“Game of Thrones,” The Spoils of War, is an episode avid viewers cannot stop talking about. The Stark sibling’s reunion was a much-anticipated moment for the series but, it left us wanting more. Winter has come, Bran, you don’t have to make it colder.
I completely agree with Sansa. Jon Snow’s heart would stop if he finally sees Arya. Ours as well. But this is Game of Thrones, disappointing you is its business and Jon is still at Dragonstone refusing to bend the knee.
The Loot Train Attack, however, made our hearts stop and pumped it again. Drogon was unleashed against the combined Lannister and Tyrell armies.
They were simply decimated to ashes.
The Dothraki horde, effortlessly standing on their horses, attacked, decapitated, or disemboweled those lucky enough to escape Deanery’s ire and Drogon's fire.
Finally, we collectively held our breath, as Jaime charged, (many said stupidly), towards Daenerys and a bad tempered Drogon. But Bronn knocked the would-be Queen slayer off his clueless but equally brave horse into the water and spare avid viewers another Ned Stark moment.
The episode ended with Jaime slowly sinking into the bottom of the river hopefully to be swept away to safety. We collectively held our breath some more.
Daunting but exciting
The director of The Spoils of War is Matt Shakman, and it was his first time to direct an episode of "Game of Thrones." Talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Shakman said his initial reactions when he read the script were a combination of excitement, stress, and fear.
He acknowledged that being a first-time director of the series, shooting such big episode, which ended with the Loot Train Attack was both “daunting but exciting.”
Shakman said he decided to focus on Jaime’s point of view as a traditional fighter at the center of the breathtaking battle.
He wanted to tell the story of “what it was like to be on the ground when war changes forever.”
Film inspirations for the Loot Train Attack
Although Shakman looked to previous GoT episodes’ battle scenes, like Battle of the Bastards, he told THR he got references from the film "Apocalypse Now." He described, in particular, the battle sequence with helicopters attacking a village as being similar in terms of dealing death from the sky and being seen in multiple points of view of the villagers.
Shakman said the idea of the helicopter flying through smoke is very similar to Drogon’s scenes as well. The part where Drogon landed with a spear on his side felt like a helicopter landing in the middle of all the smoke in "Apocalypse Now."
“Saving Private Ryan” was another film where Shakman drew his inspiration for the Loot Train Attack. He pointed to the opening scene on the beach when the men were on fire, Tom Hank’s character overwhelmed and the sound dropped out. The director described it as similar to Jaime seeing his soldiers burned, charred and reduced to ashes.
Shakman also said that got references from John Ford Western film "Stagecoach."
