After the Game of Thrones showrunners noted in a DVD commentary that a head on a pike resembled that of the forty-third President of the United States, a huge controversy ensued.  HBO apologized, pulled the episode from its online archive, and halted shipments of the First Season DVD (see "Apologies For President’s Head on a Pike").  Now the premium cable net has put the episode back online with the visage on the head on the pike considerably altered.

 

In the new revised scene (comparison photo via The Washington Post) the face of the beheaded victim has been radically altered and no longer bears any resemblance to George W. Bush. HBO has digitally removed much of the chin and made the nose smaller.

 

The producers of Game of Thrones apologized and emphasized that even on the commentary track the showrunners had noted "It was not a choice.  It’s not a political statement.  We just had to use whatever (prosthetic) head we had around."