Game of Thrones’ Bryan Cogman dives into “Baelor” and “Kissed by Fire”
Next, Cogman takes us into Season 3’s “Kissed by Fire,” aka “The One Where Jon and Ygritte Get It On.” Cogman wrote this one himself.
This is my personal fave of the eps I wrote. On any TV show, the show runners take a pass at the script before shooting, and rewrite. 1/2
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
This the script that required the least revision. The finished episode is closest to my first draft of any of the episodes. 2/2
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
But, aside from that, I think it has some our strongest character work. I tend to get assigned 'bridge' episodes and there's more room to
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
explore character there. Though this episode features a lot of big moments as well.
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
So this one’s personal for Cogman. I like how invested he gets in his work.
Also — other episodes I've written featured big fight/battles scenes we had to revise/cut down/reimage for a variety of reasons 1/3
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
(budgetary, creative, schedule, location restrictions — the recruits fight in 203, Yara's raid in 406, the water garden, etc..)But this 2/3
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
opening Beric/Hound duel was shot as written! A thrilling week. This was Gemma Jackson's cave set. That fire's real.
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
It’s nice to get insight into why the scenes Cogman mentions—Yara’s raid on the Dreadfort, the fight at the Water Gardens—feel so thin. I’d love more details, but at least the producers are aware that those bits weren’t the best.
There was some talk, early on, to have this fight at the end of the 304, but it was determined it would get lost in the shuffle w/
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
Mormon's death and Dany's conquest of Astapor. Very happy I got to write it!
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
Yeah, it was definitely a better decision to end the episode before with Daenerys sacking Astapor. That’s one the show’s great sequences.
Ha! Mormon. I meant Mormont of course. Thanks, autocorrect.
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
But did you?
And now, fun with sets!
Now… the INSIDE of the cave? Not in Iceland. Remember that cave set from five minutes ago? It's the SAME CAVE!
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
So the cave where Beric Dondarrion fights the Hound is the same one where Jon and Ygritte consummate their forbidden, just dressed differently. Hollywood magic!
I'm not actually watching this scene right now, just listening, as I'm doing this in a coffee shop today and… well… it's randy.
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
Watching Game of Thrones in a coffee shop? That was never going to end well.
I knew the title for this episode the day I finished writing the first draft. That's the only time (so far) that's happened.
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
“Kissed by Fire.” Wait, is that a pun? Like Ygritte is fire and Jon gets kissed by her? Or is it just a way to tie together Beric’s flaming sword with Ygritte? Whatever. Neat title!
The key to Anton Lesser's brilliance is he plays Qyburn totally straight. The maddest scientist doesn't seem mad.
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
And he’s still kicking around the Red Keep, doing lord knows what to corpses and stuff.
Aw, man, this Tyrion/Olenna scene. I lost sleep over this one. How would YOU feel if you were told you had to come up w/ a funny scene 1/2
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
with NO book counterpart, for DIANA RIGG AND PETER DINKLAGE???? 2/2
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
Nice job, though! I remember enjoying Tyrion trying to quibble about the cost of the wedding. I wonder how Cogman settled on all the numbers Olenna threw out.
I like this Gendry/Arya scene. It's interesting — the line "You'd be my lady" was interpreted by many fans differently than I intended.
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
My meaning was Gendry was saying "I wouldn't be equal with you, I'd be SERVING you". Class distinction thing. But some thought it was
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
meant as a romantic comment.
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
Shippers will see things how they wanna see ’em.
Hey isn't that Tommen getting killed?? Ha. @Dean_C_Chapman! So good in his tiny part as the ill-fated Lannister boy we offered him a
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
crown the next season! #GoT_BC_TopTen #KissedByFire
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
Dean Charles-Chapman played Martin Lannister before getting cast as Tommen. Karstark kills him in this episode.
Something I always found interesting in this Karstark execution scene. Ramon's 'Greyjoy' theme is reprised. But there's no Greyjoy in sight
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
A callback to his killing Ser Rodrik, of course. But maybe it's also meant to suggest Robb is betraying his kin/allies the way Theon did?
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
I dunno. Discuss. #GoT_BC_TopTen #KissedByFire
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
What he said. Cogman also notes that his script was clear that Robb, unlike Theon, decapitated his prisoner with one stroke.
Next, Cogman talks about the scene between Arya and Beric Dondarrion, after the latter has been raised from the dead.
My original version of the scene hewed a bit closer to the book and was more about Beric. But it was decided (I think rightly) that we 1/2
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
really make it about Arya. So I revised it accordingly. 2/2
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
I’m guessing the original script had more about how Dondarrion comes back a little less human than he was before. I’d have liked to see that, but the moment when Arya wonders if Thoros could bring back Ned is sweet, so I guess it evens out.
Cogman gives a very detailed, and interesting, account of introducing Selyse and Shireen. Before they all knew that Game of Thrones was going to be big hit, the producers had to be a little choosier about which characters they focused on, since they weren’t sure if they’d have a chance to follow through of their arcs. Therefore, they made a decision to leave Selyse and Shireen in the background in Season 2. When it came time to introduce them, the task fell to Cogman.
Now, we had already established (since we had to keep Selyse offscreen in S2) that she was a different from book Selyse (who takes a more
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
active role in her husband's affairs). The only line about her is that she's sickly and shut away in a tower. So from there, we went with
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
the idea of her near-mad grief over her dead sons. We were careful to have Mel say "she has given you no SONS" in S2 so we could bring
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
Shireen in when we needed to. Anyway, I take full responsibility for the babies in jars! I know they're controversial, but fuck it.
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
They were inspired by an acquaintance of mine who bronzed the dead hands of her stillborn child and kept them on a shelf.
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
I thought: "what's the fantasy equivalent?" Also wanted to make it a horrific, gothic touch, since there's an element of that in Dragonstone
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
I figured it was so nutty the guys would cut it, but they went for it! I think Stephen Dillane, on set, that day was looking at those props
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
thinking "what the fuck have I gotten myself into?" Ha!
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
Geez, I don’t think you have to embellish much when your starting point is someone who keeps the severed hands of stillborn babies in jars.
Now we come to my favorite scene I've had anything to do with writing. The Jaime/Brienne tub scene.
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
This was my favorite scene in the book, long before I knew I'd be adapting it. To me, it's the perfect example of why @GRRMspeaking's story
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
is special. #KissedByFire
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
The scene did kick rather a lot of ass, so congratulations all around.
"Jaime, my name is Jaime". That's one of the few times we've tried/gotten away with using a line that is internal in the book and having
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
the character speak it aloud. #KissedByFire
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
I thought that moment worked well—Jaime was out of it enough to speak his innermost thoughts aloud.
I love love love love this little scene between Shireen/Davos, when she starts to teach him to read. It's one of the few moments of pure
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
kindness and humanity in the show. @Kerry_Ingram and @liamcunningham1 are simply wonderful in it. #KissedByFire #GoT_BC_TopTen
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
I've told this story before, but I thought I'd figured out how to act on the show by pitching myself as Maester Pylos (who teaches Davos
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
in the books). The guys pitched Shireen teaching him instead and I thought "You BASTARDS, that's so GOOD!" Wrote that scene in
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
fifteen minutes. Fastest scene I've ever written. #KissedByFire
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
Yeah, that was a smart move, and the writers were able to make more use of the Davos-Shireen relationship later on, before Shireen’s death in Season 5. Sorry you couldn’t get on the show, though, Cogman. Maybe you can play Maester Kerwin in the future?
Ah, this next section is part of the expansion of the political Tyrell/Lannister marriage plot which threaded LF and Varys into the mix.
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
Controversial amongst Loras fans, I know. FWIW, I always felt Loras was "medicating", if you will, with Olyvar — he only ever loved Renly.
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
I know some fans get down on Loras for sleeping with Olyvar, but I always thought something along these lines was happening. It would help if the show made more of a point of it, though.
Ah, and we end with (to date) my only official song as lyricist! Shire en's song was adapted from the made ravings of Patchface, a character
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
from the books we had to cut. I enjoy getting my wee ASCAP check every once in a while. And I can say I wrote a song w/ Ramin, so there!
— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) April 8, 2016
You may remember it as the creepiest ending to any Game of Thrones episode.
And that’s it! We’ll stay tuned for Cogman’s insights into the final three episodes!
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