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scifi_rewatchWelcome to my “Game of Thrones” episode reviews! Most of these I wrote during the original airing of season one, but this episode is in fact almost completely a re-write. I admit, this might be hard for me. Not so much because it’s been a year and I’m unfamiliar with the story, but because I’m too familiar with the story. :P Will be difficult to come at this with a newbie perspective, though I’ll try! But my reviews will have some spoilers from the books (mostly just pertaining to what the episode covers)and occasional thoughts about how each installment fits into the season as a whole.
The title of episode one, “Winter is Coming” refers to the official words of House Stark. Many noble houses in Westeros have words that boast their general awesomeness: “Ours if the fury,” “Hear me roar,” “Unbowed, unbent, unbroken.” In a promotional piece for the tv show, author George R. R. Martin talks about the significance of the Stark words—both literally, where seasons are of an unfixed length and winter, when it comes, is brutal; and metaphorically: “Winter is coming for all of us; in our own lives, there’s always times of darkness and death.” Consider that your warning about the atmosphere of this story, heh. Now under the cut!
OK, so I’m going to divvy up these reviews by location. It might make more sense later on when the majority of the cast is separated; it’s a good way to track the story, I find.
Beyond the Wall/Opening Credits
The opening scene is one of those rare, magical anchors. Despite being a fantasy series, the author and the show creators very much keep magic in the periphery, especially at the beginning of the story. But it’s a good hook to get fans invested, and remind us of the stakes in this land where, along with most characters, we’ll largely be distracted by political intrigues and warfare centered around the seat of power, the Iron Throne.
Specifically, we see three men in black ride into a snowy forest from a humongous, ice wall. They split up, and one finds some severely desiccated bodies and a little dead girl stabbed to a tree. He freaks out, but his companions aren’t too concerned when he tells them what’s up. The people who live in this snowy place are apparently always fighting. The older man wants to go back to the Wall because they did their job in tracking “the wildlings”—presumably the dead people. But the second guy thinks they should examine the bodies so they can give a full intel. The first guy is still very freaked. #2 says he can leave, but if he goes south he’ll be beheaded for being a deserter. So they go to the scene of the crime.
The bodies are gone when they get there! The three men paw around the snow a bit, and soon enough they come up with a pair of bloody entrails. But before they can react much, a shadowy figure with bright blue eyes materializes behind #2 and kills him. The other men and the horses run, but as the scared boy watches, the older guy is beheaded by the shadowy figure in one, swift stroke.
A quick note on the opening credits…when first I saw them, I didn’t like them, a fact that shames me now, because they’re awesome! At the time, I think I was put off by the “steampunk” feel, since this is a medieval fantasy, after all. But now I’m just head over heels for the artistry, the informative nature (where are we going this episode?) and the sweeping soundtrack. In fact, this opening has won some awards and fans from all over have made appreciation videos. So my bad!
Winterfell: Before Robert’s Arrival
Winterfell, the northern-most kingdom in Westeros, is my favorite location since the Starks are my favorite family. Here are some of my feelings from watching the premiere in April 2011:
I miss their carefree life. :(
But the show must go on! I’ll start at the beheading scene, where the boy from beyond the wall is captured and brought to Eddard Stark, the Warden of the North, to be executed. Ned brings three of his sons to witness this—the youngest, Bran, is coming for the first time. The boy, before his head is put on the chopping block, asserts that he saw the White Walkers (those shadowy creatures, referred to as The Others in the books,) and that people need to know. But he’s broken his oath, which costs him his life. Jon, standing behind Bran, tells him not to look away. Robb, standing in front due to his position as heir to Winterfell, leads Bran away after. Touching brotherly moments, people.
Ned goes to Bran later to explain “the lesson” behind all of this…the reason why Ned himself killed the boy. “The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword.” They also talk briefly about White Walkers; Ned says the creatures haven’t been seen for thousands of years. So was the boy lying? Bran wants to know. “A mad man sees what he sees.” Yup, your basic public opinion about magic beyond the Wall. Though one thing I wish that carried over from the book is the conversation they had about bravery. Bran and Ned agree that the only time a man can be brave is when he is afraid. Good advice for later.
The Starks and their retainers ride off, andthey come across the body of a stag. One of the members of the household (Theon, we’ll learn later,) wonders if a mountain lion killed it, to which Ned responds worriedly “there are no mountain lions in these woods.” This entire scene is a metaphor that will become more obvious at the end of the season, but for now I’ll shush. :P
The “mountain lion” left another dead body as well—that of a direwolf. This startles the Starks as well because there are no direwolves south of the Wall anymore. More pressing is the fact that five pups are still nestling around their dead mother. Jon gives one to Bran to hold, but Ned decides it’s best to give them a quick death. “They won’t survive without their mother.”More metaphors. Over Bran’s pleas, Jon urges “Lord Stark” to reconsider, reminding him that the direwolf is the sidgil of his house. There are five pups and five Stark children (the book goes further to highlight that there are three boys and two girls as well.) Ned agrees, and Robb and Theon gather the remaining pups. When Bran asks Jon why he shouldn’t get one, too, Jon reminds him “I’m not a Stark.” But sure enough, they find another direwolf pup—white instead of gray, and with red eyes—who was kicked out of the group, so Jon ends up with one as well!
Quick Foray into King’s Landing
Bells ring, and inside an ornate hall, women perform religious rituals over the body of an old man. From above, Cersei Lannister watches. A man of age with her approaches and says “As your brother I think it’s my duty to warn you—you worry too much. It’s starting to show.” Cersei is concerned that the man, Jon Arryn, might have told someone, like her husband, a secret. Her brother, Jaime, shrugs it off—“if he did, both of our heads would be skewered to the city gate by now.” He predicts that Cersei’s husband, the King, will choose a new Hand (a high advisory position) and go back to “fucking boars and hunting whores. Or is it the other way ‘round?” Cersei wants him to take the job, but Jaime refuses. He doesn’t have the stomach for politics and early death.
Winterfell: Robert’s Arrival
And we’re back! The plot in King’s Landing has officially caught up with Winterfell. Catelyn Tully Stark goes to see her husband, who is cleaning his sword at a peaceful river in front of a red-leaved tree. It’s a nice reference to the book; Ned goes to “the godswood” to reflect quietly after killing a man. Cat says she still feels like an outsider here, but Ned points out that she has five northern children, so she belongs. “I wonder if the old gods would agree,” Cat remarks. “It’s your gods with all the rules,” Ned replies. …can I just say, as an interfaith kid, I love this interaction? But now back to the important stuff. :P
A raven came from King’s Landing—Jon Arryn is dead. Ned looks shell shocked and Cat continues, “I know he was like a father to you.” More importantly, however, is that the king and much of the court is riding to Winterfell. “If he’s coming this far north…there’s only one thing he wants,” Ned grouses. Methinks we can assume it has to do with this Hand business. “You can always say no, Ned,” Cat advises. (The first major change from the book! At first original Cat wanted him to take the job because it would be good news for their family.)
In an added scene Cat and one of her household staff, Maester Luwin, talk about one of their incoming guests—Tyrion. Cat says candles must be brought to his room; “I told he reads all night.” “I’m told he drinks all night,” Luwin replies. “How much could he possibly drink? A man of his—stature.” :P Soon you’ll realize the cuteness of those play-on-words. It’s an interesting semi-introduction to Tyrion, hee.
The boys are getting haircuts to prepare. Jon complains about why Catelyn wants them to get “gussied up” for the royal family, and the guys (plus Theon) talk about what a prick the crown prince, Joffrey, is reputed to be. “Imagine all the southern girls he gets to stab with his right royal prick,” Theon says and Robb laughs before mocking his brother for being too attached to his hair. General teen-boyish behavior here.
Bran is watching the King’s entourage come—from on top of the castle. He skips along merrily and starts climbing down. Catelyn, who is passing by, remarks on how big his direwolf is getting, before scolding him for climbing. It’s dangerous… :-/
But in the meantime, the king is a-comiiin! Arya, hidden behind a metal helmet, pushes her way through the small folk of Winterfell to get a better look. The audience can also get a look at all the cool costuming. Back in front of the castle, the family and familial staff are all lined up accordingly, and Arya has to run to get there in time. Ned admonishes her lightly for wearing the helmet, then she gets in place, by age, in between Sansa and Bran. Pageantry, pageantry, pageantry…Joffrey enters, on horseback next to a knight with a hound-shaped mask. Robb, standing beside her, notices Sansa making eyes at him, and doesn’t look too pleased about it. Step up, older bro! :-/ Joff and some white-hooded knights are followed by a carriage…and finally, the king. Everyone kneels as Robert Baratheon gets off his horse. A poultry man, his first words to Ned are “you got fat.” :P
He has a comment for each of Ned’s kids (save Jon, who is standing in the back with Theon and the rest of the household) and then Cersei (plus her ladies-in-waiting and two younger children) comes out of the carriage. She approaches Ned with a stiff smile and they have an awkward moment. Made worse by the fact that Robert wants to go down to the crypts right away…turns out the real love of his life, Ned’s sister Lyanna, is interned down there. Arya, meanwhile, has been whispering silly questions to Sansa the whole time, earning embarrassed reproaches from her sister. It’s a good scene—introduces the audience to some of the characters and establishes the pre-adolescent relationship between the sisters (though I found it too bratty for my tastes. :P) When Arya asks “where’s the Imp?” Cersei returns to Jaime, who is also a white knight, and demands that he finds their other brother, “the little beast.” Kudos all around for how seamlessly they introduce characters and relationships here.
In the crypts, Ned and Robert talk briefly about Jon Arryn, the man who fostered the pair of them. Robert says whatever killed him burned right through him; it was sudden. He recalls how Arryn tried to teach his 16-year-old self to do more than just “crack skulls and fuck girls” but Robert never listened. Now Arryn needs to be replaced in King’s Landing, and Robert wants Ned to take the job. Aka “I want you to rule my kingdom while I eat, drink and whore myself to an early grave.”Self-fulfilling prophecies? :-“ They should have been family, aka he was supposed to marry Lyanna before she died. Instead, they’ll join their houses through Sansa and Joffrey, Robert proposes.
“The Imp,” aka Tyrion Lannister, is busy in a whorehouse. He’s a dwarf (see Catelyn’s play on words? :P), not because of something magical; just plain, ol’ luck. Or perhaps lack thereof. :-/ The whore, a tv original named Ros, introduces more backstory by teasing him over the fact that the queen is in town with her handsome, twin brother. The other brother doesn’t have such a great reputation—lecherous, whoring… but Ros is charming him and they’re having fun in the sack until Jaime enters. “Our sister craves your attention.” “She has odd cravings, our sister.” Lannisters are a little freaky. :P But actually, Jamie wants Tyrion around as well. “The Starks are feasting us at sundown. Don’t leave me alone with these people.” In order to sate Tyrion’s sexual appetite, he invites more girls in. Yeah…it kinda feels like a Hugh Hefner fantasy. :P
Dinner at Winterfell has come and lots is going on. Catelyn readies Sansa by brushing her hair, a touching detail they took out of the books. Let me just say…I may be unfairly harsh on actress Sophie Turner from time to time. :-/ Sansa is my favorite character (see icon) and she is ridiculously polarized by this fandom as it is. They aged her up from 11 to 13 on the show, and I think some of Sophie’s choices were a conscious effort to make her more age-appropriate. But..I dunno. *flails* Sansa in the books was a little more openly naïve and optimistic, whereas tv Sansa slips into bratty whininess more often. But again, this is all very nitpicky. In terms of the story, it works.
Sansa is mooning quietly over Joffrey, which Catelyn sighs athonestly, Cat, instruct your daughter, plz! “When will we be married; soon or will we have to wait?” Sansa presses. “Your father hasn’t even said yes yet,” Catelyn reminds her. This confuses the girl—becoming Hand of the King will make him the second most powerful man in the kingdom. “And I’ll be queen some day.” Cat points out that both of them will have to leave home. “You left your home to come here,” Sansa replies before continuing to beg her mother. …I think this scene falls a little short because Sansa’s attitudes actually align with adult attitudes in this medieval setting (book Catelyn is still keen on Ned to do this for these very reasons.) I suppose they’re trying to streamline the story a little bit and point out Sansa’s girlish desperation for a fairy tale life.
Jon is also being a little bratty, but given the circumstances most of the audience can identify with him or at least feel pity. His Uncle Benjen rides up to him as he’s stabbing the stuffing out of a dummy. :P “Lady Stark thought it would be an insult to the royal family to seat a bastard in their midst,” he said. (In the book he was just seated at a different table, and got pissed drunk in his melancholy. Also, this is our first official explanation as to Jon’s strange and scandalous parentage.) Benjen points out something rather stupid; he lives at the Wall, and says bastards are always welcome there. Then, when Jon pleads for him to intercede with Ned so that he can go, Benjen reneges. :P It’s a hard life up there, away from all civilization. One of the oaths about becoming a brother of the Night’s Watch is that you can father no children. Jon says he doesn’t care, and he’s ready to go NOW. Benjen gently excuses himself from the situation and promises they’ll talk later.
Enter Tyrion! Jon guesses that he’s the king’s brother (aka what are you doing out here?) and the Imp names Jon as “Ned Stark’s bastard.” Jon stalks away at that, but Tyrion draws out the fact that Cat isn’t his mother, as if we needed more reminders. He imparts some advice—don’t run from who you are. “Wear it like armor. Then no one will be able to use it to hurt you.” He starts to walk away. “What the hell would you know about being a bastard?” Jon challenges, leading Tyrion to turn back and remark “all dwarves are bastards in their fathers’ eyes.” Awesome moment here between these two great actors (and fan favorite characters,) if slightly resembling a pity party. :P
Inside, Benjen has made his way to Ned. “Of course” he knew the boy who Ned beheaded; he was a tough guy, not likely to run from trouble. “He was talking madness,” Ned grouses. They talk in general terms about White Walkers, wildling attacks…Ned becoming Hand of the King. All sounds like bad news in their book; “Winter is Coming.” Robb interrupts to give Uncle Benjen a hug; random family moments ftw.
Cersei is watching her husband fondle a serving wench, so Cat attempts to have an awkward conversation with her. She’s saved by the arrival of Sansa, who smiles prettily at the queen. “Hello, little dove,” Cersei says in a kindly voice that I’m still in love with…seriously, Lena Headey, will you be my friend? *puppy dog eyes* She calls Sansa beautiful and tall…and then poses the question of menstruation. Sansa gives her mother a worried look before answering in the negativethank the gods. And then, seamlessly, the queen brings the conversation back to Sansa’s pretty dress. :P “Such a talent. You must make something for me.” When Sansa leaves Cersei remarks to Catelyn “I hear we may share a grandchild someday.” She continues that Sansa really should come south with them. “Such a beauty can’t stay hidden up here forever.” Our young beauty, meanwhile, has made it back to her seat, where she giggles with other girls and looks up to the prince. Joffrey gives her the most cannibalistic smile I’ve ever seen, but maybe that’s just because I know the character. :-“
Jaime, meanwhile, deliberately bumps into Ned. I love how Sean Bean plays it off so effortlessly that Ned wants to get the hell away. Jaime is mostly interested in Ned’s physical skill; new competition in tourneys. “I don’t fight in tournaments…because when I fight a man for real, I don’t want him to know what I can do.” Sheesh, Ned, strut it! Though there is some criticism about making TV Ned a better fighter than he should be, just for the “good vs evil” match up. In the books, Ned is a decent soldier…but Jaime is something else.
Final scene from the dinner: simple, little family moments. Arya, that mischievous little creature, flicks some food at Sansa from a few tables away. Sansa whines that her dress is ruined…Cat, observing from above, arches her eyebrow at her laughing eldest son. He takes the hint and prods Arya off to bed. *sigh* …I think we’re all getting the picture now that the Starks will separate soon. :-/ Really glad the writers thought to add this in.
The Lord and Lady Stark are sharing a tender moment in bed. Leaving the north is the furthest thing from Ned’s mind. “I belong here with you, not in that rat’s nest they call a capital,” he tells his wife. The two of them joke mildly about Robert’s size, aided by his dieting habits, before they are interrupted by somber news. :-/ Maester Luwin has a message from Cat’s sister/Arryn’s widow Lysa. Cat reads it, then immediately goes to burn it. “She says Jon Arryn was murdered,” she tells Ned and Luwin. “She says the Lannisters were involved.” This is the moment in the book when Cat changes her mind about the Hand of the King thing. It’s too dangerous! But Luwin’s advice is if the Lannisters are trying to take the throne, who better to protect Robert than Ned? Plus, sworn oaths and all that. “He spent half his life fighting in Robert’s wars,” Cat says; nice bit of history there. I love the way they angled this shot, with Ned’s pained face in the foreground….Cat and Luwin like the bits of conscience on his two shoulders. I also like that Ned’s chest is covered with scars. Oh, to be a man in the medieval ages. :P
In the morning, after we hear Sandor Clegane/The Hound (we’ll learn more about him next eppy) and Tyrion share japes about “hunting” for sex, Robert tells Ned that he’s glad he accepted the Hand offer. “Maybe you’ll stop looking so fucking grim all the time.” What a pal. The Men are going hunting. Robb, Benjen, and others are with them. Ned nods to Bran across the yard before he goes. The boy’s direwolf is nipping at his feet, and off they go to…get into trouble. :-/
Some of my original thoughts about the end of the episode, aka Jaime throwing Bran from a window after he witnesses the royal twins having sex.
…not the end of this ridiculously long review, though.
Pentos
Let’s not forget the Targaryen siblings! Robert alludes to them briefly in the crypts as he moons over his lost love. “In my dreams, I kill him every night,” he tells Ned. “The Targaryens are gone,” Ned reminds him. “Not all of them,” Robert replies grimly. Hmm…what’s that about?
A young woman in a silky gown overlooks an ocean setting. A man, with her white-blonde hair, calls out her name, and presents “a gift from Illyrio,” another silken dress to wear at her wedding. The girl, Daenerys, is wary; “we’ve been his guests for over a year and he hasn’t asked us for anything.” Viserys blows it off; he knows he’ll be rewarded once V gets his throne back. For now, Viserys is focused on the wedding. He slips the old dress off his sister and caresses her boob in a decidedly unfraternal fashion…except if you come from a “pure” bloodline like the Targaryens or your name is Lannister, perhaps. :P He tells Dany he needs her to be perfect today. “You don’t want to wake the dragon, do you?” A cowed Dany says no. Viserys leaves her to slow-mo into her bath. “It’s too hot, my lady!” a servant cries out. When I watched this with my friend, she rolled her eyes at the obvious self-effacing nature of the walk. But it was also in there to hint to the fact that Dany survives hot temperatures. That’s more important than it sounds. :-“
Later, wearing the new dress, Dany waits with Viserys and Illyrio in front of their elaborate manse for “The Dothraki.” A tribe of Dothraki arrive on horses. Illyrio officially introduces Viserys and Daenerys to the Dothraki and the audience, claiming that V is the rightful king of Westeros. As he continues to talk to the horse lords in the Dothraki language, Viserys whispers more exposition to Dany about how the leader, Khal Drogo, has a long braid because he’s never been defeated in battle. “And you will be his queen,” he says gleefully.
Illyrio invites Daenerys to come down. She walks slowly towards him and Drogo, obviously terrified (kudos, Emilia Clarke, kudos, kudos!) Drogo looks her over briefly before leaving abruptly with his posse. Viserys is stunned. “He didn’t say anything; did he like her?” “Trust me, Your Grace,” Illyrio responds. “If he didn’t like her, we’d know.”
Later, the three of them look out over the sea. Illyrio is promising V that soon he’ll be able to take back Westeros; the common folk are sewing dragon banners and eagerly awaiting his return. V, meanwhile, is impatiently awaiting Dany’s wedding. Should happen soon, Illyrio promises. “The Dothraki never stay still for long.” The plan is for Viserys to give Drogo Dany and Drogo to give Viserys an army. V is remarkably pleased with himself over this feat.
Dany…not so much. “I don’t want to be his queen,” she timidly tells her brother. “I want to go home.” In the books, “home” is a place in one of the free cities on Essos where she lived as a child in exile with Viserys and a knight who spirited them away from Westeros when her father was deposed. Would have been some nice detail. To Viserys, of course, “home” is Westeros. “How do we get home, sweet sister?” he asks. “With Khal Drogo’s army.” Then caressing her cheek, he says he would have let all the Dothraki fuck her “and their horses too” if he could get an army out of the deal. That’s even more gross than the breast groping from before. X(
So Dany and Drogo are married. There’s lots of feasting on bloody meat and lots of undulating dancing, plus sex and violence. “A Dothraki wedding without at least three deaths is considered a dull affair,” Illyrio tells Viserys. At least it gets V to shut up about wanting to plan the invasion ASAP. People are offering Dany all sorts of strange gifts, like snakes. Then a Westerosi man, Ser Jorah, whom Drogo knows, approaches and introduces himself in the common tongue. (Fun fact: he’s from the north! Stark land!) He’s brought her books of history about Westeros. “Gods be good I’ll always serve the rightful king,” he tells Viserys. Suck up. :P
But who offers an even better gift? Illyrio. They’re dragon’s eggs from the far far east. Mysterious music plays as Daenerys inspects these eggs, which the ages have turned to stone. Dragons…magic…more on that later. :P Suffice to say the dragon is the sidgil of the Targaryen House, so Dany getting these eggs is kinda like the Stark kids getting direwolves.
Drogo stands so Dany must follow. He leads her to an absolutely beautiful, white horse whom Dany calls “her silver” in the books (Dothraki don’t name animals.) There’s something about the music and the cinematography that makes the image of Dany stroking her horse so beautiful to me. She turns to Jorah and says she doesn’t know how to say “thank you” in Dothraki. “There is no word for ‘thank you’ in Dothraki,” Jorah replies. I love this little detail…because the show actually hired someone to make up the Dothraki language, and based on the culture…well, there are no words for “thank you.” :P
Anywho, Drogo helps her onto the horse, and now it’s time to consummate their marriage, out in the open and under the sky, as is the Dothraki way. Viserys comes over to threaten Dany with “make him happy.” Yeah…wonderful compassion to show when forcing your sister into sex. X( And now here comes what might be the most controversial scene in the series thus far! The “rape scene.”
In the book, though Dany is terrified at first, Drogo goes slow and even tries to pleasure her a little as he’s pleasuring himself. So by the time they consummate anything, she actually wants it. (I’m on the fence about the believability of that, personally. :-/) Anywho, in the show, Drogo is kind of gentle, but Dany certainly doesn’t want it. They cut away as he pushes her, doggy style, to the ground, so yeah. There’s no way this is a “happy” coupling.
Drogo has a little bit of a cult following, and this editing decision really pissed off some fans. Personally…well, I think it’s probably better this way. We’re a 21st century audience. Even if she did enjoy herself at the end, she was forced into a child marriage against her will (she’s the main reason they had to age up the characters on the tv show.) And later, even in the book, the sex gets brutal again. If we’re going to create a show about women in a patriarchal, war-based society, we should probably be honest about how shitty it was to be sexually oppressed.
Anywho, Dany’s story does ultimately move on from this point, which I will cover in coming episodes. For now, a closing thought from April, 2011 about the character of Viserys:
…wow. I can’t believe this is even longer than some of my original reviews! I sure do love to ramble about this story. :P I hope it was informative—or at least of interest—to my audience!
___
The title of episode one, “Winter is Coming” refers to the official words of House Stark. Many noble houses in Westeros have words that boast their general awesomeness: “Ours if the fury,” “Hear me roar,” “Unbowed, unbent, unbroken.” In a promotional piece for the tv show, author George R. R. Martin talks about the significance of the Stark words—both literally, where seasons are of an unfixed length and winter, when it comes, is brutal; and metaphorically: “Winter is coming for all of us; in our own lives, there’s always times of darkness and death.” Consider that your warning about the atmosphere of this story, heh. Now under the cut!
OK, so I’m going to divvy up these reviews by location. It might make more sense later on when the majority of the cast is separated; it’s a good way to track the story, I find.
Beyond the Wall/Opening Credits
The opening scene is one of those rare, magical anchors. Despite being a fantasy series, the author and the show creators very much keep magic in the periphery, especially at the beginning of the story. But it’s a good hook to get fans invested, and remind us of the stakes in this land where, along with most characters, we’ll largely be distracted by political intrigues and warfare centered around the seat of power, the Iron Throne.
Specifically, we see three men in black ride into a snowy forest from a humongous, ice wall. They split up, and one finds some severely desiccated bodies and a little dead girl stabbed to a tree. He freaks out, but his companions aren’t too concerned when he tells them what’s up. The people who live in this snowy place are apparently always fighting. The older man wants to go back to the Wall because they did their job in tracking “the wildlings”—presumably the dead people. But the second guy thinks they should examine the bodies so they can give a full intel. The first guy is still very freaked. #2 says he can leave, but if he goes south he’ll be beheaded for being a deserter. So they go to the scene of the crime.
The bodies are gone when they get there! The three men paw around the snow a bit, and soon enough they come up with a pair of bloody entrails. But before they can react much, a shadowy figure with bright blue eyes materializes behind #2 and kills him. The other men and the horses run, but as the scared boy watches, the older guy is beheaded by the shadowy figure in one, swift stroke.
A quick note on the opening credits…when first I saw them, I didn’t like them, a fact that shames me now, because they’re awesome! At the time, I think I was put off by the “steampunk” feel, since this is a medieval fantasy, after all. But now I’m just head over heels for the artistry, the informative nature (where are we going this episode?) and the sweeping soundtrack. In fact, this opening has won some awards and fans from all over have made appreciation videos. So my bad!
Winterfell: Before Robert’s Arrival
Winterfell, the northern-most kingdom in Westeros, is my favorite location since the Starks are my favorite family. Here are some of my feelings from watching the premiere in April 2011:
The first scenes in Westeros are very dear to me (and I will treasure them more and more as the series progresses. :-/) I love how we got Ned and Cat watching and cheering Bran on with their parental affection. I love how Jon showed immediately that he was part of the family (encouraging Bran himself, mentioning “Father…and your mother” just to show you something was a little off,) and Robb was slightly stiff and commanding with the heir to his position as first born. I loved the girls…sweet, hardworking Sansa showing off her needlepoint, Arya’s clear discomfort and envy, followed by a stellar performance at Bran’s target practice. :P Such a nice, family dynamic the Starks had…save of course for Cat and Jon. (Glad they showed that tension as well.) But alas, what can you do.
I miss their carefree life. :(
But the show must go on! I’ll start at the beheading scene, where the boy from beyond the wall is captured and brought to Eddard Stark, the Warden of the North, to be executed. Ned brings three of his sons to witness this—the youngest, Bran, is coming for the first time. The boy, before his head is put on the chopping block, asserts that he saw the White Walkers (those shadowy creatures, referred to as The Others in the books,) and that people need to know. But he’s broken his oath, which costs him his life. Jon, standing behind Bran, tells him not to look away. Robb, standing in front due to his position as heir to Winterfell, leads Bran away after. Touching brotherly moments, people.
Ned goes to Bran later to explain “the lesson” behind all of this…the reason why Ned himself killed the boy. “The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword.” They also talk briefly about White Walkers; Ned says the creatures haven’t been seen for thousands of years. So was the boy lying? Bran wants to know. “A mad man sees what he sees.” Yup, your basic public opinion about magic beyond the Wall. Though one thing I wish that carried over from the book is the conversation they had about bravery. Bran and Ned agree that the only time a man can be brave is when he is afraid. Good advice for later.
The Starks and their retainers ride off, andthey come across the body of a stag. One of the members of the household (Theon, we’ll learn later,) wonders if a mountain lion killed it, to which Ned responds worriedly “there are no mountain lions in these woods.” This entire scene is a metaphor that will become more obvious at the end of the season, but for now I’ll shush. :P
The “mountain lion” left another dead body as well—that of a direwolf. This startles the Starks as well because there are no direwolves south of the Wall anymore. More pressing is the fact that five pups are still nestling around their dead mother. Jon gives one to Bran to hold, but Ned decides it’s best to give them a quick death. “They won’t survive without their mother.”
Quick Foray into King’s Landing
Bells ring, and inside an ornate hall, women perform religious rituals over the body of an old man. From above, Cersei Lannister watches. A man of age with her approaches and says “As your brother I think it’s my duty to warn you—you worry too much. It’s starting to show.” Cersei is concerned that the man, Jon Arryn, might have told someone, like her husband, a secret. Her brother, Jaime, shrugs it off—“if he did, both of our heads would be skewered to the city gate by now.” He predicts that Cersei’s husband, the King, will choose a new Hand (a high advisory position) and go back to “fucking boars and hunting whores. Or is it the other way ‘round?” Cersei wants him to take the job, but Jaime refuses. He doesn’t have the stomach for politics and early death.
Winterfell: Robert’s Arrival
And we’re back! The plot in King’s Landing has officially caught up with Winterfell. Catelyn Tully Stark goes to see her husband, who is cleaning his sword at a peaceful river in front of a red-leaved tree. It’s a nice reference to the book; Ned goes to “the godswood” to reflect quietly after killing a man. Cat says she still feels like an outsider here, but Ned points out that she has five northern children, so she belongs. “I wonder if the old gods would agree,” Cat remarks. “It’s your gods with all the rules,” Ned replies. …can I just say, as an interfaith kid, I love this interaction? But now back to the important stuff. :P
A raven came from King’s Landing—Jon Arryn is dead. Ned looks shell shocked and Cat continues, “I know he was like a father to you.” More importantly, however, is that the king and much of the court is riding to Winterfell. “If he’s coming this far north…there’s only one thing he wants,” Ned grouses. Methinks we can assume it has to do with this Hand business. “You can always say no, Ned,” Cat advises. (The first major change from the book! At first original Cat wanted him to take the job because it would be good news for their family.)
In an added scene Cat and one of her household staff, Maester Luwin, talk about one of their incoming guests—Tyrion. Cat says candles must be brought to his room; “I told he reads all night.” “I’m told he drinks all night,” Luwin replies. “How much could he possibly drink? A man of his—stature.” :P Soon you’ll realize the cuteness of those play-on-words. It’s an interesting semi-introduction to Tyrion, hee.
The boys are getting haircuts to prepare. Jon complains about why Catelyn wants them to get “gussied up” for the royal family, and the guys (plus Theon) talk about what a prick the crown prince, Joffrey, is reputed to be. “Imagine all the southern girls he gets to stab with his right royal prick,” Theon says and Robb laughs before mocking his brother for being too attached to his hair. General teen-boyish behavior here.
Bran is watching the King’s entourage come—from on top of the castle. He skips along merrily and starts climbing down. Catelyn, who is passing by, remarks on how big his direwolf is getting, before scolding him for climbing. It’s dangerous… :-/
But in the meantime, the king is a-comiiin! Arya, hidden behind a metal helmet, pushes her way through the small folk of Winterfell to get a better look. The audience can also get a look at all the cool costuming. Back in front of the castle, the family and familial staff are all lined up accordingly, and Arya has to run to get there in time. Ned admonishes her lightly for wearing the helmet, then she gets in place, by age, in between Sansa and Bran. Pageantry, pageantry, pageantry…Joffrey enters, on horseback next to a knight with a hound-shaped mask. Robb, standing beside her, notices Sansa making eyes at him, and doesn’t look too pleased about it. Step up, older bro! :-/ Joff and some white-hooded knights are followed by a carriage…and finally, the king. Everyone kneels as Robert Baratheon gets off his horse. A poultry man, his first words to Ned are “you got fat.” :P
He has a comment for each of Ned’s kids (save Jon, who is standing in the back with Theon and the rest of the household) and then Cersei (plus her ladies-in-waiting and two younger children) comes out of the carriage. She approaches Ned with a stiff smile and they have an awkward moment. Made worse by the fact that Robert wants to go down to the crypts right away…turns out the real love of his life, Ned’s sister Lyanna, is interned down there. Arya, meanwhile, has been whispering silly questions to Sansa the whole time, earning embarrassed reproaches from her sister. It’s a good scene—introduces the audience to some of the characters and establishes the pre-adolescent relationship between the sisters (though I found it too bratty for my tastes. :P) When Arya asks “where’s the Imp?” Cersei returns to Jaime, who is also a white knight, and demands that he finds their other brother, “the little beast.” Kudos all around for how seamlessly they introduce characters and relationships here.
In the crypts, Ned and Robert talk briefly about Jon Arryn, the man who fostered the pair of them. Robert says whatever killed him burned right through him; it was sudden. He recalls how Arryn tried to teach his 16-year-old self to do more than just “crack skulls and fuck girls” but Robert never listened. Now Arryn needs to be replaced in King’s Landing, and Robert wants Ned to take the job. Aka “I want you to rule my kingdom while I eat, drink and whore myself to an early grave.”
“The Imp,” aka Tyrion Lannister, is busy in a whorehouse. He’s a dwarf (see Catelyn’s play on words? :P), not because of something magical; just plain, ol’ luck. Or perhaps lack thereof. :-/ The whore, a tv original named Ros, introduces more backstory by teasing him over the fact that the queen is in town with her handsome, twin brother. The other brother doesn’t have such a great reputation—lecherous, whoring… but Ros is charming him and they’re having fun in the sack until Jaime enters. “Our sister craves your attention.” “She has odd cravings, our sister.” Lannisters are a little freaky. :P But actually, Jamie wants Tyrion around as well. “The Starks are feasting us at sundown. Don’t leave me alone with these people.” In order to sate Tyrion’s sexual appetite, he invites more girls in. Yeah…it kinda feels like a Hugh Hefner fantasy. :P
Dinner at Winterfell has come and lots is going on. Catelyn readies Sansa by brushing her hair, a touching detail they took out of the books. Let me just say…I may be unfairly harsh on actress Sophie Turner from time to time. :-/ Sansa is my favorite character (see icon) and she is ridiculously polarized by this fandom as it is. They aged her up from 11 to 13 on the show, and I think some of Sophie’s choices were a conscious effort to make her more age-appropriate. But..I dunno. *flails* Sansa in the books was a little more openly naïve and optimistic, whereas tv Sansa slips into bratty whininess more often. But again, this is all very nitpicky. In terms of the story, it works.
Sansa is mooning quietly over Joffrey, which Catelyn sighs at
Jon is also being a little bratty, but given the circumstances most of the audience can identify with him or at least feel pity. His Uncle Benjen rides up to him as he’s stabbing the stuffing out of a dummy. :P “Lady Stark thought it would be an insult to the royal family to seat a bastard in their midst,” he said. (In the book he was just seated at a different table, and got pissed drunk in his melancholy. Also, this is our first official explanation as to Jon’s strange and scandalous parentage.) Benjen points out something rather stupid; he lives at the Wall, and says bastards are always welcome there. Then, when Jon pleads for him to intercede with Ned so that he can go, Benjen reneges. :P It’s a hard life up there, away from all civilization. One of the oaths about becoming a brother of the Night’s Watch is that you can father no children. Jon says he doesn’t care, and he’s ready to go NOW. Benjen gently excuses himself from the situation and promises they’ll talk later.
Enter Tyrion! Jon guesses that he’s the king’s brother (aka what are you doing out here?) and the Imp names Jon as “Ned Stark’s bastard.” Jon stalks away at that, but Tyrion draws out the fact that Cat isn’t his mother, as if we needed more reminders. He imparts some advice—don’t run from who you are. “Wear it like armor. Then no one will be able to use it to hurt you.” He starts to walk away. “What the hell would you know about being a bastard?” Jon challenges, leading Tyrion to turn back and remark “all dwarves are bastards in their fathers’ eyes.” Awesome moment here between these two great actors (and fan favorite characters,) if slightly resembling a pity party. :P
Inside, Benjen has made his way to Ned. “Of course” he knew the boy who Ned beheaded; he was a tough guy, not likely to run from trouble. “He was talking madness,” Ned grouses. They talk in general terms about White Walkers, wildling attacks…Ned becoming Hand of the King. All sounds like bad news in their book; “Winter is Coming.” Robb interrupts to give Uncle Benjen a hug; random family moments ftw.
Cersei is watching her husband fondle a serving wench, so Cat attempts to have an awkward conversation with her. She’s saved by the arrival of Sansa, who smiles prettily at the queen. “Hello, little dove,” Cersei says in a kindly voice that I’m still in love with…seriously, Lena Headey, will you be my friend? *puppy dog eyes* She calls Sansa beautiful and tall…and then poses the question of menstruation. Sansa gives her mother a worried look before answering in the negative
Jaime, meanwhile, deliberately bumps into Ned. I love how Sean Bean plays it off so effortlessly that Ned wants to get the hell away. Jaime is mostly interested in Ned’s physical skill; new competition in tourneys. “I don’t fight in tournaments…because when I fight a man for real, I don’t want him to know what I can do.” Sheesh, Ned, strut it! Though there is some criticism about making TV Ned a better fighter than he should be, just for the “good vs evil” match up. In the books, Ned is a decent soldier…but Jaime is something else.
Final scene from the dinner: simple, little family moments. Arya, that mischievous little creature, flicks some food at Sansa from a few tables away. Sansa whines that her dress is ruined…Cat, observing from above, arches her eyebrow at her laughing eldest son. He takes the hint and prods Arya off to bed. *sigh* …I think we’re all getting the picture now that the Starks will separate soon. :-/ Really glad the writers thought to add this in.
The Lord and Lady Stark are sharing a tender moment in bed. Leaving the north is the furthest thing from Ned’s mind. “I belong here with you, not in that rat’s nest they call a capital,” he tells his wife. The two of them joke mildly about Robert’s size, aided by his dieting habits, before they are interrupted by somber news. :-/ Maester Luwin has a message from Cat’s sister/Arryn’s widow Lysa. Cat reads it, then immediately goes to burn it. “She says Jon Arryn was murdered,” she tells Ned and Luwin. “She says the Lannisters were involved.” This is the moment in the book when Cat changes her mind about the Hand of the King thing. It’s too dangerous! But Luwin’s advice is if the Lannisters are trying to take the throne, who better to protect Robert than Ned? Plus, sworn oaths and all that. “He spent half his life fighting in Robert’s wars,” Cat says; nice bit of history there. I love the way they angled this shot, with Ned’s pained face in the foreground….Cat and Luwin like the bits of conscience on his two shoulders. I also like that Ned’s chest is covered with scars. Oh, to be a man in the medieval ages. :P
In the morning, after we hear Sandor Clegane/The Hound (we’ll learn more about him next eppy) and Tyrion share japes about “hunting” for sex, Robert tells Ned that he’s glad he accepted the Hand offer. “Maybe you’ll stop looking so fucking grim all the time.” What a pal. The Men are going hunting. Robb, Benjen, and others are with them. Ned nods to Bran across the yard before he goes. The boy’s direwolf is nipping at his feet, and off they go to…get into trouble. :-/
Some of my original thoughts about the end of the episode, aka Jaime throwing Bran from a window after he witnesses the royal twins having sex.
And the final happy couple…twins Cersei and Jaime. :P Most people would be squicked out by this, but I’ll take the taboo road and say that I’m not. In fact, I’m kind of glad that Cersei and Jaime have each other. They are both rather villainous…Cersei is “power mad,” her actress called her, and Jaime is pretty soulless. But Cersei is trapped in a loveless marriage, where she watches her husband flirt up people right in front of her, and Jaime is the Kingslayer. Without him stabbing the Mad King in the back, Robert Baratheon and his ilk would not be enjoying power…but because this is a medieval worldview, he’s also viewed as a traitor for killing the king he was sworn to protect. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t, I guess. So if Jaime and Cersei want to find a little love and acceptance in a world where, despite their prodigious last name, they’re basically taken advantage of, then fine by me. Their incestuous love, honestly, is what’s most human about them.
Bran’s fall at the end could have been a little gorier. :P Ok, I need some professional help. My poor, sweet Bran. (So bittersweet that he got to share one, last look with Ned before it all went down. :( Also, kudos to the writers for including the fact that his direwolf, Summer, was trying to alert the boy to danger!) It’s the beginning of the end for the Starks. Winter is coming.
…not the end of this ridiculously long review, though.
Pentos
Let’s not forget the Targaryen siblings! Robert alludes to them briefly in the crypts as he moons over his lost love. “In my dreams, I kill him every night,” he tells Ned. “The Targaryens are gone,” Ned reminds him. “Not all of them,” Robert replies grimly. Hmm…what’s that about?
A young woman in a silky gown overlooks an ocean setting. A man, with her white-blonde hair, calls out her name, and presents “a gift from Illyrio,” another silken dress to wear at her wedding. The girl, Daenerys, is wary; “we’ve been his guests for over a year and he hasn’t asked us for anything.” Viserys blows it off; he knows he’ll be rewarded once V gets his throne back. For now, Viserys is focused on the wedding. He slips the old dress off his sister and caresses her boob in a decidedly unfraternal fashion…except if you come from a “pure” bloodline like the Targaryens or your name is Lannister, perhaps. :P He tells Dany he needs her to be perfect today. “You don’t want to wake the dragon, do you?” A cowed Dany says no. Viserys leaves her to slow-mo into her bath. “It’s too hot, my lady!” a servant cries out. When I watched this with my friend, she rolled her eyes at the obvious self-effacing nature of the walk. But it was also in there to hint to the fact that Dany survives hot temperatures. That’s more important than it sounds. :-“
Later, wearing the new dress, Dany waits with Viserys and Illyrio in front of their elaborate manse for “The Dothraki.” A tribe of Dothraki arrive on horses. Illyrio officially introduces Viserys and Daenerys to the Dothraki and the audience, claiming that V is the rightful king of Westeros. As he continues to talk to the horse lords in the Dothraki language, Viserys whispers more exposition to Dany about how the leader, Khal Drogo, has a long braid because he’s never been defeated in battle. “And you will be his queen,” he says gleefully.
Illyrio invites Daenerys to come down. She walks slowly towards him and Drogo, obviously terrified (kudos, Emilia Clarke, kudos, kudos!) Drogo looks her over briefly before leaving abruptly with his posse. Viserys is stunned. “He didn’t say anything; did he like her?” “Trust me, Your Grace,” Illyrio responds. “If he didn’t like her, we’d know.”
Later, the three of them look out over the sea. Illyrio is promising V that soon he’ll be able to take back Westeros; the common folk are sewing dragon banners and eagerly awaiting his return. V, meanwhile, is impatiently awaiting Dany’s wedding. Should happen soon, Illyrio promises. “The Dothraki never stay still for long.” The plan is for Viserys to give Drogo Dany and Drogo to give Viserys an army. V is remarkably pleased with himself over this feat.
Dany…not so much. “I don’t want to be his queen,” she timidly tells her brother. “I want to go home.” In the books, “home” is a place in one of the free cities on Essos where she lived as a child in exile with Viserys and a knight who spirited them away from Westeros when her father was deposed. Would have been some nice detail. To Viserys, of course, “home” is Westeros. “How do we get home, sweet sister?” he asks. “With Khal Drogo’s army.” Then caressing her cheek, he says he would have let all the Dothraki fuck her “and their horses too” if he could get an army out of the deal. That’s even more gross than the breast groping from before. X(
So Dany and Drogo are married. There’s lots of feasting on bloody meat and lots of undulating dancing, plus sex and violence. “A Dothraki wedding without at least three deaths is considered a dull affair,” Illyrio tells Viserys. At least it gets V to shut up about wanting to plan the invasion ASAP. People are offering Dany all sorts of strange gifts, like snakes. Then a Westerosi man, Ser Jorah, whom Drogo knows, approaches and introduces himself in the common tongue. (Fun fact: he’s from the north! Stark land!) He’s brought her books of history about Westeros. “Gods be good I’ll always serve the rightful king,” he tells Viserys. Suck up. :P
But who offers an even better gift? Illyrio. They’re dragon’s eggs from the far far east. Mysterious music plays as Daenerys inspects these eggs, which the ages have turned to stone. Dragons…magic…more on that later. :P Suffice to say the dragon is the sidgil of the Targaryen House, so Dany getting these eggs is kinda like the Stark kids getting direwolves.
Drogo stands so Dany must follow. He leads her to an absolutely beautiful, white horse whom Dany calls “her silver” in the books (Dothraki don’t name animals.) There’s something about the music and the cinematography that makes the image of Dany stroking her horse so beautiful to me. She turns to Jorah and says she doesn’t know how to say “thank you” in Dothraki. “There is no word for ‘thank you’ in Dothraki,” Jorah replies. I love this little detail…because the show actually hired someone to make up the Dothraki language, and based on the culture…well, there are no words for “thank you.” :P
Anywho, Drogo helps her onto the horse, and now it’s time to consummate their marriage, out in the open and under the sky, as is the Dothraki way. Viserys comes over to threaten Dany with “make him happy.” Yeah…wonderful compassion to show when forcing your sister into sex. X( And now here comes what might be the most controversial scene in the series thus far! The “rape scene.”
In the book, though Dany is terrified at first, Drogo goes slow and even tries to pleasure her a little as he’s pleasuring himself. So by the time they consummate anything, she actually wants it. (I’m on the fence about the believability of that, personally. :-/) Anywho, in the show, Drogo is kind of gentle, but Dany certainly doesn’t want it. They cut away as he pushes her, doggy style, to the ground, so yeah. There’s no way this is a “happy” coupling.
Drogo has a little bit of a cult following, and this editing decision really pissed off some fans. Personally…well, I think it’s probably better this way. We’re a 21st century audience. Even if she did enjoy herself at the end, she was forced into a child marriage against her will (she’s the main reason they had to age up the characters on the tv show.) And later, even in the book, the sex gets brutal again. If we’re going to create a show about women in a patriarchal, war-based society, we should probably be honest about how shitty it was to be sexually oppressed.
Anywho, Dany’s story does ultimately move on from this point, which I will cover in coming episodes. For now, a closing thought from April, 2011 about the character of Viserys:
…rather than being portrayed as the constantly angry and whining toddler from the books, he’s slightly more cunning (though still abusive to Dany, albeit in a less physical!angry/more emotional!damaging way). He’ll have plenty of time to be violent!whiny later, but I think this shows a better arc for his character.
…wow. I can’t believe this is even longer than some of my original reviews! I sure do love to ramble about this story. :P I hope it was informative—or at least of interest—to my audience!
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