Last week in Los Angeles, HBO threw its first party to celebrate what has become its signature show. It was a Game of Thrones extravaganza, with cast members mingling with lutists and jugglers, and superfans having their photos taken in rented cloaks and practicing their aim on toy crossbows. The next morning, I ventured far outside the Seven Kingdoms to the fancy Republic of West Hollywood — the sigil is a half-caf soy latte — to interview David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the two extremely talented, extremely hungover showrunners.

Though in desperate need of some milk of the poppy (I think they made do with fish tacos after I left), the two spoke candidly about their struggles to convince everyone, from author George R.R. Martin to themselves, that they were the right men to bring Thrones to life, despite having no previous experience in television. We also discussed the ways in which their jobs differ from those of a typical showrunner (frequent flier miles to Croatia are involved), the perils of smoke nephews, and why they expect the upcoming third season (debuting Sunday, March 31, at 9 p.m. ET) to be the most exciting one yet.

A note for the spoiler-averse: Like a Northman in a mud factory, there is nothing to be afraid of here, unless you had doubts about Sansa saying something in the season premiere.

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