Game of Thrones community has witnessed some of the most brutal deaths in television history. Some of the deaths were unexpected and completely shocking. One of the most lovable characters on the show, Hodor, played by Kristian Nairn, left the viewers in shambles with his death.
George R. R. Martin chose the scene to give an example of how his upcoming books will be different from the show. “I thought they executed it very well, but there are going to be differences in the book,” Martin said in the book Fire cannot kill a Dragon written by Entertainment Weekly editor James Hibberd.
“They did it very physical — ‘hold the door’ with Hodor’s strength. In the book, Hodor has stolen one of the old swords from the crypt. Bran has been warging into Hodor and practicing with his body, because Bran had been trained in swordplay. So telling Hodor to ‘hold the door’ is more like ‘hold this pass’ — defend it when enemies are coming — and Hodor is fighting and killing them. A little different, but same idea.”
The show writers felt it would more clearly and visually communicate the concept of hold the door if Hodor was shown using his bulk against a door. Co-producer Dave Hill said, “For our purpose, holding the door is visually better, especially because we have so much fighting.”
Hodor’s death in season 6 episode 5 was one of the saddest deaths on the show. The mono-verbal gentle giant perished trying to save Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) and Meera Reed (Ellie Kendrick) while holding the door with his weight. (His end was supposed to be even more gruesome!)
How much do you think Martin’s new books will be different than the show? Tell us in the comments below!
