Trivia: The horse heart that Daenerys eats was actually made of gelatin, and genuinely tasted dreadful - her physical revulsion at eating it is real. It had dyed pasta to simulate veins, and was injected with fake sugary blood, which attracted flies. The blood was so sticky and ended up covering Emilia Clarke to such an extent that after filming it glued her to the toilet seat.
Trivia: Cersei remarks to Tyrion that she had heard his nose was cut off during the Battle of Blackwater Bay. This is a reference to the books, in which part of Tyrion's nose was indeed cut off.
Trivia: One of the severed heads on a spike is that of former president George W. Bush. Before shooting the scene, George RR Martin asked writers and producers David Benioff and D.B.Weis to have a cast of their 3 heads to be put on the spikes, but for budget reasons they opted to get a box from HBO's warehouse with used severed heads. They noted that one was Bush's, but they put a wig on it and got away with nobody noticing. In the Blu-Ray commentary the producers revealed the story, and got a lot of criticism from the right.
The Mountain and the Viper - S4-E8
Trivia: Pedro Pascal used to let fans playfully gouge his eyes, in reference to Oberyn Martell's brutal death scene at the end of this episode, which led to him getting an eye infection.
Winterfell - S8-E1
Trivia: The first Greyjoy soldier killed during Yara's rescue is played by an uncredited Rob McElhenny, best known for playing Mac on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. (00:27:47)
The Mountain and the Viper - S4-E8
Trivia: Towards the end of this episode, Tyrion and Jaime have a discussion about their brain-damaged cousin Orson. This is supposedly a swipe at Ender's Game author Orson Scott Card, who is a harsh critic of the show.
Trivia: Of the 43 actors credited as being part of the main cast, Peter Dinklage is the only American.
Trivia: Although he plays the eldest Baratheon brother Robert, in real life, Mark Addy is nearly 8 years younger than Stephen Dillane, who plays the middle brother, Stannis. Additionally, the real-life age gap between Dillane and Gethin Anthony, who plays the youngest brother, Renly, is more than 26 years.
Trivia: Although they are the show's two top-billed actors, the shot just before Ned Stark and Jon Snow part ways as the former heads to King's Landing and the latter heads to Castle Black is the only shot of the entire series where Sean Bean and Peter Dinklage are on screen together. (00:21:25)
Answer: As Hand of the King, Tywin is the second most authoritative person in Westeros behind only the king. The Hand's duties include sitting on The Iron Throne and dispensing order, justice and judgment, similar to what Ned Stark did in the Season 1 episode "A Golden Crown" while then-king Robert Baratheon was out hunting. It's also worth pointing out that Tywin's enormous wealth makes him the de facto most powerful person in Westeros, which he demonstrates in the Season 3 episode "Mhysa" when he sends King Joffrey to bed without his supper and remarks to Tyrion "You're a fool if you believe he's the most powerful man in Westeros. Do you really think the crown gives you power?"
Phaneron ★