"Game of Thrones" showrunners promise "best finale we've ever done"
[Warning: This post contains spoilers for the fourth season of "Game of Thrones."]
Just when you think "Game of Thrones" already pulled out all the stops this season -- Joffrey's death, Tyrion's trial, Prince Oberyn vs. The Mountain and last week's battle at the Wall -- fans should apparently brace themselves for more.
Season 4 of the hit HBO drama comes to an end this Sunday night with an episode titled "The Children." and according to "Thrones" showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss this will be the best finale the series has seen yet.
"It's the best finale we've ever done, bar none," they said in a statement. "The performances from our cast, the direction from Alex Graves, the VFX work, the new [music] cues from Ramin Djawadi -- all of it came together in perhaps the finest hour we've produced. We're immensely proud of 'The Children.' And a little intimidated by the episode, because now we have to get back to the business of season five and figure out a way to top it."
Usually, "Game of Thrones" packs the penultimate action into the show's ninth episode, with the 10th and final hour wrapping plot points and setting up new storylines for next season. But it seems things might be a bit different this year.
"It's the largest, I think, most exciting episode that's been done," Graves, who has helmed six "Thrones" episodes including the one that featured Joffrey's murder, told USA Today. He also called the finale "a brilliant script that coincided with so many amazing events from [George R.R. Martin's] books."
Things the episode could touch on include Jon Snow's mission to assassinate Mance Rayder, Tyrion's fate following his death sentence two weeks ago in "The Mountain and the Viper" and where Arya Stark and The Hound might go next. Whatever happens, expect to be watching for longer than usual -- the episode will run 66 minutes long, per HBO's schedule.
Here's the network's official description for "The Children." Feel free to analyze it as much as you'd like: "An unexpected arrival north of the Wall changes circumstances. Dany (Emilia Clarke) is forced to face harsh realities. Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) learns more of his destiny. Tyrion sees the truth of his situation."
The season finale premieres Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO. Watch a preview of the episode below: