GAME OF THRONES - WINTERFELL REVIEW (S8:E1)

After 1 year, 7 months, and 19 days of its absence, the greatest show on television returned, much to the excitement of millions of G.O.T fanatics around the world. It’s been a long and keen wait for the final season of the series, and now that its here, I have mixed emotions. On one hand its great to have the series back, and on the other hand the end is near, too near (it’s just six episodes!). Game of Thrones has proved to be more than a television show, it has slowly grown into a worldwide phenomenon, skyrocketing the popularity of the books it is based on, embedding itself into pop culture, forged lifelong friendships among fans and given television series a whole new level to aspire to. But you aren’t here to weep about the end, you’re here to enjoy the journey and share thoughts on the final season’s first episode, so let’s do just that.

WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 1, SEASON 8

Reunions, Reunions, Reunions.

The first episode of Season 8 had many long-awaited reunions as key characters converged at Winterfell. After securing her help and pledging his fealty, Jon Snow brought Daenerys home to meet his family and the rest of the North. It was also the first time he would lay eyes on Bran and Arya since Season one, episode 1. Bran’s reunions with his family haven’t exactly been soul-stirring affairs since he became the Three-eyed Raven and seemingly became devoid of regular human emotion. So, it was the keenly awaited Jon – Arya reunion that most G.O.T fans looked forward to, me included, and frankly it was somewhat underwhelming, no it wasn’t bad but for an event nine years in the making, it certainly lacked the oomph I was expecting. I know the end of the world is fast approaching and all, but come on man where were the waterworks, and that devilishly sweet and melancholic Stark theme to emotionally lift the scene? Arya’s other reunions with Gendry and the Hound went as could be expected, with Sandor Clegane still being the most likeable-obnoxious man in the Seven Kingdoms and her chummy banter with Gendry reminiscent of his teasing ‘me lady’ comments in season three.

It was also the first time Tyrion Lannister was back in the north since the first season, and the first time he would lay eyes on Sansa after Joffrey sweetly choked on his pigeon pie. While Sansa and Tyrion were not necessarily close, they had a huge amount of mutual respect and their meeting portrayed a Sansa that had come off age, who was now a woman in her own right. She even managed to seize the last word with sophisticated savagery (‘I used to believe you were the cleverest man in the world’) as she departed.

Jon Snow: The King in the…Not!

Not many in the seven Kingdoms have been through what Jon Snow has in a lifetime. Well, make that two lifetimes. The former King in the North and a handful of others are the only ones who understand the true threat of the Night King. Upon his return to Winterfell he’s berated by the mighty Llyana Mormont for bending the knee to Daenerys, and pushing his crown aside. At this point you’d forgive him for not placing too much attachment to titles, given the imminent threat (remember the Northern Lords have not even seen a wight yet), but having the allegiance of the North while being pledged to Daenerys is a truly delicate balance to strike as Lord Glover’s second betrayal has shown, the northerners placed their faith in him as a Stark and nominated him King, so the big question is what happens if/when they find out he’s half Targaryen, will the Northern hate of the Targaryen’s overshadow the fact that’s he’s half Stark and Ned Stark’s nephew?

The Starks: Defending the Family

Daenerys received a frosty reception upon her arrival in Winterfell, with the Northern Lords and Sansa not ones to hide the displeasure of their King bending the knee to the Tragaryen. Arya has chosen her side, backing Sansa and reminding Jon about what side he should be on, and In light of Sansa's discovery that Jon is in love with Daenerys, and the revelation of Jon's true parentage, it all feels like a powder keg waiting to blow, hopefully the Night King shows up sooner, rather than later to give them a common cause and end any potential squabbling.

Euron’s Return to the Capital

Following his charade to return to the Iron Islands and wait out the Night King, everyone’s favourite bad guy (well my favourite) returns to Westeros with the Golden Company; an army of mercenaries for hire (a ploy which was revealed at the end of last season). However, the company’s Elephants could not make the long journey, a realization which clearly had Cersei perturbed (She really wanted those damn Elephants!). At this point it’s fair to say Euron has given more than he’s been given by the Queen upon the Iron Throne, and he demands compensation in kind. Even though Cersei initially thwarts his advances, she eventually concedes to his request - a rumble in the sheets with the Queen. While it may just be the realization that she had to give something to keep Euron tethered, her concession to lie with him is most likely another calculated scheme in the making. And at this point, with Cersei’s intention of killing Jamie there’s nothing stopping her from passing Jamie’s baby off as Euron’s to seal his loyalty.

The Lannisters: ‘That Fucking Family’

Through the course of the series, Ser Bronn of the Blackwater has changed allegiance more times than a Westerosi prostitute changes underwear, from Kathleen Stark to Tyrion Lannister and Jamie Lannister, Bronn seems set to switch Lannisters again when he’s prompted by Cersei to kill her two brothers - his former employers and dare I say friends? Cersei has clearly not forgiven both Jamie and Tyrion for their roles in Tywin Lannister's death, given the weapon of assassination presented to Bronn – a cross bow, the weapon Tyrion used to kill hus father during his escape from King's landing in Season 4. It’s a big moment in the episode as it further highlights both Cersei’s unforgiving and cruel nature while testing the limit of Bronn’s greed and disloyalty, so far it seems that Bronn has acceded to Cersei’s request, but will the likable mercenary have a change of heart in the episodes to come?

“What is Dead may never Die, but kill the Bastards anyway!”

At the end of last season Theon and the Iron Born faithful to Yara Greyjoy had set out to rescue her from his uncle. Surprisingly, Yara is rescued early on in the season when Theon leads a successful and rather easy rescue mission (maybe it’s just me but I find it perplexing that Euron would not have kept his most valuable prisoner under better lock and key). However, while Yara plans on reclaiming the sparsely guarded Iron Islands from her uncle, Theon would rather join the fight at Winterfell, to which Yara gives him permission. Very few characters on the series have had a better redemption arc than Theon, he’s suffered quite the misfortune since backstabbing the Starks way back in Season two, but since then, he’s somewhat redeemed himself, having helped saved Sansa from the Boltons. His sins could almost be forgotten, but his inclination to go back North indicates a man seeking full redemption in the eyes of the adopted family he betrayed.

A Decent Proposal

In light of Jon Snow and Daenerys’ blossoming romance, Davos makes a proposition to Daenerys’ advisers, Tyrion Lannister and Varys to consider Jon Snow as ‘the’ potential match for the future Queen in the event that they survive the Long Night. Varys’ ‘nothing lasts forever’ comment unequivocally carried a lot of foreshadowing with it, especially in light of the events which came after, when Sam reveals to  Jon that he is also a Targaryen, and the rightful heir to the Iron throne.

A Date of Dragons

We had a momentous occasion unfold before our eyes as Jon Snow finally rode a Dragon! Well, it was going to happen at some point right? In the midst of all the chaos and imminent danger, lovebirds Jon and Daenerys make the time to go on a Fly-by date, and Jon is prodded to mount Rhaegal, the Dragon named after his biological father. I couldn’t resist a chuckle, when Jon asked Daenerys ‘how do you ride a dragon?’ Once you’ve ridden one Dragon, you’ve ridden them all Jonny boy!

Revelations

For the first time in the series, Samwell Tarly and Daenerys Targaryen shared the screen, alas not on the best of circumstances. In probably one of the most awkward situations of the series, Daenerys coldly reveals to Sam that she had murdered his father and younger brother when they had refused to bend the knee. In effect, Daenerys has murdered the family of the man who saved her loyal servant Jorah Mormont, and who also happens to be her lover’s best friend, the type of repercussions which Tyrion was warning against when he chastised the Dragon Queen for her hastiness in serving out ‘justice’ in the aftermath of the Loot train attack. Sam later on breaks  the news to Jon about his true parentage, a task made easier by the recent news of his family’s demise at the hands of the Daenerys, and Jon takes the news pretty much how you'd expect, with denial and accusation. In light of this news, certain Dynamics in Jon's relationships are about to change but just how much, and will Sam's revelations turn out to be a secret best kept?

The Three-eyed Raven

Along with his sightseeing abilities since becoming the Three-eyed Raven, Bran Stark seems to have acquired the uncanny ability of popping up anywhere in Winterfell. That’s a pretty big feat for a man who uses a wheelchair to get around, guess the builders at Winterfell immediately worked at making the castle more wheelchair-accessible for the young Stark. When Sam bumps into Bran in the courtyard, he informs him that he’s waiting for a friend. That ‘friend’ turned out to be Jamie Lannister, the man who attempted to kill Bran after he found the Lannister twins getting it on way back in season one. Prior to his becoming the three eyed Raven, Bran had suffered some amnesia; forgetting  the events which led to his paralyzing fall, but now that he knows the truth of how his legs were ‘taken’ from him, will the Three-eyed Raven seek justice?

The Last Hearth

We find out that both Beric and Tormund and a few others survived the fall of the Wall at the end of last season’s finale, which saw the Night King use Viserion’s fire power to bring down the Eastwatch castle along with a significant portion of the Wall. As the survivors make their way to the Last Hearth (the Umber ancestral home), they meet the men of the Night’s Watch on their way to Winterfell. Ominously, they find one of the Night King's signs made with mutilated body parts and the corpse of the young Ned Umber. There is an ongoing theory that the Night King creates these signs to remind the world of men about his origin and the purpose for which he was made, but his uncanny habit of making these signs out of decapitated human and animal body parts is rather excessive wouldn't you say? I mean, use rocks or something man.

Episode Round up: The Calm before the Storm

Now that Euron Greyjoy has gotten some compensation for his troubles and has lost Yara as a prisoner, it will be interesting to see what his next move will be. Jamie Lannister’s reception in Winterfell is sure to be an intriguing one in light of his attempted murder of Bran Stark, and despite the imminent threat from the North the revelation of Jon’s true parentage may prove to be divisive to Jon’s allies if they ever found out. Cersei has once again proven to be the cruelest individual on the show sending Bronn to murder her brothers, whether Bronn will actually see it through remains to be seen but I imagine that he wouldn’t. There’s also been a battle being teased in the preview for episode 2. While it is unlikely to be The Battle of Winterfell (it’s too early and episode 2 has a runtime of only 58 minutes), it will no doubt be enthralling and consequential. The season’s debut episode wasn’t the most explosive, but its surely one of the most important, drawing parallels from the events of the series past, as well as delicately setting up events to come.

Reject Rating: 9/10

Images: All pictures belong to HBO.