Game of Thrones: Making the Stone Men

The big dramatic conclusion of last Sunday’s episode was the attack of the Stone Men on Jorah and Tyrion’s boat as they tried to take a shortcut to Meereen through the ruins of Old Valyria. We’ve discussed what greyscale is, both in our Sullied on Unsullied post yesterday, and in the Inside the Episode round up. Now, Game of Thrones has brought us a behind-the-scenes look at the stunt work and makeup that went into the creation of that scene.

They dredged the canal just to allow the one stone man to jump into the water. It’ll be interesting to watch the scene again knowing all the work that went into it.

Making Game of Thrones also asked the producers to talk a little about the poem Tyrion and Jorah recite to each other at the top of riverboat scene.

“It’s a poem that they both learned when they were children,” explains series co-creator David Benioff. “It’s probably one of those famous poems like ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ that all children from noble families learn at the feet of their family maester.”

So it’s a poem Bran and Robb would have known, too? Something Sansa might have once recited? A piece Arya would be scolded for forgetting?

The shared experience reveals that Jorah and Tyrion are “both people who take a long view on history,” adds co-creator D.B. Weiss. “Jorah gave Dany a stack of books at her wedding about the histories of her ancestors so she could know where she came from. For Tyrion, knowledge of the world around him is an integral part of who he is. This is the scene where each of them starts to see who the other person is – and some of the commonalities that they share.” 

Despite Jorah’s new affliction, revealed at the end of the episode, it will still take months for the greyscale to spread and maybe even longer before it takes his mind. Until then, we’ve got a nice travel show in the works: On the Road with Imp&Bear.

• Published on 05/13/2015 at 8:30 AM CDT
• Last updated on 05/13/2015 at 8:30 AM CDT