Warning: If you’re a book reader and don’t want to know if events from last night’s Game of Thrones episode happen in future books, turn back now.

One thing was made abundantly clear going into Game of Thrones Season 6: here there be book spoilers. Given that showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss had run through almost all of George R.R. Martin’s source material by the end of Season 5, we knew the new season would be venturing into new territory. We also knew that Benioff and Weiss had sat down with Martin a couple of years ago and learned how each major character’s arc will track, roughly, through the end of Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire book series. So, armed with the knowledge of what happens in the books but also the ability to complete the series as they see fit, Benioff and Weiss have tackled Season 6 with some major reveals—and surprises—in store.

And last night’s episode of Game of Thrones, “The Door” certainly wasn't lacking in this regard. It offered some major revelations for a number of characters, ending with an emotional sendoff for fan-favorite Hodor. The show revealed that it was Bran’s warging into the past that led to Hodor’s transformation from a fairly average young boy to a lovable man with a one-word vocabulary. The transition was a result of the distress warging-Bran was under as he and his cohorts were being chased by ice zombies, with Hodor sacrificing himself by holding the door.


It was a terrifically emotional end to the episode, fittingly helmed by principal Lost director Jack Bender, but one major question remained at the end—did Weiss and Benioff craft the Hodor origin story reveal on their own, or did that come directly from GRMM? In a new behind-the-scenes video that goes deeper inside the episode, the duo reveal that this was, in fact, all Martin. So, in essence, if you’re a book reader fervently awaiting the next installment in Martin’s series, Hodor’s emotional sendoff and backstory reveal have been spoiled for you. Sorry/not sorry.

Check out the behind-the-scenes video below, in which Weiss and Benioff also reveal some serious foreshadowing they’ve done with regards to the Children of the Forest and the origin of the Night’s King. For more of our Game of Thrones coverage, check out Dave’s explainer on the Children of the Forest, Kayti Burt’s full recap of the episode, and our handy interactive map.

game-of-thrones-prequel-series-young-hodor
Image via HBO

game-of-thrones-hodor
Image via HBO
game-of-thrones-season-6-finale
Image via HBO