Game of Thrones writer explains 5 big 'Eastwatch' moments 

Game of Thrones writer Dave Hill penned Sunday night’s episode, “Eastwatch,” and below he gives EW some creative insight about some of the fifth episode’s biggest moments…

On Dany executing the Tarlys: “At least Dany offers them a choice. Every conqueror offers the choice of ‘bend the knee or die.’ These lords disobeyed her and disrespected her in rebellion against the rightful queen. Then she gives them a way out and they don’t take it. Her deal wasn’t even ‘I’ll let you live.’ They could have kept all their titles and land. So, yes, in one way, it’s a horrible death. On the other hand, they kind of asked for it. It’s a win-win situation and they somehow managed to find the ‘lose’ in that.”

On Jaime’s battle fallout: “Jaime realizes with Bronn’s help that they’re not going to win — and now he has to convince Cersei. The Lannisters had been going with surprise attacks — the Ironborn surprising Dany’s fleet, the Highgarden surprise, the Casterly Rock [trap]. This was their first time facing Dany in the open field and they were so easily defeated and that’s not something he’s ever seen before. But as hard as it is to deal with Dany and her dragons, it’s much harder to deal with Cersei.”

On Dany letting Jon go on his mission: “Once they know the Army of the Dead is marching, it’s time to put up or shut up. She knows he’s honest — and is honest to a fault. She’s seen the cave. She can’t continue a war and still have Seven Kingdoms to rule after the war is done. Jon is not about to send others on a deadly mission that he wouldn’t shoulder himself. She’s gotten used to the technically-in-rebellion King in the North advising her. They’re both, in a way, cut from the same cloth — they’re both idealists. They both care about the people they govern, which makes them unique in Westeros. And they both feel the same weight of the crown. All that that draws her to him. He’s good hearted and would want to ‘break the wheel’ with her.”

On that Tyrion and Jaime reunion: “To start a scene from total antagonism and hatred get it to a point of being vaguely the same side … the key is that Jaime knows what Tyrion is saying is true. He may not believe in the Army of the Dead — and, in fact, doesn’t believe it — but Tyrion believes it and is going to dangle the possibility of a truce. That’s worth exploring because the other possibility is death.”

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On bringing back Gendry after a three-season absence: “We’ve always expected to bring Gendry back since we saw him rowing out. We almost brought him back in season 6 and it didn’t quite work out. We definitely wanted him here for the big mission, we wanted Robert Baratheon’s bastard son back into the show. It made sense that Davos would want to save this boy who’s like a surrogate son. And Joe is great which is a big positive.” (Read our interview with Gendry actor Joe Dempsie.)

Bonus: On last week’s “The Spoils of War” sparring scene between Arya and Brienne: “Their height difference serves our purpose in the scene. Brienne thinks it’s going to be such a one-sided fight and Arya quickly proves she’s not a lady at all. It started pouring down rain, and having stunts in the pouring rain while actors are swinging blades at each other is slightly dangerous. It turned out really well and it was exciting to write because it’s two characters we’ve only seen briefly together in season 4. It’s that natural human drive: Who’s better? Who would win in a fight?”

More EW coverage of “Eastwatch” coming: — Joe Dempsie on Gendry’s long-awaited return 

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After last week’s massive dragon battle,

Game of Thrones let us catch our breath with “Eastwatch” as some major players plotted their next moves, Jon had a revealing moment with Drogon, Littlefinger launched a dangerous scheme, Gendry finally quit rowing, and the character deck was shuffled yet again to deal us a very cool new Westeros Avengers ensemble combining several fan favorites. Let’s begin with:

The Reach: Jaime is alive! Bronn hauls him out. He saved his life yet again. They both react to this like you’d expect: Jaime is consumed by the crushing defeat of his army, while Bronn is focused on the loss of his gold.

Still, Jaime could sound a bit more grateful. Jaime tends to treat Bronn the same way he treats anybody else not of noble birth: as less-than. It’s not personal; it’s just how he’s been raised to view the world. Bronn, bless him, doesn’t care about titles and treats everybody the same. Not

, mind you, but the same. Their conflicting attitudes about their position in life is part of what makes their relationship fun to watch.

Nearby: Dany gives the remaining Lannister army one of her hearts-and-minds campaign stump speeches. It doesn’t go over quite as well as usual. “I know what Cersei has told you…” she says, and you know they’re thinking:

Yeah, she told us you’d roast everybody and that’s exactly what you did

. This like a presidential candidate trying win Ohio after nuking the population of Cleveland. So Dany throws in a bonus motivator: “Bend the knee or DIE.”

Some do. But not the Tarlys! They don’t want to back some foreign queen and break their vow to Cersei. Or, at least, papa Randyll doesn’t want to. His son Dickon looks like he’d happily take a job as Drogon’s poop janitor if it got him out of this mess, but ultimately he decides to stand with dad.

Tyrion objects to Dany’s harsh ultimatum. Why not just take prisoners? Dany points out she can’t go to Westeros saying, “You get a cell! You get a cell!” like some Targaryen Oprah.

The Tarlys still won’t back down, and Drogon burns them. The remaining Lannister holdouts drop to their knees. Dany’s quite satisfied.

Dragonstone: Jon greets a returning Dany, who’s all flushed from her battlefield victory. Jon’s odds, I reckon, have never been higher.

She lands Drogon on the cliff. I wonder if, after a battle, is Drogon still hot, like a car engine after a long drive. But this is where things get really interesting. Jon is freaked out by Drogon, but not quite as scared as everybody else usually is. The dragon effects here — that snout, those eyes, those teeth — are incredible.

We get a rad close-up of Drogon’s eye really taking in Jon Snow. The dragon is apparently the only character in this scene who knows what’s what.

Dany is shocked and impressed. It’s always cool when your aggressive antisocial pet approves of your date. But it’s so strange Drogon would react this way to some young illegitimate Stark kid…

At this point, I half expect Drogon to turn to Daenerys, clear his throat for the first time, and blurt out: “Hey, you know he’s a Targaryen, right?” Next: Ser Jorah returns to the friend zone 

1 \'Game of Thrones\' writer explains 5 big \'Eastwatch\' moments

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