Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik on episode 6's game-changing shakeup: Here's why it happened, and why the 'Game of Thrones' prequel has embraced a “slow burn” first season.

It was a daring move, yet not entirely without precedent: Netflix’s The Crown has similar time jumps and cast changes … just not after only five episodes of the show’s debut season. .

“I’m excited about the pace and the structure of the story that we’re telling in the first season,” Condal told The Hollywood Reporter.

It happens over a long period of time because children need to get married off and then grow up themselves and then have children of their own who grow up in order to tell the story of this generational war that is fought.

HBO gave [showrunner Miguel Sapochnik] the creative latitude to tell this incredibly complex story in a really patient and character-driven way that sets up a first season so that it launches you into one of the most famous and bloody conflicts in the history of Westeros — if not the most.”.

“Most other places would not have had the patience and boldness to allow us to tell the story we’re telling.

We’re telling a story of a generational war

Asked if they were concerned if fans — or the network — would get begin antsy around episode 4 given the amount of groundwork being laid, the showrunners said they felt confident their approach would ultimately reward fans

The season’s biggest time jump happened Sunday night, with episode 6 opening with Emma D’Arcy (30 years old) and Olivia Cooke (28) having taken over the female lead roles of Rhaenyra and Alicent from Milly Alcock (22) and Emily Carey (19), respectively

Very soon, for example, Alicent’s son Aegon becomes older than Alicent in the show’s first episode