Jeremy Podeswa has been a regular fixture as a director on “Game of Thrones” since the show’s fifth season, capable of delivering both great spectacle and quieter moments. His supersized Season 7 finale featured both kinds of scenes in equal measure — a zombie dragon brought down the Wall with a blast of blue flame and there were several extended and conversation-heavy character confrontations. Mr. Podeswa shared which moments made him cry, which gave him chills and which provided the most headaches. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

[Ahead of the final season of “Game of Thrones,” relive it all with our ultimate watching guide, including episode recaps and deep plot dives.]

Littlefinger finally got his comeuppance. What was it like shooting his final moments, given that he goes through such a wide range of responses?

Aidan Gillen is such a great actor, and it was so nice to have an opportunity to work with him, even if it’s his last scene, because he had a tone that he’d never had before on the show. We see him for the first time truly desperate, fighting for his life, seeing the tables turned on him in a way that is so unexpected and epic. And Aidan just blew my mind, he was so moving. I actually was crying! On this show, all the characters can die at any time, but it’s how they go out that is such a big thing, and for him, it was great that he had this amazing scene to go out with.