Cáceres yesterday rises some obvious questions… and the answers are potential spoilers, so do not continue reading if you don’t know the story well.

CON MI REINA !!! #emmadarcy #HouseOfTheDragonS2 pic.twitter.com/hVW1tIzF7q

— Inma (@magi2296) May 20, 2023

If you’re familiar with the source material, you know Queen Rhaenyra isn’t supposed to set foot in King’s Landing for a long while after the point in which we left her off—a ton of things need to happen before she does return, including several major battles and events that are unlikely to all be crammed into a single season—especially one with only eight episodes. If the rumors are true and the Battle of Rook’s Rest happens around the mid-season, that’d leave only four episodes for the Sowing of the Seeds, Aemond taking charge, the Battle of the Gullet, the Battle of the Honeywine, and the taking of King’s Landing… which is concurrent with the Battle at the Red Fork, the sack of Lannisport and the retaking of Harrenhal. I believe it’s fair to say that, unless the story is paced even faster than in season one (despite Ryan Condal claiming just the opposite), it’s difficult to imagine they could include all of these events in just four episodes. Those are, of course, just the main events, with no time for the politicking and character developments and relationships the show is really about. This franchise has never had one epic battle per episode and I doubt they’re starting now.

In my view, this leaves four options for D’Arcy’s presence in Cáceres. Option one: that they’re essentially just visiting and serving as a fakeout for curious onlookers like ourselves, which wouldn’t be unprecedented in this franchise. Option two: Rhaenyra will technically show up in King’s Landing but it’ll only be for a flashback (even though no flashbacks were planned, as of the last time Condal spoke of this) or perhaps a vision of some sort. Considering the funeral they’ve been filming, I wouldn’t find it too surprising if Alicent hallucinates the person she blames for that death. Option three: Rhaenyra will in fact take King’s Landing by the end of season two, which would mean either moving around several major events for season three or excising them completely. Option four: Cáceres will not only be used for King’s Landing—it’ll also stand for somewhere Rhaenyra would be within the portion of the story most of us expect season two to cover. This is possible… except that Rhaenyra doesn’t really leave Dragonstone and Cáceres isn’t really apt for that, and neither is it apt for any other place Rhaenyra would believably visit.

Dragonstone isn’t exactly known for its Southern European architecture…

Personally, I’m partial to either of the first two theories: D’Arcy is in Spain just to visit (and mess with our expectations… but mostly to visit—they did complain they never got to visit Spain for season one!) or Alicent will hallucinate Rhaenyra as the body of her grandson is taken from the Red Keep to the Grand Sept. However, I can’t claim to be certain of this: it’s mostly baseless speculation!

D’Arcy isn’t the only surprising appearance in Cáceres, however. Showrunner and writer Ryan Condal has also been spotted, days after fellow executive producer and writer Sara Hess was also seen to be in the city:

When in Cáceres… Ryan Condal is here! #HouseOfTheDragonHBO #hotd pic.twitter.com/kMi4XcThpR

— Lady Rowena⸆⸉ (@girlwithoneeye7) May 22, 2023

Considering the writer’s strike going on right now in the United States, Condal is supposed to only serve as producer and not writer… whatever that means, since rewriting a single word of the script, even acting in the role of “producer”, would be considered writing by the WGA and hence strike-breaking. I don’t envy Condal’s position—he’s treading on thin ice here. Personally, I wish HBO had been forced to shut down and delay production, which would only incentivize them to give in to the workers’ demands. That doesn’t seem to be in the cards, unfortunately. Hopefully the show won’t suffer because of this… but rewrites during production are incredibly common and often necessary, and they won’t be allowed this time.

But enough of my editorializing: what do you think of today’s news? What do you believe they’re filming at the Grand Sept location? What about Malpartida? Most importantly: do you believe we’ll reach the taking of King’s Landing by the end of season two or is Emma D’Arcy in Spain for some other purpose?

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Report: Mrs. Davis won’t return for a second season

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Helaena and Alicent endure tragedy on the House of the Dragon set

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The Rings of Power season 2 will be “absolutely mind blowing”

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