The Game Revealed: Go behind the scenes of “The Spoils of War”
By Corey Smith
With season 7 in the books, HBO has been revealing behind-the-scenes footage from each of its seven episodes in its The Game Revealed series, showing fans all the work that went into bringing the drama to life. This go-round, it’s pulling the curtain back on “The Spoils of War,” the epic fourth episode.
Let’s take a look at some clips. First, HBO gives us an inside look at the epic duel between Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) and Arya Stark (Maisie Williams). Behold:
Stunt coordinator Rowley Irlam did a great job of making the fight look close despite the massive difference in the size of the combatants. And kudos to integrating the stunt doubles so seamlessly into the action. (And yes, Brienne’s stunt double is a guy.)
Although the training footage reveals that Williams managed that flip of Catspaw dagger all on her own. Bravo.
Staying in Winterfell, HBO’s second clip takes us behind the scenes with Arya and Sansa’s long-awaited reunion in the Winterfell crypts, featuring commentary from Sophie Turner (Sansa).
Real-life best friends, Turner and Williams were clearly ecstatic to be working together for the first time since season 1. You gotta love the moment where they fake-kiss during their hug.
Finally, @yeahclarke uploaded a clip that reveals how the cast and crew create the illusion that Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) is riding a full-grown dragon. It’s…very complicated.
Considering Clarke spent the entirety of her “flight” on a glorified mechanical bull in front of a green screen, it’s hard not to be impressed with her performance. Also this:
To see the full episode of The Game Revealed, you’ll need to visit HBO Now. You can also see clips from the earlier three episodes, which focus on “Dragonstone,” “Stormborn,” and “The Queen’s Justice.”
Next: Are White Walkers a metaphor for climate change? Nikolaj Coster-Waldau weighs in
To stay up to date on everything Game of Thrones, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Watch Game of Thrones for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channel