Winter is Coming: A Review of the Premiere Episode of Game of Thrones

Come for the beheading and stay for the sex. 

The advent of cable television has done wonders on the quality of programming over the past several years.  Since the inception of television, there has always been a constant tug of war between the art and the business side of producing shows. Many network stations opt to dumb down their shows to make them easier to digest and, in effect, cater to a bigger audience. Thankfully, cable television came in and provided the more discerning viewers with better alternatives. Many, if not most, hit shows in cable instead use sex and violence to sell their products while maintaining the quality of its art.

HBO’s Game of Thrones is one such production. It is one of the most anticipated series this year; having been based on the first book of George R. R. Martin’s popular “A Song of Ice and Fire” series.

Rundown

The episode opened somewhere near the Wall where a small team of Night Watch members was sent out to track wildlings. Instead, they encountered creatures they called “Whitewalkers.” The lone survivor of this encounter would later be captured as a deserter and beheaded later by Eddard Stark, the Lord of Winterfell in the north. Lord Stark is father to five northern children and a bastard by the name of Jon Snow.

Does this color make my eyes pop?

Lord Stark would be appointed by King Robert Baratheon to go back with him to the King’s Landing and be the Hand of the King, the top advisor and military commander of the realm. He replaces Jon Arryn who suffered an untimely death.

He avoided getting drunk first after that party

The episode introduced two groups of antagonists that would threaten King Robert’s rule. First is the Targaryens who are living in exile after their House has been displaced from the Iron Throne of Westeros by King Robert. Viserys would offer his sister Daenerys as bride to a warlord named Khal Drogo in exchange for the aid of the Dothraki army.

He's totally into you, girrrl!

 

The second group is the Lannisters. They are Queen Cersei, wife to the king, and her two brothers: the handsome Jaime and the dwarf Tyrion. Towards the end of the show, Lord Stark’s sister-in-law Lysa Arryn would inform them that she suspects that the Lannisters were the ones who killed Jon Arryn.

The twins are still into roughhousing as adults

Characters to watch out for

This early in the series, four characters appear to play key roles within their respective spheres. Lord Stark is the first. His journey to King’s Landing and his stint as the Hand of the King would be pivotal in revealing the enemies of the throne. Second is Jon Snow, Lord Stark’s bastard who is eager to join the Brotherhood of the Night Watch. Third is Daenerys, whose relationship with Viserys and Khal Drogo places her in a position to challenge King Robert. Finally, there is Tyrion, the dwarf who is the most crafty and astute of the Lannister siblings.

I did it myyyyyy waaaayyy ...

 

Notable performances by the cast

As for the cast, there are two noteworthy performances from the first episode. First is Sean Bean, who plays Lord Eddard Stark. After his stint as Boromir in the Lord of the Rings movies, he raises his nerd cred in this series playing the grim patriarch to the House of Stark who is also a loyal friend to the king. The second is Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister. You might remember him as the children’s story writer Miles Finch in the Will Ferrell’s Elf and as Trumpkin in Prince Caspian. This early, there are already talks of him being a favorite to win an Emmy for his role as the cunning and confident Tyrion.

Your hands are ice cold

Thoughts

The show is visually stunning. I strongly recommend that you watch it in high definition to fully appreciate the art and photography behind this project. The screenplay and editing is also solid. If you are a fan of the book series, the pilot episode provided for at least hints of major plot points in the book.

This series is already a must watch. Dubbed as “Sopranos in Middle Earth,” this show appeals to avid fans of the genre, the casual viewers and everyone in between. The quality of the production has thus far been hailed across the internets and this author cannot wait for the next installment.

She's right behind me, isn't she?