Westeros

Entertainment Weekly‘s print edition has hit the stands today (with this fetching series of covers that should be hard to miss), and inside it contains a bit more information (rather spoilerish, but so it goes) and several new photos from their exclusive. Below, we’ll discuss the new pictures, using the captions EW provides with each image.

• “Peter Dinklage mounts a defense as Tyrion Lannister”: We see Tyrion Lannister on the high road, a dead body in front of him. His boots are rather worse for wear. It’s a great look at his costume, as well, which we saw more distantly in the last of EW’s online gallery. Most notably, of course, is the fact that he’s carrying a shield here, salvage that he’ll be needin under the circumstances. It’s a dark yellow in hue, with a rearing red stallion painted on it, and it can be nothing else but the show’s take on House Bracken‘s arms (I saw the original design drawing of this at the production offices). They’ve basically just used the escutcheon and the sigil, and dropped the brown field entirely. For some reason, the horse is facing in the opposite direction from how heraldic beasts tend to be depicted, but this is actually something that can legitimately be done in real world heraldry ... and certainly in Westerosi heraldry.
  
  I love the construction of this shield, which is teardrop-shaped and features rivets in front which secure the arm straps in the back. For those who’ve read the book, three Bracken men-at-arms accompany Catelyn on the high road—Lharys, Mohor, and Kurleket [can you figure out the reference?]—and end up dying on the way. David Benioff is quoted saying that he and Weiss were big fans of The Lord of the Rings, but you never had the sense that any of the characters there ever got horny—short hand, we expect, for a more general critique of Tolkien’s austerity when it came to characterization.


• “Re-creating Winterfell”: Despite the caption and text that follows, this scene would be from the journey down from Winterfell with the royal party, as we look at what must be the royal encampment at some point (probably when Lord Renly, Ser Barristan Selmy, and Ser Ilyn Payne are introduced). Sansa—Sophie Turner looks quite lovely in auburn hair—in a heavy-seeming blue gown is walking her direwolf puppy, Lady, on a leash through the camp while what seems to be a Lannister guard (possibly a high-ranking one, as his armor is all black rather than what we’ve seen previously) speaks with a guardsman in a yellow cloak who is probably a Baratheon guard.
  
  There’s another such guard behind Sansa, but there’s something a bit curious about both these men: their hands and faces seem very unusually pale, as if made-up. Both men have a yellow badge with a black animal on it, but the one in back seems to have multiple of these creatures. If it’s multiple stags, do these represent Renly’s household guard? If this speculation (and it is a speculation) is right, then is the idea that Renly likes to make a splash, up to and including having his guardsmen wear silver or white make-up that make them look somewhat like statues? Benioff is quoted stating that Xena and Hercules were earlier attempts at fantasy on TV; but nothing at all like on the scale of Game of Thrones.


• “Sean Bean puts on the armor of Lord Stark”: This is a scene from what we’ve been told is the inn by the crossing, where the scene has been moved (in the books, it’s a pivotal scene that takes place at Castle Darry, but that’s been dropped from the show). Sean Bean as Lord Eddard is in a new outfit here the same outfit as seen in the first official still of him, a leather jerkin over a quilted tunic or surcoat. Again we see his sword belt with a fine sword in it, and the direwolf head studs on it. Nice! Next to him is Maisie Williams as Arya Stark, in a white and grey-blue gown with sort of knotted ... ruffling or something (a fashion designer I am not—please feel free to suggest alternative terms!). Behind her is Wilko Johnson looking sinister as the King’s Justice, Ser Ilyn Payne, wearing black leather and with the hilt of his executioner’s sword poking up over his shoulder. There are a few extras about, including a Lannister guard, but behind Ned is Jory Cassel, the captain of Lord Stark’s guard, played by Jamie Sives—he has a wig on and rather long hair, which Linda approves of. The costuming here is pretty much spot on to what many people likely imagined for Eddard and company.
  
  The text here quotes Bean, who says he’s getting used to these medieval fantasies, and that he’s been in many big-budget productions but nothing with the level of craftsmanship that he’s seen here, which is high praise indeed.


• “Lena Headey plots and deceives as queen”: This is a new picture of Lena Headey as Queen Cersei, and wow, she looks lovely. This seems to be a new gown as well, silver with golden brocade, and a bit of décolletage. The background to this scene is quite golden, and I’m guessing it’s Cersei’s bedchamber, with an ornately decorated bed with golden covers and pillows. Very lush! Headey is quoted stating that she enjoys the chance to play a villain.