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Not even Game of Thrones' director knows what Dany whispered to Jorah in that final moment
The final season of Game of Thrones is quickly coming to a close, and the core cast seems to be getting smaller and smaller by the week. Now, we have a bit of insight into one of those heartbreaking deaths.
WARNING! The following contains major plot spoilers for Episode 4 of Game of Thrones' eighth season, "The Last of the Starks."
The biggest shocker of the latest episode of Game of Thrones was definitely Missandei of Naath (Nathalie Emmanuel) being beheaded by The Mountain on Cersei's orders. The biggest mystery, however, is whatever the Seven Hells Dany (Emilia Clarke) whispered to a dead Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen) on the man's funeral pyre following the Battle of Winterfell.
It brings to mind the final scene in Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation (what did Bill Murray say to Scarlett Johansson?!) and is sure to be debated about just as much. During a chat with Collider, Episode 4's director, David Nutter, was asked about the content of that silent, one-way exchange. His answer may not be satisfying, but it does help stoke the fires of speculation.
“I don’t know what she said to him," Nutter said. "We never talked about that. I wanted her to actually own that and have that be her one thing that she can say to Jorah that’s hers and hers alone."
With Jorah, Missandei, and Rhaegal now gone, Dany is slowly losing her calm and forgiving demeanor. Compound those losses with the knowledge that Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) is actually a Targaryen with a more clear claim to the Iron Throne, and she could be on the verge of having a mental breakdown and burning Kings Landing to a crisp.
“It was very important to sell the fact that she really was alone and to really get that,” Nutter continued. “I think that Emilia is such a fine actress that doing things like moving the camera around her at a slower pace or something, and doing something a little off center or doing something a little more personal toward her would help us feel — as an audience — involved.”
As Emmauel has said, Missandei's murder will send the Dragon Queen "to a scary place" that not even Starbucks coffee can save her from. Nutter echoed that sentiment when he finished with:
“I’ve never seen Dany that angry and that determined. So, I would keep my head down when it comes to the next episode."
Despite many major character moments (Jaime getting it on with Brienne, Arya leaving Winterfell for good, the death of another dragon, etc.), Episode 4 did not see a large bump in ratings for HBO, but is on par with the (still well-received) Season 8 premiere, "Winterfell."
According to Variety, "The Last of the Starks" took a slight dip in viewership with 11.8 million viewers, losing 200,000 people since Episode 3 "The Long Night," which attracted 12.02 million audience members like flies to a rotting dragon carcass. Even so, Episode 4 topped Episode 2, which garnered 10.29 million viewers. The highest-rated episode of the popular series still remains the Season 7 finale, which drew in 12.07 million people. Across all platforms, though, "The Long Night" had 17.8 million viewers, trumping "Winterfell"'s total of 17.4 million.
What do you think Dany whispered to Jorah? Was it "Hail Hydra" or something more intimate? Sound off in the comments with your theories below, people!
