We listen and report on all 12 commentaries from the Season 5 boxset

“The Dance of Dragons” commentary 1, featuring director David Nutter and actors Peter Dinklage (Tyrion) and Iain Glen (Jorah)

There’s not a ton of information in this one, but Dinklage, Glen, and Nutter have a very good rapport.

• If you didn’t already know, the snow you see on the show isn’t actually snow. It’s a weird papery substance. Careful not to swallow it.
• Nutter and Dinklage bond over their shared love of Reds, Warren Beatty’s 1981 drama.
• Some of the oysters Arya shucked in Braavos were actually chicken.

“Oysters, clams, cockles, and chicken!”

• Dinklage and Glen both praise the extras in the Daznak’s Pit sequence—apparently, they were very enthusiastic, had great attitudes, and really helped sell the emotion
• Dinklage, Glen, and Nutter all say they love each other. Aw.

“The Dance of Dragons” commentary 2, featuring executive producer Bernadette Caulfield, DP Rob McLachlan, and camera operators Ben Wilson and David Worley

Two to go.

• At one point, Nicolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime) was barred from the Alcazar de Seville, where they filmed scenes at the Water Garden, because of some kind of mix-up. He kindly paid the entrance fee along with the tourists.
• Caulfield was baffled by Tyene and Nymeria’s “slapping scene,” although she and its other naysayers seem to have come around afterward.
• Roger Ashton-Griffiths (Mace Tyrell) studied opera, so that was really him singing to Tycho Nestoris in Braavos.

• Everyone agrees that the people of Osuna were wildly enthusiastic about Game of Thrones being filmed there. They’re real Game of Thrones superfans in Spain.

“Mother’s Mercy” commentary, featuring creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss, director David Nutter, and actor Lena Headey (Cersei)

This one is right up there the “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken” commentary for information and fun little asides. Plus, Lena Headey is delightful.

• The doohickey Sansa uses to jimmy open the door to room is called a bung auger.

“Who left this bung auger laying around?”

• When Stannis draws his sword and leads his army forward, the stage direction in the script was “F**k the world.” It’s possible Benioff and Weiss were joking, but they seemed sincere. Anyway, that goes toward Stannis’ state of mind. He’s just ready for it to be over at that point.
• Benioff and Weiss wrote a lot of lines for Stannis’ final scene, but cut it all in favor of “Go on, do your duty.” Nicely done. And yes, Brienne kills him dead.
• Charlotte Hope, who played Myranda, was originally hired as “a day player,” but was so good that Benioff and Weiss wrote a character for her.
• Alfie Allen originally auditioned for Jon Snow—he wasn’t quite right for the part, but Benioff and Weiss loved him and thought of him for Theon.
• The editor who worked on the scene where Arya murders Meryn Trant “brought up” Quentin Tarantino, so all the viewers who thought that scene was an homage to the director weren’t imagining things.
• Jaqen H’ghar to Arya; “That man’s life was not yours to take.” Lena Headey: “Yes it was.”
• To hear Benioff and Weiss tell it, part of the reason they developed the Dornish plot was because Indira Varma (Elllaria Sand) was available and they wanted to write something worthy of her talents.
• Lena Headey: “I’m rubbish at these. I just end up watching it.” Headey does seem really into it.
• Lena Headey when Varys reveals himself to Tryion in Meereen: “Reunited! And it feels so good!”
• When talking about badly Drogon was wounded following his encounter with the Sons of the Harpy in Daznak’s Pit, Benioff says that Drogon isn’t full-grown, and hints that he’s gonna get a lot bigger.

• In the first draft of the script, there were more scenes in between Cersei’s conversation with the High Sparrow and her walk of shame, but Benioff and Weiss realized that they had to come one after the other if the sequence was going to land properly.
• Headey and Nutter have nothing but praise for Rebecca, Headey’s body double during the walk of shame—Headey says that she and Rebecca “tag-teamed the f**k” out of it.”
• Also, there are parts where parts of Headey’s body is shown—she didn’t just stand in front of a green screen and pull faces.
• Benioff or Weiss on Melisandre: “She’s so very lost.” I wish they talked more about her.
• Right before Jon is summoned outside, he’s reading notes from various Northern houses refusing to send men to the Wall. (Possibly because of Jon’s pro-wildling stance?). That didn’t really come across in the episode.
• Lena Headey on the Night’s Watchmen who stab Jon: “Ooh, you f**kers.”

And there you are! I think the best commentaries are the ones for “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken,” “Mother’s Mercy,” “Sons of the Harpy,” and “High Sparrow,” in that order.