‘Game of Thrones’ EPs Explain Why They Brought Gendry Back

WARNING: Major spoilers ahead for the latest episode of Game of Thrones! Read at your own risk…

Of the many thrilling moments that went down in Sunday’s episode of Game of Thrones, one of the most highly anticipated scenes was the return of Gendry. The showrunners for the HBO series revealed that the fifth episode, titled “Eastwatch,” was the ideal time to interject Robert Baratheon’s bastard back into the storyline.

“Gendry played an important part in the lives of more than one main character in the show. It wasn’t so much of a question about whether to bring him back as it was how to bring it back,” D.B. Weiss said during a GOT “Inside the Episode” spot.

“Given the relationship he had to Davos in Season 3, and we ended up with a situation where Davos was the only way Tyrion was going to get to King’s Landing to do what he needed to do. We realized that Davos could either be sitting, waiting by the boat, twiddling his thumbs. Or he could go look for the guy who ended up being almost like a surrogate son to him. His role just took shape from there,” he said.

When Davos, Gendry, and Tyrion return from King’s Landing at Dragonstone, Davos warns Gendry not to reveal his true identity to anyone. Going against Davos’ advice, Gendry immediately explains to Jon Snow that he is the bastard of Robert Baratheon and that their fathers were allies and friends.

Weiss continued by saying: “He’s not going to lie to Jon about who he is, especially when telling him the truth could help him be a part of things which is something he’s probably wanted for the past three or four years.”

In their first meeting, it’s evident that Jon Snow and Gendry have an immediate connection.

“Gendry is a little bit like Jon. I think it’s part of the reason they start to like each other relatively quickly,” executive producer David Benioff said. “[Gendry] just wants to be honest and he’s meeting this young man he’s never met before who is quite powerful, he’s the King in the North. But also, they are both bastard sons of powerful men who were friends with each other.”

Joe Dempsie, the English actor who portrays Gendry, has opened up about what it was like to return to GOT after several years. Read what Dempsie had to say here.