You Can Read D.B. Weiss and David Benioff’s Game of Thrones Finale Script Online

The final season of Game of Thrones was a divisive one, to put it mildly; while some fans hailed it as a masterful end to the series, others criticized its rushed conclusion. Now viewers have the opportunity to go behind the scenes of the final episode in a whole new way, as the script for "The Iron Throne" is being released online.

According to io9, following the series’ numerous Emmy nominations—including the finale’s nod for Outstanding Writing For a Drama Series—the Television Academy has released a digital copy of the script that is free to view for all.

As the screenplay reveals, the episode went through numerous changes as it made its way from script to screen. Particularly noteworthy is the scene in which Drogon, after discovering that Jon (Kit Harington) has killed Daenerys (Emilia Clarke), incinerates the Iron Throne—which, in the script, was written as an act of collateral damage. The throne is characterized as a “dumb bystander caught up in the conflagration.”

In another moment, Benioff and Weiss show off the subtle comedy that went into the production of the series. When Arya (Maisie Williams) asks what lies beyond the shores of Westeros, the screenplay reads, “Jon and Sansa look at each other. They both failed geography.”

Although this tonal change might seem unusual, it’s common practice for screenwriters to make jokes that aren’t intended for the screen. Because screenplays are meant to be read by cast members and executives, not the general public, writers frequently insert humorous remarks to make the script more readable or give added details to give the actors a better idea of what they're looking for.

You can download the full script here.