The season finale of Game of Thrones arrives this Sunday, and we know it’s probably going to be outstanding, not only because David Benioff and Dan Weiss said it was the best finale they’ve made yet, but because it’s also the only episode that HBO submitted to the Emmys for best writing (and only one of three it submitted for best directing). (Oh, and the episode was also submitted for Best Prosthetics, and I assume book readers understand why).
That doesn’t mean that George R.R. Martin is completely happy with the series, however. In an interview with the New York Times, he did complain that he wishes the HBO series had 13 instead of 10 episodes, because there have been a lot of scenes that he wishes they would’ve added for texture. One scene in particular he cited was an argument Arya and Sansa had in season one, after they’d been invited for tea and lemon cakes with Queen Cersei, a scene that he thought deepened the relationship between Sansa and Arya (who at this point haven’t seen each other since early in season one).
Turns out, that was the scene actually used by Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner in their audition, which is available on YouTube. So, we can decide for ourselves: Would this have added texture and deepened the relationship between Sansa and Arya in a substantial way, or is it unnecessary filler?
I’m not sure, but I AM sure that Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams were very cute at that age. I also know that if it were up to George R.R. Martin, each season would probably be 24 episodes and include every long-winded description from the books. Those books, by the way, may now run eight deep, and HBO is delighted by the fact that they may get a chance to film an eighth season. Hell, if George R.R. Martin could write faster, Game of Thrones might run as long as the planned 12 seasons of The Walking Dead.
via Vanity Fair
