Last night, two of HBO's biggest shows, Westworld and Game of Thrones, came together for a small crossover, and apparently it was all George R.R. Martin's idea. After a two-year absence, Westworld returned for season 3 last week and picked up on the threads teased at the end of the previous season. While season 2 was criticized for being too complicated, creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy assured fans season 3 would be a return to form. Now two weeks in, it's unclear how successful the third season is, though the premiere did suffer a downturn in viewers.
HBO hopes Westworld can fill in the Game of Thrones-sized hole in their schedule as they await the fantasy epic's prequel series, though they're probably also hoping Westworld's newest season will be better received than Thrones'. The final season of Game of Thrones was met with much criticism from fans who felt several storylines were rushed and character arcs were thrown away. The fan fury hasn't decreased in the months since, and it certainly hasn't been helped by creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. Even one of the show's stars, Emilia Clarke, recently spoke a bit about her disappointment with how some stories went.
Despite all that, Benioff and Weiss made cameos in the second episode of Westworld's third season, "The Winter Line." The two played technicians for the unseen Park 4, which looks to be a medieval fantasy world. Daenerys' (Clarke) beloved dragon Drogon even made an appearance. While talking to Variety following the episode, Nolan and Joy revealed the idea for the crossover came from Martin, the author of the book series Game of Thrones is based on. As Nolan explained:
We’re also friendly with George R.R. Martin, and George had consistently since the first season said, “We’ve got to do a tie-in with ‘Game of Thrones.'” People forget that George was originally a TV writer and he came up in the TV world in which you’d occasionally have these crossover shows, which the fans would f—ing freak out over. So George had always been pitching the crossover show.
Due to all the parks being shut down, Benioff and Weiss' technicians were trying to find a way to make a profit off Park 4's remains. The cameo ends when Weiss appears to take a circular saw to Drogon with the intention of cutting him up and sending him to Costa Rica to be purchased. For fans who were displeased by Game of Thrones' ending, this could come as a slap in the face, though Nolan and Joy appeared to intend it as a joke.
It makes sense that HBO would want to connect two of their biggest shows, and it's always fun to see Easter eggs like Drogon. However, the negative fan reaction to Benioff and Weiss' story decisions (as well as their other rumored projects) suggests viewers might not have been overjoyed to see the two on Westworld. It's probably for the best that it was only a quick cameo. Now Game of Thrones fans can go back to debating the final season in peace.
Source: Variety