'Game of Thrones' Showrunner Explains the Series' Most Recent Shocker

The series is starting to diverge from the books. Here's how.

ByABC News
May 25, 2015, 4:38 PM
Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister in "Game of Thrones."
Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister in "Game of Thrones."
HBO

— -- SPOILER ALERT: This article contains information about last night's episode of "Game of Thrones."

"Game of Thrones" may have noticed that last night's episode featured a scene that hasn't yet happened in the books.

Tyrion Lannister and Daenerys Targaryen finally came face-to-face.

“Creatively it made sense to us, because we wanted it to happen. They’re two of the best characters of the show. To have them come so close together this season then have them not meet felt incredibly frustrating," showrunner David Benioff told Entertainment Weekly. "Also, we’re on a relatively fast pace. We don’t want to do a 10-year adaptation of the books, we don’t want to do a nine-year adaptation. We’re not going to spend four seasons in Meereen. It’s time for these two to get together."

"It’s hard to come up with a more eloquent explanation, but this just felt right," he continued. "[Varys] puts Tyrion’s mission out there [in the season premiere] and the mission ends in Meereen.”

In the episode, the two characters meet in a pit, and will have their first conversation in next week's episode. Benioff said that some may find their meeting blasphemous, but he's "excited" by it.

"We can’t not do something because we’re afraid of the reaction," he said. "I like to think we’ve always done what’s in the best interest of the show and we hope most people agree.”