Hardhome

Last updated

"Hardhome"
Game of Thrones episode
Episode no.Season 5
Episode 8
Directed by Miguel Sapochnik
Written by David Benioff
D. B. Weiss
Featured music Ramin Djawadi
Cinematography by Fabian Wagner
Editing by Tim Porter
Original air dateMay 31, 2015 (2015-05-31)
Running time60 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Gift"		Next →
"The Dance of Dragons"
Game of Thrones season 5
List of episodes

"Hardhome" is the eighth episode of the fifth season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones , and the 48th overall. It was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Miguel Sapochnik. It first aired on May 31, 2015.

Contents

The episode's main plot focuses on the battle against the Army of the Dead at Hardhome, in which Jon Snow leads a rare cooperative effort between the Night's Watch and the Free Folk against the undead soldiers led by the Night King. The battle is mentioned, but not seen, in Martin's novel from which the fifth season is adapted, A Dance with Dragons . Other plotlines in the episode include Tyrion Lannister and Daenerys Targaryen meeting in Meereen, Cersei Lannister suffering from thirst in her cell, and Theon Greyjoy revealing to Sansa Stark that her brothers Bran and Rickon are alive.

The episode received acclaim from critics and fans, with many hailing it as one of the series' best episodes, praising the Hardhome attack sequence, action, visuals, performances, final scene, and the first interactions between Tyrion and Daenerys. It achieved a viewership of 7.01 million during its initial airing in the United States. At the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards, "Hardhome" was nominated for six awards, and was Peter Dinklage's pick to support his nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, which he won.

Plot

In Braavos

Arya takes the identity of Lanna, an oyster seller, and is sent by Jaqen to assassinate the "Thin Man," a dishonest insurance salesman.

In Meereen

Tyrion convinces Daenerys to allow him to advise her and to spare Jorah's life, but points out that Jorah cannot be trusted and he is exiled again. Tyrion warns Daenerys that she will not succeed in taking the Iron Throne without a powerful Westerosi house backing her; Daenerys compares the rise and fall of the Great Houses to spokes on a wheel, and declares that she will "break the wheel."

Jorah returns to Yezzan and asks to fight in the fighting pits.

In King's Landing

Cersei continues to refuse to confess to her crimes. Qyburn visits her and informs her that she is being charged for incest and Robert's murder and that Pycelle has summoned Kevan to serve as Hand. He also reassures her that "the work continues."

At Winterfell

Reek tells Sansa that there is no escape from Ramsay and admits that he didn't kill Bran and Rickon, and that he actually killed two farmboys, burning their bodies so that no one would know they were not the Stark boys. Roose and Ramsay plan for battle with Stannis' army. Ramsay wants to take the fight to Stannis, and asks for twenty men.

At the Wall

Olly expresses misgivings about Jon's alliance with the wildlings. Sam explains that the alliance is necessary to defeat the White Walkers, but Olly appears unconvinced.

At Hardhome

Jon and Tormund arrive at Hardhome and meet the Lord of Bones, who is killed by Tormund after a tense standoff. Tormund summons the elders and Jon offers to let the wildlings settle south of the Wall if they help the Night's Watch against the White Walkers. 5,000 wildlings are convinced, but as they prepare to set sail the town comes under attack from wights. Jon and the Magnar of Thenn, Loboda, enter a hut to retrieve the dragonglass blades, but a White Walker kills Loboda and throws Jon outside. Jon kills the White Walker with his Valyrian steel sword, but Hardhome's walls fall to the wights and Jon and his remaining allies are forced to flee. As they escape, Jon turns back in horror and awe as the Night King revives the dead as wights.

Production

Writing

The episode was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. D. B. Weiss and David Benioff.jpg
The episode was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss.

This episode was written by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, the series' creators. It contains content from George Martin's novels A Feast for Crows , chapters Cersei X and Cat of the Canals and A Dance with Dragons , chapter The Ugly Little Girl. [1]

Like other episodes this season, "Hardhome" contained a large amount of original material that does not appear in Martin's novels. This includes the battle scene in which the Wildlings and Night's Watch are ambushed by the White Walkers and army of the undead, [2] as well as the meeting of Daenerys Targaryen and Tyrion Lannister. According to Erik Kain of Forbes, "We have now fully parted ways with the books. If the rest of Season 5 hadn't convinced you that the show was forging its own path, this episode is the final nail in the coffin." [3]

Casting

Birgitte Hjort Sørensen was cast as Karsi, [4] a wildling chieftain originally written as a male character. [5] Zachary Baharov appeared as Loboda, a Thenn leader, [6] and Ross O'Hennessy replaced Edward Dogliani as the Lord Of Bones in this episode. [7] Ian Whyte, who had previously been cast as a White Walker, played the giant. [8] Members of the metal band Mastodon acted as wildlings at Hardhome in a cameo appearance. [9]

Filming

Miguel Sapochnik served as director for the episode, his second episode for the series. Miguel Sapochnik by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Miguel Sapochnik served as director for the episode, his second episode for the series.

"Hardhome" was directed by Miguel Sapochnik. He joined the series as a director in the fifth season. He also directed the previous episode, "The Gift". [10] The sequence at Hardhome was filmed at the Magheramorne quarry and took nearly a month to film. [11]

Reception

Ratings

"Hardhome" was watched by an estimated 7.01 million American viewers during its first airing. [12]

With Live+7 DVR viewing factored in, the episode had an overall rating of 9.94 million viewers, and a 5.1 in the 18–49 demographic. [13] In the United Kingdom, the episode was viewed by 2.383 million viewers, making it the highest-rated broadcast that week. It also received 0.211 million timeshift viewers. [14]

Critical reception

The episode received universal acclaim from both critics and viewers, with critics calling it the best episode of the series. [15] It received a 100% rating on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes from 52 reviews with an average rating of 9.74 out of 10 and the critics' consensus reading "Following several episodes of setup, 'Hardhome' blends a sharp script with spectacular blockbuster action to offer viewers a powerful, game-changing payoff." [16]

The Atlantic named "Hardhome" one of the best television episodes of 2015. [17] Erik Kain of Forbes called this "one of the best, most exciting episodes I've seen in the entire show's run, let alone this season," citing "High action and a series of pretty crazy revelations." [3] Matt Fowler of IGN gave the episode 10/10, labeling it a "masterpiece". He praised the Tyrion/Daenerys scenes but predominantly the final sequence, which he described as "edge-of-your-seat exciting" and also "quite terrifying". This made "Hardhome" the first episode in season 5 to receive a 10/10 rating from IGN. [18] Matt Fowler also named it the best episode of the entire series. [19] Both Myles McNutt and Erik Adams of The A.V. Club gave the episode the website's highest grade, "A". They called it "a welcome reminder that [the show is still unpredictable]," with McNutt citing it as his favorite episode of the series thus far. [20] [21] Bridle Roman of SFX gave the episode a perfect five stars, and highlighted the character of Karsi, played by Birgitte Hjort Sørensen, as a great addition and "her death hits hard" even if "we have only seen her for a few scenes". [22] The episode received praise even from some of its usual critics: Madeline Davies of Jezebel wrote, "I feel like I haven't said this in a long time, but last night's Game of Thrones was ...cool?" Davies cited the quality of the battle scene and unifying theme of hope in desperate situations as the episode's key strengths, specifically that the abused and tormented Sansa learns that her brothers may still be alive and that though Jon faces "the seemingly impossible task of defeating a constantly growing army of White Walkers, he at least possesses a sword that can kill them." [2] Kirsten Acuna of Business Insider reports that this is the single most popular episode to date as rated by fans, noting that the "tremendous reaction is in complete juxtaposition with reactions to an episode that aired two weeks ago," which received one of the series' lowest fan ratings. Acuna credits this response to the quality of the battle scene, which featured "a fighting army of the walking dead which would easily give the AMC series of the same name a run for its money." [23]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
2015 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister Won [24]
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series Fabian Wagner Nominated
Outstanding Production Design for a Fantasy Program Deborah Riley, Paul Ghirardani, Rob CameronWon
Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series Jane Walker, Barrie Gower, and Sarah GowerNominated
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series Tim Porter Nominated
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series Tim Kimmel, Paula Fairfield, Bradley C. Katona, Peter Bercovitch, David Klotz, Jeffrey Wilhoit, Dylan T. WilhoitWon
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Series Ronan Hill, Richard Dyer, Onnalee Blank, Mathew WatersWon
British Society of Cinematographers Best Cinematography in a Television Drama Fabian Wagner Nominated [25]
ACO/BSC/GBCT Operators TV Drama AwardDavid Morgan, Sean Savage, Ben Wilson, David WorleyWon [26]
Hollywood Professional Alliance Outstanding SoundTim Kimmel, Paula Fairfield, Bradley Katona, Paul Bercovitch, Onnalee Blank, Mathew WatersNominated [27]
Outstanding Color Grading Joe Finley Nominated
Outstanding Editing Tim Porter Nominated
IGN Awards Best TV EpisodeWon [28]
IGN People's Choice Awards Best TV EpisodeNominated
2016 ADG Excellence in Production Design Award One-Hour Single Camera Fantasy Television SeriesDeborah RileyWon [29]
Shorty Awards GIF of The YearCome At Me BroNominated [30]
Cinema Audio Society Awards Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing - Television Series – One HourRonan Hill, Richard Dyer, Onnalee Blank, Mathew Waters, Brett VossWon [31]
American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Regular Series Fabian Wagner Nominated [32]
American Cinema Editors Awards Best Edited One-Hour Series For Non-Commercial Television Tim Porter Nominated [33]
Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing in Television, Short Form: FX/Foley Tim KimmelWon [34]
Best Sound Editing in Television, Short Form: Dialogue / ADR Tim KimmelWon
Best Sound Editing in Television, Short Form: MusicDavid KlotzNominated
USC Scripter Award Best Adapted Screenplay David Benioff and D.B. Weiss Nominated [35]
Visual Effects Society Awards Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time ProjectDavid Ramos, Antonio Lado, Piotr Weiss, Félix BergésWon [36]
Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal EpisodeEduardo Díaz, Guillermo Orbe, Oscar Perea, Inmaculada NadelaWon

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Snow (character)</span> Fictional character

Jon Snow is a fictional character in the A Song of Ice and Fire series of epic fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its HBO television adaptation Game of Thrones, in which he is portrayed by Kit Harington. In the novels, he is a prominent point of view character. He is one of the most popular characters in the series, and The New York Times cites him as one of the author's finest creations. Jon is a main character in the TV series, and his storyline in the season 5 finale generated a strong reaction among viewers. Speculation about the character's parentage has also been a popular topic of discussion among fans of both the books and the TV series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samwell Tarly</span> Fictional character

Samwell Tarly, or simply Sam, is a fictional character in the A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation Game of Thrones, where the character is portrayed by English actor John Bradley.

"Kill the Boy" is the fifth episode of the fifth season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones. The 45th episode overall, it was written by Bryan Cogman, and directed by Jeremy Podeswa, his directorial debut for the series. The episode first aired on HBO on May 10, 2015.

"Valar Morghulis" is the tenth and final episode of the second season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 20th overall. The episode was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss and directed by Alan Taylor. It first aired on June 3, 2012.

"Valar Dohaeris" is the third season premiere episode of the HBO fantasy television series Game of Thrones. Written by executive producers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Daniel Minahan, it aired on March 31, 2013.

"Two Swords" is the first episode of the fourth season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones. The fourth season premiere and the 31st episode overall, the episode was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Weiss. It first premiered on April 6, 2014.

"Mockingbird" is the seventh episode of the fourth season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones. The 37th episode of the series overall, "Mockingbird" was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Alik Sakharov. It first aired on HBO on May 18, 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tormund Giantsbane</span> Character in A Song of Ice and Fire

Tormund Giantsbane is a fictional character in the A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation Game of Thrones.

"The Wars to Come" is the first episode of the fifth season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 41st overall. The episode was directed by Michael Slovis, his directorial debut for the series, and written by series co-creates David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. It first aired on April 12, 2015.

"The Gift" is the seventh episode of the fifth season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 47th overall. The episode was directed by Miguel Sapochnik, his directorial debut for the series, and written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. It first aired on May 24, 2015.

"The Dance of Dragons" is the ninth and penultimate episode of the fifth season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones. The 49th episode overall, "The Dance of Dragons" was written by the series' creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss based on material primarily found on George R. R. Martin's novel A Dance with Dragons, from which the title of the episode is derived. It was directed by David Nutter, who also directed the season finale.

"Book of the Stranger" is the fourth episode of the sixth season of HBO's fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 54th overall. The episode was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Daniel Sackheim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Night King</span> Fictional character from the Game of Thrones series

The Night King is a fictional character appearing in the HBO high fantasy television series Game of Thrones, based on George R. R. Martin's novel series A Song of Ice and Fire. He is depicted as the leader and the first of the White Walkers, having existed since the age of the First Men, and is the most dangerous and powerful of his race. The Night King is an original creation of the television adaptation, thus far having no counterpart in the novels upon which the show is based.

"Dragonstone" is the first episode of the seventh season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 61st overall. The seventh season premiere, the episode was written by series creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Jeremy Podeswa. It first aired on July 16, 2017.

"Eastwatch" is the fifth episode of the seventh season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 65th overall. The episode was written for television by Dave Hill and directed by Matt Shakman, and first aired on HBO on August 13, 2017.

"The Dragon and the Wolf" is the seventh and final episode of the seventh season of HBO's fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 67th episode overall. It was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Jeremy Podeswa. The title of the episode refers to the sigils of House Targaryen and House Stark and their newfound alliance.

"The Last of the Starks" is the fourth episode of the eighth season of HBO's fantasy television series Game of Thrones, which aired on May 5, 2019 and is the 71st overall. It was written by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by David Nutter.

References

  1. ↑ Garcia, Elio; Antonsson, Linda (May 31, 2015). "EP508:HARDHOME". Westeros.org. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Davies, Madeline (June 1, 2015). "Game of Boners: I Go White-Walking After Midnight". Jezebel. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Kain, Erik (June 1, 2015). "'Game of Thrones' Season 5, Episode 8 Review: 'Hardhome'". Forbes. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  4. ↑ Robinson, Joanna (June 1, 2015). "Birgitte Hjort Sørensen Hints That We May Not Have Seen the Last of Her Game of Thrones Character". Vanity Fair.
  5. ↑ Murphy, Shaunna (June 1, 2015). "'Game Of Thrones': 'Hardhome' Director Takes Us Behind The Scenes of Jon Snow's Epic Battle". MTV. Archived from the original on June 3, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Acclaimed Actor Zachary Baharov Has Scary New 'Game Of Thrones' Role". Highlight Hollywood. February 4, 2015.
  7. ↑ Tommy Lightfoot Garrett (March 26, 2015). "'Game Of Thrones' Recasts Rattleshirt, Lord Of Bones With Handsome Welsh Actor Ross O'Hennessy, Winter Is Coming". Highlight Hollywood.
  8. ↑ Chan, Robert (June 12, 2015). "The Real Magicians of 'Game of Thrones': Effects Wizards Share Secrets of Westeros". Yahoo! TV.
  9. ↑ Beauchemin, Molly (May 31, 2015). "Mastodon Portray "Wildlings" on "Game of Thrones"". Pitchfork.
  10. ↑ Hibberd, James (July 15, 2014). "'Game of Thrones' season 5 directors chosen". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  11. ↑ Kaplan, Don (June 1, 2015). "'Game of Thrones' behind the scenes of 'Hardhome Battle': Winter brings carnage and Jon Snow's big test". NY Daily News.
  12. ↑ Bibel, Sara (May 27, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Game of Thrones' Tops Night + 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians', 'Silicon Valley', 'Naked and Afraid' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 3, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  13. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (June 15, 2015). "'Game of Thrones' Leads Adults 18–49 & Viewership Gains, 'Salem' Tops Percentage Increases in Live +7 Cable Ratings for Week Ending June 1". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 17, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Top 10 Ratings (1-7 June 2015)". BARB . Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  15. ↑ Kuchera, Ben (June 1, 2015). "Game of Thrones shows its hand in the best episode of the season, if not the show". Polygon. Vox Media Inc. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Game of Thrones Season 5 Episode 8: Hardhome". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  17. ↑ "The Best Television Episodes of 2015". The Atlantic. December 18, 2015.
  18. ↑ Fowler, Matt (May 31, 2015). "Game of Thrones: "Hardhome" Review". IGN. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  19. ↑ "The Top 10 Game of Thrones Episodes - IGN - Page 2". IGN. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
  20. ↑ Adams, Erik (May 31, 2015). "Game Of Thrones (newbies): "Hardhome"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  21. ↑ McNutt, Myles (May 31, 2015). "Game Of Thrones (experts): "Hardhome"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Game of Thrones S5.08 "Hardhome"". June 1, 2015. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  23. ↑ Acuna, Kirsten (June 1, 2015). "Why everyone's faith in this season of 'Game of Thrones' has been renewed in one chart". Business Insider. Archived from the original on June 5, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Game of Thrones". Emmys.com. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  25. ↑ "Past nominees" (PDF). bscine.com. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  26. ↑ "Past winners" (PDF). bscine.com. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  27. ↑ "Hollywood Post Alliance® Announces 2015 Award Winners". Hollywood Post Alliance. November 12, 2015. Archived from the original on November 20, 2015. Retrieved April 9, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  28. ↑ "Best TV Series". IGN. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  29. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (January 31, 2016). "Art Directors Guild Award Winners". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  30. ↑ Lee, Ashley (January 19, 2016). "Shorty Awards Nominees Include Adele, Kevin Hart, Amy Schumer (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  31. ↑ Pond, Steve (February 20, 2016). "'The Revenant' Sounds Best to Cinema Audio Society". TheWrap. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  32. ↑ "30th ASC Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography". American Society of Cinematographers. February 14, 2016. Archived from the original on August 9, 2014. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  33. ↑ Tapley, Kristopher (January 4, 2016). "'Star Wars,' 'Ant-Man,' 'Better Call Saul' Among ACE Eddie Awards Nominees". Variety . Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  34. ↑ Giardina, Carolyn (February 27, 2016). "Golden Reel Awards: The Complete Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  35. ↑ THR Staff (February 20, 2016). "'The Big Short,' 'Show Me a Hero' Win at USC Scripter Awards". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  36. ↑ Giardina, Carolyn (February 2, 2016). "VES Awards Winners: 'Star Wars' Takes Top Prize". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved April 9, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.