‘Game of Thrones’ season 5, episode 8 reaction: Bosses on key Sophie Turner, Peter Dinklage scenes

Sunday night’s “Game of Thrones” episode “Hardhome” was to us one of the most powerful installments of the entire season, mostly because it progressed a number of key stories forward in a significant way.

For one, this episode marked an opportunity for us to see Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) and Danaerys (Emilia Clarke) have their first real conversation, which showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss explain further in the video below. For these two characters, they make it clear that their similarities, few as they may be, bind them together. Both come from terrible families, and what they have each experienced as a result of that is something that defines them. They’ve each had a ton to overcome.

Of course, there is a good bit of time spent in this video the Battle of Hardhome, and also the aftermath that comes from that. It was an opportunity for the show to take the Jon Snow character (Kit Harington), and place him in a situation that is entirely different than anything even book readers are familiar with. While Hardhome is mentioned in the books and we hear a little of what happened, this is a completely new, exciting point of view. It also may be one of the most intense sequences that the show has delivered.

Finally, we cannot shy away from discussing the scene with Sansa (Sophie Turner) and Theon (Alfie Allen), where she learns for the first time that he did not actually kill Bran and Rickon Stark. This is a chance for her to have just the tiniest bit of hope, though Theon is still being corrupted.

Want to get some other news related to “Game of Thrones”? Then be sure to head over here to read our review for Sunday night’s episode! Also, you can sign up now if you want to get some other TV updates on all we cover, courtesy of our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: HBO.)