Just like the previous seasons, her we go again! Just pre-ordered my set.
Here we shall discuss the extra features, commentaries and behind the scenes documentaries.
Very cool features this year ( my personal favorites are the commentaries and histories and lore! )
So what I decided to do down below is not only list and dissect all the extras you’ll find in this 4-disc Blu-ray set, but also let you know on what discs you can find them on as well.
All extras listed beyond the spoiler button...so many goodies!
Spoiler
In-Episode Guide (Discs 1-4) – A selectable in-feature resource that provides background information about on-screen characters, locations and relevant histories during the episodes.
Histories & Lore (Disc 4, HD) – Here you get the chance to learn about the mythology of Westeros as told from the varying perspectives of the characters themselves. And are you ready for how much knowledge and wealth is within here? Well let’s see. It’s mind-blowing to me and covers all of the following told through voiceovers on top of illustrations and animation: House Martell, House Baelish, Dragons, Poisons, The Bastards of Westerns, The Iron Bank, Robert’s Rebellion, Sellswords & Hedge Knights, The Wall, The Nations of the North, The Kingsguard – Jaime Lannister, The Kingsguard – Bronn, The Maester’s Chain, The Death of Kings, Valyrian Steel and Justice of the Seven Kingdoms.
Behind the Battle for the Wall (Disc 4, HD, 37:11) – Here we follow the cast and crew as they create the most ambitious battle to date. This 37-minute documentary explores the challenges of putting together one of the series’ most intense episodes, with never-before-seen material. It’s the most “giant” episode ever in Game of Thrones, Episode 9, where things always get bat crazy every season. The filmmakers, the mastermind of Neil Marshall, the actors and the stunt team talk about how it was so much larger than Episode 9 in Season 2, “Blackwater,” and how the planning of this VFX-wise is absolutely epic. This one was worth the price of admission to me from the making of the mammoths with giants riding them and the 400-foot green screen wall to the fire, fight scenes, character losses and whatnot. Wow! What impressed me the most was the uncooperative weather and how they shot through the rain and then removed the rain out in post production. Say what? Yes, you heard me right! This extra was amazing!
The Fallen: A Roundtable (Disc 4, HD, 29:37) - Writer Bryan Cogman sits down with a few of the many cast members who meet their demise in Season 4, including Jack Gleeson, Rose Leslie and Charles Dance. From first learning of their deaths to shooting their final scenes, this 30-minute feature will shed light on what it’s like to live-and die-in the Game of Thrones world. It was very interesting to see Jack talk outside of his onscreen character and joked about how he had to learn to ride a horse in the first season. Honestly, this one is probably my second most enjoyable extra here. I loved hearing the actors recount their experiences on the show such as their first appearances, death scenes, favorite moments as well as fan encounters.
The Politics of Power: A Look Back at Season 3 (Disc 1, HD, 25:02) – Here we get to revisit all the brutal events of Season 3 to see power shifts that define Westeros at the start of where we are at with this Blu-ray set, Season 4. This recap is accomplished with footage from Season 3 (duh) and interviews with the cast members discussing the events in the previous seasons.
Bastards of Westeros (Disc 1, HD, 7:16) – Showrunners David Benioff & D.B. Weiss and author George R.R. Martin discuss the role bastards (i.e. Jon Snow) play in the Seven Kingdoms and how they are treated differently by geographic regions. There seems to be a lot of them in this show. And by bastards I don’t mean an unpleasant or despicable person. Oh no! I mean a child born out of wedlock, such as Jon Snow, probably the most famous bastard on this show.
New Characters & Locations (Disc 1, HD, 7:39) – Here we explore the new locations, societies and cultures of Season 4 as the cast and George R.R. Martin chime in with footage of the new “stuff” being discussed here.
Deleted/Extended Scenes (HD, 3:05) – There’s a Play All option here or a choice to watch the two deleted scenes, “Bornn and Shae” and “Dany Missandei”, individually.
Season 4 Blooper Reel (Disc 4, HD, 2:02) – Lots of funny faces, dancing and line flubs can be found here. Peter Dinklage definitely takes center stage in this one and I’ll let you find out why on your own. Long story short, it’s humorous to see these outtakes when this show is usually so serious in tone.
Audio Commentaries – This one is kind of self-explanatory because we all know what audio commentaries are. However, what you didn’t know was that there are a total of 11 commentaries with cast and crew including showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, Pedro Pascal, Aiden Gillen and more! For your convenience I have broken them all out below as to what episode, disc number and who appears on what audio commentary track. Please note that Episodes Nine and Ten have two commentary tracks each while for some reason Episode 3 gets a big goose egg. I have no idea why that is, but nonetheless I’m sure you’ll enjoy all of these as much as I have.
Episode One (Disc 1) – David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Pedro Pascal
Episode Two (Disc 1) – Jack Gleeson, Natalie Dormer, George R.R. Martin, Alex Graves
Episode Four (Disc 2) – Michelle MacLaren, Robert McLachlan
Episode Five (Disc 2) – Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams
Episode Six (Disc 3) – Alik Sakharov, Bryan Cogman
Episode Seven (Disc 3) – Aidan Gillen, Kate Dickie, Bernadette Caulfield, Chris Newman
