Writer Dave Hill on the big moments from “Eastwatch”
This week’s episode of Game of Thrones started with a sigh of relief, as our one of our favorite characters, Jamie Lannister, turned up alive. Throughout the episode, we saw the return of a fan-favorite character, a reunion between brothers, and finally the start of an expedition to capture a wight. Game of Thrones staff writer Dave Hill talked about these and other key moments to Entertainment Weekly.
The episode begins with Dany what to do now that she’s beaten and humiliated the Lannister Army. While most of the survivors bend the knee, the Tarlys remain loyal to Cersei…so Daenerys burns them to death. “At least Dany offers them a choice,” Hill said. “Every conqueror offers the choice of ‘bend the knee or die.’ These lords disobeyed her and disrespected her in rebellion against the rightful queen. Then she gives them a way out and they don’t take it…So, yes, in one way, it’s a horrible death. On the other hand, they kind of asked for it. It’s a win-win situation and they somehow managed to find the ‘lose’ in that.”
We note that while Dickon and Randyll Tarly are gone, Sam Tarly is still out there. Could he run his house now that the other men in it are dead? Sure, he’s a member of the Night’s Watch, but with the disregard for rules he showed in this episode, anything’s possible.
Macall B. Polay – HBO
Daenerys also makes a surprising decision: to support Jon on his mission to capture a wight, even sending one of her most prized soldiers — Jorah Mormont — along for the ride. “Once they know the Army of the Dead is marching, it’s time to put up or shut up,” Hill said of Dany’s choice.
"She knows he’s honest — and is honest to a fault. She’s seen the cave. She can’t continue a war and still have Seven Kingdoms to rule after the war is done. Jon is not about to send others on a deadly mission that he wouldn’t shoulder himself. She’s gotten used to the technically-in-rebellion King in the North advising her. They’re both, in a way, cut from the same cloth — they’re both idealists. They both care about the people they govern, which makes them unique in Westeros."
And what about Gendry, who we haven’t seen since season 3? No, he hasn’t been rowing the whole time, whatever the memes may tell you. He made his way back to King’s Landing, where he’s been smithing away. Fortunately, he’s ready to leave the moment Davos finds him. Hill talked about the decision to bring him back into the fold:
"We’ve always expected to bring Gendry back since we saw him rowing out. We almost brought him back in season 6 and it didn’t quite work out. We definitely wanted him here for the big mission, we wanted Robert Baratheon’s bastard son back into the show. It made sense that Davos would want to save this boy who’s like a surrogate son. And Joe [Dempsie] is great which is a big positive."
To read more of Hill’s thoughts, including his view on the Jaime-Tyrion reunion, head to Entertainment Weekly.
Next: What did the letter Arya found say?
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