Westeros Blog: GRRM Writes Episode 8

[Westeros]

George R.R. Martin has confirmed that he’ll be writing episode 8 of HBO’s Game of Thrones. This means that David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will write episodes 1 (the pilot) through 3, episode 5 and 7, and then the final two episodes. Bryan Cogman will write episode 4 and Jane Espenson will write episode 6, as we’ve previously reported.

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[McCloskey]

Interesting. I wonder why that episode? Could be Robert's last episode and the reveal about his heirs.

[Whiteshadow]

Always thought Roberts death would be episode 7 and Ned will die in episode 9.

[Maithanet]

I was hoping GRRM would do Ned's confrontation with Cercei, considering I consider it something of the climax of book 1. It looks like this might be a little later in the story than that, although they might have it blocked out differently than we'd imagine.

[Halfhand]

Maybe it is just the latest episode that David & Dan don't personally want to write. Meaning they wanted to be the ones to write the final two episodes, packed with all the exciting moments. GRRM told me that he wants to finish ADWD before tackling the script so by giving him the latest episode they could they gave him as much time as possible to do so.

[Ran]

I've been thinking about this since we got the news from GRRM, trying to figure out what's likeliest to fit into the 8th episode, and it's easiest to just work backwards from the end, and try and figure out how they spread things out.

It seems to me episode 8 could have some or all of these things:

* Drogo's battle with the other Dothraki and Dany taking in the various women, including Mirri and establishing the wound that will lead Drogo to his death.

* Jon attempting to run from the Night's Watch only to have his friends stop him.

* Tyrion presenting the clansmen to his father (and possibly the horns waking him up in the morning, revealing the northmen have stolen a march and are coming to battle, to leave the battle itself for the next episode?)

* Arya glimpsed in Flea Bottom, getting her things stolen?

* Sansa coming before Cersei and the small council, to plead for her father?

* Ned's conversation with Varys in the black cells

* Catelyn negotiating the alliance with the Freys

That would leave episode 9 to be action-packed as I'm presently envisioning it-- the wight attack (unless they decided to put that into 10 as a sharp reminder of the start of the series?), the Battle of the Whispering Wood, the Battle of the Green Fork, Ned's execution, Arya getting grabbed (then again, should that be in episode 10? Hrm, hrm), the bloodshed among the Dothraki when Dany tries to use a maegi to save her husband...

[Lady Blackfish]

I really like the idea of GRRM writing one of the less action-packed episodes, I really don't have any experience to base this on but it would strike me as easier to make the battles and execution episode exciting, while the stuff leading up to it would be more difficult. Not that D&D are necessarily less skilled, just that GRRM knows his material so well.

[The hairy bear]

Ran,

Jon trying to run from the Watch happens in his last chapter from AGOT. The wight attack happens much before. I don't know if you are suggesting to change the order from the book or you are just missremembering. It could work, I think, and in fact it could provide an additional motivation for Jon to stay.

Regarding the contents of the eighth episode, if we consider the 63 chapters from AGOT that have to be divided in 9 episodes, we have that we would have 7 chapters per ep. The chapters 53 to 59 would be:

Jon: News of Eddard downfall arribe to the Wall. The wights rise.

Bran: Robb calls his banners.

Dany: Murder attempt on Dany. Drogo vows to conquer Westeros.

Cat: Cat reunites with Robb at Moat Caitlin.

Tyrion: Tyrion reunites with his father and introduces the Mountain Men.

Sansa: Barristan is dismissed and Sandor enters the Kingsguard.

Eddard: Varys convinces Eddard to confess.

This is a bad method of dividing the story and I'm sure the actual contents of episode 8 will be different, but it might give an idea of what might be there.

[Padraig]

GRRM told me that he wants to finish ADWD before tackling the script so by giving him the latest episode they could they gave him as much time as possible to do so.

Huh. Interesting. Some time pressures are ahead of him then.

[Ran]

THB,

Whoops. Yeah, I transposed that, although you're right, it actually could be a positive change in further helping to establish Jon's reasons for staying, and would be a good additional dramatic send-off point to set up a next season.

[zep243]

I had an idea that the 8th episode could be a

battle-centric episode. Add in the Dothraki's battle against the Lhazareen and you could have an almost hypnotic 20-25 minute blend of three interspersed battles: Whispering Wood, Green Fork, and Dothraki ruthlessly slaughtering sheep people.

The end of the episode is the aftermath of the three battles: Bolton retreating from the field and Tyrion talking with Tywin; Jaime and crew in chains outside Riverrun; Dany riding through the aftermath saving women, ending with Drogo grievously injured and the intro of Mirri Maz Dur.

The 9th episode could catch us up with Jon @ the wall (wights), Eddard in prison (tourney at Harrenhall flashback?), Sansa & Arya, Drogo dying, then end with a beheading.

10th episode would be mostly Dany-centric, with all the set-ups for Season 2 interspersed. Maybe begin the episode with a "re-showing" of Eddard's death from Arya in the crowd where she gets grabbed. And end of course with the music of dragons.

[Wastrel]

Please no. I can't imagine anything more boring than 25 minutes of confusing battle scenes. And they WOULD be confusing, particularly to somebody who hadn't read the books - battles are confusing enough as it is on screen, but putting three battles interwoven together? When two of those battles will be sharing the same general clothing style and probably distinguishing colours?

I can see interspersing a Dothraki scene with a Westeros battle, but two Westeros battles would be confusing for most people. And if they DO do that, they won't make it worse by adding in a third battle as well.

[Maester Yobjascz]

Please no. I can't imagine anything more boring than 25 minutes of confusing battle scenes. And they WOULD be confusing, particularly to somebody who hadn't read the books - battles are confusing enough as it is on screen, but putting three battles interwoven together? When two of those battles will be sharing the same general clothing style and probably distinguishing colours?

I can see interspersing a Dothraki scene with a Westeros battle, but two Westeros battles would be confusing for most people. And if they DO do that, they won't make it worse by adding in a third battle as well.

Actually, the two battles to combine would be the two Westerosi battles: the Green Fork and the Whispering Wood... and you'd pretty much have to combine them, because they're tightly linked. Tywin wins the Green Fork, and wonders why Robb isn't there... only to hear afterwards that Robb was riding hard for Riverrun. This leads quite naturally to the Whispering Wood, where we see the fruits of Robb's plan. Breaking these two battles into separate episodes would break both the natural flow and significantly lessen the impact.

Drogo's fight against the Lhazareen is completely separate and should be dealt with as such... besides, it's not a battle really worth showing. What's important is that he takes a minor (but festering) injury, and that Dany brings Mirri around to heal him.

[Ser Bruce the Hound KG]

I've been thinking about this since we got the news from GRRM, trying to figure out what's likeliest to fit into the 8th episode, and it's easiest to just work backwards from the end, and try and figure out how they spread things out.

It seems to me episode 8 could have some or all of these things:

* Drogo's battle with the other Dothraki and Dany taking in the various women, including Mirri and establishing the wound that will lead Drogo to his death.

* Jon attempting to run from the Night's Watch only to have his friends stop him.

* Tyrion presenting the clansmen to his father (and possibly the horns waking him up in the morning, revealing the northmen have stolen a march and are coming to battle, to leave the battle itself for the next episode?)

* Arya glimpsed in Flea Bottom, getting her things stolen?

* Sansa coming before Cersei and the small council, to plead for her father?

* Ned's conversation with Varys in the black cells

* Catelyn negotiating the alliance with the Freys

That would leave episode 9 to be action-packed as I'm presently envisioning it-- the wight attack (unless they decided to put that into 10 as a sharp reminder of the start of the series?), the Battle of the Whispering Wood, the Battle of the Green Fork, Ned's execution, Arya getting grabbed (then again, should that be in episode 10? Hrm, hrm), the bloodshed among the Dothraki when Dany tries to use a maegi to save her husband...

if it has the Ned in the Black Cell it will have to Tower of Joy Flashback ther are thing that need to be right it it

[Ran]

Ser Bruce,

Ned thinks of Harrenhal in the black cells, IIRC. He dreams of the tower of joy after his leg is broken, but well before he's betrayed and imprisoned.

[lady narcissa]

Last night at the Q&A at the Avator Event someone asked GRRM what was in the episode he was writing. He said episode 8...

takes place immediately following Robert's death - so the coup, Arya's escape, and some bits on the Wall.

[Andhaira]

Interesting. So basically we could have GRRM write the Tower of Joy sequence too.

[The hairy bear]

Interesting. So basically we could have GRRM write the Tower of Joy sequence too.

At least in the books The Tower of Joy dream takes place much earlier, when Ned is recovering in bed from the injury in his leg.

I'm surprised by the news of the episode 8's content. This means that the last two episodes will contain about one third of the book. We will all have to redo our predictions of the breackdown of the episodes :P

If E7 ends with Robert's death, I guess E6 will end with the conversation at the godswood and E5 ends with Jaime's "kill his men"... Mmm. This seems too early... We'll ahve to think about it.

[Werthead]

Do we really need spoilers in this section?

So that leaves:

Robb calling the banners and us meeting a ton of new characters.

Stuff at Moat Cailin and the reunion between Cat and Robb (possibly cuttable, but you need another scene with Robb discussing his battle plans).

Ned being held prisoner and his discussions with Varys.

Arya escaping from the KG and surviving on the streets of KL by herself.

Drogo refusing (again) Dany's request to invade Westeros, Dany being attacked in the market, Drogo agreeing to invade, the invasion of Lhazar, all the stuff with the maegi, Drogo's injury and later death, Dany's dragons etc.

The Night's Watch mustering against the wildlings and marching in force.

The Battle of the Green Fork and the Battle of the Whispering Wood. The Battle of the Camps. Tyrion being sent to KL.

Ned's execution, Arya being rescued by Yoren.

Robb's entry to Riverrun, first meeting with Edmure, declaration of Robb as King in the North.

For the last two episodes.

It would take some rejigging but we could have Ned's death at the end of Episode 8 or 9 as some had some anticipated, and the battles being fitted into one episode (maybe 9, and you could have them maybe after Ned's death by reigging the timeline).

It looks doable, but I do wonder if they are perhaps thinking of ending Season 1 earlier (maybe with Ned's death) to pace all this stuff out better.

[Ran]

Yeah, spoilers no longer needed here since I reorganized the forum.

Ned being held prisoner and his discussions with Varys.

Arya escaping from the KG and surviving on the streets of KL by herself.

Suspect these things (plus Sansa's chapter from the same time frame) will all be in this episode, as well as Jon receiving word on the Wall of his father's arrest, his attacking Thorne, and his saving Mormont from the wight (that last sounds to me like a good episode ender). Maybe even a quick drop by Winterfell to at least introduce the gathering of forces once news arrives... We may miss out on the whole Greatjon and Grey Wind episode, come to think of it... Yes, in fact, could be that we'll have the bannermen be little more than extras (except, I guess, for Roose and maybe the Greatjon).

I wonder if they'll shift the attempt on Dany's life to the previous episode, and leave her out of this episode? That will give them a bit more room for Westeros as events come to a head. Still does leave the problem of the battles... but I guess they can swing it.

The Night's Watch mustering against the wildlings and marching in force.

That doesn't happen until ACoK. All we have at the end of AGoT is Mormont announcing his decision to lead an expedition beyond the Wall.

I think it'd be crazy to leave Robb's acclamation as king and the birth of the dragons to the start of season 2, to the point where I don't believe they're doing that.