Trivia / Game of Thrones S1E1: "Winter Is Coming"

• Creator Backlash: George R. R. Martin is usually very diplomatic and understanding when he criticizes the TV series, always stressing that the production tried its best. That said, Martin made no attempt to hide that he did not approve of the change made to the scene the first time Daenerys and Drogo had sex, from "consensus" on both sides to rape.
• Deleted Role:
  • John Standing filmed a scene showing Jon Arryn's death, which was cut. As such he only appears as the corpse.
  • George R. R. Martin had a cameo at Daenerys's wedding in the original pilot, which was cut in re-shoots.
• Executive Meddling:
  • The on the nose lines like "as your brother" and "our sister" were insisted on because the original pilot didn't make it clear that Jaime and Cersei were brother and sister — and given the climax hinges upon Bran discovering them in the midst of having sex, they needed it to really be a Wham Shot.
  • The random scene of Robb, Jon and Theon getting shaved was to put some more male Fanservice in there.
• Orphaned Reference:
  • Some shots have a blond Theon as remnants from the re-shot pilot.
  • Jeyne Poole appears chatting to Sansa at the feast and in the sewing lesson. This was before the decision to adapt her out and give her plots to Sansa.
• The Other Marty: Because the pilot was reshot, a lot of cast members changed.
  • Tamzin Merchant replaced by Emilia Clarke as Daenerys.
  • Jennifer Ehle replaced by Michelle Fairley as Catelyn.
  • Jamie Campbell Bower replaced by Rob Ostlere as Ser Waymar Royce.
• Throw It In!: Jaime not bothering to close the brothel door after leaving Tyrion to his whores. Tyrion’s “Close the door!” was then dubbed in.
• What Could Have Been:
  • According to actor John Standing, the original pilot would have a scene with Jon Arryn trying to write down the truth he discovered about Cersei before he died, but she stops him.
  • In the original pilot, both Tyrion and Theon were depicted with bright blond hair. In the series proper, Theon is brunet and Tyrion has darker blond.
  • In the original script, Daenerys and Drogo's sex scene was as it was in the books "consensual" (although there is controversy even among fans of the book about being consensual when Daenerys is a 13-year-old girl forced by her brother to marry Drogo). It's changed to the Marital Rape License we see in the final episode.