In watching Season 7 (and the first three episodes of Season 8) of Game of Thrones, Stu noticed that there were lots of scenes where characters either met for the first time or were reunited after a long time apart. In these scenes, the audience knows (or thinks they know) more than either character. And so the fascination, power and subversion comes from what the characters choose to reveal… or not.
And yet… while we thought this episode would be an extension of our previous musings on exposition, in nearly every great scene we assessed, the characters basically said “screw talking about plot or backstory” and instead exposited about their character.* *How it feels to be them. How they have, or have not, changed.
And so this episode unexpectedly but rewardingly pivoted to learnings on how to set up and sell character exposition.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
RUNNING ORDER
GAME OF THRONES & EXPOSITION [@ 00:01:10]
SCENES CONVEYING PRE-EXISTING FACTS
JAIME VS CERSEI IN THE MAP ROOM [@ 00:12:54]
*YouTube: *
ARYA & HOT PIE AT THE CROSSROADS [@ 00:28:23]
*YouTube: *
JON VS THE BROTHERHOOD AT EASTWATCH [@ 00:39:10]
*YouTube: *
CONTRASTING SCENES WITH AND WITHOUT CHARACTER ACTION
JON VS TYRION AT DRAGONSTONE [@ 00:47:54]
*YouTube: *
JON & DAVOS VS MISSANDEI AT DRAGONSTONE [@ 01:01:06]
*YouTube: *
STARK SIBLING REUNION SCENES
ARYA VS SANSA IN THE CRYPT [@ 01:07:05]
BRAN, ARYA & SANSA IN THE WEIRWOOD [@ 01:18:46]
*YouTube: *
ARYA VS JON IN THE WEIRWOOD [@ 01:27:14]
*YouTube: *
CHARACTER MONOLOGUING
BRAN VS MEERA AT WINTERFELL [@ 01:33:06]
*YouTube: *
LEARNINGS [@ 01:37:14]
EDUCATION & THWARTING [@ 01:40:13]
EPISODE LINKS