from the perspective of someone who hasn't read the books.
Spoilers!
What is Game of Thrones?
Game of Thrones is based on a popular fantasy book series called A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R.R. Martin. I'd never heard about the series pre-HBO, but apparently, it has a huge fan base and following. Game of Thrones is a title derived from the 1st novel in this 7 book series. According to reports, the TV show is following the books very closely, and Martin is the co-executive producer; he will also be writing one episode during the season.
Overview for the non-fan.
Game of Thrones/A Song of Fire and Ice is about the land of Westero, a land of summers and winters that can last for years. There are 7 families, houses, that hold power within Westero. These 7 are fighting for the "Iron Throne" which is basically control and power over Westeros. Political turmoil isn't the only problem of Westeros; the phrase "Winter is coming," is quite literal, and winters in Westeros can last for years. And, as seen in the first bloody scene, supernatural forces are stirring as well.
Despite these inhuman conflicts, the first episode does a great job laying the foundation down for the political struggle ahead.
Game of Thrones has introduced us to four houses; Stark, Lannister, Baratheon, and Targaryen. The first three are inter weaved together through family ties and loyalties, while the last, is tied in its history, but has fallen silent.
Wildlings...huh?I expect nothing better from an HBO opening; darkness, fear, blood, decapitation. Yep. This is how you start things off.
I guess True Blood didn't have the decapitation part. Whatever...
We meet a band of Nightwatch, patrolling a forest. They come upon a site of corpses, in what seems to be a ritualistic pattern. It seems like these are Wildlings, which doesn't seem to good, as Will suddenly shakes with terror and talks about abandoning his post. Well, he shouldn't since death is the punishment for being a sissy, says that other doomed guy. Suddenly, the Wildling corpses vanish, striking more fear in the patrol. Then, because like any good horror film, we all know its coming, the patrol starts to eat it, as the Wildlings start ripping into them. Will escapes, but that other doomed guy gets nicely decapitated. WHOOSH blooodddd.
Damn, that wildling girl looks creepy.
Anyways, Will escapes that horrible reality just to enter another. Punishment. As predicted, he is captured by another patrol, where it becomes clear he was merely an extra.
House Stark is the ruling family of this area, close to the Night Watch post. From just 5 minutes of banter, you see a lot. The eldest sons are Jon Snow and Robb Stark. And from the look of
Ned (Eddard) Stark is the head hauncho here, and he grimly gathers his sons for an outing. Catelyn protests that Bran is too young to witness such a thing (?), but Ned disagrees.
So they all go- a nice hike to a countryside of rolling hills, that look straight out of the Tudors.
Hey, look, it's Will. Robb stands behind Bran, holding his shoulders firmly. He advises Bran not too look away, stating that his father will know if he does.
Ned calmly states his punishment to Will, death. Will speaks his last words, claiming that he saw Wildlings. Ned brings his sword up, and swiftly decapitates Will. Bran doesn't turn away, but the small twitch he makes is enough to remind us of his innocence. Ned asks Bran if he understands why he did what he did. Bran gives standard answers. "He was a deserter.- Our way is the old way."
But Ned simply replies "The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword."
Ned and the boys come across a dying Dire wolf, who has 5 little puppies. ZOMG so cute. Ned gives the orders to kill them so they don't die a slow painful death without their mummy. Bran cringes more (how much is this boy supposed to take) but Jon Snow steps in. As if proof that he is the less hardened version of Ned, he says that there are enough pups for the Stark children, and since the Dire wolf is the Stark animal/Crest/mascot, this would only be fitting. Ned makes it clear he won't be picking up dog poop, and allows the pups to live. (Yay!)
Then, as if on cue, Robb picks up an adorable stray, a white dire pup, who he immediately hands off to Jon. Because the runt is clearly the bastard's. Oh the tension!
Later on, Ned is given the news that Jon Arryn, the hand of the king, is dead, and that the king, Robert Baratheon is traveling for a month to see him.
House of Baratheon and Lannister
I love fat kings; they remind me of Santa with a crown. Robert Baratheon, current holder of the Iron Throne, is certainly jolly. His relationship with Ned is clearly close, as they joke about each others weight and chuckle and slap each other on the back. But things turn directly serious, when he demands to be taken to Ned's sister's grave. Cersei Lannister's, Robert's wife and therefore queen, face sours at this direction. She immediately protests, putting extra emphasis on their month long journey. Robert easily ignores her and goes off with Ned. It becomes clear from Robert's discussion about where her grave lies that there was something going on between him and Ned's sister. Maybe that's why he and Cersei have poor relationship. They seem to truly detest each other, with those poisonous looks and spiteful comments. Hrm...
Cersie's other half is handsome Jaime, her twin brother. He's pretty. He has that European glow to him. Jaime is known as the kingslayer because he slayed the last king, King Targaryen. (i heard kingslayer and thought, oh me too! Die Arthas die!)This king doesn't have a great title either; known as the Mad King, it is hinted that he went a little crazy before his untimely death.
Jaime is quite the opposite of his conniving sister. While she has some sort of agenda, Jaime just wants to shake some of his testosterone with a good sword fight. However, his loyalty to his sister is fairly certain. The two share words more than once, and it is quickly, yet subtly revealed that they were responsible for the death of the hand of the king, Arryn.
Finally, we have Tyrion Lannister, the dwarf younger brother of the pretty twins. While his brother swings swords with perfection, Tyrion is intelligent, witty, and has all the best lines in the show. His ordeal proves to be much dire then Jon Snow's, who he speaks to about being a bastard son. Clearly being a dwarf is worst. But what does Tyrion do? Rise above it. He may not be the strongest, or able to battle, but he can build his mind, with books and information. Snow could do the same.
Party in Winter
Back to the party. House Stark is hosting a party for House Fat King and the Pretties. Catelyn Stark asks Jon Snow to stay out of the dinner because his presence wouldn't be proper. Ouch. Jon is outside beating on a dummy with his sword. Nah, he doesn't have any pent up frustration he needs to get out.
Meanwhile, Sansa Stark eyes Joffrey Lannister. Oldest daughter of Ned and Catelyn, and son of Cersei and Robert, the two are in talks for a betrothal, especially since Ned might be the new hand of the king. Sansa is still a teenager, so being a teenager, she giggles and blushes when Joffrey is caught staring at her. Damn what a creepy looking boy. Joffrey has yet to say anything, yet that "flirtatious" stare was enough to set off my alarms. Sansa is called to her mother and Cersei, who asks some innocent questions and gives some comments. How old are you? You're so pretty. Oh by the way, have you bled yet? No? Aw I want grandchildren.
Right... Weirdo. However, this scene is a good testament to Cersei's character. She acts so regal, queenly, even gentle. Yet, with a couple passive aggressive comments she makes you uncomfortable. I kind of like it.
The decision is made
Despite his wife's protests, it becomes clear that Ned wants to follow Robert and become the hand of the king. He feels he is the only one who can protect him. This belief is further justified when a messenger interrupts bed time. The note is from Catelyn's sister, who was married to the hand of the king, Jon Arryn. She has fled the castle and is in hiding because, as she claims, Jon was murdered. She also believes the king's life is endangered. This cements the deal with Ned, who will become the new hand of the king. Oh, and by the way, winter is coming...
Up North? More pretty people!
Off in a far off land, we are introduced to the exiled house of Targaryen. The only living members are the children of the Mad King, beautiful daughter, Daenerys and creepy, driven son Viserys. Viserys is obsessed with getting the Iron Throne back, but considering there's only, like two of them, he has a bit of a problem. So how does fix the problem? By marrying of his beautiful sister in exchange for an army. Khal Drogo is the lucky groom, ruler of the Dorthraki, a savage tribe that has a vast army and is super violent. Like super. They roam the lands and live in huts. Drogo is pretty scary looking. He wears a lot of eye liner and has muscular man boobs that are held up by a man corset. When Daenerys meets him for the first time, he merely glances at her, the gallops away. "Does he like her?" Well, if he didn't they'd probably all be dead. Sweet, virginal Daenerys doesn't want to marry Khal Drogo. I mean he looks like he'd kill her by hugging her. She just wants to go home. But Viserys reminds her, in a sweet but firm voice, that they can't go home without an army. He then sweetly tells her, "I would let his whole tribe f*ck you, all 40,000 men and their horses, if that's what it took." What brotherly love!
Daenerys marries Khal Drogo in a fancy wedding of tribal dancing, violent duels to the death, and naked women. She is then given a wedding present, three fossilized dragon eggs. This is extremely significant because the Targaryen's symbol is a three headed dragon. However, dragons have been extinct for years; apparently the only dragon that exists now is Viserys' anger.
At the end of the ceremony, Daenerys and Khal Drogo ride of into the sunset, where they consummate their marriage on a secluded cliff facing the sea, doggy style. Romantic!
Review
The production value of this show is superb, like all HBO shows. Watching it is basically like watching a grimmer tale of LOTRs.
I have never read the books, but I like casting. Sean Bean and Leda Heady are great headliners for this genre, especially considering the movies and tv shows in their past repertoire (LotR & 300/Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles) They both exude complex characters in just the way they say their lines or make a face. Jaime's actor is really handsome, but the way he flippantly says "The things I do for love," before committing a pretty terrible act says a lot about his character. Jon Snow's actor is someone who can give off so many conflicting emotions in just a grimace. I particularly like Emilia Clark as Daenerys; it's only been one episode and I know she will be my favorite character. She is passive and meek, yet in her eyes you can see the disgust and rejection she has for her brother.
The storytelling is smooth. Considering they're dealing with a huge cast and two storylines going on in separate areas, I was easily eased into this world. Although names may have been accidentally forgotten, it's easy to distinguish who is who and who belongs to who. It was also easy to figure out what happened in the past, without being too overly blatant with details, thus making it seem unnatural and just for the benefit of the audience.
I really can't express how great this first episode was. I've already ran out and bought the book, and am looking forward to next Sunday with anticipation I haven't felt since True Blood.
Definitely a must see show.
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