We see the heroic contributions of the Game of Thrones crew members
But really, this documentary isn’t about the actors. It takes a village to make a show, and The Last Watch focuses mainly on the unsung heroes of this revolutionary show: the crew members.
We spend time with the even-tempered Bernie Caulfield, the show’s executive producer who thinks of managing the show’s impossible schedule as a puzzle to be solved, not unlike the ones she enjoyed solving when she was in school. Del Reid is the show’s “Head of Snow,” because you need someone like that on Game of Thrones. (It’s made of paper and water, if you’re curious.) Location manager Naomi Liston curses up a storm into a walkie-talkie about horse feed. She is my favorite.
And Sarah Gower, who runs the prosthetics department with her husband Barrie, gets through the long night shoots for the Battle of Winterfell with infectious enthusiasm and good cheer, even though everyone seemed to be coming apart at the seams during that shoot. She gets lost behind the scenes at one point in a way that reminded me of This Is Spinal Tap, and she talks about having to be away from her daughter for weeks while shooting “The Long Night.” Happily, her daughter showed up to set and got to play a young wildling in the last-ever scene of the show, where Jon goes beyond the Wall with Tormund.
David Nutter, who directed the first, second, and fourth episodes of the season, is another memorable figure. He directed episodes for seasons 2, 3 and 5 but had to take a bit of a break due to back problems. Soft-spoken, he credits his work on the show with saving his life.
The actors are the face of the show, but this documentary reminds us that the crew members are no less important to its success. I feel like it’s easy to forget that, because if they do their jobs well, we won’t think about them. As The Last Watch makes clear, they’re worth thinking about, and worth honoring.