Jon Snow Didn't Give Ghost a Good Boy Pat Because of Budget

Ghost, Westeros' best good boy, deserved better.

Earlier this week, the fourth episode of Game of Thrones' final season aired and it was basically a mammoth-battle-aftermath party.

**Minor Season 8 spoilers ahead. Ye be warned.**

While we mostly guessed who survived the Battle of Winterfell by the end of the third episode, there were some fan favourites up in the air like Jon Snow's runt direwolf, Ghost.

The good news was that, despite some injuries, Ghost was alive and well in Winterfell. The bad news? Jon Snow sends him north with Tormund without even a head scratch goodbye.

Forget Westeros' Starbucks, the internet was rightfully disappointed with Ghost's treatment.

Ghost lost a ear in the battle and Jon couldn’t even pet him goodbye, wtf is that?! #gameofthrones pic.twitter.com/dC3CmLTIGf
— Ruke Loshaj (@rukeloshaj) May 6, 2019

my only GoT commentary for the night is that i cried over ghost and jon’s goodbye and jon couldn’t even like, pet him, so i’m chill w job dying now
— Rosemary Donahue (@rosadona) May 6, 2019

Ghost hearing he has to go North because the CGI budget deported him#GameofThrones #DemThrones pic.twitter.com/wj1JDyBx90
— Adnān Stark (@idooleyi) May 6, 2019

#GameofThrones
Jon: can I pet Ghost?

HBO CGI Budget: No.

Jon: pic.twitter.com/iAtSLlt0iy
— K I T (@imcoleperaja) May 6, 2019

Last episode a dead giant picked up Lyanna Mormont https://t.co/LDVziLybac
— ☕netw3rk (@netw3rk) May 7, 2019

“We couldn’t have Jon pet Ghost cuz we blew our CGI budget on the blood spraying out of Rheagal’s throat. And Starbucks.”
— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) May 7, 2019

Facing the internet's hellstorm, HBO was forced to offer an explanation.

The episode's director, David Nutter, told Huffington Post UK that a direwolf head pat, on a show with dragons and giants, was just too damn expensive.

"Since the direwolves are kind of CG creations, we felt it best to keep it as simple as possible," Nutter explained.

"And I think that it played out much more powerfully that way.

"Keeping Ghost off to the side, I thought that played out better.

"Then he just walks off by himself, he turns to Ghost and has this moment with Ghost that I thought was very, very powerful."