The power behind the throne: Tywin Lannister advises his grandson, King Joffrey.
“With the Tyrells beside us, we’ll crush the northerners: hang their lords; burn their strongholds; sow their fields with salt. And no one will think of rebelling for another century.”
—Joffrey Baratheon
South of the Wall, the fractured main families of Westeros are too distracted by their ongoing wars to notice the twin threats of the wildling army and the White Walkers. Stannis Baratheon, still reeling from his defeat in the Battle of the Blackwater, remains determined to take the Iron Throne, while Robb Stark continues his own separate, impressive campaign against the ruling House of Lannister. Both are trying to outwit and outmaneuver Tywin Lannister, a master strategist with a single purpose: to consolidate his family’s hold on the kingdom and eradicate any threats to the throne. Tywin knows the power to defeat his enemies lies partly in his foresight to make powerful strategic alliances; House Tyrell, with its wealth and power, is preeminent among them.
Meanwhile, Tyrion Lannister, severely wounded in battle and now stripped of his title, continues to negotiate the political dance at court, but now as master of coin rather than as Hand of the King. On the road, Jaime Lannister remains a prisoner of Brienne of Tarth. Arya Stark is still searching for her mother, Catelyn, and Sansa Stark seeks a way out of her hopeless fate in King’s Landing, a pawn in a deadly game she is powerless to influence or control.
The wars in Westeros are an unfortunate distraction, for even as the players make their moves, the news from the Wall could change everything.
“That’s exactly what we are: ghosts, waiting for you in the dark. You can’t see us, but we see you, no matter whose cloak you wear: Lannister, Stark, Baratheon. . . . You prey on the weak, the Brotherhood Without Banners will hunt you down.”
—Beric Dondarrion
the brotherhood without banners was formed after Ned Stark ordered Lord Beric Dondarrion to hunt down and execute “the Mountain,” Ser Gregor Clegane. Clegane was seen as a traitor against King Robert Baratheon, and he was wanted for the monstrous crimes he had committed against the people of the Riverlands. Instead, the Mountain killed Beric with a spear through the chest. It was then that the red priest, Thoros of Myr, brought Beric back to life using the powers of the Lord of Light. After his first death, Beric Dondarrion was resurrected multiple times—once after he was executed by the Lannisters after they came to power and declared the Brotherhood the enemy.
Now outlaws, the Brotherhood fights against the injustices being perpetrated against the common folk, predominately by Lannister forces and the Mountain. The Brotherhood is made up of men from all walks of life, including deserters from the Stark and Baratheon armies, farmers, craftsmen, tanners, and masons. They lead small raids and capture men they consider to be the enemy and criminals. Prisoners are either ransomed for funds or put to trial for their crimes in front of the Lord of Light, with Beric Dondarrion acting as his flaming sword.
Tywin Lannister regards the Brotherhood Without Banners as a nuisance, and the Mountain continues to hunt them down, hoping to crush them once and for all.
The Brotherhood relaxes in their forest glade.
“There’s no story so good a drink won’t make it better.”
—Thoros of Myr
Thoros of Myr (Paul Kaye) is a priest for the Lord of Light and part of the Brotherhood Without Banners. He was originally sent to Westeros and the court at King’s Landing to act as a missionary to Robert Baratheon, hoping to convert Robert to worship the Red God and turn away from the Faith of the Seven.
By his own admission, Thoros of Myr was not a good priest. He chose to sleep with prostitutes and indulge heavily in drinking while in King’s Landing. Suffering a crisis of faith, he questioned the existence of all gods. Then, after witnessing the duel in which Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer) was slain by Gregor Clegane, Thoros discovered that he had been granted the gift of resurrection.
Thoros still drinks heavily and doesn’t wear the robes, but he has renewed faith in the Red God, the one true god in his eyes. Thoros remains fervent in his belief that all men must serve the Lord of Light, a belief that strengthens as Beric is repeatedly restored to life.
ALEX GRAVES (DIRECTOR): I love working with Paul. One of the main things that happened in season three for me was that I fell in love with these two guys [Paul Kaye and Richard Dormer]. I fell in love with their acting. They looked so fantastic; I loved their characters and what they did with them. I loved that when Melisandre comes to the camp, she is both horrified and impressed by Thoros’s skills, and that is important. In this world, in the world of the Red Wedding and the executions, the finality of that—Thoros exists.
BRYAN COGMAN (CO-PRODUCER AND WRITER): Thoros was a wonderful surprise for me. For some reason, he didn’t register with me as much when I first read the books, but when we started the adaptation process and I was working on my particular episode he ended up being one of my favorite characters to write. We altered him slightly from the book version. In the novel, his partying and drinking days are behind him, having renewed his faith in the Lord of Light. But we thought it would be fun to show both sides of his personality bumping up against each other, so he’s still boozing on the show, even after being “born again.” I think he’s continuing to drink and carouse in order to take the edge off. After all, it’s a heavy business bringing someone back from the dead over and over again.
Paul Kaye was extraordinary, one of my favorite additions to the cast in season three. Physically, he wasn’t how I pictured Thoros—I’d always imagined him as a corpulent, Friar Tuck type. But Paul brought this kind of grizzled rock star quality to Thoros as well as enormous depth of feeling and focus when it came to the “Lord of Light” scenes. One of the strongest pieces of acting in season three is his monologue to Melisandre, talking about his renewed faith in the Lord of Light.
Thoros of Myr played by Paul Kaye.
“Aye, I’ve been reborn in the light of the one true god. As have we all. As would any man who’s seen the things we’ve seen.”
—Beric Dondarrion
Leader of the Brotherhood Without Banners, Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer) was killed by Ser Gregor Clegane and then resurrected by Thoros of Myr. Following this experience, Beric Dondarrion converted to the faith of the Lord of Light—as did the rest of the Brotherhood upon witnessing his revival. Beric Dondarrion was subsequently killed and resurrected four additional times. He was stabbed in the stomach, then shot in the back with an arrow, and then had an axe cleave his side. After the Lannisters caught him, they hung him for treason and put a knife through his eye, too.
Then, with Arya and the Brotherhood looking on, Beric duels with “the Hound,” Sandor Clegane, and is killed once more. While the Hound’s victory proves his innocence in trial by combat, Beric shocks Arya and the Hound when he returns to life. The sixth resurrection is not a full recovery, however, and Beric fears that pieces are being left behind each time. His scars and wounds weigh heavy upon him.
ROBERT STERNE (CASTING DIRECTOR): From the first time we saw Richard Dormer, we knew we wanted him in there somewhere. He had the look we wanted. He was what we wanted.
ALEX GRAVES (DIRECTOR): I never worried about Beric. Richard gave one of the best auditions I had ever seen. I felt like we were discovering Alec Guinness. He just was Beric Dondarrion.
RICHARD DORMER (BERIC DONDARRION): I had actually auditioned several times for the show, for Jaime Lannister, Jorah, and a few others, but nothing felt right. The first time my agent gave me the sides for Beric, that changed. There is a slightly self-destructive element to Beric, the fact that each time he dies he loses more of himself, but he continues to do what he believes to be right, tirelessly, endlessly. There is something very dark and troubled about Beric, but also something kind and noble, and I loved that he was both.
Beric Dondarrion played by Richard Dormer.
“The night is dark and full of terrors.”
—Prayer
Melisandre shows her followers the power of the Lord of Light.
followers of r’hllor, as the lord of light is known, have always been few in Westeros, as the religion is predominantly found in the eastern parts of Essos and in the Free Cities.
The Lord of Light goes by many names: the Red God, the God of Flame and Shadow, and the Heart of Fire. Yet the name of R’hllor’s enemy is never spoken. Instead, followers speak only of “the Great Other,” the god of darkness, cold, and death with whom their god is locked in an endless war.
The faithful believe that one day an unknown person known as “the chosen one” will return with his great sword, Lightbringer, and lend his strength to the Red God’s cause.
In the principal temple at Lys, which is considered the largest among all the temples, the red priestess and her priestesses, swathed in crimson robes, pray to the Lord of Light to bring the dawn. Those with great powers are said to see the future among the flames, and some are rumored to be able to resurrect the dead.
Arya Stark and her unlikely companion, the Hound, after Arya has exacted revenge on a Frey soldier.
“Kill me, and you’re free. But if I live, I’ll break both your hands. Go on. Hit me. Hit me hard. You only get one chance.”
—The Hound
Beric and the Hound fight to the death, in trial by combat.
Sandor Clegane (Rory McCann) is known as the Hound and served as the bodyguard to Joffrey Baratheon until he deserted during the Battle of Blackwater when surrounded by fire. He is known for his great size and the hound’s-head helmet he wears in battle. He is the younger brother of the knight known as “the Mountain,” Gregor Clegane, one of the most brutal, vicious, and fierce warriors in Westeros. The Hound is badly scarred across the right side of his face, a reminder given by his brother not to play with toys that don’t belong to him. While they were only children, Gregor held Sandor down over a roaring brazier, and Sandor most likely would have died if others had not intervened. As a result, the Hound is deeply pyrophobic.
He does not see himself as a knight and will not swear the oath that would make him one, believing that honor is often a shield to hypocrisy. The Hound kills without conscience and is loyal to no one, but he has shown a softness when dealing with Sansa Stark, even offering to take her home to Winterfell in the confusion of Blackwater.
He is captured by the Brotherhood Without Banners and charged with murder. Offered trial by combat by Beric Dondarrion, he must face his greatest fear to fight for his freedom.
Shooting crew and cast share the small cave space and high temperatures.
At the beginning of season three, production discussed the duel between the Hound and Beric Dondarrion (in Episode 305), which occurs inside a cave. There was little chance of finding a viable cave that was both large enough and safe enough to hold such a fight. They would have to make it, and the challenge was how to build a believable cave indoors. Production designer Gemma Jackson had no doubt it could be done. It’s the type of challenge she loves most. For inspiration, she explored the Marble Arch Caves in Northern Ireland, which had already provided the setting for the cave’s entrance.
The construction of the cave was a spectacular feat of engineering. To ensure realism, molds were made of the actual Marble Arch Cave walls. First, four coats of silicon were brushed over approximately seven-foot-square areas. The silicon was then covered in plaster and pulled away, leaving behind an immaculate, residue-free, undamaged wall, while creating a perfect copy of every texture, fissure, and cleft in the rock face. These multiple rock patterns and shapes gave the construction team plenty to play with.
Based on the art department design, a clay model was made and cast in plaster. This was marked with a grid that delineated as many as a hundred sections, which were scaled up into “stations” for the full-size cave. Casting plaster the consistency of cream was poured into the rock molds and stiffened with the addition of a jute scrim, then pushed into the mix before timber was added to hold the heavy pieces firm. The rock molds were turned and manipulated to avoid repeating patterns on the cavern walls, and they were fixed together and coated with no less than eight different paint effects to match the Marble Arch rocks. The set painters created the lichen and even the condensation running from the walls.
RORY MCCANN (SANDOR CLEGANE/THE HOUND): The amount of times that I have gotten in trouble for kicking a rock or stone because they seemed real is a compliment to the Art Department and Greens. It looks so authentic inside, with the moss and lichen on the walls. It’s not much of a step to believe you are truly in a cave and surrounded by the fires and the Brotherhood, looking old enemies in the eye.
Thoros uses the power of the Lord of Light to heal Beric.
With any fight sequence, preparation is key. When fire is involved, it is doubly important. Stunt coordinator Paul Herbert and his team were used to working with fire, but safety was paramount. “It can catch you out if you aren’t paying attention,” he said. “But fire tends to make people sit up and take notice.” The duel between the Hound and Beric Dondarrion involved swinging flaming swords at each other with some force, requiring total trust between the actors.
RORY MCCANN (SANDOR CLEGANE/THE HOUND): Training for this fight required the most training I have ever done. A sword fight with a flaming sword hasn’t really been attempted before and we really had to be on our game for that. It took about three weeks, every day to get to where we wanted to be. The fight had to be filmed in sections as the blade would only stay lit for about two minutes. I find that in general the weight of my costume makes a long day exhausting, but the heat of the cave made it even harder to breathe. As soon as take was done, I had to get out and cool down and get air. Richard [Dormer] and I rehearsed, but it all changed when the fire was lit. The sword seemed to grow three feet when the flame appears and it was amazing fighting it. With the sound and the whirling steel with a fire trail, it completely changed the dynamic of the battle. Richard said it was like fighting a crazed King Kong—quite the compliment.
BRYAN COGMAN (CO-PRODUCER AND WRITER): I just assumed the flames would be added later by VFX—I never dreamed the two actors would fight with real fire! Our special effects and stunt teams outdid themselves with that one. And we had both actors going full speed in heavy armor, with a real flaming sword, Rory with makeup on half his face, Richard only using one eye (the other covered with a patch) and they’re acting up a storm! It was thrilling to watch—easily one of my favorite sequences in the series.
“You’re nothing without your daddy. And your daddy ain’t here.”
—Locke
David Benioff offers Nikolaj Coster-Waldau some direction before the cut.
Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) has been instructed by Catelyn Stark to escort the prisoner Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) to King’s Landing, where it is hoped he is to be exchanged for Catelyn’s daughters. However, the journey nearly comes undone when the pair is captured by Locke (Noah Taylor) and his men. Ostensibly Bolton bannermen, they intend on returning Jaime to Roose Bolton and the King in the North. But first the men decide to pull Brienne into the woods to rape her. To save Brienne, and himself, Jaime manages to distract Locke and the others with a lie about the Sapphire Island, which he claims is named for its valuable gemstones. As usual, Jaime expects his charm and status to win the day, making what happens next doubly shocking.
DAVID BENIOFF AND D. B. WEISS (CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS AND WRITERS): We knew this was going to be a moment that really caught people unawares, and more important, a moment that is the beginning of one of the most extreme 180-degree turns we’d ever seen in a character (having read the books). This is where losing a piece of himself puts Jaime Lannister on the unlikely track to sympathy. Which is all a way of saying that we knew we’d better get it right. Luckily for us, the combination of our DP Matt Jensen, AD Mark Taylor, and our amazing stunt team helped us make it everything we’d hoped for and more.
Everyone brought their best to those two nights. Noah had an unusual challenge: he’s a very smart guy playing a very smart guy pretending to be a dumb, malleable guy, right until the last minute. He did it so perfectly—watching the scene again, you can really feel the resentment of Jaime’s entitlement simmering under the surface from the beginning of their encounter in a way you don’t quite catch the first time through. And Gwen is really the catalyst for the scene—it’s her jeopardy that causes Jaime to put himself in jeopardy and then step over the line. Her last look to him . . . we love that look. She knows there’s something wrong with this set-up, and he’s too blinded by his own certainty in himself to get it until it’s too late.
And Nikolaj most of all. To play not knowing, not getting it, being too smart by half . . . doing it all that well is impressive enough on its own. Doing it that well when you have a flu that’s almost bad enough to shut down the show and send you to the hospital, that’s another level entirely. He was graceful and perfect under horrible conditions. Jaime would be proud.
Locke takes Jaime’s greatest weapon.
NIKOLAJ COSTER-WALDAU (JAIME LANNISTER): Some actors don’t like to know what is coming. For me, it was helpful to know what to aim for. When I was first cast as Jaime, [David Benioff and Dan Weiss] told me the story up through season three. It was so great to know that there was this huge moment coming that would make him question everything about who he is. It meant I could go further in the early seasons.
We were shooting over two days, and as weird as it sounds, I was lucky because I got really sick on the second day. The last thing we were shooting was me being pushed over the stump, and I was really out of it and just felt like vomiting the whole time. There is almost no acting involved. I was being held down, plus Noah is a really scary guy—usually when you are doing a fight on a film, you have to miss by about ten inches, but they had constructed this special arched blade that curved around my arm. Noah just went for it.
Losing his hand was a pivotal moment for Jaime. He really didn’t see it coming from Locke. I loved working with Noah. I just thought he was magnificent. I think Locke has something that I have, which is an issue with entitlement, with people who come from privilege. Jaime refuses to even acknowledge that Locke has the upper hand, and Locke does something rash. It’s a huge fuck-you really—he doesn’t care about Jaime’s father. Jaime has stepped into something he doesn’t really understand.
For me as an actor and for Jaime as a person, I think it was the best thing that could possibly happen. I think it forces him to readdress his preconceived notions and rebuild who he is.
GWENDOLINE CHRISTIE (BRIENNE OF TARTH): I think Brienne feels responsible for what happens to Jaime. It’s as if he used his one get-out-of-jail-free card to save her and she knows it. I don’t think she’s ever had anyone save her from anything. It’s at this point that she stops protecting him as part of her mission and starts protecting him out of care.
Jaime Lannister: |
“My sword hand. I was that hand.” |
Brienne of Tarth: |
“You have a taste, one taste of the real world where people have important things taken from them, and you whine and cry and quit. You sound like a bloody woman.” |
Enemies fighting on the same side.
There is no question that one of the most important relationships in season three is between Jaime and Brienne. They begin as enemies, but when a grudging respect starts to grow, they find themselves questioning everything they once thought about each other. In one of the most revealing scenes of the series (in Episode 305, “Kissed by Fire”), Jaime tells Brienne the true story of how he gained his dishonorable reputation as the “Kingslayer.”
In Harrenhal, after the disgraced Maester Qyburn treats the deadly infection on Jaime’s severed wrist, Jaime enters the bathhouse. Already in the waters, Brienne is initially horrified that Jaime is determined to share her pool. Further, upon seeing Brienne’s look of contempt, Jaime decides to share something even more personal—the origin of his nickname.
As a teenager, when Jaime was in the service of Aerys Targaryen, the country was in revolt. The “Mad King,” in his mania, was burning those who displeased him, for he had an obsession with wildfire. When Aerys realized he was losing the war against Robert Baratheon, and a Tywin Lannister–led force was sacking the city, Aerys ordered Jaime to kill his own father, and he told the pyromancer to set the city alight using wildfire he had hidden under King’s Landing. To save the city, Jaime killed the pyromancer and the Mad King, slitting Aerys’s throat after stabbing him in the back. At this moment, Eddard Stark stormed into the throne room and drew the worst possible conclusion—that the king had been betrayed by one of his sworn protectors.
GWENDOLINE CHRISTIE (BRIENNE OF TARTH): Brienne is this incredible figure, developing this physical strength to overcome the negativity of a male-dominated environment, focusing on her own power—and moreover, to the good of all.
Jaime is the epitome of what she despises, and he tortures and torments her. She has huge contempt for him, no respect at all. He’s the Kingslayer, about the least honorable thing you can be, and he seems to show no remorse. Yet he ends up saving her life twice.
ALEX GRAVES (DIRECTOR): They have nothing in common, other than who they are. They are knights, and they understand something about that. He has protected people he cares about ruthlessly. She is an honorable knight, and he would like to be an honorable knight, but he can’t be because he had this awful traumatic thing happen to him.
NIKOLAJ COSTER-WALDAU (JAIME LANNISTER): At the beginning, Jaime has no respect for Brienne. Jaime believes he will kill her eventually. Instead, she reminds him throughout that journey of things that he lost. Really, he’s reminded of who he was at sixteen. What he did [when he killed the king] was quite amazing, firstly to be put in a situation like that and then to still make the right decision, even if it was the most brutal one. Afterward, to be castigated like that—well, that is a real heroic moment. When he tells Brienne the real story, of the potential for genocide, it’s probably the first time he has spoken about it.
Prisoners of Locke, now equals.
That’s the thing with Brienne; she has earned that trust. He has never met anyone who hasn’t tried to better their own circumstances. They kept each other alive. There is a very deep root of respect and understanding. They are both great soldiers. Honor is very important when you have that outlook.
I don’t think he’s ever shown weakness, but she sees it. When she berates him at the fire, it’s because she cares. She’s so honest and earnest. He’s connected to himself in a way that he cannot undo even when he gets back to King’s Landing. He knows what is right and wrong.
BRYAN COGMAN (CO-PRODUCER AND WRITER): It was an incredible gift to be able to adapt that scene, a hugely important scene for Jaime and for the series because it begins the redemption arc of one of the story’s central “villains.” When season one begins you think you’re watching a story about the good Starks versus the evil Lannisters. But it becomes much more complicated than that—in many ways, by season four, the Lannister siblings have become the series’ protagonists! (Of course, a lot of that has to do with a lot of the Starks being dead . . .) This scene finds Jaime and Brienne at their most vulnerable, and I think, having carried this burden for so long, Jaime just can’t keep it in anymore. He senses a purity in Brienne and a compassion in her that prompts his confession to just come pouring out of him. He and Gwen and director Alex Graves worked on the scene for a few hours, poring over every line and beat. We shot the scene late into the night—it was very intense and exhausting for all involved. There’s the nudity, of course, but also the extreme emotional availability required of the actors and the technical difficulty of shooting in that bathtub for hours and hours. The exhaustion and raw vulnerability you see onscreen are quite real. Nikolaj and Gwen really gave everything they had.
GWENDOLINE CHRISTIE (BRIENNE OF TARTH): I don’t think he’s been closer to anyone before who never wanted anything from him. I think when humans are confronted by someone like that, it’s impossible not to fall in love with them.
She is a selfless character, and in an odd way that runs parallel to Jaime. There is this moment in the bathtub scene when she realizes that he has done this thing—he has sacrificed for the good of thousands of people.
Objectively, I don’t think anyone knows the moment that they fall in love. I’m not sure either Jaime or Brienne know themselves well enough for that. She doesn’t understand why he rescues her from Locke. After his confession, I’m still not sure she trusts him, but she understands him.
“We’re all strangers, and we’ll always be strangers, and there is no use pretending otherwise. But I promise you one thing, my lady. I won’t ever hurt you.”
—Tyrion Lannister to Sansa Stark
The unhappy couple.
In King’s Landing, Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) has been cast aside by King Joffrey in favor of Margaery Tyrell, who comes from a rich and powerful house the Lannisters want to be allied with. While a de facto prisoner, Sansa briefly hopes that she might still escape King’s Landing when the possibility arises that she will be married to the alluring Loras Tyrell. This is arranged by Lady Olenna Tyrell, grandmother to Loras and Margaery. Lady Olenna is a strategist of the highest order, and she intends to secure the future of her house with another strong alliance. This plan displeases Tywin Lannister, who prefers that Sansa, the potential heir to Winterfell, remain tied to the Lannisters. Tywin swiftly arranges two new marriages—Loras will wed Cersei Lannister, despite Loras’s rumored homosexuality, and Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) is forced to take Sansa as his unwilling bride.
Tyrion cloaking Sansa during their wedding ceremony in the Great Sept of Baelor.
MICHELLE MACLAREN (DIRECTOR): These actors know their characters very well. I like to see what they have prepared and what they want to do. With this scene [of Tyrion and Sansa’s wedding], I talked to Peter about the humiliation of this moment, of what Joffrey is doing to Tyrion. With Sophie, it was more about what it means to Sansa when the septon says this is for life. Not too long ago, Sansa thought she was marrying Joffrey and was going to be queen. Then she learns the truth and thinks her escape might be with Loras—she doesn’t understand his true desires, but she likes him, and then this happens. Sansa’s wedding should be the best day of her life, but in many ways it’s the worst. Ironically, though, the person who has been nicest to her is Tyrion. Ultimately, she really grows up in that moment.
Then you have all these other great beats—a look between Olenna and Tywin when you know they have plotted this. Cersei Lannister won’t even look at Sansa. She couldn’t care less—she’s bored by the whole thing and is there only because of her father.
There is a moment in The Sound of Music when the camera comes up and over Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews when they are walking down the aisle. When I was a kid, I wanted a wedding like that, because that’s the fairy tale. That’s the dream. When I got the script in L.A., I knew I wanted that shot, to shoot it like it was the fantasy when really it’s the nightmare. It was so important to me that it would be like a romantic dream wedding, and for Sansa it should have been—all the elements are there, and it’s still just wrong.
PETER DINKLAGE (TYRION LANNISTER): I don’t know how hard Tyrion fights the wedding in the end, I think he recognizes that it puts him in a better position to look after Sansa and there is no denying the marriage helps his position in court. It’s also true that she has a huge amount of appeal, which he is not immune to, but honor is incredibly important to him in this situation. Tyrion is a man with clear appetites, but he is also in love with Shae. It’s an incredibly complex situation.
SOPHIE TURNER (SANSA STARK): It’s great to have the relationship between Tyrion and Sansa where (from her point of view) there is a sort of love, but it is based on trust and respect rather than something sexual. He’s protecting her from Joffrey, but he also recognizes a strength in her that other people may have missed.
Sansa’s bridal armor in full.
The lion head and direwolf detail work in the collar of the gown.
CRAWFORD MCKENZIE (COSTUME CUTTER): We try to reuse as much as possible, so the cape was actually made of the sleeves and skirt from a gown that belonged to Cersei in an earlier season. There was enough to piece them together to form the drape.
Sansa’s gown was quite labor-intensive and made with Cersei in mind as a style influence. Handcrafted in imported Italian silks, it took the seamstress Nicki Varney close to two weeks to make, as the fit had to be perfect and was first made up in muslin. The costume armorers hand formed the metal plating on the hips of the dress, first cut and styled in card.
[Costume designer] Michele Clapton then designed the embroidery on the crossover bands, which were then handmade by our embroidery specialist, Michele Carragher.
MICHELE CARRAGHER (EMBROIDER): The straps were created with a more freestyle satin stitch, but I tend to use several colors and metallic threads to create a more 3-D effect. I tend to begin by sketching or painting the plan onto a piece of crêpeline. Then I’ll add beads or braiding or little metal rings because, on screen, it can be quite heavy and still not read the detailing.
Michele [Clapton] took her inspiration for the bands from the title sequence of the show, with Sansa’s story being told in the imagery. It begins with wolves and fish, and then the wolves are tangling with lions reaching her neck, where a lion head is stamped on the back of her collar.
Sansa Stark contemplates her future in King’s Landing.
“I’d love to see their tombs, really. It’s like taking a walk through history.”
—Margaery Tyrell
Original art department scale model of the Sept of Baelor set design.
The Great Sept of Baelor, named for the Septon King Baelor the Blessed, the ninth king of House Targaryen, sits high on Visenya’s Hill in King’s Landing. As the center of the Faith of the Seven, it holds the tombs of the kings of Westeros. All major religious events that occur in the royal houses of Westeros, like weddings and funerals, take place within its grand interior. The interior of the Sept of Baelor was designed by production designer Gemma Jackson and built for season three in one of the vast cell stages of the Paint Hall in Belfast, next to one of the other key sets for the season, the Wall.
The usable space in Cell 4 of the Paint Hall is a little over 104 feet wide, and the set for the Great Sept took up nearly half of it. It is a massive structure, complete with marble floors with an inlaid seven-pointed star, towering pillars, and handcrafted statues that represent the Seven Gods of the Faith. Of the Sept’s fourteen sections, six were built for filming; the remaining walls and ceiling were created and extended by the VFX team in close conjunction with the art department.
GEMMA JACKSON (PRODUCTION DESIGNER): The Sept of Baelor probably represented the greatest challenge for me on Game of Thrones. In the end, I found my inspiration in the remains and bones that are said to sit below the Sept. I thought of the burial walls I had seen in the cemeteries of Italy and France, little cabinets placed in stone that hold the urns of ash. I planned the base of the pillars to have little doors and latches, holding within the remains of all that had gone before.
We had huge expectations and extremely limited space, but it was extremely important that we kept the theme of the Seven to represent the Faith. I incorporated the seven-pointed star and the seven pillars, but in doing so I created something of a complication for myself—it’s never a straight line of sight from one door to another because the building isn’t evenly balanced.
My original design held a good deal more color, but in reality it didn’t really sit right. I adjusted the set to a more monochromatic palette, which ended up being an excellent backdrop for the lush colors of the costuming in King’s Landing. It also meant that each section was slightly more anonymous, which allowed each area to be used from a multitude of angles and redressed where necessary.
STEVE KULLBACK (VFX PRODUCER): When we look at the breakdown for any episode, we have to ask, is the scope of what the shot is supposed to be something that could never be realized in construction? Looking at the Sept of Baelor, it needs to be the most extravagant, the most magnificent, the largest, the richest, the most opulent . . . you just can’t build St. Patrick’s Cathedral on a stage and go and shoot in it. So there is a natural collaboration between the art department and the VFX department to really hone in on what the build will be and what the hand-off to VFX will be.
VFX exterior of the Sept of Baelor, an interior only set.
it is said that around six thousand years ago, the Seven appeared to the Andals of Essos, who lived in the eastern hills of Andalos. The Seven encouraged them to pursue great conquests, and so the Andals invaded Westeros, bringing their new gods along with their wars.
The Faith of the Seven actually worships a single god who contains seven aspects. Each aspect governs a different part of life. To simplify the concept of aspects, ordained leaders often refer to them as gods in their own right. The highest office or personage is the High Septon, a man who, once in power, discards his common name. Lower orders of the ministry are known as septons, and their female counterparts as septas. The seven aspects or gods are the following:
—THE FATHER—
who represents justice and presides over the souls of the dead
—THE MOTHER—
who represents peace, mercy, fertility, and childbirth
—THE WARRIOR—
who represents courage and dominance in battle
—THE CRONE—
who represents wisdom and is the knower of fates
—THE SMITH—
who represents the creator and presides over craftspeople and farmers
—THE MAIDEN—
who represents innocence, love, and beauty
—THE STRANGER—
who represents the unknown and death
The principles of the Faith decry incest and regicide as two of the worst acts of immorality. The laws of hospitality are seen as the duty of all true followers. Due to the dominance of the religion, these principles have become woven into the laws of the land.
The seven aspects of god lend themselves to many seven-numbered symbols, most particularly the seven-pointed star, which adorns religious buildings and many homes across Westeros. The religion’s book of scripture is also known as The Seven-Pointed Star. All weddings take place within a star and at the foot of and between the statues of the Mother and the Father.
The Faith of the Seven is the most commonly practiced religion in the Seven Kingdoms. The seat of the Faith is the Great Sept of Baelor in King’s Landing. While other faiths and beliefs are practiced, such was the success of the Andals’ invasion that to this day the majority of people south of the Neck believe in the Seven.
The statues of the aspects of the Seven surround the seven-pointed star in the Sept of Baelor.
