Game of Thrones season 7 episode 1: More on Maisie Williams – Emilia Clarke scenes

Tonight on Game of Thrones season 7, we had a chance to learn a little bit more about where some of these characters. We basically put all of the pieces on the chessboard, realized where people stood, and then prepared for some of the craziness that is coming next.

So what do showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have to say about all of this? In a video that aired after tonight’s episode, the two broke down a few moments. Here are just a few quotes and impressions that we got from that.

On that awesome opening featuring Arya Stark – “The cold open wasn’t originally the cold open … but when we saw [David Bradley’s] performance and the subtle moves that he made to not be Walder Frey [but Arya Stark as Walder Frey] … That’s when we knew that was the right way to start the season.”

On The Hound burying the family he left to starve – “He shows you the changes that he’s undergone as a human being for. Four seasons ago, he [would’ve never considered] burying the bodies.”

On how Sansa feels about Jon being in power – “I think there’s a little bit resentment for that … She [may feel responsible for him being in this position].”

On the dark turn for Cersei – “She’s now in a very dark place, and all she really has is power for the sake of power … What stops her from being a monster? The answer is nothing.”

On Daenerys’ arc – “Coming home is such a massive game-changer on so many levels, and we just wanted to see that … We felt like a bunch of dialogue was unnecessary and would step on the moment.”

In the end, there was a great deal to enjoy about the premiere episode, even if for the most part we do think that Benioff and Weiss played it fairly safe in terms of not delivering any enormous jaw-droppers in the hour. Probably the biggest thing in our eyes is some of what Sam uncovered in the library, and also who grabbed him and demanded to know if Daenerys had landed yet. There is still some element of mystery to this world, and that’s going to be a big part of the story to come. There are (gasp!) only six more episodes to go this season, and that’s what is especially hard for us to digest at this particular moment.

If you want to get some other news on Game of Thrones…

Be sure to head over here for some other news, including a full review of what is coming up tonight. (Photo: HBO.)