Overview

• He says a large-scale battle was reduced from 17 to 11 minutes, with the action intercut with parallel lodge scenes to sustain momentum.
• Peripheral beats, including a townsman’s net-bomb sacrifice and flamethrower moments, were removed because early mass kills diluted the sense of danger.
• Guidance from showrunner Craig Mazin set a rule that every cut must propel the next beat, concentrating pressure on Tommy and Maria during the sequence.
• A pivotal early-season death was rebuilt repeatedly in the edit, with restrained scoring for Abby to prompt viewers to study her decisions rather than feel immediate sympathy.
• Shot design kept Ellie’s perspective central, using over-the-shoulder framing to maintain a visual link to another key character while preserving emotional distance.