What? Ten thoughts? Isn’t this supposed to be a five thought column?
Well, I’m sorry, but there is just too much exciting stuff to talk about to be condensed into five thoughts. I’ll keep them short overall, no worries, but I’m a glutton for writing — and, come on, there’s some cool stuff in this premiere. We’ll probably return to the five thought format quickly, but for now we’re going to go big. One might even say… giant-sized? Haha! Like in the show!
So as we kick off the new season of Game of Thrones, I bring you nine thoughts full of spoilers for the episode and one bonus thought to tease. Just for you.
1. You Had ONE Job, Sam
This season picks up exactly where last season ended, with Sam in the midst of the White Walker arrival and scared for his life. It featured some great bits, the return of Ghost, Sam’s “saved by the bear” moment and a better zombie than The Walking Dead.
If that didn’t get you jazzed for this season and Sam’s story in it with the rest of the Night’s Watch (sans-Jon) then I don’t quite know what will. I have high hopes for Sam Tarly and John Bradley, because as our main connection to the Night’s Watch he’ll be carrying a rather heavy burden in terms of keeping that portion of the story afloat. I think he’s up to the task, though; Bradley’s Tarly has always been relatable and affable — it’s about time the show really puts that to the test.
2. Wildlings!
Continuing to kick the season off in style, we also got to see right into the King Beyond The Wall’s home, where little children pelt Jon in the head and others aren’t everything they appear to be. The Tormund/Mance switcheroo played wonderfully in the show, and Kristofer Hivju is going to be the breakout actor of the season as Tormund Giantsbane. I’m calling it now.
That said, Ciaran Hinds as Mance Rayder is not exactly what you’d expect for the character. Ciaran Hinds is a good actor, but I’d always imagined Mance as a bit younger, both in terms of the book and as a viewer of the show. But, when you think about his connection to Qhorin Halfhand (and the general skewed age of people in the books – Jon and Rob are about 16 in “A Game Of Thrones,” so…) the older actor makes sense. Lets just hope Ciaran Hinds can nail the extremely difficult role of Mance Rayder.
Plus, giant! Hooray! We’re expanding beyond people!
3. Davos!
Oh, Davos. One of my favorite characters, I was very happy to see that he did not die in the Battle of Blackwater Bay. To see that the show got right to the point with his character was great as well, because as much as I do like Davos even I didn’t find a whole chapter about Davos’ lonely life on a rock that entertaining. Bringing him right to Dragonstone and in confrontation with Melisandre kicks his story in gear, and also shows exactly what happened to Stannis, which is important. That’s the thing — a lot of people are a bit broken right now, with many having suffered great losses at the end of the last season, and since Davos is our window to Stannis this was a smart way to show off exactly the effects of Stannis’ failed conquest.
Plus, it’s good to have him back. That ol’ seadog.
4. DRAGONS!
Look! Look! A budget!
Yes, that’s right: featured prominently in the first episode of this season are Dany’s three dragons. Last season they were a bit scarce, with certain scenes that could’ve easily been solved by a dragon’s presence being pushed in silly ways (“Show us your dragons and come into the city!” “…. No!”). Now Game of Thrones is flaunting their dragons, and boy, do those things look cool or what? And they grow up so fast, just like real kids.
The reason this is really exciting, though, is because this means we will probably get a good deal of dragon-based action in this season — and I think I speak for everyone when I say that I’m ready for some dragons to burn shit down.
Continued below5. “I heard you lost your nose.”
In one line, Cersei managed to deliver a short bit of fanservice and prove she’s still wicked to the bone. Nice.
Tyrion, like Davos or Stannis, is another character left broken after the events of last season, nose not withstanding. While he’s still got his wits about him, he has little else, as proven by his interactions with Tywin. Charles Dance’s performance as Tywin was one of the best elements from the last season, with the scenes with Arya always featuring the two characters dancing a dangerous but thrilling dance. But with his one and only scene in this episode Tywin manages to change that lovable old man we’d seen into the man “the Rains of Castomere” was written about — and the inclusion of the melody of the music in that scene is certainly no coincidence.
(In fact, lets start a game: everytime a Lannister appears and you hear that song, drink.)
And kudos to Peter Dinklage for continuing to make Tyrion one of the most intriguing characters of the show, even when Tyrion can barely stand in the sunlight without resembling his own shadow.
6. Oh, That Margery (aka, Hey, Cersei! Jealous Much?)
Natalie Dormer’s performance of Margery in the last season was a bit duplicitous. She was Renly’s wife, but almost immediately she turned around and agreed to marry Joffrey, because as she said she wants to be queen. With this season, however, the first time we see her she’s the only character in the show who seems to remember how to smile — and it’s immediately disconcerting. What’s Margery’s game here? Does she truly care about the poor unfortunate souls of Flea’s Bottom, or is there something more?
And you know Cersei can see it, and Lena Headey’s performance is just as fierce as ever. Cersei is a force of nature, a character who frequently makes remark that if she were born a male everyone would treat her differently, and while she’s not as quick to spit venom right now as normal, it will be very interesting to see Dormer and Headey play off one another throughout the show. They make a great pairing.
7. This One Does Not Need Nipples
How about those Unsullied, huh? Brutal stuff.
8. Welcome Back, Guy Most Viewers Probably Won’t Remember From Season One!
I watched the Game of Thrones premiere with a friend whose only ever seen the show, and when Barristan Selmy showed up to save Dany from the manticore (that’s what that was, by the way) I was rather excited. My friend? No real clue who that guy was. So allow me to explain, for folks who don’t remember: Barristan Selmy was a knight of the kingsguard who, in season one, was relieved of his duty by Joffrey and Cersei for the crime of being “too old.” Barristan responded in kind by saying a few inappropriate words and disappearing, never to be seen again.
This is where he ended up. And Jorah knows who he is, and you can tell by his face (still incredibly well balanced by Iain Glen) that he isn’t happy about this. Afterall, Selmy wants to join the Queensguard, and that’s Jorah’s job – and we know Jorah is in love with Dany. Oh my god, you guys — DRAMA BOMB.
9. But, All That Said? A Little Bit Weak
I love this show and feel no need to pretend that that doesn’t give me a general bias towards writing favorably about it. It’s one of my favorite programs, and the one I’ve arguably looked forward to the most this year, as early in it as we are.
Yet, given the way the last season began, you can’t help but notice that there was a lot missing from this premiere. There are a lot of stories being balanced and a lot that has to happen, but we won’t be seeing folks like Bran or Jamie or Arya until next week. The show’s always been good about balancing it’s cast and stories like a master plate spinner, but I would’ve liked a little bit more — perhaps one scene per story, rather than revisiting a few within the span of the hour. That way the show could’ve done better to establish where its cast is and what toll time has taken upon them.
Continued belowAgain, it’s understandable: season 3 adapts half of a thousand page novel, and has to introduce a few things from the second book they left out of the second season (such as the Reeds, who will show up next week). That will be the one thing about Game of Thrones that will perhaps be particularly noticeable: how well the showrunners can balance all the different storylines currently occurring when adapting a chunk of the book instead of the whole one, and how often we’re given episodes that viewers respond with, “Oh, I don’t care about that character anyway.” I hope very little, but I have my apprehensions.
Still, the worst part about this show is still the week you have to wait between episodes.
10. One More Thought, As a Reader and Not a Watcher
I’ve done my best to keep all my book reading thoughts out of this column, which admittedly was a bit hard. There are some things I want to say (and if you want, we can chat about them in the comments/Twitter/e-mail, etc) that I have to keep restrained, since the show is not the book and should be judged accordingly.
But, since I have read the books and assumedly some of you have as well, I’ll throw in one extra comment just for book readers: that one part was cool, wasn’t it? Yeah. You know the one. That one! That was so cool. Just missing an apology.
Ha. I kid. But, for serious, I’ll at least say this as a tease for non-readers from someone who has read all the books (and keep in mind that this could potentially be mildly-spoilery, because while I won’t say anything specific you could probably infer a thing or two): if you get the chance, watch the episode again. It’s very interesting to see what they chose to show, who they chose to show and what scenes they fit in.
