‘Game of Thrones’ season 4, episode 9 preview: The Battle at the Wall

Sunday night, you better prepare for a “Game of Thrones” episode that is different than most. The more that we hear about “The Watchers at the Wall,” the more that we are starting to truly believe that the only story we are going to get in this episode is the one surrounding Jon Snow and company fighting for their lives at the Wall.

Is this one going to be stuffed full of action? We are definitely inclined to think so, based on the fact that this is the Battle at the Wall, and it will set the stage for what is next for the Night’s Watch, the Wildings, and possibly more leading up to season 5. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, co-showrunner David Benioff did his best to explain both the level of fighting we are going to see, and also the various challenges that went into creating it and getting it on the screen properly:

“I wouldn’t say it’s wall-to-wall action — because it doesn’t start right away — but once it gets going about 15 minutes into the episode it doesn’t stop. And we’re still on a TV budget. So the amount of action beats [director Neil Marshall] had to shoot every day with a limited number of takes with the number of visual effects shots makes everything more complicated.”

Marshall is coming into this episode extremely familiar with some of the stakes and what it takes to craft a great “Game of Thrones” episode, given that he is coming over here from the world of “Blackwater.” This is, of course, one of the most notable episodes in the series’ history, and one that is absolutely stuffed full of action.

We’ll have some more news pertaining to this enormous battle soon, so be on the lookout for that. Also, you can sign up today to grab some additional TV updates courtesy of our CarterMatt Newsletter.

Photo: HBO