When Game of Thrones initially was produced for HBO, the creators Dan Weiss and David Benioff set three ground rules for the show.
- No prophecies
- No dream
- No flashbacks
Those were the three rules that were set. The reason for this was explained by the Game of Thrones writer Bryan Cogman;
The principle reason for that is a logistical and budgetary one… We already had the biggest cast in, maybe, TV history. Casting an entire generation of players from twenty years prior would. . .We probably wouldn’t have had a season one if we did that.
The other reason is, that’s a perfect example of what works in a book that doesn’t work on TV.
This makes sense. The book series ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ consists a LOT of flashbacks down the memory line. There are entire chapters filled with just thoughts of different characters. None of these can be portrayed in the TV series very effectively. So that is why they three rules were set initially.
However as the series progressed it was vital that some of the scenes to be shown on TV. Mainly because they did very important role developing the characters and enriching the current situations. For an example the dreams of Bran. There are pages and pages of the weird ‘Three eyed-raven’ dreams in the books, and the three-eyed raven’s dreams are not just a dream, it is more of a calling for Bran. The three eyed raven appears in the fourth season where Bran meets him. So it was critical to show the dreams Bran has been having about it. That broke the rule of not showing dreams-it had to be broken.
The Game of Thrones Season 5 will break the flashbacks rule. It is associated with Cersei Lannister’s past. It would be interesting to see how the show will pull off the flashback-something unfamiliar to the GoT fandom. However the flashback scene will most likely be related to a character called ‘Maggy the Frog’ a fortune teller from Cersei’s childhood. A new actress has already been chosen for the role.
Another great thing about flashbacks is that we may get to see some of the beloved characters who have departed the series. Yes, Sean Bean…, a young Tywin Lannister? Also there could be new roles as well. So it is all exciting news when it comes to Game of Thrones Season 5, which will premier in April 2015.