【2009 Archives】

This post contains spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 6. But like009 Archives you had to know that from the headline, right?

You know a show is grisly when you feel grateful that the director didn't make a fan favorite character's death too disturbing.

In a Vanity Fair interview, the director of "The Door," Jack Bender, revealed that Hodor's demise could have been even more disturbing than that of the Red Viper. So like, thanks are required, I guess?

Bender says that Hodor's flesh was going to be disturbingly torn from his body, as the undead are wont to do.

I wanted to move in with the camera very slowly in one shot, eventually, of Hodor holding the door as those arms, those skeletal arms and the army of the dead, were overtaking him, pulling at his clothes and pulling at his flesh. And then of course, on that night I was working with the wonderful actor who plays Hodor and standing next to the camera, provoking him to get as emotional as he did while stuntmen were moving green arms around his face. Because as extraordinary and successful as shows like 'The Walking Dead' are, this show isn't that.

Luckily, David Benioff and D. B. Weiss decided against the more gruesome death in favor of the classy, implied gruesome death that was shown in the episode.

Bender went further with his description of what could have been in an interview with the Observer.

I talked about it with Dave and Dan a lot. I said, “What the dead would be doing to Hodor would be ripping his clothes off once they got through that door. They would be ripping his flesh off. If the dead can go through wood, they’re going to be tearing Hodor apart.”

And they said something to me that really stuck. Which was “If it’s too horrific, we’re not going to feel the loss of Hodor.”

Good lord, Bender.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.

BONUS: Goodnight Westeros